The year is 1735 in the New Star Calendar.
Weiyang Star, a resource planet designated D-21 by the Federation, is home to Class 2, Grade 12 at Guanshan No. 1 Middle School in the Eastern District.
"In the first year of the Star Calendar, after years of technological explosion, humanity officially entered the interstellar age. Starting from Yuanxing, we began exploring the universe, spending hundreds of years conquering and transforming hundreds of nearby resource planets, forming the Interstellar Human Federation."
Class teacher Zhao Hai spoke eloquently on the podium, recounting history.
He was a very talkative middle-aged man; if you ignored the metal prosthetic limbs under his coat and the dark blue prosthetic eyes, you would never guess that this man had survived countless battles.
The students listened attentively, and Li Xiu sat up straight, squinting as he listened to his teacher's narration. This was a mysterious world completely different from his previous life.
"But the invasion of the alien zone changed everything. A horde of crazed monsters poured out from an unknown spatial rift, colliding head-on with the then-human Federation!
These monsters were bloodthirsty and warlike, difficult to communicate with, and possessed strange methods for surviving in the void. Most of humanity's resource planets fell in a short time, and the flames of war spread throughout the Federation.
The Human Federation then quickly organized a counterattack, spending decades building starships and space mechs to gradually reclaim the resource planets.
After gaining a foothold, humanity attempted to push back into the alien zone, but upon entering, they discovered a terrifying truth: those monsters were merely the lowest-level vanguard. Behind the gates of the alien zone lay a vast and boundless world.
More advanced and crazed monsters wielded even greater power in that world, and humanity's three vanguard fleets were instantly annihilated."
Zhao Hai sighed as he finished speaking, seemingly recalling the brutality of the battlefield.
"That day was called the Day of Catastrophe by the Federation. If it weren't for the fact that those monsters had some kind of restriction that made it difficult for them to enter or leave the alien zone, the entire human world would probably have been destroyed." "
After the Day of Catastrophe, the Human Federation withdrew from the alien zone and established the Central Intelligence Network to coordinate resources to fight against the monster invasion, barely managing to gain a foothold."
Li Xiu, sitting in his seat, gripped the pen tightly in his hand. Although he was already very familiar with these things, hearing them again still made his heart race. This world was far more dangerous than his previous life.
Zhao Hai took a sip of water, noticing the students' low spirits, and raised his voice slightly:
"However, the invasion of the alien zone brings not only monsters, but also an opportunity for human evolution!
Within the alien zone lies a stone containing mysterious energy, named Star Stone by the Federation. If used properly, it can guide incredible human evolution, and it can also serve as the core energy source for cutting-edge technological creations.
The Human Federation has used Star Stones to develop a martial arts cultivation system, build even more powerful technological creations, and gradually stabilized its position in the confrontation with the monsters, even attempting to establish bases within the alien zone.
The war has lasted for hundreds of years, but under the coordination of the Central Skynet, we have a more efficient resource utilization rate, and we can use technological creations as cannon fodder. We will definitely defeat those monsters!"
After slightly boosting morale, Zhao Hai began to address today's key points.
"Next semester, your physical fitness will basically reach the threshold for cultivation, and you will face the issue of choosing your major. I hope everyone will prepare well."
His words caused a stir in the class.
After years of exploration, the Federation had established a complete martial arts cultivation system. Martial arts cultivation requires a threshold.
The baseline blood energy value for a normal adult is about 10 units, and at least 8 units are needed to reach the threshold for cultivation. Therefore, the Federation stipulates that everyone undergoes a standardized test at the age of sixteen.
Formal cultivation then begins, and when the blood energy value breaks through the 100 mark, one can condense their own "blood energy seed," officially entering the ranks of first-grade martial artists.
Some lucky individuals may even unleash a unique ability while condensing their blood energy seed.
First to tenth grades represent the martial arts cultivation paths currently explored by humanity. High-grade martial artists can fly and traverse the void, possessing incredibly magical methods, seemingly a completely different species from humans.
Li Xiu took a deep breath. The rule of "poor in literature, rich in martial arts" still applies in this world. Families with resources can naturally nurture their children from a young age, even if they cannot formally cultivate, they can still cultivate their physique and enhance their potential.
