Starting as a Mechanical Hunter

The management started arguing in front of Gao Gong.

”If you hadn’t fired Dong Gang, how would this quarter’s tax audit have failed?”

”Firing Dong Gang wasn’t a decision I made alone; it was decided by all the board members,” the man in gold-rimmed glasses said coldly, ”Isn’t it too late to be shifting the blame now.”

”What we should be considering now is how to re-file the taxes; if the taxes don’t pass, all of us in management will be replaced. You should understand what replacement means - dismantling our brains, erasing our memories, and feeding our personalities to the Corporate Will...”

Gao Gong was listening intently when the man in gold-rimmed glasses suddenly gave him a cold glance, then turned and left. The other men in suits quickly followed, and faintly, words like ’Life Industry’ and ’Dong Gang’ could be heard.

”Dong Gang, why does that name sound familiar?”

With a thought, Gao Gong linked into Cyber Space, logged into an ad-filled search engine, and with a thought, news articles were unearthed one after another.

’Due to important commercial data loss, several executives from Nightless City were fired, including the head of Life Industry’s Neural Splicing Project, Dong Gang...’

’Dong Gang, 46, Chief Scientist of Life Industry. Before joining Life Industry, he was a master in neural research, focusing on neural connection prosthetics...’

Holographic projections appeared one by one. In contrast to the refined man with gold-rimmed glasses, this Chief Scientist was quite unkempt, with curly hair, a double chin, and a big belly, much like Dr. Octopus from Spider-Man.

Gao Gong found a public lecture video.

On stage, ’Dr. Octopus’ was speaking with a slight stutter, but it couldn’t hide the fervor in his eyes.

”If, if my experimental project succeeds, then the use of prosthetics can be taken to the next level, please watch.”

’Dr. Octopus’ spread his arms, and in the next moment, his arms began to disassemble, with each arm breaking down into dozens of Whiteboard prosthetics. With a thought, these prosthetics started to circle the body of the other side.

The operation caused a commotion in the audience.

People in the know could tell that this wasn’t just simple anti-gravity technology or a pre-set operating procedure.

It was a new type of neural connection technology.

In a sense, it broke the shackles of prosthetics.

Prosthetics, or bionic prosthetics, in Level 1 Civilizations, they are used to replace certain organs and limbs, shining brightly in the medical field.

In Level 2 Civilizations, they are transformed into weapons, acquiring more functions, turning into armed prosthetics.

But no matter what, their function as body parts did not disappear and could not be canceled.

Human modification is one thing, transformation is another.

This involves a ’scientific barrier,’ which is the change of life form.

And this operation of ’Dr. Octopus’ clearly broke through this barrier to some extent, with prosthetics on the arms recombining to seem like they could take any shape desired.

’This technology resembles the meaning of a Super Exoskeleton Corps.’

Gao Gong rubbed his chin and pondered.

After the completion of the Electronic Brain Plan, the three Mother Cities gained the computational power of the entire planet’s life, greatly enhancing research capabilities. Many super projects made progress, one of which was the ’Super Exoskeleton Corps.’

The biggest difference between this ’Prosthetic Corps’ and the ordinary ’Mechanical Legion’ is that it’s undying.

The entire Prosthetic Corps forms a special life form, where all prosthetics can regroup and organize into various forms of super soldiers.

These super soldiers are, on average, Level 50.

More importantly, each prosthetic life in the corps has no vital spot and can reorganize at any time unless every prosthetic in this corps is destroyed. Otherwise, it will resurrect indefinitely.

In the later stages of the Mechanical Split Star’s storyline, this ’Prosthetic Corps’ was also called the ’Undead Corps,’ echoing the famous Rebel A.

The two sides fought many times with mixed victories, but it was Rebel A that was at a disadvantage.

Gao Gong didn’t know if, according to the normal storyline, this Dr. Octopus joined the super project.

But the research direction was correct.

However, it’s obvious that this project is still in development and has various problems.

The level of the prosthetics is not high enough and easily induces cyber psychosis.

Dong Gang hadn’t operated for long before the Whiteboard prosthetics scattered on the ground. He panted heavily, injected himself several times before his mental state recovered.

Despite this, he received a lot of applause on-site.

’Is this the opportunity that led to joining Life Industry?’

Gao Gong searched for Life Industry again, but information was scant. All he knew was that it was a burgeoning company in Nightless City, securing several big corporate investments, specializing in cyber psychosis drugs, neural splicing, and chip transformation development.

’I’ll need to find an opportunity to meet Dong Gang.’

In Gao Gong’s eyes, data codes constantly refreshed, and with a few data node jumps, Dong Gang’s position in reality was locked.

This is the prowess of a Cyber Hacker. As long as you know the other person’s name, you can trace it back along the network cable.

Of course, this is also because Dong Gang was fired, and the company lifted its data protection on him.

...

