The next stage of [Apostle Mechanic] is called [Mechanic Emperor], with a level cap of 35. As the name suggests, it is the emperor among mechanics, commanding countless mechanical warriors. As the saying goes, a king cannot be without troops. The skills of this stage of the profession have a huge bonus to the legion build, and at the same time, the power is further transferred to the user, making it extremely powerful.
The [Mechanical Emperor] specialization is described as "Machines are like subjects, submitting to you." Its effects include a 150% increase in virtual invasion efficiency, a 200% Mechanical Affinity, and a +1 level to all mechanical skills by default. This bonus can exceed the level cap, making its effects simple and powerful.
This feat also has another effect, which is also the core effect. Just like the [Apostle Mechanic] feat [Mechanical Force Ascension - Apostle Body], [Mechanical Emperor] also allows the user's Mechanical Force attribute to be further sublimated, which can give the machine a special enhancement effect - this is a prerequisite for the many skills of the Mechanic Emperor.
[Emperor-Level Mechanical Affinity] Needless to say, this new Mechanical Affinity skill is even more powerful than [Apostle-Level Mechanical Affinity], granting a +150% Mechanical Affinity bonus at max level.
[Emperor's Gift] is one of the core skills. Its effect is to use the Mechanical Force after the sublimation of [Mechanical Emperor] to permanently and greatly enhance a single mechanical object, granting it extremely strong additional attributes. It can be used a maximum of three times on the same target, has a long cooldown time, and the extent of the enhancement depends on Han Xiao's own attributes. The target has a random chance to gain additional special abilities.
This skill is clearly designed to create elite troops, much like an emperor's bestowal of power upon his mechanical soldiers, allowing them to rise above their station and become officers...
In simpler terms, it means strengthening ordinary monsters to turn them into elite monsters, or even mini-bosses!
Mechanics already possess the ability to enhance machinery, but at this stage, enhancement skills are truly elevated.
As for the other four "unactivated" skills, they require learning the corresponding cutting-edge or even Ultimate Knowledge before they can be used, and Han Xiao still has gaps in this area.
The [Quantum Non-Distance Transmission Channel] requires several cutting-edge knowledge points, including [Advanced Space Application], and demands a sufficient prerequisite level. Its effect is an enhanced version of Han Xiao's use of void transmission of Mechanical Force.
Because of the Void race, Han Xiao can transmit Mechanical Force across distances, but this is limited to his own energy and is a personal talent. The [Quantum Non-Distance Transmission Channel], on the other hand, is a widely applicable technology that can be used for any energy, not just his own. It is a more advanced means of ultra-long-distance energy transmission. The two have completely different values. Manison used this technology to transform the AI Civilization into the "Immortal Mechanic Emperor".
[Secondary Dimension March] is a technique that uses spatial technology to hide the legion in Secondary Dimension, and then uses some kind of technology to control the passage to that Secondary Dimension, which can be opened anytime, anywhere. This is a more advanced mechanical and portable technology than the compression ball. Just like the skill description says, "The King's Personal March" means that the army is pressing in, and wherever the emperor goes, the royal banner will follow.
[Mechanical Force - Royal Authority] is a skill that grants great power to oneself, like an advanced ability of Mechanical Apostolization.
At the same time, when the mechanical troops that grant Mechanical Force bonuses reach a certain scale, they will provide a feedback boost to the main body, allowing the mechanic to receive attribute bonuses from the Mechanical Force link. The extent of the enhancement to the main body depends on the size of the legion.
The larger the legion you command, the higher the bonus from [Mechanical Force & Royal Authority], making the legion-based strategy the most profitable.
Once this skill is activated, applying the Mechanical Force buff to the mechanical legion will grant the user a massive boost, resulting in even greater power. Of course, the energy consumption is also terrifying; most mechanics without mana regeneration abilities cannot maintain [Mechanical Force - Royal Authority] for extended periods.
The skill description is also very straightforward: the power of the king comes from the army, and the army is the source of the king's power. The more armies there are, the stronger the king's power.
