Xiang Yi took a deep breath and closed his eyes, replaying the layout of the mine tunnels in his memory.
However, no matter how he racked his brain, he couldn't change the fact that the group outside was blocking the main tunnel—the only way out. To escape, he would have to confront them.
A direct conflict was inevitable.
Once a fight broke out, the only weapon at his disposal was the Mining Gun.
But the Mining Gun was impossible to use on people because its Biological Signal Sensing Device was linked to the trigger.
Moreover, if the sensor was damaged, the Mining Gun would lock up completely, rendering it useless.
'Can I only use the Mining Gun as a club, or mine some sharp rocks and fight for my life?'
'No.'
Xiang Yi decisively rejected the idea.
Even if he managed to launch a surprise attack, in his current physical condition, there was no way he could take down three people.
'So, should I take a gamble? Bet that those things in the darkness will drive the three of them away? That I'll have a chance to slip past behind them?'
'That won't work either. Although those three said they would leave, and would most likely scram when they heard those sounds approaching, if I remember correctly, the service elevator to the outside is right behind them.'
The only one still operational as the mine was about to be sealed off.
Once they took control of the elevator, he would surely be left behind for whatever was lurking in the dark.
He had to think of another way.
Xiang Yi's mind raced, but the physiological effects of blood loss were impairing his ability to think.
The end result was that every option Xiang Yi could come up with seemed to lead to a dead end.
He took a ragged breath, his hands unconsciously tightening around the Mining Gun.
A fresh wave of blood seeped from the wounds on his arms, trickling down to the Mining Gun and staining its metal casing a deep crimson.
The pain, escalating to an unbearable intensity, combined with the fear and despair brought by the rustling sounds in the darkness, was about to consume Xiang Yi completely.
But in that very instant...
Xiang Yi's eyes snapped open. He looked down at the Mining Gun in his hands.
A mysterious connection suddenly formed between his mind and the Mining Gun.
'It feels like something just happened.'
Xiang Yi's spirit strangely surged, the effects of his blood loss vanishing as if they had never existed.
He had a peculiar feeling—a feeling that he could use the mechanical engineering knowledge he'd acquired over the years to do anything he wanted to the Mining Gun before him.
Although it was just a feeling, for the moment, he had no idea where to even begin.
But that power, which he couldn't yet comprehend, seemed to be continuously affecting his brain, constantly strengthening his consciousness.
This power wasn't dangerous. On the contrary, it made him feel an unprecedented sense of freedom, as if he had broken free from the shackles that had always bound him.
Just as this sensation peaked...
A flash appeared before Xiang Yi's eyes.
A semi-transparent, floating panel materialized in front of him, hovering over the Mining Gun in his hands.
["Explorer Type 6" Civilian Portable Mining Laser Gun]
[Energy Core: "Earth Core" Civilian Tritium Fusion Micro-Reactor]
[Firing Module: "Triple Helix" Mining Laser Lens Array]
[Cooling System: "Extreme Cold" High-Concentration Water-Cycle Cooling Unit]
[Control System: "Micro-Hive" Parallel Centralized Control System (Sub-unit)]
[Frame Type: "Explorer" Universal Alloy Frame (Simplified Version)]
[Additional Attachments: Biological Signal Sensing Device, Balanced Power Output Limiter]
The panel displayed the complete internal structure of the Mining Gun.
Below the list of components, the bottom half of the panel showed a 3D projection of the Mining Gun.
Staring at the surreal image, Xiang Yi hesitated for a moment before slowly reaching out and tapping on [Energy Core: "Earth Core" Civilian Tritium Fusion Micro-Reactor] on the floating panel.
The next moment, a new panel appeared in front of the main one.
This panel was far more complex. It didn't just show a rough overview like the main panel; it displayed a vast amount of detailed data about the Energy Core.
It included incredibly complex information such as its component materials, structural mass, power output, energy conversion efficiency, conduction efficiency, energy fluctuation peaks, and heat dissipation ratios—so complex, in fact, that there was even data that Xiang Yi, despite his engineering background, didn't recognize.
The 3D projection at the bottom of this new panel completely dissected the 3D structure of this part of the Mining Gun, revealing every last detail.
At the same time, all the structural annotations from the original design schematics were displayed on the 3D projection.
It was detailed to an almost impossible degree.
Even though Xiang Yi currently possessed none of the technology behind the Mining Gun, with enough equipment and materials, he could replicate it piece for piece—excluding the fusion reactor—based on this panel and his own, clearly outdated, technical knowledge.
Xiang Yi roughly understood. The power that had been swirling in his mind had just been converted into a form he could comprehend.
