Chapter 1 Approaching 6000 Words - No Chapter Break Due to Many Settings; Skip if Uninterested, They Are Not Important (Serious Face)

Before the story begins, let's briefly introduce our protagonist.

Han Xiao, a pure man. The reason for this ambiguous name is simple: his mother's surname is Han, and his father's surname is Xiao, straightforward and direct.

Thirty years old, he eats enough to feed himself, and his whole family doesn't have to worry. As for his appearance... he's the type who, when bribed by the elementary school student next door with two hundred yuan to pretend to be a family member attending a parent-teacher conference, would be called "Big Brother" by the thirty-year-old uncle at the same table.

Although he looks a bit颓废 (tuifei -颓废 means dispirited, decadent), he is a well-known figure in the *Galaxy* circle, with a wide range of acquaintances. His main account ID, "Old Man Chatting Up Young Girls," is famous. He is at the level where he can feel the admiration and envy of casual players when wandering around player cities. In the official forum's comments on Chinese server experts, his annotation is "combat style is unpredictable, on-the-spot reaction has professional standards, proficient in five series, especially skilled in mechanics."

Compared with other experts' comments, which often span two or three pages, Han Xiao's comment is only a short sentence. Rumor has it that he is not someone who likes to show off, often rejecting interviews with game reporters, and doesn't have much exposure...

The truth is, whenever there is a reporter interview, he hopes the other party can add an advertisement at the beginning of the interview: "Are you still worried about losing ten consecutive matches in the arena? Are you still depressed about being camped and killed in the wild? *Galaxy* hardcore power leveling! Accepting gold farming, power leveling, revenge, and rank boosting services! Prices are negotiable, a good deal you can't miss, honest business, scammers get lost! Contact ID..."

Facts prove that even in the parallel universe of 2060, small advertisements are still feared like tigers, so Han Xiao's business is bleak.

Alas, he has to eat, and life forces him to do it.

...

Han Xiao was taken back to the laboratory for blood tests.

The base's environment and terrain are unknown, and the number of armed personnel is unknown. With his newbie stats, which have almost no combat power, rash resistance is like pulling down his pants—asking for *shi*. The well-trained guards in the corridor probably have level 5-8 [Agent] sub-jobs, the strongest among ordinary people.

If he remembers correctly, Hela at this time is an executive cadre of the Germination Organization, an E-level esper (超能者 - a person with superpowers), an ability user (异能系 - a user of abilities/powers), with an energy level of 500 Ona or more. Conservatively estimating her combat power, she can probably beat a thousand of him.

In the Exploration Era 23333, a genius summarized the method of cultivating "qi," establishing the same basic theory for all cultivation systems in the universe, completely opening a new era, and espers began to shine.

*Galaxy* is the stage for espers.

There are a total of five esper systems: ability users, martial artists, mechanics, mages, and psychics. These are the main jobs in *Galaxy*. By learning job knowledge books, you can take the job.

Jobs are divided into main jobs and sub-jobs. There are only five esper systems for main jobs, while there are many sub-jobs, and no job knowledge book is required.

The first test that all novices face when entering *Galaxy* is to find a job knowledge book and change to a main job.

New characters can choose two starting options: one is the regular start, where the system gives away a never-dropping newbie three-piece set (clothes, pants, and shoes to prevent running naked), a fixed amount of money, and then choose one of the several fixed initial locations on the newbie planet (usually located in different camps). The advantage of this start is stability.

The other is a random start, which involves the new character in a special event. There may be dangers, but there may also be opportunities. Han Xiao's current situation is extremely similar to a random start.

Although the game has become reality, it is still the background he is familiar with, and he has rich experience to rely on. Han Xiao calmed down.

...

Not long after, the blood report came out.

Hela took the information from Lin Weixian, her brow furrowed slightly, "Blood test shows no abnormalities?"

Lin Weixian: "Valkyrie solution mainly stimulates the brain, perhaps we should cut open his skull to detect brain activity."

Cut open my head and draw out the juice, can I still live then? Han Xiao muttered secretly.

