At this moment, a weak voice sounded beside her.
“Mia, you’re awake?”
Mia hurriedly swept her eyes over and discovered it was her captain. “Captain, you were captured too?”
“I had no way to go against the battleships. Still, the enemies didn’t kill us but captured us alive.”
“It’s good that we’re not dead.” Mia breathed a sigh of relief.
“Ah…” The captain let out a bitter laugh. “You’re wrong. Dying is better than falling into enemy hands.”
Mia was still a little fuzzy and unconsciously asked, “Why?”
“Think about it. Why would the enemies want to capture us? If my hypothesis is correct, they want to treat us as research material. What’s awaiting us is all sorts of inhumane experiments, where we will be drained of every single drop of blood and muscle in our bodies to aid in the development of our enemies. Dying is considered nothing in comparison.” The captain’s voice was laced with despair. “The others from our unit are also fending for themselves, so they have no time to come save us.”
Hearing this, Mia was stunned silly.
While she was a Super, she also had the identity of a young teenager, and she had never experienced such a despairing scenario.
At this moment, her mind subconsciously thought of Nero’s figure. Her heart ached, and her expression was miserable.
“I’m sorry… I may have to eat my words. I can’t continue walking down this path with you…”
Tears formed in Mia’s eyes and trailed down her cheeks, forming two long tear tracks.
At this moment, the door opened, and a few of the Kunde Race soldiers walked in. They went to a cabinet, taking out a few syringes before advancing toward them.
While the other party did not speak, based on their movements, Mia knew that they wanted to inject them with more tranquilizers to keep them unconscious.
Mia struggled, but all the cells in her body were asleep, and she could not generate any form of energy.
She could only watch as the Kunde Race drew near, her eyes reflecting hopelessness.
Boom!
At this moment, a strong shock ran through the entire spaceship, and several of the Kunde Race soldiers lost their balance.
Before Mia could recover to her senses, the few Kunde Race soldiers turned into smashed meat paste, and a mechanical soldier appeared in front of her, hovering in the air. It was so quick that she could not follow its movements with her eyes.
Ka la ka la…
The mechanical soldier then crushed the device that was imprisoning Mia and her team before taking out the life potion of Aurora and injecting it in everyone.
Everyone recovered quickly, checking their bodies with joy on their faces.
Their gazes landed on the mechanical soldier, with traces of joy and suspicion. They did not expect someone to have saved them in such a desperate scenario.
Mia’s mood was tumultuous, staring blankly for a few seconds before she recovered. She stared at the mechanical soldier, asking, “You… are you from the army?”
“What, can’t you recognize me?” Han Xiao’s voice travelled out from the mechanical soldier. “I’m Black Star.”
The eyes of everyone present turned into saucers.
The Army Commander personally came to save us‽
What is he doing here‽
Mia gaped, and she suddenly realized the truth.
For someone of Black Star’s caliber, the only reason he could appear here was that… he had been secretly protecting Nero all along!
Everyone soon recovered their senses, rejoicing at their second chance at life. Fortunately, they were in the same unit as Nero. Otherwise, there would be no turnaround for them. Their lives were, in part, saved by Nero.
“Alright, my machines have taken control of the battlefield. Follow me.”
The mechanical soldier controlled by Han Xiao waved its hands, placating the excited crowd. Thinking about it, he then patted Mia’s shoulder as he warmly spoke.
“After this battle, come with Nero to meet me. I’ll introduce you to a few Calamity Grade pugilists for them to take you in as a student.”
Mia opened her eyes wide, her expression incredulous. Only after a while did she realize that Han Xiao was giving her the opportunity to go under a Calamity Grade teacher, and she was extremely moved.
Excitement and pride filled her heart. She did not imagine that she would receive preferential treatment by Black Star and hurriedly nodded in return.
“Ok, thank you for your kindness, Your Excellency Black Star!”
“It’s nothing. I just felt that you have the potential to reach the Calamity Grade.”
Han Xiao smiled before turning back to look at the other team members. He thought for a while before saying, “As for the rest, you can report to Herlous when you return. I’ll ask him to raise your team’s authority, allowing all of you to promote, form a new team, or choose a new position. The material reward will also be given fairly.”
Unexpectedly, there was such a benefit in being caught.
…
Outside the floating base, the mechanical army that had been hovering quietly suddenly exposed their fangs.
Against such strength, there was no room for resistance. The floating base was instantly virtually invaded, with all their armed forces disintegrated, and the base fell under the control of Han Xiao.
The Kunde Race soldiers and commanders fell from the heavens into the abyss, turning into captives.
On the battlefields, the invisible mechanical army finally revealed themselves, joining the battlefield out of nowhere. Under the astonishment of the troops, all the battleships of the enemy were destroyed.
Nero and his team were still running when a mechanical troop appeared in front of them, firing behind them.
When they turned back to look, they saw the energy beam passing by their spaceship and piercing through several of the Kunde Race battleships chasing after them.
Bang bang bang!
