by <unknown>
Although the long paragraphs of texts and complex diagrams were hard for Han Xiao to comprehend, he patiently read on. After twenty seconds or so, the interface lit up.
_____________
You have completed one session of self-learning in basic machinery knowledge!
[Basic Assembly] has progressed by 2.0% (based on your Intelligence).
(+0.2% from Concentration)
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As I expected! Han Xiao rejoiced. Although he wasn’t able to understand the book’s contents on his own, the system’s automated mastery system had allowed him to directly absorb the knowledge.
Lin Wei Xian curiosity was piqued. The test subject seemed to be learning!
He allowed Han Xiao to continue in order to observe him more.
The entire room was now silent, except for the rustling of paper.
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[Basic Assembly]
Progress Rate:
15% (+1.5%)
…
29% (+2.9%)
…
48% (+4.8%)
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Han Xiao’s reading speed increased with time. However, the pressure mounted on. Every second that passed could be his last.
When Hila arrived at the room, the sight of Han Xiao reading caused her to frown.
“What’s going on?”
Lin Wei Xian began to explain what had happened.
“You’re saying that his learning ability has been strengthened?”
“That is my initial conclusion. If you allow me to open his head up to perform a thorough assessment, I will be able to come up with a more complete answer.”
Han Xiao flinched. How much does this bastard love brains‽
Hila thought to herself, If his brain has been enhanced, he could prove to be more valuable than we initially thought…
“Is the brainwashing apparatus ready?” she asked.
“Preparations are complete.”
Damn it! I have to be faster! thought Han Xiao.
Suddenly, a notification accompanied with a sound popped up on the interface.
_____________
[Basic Assembly]
Progress rate: 90% (+10%)
You have learned basic knowledge of Machinery, unlocking the Mechanic talent tree!
You have unlocked a new profession:
[Mechanic (Novice)]
STR +10, INT +1, END +1
You have gained 2 stat points.
You have gained 1 talent point.
You have acquired new skills:
[Mechanic (Novice)]
[Basic Maintenance]
[Basic Enhancement]
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As warmth surged through Han Xiao’s body, he realized to his surprise that he could actually comprehend the contents of the book now!
I can gain actual knowledge from the game‽ Are you kidding me? Galaxy has been in service for over a decade! How come the Federation of Earth hasn’t conquered the Milky Way yet‽
Strange…
The ‘Character Information Interface’ had updated as well:
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Name: Han Xiao
Race: Human/Carbon-based (Yellow)
Model: NPC (countdown to Version 1.0 launch: 358 days 10 hours 11 minutes)
Level: 2
Experience: 0
Main Class: Engineer (Novice) – Lv. 1 (0/200)
Sub-class: Civilian – Lv. 1 (0/50)
Health: 43/50 (injured)
Stamina: 80/80
Attributes: 3 STR, 3 DEX, 5 END, 4 INT, 1 MYS , 2 CHA, 1 LUK
Unassigned Stats: 2
Energy: 10/10 [Lv. 1]
Lv. 1 (10) – [STR +1, DEX + 1, END + 1, MAX STAMINA + 20]
Energy Rank: 3~4
Grade: F (Mortal)
[You still lack the combat strength to take on 5 lowly thugs.]
Abilities:
– Concentration: +10% to mastery and crafting speeds
– Lesser Willpower: +3 to focus
Skills:
[Mechanic (Novice)]
Lv 1 (0/1000) – Increases mastery of engineering
[Basic Maintenance]
Lv 1 (0/400) – Able to perform simple maintenance
[Basic Enhancing]
Lv 1 (0/600) – Able to enhance machinery
Potential: 1
Class Talents:
– Arms: Basic Assembly Lv 1 [19 talents not learnt]
– Energy: [20 talents not learnt]
– Control: [20 talents not learnt]
Influence: 0
Legend: 0
Equipment: None
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Regarding stats, Strength improved melee damage and was also a requirement for some heavy equipment.
Dexterity improved movement speed, attack speed, and evasion. It also gave a bonus to ranged attacks.
Endurance increased Health and Energy. 1 Endurance gave 10 HP and 10 Energy. Endurance also affected some abilities and skills and increased HP and Energy recovery rates.
All actions depleted Energy, be it attacking, blocking, walking, running, swimming, crafting, etc.
Endurance also affected physical defense. There were many formulas contributing to the calculation of defense. For example, even if two characters’ defense stats were equal, one of them might not be wearing metal armor, so they would take more damage from a bullet than the other character.
Other factors that affected damage taken included Energy, range, bullet type, racial characteristics, and equipment material. All of these factors were taken into consideration when calculated by the quantum computer that the servers were run on. It was impossible for players to accurately optimize defense, but this wasn’t that big of a deal, as having more defense could only be a good thing.
Intelligence affected growth rates and Willpower. A character with higher Intelligence could master their skills faster. It also increased mastery and crafting speeds, and it could affect the quality of any machinery crafted by a Mechanic, making it the most important stat for the class.
