Gabe Steele opened his eyes in confusion, trying to raise his metal-clad hand, but it refused to obey.
The scorching sunlight poured through the torn roof, bringing not only heat but also traces of radiation from the nuclear smoke. This electromagnetic radiation affected his already damaged electronic prosthetic eye, causing it to snap and completely freeze.
He had been shot at least three times and stabbed in the chest. His skin was aching and itchy, likely due to the car crash, where shards of glass mixed with debris from the car in front hit him head-on, causing his right eye to explode.
Most importantly—this wasn't his body!
"Didn't I finally steal the NPC template from that old PUA sanctuary of the 'Mind Collective' and was on my way to an intergalactic teleport? What's happening now? Did the natural disaster invasion arrive early?"
Gabe grimaced as the excruciating pain rippled through his body. He hadn't felt this level of injury since uploading his consciousness to the data terminal and transforming it into the mainframe AI. Pain signals traveled from every part of his body to his central nervous system, pouring into his brain like a raging storm.
It was agonizing, and he felt like vomiting! He hadn't been human for years, so why did he have to endure this pain?
'Did those old bastards in the Civilization Council discover my player identity? Impossible! I'd taken care of everything and was so well disguised. I survived from the beginning to the end of the game without dying once, without any informational changes. How did they find me?'
'They instantly changed my body, rendering my respawn mechanism inoperable. Unless they instantly wiped out the millions of virtual personalities, AI clones, consciousness sub-bodies, soul viruses, and logical information bodies I've hidden across various planets, what advanced civilization would use a 'spectacular weapon' against me?'
'Hasn't this cosmic wonder been completely destroyed by natural disasters long ago? Did someone foresee my plan to guide the natural disaster and kill me beforehand?'
'Xander King was killed by Sam Lang before he could even connect with Jane Parker? That's unreasonable!'
His stomach churned, his throat burned as if stuffed with chili peppers, blood gushed from his mouth and nose, and the fading beat of his mechanical heart made Gabe realize a truth. He was about to die!
Suddenly, neurons in his brain contracted, neurotransmitters raced along the axons to their terminals, and memories flooded back like a tide. That was the brief life of this body's owner.
In his memories, this body's owner was Gabe Steele, a veteran mecha hunter who had roamed the Iron Sands Desert for years, earning bounties from factories and city businesses by hunting irradiated beasts and mecha-biomorphs. He occasionally moonlighted as a killer, escort, or bandit. His ruthlessness and unwavering vengeance earned him a reputation among hunters, earning him the nickname "The Lone Wolf of the Wilderness."
His fall to this state stemmed from a simple escort mission. The cargo was energy ore, a specialty of the Iron Sands Desert. According to Gabe, this mission should have been a breeze. Even the most powerful indigenous warlords in the Iron Sands Desert wouldn't dare lay a hand on the "factory's" goods.
However, to everyone's surprise, as the convoy reached the Great Rift Valley, a group of wanderers suddenly attacked, instantly killing the spies. Without even a moment's warning, the enemy's powerful firepower, unlike that of the indigenous, paralyzed the entire convoy. Mine workers and escorts were brutally killed. Even Gabe, a veteran bounty hunter, was outnumbered and stabbed at close range, wiping out his consciousness and ultimately leading to this time travel.
He survived death because the human body's mechanization process replaced certain vital organs with mechanical ones. In this sudden confrontation, the mechanical hunter Gabe was killed, but a new consciousness traveled through time and space, successfully merging with the deceased.
Gabe became Gabe.
Gabe's fragmented and chaotic memories revealed two groups attacking the convoy: one targeting the guards, the other targeting him. After defeating four opponents, he was ambushed and stabbed in the chest from behind, pinning him to the front seat of the car. Blood and artificial protein dripped down the blade.
Heavy footsteps echoed, the sound of boots crunching on sand, and a mechanical head peered through the car window. The red light of its visual sensor flickered across its chest and skull, making a creaking sound as if ready to fire another shot.
"Confirming target."
The other party's voice simulation system emitted a dull, mechanical synthesized tone, but for some reason, Gabe detected a hint of excitement. In interstellar society, many mechanical life forms develop a special interest in the flesh of intelligent species, a condition known as "machine diarrhea."
Remarkably, despite the metal head, the skin beneath its military uniform was pale, devoid of veins or wrinkles—a clone's flesh. This looked familiar.
"Is he still alive?" another voice seemed to echo from outside the car, its voice distorted and unreal due to his hazy consciousness.
Gabe noticed that the flesh on the man's neck was clearly protruding outward, as if the head had been inserted directly into the chest cavity. The exposed wires and fluid tubes also confirmed this.
"An inferior implant system, sub-level 4 neural connections, not even micro-bionics. This thing is nothing but junk on the civilized black market, and it's the lowest-grade mechanical junk."
The mechanical head didn't seem to intend to fire another shot but instead reached out and groped Gabe.
"So you're going to strike while the iron is hot?"
Just as Gabe's anxiety peaked, the other party pulled something out of his pocket. It was—a preliminary citizenship certificate for the Mechanical City!
This was a treasure that everyone in the Iron Sands Desert dreamed of! This small notebook had almost drained the original owner's savings. Otherwise, with his wealth, it would be impossible for him to work as such a low-level escort.
According to the plan, in a few months, once the funds were gathered, the original owner would head for the city that never sleeps, filled with the ambition of rising to prominence.
Become a city dweller! But—how could the other party know?
Just as the other party bent down, Gabe's gaze fell on the chest of his gray body armor, where a flesh shield and a metal spear were emblazoned.