The final [King's Army] is somewhat similar to [Emperor's Gift], both enhancing the abilities of machines. The difference is that this skill is a group buff, which can be used on a large scale, and its effect is also very special - it utilizes the special Mechanical Force of [Mechanical Emperor], which is stored in the machine's body for a long time and sustains itself through the energy furnace, giving the enhanced machine the ability to grow on its own.
Self-growth capability means that the machine can upgrade itself without Han Xiao's active modification.
As long as a strengthened mechanical soldier survives battles, its attributes will gradually improve, eventually transforming it into an elite unit. Blue-quality mechanical soldiers may gradually upgrade to purple-quality, and level 100 mechanical soldiers will gradually grow in attributes to rival those of level 120 mechanical soldiers.
It's like turning inanimate mechanical soldiers into living soldiers; those who don't die can become experienced veterans.
The skill description is "King's Army, Battle-hardened and Unrivaled," meaning to cultivate a "King's Army" to become mechanical kings.
These skills have basically demonstrated the characteristics of the [Mechanic Emperor], which is mainly based on the legion strategy, commanding countless mechanical soldiers and treating them as living subjects, and gradually sublimating mechanical equipment into mechanical life.
Just like Sisko's activating telekinesis, the [Mechanical Emperor] feat also gives Mechanical Force similar properties, enabling them to activate machines!
The sublimated Mechanical Force can transform into a special energy that flows continuously within the structure of the machine, becoming the machine's own energy, much like the "vital force" of a mechanical life.
[Apostle Mechanic] is the watershed moment in the later stages of the Mechanic Class. In the later stages, the Mechanic's abilities become more and more like miracles. The word "Emperor" is a fitting description of the Mechanic's abilities at this stage, as they are truly the kings who wield machinery.
In the practical training room, Han Xiao endured the painful changes brought about by the job change, his eyes gleaming with lightning.
This was not racial evolution. Han Xiao's physical body did not change, but his internal energy surged. His Mechanical Force seemed to boil. At the microscopic level, every cell was like a supernova explosion, tirelessly extracting Mechanical Force. The total amount kept increasing, and then it was compressing itself.
Mechanical Force gradually transforms and is sublimated in this process.
The immense Mechanical Force roared and surged through his body, even causing Han Xiao to hallucinate a deafening, thunderous flood sound.
After a short while, the noise around me gradually disappeared, and the cells in my body that had been aroused by springtime seemed to have been drained, and my internal energy calmed down.
"Call--"
Han Xiao let out a long breath, his senses feeling refreshed once again.
Strength is the foundation of superhumans. It is not only the fuel for wielding great power, but also the driving force for the evolution of superhuman genes. This job change has brought about a qualitative leap in Mechanical Force. Although the species has not changed, Han Xiao can feel that his life level has risen again, no less than an advancement.
In the later stages of a profession, the levels required for each job change can even exceed the advancement threshold of every 20 levels, and the boosts brought by job changes are also getting higher and higher.
This job change greatly boosted his mechanic abilities. Although his attributes didn't change much, these new skills were incredibly powerful.
Han Xiao was quite pleased as he browsed through the new abilities brought about by the job change.
"The four unactivated skills are temporarily unusable; we need to learn the corresponding class knowledge to activate them. Tsk tsk, we'll have to wait until they're activated to test their actual effects..." Han Xiao pondered. "For now, only three new abilities—[Mechanical Emperor], [Emperor-Level Mechanical Affinity], and [Emperor's Gift]—are useful. Plus, our virtual technology abilities have been strengthened by 35%, giving us a much better chance of invading the Sedim floating city."
After thinking it over, Han Xiao decided not to upgrade his skills for the time being. He was about to reach level 240, and he didn't want to waste his experience on other things.
Now that he'd started upgrading, he wasn't stopping. He decided to pour all his experience into it to see how much of a gap he still had.
My total level jumped to 238 in one go. The experience pool was drained quickly, and the remaining experience could only fill three-quarters of the experience bar. If it wasn't enough, I could level up again.