Hela waved her hand to stop him, "He is the first surviving test subject of the Valkyrie experiment. Unless absolutely necessary, do not use destructive methods."

Han Xiao's eyes rolled, maybe he can make good use of this identity.

Lin Weixian didn't agree with Hela's words, what a good material, it's a pity not to be able to study it to the fullest.

"Then observe for a period of time to see what aspects of ability the Valkyrie solution has enhanced."

Hela narrowed her cold eyes and said, "Brainwash him first."

Brainwash?

Han Xiao's heart sank. Brainwashing is a common method of controlling subordinates. Players who are successfully brainwashed will automatically join the camp, but his current life is real, and the worst result is that his thoughts and consciousness are truly changed.

This is absolutely unbearable!

The good news is that in version 1.0 of Aquamarine, there is no technology to directly alter memories. The Germination Organization's brainwashing method is relatively primitive, using images and sounds to torture and "reset" people's thinking. Intelligence above 10 points can be exempted from brainwashing.

The Valkyrie solution added 1 point of endurance potential to him. Potential is a hidden attribute that affects attribute growth. The basic potential of different races is different. Looking at the entire *Galaxy* world, human potential is at a medium level, with the highest intelligence talent. Originally, he was very fragile, but this 1 point of endurance potential is very useful for Han Xiao.

[High Focus] increases learning and manufacturing speed by 10%, improving efficiency.

[Low-level Mental Toughness] The additional 3 points of mental resistance is equivalent to an extra 3 points of intelligence. To be exempt from brainwashing, he is still 3 points of intelligence short.

"Randomly adding 1 point of attribute and 1 point of free attribute points to intelligence when upgrading a civilian job has too small a chance..." Han Xiao is very self-aware. When he used to play games and draw prizes, he always suspected that a distant relative was buried in the black soil of Africa. If there is a god blessing him, it must be the Goddess of Disaster! In comparison, obtaining a new job is undoubtedly a more secure approach.

At this time, Han Xiao cannot move freely, but a random start cannot be a desperate situation from the beginning, it will inevitably give players a chance... He suddenly froze, saying that he is an NPC now, and may not have the blessing of the system god, wouldn't that be too坑 (keng - to cheat/scam)!?

"Take him to be brainwashed." Hela waved her hand and left the room.

It was still the two serious armed guards who sandwiched him on the left and right. The one on the left seemed to be owed three hundred thousand by someone, and the one on the right looked like he had been constipated for ten days, and his expression was exactly the same as the landlord's uncle when he came to urge him to pay the rent.

The group came to another room, which contained many complex mechanical instruments.

Lin Weixian went to debug the machine. "Three Hundred Thousand" and "Constipated Bro" pressed Han Xiao on the chair. The wall ten meters away was a row of glass bookshelves.

Han Xiao turned his head to look at the bookshelf, and rows of book titles came into view, *Tom's Basic Mechanical Theory*, *On the Genes of Humans and Lizards*, *Red's Hypothesis*... it seemed to be the research staff's reserve data books.

Wait, there are job knowledge books in there!

"When heaven closes all doors, it will open a window." Han Xiao was overjoyed.

The two guards were watching him intently from behind. It looked like any slight movement would invite an attack.

Han Xiao didn't hesitate at all, suddenly stood up and walked towards the bookshelf.

This action startled the others. "Three Hundred Thousand" and "Constipated Bro" completed the action of drawing their guns and aiming in 0.6 seconds.

With the dark muzzles pointing at his back, Han Xiao's expression remained unchanged, and he didn't stop, thinking to himself: "Don't shoot, my health points are so low, a single shot will kill me..."

The next second, Lin Weixian's voice sounded from behind, "Wait, see what he wants to do!"

"Three Hundred Thousand" and "Constipated Bro" hesitated for a moment and released their fingers from the trigger.

Han Xiao breathed a sigh of relief, he bet right, as long as there is no aggressive tendency, his identity as "the first successful test subject" is his amulet, and his unconventional behavior will only be regarded as the onset of the experimental effect.

*Tom's Basic Mechanical Theory*, a mechanical basic knowledge book, this is his goal. He took the book from the bookshelf and began to read it.