This will naturally give them a greater chance to awaken their martial arts talent.
Li Xiu didn't have those resources, but… he had his own cheat code!
With a thought, a semi-transparent panel visible only to Li Xiu appeared before him.
The interface background was a deep starry sky, dotted with countless dim starlight points. This was his biggest secret, a cultivation game that had accompanied him since he transmigrated to this world.
The only slightly awkward thing was that the game hadn't officially started yet.
Li Xiu's gaze moved, scanning the dungeon names: [Hundred Days Foundation Building], [Initial Understanding of Alchemy], [Complete Collection of Talismans], [Heavenly Craftsmanship]...
Unfortunately, almost all of them were dimmed, inaccessible.
Through years of experimentation, Li Xiu had found that entering the dungeons was simple: just recharge. However, the recharge material wasn't ordinary money, but star stones containing mysterious energy.
He had saved up some star stones over the years, and after investing them, he roughly estimated that opening a single dungeon would require at least one hundred star stones.
One hundred star stones, for an ordinary family, might be a year or two's savings.
For him and his adoptive father, whose family relied on repairing dilapidated mechs, it was an unimaginable fortune.
"Where am I going to get the money?"
Li Xiu's gaze drifted from the game interface, unconsciously landing on his textbook, his brows furrowed.
"Xiuzi, even if you end up on the battlefield, you probably won't encounter the Twelve Royal Clans, so don't be so worried, right?"
His deskmate Wang Ming's voice came from beside him, interrupting his thoughts.
Wang Ming leaned over and nudged Li Xiu's shoulder, pointing to the textbook. Li Xiu was startled, his gaze focusing on the monster encyclopedia in his hand. It showed a huge, manta ray-like creature floating in the void, its translucent body dotted with stars.
This was the [Void Whale Ray], one of the Twelve Royal Clans.
There were thousands upon thousands of monsters in the alien region, and the Federation had created countless encyclopedias to mark their weaknesses for easier combat.
Among them, twelve races with the strongest organization, the highest intelligence, and the ability to command other monsters in battle were named the Twelve Royal Clans by the Federation.
Li Xiu scratched his head: "I'm not worried about these monsters..."
"Then what are you thinking about? Is it Bai Jiaojiao from the next class?" Wang Ming winked.
The Bai Jiaojiao he mentioned was the prettiest girl in the next class. She had a delicate face but was very well-developed. Although she was a girl, she was as plump as a young woman, which had a certain fatal attraction to young boys and made her the object of many people's longing.
Li Xiu rolled his eyes at Wang Ming's inexplicably lewd smile. Regardless of his past or present life, he always had those kinds of people around him who could steer the atmosphere in an indescribable direction with just a few words. The same sentence, spoken by such a person, took on a completely different meaning.
Wang Ming was such a person.
"Old Wang, can you lend me a hundred star stones?"
Wang Ming's smile froze. "Xiuzi, are you delirious with fever? Where am I supposed to get a hundred star stones for you? Even selling myself wouldn't be worth it!"
Li Xiu twirled his pen, saying that borrowing money was just a joke. People of their status couldn't even get star coins from banks, let alone physical star stones.
Seeing that Li Xiu remained silent, Wang Ming sighed and said, "You want to borrow money to buy basic gene activation fluid?
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Take my advice, even if we poor people manage to enter martial arts cultivation, it will be difficult to keep up. Without a large investment of resources, we'll just be cannon fodder on the battlefield. Why
not just choose liberal arts and work as a logistics staff member in a large corporation? There will be less danger, wouldn't that be better?"
"Your attitude is quite good, but in this world, it's always a pity if you can't cultivate." Li Xiu shook his head.
"What regrets? Look at the survival rate on the battlefield, and then look at the injury rate..." Wang Ming pointed at their homeroom teacher, Zhao Hai, and whispered,
"Like our homeroom teacher, he was lucky enough to survive and come back to teach, but he's covered in wounds and still suffers from severe post-traumatic stress disorder. How many frontline warriors can end up well?"
