This whole lamentation from Iron Hide went on for half the journey.
"So you're 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 wasn't completed, the smuggling group was completely taken down by the Sheriff of Nightless City, and now you're a Bionic Man with only half a brain, the body part isn't even done?"
What a bizarre plan only a weirdo could think of.
Not sure what it was, but Little Finger's 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 didn't want me anymore, and I couldn't repay the loan sharks, so I gritted my teeth and changed my identity to mix in the desert."
"Aren't Bionic Men supposed to serve humans exclusively?" the driver couldn't 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 doesn't 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 can't, and they're cheaper. These days, even gangs have started hiring Bionic Men for their hits, I must say, they're quite handy—they don't 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? How's 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 couldn't resist asking.
"Not much different from a normal person, it's just that things you forget are hard to recall," Iron Hide thought for a moment and gave a clear definition, "It's like wearing a thick coat, no matter if it's spring, summer, autumn, or winter."
"That's 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.
"Let's go, I'll take you to see that kid, I still have to clock in later, damn it, ever since I joined the Security Corps, I've been working more than I've 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 it's passive and can't 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 wouldn't make it before the war."
Little Finger snapped back to reality, responded grumpily, "That's 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.
"Don't forget to pay up, you only gave a deposit."
"Just deduct it from my share, what, you didn't seriously think I'm broke?"
Little Finger snorted, this guy indeed wasn't short of money, and soon he'd 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 you'll travel unobstructed."
Gao Gong blinked, "Sorry, who are you?"
"..."
"Oh, it's 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 wasn't strange at all.
"I've delivered the man and the vehicle, I'm 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 other's dark circles, and was surprised, "you've been using the virtual experience machine a bit too much lately."
"Using my ass," Little Finger's face was filled with bitterness and indignation, "I've had to perform over ten surgeries a day these past few days, and at cost price no less, damn military rule!"
According to Gao Gong's 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.
"Let's go, we should head back for preparations, we start work tomorrow." Gao Gong patted Iron Hide's shoulder, casually saying.
Iron Hide perked up, quickly followed, while complimenting and curiously observing his surroundings.
Gao Gong didn't have any particular reason for choosing him as a teammate, he's 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 listened—loyalty wasn't even required.
"Iron Hide, you're 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 didn't pay too much attention to him, whereas Iron Hide didn't 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 'Fine+' standard.
It should be noted that in Gao Gong's equipment, only the 'Beast Hunting Device: Iron Rain' crafted by Old Sunx and Aunt Xiang received such a high appraisal from the system.
But the 'side effects' of these two weapons were significant, so significant he didn't 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.
It's 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 'Star-Destroying Cannon,' 'Dark Matter Cannon,' and 'Particle Annihilation Cannon.'
Yet this 'Radiation Energy Gun' is labeled merely as 'Fine' instead of 'War Weapon' or 'Black Technology,' 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 'Mas Sharpness' for the 'Micro Nuclear Fission Reactor' hasn't 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 don't want to turn into a zombie.
As for the other weapon, equally dangerous and tricky, it's 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 'Automatic Aiming,' 'Ballistic Analysis,' and 'Charging Mode.'
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 host's 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 hadn't used the 'Mas Sharpness' weapons, but he had heard of their reputation: cheap, powerful, super unstable, and immensely popular among players.
But from an NPC's 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.
'Since this thing isn't meant for people, then not using it on people should do the trick.'
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 — 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 Gong's secret base.
However, to Gao Gong's surprise, it was not the short and stooping Aunt Xiang who appeared before him, but a tall and hefty man.
"Lad Xiang, you're 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 can't part, then don't let him go. What's the point of worrying after he's gone? It's always been like this, your temperament, ah, it's something you won't change in this lifetime."
"He has no choice but to go," Aunt Xiang exhaled a long sigh, "I can't protect him for his whole life."
"Did you prepare the weapons for him? Because with his build, he can't use just any regular equipment."
Aunt Xiang nodded, "I adjusted Old Gong's gear for size and gave it to him."
"Old Gong!? Normal people can't 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?!"