It should be two levels away from the Super A Tier.
"Hmm, that's about what I estimated. It'll take a few more days for the experience provided by the players to make up for the final shortfall." Han Xiao nodded to himself.
He may have changed jobs, but he'll have plenty of time to study the new abilities later. He didn't forget his goal for tonight and directly connected his mind to the quantum network.
Suddenly, the field of vision turned into darkness. The next moment, the quantum network nodes lit up one after another in the darkness, like thousands of lights in a house. These nodes were of different sizes and some were bright and some were dim. The light generated by the interaction of information flow linked these nodes together, forming a luminous network that covered the city and outlined its shape.
Han Xiao looked up. Above the main city, the quantum network nodes of the floating city shone brightly like stars, surrounded by countless ribbon-like defense mechanisms, like a crystal core surrounded by runes.
With a thought, Han Xiao rushed straight to the quantum network node of the floating city. The floating city node suddenly magnified in his vision, and he flew into the interior of the node.
What comes into view is an impregnable wall woven from a torrent of data, with numerous data points acting as guards patrolling around like a well-organized army.
This is the outermost firewall of the floating city's control center.
"Phillip, give him to me."
The floating city is a base for an A+ level mechanic. Sedim naturally understands the dangers of virtual mechanics and has set up many protective measures for the base. The intelligent defense of the floating city's control center far exceeds that of the Summit Keystone Group by several orders of magnitude. Ordinary Calamity Grade virtual mechanics simply cannot get in.
However, Han Xiao had just changed jobs, which enhanced his virtual skills, making it quite easy for him to counter the floating city's intelligent defense mechanism.
After all, everyone has their own expertise. When it comes to spreading lush greenery, virtual mechanics are undoubtedly experts. Armed mechanics are not good at this kind of non-direct confrontation, and Han Xiao's hard power also surpasses that of Sedim by a considerable margin.
Silent, insidious data penetration is more difficult than direct confrontation with the enemy's intelligence, so Han Xiao dared not be too aggressive. He cooperated with Phillip to slowly infiltrate the floating city's control center's defense mechanisms to avoid triggering alarms.
The main base is being silently invaded by Han Xiao and Phillip, while the master, Sedim, is completely unaware of it.
It took Han Xiao quite some time to quietly bypass the defenses of the floating city's control center and penetrate deep into it, leaving behind his temporary access.
"Done." Han Xiao. "Phillip, search his database for the blueprints for Eternal Light."
"Searching... found it!" Phillip said cheerfully.
Han Xiao's eyes lit up, and he couldn't help but laugh. "Sure enough, this guy didn't dare put the blueprints in other industries' databases, but he kept them in the headquarters' database."
It's highly likely that Sedim's blueprints were obtained from the Mechanic Emperor through merit exchanges. However, the Mechanic Emperor's home is so far away from the Shattered Star Ring that it's impossible to transport the physical blueprints over. Therefore, the original blueprints were sent to Sedim as data, and there's a strong possibility that Sedim retained the complete blueprints in data form.
Because the defenses of the floating city far surpass those of the Summit Keystone Group, most virtual mechanics cannot breach it. He feels more at ease storing it in the database at headquarters. With this security in mind, this method is naturally more convenient than physical blueprints.
This way, Han Xiao wouldn't need to steal the physical blueprints; he could simply copy the floating city's database, greatly saving him effort.
Han Xiao chuckled, "Phillip, copy his entire blueprint database."
Since the database contains the complete blueprints for Eternal Light, it's highly likely that it also contains all the blueprints that Sedim accumulated from the Mechanic Emperor.
Having finally managed to hack in, Han Xiao didn't mind taking advantage of the situation. Not only did he steal the Eternal Light blueprints, but he also emptied Sedim's entire stockpile, taking everything in one fell swoop.
Han Xiao glanced at what Sedim was doing and his expression immediately turned strange.
Sedim was browsing the database when Han Xiao's actions occurred. Because the defense mechanism's alarm was not triggered, he was completely unaware of Han Xiao's actions, even though he was using the database. He had no idea that Han Xiao had opened a backdoor in the floating city's control center and that the thieves had ransacked the entire city.
