As the equipment rapidly shaped each component and the pieces were assembled and welded together, everyone could see the beginnings of a prosthetic limb. More surprisingly, Han Xiao had not made a single unnecessary part or wasted a moment, proving that he really had worked out the design in under two minutes.
"Well, I'll be damned. Could he really make it?" Old Man Lü muttered, drawing an angry glare from Lü Qian. Grandpa really was up to no good!
Noticing their surprise, Han Xiao nearly burst out laughing. The blueprint was already complete; even losing would have taken skill.
〔You crafted [Bionic Prosthetic Limb - Left Arm (Mechanically Powered)] and gained 2,000 experience.〕 〔Bionic Prosthetic Limb - Left Arm (Mechanically Powered): Special item. A highly realistic skeletal frame powered by a mechanical drive and traction cables. The socket's shape can be freely adjusted to fit the injured area perfectly. Soft and gentle on the skin, with exceptional wear resistance!〕
Han Xiao had made a prosthetic frame with a metallic sheen in two hours and thirty-three minutes.
Everyone present was an expert. A glance at the shape of the prosthetic frame showed that it was ergonomically sound. Its precision components, cables, and high-capacity battery were all brand-new and gleaming.
Everyone stared in shock.
He had actually finished it!
Lü Qian covered her mouth, her eyes sparkling with disbelief as a thought surfaced:
I've found a treasure!
"Just cover the frame with a layer of silicone skin, and you won't be able to tell it from the real thing," Han Xiao explained.
"Enough talk. Hurry up and try it out," Old Man Lü said, swallowing. Although Han Xiao had certainly surprised him, the decision was in the hands of his old friend, so he was still confident he could drive Han Xiao away.
Old Man Gao had no choice but to pick up the bionic prosthetic and examine it. He took a liking to it at once. As soon as he attached it to his stump, he found that it felt very soft. Unlike other prosthetics, it did not rub against his skin at all; it was like sinking into a piece of sponge, yet the fit was extremely snug. Old Man Gao had previously been unwilling to wear a prosthetic because it hindered his movement, but Han Xiao's bionic prosthetic had no such limitation. When he swung it, he even had the pleasant illusion that his arm was still there. The spring of the traction cables let him perform simple arm movements with the prosthetic without exerting himself.
Perfect!
Those two words alone could express how Old Man Gao felt at that moment.
"What do you think? Is this thing any good?"
Old Man Lü calmly sipped his wine. Everything is under my control. It's your turn to play your part, Old Man Gao.
Lü Qian watched Old Man Gao nervously, terrified that he would say no.
Old Man Gao was torn.
On one hand was his friend's request; on the other were his own feelings. Which mattered more?
The question did not require any thought at all.
"It's excellent. I'm very satisfied!"
Old Man Lü sprayed wine everywhere. He coughed repeatedly, choking on it, and glared at Old Man Gao in exasperation.
What happened to being on my side?! You're not playing by the rules!
"If you like it, you can have it," Han Xiao said, unsurprised.
Old Man Gao nodded. "I owe you one for this."
Old Man Lü was dumbfounded. Didn't he use my materials? Shouldn't I be the one he owes? Did you ask me before giving away my things as a gift?
"Then can I stay?" Han Xiao asked with a faint smile.
Old Man Lü's face turned red and then pale. He could only swallow his objections and accept it. He turned and headed upstairs, seeking peace of mind out of sight, and tossed back a disgruntled remark: "Hmph. Fine, stay. Let's see how long you last."
Lü Qian's face lit up, and she excitedly pumped her little fist.
With matters settled, Old Man Gao smiled at Han Xiao, waved, and turned to leave. After walking out of the alley, he got into a pitch-black bulletproof sedan that had been waiting for some time.
The driver respectfully handed him an encrypted phone. Old Man Gao made a call, and his bearing changed completely. An imposing authority radiated from him; he seemed like a different person from the mild-mannered old man of moments ago. In a deep voice, he said:
"Zero, the fugitive with a bounty from Germinal, has slipped into West Capital. His coordinates are... Have the Intelligence Department keep a close eye on him. I had a brief encounter with the target. I recommend a gentle approach. Unless absolutely necessary, do not use force."
The Six Nations had always tried hard to recruit traitors from the Germinal Organization in order to obtain intelligence on Germinal. Unfortunately, previous defectors had all been small fry. Han Xiao, however, was the only defector on whom Germinal had placed a bounty. Perhaps he possessed important intelligence, and with that in mind, Old Man Gao decided to approach him cautiously.
Han Xiao withdrew his gaze.
His behavior should have made Old Man Gao regard him as a minimal threat, laying a good foundation for contact between the two sides.
Coming to the repair shop had three benefits. First, Old Man Lü had a complete collection of basic Mechanic Class knowledge, saving Han Xiao the time of searching everywhere for class knowledge.
