As a normal paper Mechanic, Nero was naturally concerned about his close combat abilities. Under Han Xiao and Mia’s influence, Nero also had a thing for hand to hand combat.
Nero was currently Grade C+, but with his [Perfect Mechanical Sense] and the various Mechanic talents that he had obtained over the years, his strength could reach Grade B, and the equipment that he forged exceeded his own grade.
“Get ready. Ten, nine, eight…”
Hearing the captain’s roar, Nero took a deep breath and prepared to go into battle.
Boom!
He could feel a powerful propulsion force, and the charge cabin was launched.
The coordinates of their target were indicated on the screen, and they were rapidly approaching it.
Bang!
The charge cabin suddenly trembled, and they successfully smashed into the interior of an enemy battleship.
The doors to the charge cabin opened up, and a long passageway greeted then. Without any hesitation, they charged out with their captain to clear up the enemies.
Enemy reinforcements came quickly, and their squad met with a large number of enemies.
All the warriors of the Kunde Race had accepted gene modification. Although they were not Supers and did not have different abilities, their physiques were powerful, and they had the strength of an individual around Lv.25 – Lv.45. They were roughly in between Grade E and Grade D, so they were not too weak.
Their squad was trapped in the center of the passageway with the enemy reinforcements flooding in from both directions and opening fire at them.
Nero had already thrown out a compressed orb that transformed into a mini fortress to protect the squad. It was able to block the heavy fire coming from both directions while their squad returned fire from within the fortress.
“Good job, brat.” The captain praised Nero before giving an order to his vice captain. “Break through from the enemy encirclement. I will be in charge of the front, and you will be in charge of the rear. Nero, release your artillery towers and mechanical soldiers behind to provide cover for us.”
As he said that, the captain charged out from the fortress and charged forward while enduring enemy fire. His advantage of being a Super was his superior combat strength.
Nero then threw out a large number of compressed orbs, which transformed into various artillery towers.
Tuk tuk tuk!
The artillery towers opened fire in both directions to provide cover for his squad.
Under the boost of his Mechanical Force, the strength of his long-distance weapons was terrifying. The armor and shields of the Kunde Race warriors were immediately torn apart, and body fluids spewed in all directions.
He instantly killed a large number of enemies, and a gray fog entered the death mark on the back of Nero’s hand. This was a gift that Hila had given him a long time ago. The more he killed, the greater the increase to his mental strength. This was Nero’s first time making use of this mark.
With the support of his firepower, his squad mates easily broke through the formation of the Kunde Race warriors and began slaughtering them.
Many of his squad mates were impressed with Nero’s strength.
“This newbie is truly powerful.”
“Is an ordinary Grade C Mechanic so powerful?”
“This little brat has some abilities.”
Their squad pushed on, and the enemy reinforcements charged at them without any concern for their own lives.
As a Pugilist, the attacks of the captain were extremely powerful. Even if his attacks were not able to break through an enemy’s armor, his Pugilist flames would seep into the armor and kill the Kunde Race warriors.
Nero was not used to the sight of bodies littered all around. Even with the filtration device of his mechanical suit, he could still smell the blood in the air.
The Kunde Race’s fearlessness truly shocked Nero. However, he and his squad mates would not hold back, and the Kunde Race warriors were only sacrificing their lives for nothing.
This was the first time he had felt the nervousness from killing. He would not pity the enemy, and the army had also educated them in this regard.
At the same time, Nero also felt a tinge of excitement. He did not wish to be the one providing cover fire all the time.
As a Black Star Class Mechanic, he was itching to engage in hand to hand combat but was afraid of being scolded by his squad mates.
Right at this moment, the scream of his squad mate could be heard over the communication channel.
The Kunde Race warriors had surrounded this Black Star Army warrior, and the shield of his squad mate was destroyed. At the same time, his armor was also badly damaged, and black smoke could be seen coming out from it. He took a few steps back from the impact of the attacks and was temporarily dazed.
The Kunde Race warriors in the surroundings then unsheathed their daggers and charged forward.
This squad mate of his was a Grade C Pugilist who had a powerful body. He struggled to send a few of the enemies flying, but the enemies continued to charge forward fearlessly. He had already been stabbed a few times by the enemy.
The squad mates in the surrounding wanted to turn around and help him, but a black figure charged out from behind to send all these Kunde Race warriors flying. It was Nero, who had been itching for a fight.
The surrounding Kunde Race warriors attacked Nero, and Nero’s combat panel displayed the trajectories of their attacks. He then dodged according to the instructions of the screen, and the enemy’s daggers created sparks whenever they collided with his mechanical suit.
Nero unsheathed a blade and brandished it without restraint, cutting through the enemies’ armor like it was tofu.
After helping his squad mate resolve the danger, Nero did not have the heart to return back to a shooter but charged into the enemy formation to slaughter the enemies.
Nero had a sense of satisfaction as he witnessed the enemies dying under his blade.
