This whole lamentation from Iron Hide went on for half the journey.
"So youâre saying, you heard that Bionic Men have a high status in the Mother City, and you thought about transforming yourself into a Bionic Man and then smuggling into the Mother City to become a top dog."
"But the transformation wasnât completed, the smuggling group was completely taken down by the Sheriff of Nightless City, and now youâre a Bionic Man with only half a brain, the body part isnât even done?"
What a bizarre plan only a weirdo could think of.
Not sure what it was, but Little Fingerâs expression turned extremely odd.
"Yeah, Brother Finger, all my savings went into this transformation, and it only got half done," Iron Hide looked back on the past with a face full of regrets, "After the failed transformation, even my old gang didnât want me anymore, and I couldnât repay the loan sharks, so I gritted my teeth and changed my identity to mix in the desert."
"Arenât Bionic Men supposed to serve humans exclusively?" the driver couldnât help but interject. The bar is full of Bionic Men, essentially equivalent to artificial idiots, so why are they so popular in the city?
Iron Hide sighed, "This brother doesnât know, ever since the Bionic Human Bill passed, the status of Bionic Men has been rising day by day, especially as AI templates become more advanced, they can solve a lot of problems humans canât, and theyâre cheaper. These days, even gangs have started hiring Bionic Men for their hits, I must say, theyâre quite handyâthey donât fear death."
"As far as I know, the current status ranking of residents in Nightless City is AI first, Bionic Men second, and Primordial People third, which are normal humans like us."
"Do you still consider yourself a normal human? Howâs your memory system functioning?" Little Finger asked curiously.
"Of course, my surgery was only half done, no one wants a half-baked Bionic Man."
"I have a memory chip installed, and the bionic system periodically deletes some unimportant memories to ensure the system runs smoothly."
"What does it feel like to be a Bionic Man?" the driver couldnât resist asking.
"Not much different from a normal person, itâs just that things you forget are hard to recall," Iron Hide thought for a moment and gave a clear definition, "Itâs like wearing a thick coat, no matter if itâs spring, summer, autumn, or winter."
"Thatâs because your sensory system sucks," Little Finger rolled his eyes.
The Oasis also had tall building ruins, and the two vehicles crossed one ruin after another, arriving near the relatively hidden Old Metal Recycling Station.
"Letâs go, Iâll take you to see that kid, I still have to clock in later, damn it, ever since I joined the Security Corps, Iâve been working more than Iâve been off, fuck!"
As the two just crossed a ruin, a figure suddenly descended from the sky, momentarily paused with anti-gravity in the air, then flipped several times and landed steadily.
[You have comprehended the passive skill [Molecular Line Hook Claw]]
Molecular Line Hook Claw (Passive): A skill for maneuvering in high places, assisting in attacks or escapes.
Passive Skill: Cannot be enhanced by experience points, can only be improved through skill level.
Skill Level: 1/3000
Gao Gong glanced at the system interface, a hint of delight flashed in his eyes, finally getting this skill to show up. Although itâs passive and canât be powered up quickly, passives have their perks like continuously training to level up the skill over time.
Gao Gong looked up and saw the two with wide-open eyes.
"Why are you here?" Gao Gong asked, surprised at Little Finger, then was drawn to the armored vehicle behind, exclaiming joyfully, "Finally delivered, I thought it wouldnât make it before the war."
Little Finger snapped back to reality, responded grumpily, "Thatâs because Sister Rose arranged it, do you have any idea how many connections we had to smooth over and how much effort we spent to transport this big guy?"
Gao Gong ignored him, jumped directly into the armored car to inspect its performance.
"Donât forget to pay up, you only gave a deposit."
"Just deduct it from my share, what, you didnât seriously think Iâm broke?"
Little Finger snorted, this guy indeed wasnât short of money, and soon heâd be richer than him.
Such damn good luck.
Iron Hide looked enviously at the armored vehicle. Seizing the opportunity when Gao Gong got out, he eagerly approached and patted his chest, "Brother Gao, let me handle the driving task in the future, I guarantee youâll travel unobstructed."
Gao Gong blinked, "Sorry, who are you?"
"..."
"Oh, itâs you," amidst the increasingly odd looks from Little Finger and Iron Hide, Gao Gong showed no embarrassment. In fact, he had only met Iron Hide once, at night, so not recognizing him wasnât strange at all.
"Iâve delivered the man and the vehicle, Iâm off," Little Finger paused, then said, "come to the bar when you have time, Sister Rose wants you to swing by."
"Sure," Gao Gong looked at the otherâs dark circles, and was surprised, "youâve been using the virtual experience machine a bit too much lately."
"Using my ass," Little Fingerâs face was filled with bitterness and indignation, "Iâve had to perform over ten surgeries a day these past few days, and at cost price no less, damn military rule!"
According to Gao Gongâs understanding, what Little Finger called cost price was double profit, while the normal profit from prosthetic operations was ten times, and his goal was a hundred times.
No wonder prosthetic doctors are also known as Black Market Doctors.
The prices are indeed steep.
"Letâs go, we should head back for preparations, we start work tomorrow." Gao Gong patted Iron Hideâs shoulder, casually saying.
Iron Hide perked up, quickly followed, while complimenting and curiously observing his surroundings.
Gao Gong didnât have any particular reason for choosing him as a teammate, heâs a decent driver, seems alright, a bit cunning but hey, this is the Radiation Zone, forget good people, how many normal people are there?