Mystery affected a character’s talent for supernatural powers, and it affected psychic powers and magic abilities, like how Strength or Dexterity affected physical abilities.
Charm was useful when improving relationships with different NPCs and Factions. It even enabled characters to enjoy discounts with certain sellers.
Luck affected judgement and item drop rates.
These were the seven main attributes that stat points could be added to.
Then, there was also Energy, a core component of the game that functions as ‘Mana’ for superpowers. It could only be increased through leveling or by acquiring certain skills, and it was described as ‘a manifestation of the dormant power that lies in living cells’. Energy was a requirement to unlocking superpowers, as well as latent awakening.
A character would also receive bonus stats based on their Energy level. Lv. 1 Energy was reached at 10 points, Lv. 2 at 50 points, and Lv. 3 at 100 points. Each Energy level would give random stats according to the character’s class, and a character with a higher level class would benefit more from this. This bonus worked retroactively.
Energy was also the mana for superpowers, and the additional stats received from Energy were lost when the amount of Energy remaining dropped below its tier.
For example, Lv. 1 stat bonuses would be lost when Energy dropped below 10 points; the character would become fatigued after exhausting power, and this affected their combat ability. This mechanic made micromanagement in combat important.
Energy recovered automatically but at a slow rate. However, Stamina could be used to recover Energy faster. Also, when using Superpowers without sufficient En
ergy, Stamina could be used as a substitute, and when there was both insufficient Energy and Stamina, Health could be used. Many players ended up dying carelessly by sucking themselves dry this way.
A character’s grade reflected their combat strength. Characters were ranked according to their grade. The standard unit of measurement for Energy was the Ona.
Superhumans were graded A, B, C, D, or E, based on their Ona levels.
An E-grade superhuman, such as the present-day Hila, possessed 100 Ouna.
A Celestial-class superhuman would fall under grade A. Grade A superhumans were capable of planetary-scale destruction.
Of course, grade A wasn’t the limit. Han Xiao knew this, having transcended grade A himself. However, then was then and now is now.
Having gained two unassigned stat points from unlocking the Mechanic class, Han Xiao still needed one more Intelligence in order to endure the brainwash.
Apart from leveling up, there did not seem to be a way for him to obtain it. How was he supposed to gain experience? He obviously couldn’t hunt monsters now or complete quests!
Damn it, is there no way?
Suddenly, an idea occurred to Han Xiao.
He abruptly tossed the book to a side and proceeded to stare at the gun on the guard’s waist with a blank expression.
Hila frowned but did not act. Everyone looked on to see what Han Xiao was up to.
Han Xiao walked rigidly towards the guard. As if to make his intentions extremely clear, he reached out exaggeratedly for the gun.
The guard instinctively drew his gun, and although Han Xiao did not seem to have any intention of snatching it, he tightened his grip.
As Han Xiao was moving extremely slowly, the guard did not see a need to fire.
“Unload the gun and let him have it,” ordered Hila.
She was keen to know Han Xiao’s motives.
The guard obliged and proceeded to do so.
Upon receiving the gun, some information popped up on Han Xiao’s interface.
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73-WASP (Small Caliber Handgun)
Grade: Grey
Damage: 28 -35
Fire Rate: 1.1/s
Power Output: 13
Key components: Spring, Slide, Firing pin, Magazine (missing)
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[Basic Assembly] automatically gave Han Xiao knowledge about many types of machines, and the blueprints for a 73-WASP appeared in his mind.
Instantly, Han Xiao understood how to assemble it. While in the game he simply needed to ‘load’ the gun after ‘learning’ it, he now had to perform some more technical procedures.
Everything was truly far more immersive than it had been in the game, confirming his suspicion that he had transmigrated to an actual ‘reality’.
Han Xiao began to strip the handgun and reassemble it.
The skill icon for [Basic Assembly] lit up.
After 40 seconds, he finished the task.
To a specialist, 40 seconds was nothing. However, Han Xiao was a complete newbie!
He had only spent 10 minutes on a book!
Everyone was shocked.
Is this the effect of Valkyrie‽
Lin Wei Xian started speaking excitedly. “Such learning prowess! If I can analyze his brain, perhaps I can recreate…”
Go to hell! How much, exactly, are you obsessed with brains?
Han Xiao proceeded to repeat reassembling the handgun.
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You have succeeded at an Assembly (Basic)
69% perfection rate, 28 exp gained
You have succeeded at an Assembly (Basic)
73% perfection rate, 32 exp gained
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There were many ways to gain experience in Galaxy. Apart from hunting monsters and completing quests, skills and crafting were two key sources of experience for Mechanics.
As Han Xiao repeated the task again and again, he gradually became faster and faster. He was soon able to complete the task in a mere 20 seconds.
“Proceed with brainwashing now,’ ordered Hila suddenly.
Fortunately for Han Xiao, it had been enough. He had accumulated a total of 200 experience points.