Zhang Qiang, sitting at the desk in front of him, couldn't stand it anymore and turned around to sneer, "Wang Ming, don't be stupid!
Even in the Peace District, martial arts are the most respected path. Choosing humanities will ruin your life!"
Then he turned to Li Xiu, "Li Xiu, you're good at repairing machinery. Even if you can't unlock martial arts cultivation, you can try choosing mecha. I feel your mental strength is enough to control mechas.
Even if you can't choose mecha, you should try artificial bodies, even if it's just to become a cyborg. Don't choose humanities unless absolutely necessary."
Zhang Qiang's family was quite well-off, and it was said that he had already prepared several doses of gene activation fluid, making him almost certain to unlock his martial arts talent.
Li Xiu nodded. Zhang Qiang was right; mechs were a popular choice, allowing individuals to quickly build combat power.
A standard mech was enough to give an ordinary person the ability to fight low-level alien beasts.
For those with some resources, it was the most cost-effective option.
However, its drawbacks were also obvious: individual combat power was limited by the mech's technology.
It was decent at low to mid-levels, but at higher levels, against powerful martial artists whose speed exceeded reaction limits, the cumbersome mech often became a sitting duck.
For martial artists who could walk on air with their bare bodies, their own bodies were no less powerful than mechs, and far more agile, making a metal shell completely unnecessary.
As for cyborgs, this was a trend that had emerged in recent years.
Cyborgs gained superhuman abilities through implanted mechanical bodies. Although traditional martial artists dismissed it as unorthodox, cyborgs had excellent immediate combat power and applicability, so the Federation encouraged this enhancement method.
As for the "artificial skeleton," it's a product somewhere between a mecha and a martial artist. It's a close-fitting, highly coordinated exoskeleton armor that provides powerful auxiliary power and weapon systems. It's more agile than a large mecha, but less powerful.
For those who have no further development in martial arts, this thing can better enhance their combat power, so it's sought after by many.
Wang Ming was momentarily embarrassed and was about to argue when the homeroom teacher, Zhao Hai, coughed twice, silencing the class.
"Anyway, everyone should prepare well for the subject-specific assessment next semester." "
The first place winner in this subject-specific assessment will receive a special scholarship of 500 star stones, jointly provided by the school and Huanyu Group!"
"500 star stones?!"
"Really? It's physical star stones, not star yuan?"
The classroom instantly erupted in chaos. Even several students from wealthy families showed surprise.
Star yuan already has strong purchasing power; an average family's monthly living expenses might only be a few dozen star yuan. The official exchange rate between star yuan and star stones is ten to one, and there are many restrictions.
The star stones the school could offer as scholarships were undoubtedly pure star stones of guaranteed quality. They were cultivation resources, the hardest currency among hard currencies!
Li Xiu's heart skipped a beat, and he instinctively held his breath.
Five hundred star stones! If he had that, he could unlock a dungeon...
"Alright, class dismissed!" The homeroom teacher slammed his hand on the desk, making a metallic clanging sound. The last class of the semester ended amidst Li Xiu's overwhelming anticipation.
As the sun set, Li Xiu followed the students out of the campus and boarded the free hoverbus home. Outside the window, lights shimmered as high-speed private shuttles sped along, and below, the streets were lined with various tall buildings and shops.
His family ran a repair shop, not too far from the school, but rather close to the city's edge.
When he arrived home, the strong smell of engine oil filled the air, along with the clanging of metal—his adoptive father, Li Tian, was repairing machinery.
"Dad, I'm home!"
Li Xiu tossed his backpack onto the table and began assisting his adoptive father. The two worked together seamlessly, and with his help, the repair speed increased dramatically.
Li Xiu didn't know his adoptive father's past, only that he used to be a decent mecha pilot, so he was very familiar with mechas. After retiring, he opened a repair shop, and business was fairly good due to his skill.
Thanks to helping his adoptive father over the years, Li Xiu was quite familiar with the components of mechas, their various energy circuits, and their mental connection systems. Without a cheat code, he would most likely have pursued becoming a mecha pilot.
