Morli stared at Wang Chen, giving him an exasperated glance before quickly heading to change into a new set of clothes.
Meanwhile, a burst of golden light radiated from Wang Chen's body. The moment he defeated the Goblins, his level surged to Level 10.
At last, the long-awaited gray skill in his mind began to unlock!
"You've been out on this trial for at least ten days, right? To reach level ten all by yourself is absurd," Morli exclaimed as she reappeared, now dressed in fresh attire. Her eyes were wide with disbelief. She couldn't fathom how Wang Chen had managed to level up so quickly—something that would normally take days even with help. But this man had done it alone, which was a testament to his terrifying talent.
Wang Chen shrugged nonchalantly. "Just half a day," he replied casually.
"Half a day!" Morli's mouth fell open in shock.
Half a day? That wasn't just talent. That was monstrous. If what Wang Chen said was true, his profession had to be an S-level at the very least! No—perhaps something even higher.
But... he was just a mechanic, right?
Unaware of Morli's thoughts, Wang Chen stroked his chin, glancing at her again, noticing her legs trembling slightly. He silently mused to himself, This girl's great, but her emotional outbursts... She really needs to get a hold of herself.
Morli snapped out of her thoughts, her legs pressed tightly together, and asked with a hint of anticipation, "So, what's next for you?"
"Of course, I'm going after the Queen Bee," Wang Chen said without hesitation.
"The Queen Bee!?" Morli's face drained of color. She instinctively wanted to stop him, but then she recalled how Wang Chen had effortlessly taken down the Goblins and the terrifyingly powerful Brown Bear Bees with a single strike. With that kind of power, what could she possibly do to stop him?
"Well... Can we go together? Don't judge me—I've got some offensive power too, and I'm at least an A-level mage. I won't drag you down; I just want to ride along and soak up some experience..." she said, her face turning a deep shade of red.
Wang Chen gave her a brief look, "Of course, just make sure we stay calm."
Morli immediately understood. Her face turned an even deeper crimson, almost as if she could feel her blood boiling with embarrassment. She awkwardly nodded, trying her best to look composed.
With that, Wang Chen set off towards the location of the Brown Bear Bee Queen, and Morli hurried to follow, chattering excitedly behind him.
Though Wang Chen responded absentmindedly, his thoughts were already immersed in the Mechanical Construction skill that had just unlocked. As his mind drifted, he visualized a vast, futuristic factory, with towering chimneys exhaling streams of steam, much like a scene from a cyberpunk world.
The moment his consciousness connected to the factory's blueprint, all of its information flooded into his mind.
[Name]: Mechanical Factory
[Level]: 1
[Population]: 1000
[Function]: Creation of various mechanical units
[Description]: Your faction has achieved god-level technology. The mighty mechanical factory houses a complete god-level technology tree, allowing you to manufacture powerful mechanical devices through blueprints and materials.
[Current Available Units]: Excavators, Invaders
[Current Available Building]: Scan Tower
"Looks like for now, I can only create basic mechanical units and one type of building," Wang Chen mused as he reviewed the available blueprints.
[Excavator (Level 1)]
[Population]: 1
[Skills]: Mining ore, sensing nearby mines
[Description]: A small and agile cluster unit that can quickly mine ore and transport it.
[Required Materials]: Copper Ore ×10, Alloy Diamond ×10, Iron Ore ×10
[Invader (Level 1)]
[Population]: 1
[Skills]: Invades a monster's brain and transforms it into a mechanical unit, inheriting its original level. There's a chance the monster's skills will be converted into mechanical abilities. If the faction has a Mechanical Weapon Assembly Tower, weapon upgrades and gear can be equipped.
[Description]: A fearsome mechanical spider-type monster, the Invader can invade a monster's brain and alter its appearance. The lower the monster's intelligence, the higher the chance of a successful invasion.
[Required Materials]: Copper Ore ×10, Alloy Diamond ×10, Iron Ore ×10
[Scan Tower (Level 1)]
[Function]: Analyzes scans, detects enemy and allied units, and checks for mineral deposits
[Description]: Equipped with infrared heat sensors and vibration detection instruments, it scans various units and mineral deposits. Shares vision with the main character. Scan range: 500 meters for units, 1000 meters for minerals.
[Required Materials]: Copper Ore ×100, Alloy Diamond ×50, Iron Ore ×50
"This is just as I imagined," Wang Chen thought, his eyes lighting up with excitement. "The first batch of machines I can build are all support units—perfect for mining materials. This will make gathering upgrade materials much easier in the future."
With a grin, Wang Chen began quietly creating a few Excavators.
The sleek mechanical units, resembling tiny digging machines, were deployed into the Goblin cave when Morli wasn't looking, tasked with relentlessly mining materials.
Wang Chen had only upgraded his arms so far, and there were still five parts left to upgrade. He would need a lot of materials to complete the upgrades. The three Excavators worked tirelessly, digging up copper and other precious ores, unfazed by the passage of time. As long as their energy cells were full, they could run at full speed indefinitely.
Next, a towering Scan Tower took shape, its head rotating as a red beam swept across the area, scanning for mineral resources within a kilometer radius.
"I've struck gold!" Wang Chen thought, a smug smile playing on his lips. "This is definitely worth it. The hidden cave's mineral resources are even richer than I imagined."
The newly mined materials were immediately turned into more Excavators, and within moments, thirty more were created and scattered across the cave, continuing their network-wide mining operations.
"Right, I can also use these Excavators for reconnaissance purposes. Let's send them ahead to build more Scan Towers and check out the Queen Bee's lair," Wang Chen decided.
He sent the Excavators a few hundred meters forward, directing them to construct three more Scan Towers along the way.
This mechanical construction ability is a dream, Wang Chen thought. I haven't even arrived yet, and already, I've mapped out most of the secret dungeon.
The three Scan Towers lit up with shimmering lights, rapidly building themselves. Once completed, they projected their red scanning beams ahead.
As the beams traced their way through the labyrinthine structure of the Bee Queen's lair, Wang Chen's mind processed the data, mapping out every twist and turn.
But as the scans completed, Wang Chen's eyes widened in disbelief.
"What's going on?" he muttered, his voice tense.
"Hey, why did you stop?" Morli accidentally bumped into Wang Chen, causing her chest to jolt. She quickly pressed her hands to cover herself, flustered and embarrassed.
Wang Chen remained silent, his gaze fixed on the scan results. The deep concern in his eyes was hard to ignore.