"Is this... the Flesh Knights of the Machine-Splitting Planet?"
Distant memories suddenly drew closer, aligning with Gabe's own memories. Gabe was shocked to find himself transported back to the Cyberworld's opening cyber testing ground, also known as the Novice Village, a year before the players arrived.
The cyborgs before him were the knights' artificial soldiers. The Flesh Knights (also known as the Knights of Vengeance) were another dark force opposed to the Machine City. They were a terrorist organization whose goal was to overthrow the city's rule, with its tentacles spread across the post-disaster continent. Rumors circulated that their leader was a military artificial intelligence from a pre-civilization era.
"So, the Beast Machine Disaster hasn't begun yet, Night City hasn't fallen, and the corporate war is still in the planning stages."
"Amnesia, personality reconfiguration, pheromone viruses, and other cyberwaves are still a long way off."
"Is this planet still under the control of the three mother cities?"
"At this point in time... the Knights should be preparing for the first battle of the Beast Machine Disaster—the Hydra Campaign!"
"This is the early expansion pack that players haven't participated in!"
"Kill him!" the distorted voice rang out again.
"No, this body is fine. It will be my collection. I want to keep it fresh so I can replace it at any time."
"The agreement... is inconsistent... with your cooperation..."
"Low-class scum, remember, the Knights are not threatened by anything!"
As the word "Knights" rang out, Gabe suddenly saw an electronic panel, revealing the attributes of the "Skull."
Knights' Artificial Soldier:
Level: 9
Body Modification: 11
Occupation: Artificial Soldier lv7
Health: 80/80
Stamina: 50/60
Mechanical Energy: 50+30
Personal Attributes: Strength 9, Agility 9, Stamina 9, Intelligence 9, Perception 9
System Modification:
- Electronic Combat Brain lv5 (Increases 30 points of Mechanical Energy)
- Pain Removal lv4 (Severs the physical pain system)
- Fanatic Awareness lv5 (A fanatical warrior whose loyalty is maintained by the mechanical brain)
Skills:
- Basic Shooting lv6
- Knife Kill lv5
- Charge Mode (Faction-Specific)
Note: This is a low-level combat soldier composed of a modified electronic brain and a cloned body. The electronic brain ensures their loyalty, while the cloned body guarantees their production.
"This is—the system template!"
Gabe was surprised and delighted. As expected, the familiar interface lit up again. Compared to the simple player template, this dark golden game interface was far more magnificent and beautiful, containing far more content.
Strength +5
Endurance +3
Strength +4
Strength +5
Strength +6
Strength +7
Strength +8
Strength +10
Strength +10
Strength +10
Strength +10
Strength +10
Strength +10
Strength +10
Strength +10
Strength +10
Strength +10
Strength +10
Strength +10
Strength +10
Strength +10
Strength +10
Strength +10
Strength +10
Agility -2
Bionic Joints (Motor System): Utilize the mechanical endoskeleton's power-generating joints, featuring built-in micromotors that require regular recharging. Agility +2.
Combat Eye*1 (Damaged): Enhances your visual range, with a 500-meter visual range (adjustable).
Mechanical Heart (Circulatory System) (Partially Damaged): Your initial attempt at transforming into a higher-level cyborg.
Skills:
- Full Strike (Modified): After the mechanized endoskeleton, each of your attacks reaches its maximum power. Critical Hit Chance +6%, Stun +6%, with a chance of inflicting the negative status "Concussion."
- Precision Shooting Level 5 (Advanced): As an expert firearms user, years of combat have given you a superior feel for the weapon. Firearm Damage +10% Recoil -5% Critical Hit Rate +5%
- Brawl Level 8: You are a combat expert. When using bare hands or blunt weapons, your attack power increases by 15%, and your block damage reduction increases by 10%.
- Basic Repair Level 4 (Professional): You have a certain level of repair knowledge and possess certain repair methods for firearms and vehicles, with a repair success rate of +5%.
- Mechanical Hunting Modification Level 5 (Professional): You can modify your own combat body to a certain extent, increasing your chances of killing prey.
Individual Force: Level 0 (Mechanical Modifier) (In a planetary civilization, you are barely a qualified cannon fodder)
Expertise: None
Professional Knowledge Tree: None
Wow, these basic attributes, what a double-flowered red stick!
The game panel has two pages in total. When switching to the second page, a gray box popped up.
'The civilization template has not yet been opened. Please wait until the host meets the conditions before opening it.'
Gabe's heart was shocked, his eyes complicated.
'What they said in the game forum is true! There is indeed a second set of civilization templates!'
As early as the game's late stages, many players suspected that Cyberworld should have a "civilization building template" in addition to the player's pre-installed "class template." Otherwise, in the later stages, players alone would find it nearly impossible to contend with powerful advanced civilizations, let alone the costly process of civilizational ascension.
During the Three Great Scourges, players were captured, sliced, and studied by various civilizations. They then inferred a separate "NPC template" from the "player template." The result was that the NPCs in the game leveled up faster than the players themselves. Can you believe it?!
This led to a surge in game obsession, with forums ablaze with complaints and daily calls for difficulty adjustments. Instead of waiting for the incompetent planners, they were met with NPCs stalking the internet.
In reality, giant robotic arms descended from the sky, alien monsters pierced the atmosphere, artificial intelligence controlled the nuclear arsenals of major nations, and species-based viruses ravaged the globe.
Virtual and real life were reversed, and NPCs became truly advanced players. Cyberworld became a cyberpunk version of the real world.
(End of Chapter)