After joining the HR Alliance, Liu Yun returned to his home in Yangzhou City. His small abode, though not large, could soothe his restless heart. He started browsing the HR Alliance's intranet on his computer, which contained his personal information.
"Name: Liu Yun, Gender: Male, Authority Rank: Jiangnan District A-level Member, Rank: Initial-level War General Martial Artist, High-level War General Psyche Master, Mission Points: 0."
This was all of Liu Yun's information, stored on the intranet. It could only be accessed via a dedicated network, machine, and person; otherwise, the HR Alliance would investigate any potential leaks. The information was stored very securely.
Currently, Liu Yun could act without restraint, entirely due to the Mechanical Race Clone's meticulous combat assistance. His own Cultivation had indeed fallen behind. He possessed the ability of a War General but lacked the corresponding Martial Skill proficiency.
There is a difference between mechanical and human thinking. Perhaps Liu Yun could abandon Cultivation and fully embrace mechanical thinking, in which case he wouldn't need to worry so much.
However, Liu Yun didn't think that way. The Automaton Race was merely a Clone; he was still human and was determined to reach the position of the world's top expert with his human Physical Body.
"I need to Cultivate seriously. Even without the Mechanical Race Clone, I must possess movement techniques and Martial Skills commensurate with my strength."
Liu Yun cherished human thinking because it symbolized his human potential. In fact, humans at their Peak state were no worse than the Automaton Race.
However, Liu Yun couldn't yet touch upon those matters. He accessed the HR Alliance's underground intranet and was already able to undertake various high-risk, high-difficulty missions.
The intranet contained a lot of work information, including mission details from all over the world, as well as some Secret Manuals, which caught Liu Yun's attention.
"World Destroyer, Category: Spear Technique. Rating: Ultimate. Price: 100 billion China yuan full price, 50 billion China yuan half price. Requirement: Ten million mission points."
"Ninefold Thunderblade, Category: Blade Technique. Rating: Ultimate. Price: 100 billion China yuan full price, 50 billion China yuan half price. Requirement: Ten million mission points."
"Phantom Blade Art, Category: Blade Technique. Rating: SS-Rank. Price: 10 billion China yuan full price, 5 billion China yuan half price. Requirement: One million mission points."
"Mist Sword, Category: Sword Technique, Rating: S-Rank. Price: 3 billion China yuan full price, 1.5 billion China yuan half price. Requirement: One million mission points."
...
"Psycher Master Basic Techniques... Rating A-Rank, Price: 200 million China yuan! Or, exchange directly for ten thousand mission points."
These were all Secret Manuals Liu Yun urgently needed. He had to choose to Cultivate them himself. The Ninefold Thunderblade was even promised to him, but it hadn't been delivered yet, making him a bit anxious.
He checked his account, which showed zero mission points and ten billion two yuan. The extra two yuan looked quite comical.
"The Ninefold Thunderblade should be delivered later. This was a condition we agreed upon. They're really willing to spend! Thirty billion given away."
Liu Yun thought this as he looked at the price of the Ninefold Thunderblade. However, a Secret Manual already obtained was no longer valuable and could be considered zero cost to the vast HR Alliance, which is why they were willing to give it.
Only the ten billion on the books was available for Liu Yun to use. He immediately purchased a copy of "Psycher Master Basic Techniques." He needed to cram all the Cultivation required by a Psycher Master in the next few days.
The Ninefold Thunderblade had also been Cultivated to the third Realm. This was mainly due to his previous learning experiences. Now that his Physical Body quality had reached a level where many incredible Martial Skills could be forcibly performed, his Cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds.
It is worth mentioning that the "Thunder" in Ninefold Thunderblade refers to speed as fast as a thunderclap; it cannot actually release lightning.
However, Liu Yun's battle blade was different. As a high-tech product of the Automaton Race, it could release strong electric currents, making it a true Ninefold Thunderblade.
The subsequent Martial Arts might require comprehension through actual combat. Furthermore, Liu Yun also wanted to try out the true Ninefold Thunderblade, so he had to set off.
"What I need is resources, resources, and more damn resources! Demonic Beast Materials can be exchanged for military merits, which is the best way to obtain resources!"
Liu Yun only cared about resources, so he planned to rush into the wilderness area alone. Unfortunately, the Automaton Race Base currently couldn't produce any aircraft, so he could only use an Earth jeep to leave.
At the frontline outpost, several military personnel saw Liu Yun arrive alone and were somewhat reluctant to provide equipment.
"You'd best not hunt alone. After all, outside the outpost are extremely dangerous places, and giving you a jeep would be a waste."
The people here offered many excuses, but Liu Yun had full confidence in himself. If the sky fell, he would punch a big hole through it.
"No need to say more. You just don't understand my strength."
Liu Yun smiled, feigning a profound appearance. Although the people here didn't believe him, they couldn't refuse Liu Yun.
"Sigh, you're so young and going to your death. Don't blame me if you become a wandering ghost then."
Those people said such morbid things, watching Liu Yun disappear into the vast wilderness. Liu Yun understood their concerns but had even more confidence in himself.
