"I really want to see how many levels this Skill is divided into, and whether this Flying Skill will actually let me fly in the end," Yang Bo said to himself as he logged out of the game. He had played for two hours. The information service fee was 600 Credit Points, and the Mecha maintenance fee was 1,500 Credit Points.
He sighed, "It's a pity that the cheapest Laser Gun for the Mecha requires at least a million Credit Points." Since he didn't have any in-game currency, he could only use Credit Points. The exchange rate between the in-game currency and real-world money was strictly one-to-one.
"I wonder where I can find an electric eel," Yang Bo thought to himself as he looked at his newly added Skill. Flying: Advanced (135/1000).
That was right. In just two short hours, at least 135 birds had been sliced apart by his five-meter-long Plasma Saber.
What Yang Bo didn't know was that some players in the game had already recorded his leaping, bird-slaying feats. They had even added a dramatic caption: *Eat my blade, you wretched bird!*
The screenshot showed Yang Bo piloting the Blade Mecha, cleaving a tiny bird in mid-air. This was no longer just using a sledgehammer to crack a nut; this was using a sledgehammer to swat a mosquito.
"Is this guy a psychopath?"
"There is definitely something wrong with this person in real life."
"Yeah, maybe he's just here to vent his frustrations."
"Could this be the legendary keyboard warrior from ancient times?"
"Haha, maybe."
"Who is this player? I want his detailed information. How dare he abuse little animals like this!"
"Bro, it's just a game. Who hasn't killed a few small animals? I actually think this player is honing his Combat Skills."
"Combat Skills my ass, you idiot..."
"You're the idiot..."
The game was filled with all sorts of people, and they all had their own opinions. Some were animal rights activists who fiercely condemned Yang Bo. Others believed that they could do whatever they wanted, arguing that it was just a game and the complainers should mind their own business.
Of course, it was impossible for Yang Bo's personal information to be leaked. No one knew who was inside the Mecha, and his in-game name wasn't displayed to the public.
Feeling incredibly hungry, Yang Bo was just about to wash his face and grab something to eat when a sudden thought struck him.
He could just charge himself directly!
Twenty minutes later, Yang Bo was utterly astounded. His entire body felt brimming with Power, and he wasn't hungry anymore.
"Am I even considered human anymore? No, I need to drink a carton of milk to calm my nerves," he muttered, feeling that his current body was downright bizarre.
Furthermore, the electricity consumed during this charging session had increased by ten percent compared to when he first returned that afternoon, as indicated on the battery. What did this mean? Did it mean the total capacity of Energy his body could store had increased?
Soon after, Yang Bo also noticed that his reflexes seemed a bit faster.
He thought it over carefully. "Tomorrow, I'll go to work first, and when I get back, I'll focus on leveling up my Dynamic Field of View."
He realized he had overlooked a crucial ability. When piloting a Mecha, it was virtually impossible to predict a bird's erratic flight path without the help of his Dynamic Field of View. Although the Mecha had computer assistance, no one could accurately predict a bird's trajectory in the air. Besides, the delay between the computer's prompt and the pilot's manual reaction took time, which was slower than his own instinctual reflexes.
In supersonic combat, the minimum speed was 400 meters per second. A tenth of a second meant 40 meters, and a reaction delay of just 0.01 seconds equated to a four-meter difference.
Lying in bed, Yang Bo recalled something Wu Bin had said: some of humanity's Administrative Stars had simply vanished. Did the planets explode, or did they suffer the same fate as the ones in the game?
He had earned 5,400 Credit Points with Sunday's double pay, which left him feeling quite pleased. Since the game required him to spend real money, Yang Bo didn't plan to use his points anymore.
When he got home that evening, he felt a bit tired, so he took out the battery to charge himself and relieve his fatigue. He used the charging station provided by the property management. It took ten minutes to fully charge the battery, costing fifty Credit Points each time.
He still had to eat real food, though. Once he finished his meal, he logged back into the game.
