Work at the repair shop was leisurely, leaving Han Xiao plenty of extra time to take care of his own business and go out to earn some side money.
The Klo Scrap Station was the largest dump in the Seventh District. Garbage was piled into small mountains, and all kinds of large machinery processed it nonstop.
This was the territory of Raccoon Cat, the boss of the Seventh District's underworld. Wherever there was law and civilization, there was no avoiding shady figures who banded together and made money through illicit means, like shadows beneath the sun, much less in such a chaotic social environment.
Although West Capital was Stardragon's capital, spies from many other countries and factions lurked in the city. Arms dealers, information brokers, and dark web assassins also operated in secret, making it a den of all sorts of illicit activity. Shady forces like these were local powers, and though they were fairly well known in West Capital, they could not truly operate in the open.
Wearing a face mask, Han Xiao walked into the scrap station, only to be stopped by several vicious-looking men.
"Kid, this isn't a place for you."
A burly bald man blocked Han Xiao's path and sized him up with ill intent. In their eyes, Han Xiao's thin frame made him as easy to bully as a sheep.
"I want to see Raccoon Cat," Han Xiao said calmly.
The workers burst out laughing, as though they had heard the funniest joke in the world.
"We don't have time to play make-believe with you. Hurry home to your mommy, or we'll break your legs." The burly bald man brandished the wrench in his hand as he threatened him.
"Does Raccoon Cat really let a small fry like you speak for him?"
"What did you say?" The burly bald man flew into a rage and grabbed Han Xiao by the collar.
Han Xiao stared at him with dead-fish eyes and said nothing. He placed a hand on the man's wrist and gave it a gentle squeeze.
Pain shot through the bald man's wrist, and he let go instinctively. He glanced down and was stunned to find several purplish fingerprints on it.
"Friend, who do you run with?" The bald man's expression changed, and his face filled with wariness.
Just then, the bald man tilted his head and listened to the miniature earpiece hidden in his ear. The hostility vanished from his face, and he stepped aside. "The boss wants to see you," he said in a low voice.
Han Xiao followed the burly bald man to a rest area inside the scrap station.
A short, thin man lounged on a sofa with his legs crossed, swirling a wineglass between two fingers. From his appearance alone, it was hard to imagine that he was Raccoon Cat, the man who controlled the Seventh District's underworld.
"I hear you wanted to see me," Raccoon Cat said casually. "What should I call you?"
"Technician Han," Han Xiao said offhandedly.
Raccoon Cat sneered. "If I decide you're wasting my time, you should know very well what'll happen."
It had been a long time since a stranger had dared show up and propose a partnership, and this one was still wet behind the ears. Curious, Raccoon Cat had decided to meet Han Xiao.
Han Xiao raised an eyebrow and suddenly reached out, his hand sweeping past the bald man's waist like a phantom. Before Raccoon Cat could see what had happened, a handgun had appeared in Han Xiao's hand.
The bald man looked horrified. He hurriedly felt behind his waist and discovered that his concealed gun had been taken.
Several of Raccoon Cat's underlings immediately drew their guns and aimed at Han Xiao, their faces tense.
"What do you mean by this?" Raccoon Cat paused, his heart pounding. He knew full well how capable the bald man was. He was one of his most trusted men, more than a match for ten opponents, yet he had been unable to keep up with the young man's movements. What was this man's background?
Han Xiao's fingers moved rapidly, as though he were working a Rubik's Cube. The handgun came apart like a wilting flower, its components clattering to the floor in the blink of an eye.
"Weapons are hugely profitable products for major powers, and I can help you cut out the costs. All I need is a small fee."
Raccoon Cat was immediately tempted. The kid in front of him could make guns!
Weapons were a hard currency in the underworld. Guns on the black market were extremely expensive, an outright rip-off.
Knowing how to use a gun and knowing how to make one were two different things. Mechanics who knew how to manufacture firearms were highly sought after. A local power like Raccoon Cat could never attract a knowledgeable Mechanic, so now that a proper Mechanic had come to him of his own accord, Raccoon Cat saw an opportunity.
"How do you want to work together?"
"I'll make a list later. You provide the materials and parts, and I'll handle manufacturing and assembly. I'll come work for two hours every morning. My labor fee is fifteen hundred per handgun, and I get to take any mechanical scrap that catches my eye."
Han Xiao had thoroughly studied the Germinal Organization's firearms and could easily manufacture basic guns.
Raccoon Cat drove a hard bargain. "The materials are all mine. I can only give you a thousand."
Without another word, Han Xiao turned to leave.
Raccoon Cat immediately panicked. He had only wanted to test Han Xiao's bottom line and had not expected such a strong reaction. He hurriedly said, "Wait, wait. We'll do it at your price."