What it presented was this panel right in front of him.
'What a truly bizarre power.'
At the same time, it was his chance to survive.
After his initial awe and shock, Xiang Yi suddenly noticed that the invigorating feeling was slowly fading away.
It seemed this opportunity could disappear at any moment if his physical condition continued to worsen.
He quickly looked back at the panel.
'If I'm not mistaken, I should have another power, right?'
Xiang Yi focused his concentration, recalling the earlier sensation of being able to control every aspect of the Mining Gun.
The 3D projection of the Mining Gun on the panel suddenly enlarged, and the word [Modify] appeared above the projection interface.
All six of the Mining Gun's modular components were highlighted individually, waiting for Xiang Yi to make a selection.
After a moment's thought, Xiang Yi selected the [Additional Attachments] module, then chose the Biological Signal Sensing Device from within it.
The 3D projection refocused, presenting every detail of the module to him while also displaying three new options.
[Basic Modification], [Unique Modification], and [Spiritual Enhancement].
The three options took up about half of the empty space at the bottom of the panel. It looked like there might be other choices, but he hadn't triggered them yet.
However, he didn't have time to worry about the future, so he focused his attention on these three options.
After staring at each of the three options for a short while, Xiang Yi reached out and tapped [Basic Modification].
The other two options were honestly very tempting, but he also sincerely felt it was better to be practical.
He didn't need much to survive. As long as he made it out alive, he would have plenty of time to explore what the other two options did.
A new panel emerged as Xiang Yi tapped the option.
Its contents were sparse, presenting only two simple options: [Sever Signal Transmission] and [Uninstall Attachment].
"Phew—"
Xiang Yi breathed a sigh of relief.
"Let's do this."
He whispered softly and, without hesitation, selected the [Sever Signal Transmission] modification.
Instantly, Xiang Yi felt his mind go blank, as if all his energy had been drained in a flash. The power from his mind enveloped the Mining Gun, wrapping around it and beginning to structurally modify it from within.
By the time this power gradually dissipated, the connection between the Biological Signal Sensing Device and the Mining Gun's trigger had been severed.
This Mining Gun no longer had the restriction that prevented it from being fired at people.
This would be what he relied on for what came next.
But he wasn't done yet. Xiang Yi forced himself to rally and turned his attention to the Mining Gun's other modules.
At the same time, a line of small text suddenly appeared on the small screen on the side of the Mining Gun's grip, which displayed the remaining energy and current power output.
"Safety limiters disengaged. Sending this information to the main control unit..."
Xiang Yi's expression changed slightly, but the next moment, another line of text, this time with an exclamation mark, appeared on the screen.
"Main control signal not detected! Signal transmission device damaged! Transmission failed. Please take this device to a maintenance station immediately."
"Ha!"
Xiang Yi let out a laugh when he saw the message.
He wasn't an idiot. Seeing "Sub-unit" displayed for the Control System, he had already guessed what it was for.
After modifying the Biological Signal Sensing Device, he had done the same to the Control System, severing the Mining Gun's signal transmission module as well.
'Looks like I was being overly cautious. There's actually no signal at the bottom of the mine tunnel.'
'But it doesn't make much difference. Just because there's no signal here doesn't mean there won't be one further ahead. Since I have to move forward, I would've had to modify it sooner or later anyway.'
After finishing the modification of the Biological Signal Sensing Device...
Xiang Yi couldn't hold back his curiosity any longer and reached out to tap another option on the panel: [Unique Modification].
But a prompt immediately appeared on the panel: [Unique Materials Missing].
'Never mind then.'
Xiang Yi skipped over Unique Modification and looked at [Spiritual Enhancement].
This option contained a term he had never seen before: "Spiritual Energy." 'Does this mean the power I possess is a type of Spiritual Energy? Or is the ability this power grants me called Spiritual Energy?'
'Hmm, until I have more information, I'll just assume that's the case for now.'
He reached out and tapped the option again.
[Perform Spiritual Enhancement on the "Biological Signal Sensing Device"?]
"No."
Xiang Yi chose "No" without hesitation.
The modification to sever the signal transmission line had already left him mentally drained. This Spiritual Enhancement looked like it would consume a massive amount of his mental energy.
'Maybe I can try it in the future, but right now...' Xiang Yi glanced down at the crimson stains on his faintly trembling limbs.
'Better not mess with this for now.'
Just modifying the Mining Gun was enough.
A firearm held an absolute advantage against melee weapons. There was no need for him to take any more risks.
Xiang Yi took a deep breath, hefted the Mining Gun in his hands, and started walking down the tunnel.