Mechanical Mouse

With his hands behind his back, Su Ming led five or six orcs towards the "Black Claw Warehouse".

He directed these people to rummage through the goods and buy up large quantities of merchandise.

The dumplings that Su Ming had painstakingly made were finally ready to be enjoyed with a touch of vinegar.

He flipped the page with great enjoyment, and he performed with great enjoyment.

In front of those "Black Claw," Su Ming acted completely arrogant and haughty.

When employees bring him items they've found, he always uses the tip of his shoe to pry them open and examine them.

That's so affected.

Yuye fully fulfilled her role as a follower, helping Su Ming negotiate the weighing and settlement price down to a 50% wholesale price.

After a long and bustling day, Su Ming picked out about two tons of random stuff.

Most of them are various metals, while some are objects containing various elements.

During the settlement, Yuye found another reason to further reduce the price and even demanded extra "gifts" from the Black Claw manager.

[Don't give money too easily, or they'll think you're easy to bully.] Yuye said to Su Ming through their Mental Link.

Based on her life experience, she knew that for a deal to proceed, the other party had to make it seem like your money wasn't so easy to give away.

If they don't find a reason to strike first, Black Claw, who is responsible for guarding the warehouse, will instead try to extort money from them by raising the price.

Su Ming glanced at it.

The man "confronting" Yuye was a burly half-tiger, whose eyes already revealed a malicious glint.

Looking around, I realized that a dozen or so wildly dressed orcs had gathered around me.

They were shirtless, with their necks adorned with animal teeth, their chests branded with various colors, and their noses decorated with animal bones or iron rings.

They're all members of Black Claw!

[But the other side is already planning to "bully" us.] Su Ming said to Yuye.

This question is a bit beyond the scope of the curriculum. Yuye glanced to the side and realized that her understanding was flawed.

A Black Claw dealing for a penny or two is not the same as Black Claw trading for a few gold coins.

If you can steal it, why sell it!

The Black Claw swarmed around them.

Yuye looked terrified and took several steps back.

"I'm sorry!" she said to Su Ming.

[You'd better run away!]

[There are extraordinary individuals among them!]

Su Ming stepped forward, his expression indifferent.

It doesn't matter.

Besides, it's not your fault.

These people arrived ten minutes ago.

The half-tiger grinned, revealing two rows of yellowed, sharp teeth.

"I've changed my mind. The 50% discount we agreed on is off. You'll have to double the price!" Su Ming raised his hand and beckoned to him.

Faced with such blatant provocation, the half-tiger man didn't waste any words and charged straight at them.

His muscles bulged, and the Dou Qi of a novice berserker surged from beneath his skin like a layer of murky hot mist.

Then he swung a heavy punch down.

Su Ming simply raised his hand slightly.

His mage class has long surpassed the category of Magister, and he is currently in a very delicate state:

His Magic Power power is extremely high, but at the same time, it is extremely unbalanced.

The main reason is that Su Ming no longer dares to engage in the conventional cultivation of a mage.

If he climbs further in rank, causing his Magic Power to increase, the risk of spatial forces going out of control will increase dramatically.

Therefore, Su Ming is now focusing on understanding the essence of space and returning to the simplest upgrade path. Only in this way can his control ability keep up with the intensity of his Magic Power.

If we were to draw an analogy with the college entrance examination, Su Ming would be like a student who abandons all other subjects and focuses solely on one subject, thus resulting in a lower score.

Even so, Su Ming was no mere Beginner Rank transcendent being who could act arrogantly in front of him! Su Ming flicked a finger at the half-tiger man's fist.

There was no spellcasting, just the purest use of power. The half-tiger was struck as if by Giant Hammer, flying backward and crashing heavily into the pile of smuggled goods in the warehouse.

A wooden crate, an old basin, and several chair legs that had been salvaged from who-knows-where exploded at the same time, rolling all over the floor.

The half-tiger man let out a miserable howl and immediately fainted.

Su Ming breathed a sigh of relief; he hadn't killed him outright, and his control of the force was quite good.

****

Everyone was stunned.

They couldn't grasp what they saw; there was nothing at all in front of the half-tiger man.

But in the next instant, everyone's perception was overwritten and replaced.

The scene rewinds, and Su Ming appears opposite the half-tiger man.