Yang Bo studied the system carefully and found that the highest maintenance cost came from the Rocket Backpack. This piece of equipment could instantaneously propel a Mecha weighing over a hundred tons to a maximum of Mach 3, and break Mach 6 in just three seconds.
Compared to those Advanced Mechas that could break Mach 10 in a single second, it was utter garbage. But no matter how garbage it was, it was still a Mecha. Most Basic and Intermediate Mechas used nuclear batteries, while some Advanced Mechas used solid Energy, which provided incredibly explosive Power.
"The primary targets are rats, and the secondary targets are birds," Yang Bo decided.
He didn't plan to stray too far from the fortress. He would just wander around the vicinity, as traveling too far would waste valuable time. However, there were no large animals nearby—only small creatures like birds and rabbits. Yang Bo didn't mind. As long as he could increase his Skills, he was perfectly content.
SQUELCH! He stepped heavily into a patch of tall grass.
Dynamic Field of View +1!
That was right—he had crushed a rat to death with a single stomp.
Since time was money, and every movement of the Mecha required maintenance fees, Yang Bo didn't bother targeting rabbits or other animals. He set the radar to track only birds and rats. On the game's minimap, numerous green dots could be seen. These were the targets the radar had scanned based on Yang Bo's settings.
The Mecha moved with increasing fluidity. The Plasma Saber in his hands swung like the scythe of the Death God, taking down a bird with every strike. Propelled by the instantaneous thrust of the Flying Backpack, the Mecha, weighing over a hundred tons, was launched eighty meters into the air. With a swift flick of his wrist, Yang Bo sliced a bird cleanly in half. Then, with the reverse thrust from the Rocket Backpack, he landed safely... Perfect!
Base 16 was a completely Metal fortress, measuring a thousand meters in diameter and eight hundred meters in height, built upon a foundation of solid granite. Yang Bo spent two hours doing two full sweeps of the area within a one-kilometer radius of the base, exterminating all the rats and birds before logging off.
Naturally, Yang Bo had no idea that he was already gaining a bit of a reputation on the Mecha World game forums. His performance around the base today had been captured on video once again.
"Tell me where this place is! I'm going to report this idiot!"
"Tsk tsk, this guy's real life must be incredibly miserable."
"He's definitely a coward and a total loser in reality."
"Haha, brothers, I know where this guy is. Wait for my recon report!"
Yang Bo had never visited the game forums; he simply wasn't in the habit of doing so. Besides, playing for two hours every night was already pushing his limits.
"Looks like I need to buy something to test my Power," Yang Bo murmured as he finished charging, feeling the changes within his body.
He checked his Skills again. Flying: Advanced (265/1000), Dynamic Field of View: Advanced (375/1000).
"I wonder where I can find an electric eel, or a Fluorescent Poison Frog. If I could find a cave with thousands of bats, that would be absolutely perfect." Yang Bo drifted off to sleep, his mind still filled with wild fantasies.
Meanwhile, in an apartment three kilometers away from Yang Bo's residence, a yellow-haired youth looked at the documents in his hand. He tossed them aside, turned on his Communication Device, and asked sarcastically, "Just this kind of guy? A regular resident, nothing more than a Low Level employee at Anzhijie Company. Is he really worth hiring someone like me?"
A mechanical voice emanated from the Communication Device, "Sir, will you take the job or not?"
"I'll take it. But the time limit here needs to be set to forty days," the yellow-haired youth agreed readily after glancing at the payout.
"Why?" the voice on the other end of the Communication Device asked.
"Don't ask questions you shouldn't be asking." The yellow-haired youth stood up, gazing out at a massive building in the distance.
"Very well," the other end replied.
"Thirty-eight days left. It'll be a grand feast, and we'll be the undisputed main characters," the yellow-haired youth said. He stared at the giant building in the distance, which displayed a row of brightly lit text: *38 Days Until the 32nd Stop of Li Duo'ai's Federation Tour*.
The glowing red letters sent a thrill of excitement coursing through him.