Before the release of Cyberworld, the groundbreaking holographic online game, players were brimming with excitement. Gamers of all kinds held high expectations for this game.
"Master Sai has arrived, and the sky will be clear!" "Master Sai has arrived, and the Blue Planet will be at peace!"
As a truly revolutionary masterpiece, Cyberworld lived up to its reputation. Its exceptional quality, impressive combat system, diverse civilizations, and vast worldview captivated countless players. Even in the late stages of the game, players remained incredibly excited. How could it not be exciting? Being turned into a tin can, injected daily with artificial dopamine, and generating bio-energy—it's hard not to be thrilled.
Yet, Gabe Steele didn't suffer the fate of a tin can. He became the leader of a rising sixth-level civilization, infiltrating various NPC factions and participating in the final battle against the three natural disasters.
If it weren't for his inexplicable time travel, he'd still be secretly crossing into Chencang, following the path of the "Leading Party."
With such a low profile, it's time for a proper introduction.
Gabe Steele, formerly known as Gabe Steele, is an unemployed young man, a devoted anime fan, and a masterful comic book illustrator. His exceptional depiction of the human body in unclothed scenes surpasses even most original authors. Nicknamed the "Welfare Tentacle Monster," "Wife Control," and "Wife Killer," he is widely regarded as the undisputed leader of the SP industry by countless comic book enthusiasts.
Seeking inspiration and keeping up with the times, he resolutely decided to join this game, seeking new directions among the myriad intelligent species.
As the saying goes, a mountain's spirit lies in its heart, and a river's depth is not limited to its inhumanity. Only with universal love can one achieve great success!
With this lofty dream in mind, Gabe Steele, known in the game as "Mr. G," entered Cyberworld, becoming an ordinary comic book player.
Cyberworld features tens of thousands of races and professions, organized into different civilization technology trees, scattered across the universe like stars. These civilizations fall into four major categories based on their types: Mechanical World, Carbon-Based Sequence, Energy Realm, and Information Ocean.
The Machine-Splitting Planet is part of a particular mechanical civilization's sphere of influence. Its primary inhabitants are carbon-based humans, in a post-apocalyptic setting with basic professions across the three major systems: mechanical, carbon-based, and informational. Among them, the Mechanomorph, Cybersecurity Guard, and Mecha Knight belong to the Mechanical system. The Bionic Man (basic template), the Cloned Soldier, and the Beast Soldier belong to the Carbon-Based system. The Neural Coder belongs to the Information system.
Gabe Steele, with his lofty ideals, naturally differed from the average player who chose the Mechanical system, which became a true god with each new version, nor the Carbon-Based system, which was a superhuman with each new version. Instead, he chose the relatively unconventional Neural Coder, a cyberpunk equivalent of the Hacker.
A series of plot events, both large and small, followed. Just before the Machine-Splitting Planet was devoured by a planet-destroying weapon, he completed the main quest, secured a ticket to an off-world colony, and then achieved his second-level job advancement, completely abandoning his physical body and undergoing self-programming, transforming into a primary AI.
If the first phase of his experience was vaguely similar to that of other players, then Gabe Steele's next phase began to completely unleash his inner self.
While others were leveling up and fighting monsters, he was sculpting faces. While others were roaming interstellar space, he was developing a "rich woman's sponsor" Type I virtual companion. While others were mechanically ascending, he was researching custom-made beautiful girl figurines. While others were engaging in interstellar wars, starships, and artillery fire, he was developing a large-scale, interracial virtual online dating platform. While others were wanted by advanced civilizations, he had already successfully broken the reproductive barrier between "carbon-based species" and "information-based creatures," providing a one-stop service for virtual girlfriends, electronic wives, and digital offspring. (Even his 2D wife could have children.) While others became interstellar scourges, he had already created a fantasy paradise for countless interstellar geeks.
By the time players, a "special species," were labeled an interstellar scourge and wanted by the entire universe, he had already become a distinguished guest of the six ninth-level civilizations.
In the later stages of the game, he's revered by believers across planets as the Lord of Figures, the Wholesaler of Books, the Vendor of Advanced Sensory Sensors, the Reproductive System Transformer, the Mentor of the Heart, the Lifelong Ally of the Universe's LSPs, and the Master of Virtual Experience. He's also recognized by the Civilization Council as the leader of a Level Six virtual civilization, the Master of Hyperconnectivity in the Transcendental Realm—Mr. G!
But even as formidable as he is, with only ten drops of health remaining, he can't achieve a breakthrough! His hands and feet grow colder, his consciousness blurring, and the creaking of tires seems to fade away. Senior Engineer Gabe is racking his brains for a way out!
Beep, beep—
[Mission: Life-threatening Run]
Difficulty: Normal
Mission Briefing: As an exceptional mechanical hunter, you encounter a sudden battle that ends in your death. Was it truly an accident? The most pressing matter now is how to save your life.
Mission Objective: Return to the Black Rose Gasoline Bar alive or find the Black Rose.
Mission Reward: +1500 XP. A life!