Then he swung his fist and collided with the half-tiger man's fist, finally blasting the latter away with his powerful brute force.

"This half-cat man is actually a level two warrior!" a half-orc exclaimed in surprise.

Zijin once taught Su Ming.

When the power level difference is too great, and the phenomena appear in ways that living beings cannot understand, they will subconsciously forget all the strange phenomena and revise what they see into a situation that they can understand.

In Cloud Fang City, those capable of "seeing" the truth are only the key figures of the Plundering Clock and a few powerful orcs.

This is the power of concepts, which is almost impossible to teach and can only be discovered and understood by oneself.

Su Ming looked at his hands.

He gained a great deal from the battle with Prism Shadow.

Now, I'm finally starting to touch the threshold of this level.

****

Those Black Claw naturally dared not challenge Su Ming, a "Level Two Warrior".

The fastest of the half-leopards rushed off to deliver the message, running at full speed on all fours.

Su Ming ignored him and leisurely found a seat to sit down. "[Mr. Graves,]" Yuye anxiously reminded him, "[The leader of Black Claw Hubiang, is a very powerful sorcerer.]"

[Don't worry, there are different kinds of extraordinary beings.] Su Ming reassured her.

Sure enough, not long after, a half-fox sorcerer flew down from the sky.

He landed in front of the warehouse and was somewhat surprised to see Su Ming's appearance.

Half-cat?

How did a low-level warrior of this size manage to defeat a half-tiger man?

Several Black Claw had already pulled the half-tiger man out of the garbage heap with their frantic movements.

Hubiang glanced at it, and his heart sank.

This half-tiger man's subordinate not only had his arms damaged, but several of his sternums had also collapsed.

Hubiang wanted to curse inwardly; this was definitely a "Level 3 Warrior"!

These foolish underlings have such poor eyesight!

But now that things had come to this, he absolutely couldn't show weakness in terms of momentum. "Mr. Graves from Lingbei Port, right?"

Hubiang stepped forward and unleashed his power.

It turned out that "Ye" was a level three sorcerer.

Su Ming ignored him and beckoned to him with her finger.

Hubiang's expression changed.

He was just a sorcerer who had risen from the bottom, barely managing to raise his Magic Power power to level three, but lacking systematic magical knowledge and training.

He knew exactly what skills he possessed.

He already knew the identity of the soldier in front of him; he was a nouveau riche from Lingbei Port.

The other party comes from a wealthy family, and their background is definitely not comparable to that of a small-time thief gang leader like him.

With this in mind, Hubiang abandoned his idea of "subduing people by force".

"Why must we fight and kill each other?" he said, feigning a sigh. "We are also the masters of this land; why don't we each take a step back—"

"Too much nonsense!" Su Ming said impatiently.

He changed his gesture, pointing his middle finger upwards.

Among orcs, this gesture has no other interpretation than "fuck your mother."

Hubiang couldn't take it anymore; otherwise, he wouldn't be able to save face in front of his subordinates.

He raised his staff, crimson flames swirling at its tip.

The air in front of the warehouse door was distorted by the heat, and the surrounding Black Claw retreated, making room for their leader to cast spells.

Su Ming flicked his finger, and a wave of energy rippled out, sweeping across the spot where Hubiang was standing.

Click!

The unformed fireball was instantly shattered, along with the magic circle on Hubiang's body and a Low Rank defensive item.

To the others, Su Ming had thrown a punch that shattered the aura emanating from their leader.

Su Ming frowned, intending to try again.

Hubiang suddenly knelt down, his body sprawling on the ground. "Please spare my life!"

****

The atmosphere then became exceptionally friendly.

Hubiang angrily berated his subordinates for not recognizing his superior, even though the person in charge at the scene remained unconscious.

He gave away all the "goods" that Su Ming had taken a liking to today. He even arranged for someone to bring a cart and deliver the goods to Su Ming's door.

Su Ming waved his hand, signaling the theater staff to begin loading the truck.

"Do you know spodumene and rutile?" he asked Hubiang.

Today, Su Ming found a large amount of material. Some things are missing, but they can be replaced or bypassed through various means.

At most, it will slightly reduce the performance of the chips and motors.

However, the battery directly affects the driving range, and a large amount of lithium still needs to be obtained.

