Chapter 1 Spare Time

The repair shop work was easy, and Han Xiao had plenty of extra time to do his own things, going out to find side hustles.

Krool Scrap Station, the largest garbage dump in the Seventh District, had piles of trash like small mountains, with various large pieces of equipment processing it non-stop.

This was the territory of Tanuki, the gray area boss of the Seventh District. As long as there was law and civilization, these kinds of gang-related, under-the-table gray characters were unavoidable, like shadows under the sun, not to mention in such a chaotic social environment.

Although West Capital was the Star Dragon capital, many spies from other countries and forces were lurking in this city, and there were also many arms dealers, intelligence merchants, and dark web assassins operating secretly, hiding dirt and grime. This kind of gray force was a local snake, and although its reputation in West Capital was not low, it was actually not something that could be brought to the surface.

Han Xiao wore a mask and walked into the scrap station, where he was stopped by several fierce-looking men.

"Kid, this isn't a place for you."

A bald, burly man stood in front of Han Xiao, sizing him up with ill intentions. Han Xiao's thin physique made him look as easy to bully as a sheep in their eyes.

"I want to see Tanuki," Han Xiao said calmly.

The group of workers burst into laughter, as if they had heard the funniest joke in the world.

"We don't have time to play house with you. Go home and find your mommy, or we'll break your legs." The bald, burly man waved the wrench in his hand, threateningly.

"Does Tanuki only send small fry like you to speak for him?"

"What did you say?" The bald, burly man flew into a rage, grabbing Han Xiao by the collar.

Han Xiao stared at him with dead fish eyes, not saying a word, his hand reaching for the burly man's wrist, gently squeezing.

The bald, burly man felt a pain in his wrist, and instinctively let go. He glanced down and was shocked to see several purplish-blue finger marks on his wrist.

"Friend, what's your background?" The bald, burly man's expression changed, his face full of vigilance.

At that moment, the bald, burly man suddenly tilted his head, listening to the miniature earpiece hidden in his ear, put away the hostility on his face, stepped aside, and said in a deep voice, "The boss wants to see you."

Following Wu Ke, the burly man, he arrived at a rest station inside the scrap station.

A small, thin man was leaning on the sofa with his legs crossed, twirling a glass of red wine between two fingers. Just looking at his appearance, it was hard to imagine that he was Tanuki, who controlled the gray area of the Seventh District.

Tanuki said casually, "I heard you wanted to see me. What's your name?"

"Technician Han," Han Xiao said casually.

Tanuki sneered, "If I feel like you're wasting my time, you should know what will happen."

It had been a long time since a stranger had dared to boldly come to his door to talk about cooperation, and still a wet-behind-the-ears young man. Out of curiosity, he wanted to meet Han Xiao.

Han Xiao raised an eyebrow, and suddenly reached out, a phantom swept past the bald, burly man's waist. Before Tanuki could see clearly, there was already a handgun in his hand.

The bald, burly man looked horrified, and hurriedly touched his lower back, finding that the gun hidden there had been taken away.

The few lackeys behind Tanuki immediately drew their guns, their faces tense, aiming at Han Xiao.

"What do you mean by this?" Tanuki paused, his heart pounding. He knew the bald, burly man's strength very well. He was his right-hand man, able to take on ten enemies without a problem, but he couldn't keep up with this young man's movements. Who was this guy?

Han Xiao's fingers moved rapidly, like solving a Rubik's Cube. The handgun was like a withering flower, instantly turning into parts and scattering to the ground with clangs.

"Weapons are a highly profitable product of the big forces, and I can help you cut out the costs. All I need is a small reward."

Tanuki was immediately tempted. This kid could make guns!

Weapons were a hard currency in the gray area, and the price of firearms on the black market was very expensive, completely a rip-off.

Knowing how to use a gun and knowing how to make a gun were two different concepts. Mechanics who knew how to manufacture firearms were highly sought after. A local force like Tanuki couldn't attract knowledgeable mechanics at all. Now that a proper mechanic was taking the initiative to come to his door, Tanuki felt that this was an opportunity.

"How do you want to cooperate?"

"I'll make a list later. You provide the materials and parts, and I'll be responsible for manufacturing and assembly. I'll come to work for two hours every morning. The labor cost is 1,500 per handgun, and I want to take away any mechanical junk I see."

Han Xiao had thoroughly studied the Germination Organization's firearms, and he could easily manufacture basic firearms.

Tanuki ruthlessly lowered the price, "The materials are all mine, I can only give you a thousand."

Without another word, Han Xiao turned around and left.

Now Tanuki was flustered. He just wanted to test Han Xiao's bottom line, but he didn't expect such a big reaction. He hurriedly said, "Wait, wait, I'll give you your price."