Alone, with the dual abilities of a Psycher Master and a War General, plus a Ninefold Thunderblade that could release real lightning, he was enough to dominate this land, unrivaled.
Outside the outpost, Demonic Beasts were everywhere. Not long after his jeep drove out, he immediately encountered a situation.
The jeep crunched over overgrown thorns, its tires carving deep marks into the cracked Earth. Liu Yun rested one hand on the steering wheel, his gaze sweeping over the misty swamp ahead—this was an active area for E-Rank Demonic Beasts, the air thick with the smell of decaying leaves and a fishy smell.
Suddenly, the vehicle shuddered violently. Ten meters ahead, the mud swamp "splashed" open, and a dark green shadow burst out of the water, hitting the road with a pungent, fishy wind.
It was a fifteen-meter-long Bloodthirsty Berserk Bay Crocodile, its Aura definitely at the Beast General level.
Its dark green scales were layered like cast iron, and the bony plates raised on its back gleamed coldly in the sunlight, said to be hard enough to deflect armor-piercing rounds; its crimson vertical pupils locked onto the jeep. When its massive maw opened, the churning water vapor in its throat condensed into several bowl-sized water cannons, which "whoosh, whoosh" blasted deep craters into the ground in front of the car.
Mud splashed onto the windshield, blurring his vision, while the Berserk Bay Crocodile had already smashed the right-side wheel with its massive tail, causing the vehicle to tilt violently.
"A bit interesting." Liu Yun pushed open the car door and leaped out, his toes lightly touching the gravel as he landed, his body drifting back several meters like willow catkins.
He looked up at this behemoth—the Berserk Bay Crocodile's lower jaw was stained with half a Demonic Beast skeleton, completely ossified, without a trace of flesh, looking as if it had been there for some time.
Once this Berserk Bay Crocodile finished eating, it could lie dormant for a month. Now, it must be hungry, its ferocity fully displayed, its nostrils snorting out rough breaths that stirred up ground dust.
"Roadblocker, just in time to test my blade."
Before he finished speaking, the battle blade at his waist "clanged" out of its sheath. The blade shimmered with the metallic luster unique to the Automaton Race, and the energy core at the hilt glowed faintly. Seeing this, the Berserk Bay Crocodile snapped its huge mouth shut, and a water cannon shot straight for Liu Yun's face.
His eyes narrowed. His Psychic instantly unfolded, like an invisible barrier, shattering the water cannon into mist. At the same time, his body flickered, using the mist as cover to close in on the Berserk Bay Crocodile's left side.
"Good timing!" Liu Yun roared, his right arm muscles bulging, the battle blade slicing toward the Berserk Bay Crocodile's flank with a sharp, whistling sound. He had calculated the position—though the scales here were thick, they weren't as impenetrable as the frontal chest plate.
However, the next second, a deafening "clang" echoed through the wilderness. The blade struck the scales, leaving only a white mark, not even splitting a single scale!
The Berserk Bay Crocodile roared in pain and furiously shook its head, its massive tail lashing at Liu Yun like an iron whip. He was prepared, backflipping to avoid it after tapping his toes on the ground. When he landed, he saw the Berserk Bay Crocodile had already turned its body, its frontal scales like a shield before him. The surface of those scales was covered in grooves, like countless pieces of interlocking metal shields, no wonder they could resist missiles—physical attacks were almost ineffective here.
"Heh, it's a tough nut to crack, as expected." Liu Yun wiped the mud splashed on his face, a smile playing on his lips. His left hand, holding the blade, pressed hard on the energy core of the hilt. In an instant, the entire battle blade erupted in dazzling blue-purple electric light, currents writhing like live snakes on the blade.
The Berserk Bay Crocodile let out a heart-wrenching shriek, its massive body convulsing violently. The muscles beneath its scales spasmed wildly from the electric current, and its crimson eyes instantly clouded over. Its enormous body crashed to the ground, its tail weakly slapping the ground, the splashing mud still containing tiny electric sparks.
In just a few seconds, this E-Rank Demonic Beast, capable of resisting missiles, became rigid and motionless. Only the residual blue-purple arcs of electricity in the scale gaps continued to crackle. Liu Yun stood with his blade sheathed, the electric light on the blade gradually fading. He bent down and tapped the Berserk Bay Crocodile's scales with the back of his blade. The metallic clinking sound was crisp as usual, but this steel fortress-like creature was now lifeless.
"It seems the Automaton Race's electric current is much more effective than simple physical attacks." He shook off the bloodstains from the blade and looked at the fluorescent gland at the Berserk Bay Crocodile's tail—that was the core Materials of an E-Rank Demonic Beast, which could be exchanged for a good amount of military merits.
"With the Thunder Blade's assistance, my Physical Body combat power is also at the Intermediate War General level."
Cutting off the Berserk Bay Crocodile's tail, Liu Yun was overjoyed. Equipment was also a part of strength, and his Automaton Race Base could provide high-quality equipment, raising his combat power by another Rank.
This was the advantage of having his own production base. If Liu Yun could perfectly utilize the Thunder Blade, he would actually already possess God of War strength.