"I'll have more free time during winter break, so I can take on more work. But next semester, when I choose my major, I plan to try martial arts training,"
Li Xiu started to make conversation, as his adoptive father was always a quiet person.
"Martial arts training?" The adoptive father forced a grim smile. "The battlefield is brutal..."
Seeing Li Xiu remain silent, he added, "But it's fine if you want to try..."
Li Xiu nodded, glanced at the clutter in the repair shop, and said, "Tomorrow I'm planning to go to the Lost Zone. If I find anything usable, I'll save some money."
Li Tian hummed in agreement.
After a moment, he added, "Be careful."
The Lost Zone Li Xiu referred to was actually a huge junkyard outside the city, piled high with discarded items. Occasionally, one could find valuable parts or technological artifacts that hadn't been completely destroyed.
The family's repair shop was located near the city's edge because they often went to the Lost Zone to hunt for treasures, but this kind of work had become increasingly difficult lately.
In recent years, due to the depletion of starstone veins in safe areas, the Federation began establishing large-scale resource recycling stations, attempting to extract the precious starstone components from discarded mechs, prosthetics, and personal energy devices rich in trace amounts of starstone residue.
Where there is demand, things scale up, so many lone hunters in the Lost Zones gradually formed gangs. Their work involved the dirty and arduous task of sifting through mountains of garbage, sorting, and initially refining starstone residue.
Most of their spoils were collected by Federation-deployed recycling trucks, leaving them only a small portion as compensation, which they fought tooth and nail for.
With gangs forming and legally occupying territory, others trying to hunt in the Lost Zones were ostracized.
After repairing his mech, Li Xiu ate a hasty meal, showered, and went to bed, idly flipping through the alien monster encyclopedia, occasionally indulging in some wishful thinking.
The faint rumble of machinery drifted from afar—the breathing of the city.
Thoughts gradually sank into darkness. In the dim light filtering through the curtains, the boy's face resembled a sharply defined sculpture.
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The next day, Li Xiu woke up early.
He greeted his father, then slung his bag containing small tools over his shoulder, boarded the free hoverbus, and headed straight for the gray and chaotic wasteland on the outskirts of the city.
The neighborhood transitioned sharply from prosperous and orderly to chaotic. Leaving the city, the air in the wasteland was filled with the pungent smells of rusting metal and chemical waste, which invigorated Li Xiu.
Piles of abandoned machinery lay before him, like a natural maze. Li Xiu tightened his coat, skillfully navigating the narrow paths, avoiding contact with the rusty metal.
It was still the outskirts; a few bargain hunters lingered near the garbage mountains. Although it was trash, it still had some value.
Among these treasure hunters, there was open and covert competition, sometimes even resulting in bloodshed. Li Xiu naturally avoided getting entangled with them and wandered deeper into the area.
Sewage accumulated in the potholes, forming multicolored oily films, and the air occasionally carried the distant hissing of energy cutting and muffled profanities.
Having frequently traveled to this area, Li Xiu was quite familiar with it.
The largest gang, the Iron Hand Gang, controlled the newest garbage area, which was the richest and most likely place to find treasures.
The Black Rat Gang was considered a subordinate of the Iron Hand Gang, managing to scrape by on the outskirts.
Further away was the Viper Gang, ruthless and with a motley crew of members, which had grown quite well in recent years and was showing signs of challenging the Iron Hand Gang.
Li Xiu carefully avoided those areas and came to a crevice formed by collapsed armor plates, a small space enough to hide in.
This was his secret base; the surrounding area had been ransacked many times, leaving little of value, so few people came here.
After rummaging around in the base for a while, Li Xiu took out a few small gadgets he had made.
An energy monitoring device.
This thing can receive high energy fluctuations in the vicinity, and in this area, the only thing that can cause a reaction is basically the residual energy of starstones.
Li Xiu had also found a few places with high residual energy, but they were usually dug up by the gangs in advance, and the gangs naturally had no shortage of energy detection capabilities.
A portable signal receiver.
Li Xiu had placed a lot of miniature disguised detection probes nearby. To survive in this area, he had to keep up with the situation.
There were also some miscellaneous tools, such as wrenches, simple vibrating cutters, electronic pulse generators, etc.
