Since the Green Valley Town incident, Lü Cheng and Overmela have developed a grudge. His Black Pine Settlement has been attacked multiple times and suffered significant damage. Overmela has sided with him, so Han Xiao helped Lü Cheng resolve this problem by making a phone call.
"It's you." On the phone, Lü Cheng spoke warily. He had also received information from Han Xiao in Overmela, which made him very vigilant and suspicious of Han Xiao's intentions in contacting him.
"Don't worry, Overmela won't bother you anymore," Han Xiao said bluntly, stating his position.
Lü Cheng, puzzled, asked in a deep voice, "What do you mean?"
"Overmela wasn't on my side, at least not before. Now they've sided with me, and I've resolved your dispute for you." Han Xiao chuckled. "Friends should help each other."
"... Alright." Lü Cheng's tone softened slightly. Thinking of their past friendship, he felt that Han Xiao wouldn't lie to him, nor was there any need for it. He was just a minor warlord, while Han Xiao was now a legendary figure.
"After the war, Six Nations will dominate, and there will be fewer and fewer wanderers. The warlord model will inevitably be purged in the future..." Han Xiao repeated Xiao Jin's words, roughly meaning that the business you're doing now has no future and will definitely collapse in the future, while my business has a better prospect. Don't blame me for not warning you. Now there's an opportunity to help you out. Let's all get on board and have fun together. How can you let your brother down?
Lü Cheng was somewhat tempted. "Let me think about it."
After finishing their business, Han Xiao asked Lei Zhenyu if he was still in the Black Pine Settlement. Lü Cheng replied that he had already left, which made Han Xiao's mind wander.
Lei Zhenyu is the mechanic who manufactures PE-0 Nano Muscle Fiber. Old Man Lü entrusted him to help Lü Cheng. Once Lei Zhenyu leaves, it will be the opportunity for Old Man Lü to leave behind four blueprints. Old Man Lü managed to get the news to Lü Cheng, and only then did Lü Cheng send someone back to Stardragon's repair shop to retrieve the blueprints.
Although the relationship between the father and son was strained, Old Man Lü love was as strong as a mountain. Han Xiao secretly shook his head, thinking of his own father and the slaps he used to make meat... Oh, not this Xiao Jin next to him.
Old Man Lü's four blueprints are rare items with a unique style, considered a set of artifacts for the early stages of the Mechanic Class. The chance of obtaining them through knowledge fusion is extremely low, which is why Han Xiao is quite envious. His current equipment and tactical system consists of three types: a long-range kiting style using the Ghost Gauss Sniping + Electromagnetic Hover Boots, a comprehensive Flying Serpent Mecha, and a mechanical warrior style using the Magnetic Chain Split Blade + Electrothermal Cutting. These three systems form his current combat style.
Aside from the other miscellaneous mechanical units, which are not part of his regular tactics, such as the Generation 2.5 Ranger + turret firepower rush or the basic pure firearm ranged attack with a large number of gunpowder weapons, he rarely uses them. Since the Snake-type mechs (Viper and Flying Serpent) were released, Han Xiao has rarely gambled on new blueprints. He knows the knowledge combinations of blueprints well, and apart from occasionally trying his luck, he will only spend his experience to fuse specific blueprints when he is sure that a certain tactic is needed.
The four blueprints from Old Man Lü constituted a new, independent tactical system, essentially a free gift, which Han Xiao naturally wouldn't miss.
As the sun slowly approached the horizon, it bathed Stardragon West Capital in the colors of dusk. A sense of melancholy, as if the day was about to disappear, hung in the air. People hurried along the streets, as if they wanted to get home before nightfall, as if the darkness were a raging flood.
Han Xiao walked slowly down the street. After nearly a year away, he returned to West Capital. The city had subtly changed for him. There were more people. Anti-war protest graffiti still lingered on the corners of the walls. In the distance, a giant screen on a building was scrolling through news about the victory in the war and the impending climate deterioration. The city was shrouded in a heavy atmosphere, and the citizens felt confused and worried about their future.
At this moment, Han Xiao was wearing Simulation Mask, changing his appearance, and dressed in a warm woolen coat. It was already winter, so his outfit was very low-key and ordinary.
Returning to the repair shop he hadn't visited in so long, the layout was still familiar, and his workshop remained next to the shop. Han Xiao walked into the shop, where the lathes hummed, and Lü Qian was focused on assembling a piece of machinery. She was the only one there; the Old Man Lü usually sat by the door was nowhere to be seen.
Lü Qian turned around, saw a customer enter, quickly put down her work, and greeted them with a smile, "Hello, is there anything I can help you with?"
Lü Qian was still the same as before, gentle and beautiful, like a spring breeze. Han Xiao looked her up and down, then said without changing his expression, "I'd like to order a small item."
"What do you want to customize?" Lü Qian blinked.
Han Xiao took out a blueprint and handed it to Lü Qian. It was a sketch of a small metal sculpture, requiring little technical skill; it only needed grinding and welding, something any machine assembly shop could do. Lü Qian looked at it for a while, nodded, and said, "No problem, come pick it up tomorrow."
Han Xiao shook his head, "I'm leaving the city tomorrow, I need to leave tonight."
