Starting as a Mechanical Hunter

Transitions between Main Professions are generally related to factions.

A Tier 1 faction can switch to a Tier 1 Profession, and a Tier 2 technology can transition to a Tier 2 Profession.

For example, if you’re a security guard at a large corporation, then at level 10, you can transition to become a ’Prosthetic Body Security’, an officially employed guard with a contract. At level 20, you become ’Mechanical Special Service’, with 50% of your body prostheticized, and at level 30, you become a ’Pure Mechanical Guardian’, achieving 100% prostheticization and entering Tier 2.

The same applies in Gao Gong’s own faction: a level 10 Ordinary Hunter, level 20 Wild Hunt, level 30 Blood Hunter.

As a Tier 2 faction, even breaking through level 30 doesn’t mean there’s no equipment for you. For instance, prosthetics of higher class, biological chips of higher class, allowing you to upgrade your profession to a higher level.

For example, Daisila’s profession after carbon fusion is called Carbon-Based Spider Catcher, a new type of Combat Profession that combines explosiveness and stealth.

This is the benefit of joining a faction.

However, Gao Gong is a bit different.

As a handsome guy following the fusion route, his professional transitions must take into account both carbon-based technology and mechanical technology. Such professions have no precedent in his own faction, and as the big boss of a Tier 2 faction, there is no one more powerful in the faction than him, so he can’t rely on others.

But fortunately, he’s not fighting alone. As the big boss of a faction, he can mobilize the resources of the entire faction.

So, while he was still in the Divine Land, with just one remote command, the whole faction’s technological power from the Iron Sand Desert to Fucheng Island, from the Bionic Research Institute to Du Gao Technology, was set in motion.

Biotechnology and advanced mechanical transformation had long entered the testing phase, just waiting for him, this Dragon King, to return to his rightful position. With a single command, he could turn into a freak, no, wait, achieve the complete transformation of biological form and mechanical form.

Colloquially known as dual metamorphosis.

”What are you snickering about?”

Looking at the NPC in front of her with a strange, syrupy smile, Dida was on full alert.

The more she interacted with this guy, the more she felt he was a bit of a freak, and not just any freak, but a senior pervert.

”Ahem, it’s nothing, are you ready,” Gao Gong wiped his mouth instinctively and asked, pretending to be serious.

”As bait, what else can I do to prepare,” Dida said indifferently.

If it were an NPC, acting as a decoy to attract a high-risk energy body, they’d probably get their hackles up.

But as a player, it didn’t matter much. It’s just a life, after all, in three days, she’d be a valiant warrior again.

”Heh, I’m afraid it’s not as simple as you think.”

Eliza walked in from outside. Compared to three days ago, she seemed to have gained another chin, making her original triple chin a quadruple one. Behind her, a burly figure, the Black Big Guy, carried a hefty bag of feed on his shoulder.

”We searched the network for three whole days, opening all searches and connections, yet we only caught glimpses. This indicates that ’No. 5’s self-awareness is growing stronger, evading our tracking.”

”What’s more troublesome is that our actions have inevitably been noticed by others. Some old friends are also interested in our target, so we must make our move before they do.”

Old friends, Big Data Conceptual Body?

”Who?”

”Pipeline and Giant.”

Gao Gong furrowed his brow as well. He was familiar with the Pipeline, an embodiment of Cyber Space’s hardware, cable, and base station. If it weren’t for its interference last time, this version of Eliza would have probably been ’updated’, a superpower warranting memory. As for the other—

”Giant, the Prosthetic Giant?”

Eliza rubbed her chin and sighed, ”There’s that War Madman.”

The Prosthetic Giant, one of the ’hardware spirits’ in the Big Data Conceptual Body, is a monster formed by all ’prosthetic plugins’ on this planet. Whether a commonplace artificial leg, hand, or various weapon plugins, and human body plugins, they’re all parts of the ’Prosthetic Giant’.

That’s not to mention that its ability to control most ’prosthetic devices’ with root access is already terrifying. Even in reality, as long as the other side wishes, it can control most Transformers at any time and place.

In Gao Gong’s impression, this monster generally operated in ’colonies’, helping the Governor suppress rebels, executing massacres, or occasionally stirring up one or two corporate conflicts when interested.

In the Rebel Army, its infamy even rivals Mother City.

”Why has it come,” Gao Gong questioned, headache troubled, knowing that in Cyber Space, he had no confidence that under their access, his prostheticized body wouldn’t be controlled.

”In any case, we must first divert these two old things, so we can act conveniently,” Eliza changed the subject, saying.

Gao Gong looked at Dida, deep in thought. At this moment, Dida was pricking up her ears, stealthily listening, seeing this as vital game plot material—potentially connected to the main storyline.

”So, you want to muddy the waters?”

Eliza patted the feed bag on her back and said confidently, ”Certainly, in this regard, no old thing can compare to me.”

Naturally, as a ’search engine’, its most potent capability was definitely not fighting but fake news, fake links, fake sites. Besides ads, everything could be fake. Gao from his last life had seen many.

If we act fast, maybe after capturing the ’No. 5 Destruction Form’, those two ’hardware spirits’ might still be spinning around some fake battlefield in Cyber Space.

”In this regard, I can lend a bit of help as well.”

”You? What can you help with,” Eliza inquired curiously.

”The battlefield can be fake, but the bait can be real,” Gao Gong gave Dida a meaningful look. Before she could react, she felt a grasp and a release. Turning her head, she beheld a stupefying sight.

To her surprise, another ’Dida’ was also looking at her in surprise.

”Who are you?” ”Who are you?”

Two identical voices rang at the same time.

”Is she a clone of you?” Both Didas looked at Gao Gong.

Gao Gong shrugged, and before the two Didas could begin their ’true and false Monkey King’ act, it was ’rip’ again. From the two Didas, another two Didas were cloned to make a mahjong table.

”Don’t be shocked, you’re all real; copying a file is still a file; similarly, the copied you is just as real.”

Virtual Life Cloning Ceremony (Tier 2 - Mastery): By copying + pasting source code, a life form is 100% restored in cyberspace, duration: 6 hours, limit: 4.

Note: In copy mode, any life form is genuine; the original body dies, yet the copy continues to exist with all its cognitive logic.

In copying mode, every life form remains real; a clone is no less real than the original.

Note: In copy mode, any life form is real too; the copied you is equally the real you.

In the reality, this may seem unfamiliar, but in the Virtual Realm, anything is possible.

Gao has seen enough of the Big Data Conceptual Body’s overlord methods in virtual civilization.

”I can help sow chaos.”

Eliza studied the sack of chicken feed at her back, and said confidently, ”Of course, in that aspect, nobody can beat me.”

In reality, as a ’search engine’, her greatest skill was undoubtedly not in fighting, but in fake news, fake links, fake websites—apart from advertisements, everything can be fake. Gao had seen too much of this in his previous life.

”What are we seeing?”

The four Didas glanced at each other, shocked and silent, unable to discern among themselves who was the original and who was the temporary clone.

”This place... This place is weird.”

”Well, let’s see what can happen.”

Iron chains covered the sky, connecting everything in the physical space, a sprawling web of links.

At their ends were various database servers, or perhaps living people, networked, equipped with smart software, implanted with prosthetics, brain-enhanced - one continent after another, colonies, the Mechanical City, military camps, limitless.