Li Xiu picked up the signal receiver, connected it to his personal terminal, and prepared to understand the situation in the vicinity over the past few days.
As usual, a lot of useless audio and video, and most of the places where the detection probes were placed were not even visited by anyone.
However, the following messages caught Li Xiu's attention.
The first message came from two men with rat tattoos on their arms, who were resting next to a pile of discarded batteries:
"Damn it, those bloodsuckers from the Iron Hand Gang, they've increased their monthly allowance by another ten percent!" A man with a scar on his face spat, and the joints of his hydraulic prosthetic arm made a grating grinding sound.
"Just bear with it." Another older man sighed. His right hand was a rough metal frame, with exposed wires wrapped in duct tape, indicating he had modified it himself.
"If it weren't for the money, this area would have been leveled long ago. We're lucky to be able to scavenge for food in this garbage dump."
"Lucky my ass!" Scarface lowered his voice. "That hard stuff we found last week, how strong was its energy reaction? If we could secretly sell it to... those people over there, we could get at least this much more!" He gestured.
"Are you crazy!" The old man was startled, looking around nervously. "If the Iron Hand Gang finds out we're doing business with the Viper Gang in secret, we'll all be thrown into the furnace!" "
So what about the Viper Gang? They offered a higher price!!"
"Shut up! The Viper Gang may offer a higher price, but they're ruthless! Dealing with them means you'll be sold out and won't even know how you died!
The Iron Hand Gang... at least they have some rules. As long as you pay on time, they generally don't cause trouble."
Just then, a rough engine roar came from afar.
A modified, dilapidated off-road vehicle pulled up, and two Iron Hand Gang members wearing crude exoskeletons jumped out.
The exoskeletons were clearly cobbled together; the hydraulic pipes at the joints were exposed, hissing and leaking air as they moved, but the extra power provided by the metal skeleton was real.
"Hey, you rats!" The leader banged his energy stick against a nearby metal plate, making a piercing noise.
"Don't forget to prepare the cleaning fee for this area before sunset tomorrow."
His gaze swept over Scarface's hydraulic arm, filled with undisguised contempt.
"Yes, yes, boss, I'll be on time, I'll be on time!" Scarface, who had been indignant just moments before, immediately put on a fawning face, nodding and bowing.
The Iron Hand Gang members nodded, drove away, and the noise faded into the distance.
They had only been gone for less than ten minutes when several figures emerged from another direction like shadows.
They wore tight-fitting leather armor and moved with agility. One of them had hydraulic prosthetics with reverse joints, moving silently, while another's prosthetic eye flashed with an ominous red light. These were members of the Viper Gang.
"Tsk tsk, Black Rat Gang brothers, life's not easy for you." The red-eyed prosthetic man spoke sarcastically, his voice hoarse.
The two Black Rat Gang members immediately tensed up and didn't reply.
Red Eyes didn't care and continued in a low voice, "I heard you guys have had a good haul lately? If you have any good stuff, come find us.
Our prices are definitely fairer than those Iron Hand Gang bandits. Want to think it over?" He chuckled twice, then disappeared behind the pile of garbage with his men.
After the Viper Gang left, the two Black Rat Gang members exchanged uneasy glances.
"See?" the older man said with a bitter smile. "The Iron Hand Gang openly robbed us, while the Viper Gang stabbed us in the back with a smile. We're caught in the middle!" Scarface
slammed his fist on the rusty iron plate beside him, creating a dent. "Damn it, when will this end!"
The next paragraph, even shorter, made Li Xiu frown. It was a whispered exchange between two Black Rat Gang members during shift change:
"...Was that special shipment from last time properly handled?"
"Don't worry, it's all been handed over to the higher-ups. The money's already in the account. We just need to collect the money and transport the goods; don't ask about anything else."
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"Yeah...it's those things that give you the creeps."
"Why think so much? If you want to survive in this world, how many dirty jobs haven't you done? Hurry up and count the fragments we collected this week; the Iron Hand Gang bosses are coming to collect tomorrow."
Fragments of starstone were slang for starstone residue. As for "special goods," that left Li Xiu completely baffled.