The content of the book is all mechanical theory. Those large paragraphs of theory and detailed drawings are difficult to understand. Han Xiao patiently read for more than ten seconds, and the panel finally popped up information.

[You have completed a basic mechanical knowledge self-study. In view of your intelligence, the [Basic Assembly] learning progress is 2.0% (High Focus +0.2% extra)]

"It really works." Han Xiao was overjoyed. Although he couldn't understand it, the system would automatically judge and assist him in learning the knowledge.

Lin Weixian on the side was full of doubts. The test subject's behavior was like studying. Could it be that the experiment increased his learning ability?

Out of consideration for observation, Lin Weixian did not stop Han Xiao.

The whole place was silent, except for the rustling sound of turning pages.

[[Basic Assembly] learning progress 15% (+1.5%)...29% (+2.9%)...48% (+4.8%)...]

The speed of turning pages is getting faster and faster. Han Xiao's face is expressionless, but in reality, his mood is slightly anxious. Every second that passes is not only time, but also his freedom.

With a bang, the door opened again, and Hela walked in, frowning when she saw this scene, "What's the situation?"

"It's like this..." Lin Weixian explained, and explained the conjecture of the Valkyrie experiment.

"You mean his learning ability has been enhanced?"

Lin Weixian: "This is the conclusion of preliminary observation. If you allow me to cut open his brain to test, I can give you a more accurate conclusion."

Han Xiao couldn't help but complain: "This old guy is so enthusiastic about cutting people's brains, how much does he like to eat brain flower (a popular Chinese dish)?"

Hela waved her hand to reject Lin Weixian's request. If the test subject's brain is strengthened, it may be more important to the organization than cultivating a cannon fodder agent. He needs to be brainwashed immediately to instill loyalty to the organization...

She turned her head and said to Lin Weixian: "Is the brainwashing device ready?"

"It has been debugged." Lin Weixian pointed to the instrument in the room.

Han Xiao's ears twitched. So this is where the brainwashing takes place. I'm going, then he has to hurry up.

Just then, the panel dinged and a new prompt appeared:

[[Basic Assembly] progress 90% (+10%), you have learned the basic knowledge of mechanics, the mechanic knowledge tree is unlocked!]

[You have obtained a new job - [Mechanic Novice], Strength +10, Intelligence +1, Endurance +1, gain 2 free attribute points, gain 1 potential point]

[You have comprehended new skills [Elementary Mechanical Affinity], [Simple Repair], [Simple Enhancement and Modification]]

A warm current appeared out of thin air, traveling all over his body, and his brain became clear.

Unlike simply learning skills in the game, the mechanical knowledge that he couldn't understand before has all become understandable and deeply imprinted in his mind, turning into real knowledge. This change made Han Xiao almost unable to maintain his poker face disguise, and he was so scared that he almost threw the book out.

So the things in the game can really be learned?! What a joke, *Galaxy* has been operating for more than ten years, why hasn't the Earth Federation roared and dominated the galaxy?!

"There must be something strange..." Han Xiao was shocked.

Personal panel changes:

——————

Name: Han Xiao

Race: Carbon-based Human (Yellow)

Template: NPC (Version 1.0 public beta countdown: 358 days 10 hours 11 minutes)

Total Level: 2

Experience: 0

Sub-Job: Civilian Lv1 (0/50)

Main Job: Mechanic Novice Lv1 (0/200)

Health Points: 43/50 (Sprained)

Stamina Points: 80/80

Personal Attributes: Strength 3, Agility 3, Endurance 5, Intelligence 4, Mystery 1, Charm 2, Luck 1

Free Attribute Points: 2

Qi Strength: 10/10 [Lv1]

Lv1 (10)——[Strength +1, Agility +1, Endurance +1, Stamina Upper Limit +20]

Energy Level: 3~4

Tier: F (Mortal)

[You are still 1 point of combat power away from being a scrub]

Expertise: High Focus - Increase learning and manufacturing speed by 10%

Low-level Mental Toughness - Gain +3 Willpower Judgment

Skills: Elementary Mechanical Affinity Lv1 (0/1000) - Increase understanding of mechanics

Simple Repair Lv1 (0/400) - Perform simple repairs on basic machinery

Simple Enhancement and Modification Lv1 (0/600) - Enhance basic machinery

Potential Points: 1

Job Knowledge Tree:

——Weaponry: Basic Assembly Lv1, [19 unlearned items]

——Energy: [20 unlearned items]

——Control: [20 unlearned items]

Influence: 0

Legend Degree: 0

Equipment: None

——————

Strength determines melee attack power and affects carrying capacity, and can be used to wear certain heavy equipment.