A mission popped up on the game panel. Gabe Steele glanced at it, his lips twitching. A life! This new system is quite a joke.
However, triggering this mission wouldn't help Gabe Steele's current situation at all. Even with the 1500 XP, it wouldn't level up his main class, "Mechanic Transformer."
Wait! Gabe Steele's eyes fixed on a single attribute bar.
Secondary Class: Factory Worker Level 4 (You were originally a child laborer in a human transformation factory, but ambition drove you to a different path.)
In Cyberworld, players have two classes: a main class and a secondary class. While you can only have one main class, you can theoretically have an unlimited number of secondary classes. In Planet Civilization, the level cap for a main class is 30, and for a secondary class is 20.
But don't underestimate secondary classes, or treat them like ordinary, in-game occupations.
The main class advances every ten levels. Not only must the class level be maxed out, but the body must also undergo a profound transformation. Depending on the direction of the transformation, the direction of career development also varies.
Successful transformations bring soaring potential, while failures are a disaster. The direction of the main class's transformation is determined by the secondary class.
Unlike the main class, where a primary class advances at ten levels, secondary classes advance at five. Senior Engineer's secondary class, Factory Worker, is right at the transition threshold.
NPCs without system templates can only wait for death, while those with system templates can naturally show off their skills!
Senior Engineer, with an idea in mind, invested all of his previous experience (not quest rewards) into his secondary class.
[Factory Worker upgraded to Level 5, +3% repair success rate]
[Factory Worker upgraded to Junior Worker, Level 4, +1 Strength, +1 Stamina, and 1 attribute point]
['Basic Repair' upgraded to 'Basic Mechanical Repair']
Basic Mechanical Repair: Ability to perform a limited number of adjustments and upgrades on low-level machinery, including component replacement.
[You Light Up Knowledge [Industrial Materials Science]]
[You Light Up Knowledge [Mechanical Modification]]
As he changed his job, a flood of mechanical knowledge and images of prosthetic modifications flooded his mind like a revelation.
The five main attributes of Strength, Agility, Endurance, Intelligence, and Perception each increase Health by 5, but each attribute has a different emphasis.
Strength reflects muscle explosiveness and density. Agility focuses on aerobic and anaerobic metabolism. Endurance is reflected in the strength of the respiratory system. Intelligence measures the efficiency of information processing in the brain. Perception, on the other hand, measures the length and breadth of the nervous system.
Without hesitation, Gabe Steele invested his single attribute point in Perception.
Instantly, his hazy consciousness became remarkably clear, and a warm current surged through his body. Nausea, excruciating pain, fatigue, and aching itchiness washed over him. Gabe Steele gritted his teeth, tightening his cheeks to stifle the screams that threatened to escape his lips.
But at the same time, sounds, visual signals, smells, temperatures, vibrations—all these sensory inputs surged like a flood.
Health: 25/115 (Flesh severely injured) (Mechanical severely injured)
Flesh returned from near death to serious injury.
Engineer Gabe continued to play dead, his head drooping, nailed to the chair, but a cold glint shone from the corners of his eyes.
His hand, however, quietly reached for the military dagger, slowly, bit by bit, pulling it out. And then—shoved it in again!
[You lose 2 health points]
[You lose 3 health points]
[You lose 1 health point]
[You lose 3 health points]
[You enter a bleeding state, Strength -2, all damage taken increased by 10%]
[You are performing mechanical repairs on yourself]
The tip of the knife plunged into the wound again from a different angle, and the bright red flesh tumbled outward, resembling two crossed smiling faces.
Engineer Gabe, sweating profusely, painstakingly yet carefully turned the hilt, as if stirring something. He was performing a makeshift mechanical repair on himself.
Mortal flesh cannot explode, but electrical motors can. The whirring sound of the micro-motors inside their bodies began to accelerate.
Trucks carrying minerals drove off one after another, and the wounded lying on the ground were killed one after another. A few bodies were also dragged away by soldiers. These people's fate was to be turned into a vegetative state, soaked in low-grade nutrient solution. If the artificial soldier's body was irreparably damaged, it would be removed, the head cut off, and a digital brain transplant performed.
The number of artificial soldiers left was dwindling. There were four left: one by the car, one to the west, and two to the north. The one by the car was leaning against the doorway smoking, the two to the north stood on a high vantage point, guns in hand, and the one to the west was talking into the intercom.
"Number 201, aren't you leaving yet?" the artificial soldier to the north shouted.
"After I finish this, I found a good implant."
"Oh? Really, male or female."
"Does it make any difference?"
"Indeed."
"I hope that when I see you again next time, you will become a great beauty."
The laughter was rough and dry, like metal friction, giving people goose bumps.
The cigarette butt fell to the ground, and the half-destroyed car door was suddenly pulled open.
The five main attributes of an adult man are all 5, while the artificial soldier is 9. Without transformation, the cloned body of the artificial soldier has already reached the upper limit of normal humans.
However—
"Where are the people?"
Due to the power of love and peace, Chapter 2 has been modified to a certain extent.
(End of Chapter)