The art of having multiple hideouts is a compulsory subject for every Mechanical Hunter.
Besides his residence in Petrol Town, Gao Gong also has his own secret hideout.
It's a metal scrap recycling station on the outskirts of the city, a place rarely known today.
At the edge of the recycling station, in a shed made of steel bars, Gao Gong is tinkering with an operating table he 'borrowed.'
Compared to an ordinary surgical table, the Prosthetic Doctor's table is cruder, with saws, pliers, electric drills, and angle grinders inserted into its four mechanical arms, stained with blood.
Most surgeries performed by the Prosthetic Doctor are related to prosthetic modifications, so it can also serve as a high-precision lathe.
'Zzz' 'Zzz' 'Zzz'
Amidst the sparks, Gao Gong, wearing goggles, is using one hand to operate the four mechanical arms on the console for a brainwashing surgery, while holding a welding torch with the other hand behind the artificial soldier's head.
'Memory Library data deletion in process, 56%...79%...100%'
'Brainwashing complete'
'Injecting Quadruped Robot template'
'Please choose an appropriate template from the following three quadruped animals: Tibetan Mastiff, Teddy, Husky'
"Tib—no, Husky."
As the neck and limbs' drive templates are adjusted, Gao Gong places an electrode piece on the temples for connection, with a fingertip-sized control chip embedded in the center.
"Shake your head."
The artificial soldier's head slowly begins to turn, to the left, then to the right, and under the influence of the servo motor, gets faster and faster, as if on drugs.
Indeed, a Husky template.
"Stop, stop, adjust yourself first."
The metal head seemingly understood the words, starting to adjust its angle and posture on its own, with the quadruped simulation becoming more realistic, looking just like a real dog.
[First-time production of Quadruped Robot complete, experience +200]
Name: Human-headed Dog
Category: Quadruped Robot
Quality: Whiteboard+
Weight: 18kg
Speed: 23km/h
Control System: Low-level Military Chip (Soldier version)
Energy: Energy Ore Digester (Black Market version)
Attack Module: None
Attached Module: Biological Mode
Note: Apart from the head, this thing doesn't have much technical content
Gao Gong was indifferent, patting the 'dog head,' and this artificial dog head, obediently, jumped off the operating table and frolicked like a dog.
Following the same procedure, soon, four 'Huskies' were zigzagging and jumping around the recycling station in a home-dismantling posture.
Only with a human head on a dog's body, it invokes a natural uncanny valley effect.
The Electronic Brain is the CPU, the operating table provides brainwashing and program implantation, the battery is a miner version scavenged from the flea market, and the remaining parts are all metal scraps from the recycling station.
But even so, a robot capable of understanding human speech, instead of being a machine idiot, is rare.
Only factory-appointed troops are eligible to be equipped with mechanical guard dogs.
Very soon, Machine Ants were also created, resembling more those four-wheel drives he played with as a child than ants.
[First-time production of Machine Ant complete, experience +50]
Name: Machine Ant
Category: Sensing Robot
Quality: Whiteboard
Weapon System: Low-level Stomper
Note: A multi-degree-of-freedom robot driven by a group of servos, mimicking the appearance and movements of ants
After all, it's just a Level 1 Mechanical Blueprint; if not for those artificial soldiers' heads adding certain intelligence, it would only reach the level of artificial idiot.
Machine Ants' electronic chips, light-sensitive diodes, and tiny motors are all scavenged from the flea market.
These materials are 'urban garbage,' picked by some native scavengers, very cheap, and Gao Gong made as many as thirty mechanical ants.
"Almost ready," Gao Gong muttered to himself, "There's just one last thing."
The flea market is located north of Automobile City, belonging to its outskirts, and in the most eastern corner of the flea market, there is an Old Friend Gun Shop.
Unlike most gun shops, it not only sells homemade firearms but also melee weapons, hammers, shovels, knife swords, and electromagnetic steel claws.
Pushing aside the tattered curtain, a hoarse voice sounds.
"Handsome young man, what you want this time isn't easy to get."
Behind the counter, a hunched old lady turns around, smiling like a chrysanthemum, "Luckily, Aunt Xiang has some skills, otherwise it wouldn't be possible."
Gao Gong sits in the chair unceremoniously, "Aunt Xiang, where's the stuff?"
"Easy, easy, you fool! Hurry up and bring the stuff!"
Soon, the back door opened, and a giant man at least two meters tall came out holding a box in his hands.
"Fool, be careful!" Aunt Xiang kicked the big guy's butt. The big man just let out a simple laugh, scratched his head, and said, "Mom, do we have anything to eat?"
"Eat, eat, eat, all you know is eating, our shop's about to go bankrupt because of your eating!"
