The journey back was uneventful.
This was because the method Bai Ye provided was naturally feasible.
About two hours later, Bai Ye and his group appeared in an abandoned building in the slum district.
Ji Ruyue closed her eyes, sensed for a moment, then opened them and said, "We're back."
Davis walked to the window and glanced out. "You don't need your reconnaissance skills for this, do you? You can tell just by looking."
Looking outside the building, they could see people walking on the streets, with some vendors around.
A burly man walked slowly by, carrying a large piece of mutated creature meat.
"Hmph!" Ji Ruyue looked at Allen. "What do we do now?"
Allen pondered for a moment. "This matter requires careful consideration. I need to contact some people to discuss it. Also, I hope you can all stay in the Ruin City for now. As participants, we will undoubtedly need your collective testimony about what we witnessed in Laboratory No. 3."
Gonzalez patted his chest. "We will not shirk our duty."
Ji Ruyue and Davis nodded. "We feel the same."
Allen looked at Bai Ye. "Bai Ye, I apologize that I couldn't help you during our entry into that world. If you wish to leave, you are free to do so. The rest of us are sufficient to handle what comes next, and the Ruin City is likely on the brink of turmoil."
"It's alright," Bai Ye said with a smile. "Don't worry about me. You can go about your business. I'll be staying in the Ruin City for the time being. Just call me if you need anything."
Allen nodded. "Good!"
There were still follow-ups to this matter, but at least the first phase of the hidden mission was complete.
"You successfully led the Hunting Ground squad into the Mirror World for exploration. Completion: 80%. Reward: Universal Mechanical Chip."
Universal Mechanical Chip (Item) (Gold): A masterpiece rumored to be from the God of Machines, a chip that can be fitted into any mechanical product's chip slot.
Effect: Mechanical Omnipotence (Can be installed in any mechanical product's chip slot, and will produce different effects depending on the mechanical product.)
Unique (This chip cannot be repeatedly removed and installed.)
The moment Bai Ye saw this item, his first thought was that he was rich. Then, upon closer inspection...
Damn it, it's an item!
It's not that items have no value, especially a gold-quality one.
However, the description of the Universal Mechanical Chip contained a crucial line: "Can be fitted into any mechanical product's chip slot."
Simply put, this thing is a component for a super-quality item.
Even though it's gold quality, its standing immediately dropped.
Everyone knew that if super-quality items could be collected, they would be items exceeding gold quality, just as the name "super-quality" implied.
But if they couldn't be collected...
Just looking at that damned incomplete Sunflower Manual was enough. Bai Ye couldn't be bothered to think about it; thinking too much only brought tears.
As for the Universal Mechanical Chip, it still had value.
For instance, if Bai Ye found a mecha with eight components and only the final chip component was missing, he could use the Universal Mechanical Chip as a substitute.
Or if Bai Ye found an assembled mechanical armor and was only missing the chip, the Universal Mechanical Chip could still substitute.
In simple terms, as long as it was a chip component slot, whether it was a mecha, mechanical armor, robot, mechanical limb, or combat vehicle, it could be universally replaced.
At the same time, the God of Machines...
With such a grand title, Bai Ye felt that after installation, the Universal Mechanical Chip might produce better effects than the original chip, and the overall performance of the installed mechanical item would also be enhanced.
However...
It's still the same problem: Bai Ye only has one chip, which is useless!
This is the type of item that would make Bai Ye cry tears of joy if he were missing just one chip someday, but is currently of no use.
But what if he were to miss one someday?
So, Bai Ye felt it was still acceptable!
After putting away the chip, Bai Ye looked at his other gains. The direct ones were from the Forbidden Zone missions.
First, Forbidden Zone Mission One and Forbidden Zone Mission Two.
Bai Ye did not manage to obtain any crystallization abilities.
For Forbidden Zone Mission One, Bai Ye received Gonzalez's energy-powered Vulcan Gatling, a black-quality futuristic weapon.
Its effects were average. It lacked the armor penetration, damage stacking, and explosive bullets that firearms needed most.
However, it did have infinite ammunition, which, combined with the Gatling's rate of fire...
It was useless in high-level duels, but it was truly effective when dealing with fodder.
Then, for Forbidden Zone Mission Two, Bai Ye received Allen's twin daggers.
The full name of this item should be the "Rectangular Light Saw Cutting Daggers," also black quality. Its effects were passable, with a flashy effect called magnetic adsorption.
It was the move where Allen flicked his finger and the blades flew out of their sheaths.
Theoretically, drawing the sword like this saved time, but...
Bai Ye had the Steel Slime, and wasn't directly wielding his sword more awesome than this?
Of course, there were still highlights. The blades had laser serrations on both sides, causing secondary damage. The cutting damage could shatter armor, and it also increased attack power to a certain extent. Overall, it was a decent weapon.
But it held little significance for Bai Ye. Like the Gatling, they were meant for trading.
However, the red-quality weapon from Forbidden Zone Mission Three was finally a bit interesting.
No, not just a bit interesting, but to the point of making Bai Ye shed tears of joy.
Skywalker (Lightsaber) (Red): An energy lightsaber from a future technological civilization, lightweight and sharp, capable of easily cutting through high-hardness steel.
Effect: Lightsaber Flash (Upon activation, there is a 10% chance to shatter the target item. Cooldown: 180 minutes after each use.)
Swift Swordsman (When holding this weapon, speed increases by 25 points, and sword-drawing speed increases by 100%.)
Light and Shadow (When holding this weapon, light and shadow appear during attacks to confuse the opponent.)
High-Heat Energy Accumulation (Lightsaber energy increases by 300%. Unleashes an aerial slash within 15 meters, emitting a high-heat energy wave.)
This thing...
Bai Ye's evaluation was that among lightsabers, it was the king of trash!
As a red-quality weapon, its effects were so poor!
Bai Ye felt it was the lowest tier of red-quality weapon.
A 10% chance to shatter items, with a three-hour cooldown, was pure scamming.
The "Light and Shadow" effect was somewhat interesting, but it only worked on children. Experts were usually not fooled by such flashy things. The "High-Heat Energy Accumulation" also had little significance. Wielding his sword transformed into lightning and fire with "Thunderclap Purple Lightning" and "Blazing Phoenix Flying Fire" was much more powerful than this move, wasn't it?
The only game-changing aspect was "Swift Swordsman"!
A 100% increase in attack speed was truly terrifying. Combined with "Light and Shadow," it could be quite explosive in close combat. Bai Ye believed the Skywalker was red-quality solely due to this effect.
However, precisely because it was red-quality, it was somewhat of a dud.
But did it matter?
This was a lightsaber!
A man's romance!
...