Chapter 977: Concept of Dual Mechanical Sense

Chapter 977: The Conception of Dual Mechanical Sense

Atop the Mechanical Throne, a sudden crackling erupted, as thick arcs of mechanical energy flashed and lashed the ground like whips, leaving scorched marks across the floor.

A faint ache pierced his brain, feeling akin to the stimulation of an electric current.

His eyes flashed with blinding light, and Han Xiao could distinctly feel his cells operating at full capacity, ceaselessly spewing forth energy.

After a few minutes, the symptoms slowly subsided, and the world in his eyes underwent a subtle shift, granting him a clearer mechanical perception and a deeper vision into the micro-structures.

"Truly marvelous..."

Han Xiao narrowed his eyes, savoring this transformation.

Utilizing a character card and inherently possessing this specialty felt entirely different; it was the current Perfect Mechanical Sense that had truly altered his very being.

His base attributes remained unchanged, but his mechanical force intensity and perception of machinery were enhanced, making the machines feel far more familiar and intimate to his senses.

The core effect of Perfect Mechanical Sense was a 1.4x multiplier to total mechanical affinity; based on Han Xiao's attributes, this brought an increase of around 2,000 to 3,000 mechanical affinity, a leap across several tiers!

The two secondary effects were, first, a 1 to 2-tier upgrade in mechanical quality when applying mechanical force bonuses, capped at pink quality; since Han Xiao's gear was mostly orange, this bonus was of little use to him now. The second, more crucial effect, increased all mechanical active skill levels by 4, breaking the upper limits, which was highly practical, adding at least a few more slots for Apostle-class armaments.

The Mechanical Sense specialty belonged to personal talent abilities, and its later learning difficulty varied from person to person; some geniuses grasped it effortlessly, while others, no matter how overwhelmingly powerful, could never learn it. Han Xiao had even drawn Basic Mechanical Sense from a quest, making the chance of upgrading it to Perfect Mechanical Sense on his own virtually zero.

Generally speaking, such talents were either passively awakened or actively cultivated from a young age, forming habits when plasticity was at its peak; as the saying goes, future fame is rooted in youth, making childhood the best period for nurturing talents, whereas as one grows older and stronger, the difficulty of learning personal talent specialties increases accordingly.

"I've finally obtained Perfect Mechanical Sense, and my regular combat power has finally caught up with when I use character cards."

Han Xiao felt deeply satisfied; he had been longing for this ability for a long time.

Now he was finally no longer embarrassing, ahaha!

Only power that belongs to oneself brings true peace of mind; transforming a trump card for explosive bursts into sustained combat power greatly enhanced stability, and only now could he truly solidify his status as a peak Beyond Class A Mechanic, significantly narrowing the gap between himself and the Mechanical Sovereign.

However, it was still too early to arm-wrestle with Manison; the man still possessed Perfect Mechanical Sense, so this merely closed a portion of the gap.

Han Xiao was in no rush; although they were both peak Beyond Class A, he was ultimately different from everyone else, possessing clear and ample room for growth.

Before the next major level-up, Han Xiao had no desire to entangle himself with Manison anew; taking advantage of the time when Manison felt his position was consolidated and unshakeable, he would develop in the shadows, lest the other see through the speed of his progress and adjust his countermeasures.

Although Han Xiao was no longer afraid of what Manison might do to him, he did not want to invite trouble before establishing the foundation of the Shining World; after all, Manison had the Shining Alliance backing him, and with his vast resources and extensive enterprises, there was little Han Xiao could do against him.

"Still, just because Perfect Mechanical Sense has become a sustained combat power doesn't mean I've lost this trump card."

A thought stirred in Han Xiao's mind.

Character Descent cards were unrelated to one's own abilities; for instance, with state-enhancement character cards, even if the character themselves was under the same buff, the card would still take effect, granting a double bonus.

In other words, the Perfect Mechanical Sense character card was still useful to him.

Having acquired Perfect Mechanical Sense himself, he now had the opportunity for a double bonus.

Stacking the two together, how terrifying would that be? It would probably be the only dual Perfect Mechanical Sense in the universe; that would be quite a mind-blowing sensation... Han Xiao muttered to himself, finding the mere thought daunting.

If he were to use it in front of Manison, the man's worldview would probably shatter.

"So it's best to save the blank character cards for Leonard or Nilo; whether I can draw them depends on luck."

Han Xiao savored the Perfect Mechanical Sense for a while before closing the specialty's description.

