Starting as a Mechanical Hunter

Chapter 951: Chapter 57: Radiation Paradise

Long-horned Whale Alpha Constellation

A standard resource planet, said to be rich in metal deposits, containing energy ore that can be directly installed on energy weapons without purification, high-concentration dark matter for superluminal travel, and even its star core is a relic of some supernova, capable of emitting symbiotic radiation that allows advanced carbon-based warriors to evolve.

All of the above are rumors circulating in the black market, half-truths and half-lies, and even 99% are purely fabricated.

And these rumors stem from the jealousy towards the Walter clan and the Walter Star Thief Group.

Owning an industrial production planet is the hallmark of a large star thief gang.

Just like the heroes who ascended Liangshan compared to those who hadn’t, they were completely different breeds. The latter, not surprisingly, were either wanted or on their way to being wanted, with their wives being cuckolded, family heirloom swords being sold—this was all routine operation. But once on Liangshan, it was extraordinary, it necessitated amnesty!

For any gray organization, the effect brought by a resource planet is indeed remarkable.

Take the Collector, who sits at the high-level civilization’s table as an underground world king; besides his special ability, it’s largely because of the Mechanical Serpent Constellation beneath his feet.

Even his ability needs to rely on this planet to be fully unleashed.

Gao Gong is not the first to set his sights on this resource planet.

Nor is he likely to be the last.

As far as he knows, the most high-profile incident was when a fleet from the Galen Republic surrounded the Walter Star Thief Group, forcing them to relinquish this resource planet, with thousands of silver-white metal spaceships covering the entire outer space.

Then, they were repelled.

The Walter clan proved with strength that they indeed had the power to own a planet.

It was this battle that secured their seat as a large star thief gang.

And just half an hour ago, the black market mission hall review staff rated the ’Cybertron Corps’ as a medium-sized interstellar mercenary group.

Roughly equivalent to the promax version of the Vervi Star Thief Gang.

In terms of scale alone, ten medium-sized star thief gangs roughly equate to one large star thief group—this was the Walter Group before obtaining the resource planet.

As long as there is a fixed production base, overlord expansion is a certainty.

And when the base is large, seed bursts also become highly probable.

And Gao Gong asserted, ”Advantage is mine!”

The reason for his confidence was, of course, not the Chairman’s will, but the Tier 4 Ascension Technology weapon, the Star Destroyer!

With that, Gao Gong dared to play a game of tit-for-tat with a civilization fleet, with a high probability of overpowering them.

However, Gao Gong also understood that the Star Destroyer’s main function was not for use on the battlefield but as a strategic deterrence.

It could ensure that, after capturing the Long-horned Whale Alpha Constellation, they could defend the planet under the prying eyes of the powers, and even civilization forces.

But truly capturing this resource planet relied on the Cybertron Corps’ own combat power.

Thus, Gao Gong sought out Dr. Yuu after the meeting and went to the biological experimentation base on the research ship.

At first glance, it looked like a garden, with colorful flowers blooming everywhere, ivy covering the cold walls, with the aroma of birds and flowers making it a scene of spring; tiny bees pollinated and gathered nectar from central flower buds. If Gao Gong wasn’t able to sense radiation energy, he might have been fooled by appearances.

Narrowing his eyes, the colorful scene was immediately shrouded in rolling black.

Black radiation field, A-level radiation field, under its influence, the nameless yellow flower immediately opened a bloodthirsty maw, centimeters-long jagged teeth protruded like tearing a curtain, continuously shredding space; the grass on the ground vanished, replaced by a crimson meat carpet, countless flesh buds extruded from it, like meat-colored waterfalls standing upside down, merging with Gao Gong, who fleetingly sensed an indescribable spiritual force field.

This spiritual force field seemed composed of countless radiation beasts, yet perfectly fused together.

Gao Gong blinked; the previous ’illusion’ vanished, replaced still by the plant garden filled with bird songs and floral scent.

”Brain-in-a-Vat?”

”Indeed, Ms. Huang has been quite helpful to us.”

”So you’ve created not a planet tree—but an SS-level radiation ecology?”

Easily sensing the presence, Gao Gong detected within it radiation giants, the Crimson Queen, including the dozen S-level Radiation Beast Bloodlines within himself, all these powers brilliantly fused together.

The biggest issue with radiation is its uncontrollability.

As with biological radiation, stability of the biological form is difficult to achieve, explaining why higher-level radiation beasts are so rare in numbers.

”Interesting.”

Theoretically, high-specification or specially characteristic lifeforms can achieve compatibility from spiritual to biological forms, such as Brain-in-a-Vat, or the planetary tree, and Gao Gong himself is a partial example.

However, without relying on such ’dimensional reduction strike’, fusion becomes highly difficult.

”How did you accomplish this?” Gao Gong asked curiously.

Dr. Yuu led Gao Gong to the center of the garden, with a gentle touch, the soil quickly turned over, revealing a corpse being raised.

Gao Gong had some impression of this, one of the star thief gang leaders that invaded, a peculiar spore lifeform.

”This strange spore aggregate provided a new research direction; we infuse radiation beast power of various attributes into spore cells, letting them naturally undergo mitosis. Utilizing their distinct traits, variance in process and structure, we restore the radiation beast form, and finally, with the empowerment of ’Brain-in-a-Vat,’ the Radiation Garden was born!” Dr. Yuu’s voice carried a hint of excitement, quite rare for an ice queen.

Gao Gong rubbed his chin, inquiring:

”Can this ’Radiation Garden’ be utilized for military purposes?”

Dr. Yuu affirmed that, in either biological enrichment zones or energy enrichment zones, deploying this special spore could quickly create an SS-level Radiation Garden.

Crucially, this ’Radiation Garden’ is producible in quantity.

This, then, is one of Gao Gong’s trump cards, once the Radiation Garden is deployed, allowing creation of tens, if not hundreds of SS-level radiation ecologies.

This could impart devastating impact to forces on a resource planet’s surface.

”However, it seems your research direction has taken a slight detour?” Gao Gong rubbed his chin, suddenly interjecting.

Dr. Yuu’s face, usually expressionless, momentarily showed rare embarrassment.

In the original experiment plan, Gao Gong was aiming to cultivate an SSS-level planetary tree.

Unexpectedly, a different SS-level radiation ecology was cultivated instead.

Tracking along a technology tree can be like a blind man’s gait across an elephant, easily jumping from one branch to another for various reasons.

If a technology tree’s development is predictable, it likely lacks potential, according to an advanced civilization’s lead scientist.

This scientist jumped from developing black hole technology to high-species breeding domains, achieving remarkable success.

Dr. Yuu lacked such brazen audacity, hence the embarrassment.

Luckily, these two research outcomes were quite similar, so Gao Gong overlooked this situation, issuing new boss commands.

Suspend all other biological development, fully produce this ’Radiation Paradise’!

This will decisively impact future planet acquisition battles.

...

As Gao Gong began future plan preparations, Director Du was not idle, in the Mechanical Serpent Constellation’s business district. A colossal building breaching the artificial atmosphere had a special symbol on its façade, an ouroboros emblem.

Serpent swallowing tail, long tail serpent—an everlasting symbol, also signifying ’Immortality.’

”Welcome President Du to our Eternal Life Group, though I hadn’t expected—”

In front of Du Zhaodi, a middle-aged man wiped his sweat saying.

”Why, as the third immortal here, need I notify others when arriving at my own enterprise?” Du Zhaodi retorted.