Agility determines movement speed, attack speed, evasion ability, and additionally increases ranged attack power.

Endurance increases health and stamina. Every 1 point of endurance increases 10 points of basic health and 12 points of basic stamina. Some expertise and skills can affect this coefficient. And endurance increases the natural recovery rate of health and stamina. All actions consume stamina, such as attacking, blocking, running, walking, swimming, manufacturing, etc... Endurance determines physical defense (does not stack with equipment defense). Defense is divided into many sets of damage reduction conversion formulas, such as being hit by a bullet while wearing metal armor, and being hit by a bullet by flesh and blood. Even if the panel defense is the same, the damage reduction rates are completely different, depending on the attack method (melee, ranged, bullet, energy), power, own attributes, equipment material. This series of formulas is converted by the optical brain, and the official website does not give a clear algorithm. For players, anyway, there is no need to think about it, the higher the defense, the better.

Intelligence is the degree of brain development, which determines understanding and willpower. The higher the intelligence, the faster the skill proficiency increases, and the more experience is gained. And it can increase the speed of learning and manufacturing. This attribute is the main attribute of the mechanical system, affecting the quality of the final mechanical product.

Mystery is the perception of the spiritual world, which determines the attack power of the psychic and magic systems, just like the significance of strength and agility to the martial arts system.

Charm affects the initial favorability of certain characters and camps, and can obtain discounts when trading with NPCs.

Luck affects certain judgments and item drop rates.

Free attribute points are used to enhance the seven attributes of Strength, Agility, Endurance, Intelligence, Mystery, Charm, and Luck.

And Qi Strength is the core attribute of *Galaxy*, the foundation of espers, which can only be increased through upgrades and skills. The explanation given in the game is "biological energy extracted from cells through special cultivation methods." Having Qi Strength is a sign of entering the esper world. Even ability users with awakened genes need Qi Strength to support the consumption of abilities. There are countless people in history who have been drained by their own abilities.

When the value of Qi Strength reaches a standard, the effect of attribute bonus is obtained. For example, 10 points of Qi Strength is the standard of Qi Strength Lv1, 50 points of Qi Strength is Lv2, 100 points is Lv3. The attributes increased by each level are not fixed, and will change with the main job change. The higher the rank of the job, the more attribute bonus.

Releasing super-powered skills basically consumes Qi Strength. Once Qi Strength is reduced, and it is lower than the numerical standard of a certain level, the attribute bonus of that level will be lost.

For example, the standard of Qi Strength Lv1 is 10 points. Once Qi Strength is consumed to below 10 points, the attribute bonus of Qi Strength Lv1 will be lost. This concept is equivalent to a state decline after releasing skills, which affects conventional combat power and greatly increases the importance of combat details.

Qi Strength can slowly recover on its own, or it can consume stamina to recover quickly. If Qi Strength is exhausted, and you still insist on using skills that consume Qi Strength, it will consume stamina points in excess proportion. Once stamina points are exhausted, health points will begin to decrease. Espers who are drained by their own abilities die like this.

Energy level is the combat power rating of a character, used to judge the tier of espers. Stuart Ona, a doctor from the Glorious Federation, created the energy level theory, unifying all complex energy algorithms into the energy level unit "Ona". The calculation method is not addition and subtraction, but a complex function mode. The overall trend is a curve upward.

E, D, C, B, A... are the esper tiers. The energy level standard for E-level espers is 100 Ona. Hela is a relatively strong esper in the E-level.

