18: Chapter 18 Challenge Mission

The STC-73 hovering in mid-air descended, its crimson optical lens projecting a fan-shaped, ghostly blue light screen that enveloped the items on the table.

"That is the shallow cognition of you inferior carbon-based lifeforms from Earth."

73's mechanical voice rang out right on cue, carrying its usual arrogance.

"Strictly speaking, this is the underlying logic hub of a silicon-based carbonized adaptive individual. However, for this ignorant era where people even kowtow and chant prayers to toasters, calling it a Stone Man is fine."

The blue light swept over the transparent chip and the prosthetic eye.

"Regrettably, Creator. The quantum array inside the chip has completely collapsed, and the data has been wiped. The prosthetic eye only retains its most basic low-light sensing function; it has no recycling value."

Lin Li smacked his lips, feeling a bit disappointed: "Got my hopes up for nothing. What about this hunk of metal?"

He picked up the rusty metal cube and shook it by his ear.

"This thing doesn't even have a seam; it's completely seamless. How do you open it? Do I need to put it on a cutter?"

Just as Lin Li finished speaking.

73's optical lens suddenly flashed with a high-frequency purple light!

"Click."

A crisp sound of a mechanism ejecting echoed.

The metal cube, which had been perfectly sealed and covered in rust, suddenly blossomed like a lotus, splitting into four petals from the top!

"What the hell?"

Lin Li stared in shock,

"What kind of cyber lock-picking method is this?"

"Merely basic infrasonic resonance decoding." 73 let out a cold snort.

Lin Li ignored its posturing, his gaze instantly locked onto what was inside the metal cube.

In the center of the cube lay a glass-like cylinder, only the size of a standard mineral water bottle.

Inside the cylinder flowed an extremely viscous liquid that emitted a mesmerizing, ghostly blue light! Even through the glass, Lin Li could feel the terrifying amount of pure energy contained within!

"Creator, your luck even exceeds the calculation limits of probability."

In 73's mechanical voice, there was a rare trace of disbelief,

"This is a high-density polymer ion battery that has been preserved perfectly, with absolutely no energy decay!"

Lin Li's breathing quickened instantly.

"With this, can we open the second underground level?!" Lin Li grabbed the battery in excitement.

"At any time, Creator."

...

On the surface of the Shelter.

Flash and Miracle Walker teamed up to go hunting in the wild.

Their goal was to hunt a few stray mutated beasts so they could come back and test that carbon material purification box.

Liver Emperor, meanwhile, was pushing that newly built cart, initiating a carpet-style scavenging mode around the Shelter.

As long as it was a piece of rusty scrap metal, he moved it all back and shoved it into the material recycler in Workshop No. 3.

The busiest one was Ming Shen.

Ming Shen was currently shirtless, standing in front of the Matter Constructor, drenched in sweat.

He carefully poured the fifty kilograms of sulfur and saltpeter obtained from today's trade, along with charcoal found in the ruins, into the synthesis chamber of the constructor according to the proportions.

"Mixing black powder by hand is too dangerous, and the power isn't enough."

Ming Shen rapidly entered commands on the holographic screen,

"With this machine's micro-blending function, I can directly generate high-purity granular propellant!"

"Hum—"

The constructor emitted a low drone.

Before long, it spat out a pile of dark gray, uniform granular gunpowder from the outlet.

"It worked!"

Ming Shen waved his fist in excitement.

With the gunpowder and the ready-made primers Lin Li had traded for, all that remained was to machine the metal parts.

He didn't aim too high by trying to build an automatic assault rifle; that required too much from the current metal material strength and spring manufacturing technology.

He chose the most classic, structurally simple semi-automatic pistol.

Several hours of frantic work.

By evening.

The wasteland's star began to slowly sink in the west.

Behind the defensive wall on the surface of the Shelter.

"Click!"

A crisp sound of metal striking echoed.

Ming Shen held a ruggedly designed 9mm semi-automatic pistol in both hands, on which the clear marks of grinding could still be seen.

He skillfully flipped the safety with his thumb, yanked the slide, and a brass bullet was crisply chambered.

"Brothers! The moment to witness a miracle has arrived!"

Ming Shen took a deep breath and aimed the muzzle at a rock thirty meters away.

He aimed and pulled the trigger.

"Bang—!"

A deafening gunshot instantly tore through the silence of the wasteland evening!

A dazzling burst of flame erupted from the muzzle.

The powerful recoil numbed Ming Shen's arms, but he firmly kept the muzzle down.

On the rock in the distance, a spray of debris exploded!

"Holy crap!!!"

Liver Emperor, who happened to be pushing a cart of junk back, along with Flash and Walker, who were carrying a huge mutated hairless bird, happened to see this scene.

The three of them threw down what they were holding and pounced like mad dogs, showering Ming Shen with crazy compliments!

"Awesome! Old Thunder, you are a freaking god!"

