Starting as a Mechanical Hunter

Gao Gong’s right eye suddenly experienced a blur. Although it came and went quickly, Gao Gong still managed to catch it.

Was the visual lock disengaged?

Xiao Tong smiled and looked at a figure under another parasol. This was a woman, about two meters tall, with strong thighs, bronze skin, and well-developed six-pack abs. She lifted her head, revealing a stern-looking face beneath her short hair.

”Xiao Ya, my cousin.”

This cousin’s abs are even more than your cousin’s.

Xiao Ya slowly stood up. Despite not having a monstrous build, her waist was very slender, while her back had implanted muscles, with visible traces of purple muscle groups writhing.

”Are you the bloodline of the Empire?”

Xiao Ya scrutinized him up and down with a rather impolite attitude, which matched Gao Gong’s impression of the Mother City citizens. In their eyes, other than the Mechanical City citizens, all other living beings belonged to the ’ruin species.’

Gao Gong laughed without answering and instead looked at the bionic girl Xiaoyi, ”So you’re their person.”

”Xiaoyi isn’t a person. Xiaoyi is a specially customized bionic person number one, serving the VIPs,” the girl continued to smile brightly.

Xiao Ya’s face darkened. She had seen descendants of the Empire before, and no matter how they pretended outwardly, they were inwardly inferior and tried to please.

Now it’s no longer the Imperial Era but the Mechanical Era. The attitude of the Xiao family juniors towards these Imperial bloodlines is akin to poor relatives coming to beg for food.

Especially since she’s competing for an important position as a ’Bio-Fusion War God,’ being called to verify this troublesome bloodline surely made her unhappy.

Seeing the situation, Xiao Tong quickly mediated, ”Xiao Ya, perhaps you haven’t heard. Gao Gong single-handedly suppressed a Beast Tide. He’s here this time because Lord Flasuo is honoring him.”

”Oh?”

In the hearts of the Xiao family, strength was the only aesthetic standard.

She had also suppressed Beast Tides, but without the help of the Mechanical Legion, she wouldn’t dare say she could necessarily manage it.

In that light, this pretty boy doesn’t look too bad.

”Alright, enough with the small talk. Let’s get started,” Xiao Tong urged.

”Wait, right here?”

Gao Gong looked at the crowded beach and said, ”This virtual beach is online, right? The Xiao family’s powerful. They’re not afraid of retaliation. But if I’m found associated with ’rebels,’ wouldn’t Lord Flasuo want my life on the spot?”

”Coward,” Xiao Ya’s initial slight goodwill disappeared immediately.

Xiao Tong blinked and smiled, ”Don’t worry, everyone here is with us.”

With us?

A trace of doubt flashed in Gao Gong’s eyes. Neither Xiao Tong nor Gao Gong himself had the status to mobilize so many of the Xiao family forces, so what did ’with us’ mean?

”Give me a drop of your blood.”

Xiao Ya tossed over a mechanical test tube. The surface of the tube was not glass but more like a series of ’metal barrels,’ several of which were rotating repeatedly.

With a thought, the vial of ’Black Prince King’s Blood’ hidden within the ’Symbiote’ opened automatically and implanted into his body.

Once becoming a ’Symbiote,’ these small implants no longer required surgery.

Instantly, a cold sensation spread throughout his limbs, making all body systems become more ’mechanical’ and orderly.

[You have implanted the ’Black Prince King’s Blood,’ your endocrine system transformation rate +3%]

[Your mechanical energy +3000, acquired talent ’Basic Mechanism Sense’]

[Your perception +5, power +5, intelligence +5]

[You implanted the Black Prince’s bloodline, gaining a trace of imperial intimidation]

Xiao Tong and Xiao Ya’s faces changed simultaneously. A stagnant and majestic aura emanated from Gao Gong. Once this aura emerged, it felt as though all mechanical life had to submit and worship him.

The entire planet’s mechanical systems seemed to momentarily merge with him.

This sensation flashed briefly. Gao Gong then handed over the blood-filled mechanical test tube.

The thirteen joints of the ’mechanical test tube’ rotated simultaneously.

This was a sign of a powerful bloodline.

Xiao Tong and Xiao Ya exchanged glances of surprise. Both had seen Imperial bloodlines, but this high-quality royal blood that made all thirteen ’mechanical pipes’ rotate was a first.

Could it be a bloodline from a highly-ranked Elector?

Surely, it couldn’t be a direct line from the Emperor. Wasn’t the line of the Mechanical Emperor said to have been extinct?

Xiao Ya’s attitude changed, no longer always raising her chin to look at people. She said seriously, ”The formal test results will take eight hours to come out, but it seems it should be fine.”

Xiao Ya left hastily, and Xiao Tong looked at Xiaoyi with a sudden smile, ”Xiaoyi, could you please get us two glasses of juice?”

”Sure, wait a moment, and the master too,” Xiaoyi skipped away, and Xiao Tong let out a small sigh of relief.

Gao Gong also breathed a sigh of relief.

[Due to the sealing of your circulatory system, the ’Black Prince King’s Blood’ precipitates]

[Due to the sealing of your endocrine system, the ’Black Prince King’s Blood’ precipitates]

[Basic Mechanism Sense canceled]

[Perception, power, intelligence bonuses canceled]

[Mechanical rejection +100]

Indeed, this top-grade ’mechanical blood’ cannot be compatible with an unsealed body.