Then there's titanium, which is lightweight and can effectively improve structural strength.

The main component of rutile is titanium dioxide. Hubiang, being a sorcerer, quickly nodded.

"I know these things."

"Sir, do you need these?"

"I need to buy some decorative props for the performance," Su Ming replied.

Both of these are minerals found in Shanyan. They have a crystalline shape and, if they are of high purity, can be used as gemstones.

"Yes, yes," Hubiang replied immediately.

According to the information, Water Chestnut Island has quite a few of these things. Otherwise, Su Ming wouldn't have made such a baseless claim.

He casually tossed a few gold coins to Hubiang.

"Get some spodumene and rutile ore, the most common kind will do, gem quality isn't necessary."

If it's just a common product with many impurities, it's very cheap; you can practically pick it up like a stone.

Hubiang quickly accepted the gold coins.

The other party could easily obtain such a small amount of stone through other channels at a low price. Offering such a high price to have Black Claw handle it is clearly a case of giving a hard price followed by a sweet deal.

This at least indicates that the other party intends to let the matter drop.

Hubiang was overjoyed.

"Sir, I'll definitely deliver it to you tomorrow!"

****

On the way out of the Black Claw Warehouse, Yuye was somewhat resentful.

"Mr. Graves, you don't have to pay at all."

"Hubiang is eager to apologize, so he'll definitely give away spodumene and rutile for free."

Su Ming, however, did not care.

"I need these stones."

"A few gold coins can boost their motivation."

Yuye still didn't understand. "Why do you need these people's enthusiasm?"

"To prevent any future situations where we need to use them," Su Ming explained.

He carried Yuye, bought some potatoes and meat on the way, and when he walked back to the theater, all the carts carrying materials had already been delivered.

Yise is directing everyone to move the goods.

She stood on the steps and simply pointed with her chin, and the orc employees obediently carried the goods into the warehouse.

His every move exuded an air of imperious dominance.

Su Ming genuinely felt that Yise's performance was much better than his own.

No orcs objected; in fact, they took it for granted.

Only a reckless person like that would do something like restarting a raccoon dream and throwing money down the drain.

Su Ming gave Yise a thumbs up.

The latter turned its head away haughtily and snorted.

**** At 6 PM, the orc employees left for the day.

Jinxiu stayed on the second floor all day. With nothing to do, she set up many warning arrays on the second floor and in the attic.

Now that she could breathe, she rushed into the courtyard and danced in circles.

Several fireflies, unaware of the truth, also followed her in pursuit.

"Jinxiu, do you want me to teach you how to use a cell phone? Maybe you can chat with Zhifo or something?"

"I've tried, but I can't swipe the touchscreen," Jinxiu said regretfully.

Developing products that Psionic Power from other worlds seems to be a long and arduous task.

Yugan quickly finished cooking; he cooked a large pot of potato stew with meat.

The potatoes were washed, but not cut or peeled.

The meat was almost completely minced.

Su Ming peeled the potato skins, then mixed the broth and minced meat together, finally getting the saltiness in.

It felt like he was eating noodles with minced meat sauce, but the noodles were replaced with mashed potatoes. It was actually quite good.

The staple food is still Corn.

Water Chestnut Island has no wheat; only the top layer and the first few grains of rice are edible.

Su Ming wrapped the mashed potatoes in a pancake, added some vegetables, and took a bite.

He took out two unremarkable thin metal pieces and handed them to the Yuye Yugan.

"This is a communicator; keep it with you."

The half-cat siblings took it, their faces beaming with joy.

Su Ming gave a simple explanation of how to use it.

Remember to charge it every night.

"Mmm-hmm!" The two siblings nodded vigorously.

This thing actually also has location and monitoring functions, but Su Ming didn't mention it.

"How are we going to carry this?" Yuye wondered. Her purse was shallow, and Yugan didn't have one either.

The half-cat-man is always climbing around, so he definitely wouldn't keep this thing in his pocket.

"Why don't you wear it around your neck with a rope?" Su Ming suggested.

Jinxiu objected.

"Orc necklaces are made of animal teeth and bone fragments, which don't match your metal-plate style at all."

Yise came up with a plan.

"Then let's make it into a collar!"

"This is popular among orcs."

She went to the warehouse, found an animal hide, cut it into two long strips, hammered in steel nails, and finally inlaid a metal sheet on it.