Returning to the skill list, he scrolled down to the blueprint ability column and looked at a newly acquired blueprint.

[[Space-Time Shearer]: Utilizing a peculiar space-time technology, it opens a briefly existing new branch outside the main trunk of the primary timeline, designating the completion of a preset action plan to form a time chain with a clear beginning and end, and breaking through space-time continuity to perform time-point jumps, thereby reducing the process; it can be used on any object.]

[This device has irreversible negative effects; objects subjected to space-time shearing will be corrected by the primary timeline. Once fully corrected, the object will annihilate along with the sheared branch time chain. If the time chain completes smoothly, the object will likewise annihilate and vanish.]

[Note: If you are a fanatic of suicide attacks, this device is surely perfect for you. Although the technology is not yet mature, since it's suicide anyway, I believe you won't mind these details.]

After stealing the space-time shearing technology from the Kunder race, Han Xiao studied it thoroughly, then spent some experience points to deduce the technology, ultimately obtaining this new blueprint recognized by the panel, and spent some time crafting a finished product.

Rising from the throne, Han Xiao walked down to the adjacent warehouse and brought out a rectangular device over ten meters high and four to five meters wide.

This was the finished space-time shearer, looking like a three-story building.

Over the past few days, he had conducted some simple tests and adjustments on the space-time shearer; it operated normally, though the startup time was slightly long, and it didn't work out of thin air, requiring the prior connection of dedicated linking pipes to the target to affect the object and its internal space.

Han Xiao would naturally not use such a dangerous device on himself, but after careful thought over the past few days, he realized this thing could be of immense help to a mechanic.

The most suitable targets for the space-time shearer were precisely the mass-produced mechanical troops!

He felt no heartache in expending mechanical soldiers; with this extra function, he could execute tactical missions previously impossible, achieving a qualitative leap in combat capability, essentially trading endurance for a multi-tier surge in tactical assault power, which was incredibly cost-effective for a mechanic commanding a legion.

Secondly, it could also serve as a new type of strategic lethal weapon; compared to portable void-energy bombs or biochemical genetic weapons, the space-time shearer had higher concealment and was harder to detect, making it suitable for assassination and sabotage.

Han Xiao stroked his chin, murmuring in silent thought:

"Still, it's best to use it as little as possible. In the future, once the Empire realizes the power of space-time shearing, they will begin to conceal and monopolize this technology. Although, given my status, the Empire won't forcibly reclaim the technology in my hands, they will certainly demand that I keep it confidential as well."

There was no need to hide the possession of space-time shearing technology from the Empire; he was merely stealing a copy for his own reserves before the Empire monopolized it, with no intention of concealing it, nor was there any need to.

Letting the Empire know he also possessed this technology could elevate his status; after all, he had snatched it before the Empire valued it, which was perfectly reasonable and legal, not something to be kept in the shadows. Moreover, if he used this technology on others in the future, it would eventually be exposed anyway, and the Empire might even help him conceal it.

No matter what, once the fat was in his belly, he would never spit it back out.

Shaking his head and dismissing these thoughts, Han Xiao took out a space-time amber, suspended it in mid-air, and connected it to the external interface of the space-time shearer.

Today, he planned to test whether space-time amber could be affected by space-time shearing; this was his first time conducting this experiment.

The operation of the space-time shearer was somewhat complex, and Han Xiao fiddled with it for a while before getting it started.

Buzz, buzz, buzz—

The entire device immediately began to vibrate, and streaks of colorful, flowing light poured through the pipes into the space-time amber.

He stepped back a few paces and waited in silence for a moment until the device's vibrations gradually subsided.

"The shearing is complete..."

Han Xiao's eyes flashed as he disconnected the nanobots suspending the space-time amber; the amber fell, the process smooth and fluid, without skipping frames according to the preset program.

Narrowing his eyes, he stepped forward and picked up the space-time amber, rolling it in his hands for a while to confirm it had not changed at all.

"It seems space-time amber is immune to space-time shearing."

Having reached this conclusion, Han Xiao breathed a slight sigh of relief; this was good news for him.

The inability of space-time shearing to bypass this cosmic wonder meant that space-time amber remained an unsolvable countermeasure for now; even if the Empire or other factions obtained this technology, the space-time amber in his hands would still play an irreplaceable role.

Pondering for a moment, Han Xiao conducted a new experiment.

He applied space-time shearing to a normal machine, then wrapped it in space-time amber, to see if the side effects of space-time shearing would still take effect.