Flash's eyes were about to pop out, and drool was flowing onto the ground,

"You actually managed to craft a gun in the game! Quick, quick, let me touch it!"

"This texture! This smell of gunpowder! This recoil feedback!"

Walker grabbed the pistol, incoherent with excitement,

"This game is amazing! Cold weapon pioneering, and only a few days in, we've entered the age of firearms! The developer must be a military enthusiast!"

Lin Li, who had just taken the elevator to the first-floor lobby, saw this scene through the airtight door.

He leaned against the doorframe, the corners of his mouth curling up.

"Not bad, these kids; their hands-on skills are simply heaven-defying."

Lin Li silently gave Ming Shen a hundred thumbs up in his heart.

With firearms, the players were finally no longer lambs waiting to be slaughtered when facing those ordinary Orks.

"Extremely crude kinetic solid-projectile weapons."

STC-73's red light flickered beside Lin Li, its tone full of undisguised disdain,

"Using chemical fuel expansion to propel metal warheads? This kind of primitive toy, outdated by forty thousand years, isn't even fit to scratch the itch of a Golden Age hound."

"Shut up."

Lin Li rolled his eyes,

"You don't know a damn thing about a man's romance."

On the surface.

After the excitement passed, the four of them started preparing dinner.

Flash skillfully drew his dagger and gutted the large mutated bird.

To be safe, they only cut off the firmest breast meat, the two legs, and the wings, while Liver Emperor threw all the remaining internal organs and bones into the material recycler.

"Come on, let's test if this purification box works."

Walker moved the silver-white carbon material purification box out, shoved the bloody bird meat inside, and pressed the start button.

"Hum, hum, hum—"

The purification box emitted a slight vibration.

After just five minutes, the indicator light turned green.

Opening the door, the bird meat, which had originally exuded a foul, fishy smell and was dark red, had become as finely textured as the highest grade Wagyu beef, even carrying a faint, pleasant fragrance!

All radiation, mutated toxins, and impurities had been perfectly stripped away!

"Divine item!"

The four of them immediately built a campfire, skewered the bird meat with wooden sticks, and roasted it over the fire.

Before long, the mouth-watering aroma of roasted meat began to permeate the wasteland.

...

Underground Level 2.

In the main control room.

Lin Li inserted the mineral water bottle-sized polymer ion battery into a special energy port on the wall of Room No. 1.

"Click!"

The port automatically locked.

The next second, the lights of the entire Shelter dimmed for a moment, and then, a soft white light, ten times brighter than before, burst forth!

On the computer screen, a string of green code flashed wildly.

[High-dimensional energy source detected.]

[Energy reserves: Sufficient.]

[Fire Seed Shelter underlying protocol unlocking progress: 2%.]

[Underground Level 2 physical isolation door released, elevator access permissions granted.]

[Administrator points reward: 500 points.]

Looking at the jumping points balance in the upper right corner, the heaviness and suppression that Lin Li had accumulated in the sewer during the day were finally swept away.

"Let's go down and see our new territory!"

Lin Li strode into the elevator and pressed the [B2] button that had finally lit up.

The elevator traveled downward for a full ten seconds.

"Hiss—"

The doors slid open to both sides.

The scene before his eyes made Lin Li gasp, followed by an outburst of wild joy.

The space on the second underground level was actually more than twice as large as the first!

There were no unnecessary decorations.

In the center of the extremely wide, silver-white hall, fifty brand-new incubation pods, filled with pale green nutrient solution, were arranged neatly!

And at the edge of the hall were rows of metal shelves that reached up to the ceiling.

On the shelves, about a hundred cans of pure biomass reserve liquid were densely packed!

"Fifty units!"

Lin Li waved his fist in excitement,

"This means I can bring fifty more death-defying workers from Earth to grind for me!"

Four players could craft a pistol by hand in a single day.

If fifty of The Fourth Calamity were to grind at the same time, who on this wasteland would be their match?!

Just as Lin Li was excitedly planning his next troop-spawning route.

"Beep!"

His pv terminal suddenly transmitted an extremely crisp mission notification sound.

Lin Li looked down.

[Fire Seed Shelter supreme directive updated!]

[Main Mission: The First Step to Revival.]

[Mission Description: Completely repair and upgrade the Matter Constructor.]

[Mission Reward: 500 Administrator points. Unlock Underground Level 3 and all permissions.]

That wasn't all.

Below this main mission, there was another mission flashing with a glaring red light.

[Epic Regional Challenge Mission: Blood for Blood!]

[Mission Description: The illusion of peace has been shattered! To the northwest of the Shelter, an Ork tribe called the Black Claw Clan is gathering rapidly. Their hands are stained with human blood!]

[Mission Objective: At all costs, completely annihilate the Black Claw Clan tribe! Decapitate the enemy warlord!]

[Mission Reward: 1000 Administrator points!]

Lin Li stared fixedly at the glaring words "completely annihilate" on the screen, his heart burning with heat.

"Watch Daddy give you all a big show!"