The Stardragon Homeland Strategic Defense Bureau was known as the Thirteenth Bureau for short.
Thoughts raced through Han Xiao's mind.
Old Man Lü was the central figure in a hidden storyline and the target of Han Xiao's trip.
Running into Old Man Gao, however, had been a complete accident. He was an important figure in a high position, and Han Xiao knew his identity might remain hidden from others, but not from Old Man Gao.
His original plan had been to anonymously send information on Germinal as a gesture of goodwill, then reveal himself when the time was right. But circumstances had overtaken his plan, and he had to adjust it.
Making contact with the Thirteenth Bureau's upper ranks so abruptly had put him in a somewhat passive position. Han Xiao rarely got discouraged, however. When circumstances changed, he simply thought of another approach.
Since anonymity was no longer an option, he might as well reveal himself outright and demonstrate his value, making them think he was worth recruiting, then wait for the Thirteenth Bureau to come to him. As the saying went, the enemy of one's enemy was a friend. There was a potential basis for cooperation between Han Xiao and Stardragon.
Fortunately, he had already entered the city. The Thirteenth Bureau would have reservations and act cautiously for fear of damaging the urban area. If he had revealed his identity at the checkpoint, he would have been surrounded by the army and left at their mercy.
Changing plans was not necessarily a bad thing. Old Man Gao held a position of great standing. As long as Han Xiao earned even a little of his trust, his plan would be more than halfway to success.
As he considered how to start a conversation, Han Xiao asked, "What test?"
Old Man Lü looked around but could not find any difficult task. Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and he pointed at Old Man Gao's amputated arm. "Make him a prosthesis. You only pass the test if he's satisfied."
"How did I get dragged into this?" Old Man Gao was taken aback, but when he saw Old Man Lü making faces at him, he understood that Old Man Lü was deliberately making things difficult to drive Han Xiao away.
"Grandpa, you're going too far! Why are you being so demanding? What if you scare him away? You spend every day drinking, playing chess, and wandering around. How long has it been since you took care of work at the shop? Can't I even find an assistant?"
Lü Qian was indignant.
Old Man Lü ignored his granddaughter and looked straight at Han Xiao, waiting for his answer.
Han Xiao wore a strange expression as he reiterated, "Are you sure you want me to make a prosthesis that satisfies this gentleman?"
"If you don't dare accept, then hurry up and leave."
"I accept."
Han Xiao agreed with a smile. The [Bionic Prosthesis] blueprint he had obtained earlier was still gathering dust in his interface. He already had the blueprint, so Old Man Lü's demand played right into his hands, and it would also give him a natural opportunity to establish a connection with Old Man Gao. He did not know if it was his imagination, but he had the feeling his bloodline had been getting a little more European lately. These past few days, he had kept feeling as though some kind of presence was watching him from beyond.
"You only have three hours. I don't have the patience to wait a day or two for you to make it,"
Old Man Lü said with a cold snort.
"Grandpa!" Lü Qian was furious. To make a prosthesis, Han Xiao would first have to measure Old Man Gao's arm, then draw up a schematic, and finally produce the finished piece. Developing the design and drawing it alone could take several hours. Even if the lathe could simplify the manufacturing process, it would still take no less than two hours, leaving Han Xiao almost no time to develop a design. On top of that, the finished product had to earn Old Man Gao's approval. This was blatant obstruction; even designers were not treated this badly.
But Old Man Lü was the head of the household, and Lü Qian's protests were useless.
Han Xiao, however, showed little reaction. He took out a measuring tape and asked, "Sir, may I?"
Old Man Gao readily took off his coat and indicated that Han Xiao could measure his amputated arm as he pleased.
As Han Xiao took his measurements, Old Man Gao observed him in turn.
Despite Old Man Lü's blatant attempt to make things difficult for him, there was not a trace of displeasure on his face. Instead, he looked confident, as though he really had the skills.
I just don't know why the Germinal Organization put a bounty of one million on him.
Old Man Gao had recognized Han Xiao the moment he saw him. The Germinal Organization's bounty had caused a huge uproar in the underground world, and nearly every intelligence agency had memorized Zero's appearance. Old Man Gao's position put him in charge of such matters, so he naturally knew about it too. Seeing Han Xiao, the bounty target, swaggering around the city, he knew that another officer stationed at the checkpoint had become corrupt. He really needed to find an opportunity to give their ranks a thorough purge.