Li Xiu remained silent for a moment, carefully considering the useful information on his personal terminal.
[The Black Rat Gang seems to have received something good, but it was forcibly taken away, making them increasingly dissatisfied with the Iron Hand Gang's exploitation.]
[The Viper Gang is also waiting for an opportunity to challenge the Iron Hand Gang's position. They must have come with someone from the Iron Hand Gang, otherwise the timing wouldn't be so tight.]
[The Black Rat Gang pays a collection fee every month.]
[The Black Rat Gang seems to be involved in some shady, clandestine cargo transport; there might be other forces behind them.]
Li Xiu's breathing suddenly became heavy, and an extremely bold plan popped into his mind. His starstones seemed to have a solution?
He knew that the Federation sent collection trucks to this abandoned area every six months to confiscate the crude starstones collected by gangs.
Li Xiu naturally wouldn't dare to target the Federation. Those security forces equipped with the latest powered armor, and even mech units directly under the command of the Central Brain, could easily deal with someone like him who hadn't even touched the threshold of martial arts—it would be easier than crushing an insect.
But these gangs… they also hoarded some starstones, and their conflicts were already extremely serious; a single spark could ignite them!
Li Xiu suddenly pulled out the energy detector, turned on the screen, and saw a regular wave pattern.
"One day every month, energy fluctuations come from the southeast… that must be the starstones the Black Rat Gang is preparing to hand over!"
Li Xiu put the energy detector back. The allure of starstones was almost insane. He took a few deep breaths to calm himself, his eyes gradually hardening.
"Tomorrow is the seizure day, the opportunity is fleeting, I have to try!"
Li Xiu buried the items, then stood up and slowly made his way southeast. After wandering around for an unknown amount of time, just as he rounded a small hill of mechanical junk, a shout suddenly came from around the corner ahead:
"Stop! Where did you come from, kid?"
Two men with signs of modification blocked Li Xiu's path.
The leader was bald, with a cheap red prosthetic eye in his left eye, its light flickering erratically.
The other man's arm was crudely modified with hydraulic pliers, the wiring exposed.
Li Xiu immediately raised his hands, revealing a fearful smile: "Brothers, I, I'm just a student, looking for some usable parts... I have a practical assignment at school."
"A student?" The red-eyed bald man looked him up and down, scoffing: "This lousy place is not for students? Trying to scavenge on our Black Rat Gang's territory?"
Gangs have their own boundaries, and what they hate most are lone wolves who don't pay protection money and try to steal from their territory.
Li Xiu's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly shook his head, pulling out a few makeshift tools he'd made and a crumpled textbook, *Basic Mechanical Principles*, from his bag.
This was his pre-prepared disguise: "Brother, I really am a student. You see, I just wanted to find some scrap circuit boards. I genuinely didn't know this was your territory."
The hydraulic pliers man stepped forward and roughly rummaged through his backpack; besides the tools, there were only some odds and ends and the textbook. He turned and shook his head at the bald man.
The red-eyed bald man stared at Li Xiu for a few seconds, his red prosthetic eye emitting a slight focusing sound. Li Xiu maintained a harmless yet tense demeanor, but his heartbeat remained steady.
"Listen, kid," the bald man finally spoke, his tone laced with warning. "This area is under the Black Rat Gang's control.
If you want to find anything here, either pay the cleaning fee as per the rules, or get lost.
You're lucky today; I'm in a good mood. Get lost, or next time, your student status won't protect you!"
"Yes, yes, thank you, big brother. I'll just wander around the outer perimeter and won't go any further in!" Li Xiu nodded repeatedly, a relieved expression on his face.
Although gang territory was chaotic, people wouldn't kill without reason, especially since he was a student.
He obediently turned and retreated in the direction he came from, only stopping after turning several corners and confirming that the other party wasn't following him, his entire demeanor extremely calm.
"Although I can't get in, the security is so tight, and combined with the fluctuations in the energy detector, this is most likely a place where crude star stones are stored."
He recalled the other person's prosthetic limb and the exposed wiring, and couldn't help but smile. "Besides, the guards' weaknesses are far too obvious..."