The price of a handgun on the black market was three to four thousand, and Han Xiao's labor cost was within Tanuki's tolerance range.

"Prepare the lathe equipment and materials, and I'll come tomorrow. I'll go get some mechanical junk first." Han Xiao knew very well that mechanics who mastered technology had a great deal of dominance in this kind of negotiation, and the other party couldn't figure out his identity and combat power.

Tanuki's eyes darkened, and he signaled the bald, burly man to follow and monitor him. He didn't mind letting Han Xiao taste the sweetness first, since the scrap station was his territory, and he had plenty of ways to deal with scammers.

…

Han Xiao picked out quite a few usable parts and left leisurely, discovering a tail behind him. He knew exactly what Tanuki was thinking, wanting to figure out his identity and address. After leaving the scrap station, Han Xiao quickly went around several streets, shaking off the tracker.

"In this way, the Thirteenth Bureau will also understand my mechanic abilities…" Han Xiao thought to himself. With the intelligence capabilities of the Thirteenth Bureau, it would be easy to find out that he was working for Tanuki to earn extra money. This was also a way for him to indirectly show his strength, and he also needed the opportunity to manufacture machinery. Although mechanics were weak in the early stages, there were advantages and disadvantages. Compared to combat professions, they were more favored by faction forces, and they could earn contribution points quickly.

As for why he chose Tanuki, there was no other reason than that he was close enough, saving him time on the road.

…

Back at the repair shop, Han Xiao was questioned by Lu Qian. He had already thought of an excuse, pointing to the large bag of parts he had brought back.

"I went to the scrap station to scavenge for goods."

"The scrap station? The security is bad in that kind of place, go there less often in the future." Lu Qian didn't think much about it. As long as it didn't delay orders, she wouldn't interfere with Han Xiao's free time. She had a natural fondness for talents who didn't ask for high salaries, and was almost always responsive to requests.

Han Xiao put down the parts, and his mind went into the panel. There were still many potential points that hadn't been used, so he just finished learning the remaining two basic knowledge skills of the Armed branch.

The repair shop had a complete set of basic mechanic knowledge. There were few places more suitable for the early development of mechanics than a repair shop. The knowledge books were all Old Lu's private collection, and when Han Xiao went to Old Lu to ask for books, he was turned away without surprise.

"I want to see the mechanic knowledge books."

"Go, go, go, there are no books for you to read here."

"Don't be so stingy, just treat it as sponsoring an excellent youth and cultivating a potential employee."

"...Your face is thicker than I imagined, but it's useless, I just don't want to let you see them, what can you do?"

That's a good question, what could Han Xiao do?

The next day, when Lu Qian handed the stolen books to Han Xiao, Old Lu pounded his chest in anger.

"How could I have such a granddaughter who turns her elbow outward?!"

Lu Qian also had the key to his room, and it was obviously impossible to take it back.

Old Lu's teeth itched with anger.

"You just wait, this old man will avenge himself sooner or later and make you scram!"

…

《Basic Weaponry》 and 《Basic Materials Encyclopedia》, the last two basic-level professional knowledge skills of the Armed branch.

Han Xiao's level 20 advancement mission was to learn an advanced knowledge skill, and the prerequisite was to learn five basic knowledge skills from the same branch.

The players' advancement missions were not fixed. His level 20 advancement mission was of the most demanding difficulty. On the novice planet, advanced knowledge skills were very rare. Han Xiao's advancement requirements would seem difficult even as a player's level 40 advancement mission.

Ordinary level 20 players might not even be able to find all the basic knowledge skills of one branch, and the most unlucky ones might not even have unlocked their main profession.

The repair shop did not have advanced knowledge skills, so he could only learn the basic knowledge skills first, but Han Xiao was already very satisfied. Searching for knowledge books was a headache for all players. Some level 40 and 50 players had not yet learned all the basic knowledge skills, but the repair shop had a complete set of basic mechanic knowledge skills. This was more than just being ahead at the starting line, it was like standing at the finish line.

《Pan-Cosmic Civilization Contact Treaty (Seventh Revision)》 among the three major cosmic-level forces in the Star Sea: "If intelligent species are discovered, it is not allowed to maliciously interfere with the development process of low-level civilizations through war, genetic means, pheromones... and 127 other methods."

Therefore, Planet Aquamarine did not obtain advanced scientific and technological knowledge from interstellar forces. Advanced knowledge skills were already the pinnacle, strictly controlled by the major forces and regarded as confidential.

[Consume 1 potential point to learn [Basic Weaponry]?]

[Consume 1 potential point to learn [Basic Materials Encyclopedia]?]

"Confirm."