How are you feeling?
Number One opened his eyes. His eyes had been modified, with his pupils flashing red light. His field of vision could zoom in and out like Sniping scope. He looked down at his metal-skinned hands, flexing his fingers, a sinister smile spreading across his face.
"Better than ever before."
Number One threw a punch, his exoskeleton hummed, and the steel wall was dented in a spreading pattern. His ferocious smile gradually widened, and finally turned into maniacal laughter.
He endured endless suffering and finally gained transcendent power.
He was intoxicated by the surging sense of confidence.
Faced with this power, Number One suddenly realized that Zero, who had killed him, was nothing more than a weak little chick that could be crushed with a flick of the wrist.
They're not on the same level anymore.
"Zero, don't die at anyone else's hands before I find you." Number One's eyes were fierce as he muttered to himself, "You're mine."
Cerberus left the research lab and reported to the leader.
"Because the timeline was brought forward, the experiment is not yet mature. Only Number One can withstand all the modifications; he is the only fully modified body," Cerberus said. "It's unimaginable that he can endure all the torture."
The leader said indifferently, "He died at the hands of Zero; hatred made his will unbreakable."
"Regarding Zero..." Cerberus narrowed his eyes, "If he truly possesses precognitive abilities, we must eliminate him before the war, otherwise our strategic deployment will be exposed."
"He's like a sewer rat, hiding too deep."
The leader stood with his hands behind his back, tucked his fingers together three times, and then made his decision, "Activate the Child of Destiny and find his location."
Cerberus smiled; he had always been very interested in the Child of Destiny.
The two walked through a winding corridor, passing through increasingly restrictive access gates. The security here was extremely tight, with squads of elite Night Owl patrolling the corridors, their footsteps echoing in unison. There was a well-hidden secret room here.
The leader arrived at the door, entered the password, and then used fingerprint recognition. He took off the gloves he always wore, revealing his palms, which were covered with hideous scars, as if they had been gnawed and chewed by wild beasts, a truly gruesome sight.
The fingertips also had scars. Only after this was identified did the leader put his gloves back on. The metal door mechanism moved and slid open to the side. Only the leader had the authority to open this door.
Inside was a hibernation pod, and a man wearing a metal mask was lying in the pod, hibernating, with nutrient solution ensuring his body would not die.
The leader operated the hibernation pod, injecting the awakening agent. The pod door opened with a whoosh, and the man slowly opened his eyes, calm and composed, his gaze like a stagnant pool, completely unconcerned about whether he was asleep or awake.
This person was called the "Child of Destiny" by the Germinal Organization, possessing a peculiar ability to influence the future through language, though Germinal itself didn't know the details.
The leader beckoned to someone behind him, and his subordinate handed over Zero's file. The leader showed it page by page, and the "Child of Destiny" watched the pages turn without focusing his gaze.
After flipping through it once, the leader repeated it again, saying in a deep voice, "Make him show himself."
The "Child of Destiny" finally blinked.
The leader took out a special key and unlocked the metal mask of the "Child of Destiny".
The "Child of Destiny" closed his eyes for a full five minutes before opening them and speaking slowly, his voice hoarse. "He will walk right into the trap and come here."
The leader paused, then said, "Time."
"It won't be long."
"I hope it will succeed this time." Cerberus shook his head. "The ability of the ' Child of Destiny ' doesn't always guarantee success. The smaller the requirement, the higher the success rate."
The leader fastened a metal mask around the "Child of Destiny" and pushed him back into hibernation.
The guards outside cautiously peeked out, exchanged glances, and looked puzzled.
Why are the leader and Mr. Cerberus talking to themselves?
After spending three days in the last beginner village in the Western Continent, Han Xiao couldn't wait to board a plane and leave. His next stop was the North Continent, which required a long flight.
As the average player level approached level 20, Han Xiao had no choice but to speed up his journey.
The sky outside the porthole was filled with stars, and the plane flew smoothly through the dark clouds, having set its course.
High in the night sky, the Milky Way glittered, its reflection shining brightly and magnificently in Han Xiao's mirror-like pupils.
Looking at the night sky, Han Xiao would always think of those shining stars, which have built countless civilizations and hold countless opportunities in the depths of the universe, making it a bustling place.
Han Xiao knew this well, and whenever he thought of it, a surge of heroic ambition would well up within him.
"A man's Journey is to the stars and the sea."
He has already established a firm foothold on Planet Aquamarine. This is his starting point. The more trump cards he accumulates here, the more confident he will be.
Han Xiao opened the panel and tallied his gains.
After spending more than ten days in the Western Continent, I managed to acquire a bunch of potions, including a semi-finished potion with unknown effects but potentially valuable results. I also gained more connections, including Dean, two clueless superheroes, Hannes, and others, and triggered a hidden main storyline.
They've also built a mech, the Viper Mod.
Viper Modified can greatly increase his strength and agility attributes, making up for the weakness of the mechanic in the early stage. In Han Xiao's plan, Viper Modified is the second combat plan. It is still in the prototype stage. New modules need to be added to the mecha to increase the means of combat.
Sniping is a style of Assassination, kiting, and stealth, while Viper Mod is what Han Xiao uses for head-on confrontation. In fact, he already has several modification ideas in mind.
The biggest gains were the experience and money from the four beginner villages. The [Energy Refinement Method] was selling like hotcakes, just as Han Xiao had initially predicted, bringing him astronomical profits!
Experience, 120 million!
Breaking 100 million in one go!
Those who can afford the [Energy Refinement Method] are players who progress relatively quickly; not everyone can afford it.
Job change knowledge and basic skills, on the other hand, are sold at a low profit margin but in high volume, making them the most popular items and generating an additional 20 million experience points!
The total experience accumulated in the panel industry amounts to 140 million!
Looking at the long string of zeros, Han Xiao felt a surge of joy. Even for players of the same level, this amount of experience was still astronomical. Some players might not even reach this number in the entire 1.0 version.
"Awesome!" Han Xiao was in a good mood, knowing he wouldn't need to worry about experience for a long time to come.
Once he overcomes the major hurdles of job change and advancement, his level will skyrocket. He can then upgrade skills lavishly, effortlessly maxing out all skills except for blueprints. Most importantly, he can fuse blueprints in large quantities, replenishing his inventory.
Not only did I gain experience, but the [Energy Refinement Method] also earned me 36 million Aquamarine Dollar, and I sold five letters of introduction, greatly replenishing my wallet. This wealth is simply terrifying; this is the power of taxes from the people.
"This trip was worth it!"
Han Xiao rubbed his hands together, eagerly opening the control panel.
He currently has skills that are not yet at max level (except for blueprints), including [Grappling Lv5], [Precision Shooting Lv3], [Special Combat Lv1], [Stealth and Concealment Lv1], [Hold Breath and Aim Lv1], [Night Raid Lv1], [Precision Enhancement Modification Lv4], [Energy–Electromagnetic Enhancement Lv1], [Precision Repair Lv1], and the divine skill [Pickpocketing Lv1].
Without even looking at the experience requirements, I immediately leveled up all skills except those listed in the blueprints to the maximum level!
That's outrageously extravagant!
[Your Precision Shooting and Sniping have reached level 5. You have mastered [Field Control Vision]]
[Your Grappling have reached level 5, your Special Combat have reached level 5, and you have mastered [Lethal Critical Hit]]
[You have gained the skill [Combat Mastery]]
[You have gained the skill [Shooting Mastery]]
[You have gained the feat [Bat Habits]]