With his hands braced against the ground, Han Xiao lifted a large pack of wolves from his back. Each wolf weighed several hundred pounds, making it extremely difficult for him. He barely managed to create a small gap, and then quickly rolled away, pulling a grenade from his waist and tucking it under the wolves.
"Boom!"
With a muffled thud, shrapnel and sparks flew everywhere, the wolf pack howled in agony, their bodies splattered with blood, and Han Xiao's armor was also stained crimson. He sprang to his feet, his hand reaching to his waist to draw a folding and illustrated battle sword—a heavily reinforced, personally crafted model.
Han Xiao moved nimbly through the wolf pack, his dark blade flashing repeatedly, leaving trails of blood. The corrosive venom spewed by the Purple-scaled Python couldn't keep up with his pace; with a flash of his blade, he severed the snake's head, the cut as smooth as a mirror, blood gushing out, the headless snake's body still twitching on the ground.
All the beasts swarmed around him, but with the speed of his Electromagnetic Hover Boots, the defense of his Magnetically Controlled Armor, and his attribute advantages, he was able to slaughter the entire horde single-handedly. The players were left with nothing to do, watching in astonishment as Han Xiao wreaked havoc.
Why are the mechanics engaging in melee combat?
Players were captivated by Han Xiao's graceful figure. Although they wanted to complain, they couldn't deny that his melee combat was incredibly cool, overturning most people's perceptions of Mechanic Class!
It turns out that being a mechanic isn't just about long-range shooting; melee combat is also incredibly powerful, and their close-combat style is distinctly different from that of Pugilist Class.
Frenzied Sword finally logged on, arriving breathlessly outside the town to witness the beast attack. It was also the first time he had seen Han Xiao display his skills, and in that instant, he felt he had found a guiding light—this was the fighting style he loved! You can tell just by looking at his ID!
"Choosing to follow Han Xiao was absolutely the right decision!" Frenzied Sword could hardly contain their excitement; they had truly made the right choice!
It wasn't just the Frenzied Sword; many players who had been hesitant about changing jobs due to forum discussions also rekindled their interest in the Mechanic Class.
After slaughtering countless wolves and snakes, Han Xiao's vision suddenly cleared, and he saw the wolf pack whimpering as it slowly retreated, and the Purple-scaled Python also flicking their tongues and fleeing in panic, quickly disappearing completely, leaving behind a ground full of corpses that wet the soil and stained it bright red.
He took a breath, wiped the blood off his armor. With his attributes, he could easily overwhelm these low-level beasts, and he still had two-fifths of his stamina left.
The mechanic rarely engages in melee combat. Occasionally, he goes all out, which makes him feel relaxed and at ease. Compared to the killer style of One Shot, One Kill, this visceral, hand-to-hand combat is more suitable for venting his frustrations.
The guards of Green Valley Town came out to clean up the battlefield and carried the beast carcasses back to the town as food. Han Xiao declined Bashas's invitation again and, under the excited gaze of the players, returned to his original position and pretended to close his eyes to rest.
The panel indicated that the mission was complete, with over a hundred beasts killed and over 20,000 experience points gained. Since his level was significantly higher than the targets, the experience gained would be greatly reduced. However, even a small amount is still valuable, and Master Han wasn't picky. His main purpose in this mission was to test his current skills and gain a clear understanding of his physical abilities, so that he Combat Talent. Another reason was to continue showcasing the strength of the Mechanic Class. He noticed that the players with Esper Class were performing exceptionally well, while the Mechanic Class newbies were mediocre, which would likely cause a wave of doubts. He wanted to use his own performance to divert the players' attention.
Upon opening the forum, Han Xiao discovered that a player had uploaded a recording of what had just happened, with a shocking title. "Incredible! Mechanic Class can fight like this!"
The video showed Han Xiao almost single-handedly resolving a beast attack. The footage was very impactful. Previously, he mainly used Sniping, killing people with a single shot, and also deployed artillery emplacements and robots to unleash firepower, without showcasing his individual combat capabilities. This time, he made up for that, and most of the comments and replies were filled with amazement.
But he noticed that another reply below the post had been manually pinned to the top. Looking at the ID, it was that Luosimen again, with a very aggressive tone.
"Black Phantom is indeed very strong, I don't deny that, but the Mechanic Class is truly trash. Look at the beginning of the recording; the Esper Class is the backbone of the fight against the beast hordes, while those players who switched to the Mechanic Class can only sit on the sidelines and fire shots—completely useless. This recording was probably made by a Mechanic Class player; aside from the Mechanic Class who can only coast along, I doubt other players have time to do this during battle..."
Also, stop sending me videos of Black Phantom! That bastard's trying to trick me into playing Mechanic Class again!
Looking down, the replies were divided into supporters and opponents, and a heated argument ensued.