What had Han Xiao come to West Capital for? Was he a threat? These were the questions that concerned Old Man Gao. For now, Han Xiao's behavior seemed normal, so Old Man Gao continued to observe him.
Old Man Lü was different from him. In his youth, Old Man Lü had walked the line between life and death, and his extensive experience had allowed him to keenly detect the killing aura that clung to Han Xiao from taking lives. That was why he had deliberately made things difficult for him: he did not want Han Xiao staying at the repair shop and was worried he would bring trouble. However, Old Man Lü had not been involved with the underground world for a long time and did not know that Han Xiao was Germinal's bounty target.
Old Man Lü's demands are really harsh. He's left the decision in my hands, so he must want my help.
Old Man Gao exchanged a look with Old Man Lü.
Han Xiao quickly finished taking the measurements. Unhappy with her grandfather's behavior, Lü Qian eagerly came over to help. "Come on, tell me what you have in mind. We can draw up the blueprint together and save some time."
To her surprise, Han Xiao declined her help and smiled. "There's no need to draw it. I already have a complete design in mind."
Lü Qian's eyes widened. "It's only been two minutes, and you've already come up with something?!"
"You must be the one who blew the Cowherd Star into the sky." Old Man Lü scoffed. Even he, a mechanical expert, could not envision a complete blueprint in two minutes, so how could this kid do it? What nonsense!
Han Xiao did not bother explaining further. He quickly wrote down a list of the materials and equipment he needed. Lü Qian was the shop manager, so she could find them much faster than he could.
Lü Qian soon gathered all the materials. She was very unhappy with Old Man Lü's behavior and could only do her best to help Han Xiao, but she did not hold out much hope. With such harsh conditions, she simply did not believe he could succeed.
Han Xiao picked out the materials and began working.
Under the work of the press, grinding wheels, and other equipment, the raw metal materials of various shapes gradually took on the forms Han Xiao had in mind.
The main material he used was a common type of aluminum alloy. It was light yet strong and tough, and easy to grind and shape. Some rivets, screws, and cables were available ready-made, saving him a great deal of time.
[Basic Mechanical Affinity] gave Han Xiao an extraordinary perception of metal components. As he touched the metal, he could faintly sense an impatient emotion coming from the material about to be ground. The feeling vanished in an instant, like an illusion. Mechanical affinity skills were the most fundamental abilities of the Mechanic Class, affecting every aspect of equipment use and machine manufacturing. Each level of Basic Mechanical Affinity increased machinery quality and manufacturing speed by 1%.
The highest-grade bionic prostheses could pick up myoelectric signals. The wearer only had to think, and the brain's neural electrical signals could command the arm, making it no different from a real one. Winter Soldier's metal arm was an enhanced version of this type, but it required surgery to establish a neural link with the body, as well as [Basic Electromagnetic Principles] and [Neural Interface] from the Mechanic Class's control branch.
Further development of this technology led to cyborg augmentation, which could even replace every part of the body except the brain with machinery, turning a person into a mechanical warrior. This was equivalent to embarking on the path of mechanical life. A mechanical body could not produce energy, so one could only keep searching for stronger machinery to update one's modules and strengthen oneself through external means. The only benefit was probably an extremely long lifespan, along with no need to worry about a character's hunger or thirst values. But a mind deprived of its senses was highly susceptible to psychic whispers drifting through the universe, leaving it vulnerable to subtle brainwashing by certain factions or mighty beings and the loss of self. One could avoid this by programming one's own mind and establishing logical loops to become mentally immune, but that would mean losing free thought and becoming an intelligence that thought according to its programming. Advanced civilizations generally used this method to manufacture cannon fodder, and virtually no players chose this path of development.
A somewhat less advanced bionic prosthesis could use voice control, but that also had a prerequisite: [Basic Acoustics] from the control branch.
Mechanical technologies were linked together. The same creation could have infinite possibilities depending on the knowledge applied to it. Mechanical knowledge was a great tree, with more branches the higher it grew.
Han Xiao settled for the next best option, applying the principles of the Light Power Arm to the bionic prosthesis. It used mechanical power as its core, with reduced output and a battery for energy, preventing it from spewing black smoke everywhere and polluting the environment like the Light Power Arm. Traction cables between the prosthesis's skeletal components transmitted force, acting like tendons and following the movements of the wearer's residual limb to move in coordination.
Old Man Lü produced a green glass bottle of beer from somewhere and watched while he drank, wanting to see what Han Xiao could make. If his boast fell apart, Old Man Lü would not hesitate to mock him.