The glow of flames was seen as the various spaceships imploded, turning into fireworks that filled the sky.
Seeing this, Nero stopped in shock.
How did it happen so quickly?
From the time he requested the call to his godfather acting, it had only been a couple of minutes!
He suddenly remembered Han Xiao’s meaningful eyes toward him when the latter cut the call.
While godfather wanted me to experience hardship alone, he sent troops to secretly protect me. I’m sure that the majority of his machines were hidden together with the troops and would appear to help when I’m in danger.
So, his words just now were purely to educate me?
Godfather… he is harsh with his words, but he’s actually a softie inside…
Nero was moved upon realizing Han Xiao’s ‘good intentions’ and praised Han Xiao’s character as he wiped his eyes.
This was the exact opposite of the Great Mechanic Han’s true nature.
Nero’s thought process was also carefully calculated by Han Xiao beforehand, and the progression was still quite in line with the script that the Great Director Han had written.
The battlefield soon fell under the control of Han Xiao’s mechanical army, with the Kunde Race’s small and medium sized fleets unable to overturn the scenario at all. With his mechanical army quickly ending the battle, Han Xiao allowed all the soldiers to land and gather before bringing Mia’s team to rendezvous with the rest.
Seeing that Mia was safe and sound, Nero’s taut nerves also relaxed, and he let out a bright smile.
“That’s great. You’re fine.”
Mia immediately noticed Nero when she landed and ran over to him. She wanted to hug him, but seeing so many people around them, she got a little shy and only lightly hit his mechanical suit with her fist, whispering, “Thanks. If not for you, I wouldn’t have been able to return.”
Nero’s smile got wider. “I said I would protect you.”
; Looking at his silly smile, Mia could not help but roll her eyes at him, grumbling, “It was clearly His Excellency Black Star who rescued me.”
“Cough, cough.” Han Xiao dryly coughed by the side, interrupting them. “I’ve saved them for you. The next time you do things, you should be more cautious and attentive. Your luck won’t always remain so good, and I cannot always be there to protect you.”
“I understand.” Nero turned to him with a solemn expression as he seriously spoke to Han Xiao. “Thank you very much. I’ll carve today’s lesson into my mind and will not act recklessly in the future. I will not waste my talent.”
Han Xiao smiled and nodded before turning to the other soldiers on the battlefield. He nodded slightly and spoke.
“Although I interfered in this battle, the captives were mostly caught by you guys. I will not steal your credit, so you will be in charge of taking this group of captives back. Head to Herlous afterward, and he will arrange additional compensation for you.”
This time, in order to ‘rob’ Nero, his colleagues had all been included in Han Xiao’s plan, so he had long prepared some compensation. Since he had used them and they were his people, he would definitely give them benefits in return. From Planet Aquamarine till now, this was now he had acted.
The mechanical troops had been observing the battle in stealth mode, and this frightening yet undeadly battle, alongside an opportunity to achieve a promotion or an additional monetary reward, was quite a good exchange for them. However, Han Xiao had profited the most from this.
“It’s done!”
Letting out a sigh, Han Xiao hid his excitement as he collected his mission reward.
_____________________
Nero’s Request has been completed.
You have received: The option to learn a specific skill of Nero’s (Ability/Talent).
Please select one from the following options below as the reward.
_____________________
A list of skills popped out, and all the abilities and talents of Nero were listed.
Glancing at Nero’s skills, there were only two on his priority list, [Perfect Mechanical Sense] and [Advanced Luck Glow].
However, he could only choose one, and between both skills, Han Xiao needed [Perfect Mechanical Sense] more, which was the model talent for Mechanics, a must-have for every strong Beyond Grade A.
[Advanced Luck Glow] was something he wanted, but it was not high on his list. After all, the ability did not help in combat capabilities and would also weaken his mutually assured destruction card of reducing the Luck of others.
Moreover, because his Luck was low, this ability would only play a limited role. He was afraid that if his luck was too high, it would be difficult to draw more Mission Completion Cards.
Furthermore, with Feidin at hand, there was no need to increase his luck.
[Perfect Mechanical Sense] was his goal, and now that he had gained it, Han Xiao decided to reward Nero by not letting him suffer any pain for the time being.
As for [Advanced Luck Glow], he would think of an opportune time to obtain it.
Halting his devilish thoughts, Han Xiao selected his target on the interface.
The next moment, a strong current of Mechanical Force flowed out within his brain!
_____________________
Selection Completed!
Your Talent [Elementary Grade Mechanical Sense] has disappeared.
You have received the talent: Perfect Mechanical Sense!
Chapter 977 - The Concept of Superimposed Mechanical Senses
The sound of crackling electricity suddenly sounded on the Divine Mechanical Throne as thick jagged bolts of Mechanical Force lashed out like chains on the floor, leaving blackened scars.
His brain tingled slightly, as though undergoing an electrical stimulation.
With a dazzling glare in his eyes, Han Xiao could feel that the cells in his body were running at full power, with energy constantly being released.