Li Xiu returned to his secret base and began making some gadgets he needed.
Five hours later, eight liquid bombs and an energy simulation device were quietly placed in front of him.
The liquid bombs were pieced together from nearby materials. Making them was simple for Li Xiu, who had been exposed to mechanics since childhood, but due to the materials, they weren't expected to be very powerful.
Fortunately, they made a loud enough sound, which was enough; Li Xiu didn't intend to engage in a bloody battle anyway.
The energy simulation device could simulate the energy fluctuations of star stones. This wouldn't fool the Federation's detection, but it would easily deceive the gang's energy detectors; they couldn't afford the high-end equipment.
Li Xiu then opened the electronic pulse limiting valve, allowing it to operate at maximum power, and then quietly waited for nightfall.
To accomplish great things, one must be able to endure loneliness. After several hours of waiting, his initial anxiety gradually subsided.
As night fell, Li Xiu used the cover of darkness to set up the energy simulation device and liquid bomb in his carefully chosen location, then returned to his small base to wait quietly.
He didn't plan to go home today. He had originally intended to send a message to his father to let him know he was safe, but after much hesitation, he held back. The fewer flaws he made in his actions, the better.
After a difficult wait, the next morning, while it was still somewhat dark, Li Xiu estimated the time, suddenly pressed the remote switch on the energy simulation device, and then darted out like a cheetah.
At the Black Rat Gang's hideout, a beat-up pickup truck screeched to a halt.
A dozen or so Iron Hand Gang members jumped out
. The leader, wearing a more complete exoskeleton, had a grim expression, and his energy detector beeped rapidly. "Hey, Brother Wu, what brings you here so early? The collection fee is still in the warehouse; we'll move it out right away," a Black Rat Gang member tried to ingratiate himself.
Brother Wu, the Iron Hand Gang leader, sneered, spitting out a few words through gritted teeth: "Little Six, you fucking got cocky, trying to hoard something good again?"
The man called Little Six looked bewildered. Last time they had indeed found something good, but they hadn't managed to hide it, and the Iron Hand Gang had taken it. Why were they here again?
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Seeing that Xiao Liu remained silent, Brother Wu became even more certain. He raised the instrument in his hand and growled at his subordinates, "The signal is right here! Find it!"
The Iron Hand Gang members immediately scattered. Xiao Liu's expression changed, and he immediately went back to notify the gang members. Many people came out after hearing the commotion.
Wu Ge glanced disdainfully at the Black Rat Gang members, then looked at their leader, the Black Rat Gang leader: "What, Black Rat, you want to go against us?"
Black Rat's face turned pale, suppressing his anger as he said, "Brother Wu, if you have something to say, just say it clearly. Why make such a mess of this place!"
Wu Ge sneered: "Black Rat, you guys aren't honest. Last time you had something good but didn't hand it over, and this time you're trying to hide it from us again. Too bad, I was already on guard!"
Black Rat frowned: "What? I don't know!"
Wu Ge's voice rose: "What? Pure Star Stones? You think you can hide it from me?"
The atmosphere immediately became tense as soon as the words "pure star stones" were uttered.
Although they had collected a lot of those crude star stones, they were all prepared for the Federation. Because these people had no means of using them, they couldn't cultivate or sell them, so they had no choice but to hand them over. This was why the Federation trusted gangs to collect them.
But pure star stones were different. This stuff was hard currency everywhere. Even if they didn't sell it, they could still hoard it and use it secretly.
Black Rat was shocked to discover Pure Star Stones again, and he hadn't even known!
Before he could explain, a member of the Iron Hand Gang ran over: "Brother Wu, the Viper Gang is coming! They've surrounded our men!"
Brother Wu's eyes flashed, and he immediately led his men to support them: "Good! No wonder they dared to hide it from me, they've colluded with outsiders! Brothers, follow me!"
Black Rat hesitated for a moment, then quickly led his men to follow, gritting his teeth and angrily saying, "I didn't know anything about this!"
Just then, several loud explosions erupted from the outer perimeter, drawing everyone's attention. Amidst the smoke, several angry roars echoed.
"Viper Gang scum! How dare you steal our food!"