"It's quite exciting, but it seems a bit perverted..." Han Xiao tilted his head, feeling something was off.
Phillip was diligently copying the blueprints. With nothing else to do, he opened the command log in the control center to see what Sedim had been up to lately.
The log contained all of Sedim's commands. Han Xiao had only glanced at it casually at first, but his gaze suddenly stopped when he noticed that Sedim had personally carried out some actions that day, which made him a little concerned.
"Deploying a large number of mechanical security forces to the Number Two Guard City to monitor a group of people? Interesting. Isn't Sedim supposed to be neutral? Why is he suddenly monitoring people? Those he values must at least be Calamity Grade like me, Barn... Heh, I get it. This guy is probably going to use the name of the Mechanic Emperor to recruit others again. If it really is a Calamity Grade, I might be able to intercept one of his talents before I leave Planet Maixibo's."
Han Xiao couldn't help but chuckle mischievously, casually pulling up an image of the target being monitored by the mechanical security forces. The moment he saw the image clearly, his smile froze on his face.
The image showed Eklin and his group. Han Xiao had never seen this group before, but he recognized one of them.
Orosen!
A wanted criminal of the Terra Civilization, the murderer of Harofal, and possibly an underling of the Sorokin!
This person is the target of the Grade A bounty mission [Harofal's Revenge]!
This discovery took Han Xiao by surprise. He was stunned on the spot, his mind racing as he considered various possibilities.
"It's this group?! They disappeared for months, why are they suddenly showing up here?!"
Han Xiao became secretly on guard.
Harofal's dying words stated that this group was likely sent by the Sorokin to retaliate against their minions. Harofal was dead, and this group suddenly appeared on Planet Maixibo's several months later...
Could it be that they've finally come looking for revenge?
Upon further reflection, Han Xiao realized something was amiss. He had concealed his whereabouts and disguised his identity; there was no reason for the Sorokin's subordinates to find him.
"This is Planet Maixibo's, the edge of the Shattered Star Ring. They've come here after several months... Hmm, could it be that they're planning to leave the Shattered Star Ring, escape the Terra Civilization's pursuit, and not seek revenge against me?"
Han Xiao frowned in thought. From his perspective, the only point of intersection between the two parties was Harofal's matter, and with the limited clues available, he could only make limited inferences.
I never expected to run into the other Sorokin's subordinates here. Was this a premeditated act, or just a simple accident?
After pondering for a moment, Han Xiao's eyes narrowed slightly, and he made up his mind.
"No matter what, now that these people have run into my hands, whether it's to Revenge Harofal or to complete the mission and collect the bounty, there's no reason for them to escape!"
Harofal was his friend who fought alongside him. Han Xiao didn't have time to find the murderer, but if the enemy showed up on his own, he wouldn't stand by and watch the murderer swagger away.
Han Xiao looked at the surveillance image again, and then, a thought struck him, and he realized that he had guessed Sedim's intentions.
"Sedim is monitoring them too, huh? Looks like he wants the bounty too. I'd better strike first!"
This wasn't difficult for him. Now that he had hacked into the control center of the floating city, as long as he prevented the monitoring mechanical security forces from sounding the alarm, he could strike at these people before Sedim could even do so.
The only problem is that Han Xiao feels that Orosen and his group might possess Sorokin clone.
Han Xiao clenched his fist secretly. Because of the possibility of the Sorokin's clone, he raised the level of danger of Orosen and others to the near- Beyond Grade A level in his mind and was very vigilant.
"Now that the enemy is in the open while we are in the dark, our only option is a sneak attack, a Thunder and decisive blow, to eliminate them before they can summon their Sorokin avatars!"
Han Xiao gritted his teeth.
He was unsure of the group's combat strength, only knowing that Orosen was Calamity Grade, but that his own strength was enough to easily defeat a large number of ordinary Calamity Grade.
To kill the enemy before they can use their Sorokin clones...
I'm about 50% sure!