Han Xiao had spent three days in a luxurious single-occupancy cell, but he wasn't worried in the least. With time on his hands, he took stock of his abilities and claimed the Skill Upgrade Card from his mission rewards.
Han Xiao checked his panel. He had 90,000 experience points, some from missions and killing enemies, and some from making guns for Raccoon Cat a while back.
Basic Combat was at level 8. The most cost-effective approach was to raise it one more level before using the Skill Upgrade Card, so Han Xiao didn't hesitate. He raised Basic Combat to level 9, then chose to claim the card.
A card glowing with a brass-colored light appeared in his hand out of thin air. With a thought, Han Xiao turned it into a streak of light that sank into his forehead.
His whole body trembled as a surge of new strength coursed through his muscles and bones. Han Xiao felt refreshed, and he could clearly tell that his physical strength had increased.
[Basic Combat lv10 (Max)]: Unarmed attack power +10%, strength +2, endurance +1
Many skills granted attribute bonuses once they reached a certain level.
Even after reaching the character level cap, players could still improve their combat power through skills. Every version of Galaxy had a different level cap, and a saying would become popular in later versions: reaching max level was only the beginning.
Your [Basic Combat] has reached its level cap. You have gained 1 potential point.
Good, 16 potential points!
Han Xiao spent some more experience to raise [Basic Shooting] to lv8. With a little over 20,000 experience left, he decided to gamble on two blueprints.
A mechanic's blueprints had two uses. The first was to serve as a personal trump card in combat, never to be revealed.
The other was to sell products and take orders from others to earn experience and money. Ordinary Mechanic Class players could only set up stalls and sell to other players, while major guilds and clubs controlled the opportunities to trade with NPCs.
But Han Xiao had no competitors, so he could get a head start. What he needed most right now were blueprints for products he could sell to gain manufacturing experience. The Thirteenth Bureau was a potential market with a great deal of customer potential, offering more opportunities than the Germinal Organization's base.
He remembered a few blueprints that should sell well.
Perform knowledge fusion (Basic Weaponry + Basic Assembly)? This fusion will cost 10,000 experience.
"Confirm."
Fusion successful. Congratulations, you have developed [Folding War Blade]. Perform knowledge fusion (Basic Weaponry + Complete Compendium of Basic Materials)? This fusion will cost 10,000 experience. Fusion successful. Congratulations, you have developed [High Combustion Ammunition].
Han Xiao's eyes lit up. [High Combustion Ammunition] was the best invention he had hoped for. The ammunition was compatible with all kinds of weapons and wasn't difficult to make. In the game in his previous life, ammunition had been the best-selling category of item. Moreover, because it involved chemical engineering, it was extremely difficult to replicate and inherently easy to keep secret.
The [Folding War Blade], on the other hand, left Han Xiao with mixed feelings. It was a metal war blade with an angular, evenly rectangular handguard on its hilt. Its segmented blade, measuring 0.5 to 0.8 meters, folded completely into the hilt, making it portable and concealable. The blade could spring out at any time in combat, controlled by a mechanism button on the hilt. Its advantage was the element of surprise, making it indispensable for killing and robbing at home or on the road. He couldn't say it was bad, but the problem was that it was standard equipment designed specifically for beginners.
The Folding War Blade was cheap to make, required very little technical skill, and was easy to copy. Even security measures wouldn't do much good. A qualified mechanic could get a rough understanding of its construction after just a couple of looks, which made it somewhat awkward for Han Xiao.
If only it had been a ranged weapon. Melee weapons without special effects weren't very popular.
"One good one and one bad one. Could I be the legendary mixed-blood, with the bloodlines of an unlucky chieftain and a lucky emperor meeting like a dragon and a tiger?"
Fortunately, neither blueprint existed on Planet Aquamarine, giving Han Xiao plenty of room to work with them. Mechanics learned the same theories, but their applications were diverse. Learning the basic theory didn't mean one could create every invention that applied it. Even in the real world before Han Xiao transmigrated, amateur scientists had still been coming up with new inventions every year. Regardless of how practical they were, there were at least plenty of possibilities.
These two blueprints would be the focus of Han Xiao's work from now on. He had gained 600,000 experience from assembling guns for half a year at the Germinal Organization's base, and there were bound to be more opportunities in Stardragon. Once he officially joined the Thirteenth Bureau, it would be time to reap the rewards.
Just then, a new notification appeared on the panel.
A-rank mission [The Seed Sleeps in the Dust]: Current progress 1.6%
"The Thirteenth Bureau has taken action!"
Han Xiao's eyes flashed. He had given the Thirteenth Bureau intelligence on three bases, so their actions counted as indirect progress on his mission. 1.6% wasn't too little; it was too much. He knew better than anyone how unfathomable the Germinal Organization's power was. By rights, one branch base shouldn't have accounted for 1.6% progress.
What Han Xiao hadn't expected was that the attack on the branch base had made Germinal's leader suspicious of the higher-ups. That was the main reason.