Han Xiao clicked his tongue, somewhat annoyed. Luosimen was seizing on this point, affecting his business. The players' attention was being drawn to the argument, greatly diminishing the effectiveness of his ability to demonstrate his strength. With Han Xiao's years of experience lurking in forums, he immediately recognized Luosimen as a troublemaker, posting everywhere with a sarcastic and witty tone.
Scratching his head, Han Xiao didn't have a good solution either. This was an inevitable debate, just like the debate between savory and sweet tofu pudding. As long as speech wasn't restricted, it was impossible to prevent others from exercising their right to freedom of speech.
"But I'm an NPC now. Even if showing my strength isn't enough to convince more people, I can't go too far. I can't just run up to the players and shout, 'I'm actually a player,' can I?" Han Xiao said helplessly.
The NPC template is his secret, and he doesn't want to reveal it. Although from a player's perspective, seeing an NPC shout "I am a player" would only seem novel and interesting, few people would take it seriously, and most would think it's an Easter egg or character setting, just like Deadpool.
There are also some indescribable simulation games where the simulated characters claim to be aware of the player's existence, but who would take it seriously? Those who did have long since been corrected by Yang Technology.
The stench of blood hadn't yet dissipated when Frenzied Sword and Furious Sword, who had been observing from the sidelines for a while, ran over from a distance. As soon as he appeared, he attracted the attention of the players. The Galaxy Times reported his movements, Frenzied Sword became somewhat famous, being recognized immediately.
The surrounding players whispered among themselves, filled with envy.
"Isn't that the professional gamer the show was talking about? He had screen time in the promotional video."
"He and Black Phantom do indeed have a special relationship."
"I really want to trigger the hidden storyline of Black Phantom."
Frenzied Sword came running to Han Xiao's side.
Han Xiao valued this promising candidate. He still had some conscience; he didn't care if Frenzied Sword embarrassed himself in front of NPCs, but he couldn't bear to mess things up in front of the player community. After all, Frenzied Sword was a professional player, and his image was still very important.
Han Xiao casually set up some normal-looking tasks, Frenzied Sword looked disappointed after receiving them.
"Gathering resources? How boring, I'd rather dance."
Han Xiao's lips twitched; habits are truly terrifying.
At this moment, a player walked over, his ID above his head was "Daojianxiao," and called out, "Frenzied Saber?"
Upon seeing this person, Frenzied Sword's face immediately fell, and he sullenly replied, "It's you. You're playing ' Galaxy ' too? Why aren't you playing ' Swordsman ' anymore?"
"Hehe, not challenging at all." Daojianxiao with a half-smile.
Some players recognized Daojianxiao.
"Daojianxiao, isn't that the professional gamer?"
"I heard he ranked in the top three in ' The Swordsman ' and won the championship twice."
Daojianxiao was quite pleased with the players' amazement, and a hint of disdain was hidden in his eyes as he looked at Frenzied Sword.
Previously, Frenzied Sword was also a professional player of "Swordsman" (a popular Chinese mobile game), and he was defeated by him many times in competitions, but his fame was far less than Kuangdao Nujian's.
Daojianxiao saw the praise for Frenzied Sword in the Galaxy Times and realized that his old rival was doing better than him. Feeling a bit unbalanced, he deliberately came to stir up trouble. His greeting was not well-intentioned. After a few words, he casually said, "Since we've met, let's have a PK spar. I'm Esper Class, what's yours?"
"... mechanical."
Frenzied Sword hesitated. Although he had latched onto Han Xiao's coattails, the mechanical skills in the early game were really not suitable for combat, and he subconsciously wanted to refuse.
Unexpectedly, Daojianxiao and Tushu suddenly said, "We've known each other for several years now. How about a friendly PK? You wouldn't refuse such a small request, would you? Or do you look down on me?"
Frenzied Sword was speechless. He couldn't refuse those words; there was no need to make an enemy of a colleague over such a trivial matter.
Daojianxiao sneered inwardly. He was deliberately trying to provoke Kuang Dao Nu Jian, fearing that Frenzied Sword would refuse. Frenzied Sword had gained some popularity in "Galaxy," and he wanted to ride on that coattails.
Once you gain fame, you easily become prey in the eyes of others.
If he defeats Frenzied Sword, he might be able to diminish the opponent's fame. If a professional player who has appeared on a TV show is defeated by him, he can also gain some minor fame.
Daojianxiao was very confident. His awakened superpower was quite good. Its initial application was to gather earth and stone to form armor on his body, which was defensive and not very afraid of pistols. He felt that he had a good chance of winning.
Even if they lose, it'll be a good test of their skills. They'll stop short of killing anyone, Daojianxiao thinks this is a sure-fire deal.
Moreover... he looked at the Black Phantom beside him, his gaze burning with desire.
"The Frenzied Sword can trigger hidden storylines, I can try it too!"