Through the headlights, Han Xiao saw the enemy's armed forces: a uniform array of armored vehicles charging forward rapidly, followed by running gunners, a synchronized man-vehicle attack.

The mercenaries of the manor opened fire, heavy machine guns roaring, spitting out a continuous stream of bullets. The muzzle flashes became eye-catching light sources in the night. Han Xiao took one look and felt relieved. The enemy's numbers and firepower were average; they couldn't break through the mercenaries' machine gun blockade.

"Bang!" Han Xiao heard a sniper rifle fire from the central bunker. The Poison Bee brothers were in action, their two sniper rifles accurate and deadly, firmly positioned in the center.

Han Xiao looked at the area he was responsible for. The zone was small with tricky angles, and only the occasional straggler would rashly venture in. Just then, an enemy squad invaded. He set up his Scarlet Falcon, aimed, and fired. The shuttle-shaped penetrating rounds pierced through the necks of each of the enemies, erupting in clouds of blood mist.

The Bearded Man wasn't confident in Han Xiao's abilities, so he glanced over a few times. Seeing that Han Xiao's shots were mostly hits, he was secretly amazed, knowing that this Mr. Black didn't need his concern. He stopped looking over and confidently left the other area to Han Xiao.

The battle lasted for half an hour before coming to an end. The enemy suffered heavy losses, not even managing to advance within two hundred meters of the manor. Han Xiao personally killed nine enemies.

[First Stage Completed, you have gained 20000 experience]

[Mission Requirements Changed]

[Second Stage Mission: Defend River Valley Manor for three days]

[Reward: 80000 experience]

"The first wave was too easy, the mission experience seems a bit low, but this increase isn't bad."

Han Xiao stroked his chin. "Twenty thousand for the first stage, eighty thousand for the second. At this rate, the third stage might be three hundred and twenty thousand, and the fourth stage could be over a million... Stop it, I'm dreaming."

But honestly, the third stage should be worth at least one hundred and fifty thousand.

The second stage would take three days, which Han Xiao felt was a bit of a waste of time. Suddenly, an idea struck him: he could stay here and generate income. The mercenaries' mechanics had equipment and lathes; he could borrow them and help the mercenaries repair their equipment for free.

He was a man of action. He immediately headed to the logistics area and found the repairmen. Most of them were pseudo-mechanics who had studied repair as a secondary profession. There were only two proper Mechanic Supers among them.

"You want to help us with repairs?" one of the repairmen asked in astonishment. "Are you a mechanic?"

Han Xiao proved it directly with action. He picked up a pistol from the workbench, disassembled it in a few swift movements, and then reassembled it as if by magic. The whole process was completed in one go, in less than two seconds. He was no longer the newbie who took forty seconds to assemble a pistol. With various ability enhancements, his speed in manufacturing and assembling machinery had surpassed the realm of ordinary people.

The group of repairmen agreed without saying a word, some even impatiently.

Repair work was hard and tiring, and this was unpaid labor. Yet someone was actively volunteering to do the work; the repairmen couldn't wait to throw all the work at this suddenly appearing formal mechanic.

...

Early morning, before dawn.

Chen Li carried a damaged machine gun to the logistics area, looking for a familiar mechanic to repair it.

"Wang Xi, help me fix this machine gun."

Wang Xi was a thin, middle-aged man wearing a vest, resting with his eyes closed. Hearing this, he opened his eyes, glanced at Chen Li, and said casually, "Just leave it there; I'll fix it when I have time."

"Please hurry, I might need it during the day."

Wang Xi said impatiently, "Alright, I'll fix it for you later."

Chen Li walked away helplessly. Although Wang Xi had a bad temper, he was a true Mechanic Super with excellent skills. To prevent the machine gun from malfunctioning again at a critical moment during combat, he could only ask Wang Xi for help.

After Chen Li left, Wang Xi closed his eyes again and began to doze.

About five minutes later, Wang Xi heard footsteps approaching again. He impatiently opened his eyes, only to find that it was Chen Li again. He snapped, "What's your hurry? I'll fix it for you when the time comes. Stop bothering me."