Indeed, a real Mechanic should fight in hand to hand combat! This is the true style of a Mechanic!
Upon seeing this scene, the captain had a strange look on his face.
Although he knew that Nero might be the strongest individual in the squad, they had never fought side by side before and were not familiar with each other’s abilities.
Upon seeing Nero killing enemies like he was dicing vegetables, the captain thought to himself, Why would a Mechanic like you want to charge into a close combat battle? Where did this bad habit come from?
In the face of a group of Supers, the Kunde Race warriors in the spaceship had no way to fight back, and the enemy troop was wiped out quickly.
Bluish green blood sprayed across the command room, and every enemy in the battleship had been killed.
Nero recovered his compressed orbs and seemed to be in a daze.
Upon seeing that, the captain walked over to Nero’s side and patted him on the shoulders. “Good work just now. How do you feel? Are you used to fighting yet?”
“I… I am much better now.” Nero waved his arms. After a battle, he was no longer as nervous as before.
Although he had been extremely nervous at the start, his mental state got better as the battle went on, and he felt extremely comfortable in battle.
He did not really feel discomfort from killing. First, it was because the enemy was of a different species. Second, a Super had a certain degree of mental resilience and could easily accept cruel scenes. Third, his mental state would change after having strength in his hands.
“It’s your first time after all. You will get used to it soon,” the captain said casually. “You can find me for free counselling if you aren’t feeling comfortable.”
“Thanks, but I won’t need it.”
Nero smiled and was a little moved. After this battle, he could not help but feel a sense of camaraderie with his squad mates.
…
Nero’s first combat experience went smoothly, and he had more confidence
than before. Not too long after the battle started, the Kunde Race fleet was defeated, and the dynasty’s fleet began clearing up the battlefield.
In the main flagship, Teny looked at the intact Black Star Army battleships returning to the fleet and nodded.
The Black Star Army did not have too many casualties, and he was extremely satisfied. As the fleet commander, he had many ways to reduce the casualties of the Black Star Army. He planned to do this to repay Han Xiao’s favor.
Beep beep!
Right at this moment, his communicator rang.
Teny then took a look, and his expression changed slightly. He picked up the call with a respectful tone.
“Your Excellency Black Star, I was still planning to pay you a visit after the war but never expected you to contact me first.”
“It has been a long while since we last talked, and I have something to trouble you with.” Han Xiao was the one who called.
“What do you need?” Teny did not like beating about the bush and went straight to the point.
“I heard that you want to protect the Black Star Army fleet?”
“That’s right.” Teny nodded.
“Ah, this is what I want to trouble you with. You don’t have to protect my men too much. I sent them into the battle so that I can train them.” Han Xiao smiled.
“Alright then. I understand.” Teny did not say too much after hearing that. Since their master had spoken, he naturally would not reject.
“Also, I hope that you can take care of this person…”
Han Xiao then sent Nero’s information to Teny and said with a smile, “This brat is my student, and I want to train him. If it is convenient, try to give him a few more combat opportunities. Also, don’t find it strange if he meets some unexpected situation. It is just my training.”
He felt that he still had some conscience for not interfering with Nero’s first battle.
However, he would take action after this and thus informed Teny first.
Teny looked at the information and nodded. “Alright, I will make the relevant arrangements.”
“I will have to trouble you then. I will be waiting for you in the Garu Star Cluster after the war. We can have a good chat then.”
“Okay.”
The call ended, and Teny looked through Nero’s information while muttering under his breath, “Black Star’s student… I will have to arrange it properly then.”
…
At the same time, another dynasty fleet had just ended their battle and had just cleaned up the battlefield.
The commander went to rest and got his vice commander to handle the other matters. Gaud, who was the commander’s aide-de-camp, also had some time to rest.
Gaud returned to his room and took off his uniform for a shower.
After his shower, Gaud walked in front of the mirror and looked at his own body.
Fair skin, skinny figure, ordinary looks…
Looking at the mirror, Gaud touched his face, and his lips curled up with a smile.
“It’s truly good to be young.”
Chapter 973 - Master Thief
In a galactic war, the support and supply lines based off the stargate traffic were very important. The expeditionary dynasty troops planted stargates continuously along the way, connecting them into a rapid channel that could be used to advance and retreat as they liked. In order to prevent the enemy from ambushing their stargate stations, each time the passage was extended, some personnel would be stationed there. So, the deeper they went into the Dust Light Star Cluster, the number of troops led by each dynasty officer would also decrease.
As the attacking side, the dynasty had to continuously extend the supply lines, but this was where the advantage of the military was shown—they had the capital to squander their resources like this.
Because the size of the frontline troops would gradually shrink while the intensity of the battle would gradually increase, the commander of each army would be a young officer with tremendous prospects within the dynasty. All of them had to gain rich experiences in interstellar warfare.