Level A is a watershed, also known as a natural disaster level, capable of causing devastating disasters on the surface of planets. Above level A, there are even higher tiers, but for him at the moment, they are still very far away.

——————

Obtaining a first-tier mechanic job, plus 2 free attribute points, is only enough to stack intelligence to 6 points. He is still short of the key 1 point of attribute to be exempt from brainwashing. Han Xiao is a little depressed.

Besides upgrading, he has no other choice. The question is how to gain experience? Fighting monsters is obviously impossible, and triggering tasks is also unlikely.

Damn it, is there no way?

Han Xiao's eyes suddenly flashed, maybe he can do this.

He threw away the book, suddenly turned his head, stared straight at the pistol on "Three Hundred Thousand's" waist, making an expression that was dull and blank, as if he was in a daze.

Hela frowned, swallowed the command that was about to be spoken, and looked at Han Xiao with the others in confusion, wondering what he was going to do.

Han Xiao tightened his muscles, deliberately making his movements appear stiff, and walked towards "Three Hundred Thousand," reaching out as slowly as possible, so that everyone could see his movements clearly, and touched the pistol on "Three Hundred Thousand's" waist.

"Three Hundred Thousand" instinctively covered the gun, and found that Han Xiao had no intention of snatching it, but he just wouldn't let go, feeling like a child stubbornly holding onto a toy he wanted.

Also because Han Xiao deliberately slowed down his movements, "Three Hundred Thousand" did not directly draw his gun and fire.

"Unload the bullets." Hela showed an interested expression, she wanted to see Han Xiao's intentions.

"Three Hundred Thousand" acted according to orders, took out the magazine, and let Han Xiao take the pistol.

The moment he got the pistol, Han Xiao learned the item information.

[Type 73 Hornet Pistol: Quality - Gray, small-caliber portable firearm, attack power 28~35, rate of fire 1.1 rounds/s, output energy level 13, structure is spring, pull sleeve, firing pin, magazine (missing)...]

[Basic Assembly] gave him a lot of mechanical knowledge. The structure of the Type 73 Hornet pistol automatically appeared in his mind. Han Xiao immediately understood how to assemble it. The manufacturing in the game is simplified by the system, requiring only a progress bar. Now he has to do it himself.

This is more immersive than the game, and he also confirmed that he has transmigrated to "a certain reality," not just a game.

Suppressing the complicated emotions in his heart, Han Xiao disassembled the pistol into a pile of parts with clumsy movements, and then started to reassemble it.

[Simple Repair] in the skill bar was slightly bright.

40 seconds, the pistol was assembled.

This speed is nothing to a special agent, it's even a bit slow, but Hela and others haven't forgotten that Han Xiao in front of them has not received any training at all, only read a book for ten minutes!

Everyone was astonished!

This is the effect of the Valkyrie experiment?!

Lin Weixian looked excited, "What a strong learning ability! If I can study his brain, maybe I can replicate..."

I'm going, how obsessed are you with brain flower?

Han Xiao constantly repeated the process of disassembling and assembling.

[You have completed a mechanical assembly (basic), perfection degree 69%, gain 28 experience]

[You have completed a mechanical assembly (basic), perfection degree 73%, gain 32 experience]

There are many ways to gain experience in the Galaxy world. In addition to fighting monsters and tasks, technology and manufacturing experience are important sources of experience for the mechanical system. The combat power of the mechanical system is relatively weak in the early stage, biased towards logistics manufacturing.

As he became more proficient, the speed of disassembling and assembling the pistol continued to increase, gradually shortening to 20 seconds.

Hela finally came back to her senses and said solemnly: "Brainwash him immediately."

At this moment, Han Xiao completed the last assembly, and the experience finally accumulated to 200 points.

"Put all into [Mechanic Novice]!"

A warm current was born, and a pleasant prompt sounded in his mind.

[[Mechanic Novice] upgrades to Lv2, Qi Strength +10, Intelligence +1, Endurance +1, gain 2 free attribute points, gain 1 potential point]

"So close." Han Xiao relaxed, letting the guard take back the pistol.

(New book seeking support, seeking recommendations, seeking collections!)