A handgun cost three or four thousand on the black market, so Han Xiao's labor fee was within what Raccoon Cat could accept.
"Get the lathe equipment and materials ready. I'll come back tomorrow. First, I'm going to take some mechanical scrap." Han Xiao knew full well that a Mechanic with technical skills had a great deal of leverage in negotiations like these, especially when the other party had yet to figure out his identity or combat strength.
Raccoon Cat's gaze darkened, and he signaled for the bald man to follow and keep watch. He did not mind giving Han Xiao a taste of the benefits first. The scrap station was his territory, after all, and he had plenty of ways to deal with a fraud.
Han Xiao picked out quite a few usable parts and left at a leisurely pace. He noticed that he had picked up a tail and knew exactly what Raccoon Cat was thinking: he wanted to find out his identity and address. After leaving the scrap station, Han Xiao quickly wound through several streets and shook off his follower.
This way, the Thirteenth Bureau will also learn about my abilities as a Mechanic... Han Xiao thought. With the Thirteenth Bureau's intelligence capabilities, it would be easy to discover that he was earning side money working for Raccoon Cat. This was also a way for him to indirectly demonstrate his abilities, and he needed opportunities to manufacture machinery as well. Although Mechanics were weak early on, there were advantages and disadvantages: compared with combat classes, they were more favored by factions and could rack up contribution points at an incredible pace.
As for why he had chosen Raccoon Cat, there was no other reason: he was close enough to save Han Xiao travel time.
Back at the machine shop, Han Xiao was questioned by Lü Qian. He had already prepared an explanation and pointed to the large bag of parts he had brought back.
"I went to the scrap station to look for useful stuff."
"The scrap station? It's not safe around places like that. Don't go there so often." Lü Qian thought little more of it. As long as he did not delay their orders, she would not interfere with Han Xiao's free time. She had a natural fondness for talented people who did not ask for much pay and granted him almost anything he asked for.
Han Xiao put down the parts and focused on his panel. He still had plenty of unspent potential points, so this was a good time to learn the two remaining basic knowledge subjects in the armed branch.
The repair shop held a complete collection of basic Mechanic Class knowledge. Few places were better suited to a Mechanic Class player's early development. The knowledge books were all part of Old Man Lü's private collection, and when Han Xiao went to ask him for them, he was unsurprisingly turned away.
"I'd like to read the mechanical knowledge books."
"Go on, get out of here. There are no books for you to read."
"Don't be so stingy. Think of it as supporting an outstanding young man and nurturing an employee with potential."
"...You're even more thick-skinned than I imagined, but it won't work. I just don't want to let you read them. What are you going to do about it?"
That was a good question. What could Han Xiao do about it?
The next day, when Lü Qian handed the stolen books to Han Xiao, Old Man Lü beat his chest and stomped his feet in anger.
"How did I end up with a granddaughter who sides with outsiders against her own family?!"
Lü Qian also had a key to his room, and clearly he could not take it back.
Old Man Lü gnashed his teeth in anger.
"Just you wait. Sooner or later, I'll wipe away this humiliation and make you get lost!"
Basic Weaponry and Complete Compendium of Basic Materials were the final two basic-level professional knowledge subjects in the armed branch.
Han Xiao's level 20 advancement mission was to learn one piece of advanced knowledge. The prerequisite was to learn five basic knowledge subjects from the same branch.
Players' advancement missions were not fixed, and his level 20 advancement mission was among the most demanding. Advanced knowledge was extremely rare on a beginner planet. Han Xiao's advancement requirement would have seemed difficult even as a player's level 40 advancement mission.
An ordinary level 20 player might not even be able to find all the basic knowledge for a single branch. The unluckiest ones had not even unlocked their main class yet.
The repair shop had no advanced knowledge, so he could only learn the basics first, but Han Xiao was already quite satisfied. Finding knowledge books was a headache for every player. Some level 40 or 50 players still had not learned all the basic knowledge, yet the repair shop had a complete set of basic Mechanic Class knowledge. This was more than getting a head start at the starting line; he was standing right at the finish line.
The Pan-Universal Civilization Contact Treaty (Seventh Revision), an agreement between the three major universal-level powers in Galaxy, stated: "If an intelligent species is discovered, the use of war, genetic methods, pheromones... and 127 other methods to maliciously interfere with the development of a lower civilization is prohibited."
Thus, Planet Aquamarine had not received advanced technological knowledge from interstellar powers. Advanced knowledge was already the pinnacle there, strictly controlled by major powers and treated as confidential.
[Spend 1 potential point to learn [Basic Weaponry]?] [Spend 1 potential point to learn [Complete Compendium of Basic Materials]?]
"Confirm."