The principle of space-time amber seemed to be a solidified special space-time, and the machine wrapped within it did not suffer the side effects of space-time shearing, seemingly ignoring the corrective force of the timeline.

At the same time, the normal effects of space-time shearing would not take effect either.

However, after the space-time amber was removed, the machine was still corrected by the primary timeline, annihilating itself and releasing a massive amount of energy, nearly blowing up the warehouse.

"In that case, it means space-time amber can only temporarily freeze an object and help it evade the consequence, but cannot cancel out the side effects of space-time shearing... so it can only serve as a coffin? It truly lives up to the meaning of amber."

Han Xiao dusted off his clothes, falling into deep thought.

"Or perhaps there are other methods, such as pre-setting the space-time shearing action, then sealing it, borrowing the amber's immunity to attacks to send it to the target location via normal means first, and then releasing the amber to activate the space-time shearing effect... hmm, that would be equivalent to a delayed detonation."

Thinking it over, Han Xiao instinctively felt this was a highly promising direction of application, requiring more time to explore further possibilities.

After testing it a few more times to ensure accuracy, he put the space-time shearer away, then took out his communicator and contacted Tarrokov, the commander of the Empire's Exploration Army.

Once connected, Old Ta's large, basin-like face appeared on the screen, the background a tactical conference room, seemingly in the middle of a meeting.

"Black Star, what is it?"

"Are you in a meeting? I shall call you back later."

"Merely a routine assembly, nothing half as important as you. Speak your mind."

Han Xiao smiled. "The enemy's recent maneuvers have grown peculiar; you have noticed it as well, haven't you?"

"Indeed, the enemy seems intent on luring us deep into their trap. Do you possess intelligence regarding this?"

"Something of the sort. Some time ago, I dispatched a strike force to obliterate the enemy's database and discovered they are employing a scorched-earth tactic, seeking to devour these star systems with Primordial Psionic Energy to inflict heavy casualties upon the Imperial Fleet. I have secured the coordinates of their psionic energy caches, along with the movements of their entire armada."

"Well done." Talrokov's eyes gleamed with sudden light, his heart swelling with profound gratification.

The other Beyond Grade A entities had largely treated this campaign with aloof indifference. Firstly, as paragons of power ever mindful of their dignity, they had no appetite for bullying an indigenous civilization bereft of a supernatural hierarchy; secondly, they dreaded the enemy's reckless deployment of Primordial Psionic Energy, fearing that a misstep would cost them their hard-earned prestige, and thus had merely sent their subordinates to answer the call to arms.

Black Star, however, was the sole Beyond Grade A ally who had stepped forward to lend his personal aid. Truly worthy of the Empire's high esteem, he was, in a word, utterly dependable.

"I shall transmit the intelligence to you shortly; do not forget to log a share of the credit for me," Han Xiao said with a half-joking lilt.

"Haha, rest assured, the credit shall be duly recorded in your name." Talrokov was in high spirits, finding Han Xiao increasingly agreeable to look upon.

Han Xiao smiled and severed the communication link.

With both Perfect Mechanical Sense and Space-Time Shearing technology now in his possession, he intended to bring this war to a swift conclusion and resume his normal explorations at the earliest opportunity.

Another purpose in providing this intelligence was to elevate the evaluation of the Kundu war mission; since his other objectives were already fulfilled, he might as well farm the remaining credit and help the Empire vanquish their foe with all haste.

Since he had no intention of concealing his possession of Space-Time Shearing technology, Han Xiao cast aside all reservations and laid the intelligence bare.

……

Talrokov acted with swift efficiency; upon receiving Han Xiao's intelligence, he immediately set his plans in motion.

Several legions on the front lines dispatched their forces, moving in secret toward the designated coordinates to sabotage the enemy's scorched-earth scheme.

Furthermore, Han Xiao's intelligence had marked the coordinates and movements of every Kundu fleet, granting the Empire the equivalent of omniscient foresight; the enemy's every maneuver was now laid bare before them.

The legions on the front lines abandoned their methodical advance, instead dispersing with deliberate purpose and striking straight for the various main fleets of the Kundu.

Unaware that all their stratagems had been laid bare and were now entirely within the Empire's grasp, the Kundu continued to execute their battle plans with mechanical routine.

Aided by Han Xiao, the Empire was spared a multitude of exertions, effortlessly achieving absolute supremacy in intelligence over the Kundu.

The scales of victory in this war had now tilted decisively and irrevocably in favor of the Empire.