"Iron Hand Gang lackeys! This treasure is ours!"
Suddenly, the sound of an energy gun rang out. Someone fired, and a blue beam struck the pipe, exploding into a burst of electricity.
Brother Wu roared, his exoskeleton fully powered, smashing away a piece of scrap metal blocking his path with a punch, and charging straight at a member of the Viper Gang.
The opponent nimbly slid to the side, his arm launching a high-frequency vibrating blade that whistled as it swung towards Wu Ge.
The others quickly engaged in firefight; the sounds of clashing cheap prosthetics and exploding energy weapons instantly transformed this abandoned area into a chaotic battlefield!
…
Over at the old warehouse, only the red-eyed bald man Li Xiu had met yesterday and the hydraulic clamp man remained, staring at each other.
The hydraulic clamp man whispered, "They've started fighting. Should we provide support?"
The red-eyed bald man shook his head: "Are you crazy? Just stay put. Why go and get beaten up now?"
But no one noticed that Li Xiu darted out of his hiding place like an arrow, his movements masked by the gunfire and explosions.
He quickly circled around to the back of the warehouse, raised his crude electromagnetic pulse device, aimed it at the two men, and pressed the button!
"Buzz—"
An invisible wave spread out.
The two men stiffened abruptly, their faces contorted in extreme pain. The red-eyed bald man collapsed, his cheap implant in his eye overloaded.
The other man with the hydraulic clamps fared even worse. His right prosthetic arm emitted sparks and crackled noises as he convulsed and collapsed to the ground.
Li Xiu grimaced and dropped the scalding-hot pulse generator in his hand. Due to the high-power overload, the device emitted a wisp of smoke before becoming completely unusable.
Official, genuine prosthetics have anti-interference devices, but these two clearly couldn't afford the genuine ones.
He rushed to the back door of the warehouse. The old-fashioned electronic lock failed in less than five seconds under the decoder's attack, and Li Xiu slipped inside.
The warehouse was piled high with boxes and sacks.
Li Xiu went straight to the metal box with the strongest energy reaction, pried it open, and inside were neatly stacked crude star stones, shimmering with a pale blue light.
"Recharge! I want to recharge!"
With a silent shout, the valuable parts of the crude star stones were swept away, leaving only impurities. Li Xiu was overjoyed; his cheat ability really could separate crude star stones!
He moved swiftly, not even bothering to check how much he'd recharged, clearing the way as he went.
However, upon opening the last few boxes, he found not star stones, but items clearly belonging to human children.
Li Xiu's heart sank. Where did all these children's items come from in the Lost Zone? Remembering the "special goods" he'd heard about earlier, a chill ran down his spine.
The Black Rat Gang trafficked people?
But now wasn't the time to investigate. He decisively averted his gaze and quickly retreated through the back door.
Before leaving, he tossed a fragment of a metal badge with a snake-entwined dagger design in a conspicuous spot at the warehouse's back door, letting them fight it out.
Passing the broken electromagnetic pulse device, he stomped it flat and sped away.
Li Xiu gasped for breath as he ran, the cold air making his lungs ache. His body was exhausted, but his mind was clear. He hurried along the narrow path he had planned.
…
Only after returning to the city did Li Xiu breathe a sigh of relief. Due to the explosive speed of his run, his mouth tasted faintly of rust. After a few moments, he bought a bottle of water by the roadside and drank it slowly, restraining himself.
When the free hoverbus arrived, Li Xiu regained some composure and silently made his way home.
The repair shop was still lit, the hammering sounds rhythmic and steady.
"Dad, I'm back. The gangs in the Lost Zone have been in chaos these past few days; I didn't find much useful stuff."
Li Tian hummed in agreement and nodded, "Yeah, it's good you're back."
Li Xiu quietly returned to his room, lay down on his bed, listened to his steady heartbeat, and then silently opened the cultivation game. The numbers on it thrilled him:
1023 units of star stones!
"Purchase the 100-Day Foundation Building instance!" Li Xiu silently issued the order. The dim star suddenly brightened, and he felt a jolt as a landscape of verdant mountains and clear waters slowly unfolded before him.
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