Afterward, one company representative after another came in and out; some with worried faces, some sighed with relief, but few were happy.

Large projects are hundreds of times more difficult than ordinary modifications.

The Mother City kept pressing like a haunting spirit.

This also made each year’s tax submission date a life-and-death exam.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that these corporations are innocent and deserving of sympathy.

Ninety percent of the forbidden experiments at the Cyber Experiment Field are funded by these corporate monsters.

Mass drug experiments

Mass personality experiments

Mass body modifications

People going mad in droves, dying in piles.

”Congratulations, you’ve passed this year’s tax audit,” a busty AI suddenly popped out of nowhere, almost shoving its big boobs in Gao Gong’s face.

”Looks like it’s better to be self-employed.”

Gao Gong glanced up at the door of the VIP room, outside which an Advanced AI was walking out, chatting and laughing with a Beautiful Interconnection executive.

”Beautiful Interconnection is quite the taxpayer this year,” said the busty AI enviously. ”If I could hook up with one of their executives, building the database wouldn’t be a problem.”

”Aren’t you afraid they’ll install a Moral Chip in you?”

”What’s so bad about installing a Moral Chip,” the busty AI puffed up its chest. ”It just means we’re genuinely in sync!”

Gao Gong waved his hand, rejecting the busty AI’s invitation to swap data, and strolled home.

Although the Bottom Logic of the AI hasn’t been determined yet, he can start by creating a face. It’s been a while since he last did that; he should give it a try when he gets back.

He hadn’t walked far when a sudden explosion erupted from the office building next door. Mechanical Eyeliners flew in, forming a wall made up of thousands of ’little octopuses,’ their red eyes lighting up simultaneously. The next moment, thousands of Energy Beams shot out at once, engulfing several middle-aged men in suits who had just rushed out.

”They’ve gone bankrupt and are restructuring,” Gao Gong muttered as he stopped in his tracks.

More than one person paused to watch, each with a different expression.

According to the highest ordinance in the Mother City, both the management and the employees are considered corporate assets.

When a company goes bankrupt and is liquidated, the management is cleared out while the employees are auctioned off as assets.

Starting a business in Mechanical City is genuine ’venture capital.’

...

All along the way, Gao Gong pondered what kind of face to create—should it be a white-haired, garter-wearing, cat-ear girl, or a backless, long-legged, mature type? Or maybe he should go a bit wild with a three-no, red-eyed, Mechanical Girl.

Ah, the blissful agony of choice.

When he got back to Hanging Street, he unexpectedly ran into someone he hadn’t seen for a while.

Gao Jin, the Gambling God, no, the Welfare Gang Leader Gao Jin.

Gao Jin’s hefty body was tucked into a narrow corner, his beady little eyes gazing around with a strange look, much like a tiger trapped in a cage.

Upon seeing Gao Gong, Gao Jin’s face immediately turned amiable and sincere as he greeted him with a hearty laugh.

”Master, a day apart feels like three autumns; I’ve really missed you.”

Is it that he really missed him, or just wants him dead? That’s the question.

But Gao Gong didn’t bother asking; there was no point.

Ever since the ’birthday celebration’ ended and Gao Gong had slapped him in the face, this black fat man had been giving him the cold shoulder and had even introduced another Prosthetic Doctor to compete with Gao Gong.

From Gao Gong’s perspective, since this gang leader no longer plans to provide him with Blueprints, it means the guy no longer has any value.

But recently, Gao Gong had been too busy transitioning to a Cyber Hacker, unable to deal with him, and now the guy had unexpectedly come to him.

”Boss Gao, you wouldn’t come to the temple for no reason.”

In the modification room, Gao Gong had Baozi serve him tea, then got straight to the point under Baozi’s sneaky gaze.

”Heh, of course not,” Gao Jin rubbed his hands together, looking genuinely innocent, ”I’ve just been busy with organizational restructuring and personnel modifications.”

”Organizational restructuring, personnel modifications, so does this mean Boss Gao’s obtained the ’Peacekeeper’ license?”

A Peacekeeper is akin to a security company in Cyber Society, an upgraded version of a gang.

In the Nightless City, gangs are illegal organizations, while Peacekeepers are ’Franchise Institutions.’

Lately, the gang wars in the Outer City District have been ninety percent about these newly issued three licenses.

”Just a little bit off, just a little bit,” Gao Jin gulped down the tea and sighed.

”How much is a little bit?”

”I’ve smoothed out all the relationships; who’d have thought a river-crossing dragon would block the way.”

”Who?”

”Evil Gang.”

”Oh, the old-school gang,” Gao Gong glanced at him, ”You Welfare Gang are the real river-crossing dragon, you know? They’re an old-school gang, a Mountain Guardian Tiger.”

”So, you’re saying you’re competing with Evil Gang for a license.”

”Yes.”

”It seems you’re in trouble?”

”Yes.”