[Received Information Pack (Uncommon) - Technological Modernization (Terra Formars). Unlock Cost: 700 OP]
Description: You are a master of technological reinterpretation, capable of disassembling any laboratory equipment down to the last screw and turning it into something completely new. A centrifuge becomes a launcher of deadly projectiles, a spectrometer becomes a laser for cutting titanium, and an industrial 3D printer becomes a generator of antimatter. Your deep understanding of mechanisms allows you to create innovative tools and weapons from the most ordinary devices, limited only by the available materials and your ingenuity. With this information pack, you turn a laboratory into an arsenal, and every tool into a masterpiece.
Now you are able to rework a jewelry furnace into a mini-forge for smelting unique ores, turn a laboratory mixer into a pulse generator for stunning enemies, and modify an oscilloscope into a detector of alien energy. And this is just a small part of your true potential!
Note: Before studying the information pack, keep in mind that you require physical equipment (laboratory or industrial). Results are limited by the materials and complexity of the original device. You are not capable of creating magical effects, only technological, only science.
God bless the System! A second "uncommon" skill in a row! And this... it was a thousand times better than TPAM, specifically for the current me. Just reading the description, I already felt my world expanding. With this skill, I will stop being just a craftsman blindly following someone else's recipes. I have gained the potential to finally become an Inventor.
Damn... My head was already swarming with ideas, each more insane than the last! I look at my welding machine and I already mentally see myself bolting on conditional magnetic coils to turn it into Isaac's plasma cutter. I see my Marx Generator and capacitor array becoming the basis for Shocker's Vibro-Gauntlets. But to hell with just weapons! I'll be able to assemble miniature scout drones! Improve the suit made of "Proteus" fabric, adding to it... I don't know, an active thermal control system, or even better—adaptive camouflage! And even... even that damn Protective Field Generator with this skill will no longer seem impossible!
This skill... I just have to get it. As soon as possible.
And then I remembered. Healing potion for Uncle Ben. I was planning to unlock it in the next few days from the Arcanum set for 200 OP. My balance is currently 120... And I need to collect another 580 to unlock this Miracle Skill. Sorry, Peter. Your uncle is in relatively stable condition, he has months, if not years. And I need this power now, so that we have those months and years at all. With such a skill, I'll earn those 200 OP in a snap.
Ugh. That's it. Calm down, John. Just calm down. Yes, the System has thrown me a jackpot. But that's not a reason to rejoice like a child. It's a reason to be even more careful. Because the more power you have, the greater the temptation to use it. And the higher the price of a mistake. Well, and the notorious responsibility, of course…
At that moment, a message arrived on my smartphone, interrupting my thoughts. Blade.
"Your login and password for UK-International Bank. It's already linked to your number. 70k greenbacks in the account."
I downloaded the app and went through quick authentication. The number lit up on the screen: $70,000.00. Not just a number. This is freedom. Freedom to act, to build, to defend. Freedom from taxes, after all! Excellent. Time to go shopping.
"Yo, Peter, hey, am I bothering you?" I dialed his number. Geez... how embarrassing. Why did I start with "yo"? A couple of days of hanging out with Blade, and I'm already adopting his manner...
"Hey, John! No, you're not bothering me at all! What's up?" his voice on the other end sounded cheerful and full of enthusiasm.
"I was thinking, since we decided to make 'Proteus' in the near future, why wait? We need to buy everything we need. Can you give me the exact list? I'll try to get everything today."
"Yes, of course! But, John, I'm serious, you can't buy most of this in ordinary stores. You need to contact industrial and laboratory suppliers directly, it will take time..."
"I have my own suppliers," I replied confidently, remembering Lucas. I hope Blade wasn't lying and he really can get anything. "So dictate the full list, without compromise. And give me approximate prices, so I don't get ripped off. Since we are starting work tomorrow, so it shall be."
An awed silence filled the line, and then Peter, rustling papers, began to dictate with the professionalism of a true project manager:
"Alright, if that's the case, then great! So, the components for the fabric itself. The base is a 3D mesh of aramid fibers. A square meter costs around $70-100, depending on the weave density."
"Got it. I'll take 50 meters with a margin," I figured that I would need several suits. One for testing, one for work, one spare, one possibly for Peter…
"Fifty?!" Peter exclaimed. "John, that's enough to outfit a small tactical group! Okay… for that volume of fabric, you'll need 10-12 kilograms of hydrophilic amorphous silica. Nanopowder, particle size 7-15 nanometers, but the smaller the better… and more expensive. For the liquid base—polyethylene glycol, 30 liters. All together, it'll be somewhere around $2,500-3,000."
"Tolerable," I nodded to myself, noting the information.
"Next. Membrane fabric for the outer layer. Another 800-1,000 bucks for your volume."
"We'll do it all the way, so yes, noted."
"Then you'll also need polyurethane hot melt adhesive, it's inexpensive. With consumables, that's basically it."
"Great. Now the equipment. Go ahead, scare me."
"A high-speed homogenizer, not just a mixer, so the suspension is perfect—about $2,000. A vacuum chamber, large enough to accommodate a roll of fabric—get ready for this, around $4,000. An industrial oven for heat treatment with precise control—another 2,500-3,000. You can find a thermal press for 1,500. But an industrial sewing machine with a walking foot, capable of piercing aramid… that's another $3,000. And odds and ends: special scissors, needles, Kevlar threads, sealant for the seams… another thousand."
"Holy crap…" I breathed out. "I've only roughly estimated twenty grand."
"Yeah…" Peter sadly confirmed, for whom this amount was obviously astronomical.
"Okay, thanks, Peter, I've got it all. I won't distract you any longer. I think by tonight, or at the latest tomorrow, I'll have everything."
"You… you're really going to buy all this?!" shock and admiration mixed in his voice.
"I'll try to make every effort," I grunted. "Alright, bye."
Hanging up, I immediately dialed Lucas. Listing him the entire list, from the aramid mesh to the homogenizer, I waited. Lucas calculated for a long time, on the other end of the line only a quiet clicking of the keyboard was heard. I didn't rush him.
"Twenty-five thousand seven hundred dollars," he finally said in an unemotional voice. "With truck delivery right to your house—exactly twenty-six thousand. All anonymously, at any time convenient for you today after six. Payment—either cash to the courier, or full prepayment to my details."
"Let's do delivery and full prepayment," I readily agreed, internally exhaling. The markup for such a service was surprisingly reasonable.
Having transferred the money to Lucas from a new card and agreed on delivery at 6:30 PM, I hung up. The first major investment in my safety and future was actually made. The second remained. The attack.
I got into the Honda and drove to get weapons. To Frank, who might have been the Punisher. Thoughts were already swirling in my head. I need more than just weapons. I need a reliable platform that I can theoretically modify as soon as I unlock "Technological Modernization." I hope I can find common ground with him. Or else Blade's phrase "he's a guy with his own principles" sounded rather ominous.
======================================= Gain access to 30 new chapters ahead at: patreon.com/redofic it will not show in google search , so directly type/paste link
Progress at Patreon = chapter 30.2