In reality, even if the body were fully unsealed, Gao Gong doubted he could successfully absorb it.

If the imperial bloodline were so easy to deal with, those star thieves wouldn’t have gone to such great lengths to create a bionic ’Black Prince’.

But it’s enough to fool people.

”Why do you seem so afraid of this little girl?” Gao Gong made small talk.

Xiao Tong breathed a sigh of relief and said, ”Do you know why she has to be present for the bloodline verification? Because she needs to personally confirm that you’re one of us.”

”And what if I’m not?”

Xiao Tong didn’t answer, just shrugged. Gao Gong licked his teeth and didn’t press further.

Soon, Xiaoyi brought over two glasses of juice, brightly colored, seemingly some sort of summer fruit.

Gao Gong lay lazily on the beach, the bionic girl was massaging him with her feet. Weighing only forty pounds, less than a real petite girl, she was just the right weight for stepping on his back.

After a moment of silence, Gao Gong took the initiative to speak, ”Yesterday, when Lord Flasuo met with me, he discussed a business deal. He wants the exclusive rights to the Energy Annihilation Agent.”

”Are the conditions harsh?”

”No, the conditions are very lenient.”

”That makes it even less negotiable. Flasuo is close to the Waltz Conglomerate, and they are known for their ’take everything, leave no bone’ approach. Their partners either end up dead or become their puppets, with control chips installed.”

Gao Gong turned to look at Xiaoyi, who gave him a sweet smile, her small teeth resembling seashells.

”So what should we do?” Gao Gong asked.

With confidence, Xiao Tong said, ”Relax, as long as we confirm you’re descended from the Empire, we’ll negotiate a suitable condition for you.”

’We?’

Gao Gong grew more puzzled. If the patriarch of the Xiao Family had said this, he would naturally believe it. But from a Xiao Family youth relegated to the Radiation Zone, where did he get such confidence, from Liang Jingru?

As time silently passed, with the little girl pumping her legs, even lunch was handled in this desert, consisting of barbecue and beer. It had been a while since Gao Gong felt this relaxed.

As the sunset began to rise over the horizon, sunlight danced on the sea, creating countless golden scales.

Xiao Tong stood up and said, ”Your award ceremony is here, let’s go.”

Xiaoyi jumped off Gao Gong and her swimsuit automatically transformed into a proper dress. Smiling, she pulled out a formal outfit, akin to a black suit without a tie, reminiscent of a certain military attire. Gao Gong put it on, standing tall and handsome.

”You look so dashing, Master,” Xiaoyi’s eyes sparkled.

”Handsome, right? Raised by a rich lady,” Gao Gong flashed a brilliant smile and activated his ’Data Brain.’

The adorable little girl disappeared, replaced by a humanoid data figure, with 90% of the data concentrated in the brain.

However, surprise flickered in Gao Gong’s eyes.

In human anatomy, the cerebral cortex is the first gate for receiving information. All external data gets filtered here, sorted, then enters various zones.

So its data flow should be comprehensive.

But what Gao Gong saw was all data converging at a single point, then dispersing to different brain areas.

’Hacked? No, doesn’t seem like a sensory signal or a chip, so, ’AI Seed’?’

’AI Seed’ shares characteristics of both biological and electronic viruses. It affects electronic brains, body chips, AI info centers, gradually altering your personality under the radar, making you follow a hidden mastermind’s orders, all the while thinking it’s your ’own will.’

The reason why it’s called ’AI Seed’, firstly, is that this ’seed’ is most lethal to AI life, reputed as the AI nemesis. Secondly, the best ’seeds’ are always produced by AI themselves.

Gao Gong was once a skilled seed seller.

Too bad he got transported before getting caught.

Looking at the sweetly smiling little girl, Gao Gong had only one thought.

What a blind spot under the lamp.

...

The ballroom was lit brilliantly, filled with smiling celebrities, executives, agents, and various corporate headhunters.

”…for his outstanding performance during the Beast Tide, we award Mr. Gao the ’First Class Security Corps Medal.’ From now on, Mr. Gao will forever be a friend of our Security Corps.”

[Your Mechanical Legion Reputation +1500]

Gao Gong wore the fake smile of an adult.

The shift from opposition to neutrality; the aftermath of defeating Demon Mountain finally settled.

Flasuo warmly wrapped an arm around Gao Gong’s shoulder and whispered in his ear, ”Have you thought about it?”

”I’ll consider it some more.”

”No rush, take your time, enjoy a few more days on this Sky Mother Ship,” Flasuo squeezed Gao Gong’s shoulder with a laugh.

So they’re not letting me leave until I agree?

Gao Gong smiled without replying, slyly tagging him with a Prey Mark.

Ever since learning Gao Gong became the new Master of the Oasis, all the guests turned enthusiastic.

Declining yet another wave of business propositions,

After pocketing a handwritten note from a modified celebrity, Gao Gong wandered over to the bar.

”What would you like to drink?”

”Just give me anything.”

”Here’s your Flaming Chariot.”

Gao Gong looked up and was taken aback, Sister Rose!?