After just a few more minutes, the phenomenon began to fade. The world in his eyes had changed subtly. There was now a clearer mechanical perception, and his field of vision penetrated deeper into microstructures.
“How miraculous…”
Han Xiao narrowed his eyes as he appreciated the changes.
The usage of the Character Summon Card was different from actually possessing the talent. Right now, [Perfect Mechanical Sense] has resulted in a complete change within his body.
His basic personal attributes had not changed, but what was strengthened was his Machinery Affinity, as well as his Mechanical Force strength. Through his sense organs, the machinery felt closer and more familiar to him.
The core effect of Perfect Mechanical Sense was an improvement of his total Machinery Affinity by x1.4 coefficient, and this brought him an additional two to three thousand Machinery Affinity. This was enough to allow him to leap through several tiers!
There were two secondary functions to this. One was the increase in his machinery quality, improving it by one or two tiers, which was capped at Pink Grade. At present, Han Xiao’s equipment was basically all Orange Grade, and this bonus was not too important to him. The other function was more important, which granted +4 to all mechanic skills, which could break through the upper limit. This gave him more slots for his Apostle Weapons.
Mechanical Sense was classified as a personal talent, and the difficulty in improving it varied from person to person. Some geniuses easily understood it, while some could not learn it even if their personal strength was incredible. Han Xiao’s [Elementary Grade Mechanical Sense] was a drawn reward, so his chances of improving it to the level of [Perfect Mechanical Sense] were nil.
Generally speaking, such talents were either passively awakened or actively cultivated from a young age. As one grew older, the learning difficulty of talents would increase.
“Finally, I’ve got Perfect Mechanical Sense, and my normal combat capability is now the same as when I use a Character Summon Card.”
Han Xiao was satisfied. He had looked forward to this ability for a long time.
He would no longer appear as an embarrassment!
Possessing power of his own was the best assurance, and turning those trump cards that he relied on to blitz during battle into actual combat power gave him higher stability. Now, his qualification as a peak level Beyond Grade A Mechanic had completely stabilized, and the gap between him and the Mechanic Emperor had shortened once more.
However, it was still too early for him to arm wrestle against Manison. The other party also possessed Perfect Mechanical Sense, and right now, he had only filled up his missing gaps.
Han Xiao was not in a hurry, however. Although he had also reached the peak Beyond Grade A realm, he was different from everyone else as he still had ample room for growth.
Before the next major update, Han Xiao did not wish to entangle with Manison. He wanted to take this chance while Manison thought that he had consolidated his position to develop himself within the shadow he cast, lest the other party were to notice his strength once again and challenge him.
Although Han Xiao was not afraid of Manison acting against him, he did not wish to act before he had established his foundations within the Flickering World. After all, Manison had the backing of the Federation of Light, and Han Xiao had no way of acting against the other party.
“However, although Perfect Mechanical Sense has become part of my combat power now, it does not mean that my trump card is lost.”
The Character Summon Card usage was not related to his abilities, and activating similar effects would give rise to a stacked bonus rather than the usual effect bonus.
In other words, the Character Summon Card of Perfect Mechanical Sense was still useful to him.
Since he had already obtained Perfect Mechanical Sense, this would lead to his bonuses superimposing upon one another.
The superimposition of two skills, just how terrifying would it become? It would probably be the only double Per
fect Mechanical Sense in the entire universe. Just thinking about it gave him the chills.
If he used this in front of Manison, the latter’s entire worldview would most likely shatter.
“It’s better for me to leave any blank Character Summon Cards to use on Reynold and Nero, and whether or not I can get the skill depends on my luck.”
After experiencing the skill a while longer, Han Xiao finally closed the talent description.
He went back to his skill list, pulling down the blueprint column, and looked for a new blueprint that he had recently obtained.
_____________________
Spacetime Splicer: Using peculiar spacetime technology, open a branch timeline temporarily that is outside of the main timeline. By specifying a complete action plan, one can form a time chain with a beginning and an end, breaking through the spacetime continuum by performing a temporal jump through different points of the timeline. It can be used for any arbitrary objects.
Usage of this device will bring about an irreversible negative effect. Objects spliced by time and space will suffer from correction by the main timeline, and once completely corrected, the object will be annihilated alongside the branch time chain that was cut out.
Remarks: If you’re a fan of suicidal attacks, this device is perfect for you. While the technology is not yet mature and perfected, since it’s still a suicide operation, there’s no need to care about the nitty gritty details!
_____________________
Han Xiao had stolen the Spacetime Splicing Technology from the Kunde Race, learning it and investing some experience to better understand the technique before finally obtaining the new blueprint identified by the interface. After spending some time on it, he had finally also finished a prototype.
The completed product resembled a three-story building.
Over the last few days, he had conducted simple tests and debugged the Spacetime Splicer. Its operation was very normal, but the startup time was a little long. It also could not be used as and when he liked; rather, it needed to be connected to a special target pipeline before it would be effective on objects.
The Legendary Mechanic c1-1385 Page 666