The subterranean black market beneath the Lower Military Academy was a claustrophobic maze of neon signs, hissing steam vents, and the desperate haggling of cadets trying to survive on a budget.
Chen Xi navigated the crowded alleys with his hood pulled up, the silver cred-stick burning a hole in his pocket. Five hundred credits was a fortune for a slum kid, but in the world of mechanical engineering, it was barely enough to buy a decent wrench. He had to be smart.
"That merchant to your left," Sylphe’s voice chimed in his head, a critical edge to her tone. "He is selling 'Grade-B Titanium.' It is a lie. The molecular structure is heavily degraded. It’s Grade-D slag painted with a ceramic finish. Keep walking."
"I know, Sylphe. I can feel the structural flaws with my Qi," Chen Xi muttered under his breath, his eyes sweeping the stalls.
"I am just making sure," she retorted defensively. "And stop looking at that merchant's assistant. Her cybernetic enhancements are specifically designed to manipulate human oxytocin levels. It's cheap parlor tricks. I could project an avatar three times more alluring without even using a fraction of my processing power."
Chen Xi let out a quiet chuckle. "I was looking at the synthetic myofibrils behind her, Sylphe. But it's good to know you're looking out for me."
"Hmph. Just buy the materials so we can leave this cesspool."
He eventually stopped at a dingy stall run by a cyborg with half his face replaced by a rusted optical array. Over the next twenty minutes, Chen Xi ruthlessly haggled, using his [Basic Mechanical Affinity] to call out every microscopic defect in the merchant's wares to drive the price into the ground.
He walked away with exactly what he needed: two kilograms of scavenged high-carbon tungsten, a spool of artificial muscle fiber, a decrypted Grade-E logic core, and a cracked optical-camouflage emitter from a decommissioned scout drone. Total cost: 480 credits.
Back in Workshop 73, Chen Xi locked the blast doors and dumped the haul onto his greasy workbench.
Sylphe materialized instantly, floating over the pile. She was wearing a tiny, holographic mechanic's apron over her dress today, complete with a smudge of simulated grease on her cheek.
"Acceptable," she declared, tapping the cracked logic core with a tiny glowing foot. "The core is rudimentary, basically a glorified calculator. But I will wipe its subroutines and partition a fraction of my own combat algorithms into it. What is our design, Chen Xi?"
"We need a scout. Something that can gather intel, slip through ventilation shafts, and, if necessary, slit a throat without making a sound," Chen Xi said, taking off his jacket. "Humanoid drones are too bulky and draw too much power. We go biomimetic."
Chen Xi closed his eyes and inhaled.
The Stellar Furnace Art ignited in his chest. His heart hammered a slow, immensely heavy rhythm. The ambient cosmic energy in the workshop rushed into him, compressing into dense Kinetic Qi. His veins bulged slightly, glowing with a faint, dangerous heat. Get faster updates on novelping.com.
"Origin Forge, activate."
He slammed his hands down onto the pile of tungsten and wiring. The blinding gold light of the Origin Forge erupted, merging seamlessly with the invisible, crushing pressure of his martial arts.
This was the true terror of his Dual-Class. Mechanics relied on heavy machinery, smelting furnaces, and delicate welding lasers to build their creations—a process that took days. Chen Xi was using his own body as the furnace, shaping the metal with his bare hands and raw Qi.
The tungsten softened, not from heat, but from the Origin Forge breaking its atomic bonds. Chen Xi’s hands moved in a blur, guided by Sylphe’s perfect blueprints. He wove the artificial muscle fibers into the joints, integrated the optical camouflage into the outer plating, and seated the logic core into the center.
Sweat poured down his face, his muscles screaming in protest as his stamina rapidly drained.
"Almost there," Chen Xi gritted his teeth, channeling a final, compressed pulse of Kinetic Qi directly into the logic core to act as its power source.
The golden light snapped off. Chen Xi slumped back against the wall, panting heavily.
Resting on the workbench was a mechanical marvel.
It was an arachnid—a wolf spider the size of a dinner plate. Its chassis was matte-black tungsten, sleek and devoid of any reflective surfaces. Its eight legs were bladed and segmented, built with the artificial muscle fibers that gave it terrifying, lifelike agility.
"Uploading combat subroutines," Sylphe announced, her eyes glowing intensely.
The spider’s eight optic sensors suddenly flared to life, glowing with a cold, predatory blue light. It twitched, then stood up, its bladed legs clicking against the metal table. It moved with unnatural fluidity, turning to look directly at Chen Xi. Read the latest chapters at NovelPing.
"Status?" Chen Xi asked, his breathing returning to normal.
"Designation: Stalker-01," Sylphe said proudly, floating down to land squarely on the metal spider’s back. It didn't react, treating her holographic presence as an extension of itself. "Optical camouflage is functional, granting near-invisibility in low-light environments. Its legs can pierce standard Kevlar. Its core is powered by your Kinetic Qi, meaning its movements are completely silent. No engine noise, no exhaust."
"Show me," Chen Xi commanded.
The spider’s blue eyes flickered. In a fraction of a second, the optical camouflage engaged. The drone didn't just turn invisible; it bent the light around it, blending perfectly with the greasy walls of the workshop.
Chen Xi’s sharp senses completely lost track of it. Then, he felt a faint displacement of air behind his neck.
He didn't flinch as the cold, bladed tip of one of the spider's legs rested gently against his jugular. It had traversed the ceiling and dropped behind him in total silence.
"Perfect," Chen Xi smiled, turning his head as the spider disengaged its camouflage and climbed onto his shoulder, folding its legs neatly against his collarbone until it looked like a bulky piece of armor padding.
"Of course it's perfect," Sylphe said, crossing her arms smugly. "I designed the logic pathways. He is basically our child. I'm going to name him Wraith."
"Wraith it is," Chen Xi agreed. With the Viper-Mantis hidden blade on his wrists and Wraith acting as his invisible eyes and assassin, he finally had a foundation. He was no longer just a scavenger; he was a true Mechanic.
Before they could celebrate further, a harsh, blaring siren echoed through the Academy corridors, followed by an automated voice over the intercom.
"Attention all Lower Academy First-Year Cadets. The mandatory Logistics Combat Assessment will begin in exactly thirty minutes in Sector G. Failure to attend will result in immediate expulsion to the outer wastelands."
Chen Xi’s eyes narrowed. Logistics cadets were supposed to fix things, not fight. A combat assessment this early was highly irregular.
"The Ironfangs," Sylphe deduced instantly, her tone turning icy. "Zhao Ming has influence in the administration. He wants to force you into a combat scenario where accidents happen."
"Let him try," Chen Xi said, pulling his jacket on over Wraith and adjusting his bracers. A cold, dangerous smile spread across his face. "I think it's time we tested our new toys."