He only needed someone who usually listenedâloyalty wasnât even required.
"Iron Hide, youâre in the black market doing smuggling now, what did you do before?"
"I used to do deliveries for people."
"Delivery, that sounds pretty legal."
"Yes, quite legitimate. My former gang was licensed, they even bought me insurance," Iron Hide said proudly, "I transported captives and firearms for the gang, sometimes even some psychotropic drugs,"
"Uh, no wonder you look so spirited."
Gao Gong had a lot on his plate and didnât pay too much attention to him, whereas Iron Hide didnât see himself as an outsider either. After wandering around the Old Metal Recycling Station, he dragged out a box of gasoline-scented beer from the shed, enjoying the radiation while downing the beer, quite at ease.
Though the scene of liquid spraying from the gaps in his organs was rather unsightly.
Gao Gong furrowed his brows. Laid out before him were two pieces of equipment, each with pretty solid attributes, both reaching the âFine+â standard.
It should be noted that in Gao Gongâs equipment, only the âBeast Hunting Device: Iron Rainâ crafted by Old Sunx and Aunt Xiang received such a high appraisal from the system.
But the âside effectsâ of these two weapons were significant, so significant he didnât dare to use them.
The first box revealed a biological weapon, known as a Radiation Energy Gun, which appeared like a large revolver wrapped in writhing granulation tissue. It could actively absorb nuclear radiation in the Radiation Zone and then release a burst of radiation energy.
Itâs noteworthy that energy weapons are far from mature in the technology of a Level 2 Civilization.
Only a Level 3 Civilization would use them broadly.
And only the research system of a civilization Level 4 and above could support the development of large energy weapons like the âStar-Destroying Cannon,â âDark Matter Cannon,â and âParticle Annihilation Cannon.â
Yet this âRadiation Energy Gunâ is labeled merely as âFineâ instead of âWar Weaponâ or âBlack Technology,â mainly because it could only be used in the Radiation Zone, and each firing requires a minimum interval of five minutes.
This indirectly indicated that the Level 6 research blueprint âMas Sharpnessâ for the âMicro Nuclear Fission Reactorâ hasnât been utilized yet.
Still, no matter how trashy an energy weapon is, its damage is in the four-digit range.
But the catch is its note.
Note: This biochemical weapon is not mature, and using this weapon carries a significant chance of being infected with a biochemical virus.
Damn, I donât want to turn into a zombie.
As for the other weapon, equally dangerous and tricky, itâs an implant machine gun equipped with intelligent modules. The two mounts of the machine gun feature four biological drills that provide AI implantation without requiring prosthetic surgery, directly integrating into the human body.
Moreover, this machine gun offers at least five intelligent modules for free, including âAutomatic Aiming,â âBallistic Analysis,â and âCharging Mode.â
It can be said that in terms of combat system development, this machine gun has reached a rather advanced stage; it can even autonomously adjust combat modes based on the hostâs neural system.
However, the downside of this machine gun is equally tricky.
Note: As the usage frequency of this machine gun increases, the probability of cyber psychosis outbreaks also increases irregularly.
This is a gun that can drive a healthy person insane, as mocked by the system.
Gao Gong in his previous life hadnât used the âMas Sharpnessâ weapons, but he had heard of their reputation: cheap, powerful, super unstable, and immensely popular among players.
But from an NPCâs perspective, these things are quite a headache.
However, with such immense power, not using them feels like a waste.
Gao Gong stroked his chin and quickly conjured an idea.
âSince this thing isnât meant for people, then not using it on people should do the trick.â
He had an idea, but this plan requires gambling a blueprint, and he needs to save some more experience points.
The third day was the agreed time with Aunt Xiang. The Red Unicorn, jacket, and boots, along with various odds and ends â all these pieces of equipment were either damaged or worn during nearly a month of hunting, needing thorough repair.
Aunt Xiang was aware of Gao Gongâs secret base.
However, to Gao Gongâs surprise, it was not the short and stooping Aunt Xiang who appeared before him, but a tall and hefty man.
"Lad Xiang, youâre here to deliver?"
Lad Xiang shook his head with a silly grin, handing over a basketful of weaponry and equipment, "Mom told me to tag along with you."
At the Old Friend Gun Shop, Aunt Xiang stood with her arms crossed, her expression fluctuating, her gaze shifting intermittently.
Old Sunx sat at the doorway, holding a bottle of alcohol, his eyes bleary with drink. Observing her expression, he chuckled, "If you canât part, then donât let him go. Whatâs the point of worrying after heâs gone? Itâs always been like this, your temperament, ah, itâs something you wonât change in this lifetime."
"He has no choice but to go," Aunt Xiang exhaled a long sigh, "I canât protect him for his whole life."
"Did you prepare the weapons for him? Because with his build, he canât use just any regular equipment."
Aunt Xiang nodded, "I adjusted Old Gongâs gear for size and gave it to him."
"Old Gong!? Normal people canât use his equipment," Old Sunx exclaimed in shock. The Old Gong mentioned by Aunt Xiang was among the top three in combat power among the Classical Stream Mechanical Hunters and regarded as a recognizer Monster Hunter.
Old Sunx, as if realizing something, was suddenly astounded, "Could it be, that Lad Xiang has that ability as well?!"