Chen Li shook his head and said, "Give me the machine gun back. I'll find someone else to fix it."

Wang Xi frowned. Although he was annoyed that Chen Li had bothered him repeatedly, he didn't want the weapon to malfunction. After all, he was also in the manor. He softened his tone and said, "Other people's skills aren't good enough. I'll start repairing it when it gets light, alright?"

Unexpectedly, Chen Li insisted on taking back the machine gun. "No need, that person's skills are better than yours."

Wang Xi was immediately displeased. The logistics area was only so big; everyone knew everyone else. The other formal mechanic wasn't as skilled as him, and the repairmen were even worse. Who were you trying to fool?

Under Chen Li's insistence, Wang Xi had no choice but to return the machine gun to Chen Li. Seeing Chen Li walk to the other side of the logistics area, Wang Xi's heart stirred, and he followed, wanting to see who this so-called mechanic who was better than him was.

When he arrived, Wang Xi was shocked. He saw the group of lazy repairmen surrounding a black-clad man, staring at the man intently, their faces filled with shock, envy, and eagerness to learn.

Wang Xi took a closer look and was immediately stunned.

He saw the black-clad man's hands moving like phantoms, rapidly operating various devices, repairing multiple weapons simultaneously, smoothly and fluidly, without needing to stop and think. Wang Xi had never seen such a technique before; it could only belong to a Mechanic of a higher level than him!

The repairmen had originally had the intention of shirking responsibility and throwing all the work at Han Xiao, but when Han Xiao began repairing, his extremely fast technique immediately attracted all the repairmen, who watched with fascination, wishing they could take out a small notebook and record every step Han Xiao took. Many details gave them great inspiration.

If they had a panel, the following information would have appeared: "You observe Han Xiao (Lv34) performing mechanical repairs, gain some insights, and your repair skill proficiency increases."

Another mechanic, whose level was similar to Wang Xi's, also stood to one side, watching Han Xiao with a fascinated expression.

Wang Xi found Han Xiao's technique to be impeccable. To be precise, his own skill was insufficient to find flaws in Han Xiao. He felt dejected and wanted to turn and leave, but he unconsciously stopped, unable to control the desire to stay and continue watching Han Xiao's technique, his heart conflicted.

Ignoring the thoughts of others, Han Xiao was immersed in the repair work, his experience points rapidly increasing. Level 1 Fine Repair was far more effective than Simple Repair; they were not skills of the same level. Basic weapons and machinery could be quickly repaired. If the equipment wasn't so rudimentary, his efficiency could be further improved.

For three consecutive days, Han Xiao spent his time, aside from resting, fighting and repairing machinery. In those three days, there were four waves of enemy attacks. There were yachts, armored vehicles, and stealth attacks, a group of enemies wearing frogman suits attempted to infiltrate from the west via the small river, but were discovered and sniped.

The enemy's attacks gradually increased in intensity. By the fourth wave, Han Xiao keenly sensed that the manor's guards were already stretched to their limits. After days of high-intensity combat, the accumulated fatigue was exploding, leading to mistakes and casualties.

The mercenaries' bitter struggle had little impact on Han Xiao. He confidently took charge of his small area, firing his gun and shooting people. He found that more and more "stragglers" were invading the flanks, and the Poison Bee brothers were gradually showing their limitations.

The three days passed with some close calls. As the sky began to lighten, a notification immediately appeared on his panel.

[Second Stage Completed, you have gained 80000 experience]

"Not bad, I guess the third stage will really start to get difficult."

Han Xiao opened his eyes from a light sleep.

The mission experience, plus the manufacturing and kill experience from these three days, totaled one hundred and eighty thousand experience points. This efficiency was acceptable.

[Mission Requirements Changed]

[Third Stage Mission: Withstand the next wave of attack]

[Reward: 150,000 experience]

"It really is one hundred and fifty thousand."

Han Xiao complained. The mission requirements made him sense an unusual atmosphere.

The next wave of enemies would probably be very strong. There was a ninety percent chance that the mercenaries wouldn't be able to hold them off.