As for how luxurious this lineup was, Han Xiao recalled that almost all of the mobilized officers were people who would be high-ranking in the military in the future. Among them, there were at least three who had power that was not below that of Teny, and they also commanded other large army corps of the dynasty.
Facing such a group of famed generals, the Kunde Race was at a complete disadvantage. Even if the dynasty troops were reduced, the Kunde Race still did not stand a chance.
After being asked by Han Xiao, Teny changed his previous style and began to allow the Black Star Army to undertake more war tasks, and he especially took care of Nero.
In almost every battle, the troop that Nero belonged to would be assigned key combat missions, which gave them plenty of chances for battles.
It was just nice that most of the graduates of the Super Academy were assigned to different teams within this troop. The continuous high-intensity and high-risk battle placed these young students under a huge load. Even Nero was also overwhelmed. He found it strange, wondering if their troop had somehow offended the army commander.
Because of the continuous high-pressure battles, Nero’s machinery became seriously worn out. He had lost nearly half of his entire inventory. When there was no battle, he could not rest as well, having to work hard to repair his machinery, for fear that he would be unequipped for the next battle.
It was at this time that Nero was extremely grateful to Reynold.
… Isn’t it just not sleeping? When I was being forced to study, I quickly learned this ability.
Oh, this was not figurative. It was literally expressed on his character interface as a talent:
_____________________
[Advanced Fatigue Resistance] – +500% Physical Recovery Efficiency when at rest, -60% Physical Loss Rate. Reduces the negative status of ‘Mental Fatigue’ caused by lack of sleep, capped at the maximum of ‘Slight Mental Fatigue’.
_____________________
A gifted person could develop talents even by not sleeping, and Han Xiao did not know whom he could reason this with.
However, the other graduates did not have Nero’s experience and were totally exhausted. Even Mia did not have time to chat with him over the phone.
Since there was no way for him to guess the commander’s mindset. It was useless even if Nero wanted to curse at him. He could only grit his teeth and continue to do battle, not knowing that he had been arranged to do so by Teny.
A high-pressure battle would result in casualties, and this could happen even in a real-life combat simulation. However, Nero’s team was quite well off in this regard. They were all fatigued but had not met with any deaths yet. Through the frequent battles, their bonds were molded deeper.
The Crimson Dynasty had an overwhelming advantage in this war. Several days passed in a flash, and the various dynasty fleets steadily advanced, crossing multiple star systems to arrive at the Kunde Race’s border.
With the main force holding fort, the Reconnaissance Troops moved out first, splitting into various regiments to infiltrate the Kunde Race in advance to obtain intelligence. These scouts included both remotely controlled unmanned drones as well as ground combat personnel.
It was no surprise that Nero’s squad was selected as scouts to perform the dangerous mission.
Whilst the dynasty troops were exploring the Kunde border, a secret mechanical army quietly sent by Han Xiao followed his guidance to arrive near the Kunde mother planet.
…
On one of the black planets that looked like a desolate planet, a large number of exploration satellites were suspended in outer space, as well as a canopy camouflage device used to cover the planet’s surface. If one broke through the camouflage detection using the mechanical soldiers, they would see the true appearance of the Kunde mother planet. It was sapphire blue in color. The color occupied most of the surface area, and on top of the ocean floated vari
ous floating cities.
“Turns out, the actual look of the planet is like this.”
The mechanical soldiers stopped in outer space, far away from the planet, and all of them turned on their stealth camouflage. Han Xiao’s technology and Mechanical Force buffs were enough to prevent the Kunde mother planet from detecting this group.
Among one of them was a mechanical host bearing Han Xiao’s avatar, which was currently carefully observing the planet.
After the opening of the Flickering World in his previous life, Han Xiao had come over to perform missions here. At that time, the Kunde mother planet had completely changed its appearance after being modified by the dynasty.
Because the dynasty had stormed in, most of the population on the Kunde mother planet had basically moved away, but the Kunde Race did not implode their mother planet. On it was left many facilities, and one last fleet was stationed there to temporarily manage the place. This was where one of the core quantum network nodes of the Kunde Race was located.
“Let’s start.”
Han Xiao stretched, and with a thought, he entered the field of vision of the quantum network.
His vision turned black, leaving only the light clusters representing the nodes of the quantum network. They varied in brightness and were connected to each other with delicate light rays, which represented the information flow to form the network structure.
Han Xiao directly locked onto the main quantum network node of the mother planet, turning into a stream of light as he approached it. The firewall of the node appeared in front of him like a layer of dynamic data, and in his eyes, loopholes and gaps existed everywhere.
He did not wish to alarm the Kunde Race, so he decided to slip through the holes of data within the firewall and open a backdoor instead of directly hacking in.
The other party’s quantum network skills were trashy, with all the permissions they set as good as nil in front of him. It was as though he had arrived in a home whose owner was not present, but he had the tools to open anything within the doors. There was no need to ask for permission; he could just do what he wanted.
The Legendary Mechanic c1-1385 Page 662