In his previous life, the conflict between Germinal and the Six Nations had continued until the end of version 1.0. If version 2.0's [Mutation Disaster] was excluded, the two sides' results should have been roughly even.
For a time, Germinal had been on the back foot, just one sustained push away from being destroyed. But the Six Nations had backed down, all because of Germinal's trump card: the Dead Hand System.
It was a preset automated missile retaliation program. Once the organization faced destruction, the Germinal Organization would follow a set procedure to launch its entire missile stockpile, automatically striking predetermined targets and cleansing the globe. Even if the Six Nations intercepted 95% of them, the remaining missiles would still cause irreversible damage to the planet's ecosystem.
This was Germinal's last resort: mutual destruction.
That made it almost impossible for him to reach 100% mission progress... unless he could crack the Dead Hand System.
"The Dead Hand System was a trump card Germinal only revealed at the very end. Although it prevented the organization's destruction, it also shook the resolve of many Germinal members. People worked for Germinal first to take revenge on the Six Nations, and second to follow Germinal's ideals and create a new regime. When Germinal's trump card conflicted with its ideals, it would lose a great many members. No one wants the world to be destroyed. If it could be exposed deliberately..."
Han Xiao shook his head. It was still too far off, so he quietly buried the matter in his heart.
Before long, Feng Jun finally arrived and took Han Xiao to the interrogation room, where the head of the Intelligence Department spoke with him once again.
"The intelligence on the branch base has been confirmed. We believe you are sincere about cooperating. The higher-ups have decided to accept you as a member of the Thirteenth Bureau!"
It had worked! Han Xiao quietly breathed a sigh of relief. His connection with Old Man Gao had indeed paid off. He wasn't naive enough to think the higher-ups had unanimously agreed to let him join the Thirteenth Bureau. There had to have been some undisclosed dealings behind it.
"...The organization has decided to assign you to the Secret Operations Department. You will be placed in an operations squad."
Han Xiao's expression turned odd.
In the new era, countless elites and talented people who had lost their countries were stranded abroad. The Six Nations' intelligence agencies had relaxed their recruitment requirements and begun hiring foreign members, but an elite department like the Secret Operations Department still had certain loyalty requirements for its members. This was undoubtedly Old Man Gao's doing again.
Did that old man think so highly of me?
Joining the Secret Operations Department was a good thing for him. There were many powerful people there he could get to know, and he would have opportunities to go out. That meant he would have a chance to get involved in events and opportunities outside Stardragon, which was crucial. Han Xiao had originally figured that if the Thirteenth Bureau restricted his freedom, he would defect as soon as the open beta began. Now, however, it seemed he didn't need to hurry away.
A new notification appeared on the panel.
You have unlocked a new faction reputation! Stardragon Homeland Strategic Defense Bureau's favorability toward you has increased by 300 points. Stardragon Homeland Strategic Defense Bureau (Thirteenth Bureau): Neutral (300/1000) - [Level 1 clearance member]
A new faction relationship meant new opportunities, missions, events, and benefits. Faction relationships were divided into eight levels: mortal enemy, hatred, hostile, cold, neutral, friendly, respected, and revered.
Almost every new faction started at [Cold] favorability. Neutral was reached at 300 points, and generally, players could only exchange favorability and contribution points for resources after reaching [Friendly].
Feng Jun took out a black phone and handed it to Han Xiao. It contained only his phone number. He coughed and said, "Starting today, I'll be your contact. Don't turn it off."
"Oh, so you're an unimportant messenger, right?"
"Why do you always manage to phrase things in a way that pisses me off?" Feng Jun felt helpless.
The black phone had no decorations, and its interface was simple, with only calling and messaging functions. Han Xiao fiddled with it and asked, "Won't it be tapped?"
"Don't worry, the line is specially encrypted."
The head of the Intelligence Department said, "There's one more thing. We'd like you to hand over the mechanical blueprints you know, including the Light Power Arm and the robot you used to kill the Stinging Bee Squad."
Handing over blueprints could increase his faction contribution, but he had a greater need to make machinery to grow and level up. If he handed them over, the Thirteenth Bureau would learn to make them and mass-produce them on an assembly line, leaving nothing for him to do.
What Han Xiao wanted was a cooperative arrangement in which others supplied the materials and he did the manufacturing.
Han Xiao shook his head and refused.
"What if agents place orders with me privately?"
"We don't interfere with that."
Han Xiao smiled at the answer. As long as they didn't interfere, every agent in the Thirteenth Bureau was a potential customer.
There was plenty of time ahead. The Thirteenth Bureau's higher-ups wouldn't damage their good cooperation with Han Xiao over one or two basic early-stage blueprints. They cared more about intelligence on Germinal... at least the conservatives were sensible. The hardliners didn't like him, and there was no telling what they might do.
Another benefit of joining the Thirteenth Bureau was its abundant stockpile of resources. It saved him the trouble of searching everywhere for materials. He could buy large quantities of parts and raw materials, as well as good things unavailable on the ordinary market.
With their cooperation settled, Han Xiao put the black hood back on and was led through winding corridors to an elevator, leaving headquarters.