Chapter 11 Peaceful Days

The next few days were calm. Han Xiao maintained a regular life, going to Kroos’ junkyard in the morning to manufacture guns for Raccoon. The pay was settled daily, providing him with a steady income. He also found many usable mechanical parts in the junkyard, secretly manufacturing Ranger robots. Han Xiao hid the completed components in his room, waiting to weld and assemble them after all the parts were finished.

At other times, he basically stayed in the repair shop processing orders. The intelligence agencies hadn't given up trying to probe him. Two or three rounds of different intelligence personnel came every day. Lu Qian thought the business was finally picking up, so she happily cooked five dishes and a soup for Han Xiao every day as a reward. Sometimes when Han Xiao passed by her, he could always hear Lu Qian muttering words like "expansion" and "chain stores," which scared him into a cold sweat. He always felt like the proprietress had some incredible delusion.

Old Man Lu would occasionally wander around Han Xiao, trying to discern his origins from his assembly techniques, but it was all in vain. Han Xiao was completely self-taught, and his techniques were untraceable.

Old Man Gao often came to compete with Old Man Lu in Go (to be honest, Han Xiao didn't think there was anything to compete about in Go). He often chatted with Han Xiao, which Han Xiao was happy to do, slowly increasing Old Man Gao's favorability.

Among the technology skills of the Mechanic class, manufacturing provides the most experience, followed by enhancement, then repair, and the least is assembly.

Since he didn't have the opportunity to obtain advanced knowledge for the time being, Han Xiao used his experience to upgrade the three skills closest to max level: [Novice Mechanical Affinity lv3], [Basic Combat lv8], and [Basic Shooting lv6], in order to obtain more potential points.

It just so happened that the class advancement requirement for [Mechanical Apprentice] was to comprehend [Intermediate Mechanical Affinity], which required [Novice Mechanical Affinity] to reach the maximum level of five.

Mechanical Affinity is the most core skill of the Mechanic class and is a prerequisite for many blueprints and skills.

Don't look at the fact that he has 15 potential points now, which seems like a lot, but when it's time to use them, they'll be spent faster than flowing water. He has a deep and painful understanding of this. If he hadn't squandered potential points back then, he wouldn't have had to spend tens of millions of Enas (universal currency of the universe) to buy the magic civilization's [Water of Oblivion] to reset his stats later, and he wouldn't have been emptied by those profiteering mage merchants.

…

At Kroos’ junkyard, Han Xiao operated a lathe, assembling a Type 73 Wasp pistol.

Raccoon handed Han Xiao a stack of banknotes. Han Xiao didn't count them and stuffed them into his pocket. "That's it for today. I'm leaving."

"Thanks to you these past few days. I don't need any more guns for the time being, but the promise is still valid. You can pick any of the mechanical junk here." Raccoon said with a fake smile. The implication was that he wanted to temporarily stop cooperating with Han Xiao.

The number of weapons under his command was saturated, but it wasn't time to kill the goose that laid the golden eggs. He coveted Han Xiao's gun-making skills and had imagined more than once how profitable it would be if he mastered this technology.

Raccoon was very cautious. Han Xiao's easy snatching of the gun at their first meeting made him afraid to act rashly. In addition, Han Xiao was able to shake off the trackers every time, so Raccoon didn't dare to use coercive methods. He was very curious about Han Xiao's true face under the mask.

"Whatever." Han Xiao knew that the side income had come to an end.

After some insincere pleasantries, Han Xiao left the junkyard. After turning a few streets, he routinely shook off the trackers and arrived at a large mechanical market.

All kinds of metals and parts were sold here, and many students from the Mechanical Institute of West Capital University also purchased materials here.

Han Xiao earned a total of 70,000 Aquamarine coins in side income, bought all the materials for the Ranger, and also bought the materials for the Lightweight Power Arm. Money comes quickly and goes quickly.

After transporting the things back to the repair shop, Han Xiao began to manufacture behind closed doors.

…

A few days later.

All the parts had been completed, and Han Xiao assembled the Ranger robot in the room.

It was 1.2 meters tall, and the outer layer was welded with thin armor, protecting the gears, precision parts, wires, and energy inside. The upper body was humanoid, and the oval head was shrunk into the torso. There was no neck. A pair of mechanical eyes were equipped with a simple remote control and imaging system. The chip was a regular product he'd bought. The calculation speed was average.

There was a pair of mechanical arms on both sides of the torso. The elbows and shoulders were torque bearings, which could rotate like human arms. The fingers had been transformed into gun barrels, and the firing range covered 170 degrees in front. The waist could rotate 90 degrees to the left and right. The ribs were magazines, and the lower body was a tracked tire, like a small tank.

The system prompted him to name the finished product. Han Xiao, according to his previous life's habits, named it "Ranger Generation I."

[Ranger Generation I (Tracked)]

[Type: Robot]

[Quality: Gray]

[Basic Attributes: Armor Value 800, Defense 18, Power Energy Level 58, Maximum Movement Speed 23km/h, Energy Value 120/120]

[Height: 1.18 meters]

[Weight: 143 lbs]

[Control Method: Remote control, electrical signal transmission]

[Remote Control Range Radius: 50 meters]

[Energy: Battery pack]

[Combat Consumption: 8 Energy/minute]

[Core Power: 36/80 Ona]

[Right Arm Module: Small-caliber Burst Machine Gun, Attack Power 35~40, Rate of Fire 4 rounds/s, Maximum Rate of Fire 7 rounds/s (10-second overload), Magazine Capacity 30+60 rounds (ammunition chain), Output Energy Level 40, Occupies Power 18]

[Left Arm Module: Small-caliber Burst Machine Gun, same as above]

[Attached Ability: Self-Destruct - Deals 280~430 points of fire damage within a 30-meter radius, destroyed after use]

[Attached Ability: Metal - 8% additional damage reduction for any damage other than armor penetration]

[Note: Don't think this little guy looks stupid. At a critical moment, he can smash your face.]