It looks quite nice.

I put the Yuye Yugan around my neck and was very happy with it.

The following day, Yise directed everyone to begin cleaning the large room on the first floor.

Yuye suddenly twitched its ears.

She crawled under a pile of debris that was being turned over, her claws reaching inside.

Soon, she pulled out a two-meter-long snake that was writhing incessantly.

"We can have an extra meal tonight!" Yuye.

Su Ming was equally pleasantly surprised.

Because these unearthed old sets, although the frame material is basically wood, the paints used for coloring are all kinds of things.

Hebana go to extreme lengths to achieve vibrant colors.

Cinnabar, ochre, azurite—they have everything.

There was even pitchblende powder, which Hebana used to create a beautiful phosphorescent effect.

Su Ming was utterly impressed.

Fortunately, the unrefined pitchblende ore wasn't very radioactive. Since meals were provided, they bought a bunch of supplies to complete the staff kitchen.

The meals were simple; basically, they would boil a pot of cassava and prepare some pickled vegetables, and that would be about it.

In the afternoon, people from Black Claw delivered spodumene and rutile.

The load was enough to fill two carts.

Su Ming didn't say thank you, but snorted a few times, as if to say he had received it.

The Black Claw dared not say a word, and left after putting down the ore.

****

Su Ming spends most of his time in his room handling affairs and communicating with those behind the scenes.

Due to Su Ming's special circumstances, the timeline for the final assault on Water Chestnut Island is being moved forward.

In the evening, the Hebana came to find him.

He then brought five more orcs, who were successfully recruited.

"Mr. Graves, we've almost found everyone," Hebana said to Su Ming and Yise.

Su Ming glanced around the courtyard and noticed that with the addition of new staff, the troupe now had twenty-three members.

"I remember there were over seventy characters who appeared, right?" Yise asked, puzzled.

She had already skimmed through the script and was now reading it carefully.

"Some minor roles are played by one person in two or even more roles."

"Hebana explained.

"Many of them were extras, played by actors who weren't actually on set at the time."

"A few vacancies can be filled closer to the performance date."

Su Ming patted the Hebana on the shoulder.

"Well done."

A round listening device, about the size of Little Button, stuck to the back of the half-raccoon's collar as he moved.

Hebana was completely unaware. "Then I'll begin working on the specific performance preparations tomorrow."

"Hurry up," Su Ming replied.

****

At night, in the attic.

"Summoning of All Things!"

As the light flashed, various materials combined, and a mechanical mouse appeared in front of Su Ming.

It is only the length of a palm, with an outer shell made of thin gray-black metal. Two tiny crystalline eyes are embedded on the sides of its head, making it look just like a real mouse.

The tail is a flexible cable, which is the charging head.

Su Ming placed the mouse on the ground, and the mechanical mouse immediately began to move its limbs and crawl along the corner of the wall.

He clicked on the tablet and started operating it.

Several test subjects were conducted, including pathfinding, squeezing through narrow gaps, sniffing Heguang detection.

Feedback came back one after another, and the test was passed. Su Ming handed over control to the support team on Earth, and the remote control test was also passed.

"Keep running until the battery is completely depleted," Fengshou instructed. "Then check the actual range."

The operator switched the mechanical mouse to continuous operation mode, allowing it to crawl and search the room semi-autonomously.

Su Ming then summoned a few more, initialized them, and handed them over to Fengshou.

Soon, they joined the testing as well.

Several mice were running around the house.

Su Ming's heart skipped a beat, "I'll put some pressure on you."

"What kind of pressure do you want to add?" Fengshou's heart tightened upon hearing this.

Su Ming went down to the second floor, where the half-cat siblings had just finished washing up and were staying in their room.

There's no entertainment in this era; night falls and everyone goes to sleep.

However, the recent decrease in workload has made the two siblings somewhat excited, and they are whispering to each other in their room.

"There are a few mice in the attic, go and catch them," Su Ming instructed. The two siblings, who were just looking for something to do, readily agreed.

"No problem, we're really good at catching mice!" Yuye.

"Is it for tomorrow's extra meal?" Yugan asked.

Su Ming shook his head.

"That's my alchemical pet, just for training."

"Don't break it."

"Oh," Yugan with considerable regret.