The second benefit was that the repair shop could serve as his hiding place while he evaded Germinal's pursuit. Germinal had intelligence agents throughout the Six Nations, but this repair shop was one of the few places it did not know about. Even if his enemies really did come after him, there was someone stronger to shoulder the burden if the sky fell. By a conservative estimate, Old Man Lü could take on a whole bunch of Hilas at her current level... Despite his carefree, roguish appearance, Old Man Lü possessed formidable combat strength. He was one of the few D-grade superhumans on Planet Aquamarine. On a version 1.0 beginner planet, the strongest were C-grade at most and could already reign supreme, while even among the stars they counted as a solid fighting force.
The Mechanic Class was part of the superhuman system, and there was a famous theory: "If machines were limited to what an ordinary person's body could withstand, over ninety percent of inventions would be restricted," and "Only powerful individuals can use more powerful machines." As mechanics grew, the requirements for using their creations became increasingly stringent. Some powerful machines were exclusive to mechanics and could not be used by the other four classes.
Mechanics did not all fight while lugging enormous guns and cannons around in mechanical suits. Advanced mechanics built their tactics around different machines, creating many combat styles: assault, control, assassination, defense, ranged combat, and more. There were robot armies, gunners who blanketed the battlefield with firepower, mechanical suit warriors, mechanical martial artists who fought at close quarters with high-tech melee weapons, virtual illusions, deployed fortresses, and even those who converted themselves into mechanical bodies. The possibilities were numerous.
Galaxy's official description of mechanics read: "Skilled at fighting with mechanical weapons, capable of high-speed assembly, and exceptionally versatile."
The most important phrase was "high-speed assembly." After learning [High-Density Matter Compression Technology] and [Basic Spatial Technology], mechanics could fold enormous weapons into finger-sized metal plates and carry them around, instantly deploying them and restoring them to their original form when combat began.
Energy was the Esper Class's energy gauge, the Pugilist Class's attack power, the Mage Class's source of mana, and the Esper Class's mental power reactor. A mechanic's energy was naturally not just for show, either. Once it reached a certain level, it could replace the functions of hands, lathes, and equipment, allowing mechanics to manufacture new machines from scratch at tremendous speed during battle. As long as their raw materials held out, a mechanic's supply of weapons would be inexhaustible... Of course, the prerequisite was learning [Split-Second Disassembly and Reassembly] and some other class knowledge.
Since players' inventories had actual weight limits, only the Mechanic and Mage Classes, along with extremely rare spatial espers, could achieve the effect of a spatial bag.
The third benefit was the most important of all. The repair shop was tied to a hidden storyline that could yield several blueprints for early-game Mechanic Class divine items.
In the future, Old Man Lü would leave the repair shop and entrust Lü Qian with a combination lockbox containing blueprints from years of research, asking her to pass it on to her father, Lü Cheng. Lü Cheng was a nomad warlord, and Old Man Lü and his son had always been on bad terms.
In Han Xiao's previous life, a Mechanic Class player had gone through dozens of stages of a complex quest before finally obtaining the code to open the box, then endured great hardships to gather the materials. Once the items were made, the payoff was immediate. His combat strength soared, and he became an overlord of the PvP arena. His best record was thirty-eight consecutive victories; even when three players of other classes at the same level fought him together, he still crushed them.
Those blueprints were for early-game Mechanic Class divine items, and Han Xiao did not need to complete the complicated prerequisite quest chain at all.
He had known the code from the start!
The hidden storyline was a competitive quest. Although only one person could complete it, other players who finished the quest chain would also learn the code. Someone had later explained it in a forum post, which was how Han Xiao had learned about it.
Old Man Lü would not leave the lockbox behind until after the open beta began. Han Xiao had the advantage of being close at hand, so he would build a good relationship first.
For those divine items, it was worth it!
"Let me tell you about the terms for an apprentice. The monthly pay is one thousand, with room and board included. There's a vacant room upstairs. Your usual work will be repairing machinery and completing customer orders. Is that okay?"
Lü Qian looked at Han Xiao anxiously. Having seen what he could do, she was worried that such pay would drive him away, but she really did not have any more money to spare.
"I can accept that."
Lü Qian was overjoyed and immediately felt a favorable impression of him.
The second floor had a complete living area: a living room, bathroom, kitchen, and several bedrooms.
Lü Qian brought Han Xiao to his bedroom. It contained a wooden bed frame without a mattress, a wardrobe, a bookshelf, and a small workbench.
"This is your room now." Lü Qian handed Han Xiao the room key and enthusiastically helped him clean.
A salary of one thousand might not even cover a month's food expenses. Lü Qian could not have been more satisfied with Han Xiao. Where else could I find such cheap, high-quality labor? This young man must be a little slow. I'd better treat him well and keep him from running away.
Han Xiao did not know whether to laugh or cry. He was the one applying for the job, yet he was not nervous at all, while the shopkeeper was the one treading on eggshells. What was this about?