[Ranger] is a general term for models. According to the configuration of the power system, weapon system, control system, etc., it is divided into many types. Most mechs, robots, and large machinery are named in this pattern.

Raw materials affect the attributes of finished products. The main materials of Ranger Generation I are steel alloy and As resin plastic, which are common ordinary materials. If Han Xiao had used more advanced steel and alloy, the defense and armor value of Ranger Generation I would have been higher.

The technologies contained in machinery are interconnected and affect each other. Each component contains different technologies. If some components cannot be manufactured by oneself, ordinary parts can be purchased instead.

With the accumulation of knowledge, the process of manufacturing machinery will become more free, and even the smallest screws can be polished by oneself. The final product will be stronger than the previous generation. For example, after learning more advanced control chip technology or advanced energy, he can change the robot's remote control mode and power energy level. This is the charm of the Mechanic class.

Any robot, vehicle, or mech has energy power limitations. Hanging new modules will increase the power load. The stronger the carrier and module, the higher the load, so accessories cannot be added without limit. Only by upgrading energy technology can we upgrade and replace it.

The energy used by Ranger Generation I is a conventional battery, which has low power. Only by learning energy branch knowledge can he manufacture energy himself.

After completing Ranger Generation I, Han Xiao immediately gained 24,000 experience. Manufacturing gives the most generous experience, depending on the production cycle, finished product quality, and technical content.

Han Xiao spent another day manufacturing the Lightweight Power Arm, which he was already familiar with.

[You created Lightweight Power Arm (Left), gaining 2500 experience]

The new Lightweight Power Arm is still left-handed equipment. The materials used this time were simpler than the first time, and the quality dropped a level.

[Lightweight Power Arm (Left)]

[Quality: Gray]

[Basic Attributes: Attack Power 28~45, Defense 8~12, Power Energy Level 26, Durability 205/205]

[Equipment Requirements: Strength 23]

[Attribute Bonus: Attack Speed -4]

[Length: 0.51 meters (elbow + forearm + palm)]

[Weight: 13.5 lbs]

[Additional Effect: Extra increase Strength +6 determination]

His strongest ability now is combat, and the Lightweight Power Arm is the most suitable weapon.

The Mechanic class learning martial arts combat is called the Mech-Martialist style. Han Xiao doesn't plan to maintain this style all the time. After all, the advantage of the Mechanic style is ranged attacks, but the Mech-Martialist style is one of the most powerful genres in the early stages of the Mechanic class and can be used as a transition.

Han Xiao hid the mechanical arm in the room and returned to the first floor. A customer was talking to Lu Qian, his eyes glancing at Han Xiao from time to time. This person was also an intelligence agent.

During this period, all the intelligence agents who pretended to be customers ran into a brick wall with Han Xiao, so they changed their strategy and inquired about Han Xiao's information from Lu Qian.

After sending away the customer, Lu Qian looked strange. "Why are so many people asking me about you?"

"I'm popular."

"But they're all men."

Han Xiao's face stiffened. "You've misunderstood."

"Don't worry, I won't discriminate against you." Lu Qian giggled. No matter how Han Xiao looked at it, he felt that this smile was very strange.

You definitely misunderstood!

Han Xiao suddenly felt a movement in his heart. The system had a new prompt.

[You have triggered E-level mission [Pursuit], accept/decline?]

Han Xiao was slightly stunned. How was this mission triggered?

"Accept."

[Mission Prompt: Some people have set their sights on your high bounty. In places you can't see, they are eager to act with hostility. On the other hand, some organizations are also waiting for your performance. What do you choose to do?]

[Mission Requirements: Successfully escape the pursuit]

[Reward: 10,000 experience]

[Special Reward: A Skill Upgrade Card (Basic)]

Obviously, someone had set their sights on his bounty. The "some organizations" in the mission prompt made Han Xiao roll his eyes. He didn't need to guess to know it was Division 13.

Linking the two together gave Han Xiao a new guess. Perhaps Division 13 deliberately leaked his information to a group of pursuers in order to test his combat effectiveness. If that's the case, the destructive power of this group must be limited and easy to control. Division 13 cannot tolerate large-scale destructive events in the national capital, nor will they easily leak his information.

The reward for an E-level mission is generally average, but the special reward made Han Xiao a little concerned. A Skill Upgrade Card can immediately increase the level of a corresponding tier skill, which is very useful to him.

Special rewards correspond to the hidden requirements of the mission. The clues are hidden in the mission prompt. Han Xiao believes that the hidden requirement of this mission should be to kill all the pursuers.

"The enemy may appear at any time, so it's best not to stay in the shop." Han Xiao thought to himself. Since the pursuers are not strong, he doesn't want to borrow the strength of Old Man Lu.

After thinking for a while, a suitable battlefield popped into his mind.

Kroos’ junkyard.