Use all experience to level up Class: [Mechanic]!
Ding!
_____________
[Mechanic (Novice)] has leveled up.
Lv. 1 -> Lv. 2
Energy +10
Intelligence +1, Endurance +1
You have gained 2 stat points
You have gained 1 talent point
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Han Xiao breathed a sigh of relief.
That was close.
Chapter 3. Life Is All About Acting |
Han Xiao was strapped to a metal seat with his eyes forcefully pried open by extensions. Before him was a black screen with speakers on either side.
He was unable to move at all.
“How long is the procedure?”
“Twelve hours.”
“Keep watch here,” ordered Hila before she left with some grunts.
Lin Wei Xian activated the procedure, and the screen lit up. It began to display all kinds of geometric shapes and patterns that morphed continuously. The vivid, rapidly changing colors and harshly alternating music caused Han Xiao much discomfort. While he wanted to close his eyes badly, he was unable to, and soon, his eyeballs turned bloodshot and swollen.
Ah! This is so uncomfortable!
It was a primitive method of brainwashing. The theory behind it was to overwhelm and distort the subject’s thoughts to make it easier to feed messages into their mind.
It did, however, have the advantage of not causing permanent damage to the brain, which both Han Xiao and Lin Wei Xian could appreciate.
The depraved expression on Lin Wei Xian’s face enraged Han Xiao. He felt like he was a pig at the slaughterhouse.
Han Xiao added two of his four unassigned points into Intelligence.
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You are being Brainwashed (Low Level)
Your INT: 7
Your Resistance: 3
Brainwash Failed
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Han Xiao’s discomfort immediately eased.
…
At the end of the twelve hours, Han Xiao’s entire body was aching, and his eyes were completely dried out.
Hila returned on schedule. The boss had assigned her the task of brainwashing Han Xiao, so she had to ensure that everything went smoothly.
She undid Han Xiao’s shackles, revealing bruises on his limbs. Although Han Xiao was still hurting, he continued to look at the screen blankly in order to act the part.
Hila suddenly bent forward, and her face came to within two inches of his. Her moist breath fell upon his lips, but Han Xiao was far too concerned with his predicament to be distracted.
Perfume filled up his nostrils, tickling him, and it took great effort on his part to resist the urge to sneeze.
“Who are you?” asked Hila in a soft, hypnotic voice.
Han Xiao decided to twitch his face instead of replying.
Although Han Xiao had never been a good actor, it wasn’t too hard to act like an idiot.
Suddenly, Hila began to whisper into his ear. As her hair tickled Han Xiao’s throat, two snowy mountains came into his view through the window of her collar. He steeled his heart with a prayer.
Between the mountains is a valley, empty like the void.
Atop the seas stands an island, straight as a tree.
I, who have seen over a hundred gourds, will not fall for your bait!
“From today onward, your name is Zero. The Germinal Organization is your home, your country, and your everything. You will forever be loyal to the or
ganization and will forever strive to help the organization achieve its goals. You will neither hide anything from nor betray the organization. You will carry out your orders faithfully, and you will sacrifice yourself for the greater good when the time comes!”
Lin Wei Xian broke out in manic laughter.
“Your life belongs to the organization. You will do whatever you are ordered to do,” he added.
“Who are you?” re-questioned Hila.
This time, Han Xiao knew that he had to reply. However, he did not reply immediately.
Hila shot a frown towards Lin Wei Xian.
“I followed the procedure! It’s not my fault—”
Suddenly, Han Xiao began to speak.
“I… am… Zero…”
Lin Wei Xian’s eyes lit up.
“Valkyrie strengthened Zero’s learning ability. However, as a side effect, it impaired his speech.”
Hila thought back to Zero’s earlier behavior. He had indeed responded slowly to his surroundings.
“Seems like the experiment was not perfect after all.”
“You’re wrong. This is perfection! He does not need emotions.”
“…Take him to recover, I will report to the boss.”
I’m safe now!
Han Xiao could finally relax. He had come up with the idea of acting slow to lower their guard during the procedure.
Although I didn’t transmigrate to an ideal location, at least it’s not so bad time-wise.
The Valkyrie experiment was the prototype of a later supersoldier project that implemented microchips into test subjects in order to ensure loyalty.
Transmigrating to then would have been way worse. They would have been able to blow him up anytime.
At least Lady Luck is smiling upon me in one regard!
…
Hila made a call through an encrypted line.
“Boss, the situation has stabilized.”
“Is the brainwashing complete?”
The man’s voice was hoarse.
“I oversaw the procedure. There was no issue. What arrangements do you have for Zero?”
“The Valkyrie experiment’s aim is to train soldiers, so train him.”
“How is my sister doing?”
“Don’t forget the deal,” the man warned. “I gave you permission to visit her once every two months. Don’t cross the line.”
Hila clenched her fists.
…
The interior of the underground Valkyrie lab was almost entirely white. Guards constantly patrolled the grounds.