Lü Qian said with difficulty, "It will take about two hours to make this sculpture. I'll be closing up shop when it gets dark."
"Then I'll have to go to another one." Han Xiao feigned regret, muttering under his breath, "Are there any car modification shops nearby that take orders of 30,000 yuan...?"
Lü Qian's eyes immediately lit up, and she quickly changed her tone, "We're closing late today. You can stay in the shop and wait; you can pick up your order as soon as it's finished."
Upon hearing this, Han Xiao smiled inwardly. He knew Lü Qian too well; this trick never failed him.
Only by staying in the shop could he have a chance to find the box left by Old Man Lü. Naturally, he couldn't ask Lü Qian directly, as that would arouse her suspicion.
Just then, a new customer came in. He was a short-haired man who poked his head in and said, "I'd like to buy some home appliances. Do you have any in stock?"
"Yes," Lü Qian greeted the customer, pointing to the metal shelf beside her, and said, "These are all for sale. Sorry, I'm busy right now, so please take a look yourself."
Han Xiao casually pulled up a stool and sat down. Suddenly, he sensed something and looked to the side. He saw the man who had just entered glancing at the goods on the shelves while secretly observing him. Old Man Lü had a special identity; before leaving, he had gotten rid of the Thirteenth Bureau's men to look after Lü Qian. There were always people stationed nearby to protect and monitor her, preventing anyone from plotting against Lü Qian. This new guest was a resident field agent who had come to investigate Han Xiao's background.
"Someone from the Thirteenth Bureau?" Han Xiao's level 70 senses were very sharp. He noticed that the man's gait showed signs of military training, and after a moment's thought, he guessed who the man was. He remained calm and observed the situation. Now that he had changed his appearance, he wasn't afraid of being recognized.
As dusk fell, Lü Qian focused on her work while Han Xiao waited on the side. The man, meanwhile, kept a close eye on him, picking and choosing items from the shelves.
Han Xiao raised an eyebrow. Being watched, he couldn't move around easily. He subtly flicked his leg, and a small detection spider crawled out of his pocket, stealthily moving along the shadows in the corner. Han Xiao took out his tablet, using his body to block the watcher's line of sight, and looked down to bring up the control interface for the detection spider, switching it to manual mode.
The bottom right corner of the screen displayed the image of a small detector, moving close to the ground from the spider's perspective. The detector was equipped with a metal detection device, and the pipes hidden in the walls and floors emitted red lights, revealing them. He remembered that Old Man Lü's safe was made of metal, so he used a metal detector.
Half an hour later, the detection spider found its target in Lü Qian's room on the second floor. A portable safe was placed under the bed. Han Xiao's eyes darted around, and he suddenly stood up, asking, "Excuse me, is there a toilet here?"
Lü Qian looked up and wiped her sweat. "It's upstairs. I'll take you there."
"No need, you go ahead with your work, I can go by myself." Han Xiao refused, and started going upstairs. After a few steps, he suddenly heard the field agent also make an excuse to go to the restroom and follow him, keeping a close watch on him.
Han Xiao clicked his tongue, feeling quite troubled. Being watched made it difficult to act, and a wicked thought suddenly arose in his mind. He went to the second-floor restroom, suddenly turned around, and delivered a friendly punch to the field agent's nose. The field agent didn't even have time to react, only feeling a blur before his eyes, and then a burst of intense pain shot through his nose. Without saying a word, he was knocked unconscious.
Helping the field staff lie down silently, Han Xiao went into Lü Qian's room, pulled out a safe from under the bed, and entered the password he remembered.
Kata.
The box lid opened, Han Xiao glanced at it. The panel indicated that he had obtained four rare blueprints. After confirming that it was correct, he was overjoyed. He rolled up the blueprints and stuffed them into his bag, then took out the substitutes from his bag and put them into the box. Finally, he closed the box and put it back in its original position.
The substitute is also a mechanical blueprint, but it's a standard blueprint. In the future, some players will go through great hardships to complete this task, and by substituting the blueprint, at least that player won't get nothing at all. Han Xiao felt that his conscience was incredibly good, and he was truly moved by Galaxy's actions.
As Lü Qian carried the field staff downstairs, she was startled. "What happened to him?"
Han Xiao feigned disgust, "This guy wanted to go to the toilet with me, he's got the wrong intentions, I knocked him out."
Lü Qian's expression turned strange. Her gaze swept over the field personnel, and she muttered, "Is it that exciting...?"
Han Xiao sat down calmly. He had knocked out the people from the Thirteenth Bureau without any panic. His confidence came from his strength. Besides, Lü Qian was an old acquaintance, and he didn't want to disappear without a trace and make Lü Qian worry.
He chatted with Lü Qian casually.
"C156 Please answer... C156 Please answer!"
In a room of a building a few hundred meters away from the repair shop, a group of field agents responsible for protecting Lü Qian were on standby. The team leader kept repeating his instructions into the walkie-talkie, the recipient of which was naturally the field agents inside the repair shop.
Having received no reply, everyone's expressions turned serious.
"Oh no, he's gone missing! Something must have happened at the store. Move out immediately!"
The captain suddenly stood up, put on his bulletproof vest and ammunition belt, and led his men out the door.