Gao Gong chuckled and tossed over a stick of nutrition paste, "Fat Xiang, with your build, it's a waste not to be a Mechanical Hunter."
Fat Xiang's eyes lit up, and he quickly grabbed it, not even sparing the wrapper, stuffing it directly into his mouth, mumbling, "Mom doesn't allow it, I listen to my mom."
Fat Xiang was Aunt Xiang's son, the two depended on each other for survival. Fat Xiang was originally an abandoned desert native baby, said to be extremely fat at birth, nearly cooked and eaten, but luckily Aunt Xiang passing by bought him.
Apart from his huge size and brute strength, he was slightly mentally disabled. The original owner often coaxed him to be cannon fodder when buying things.
"Come, come, customer, try your customized knife."
Aunt Xiang quickly interrupted their conversation, kicking and pushing Fat Xiang into the back door. Gao Gong didn't mind and opened the knife box, revealing a blood-red long knife inside.
The overall knife shape looked particularly heavy, with a handle longer than a typical Japanese sword, more like a Miao Blade. The end of the handle was threaded for a better grip, and the tip was serrated, definitely a deadly weapon.
"As per your request, the blade is made of tungsten iron that can cut alloy steel, and the blade and handle have been reinforced. The old lady even waxed it for free, how's it look?"
Gao Gong smiled, weighed it, just over ten catties, like holding a chainsaw.
With a light swing, a small corner of the weapon table was sliced off, as easily as chopping a cucumber with a kitchen knife.
Aunt Xiang squinted, in her memory, only the oldest batch of Mechanical Hunters would choose cold weapons. Nowadays, Mechanical Hunters have stronger firepower and more advanced equipment, but their yields are diminishing. She hadn't heard of a B-level or higher beast being hunted in a long time.
A bunch of cowards!
"What's this knife called?"
"Red Unicorn!"
Name: Red Unicorn
Category: Metal Knife
Quality: Fine- (Custom Template)
Weight: 13.4kg
Basic Attributes: DPS: 70.5, Attack Power: 47, Attack Speed: 1.5 attacks/second, Attack Range: 1.8 meters
Additional Attributes: Armor-Piercing (+10.9% Armor-Piercing Damage), Keen Edge (+8.7% Critical Strike Damage)
Plugin Slot: None
Note: This is indeed a lethal weapon, but are you sure you want to use it against Mechanical Bio-Beasts?
"Thank you for your patronage, the total is 831 Mechanical Coins, cash or card?"
Gao Gong was taken aback, "Aunt Xiang, an assault rifle costs less than 80, and you're charging me 800 for a cold weapon, you're gouging even regulars!?"
Aunt Xiang rolled her eyes and said, "There's cheap stuff too, long spears made of rebar, specifically for Scavengers, 10 coins, do you want it?"
"That's way too expensive."
"Nonsense, if it weren't for the 200 deposit, I wouldn't even have started this work. Who uses custom cold weapons these days, among those idiots back then, how many had a good end."
"How about, 300?"
"Bullshit! Let me tell you, in the entire Automobile City, who's still got the skill to forge blades? It's only Aunt Xiang here who's still got it. In a few years, even if you want it, I won't be able to make it anymore."
"But Aunt Xiang, think about it. If I kill a high-risk Radiation Beast with this knife, wouldn't that indirectly advertise for you? It might even start a craze for cold weapon hunting."
"Ha, haha, talk to me about it when you survive."
The two went back and forth, arguing endlessly. Eventually, Gao Gong bargained down to six hundred, no lower. According to Aunt Xiang, the effort she put into that knife wasn't worth less than six hundred. Otherwise, she might as well kill chickens with it.
"Swipe the card!"
Somewhat reluctantly, Gao Gong pulled out a card. It looked like a cafeteria dining card, which indeed it was, from a factory. In the Iron Sand Desert, the factory economic system had penetrated every aspect.
This transaction exhausted the original owner's savings, and if he didn't collect more, he'd really have to eat dirt.
Unless he sold himself to a Rich Lady for cheap living expenses.
Aunt Xiang snatched it up and skillfully brought out an old POS machine, her face blooming into a smile again.
"Card swiping is good, those bumpkins don't have this treasure. Was it your little lover who gave it to you?"
Gao Gong raised his eyebrow, saying nothing. Aunt Xiang didn't mind, continuing, "Those bumpkins, they're all so cunning, making me count money carefully each time. Nowadays, people aren't like the past, people's hearts have turned bad."
Gao Gong came to this Iron Sand Desert to strike it rich at fifteen and was an old acquaintance with her. He put the Red Unicorn into the knife box, thought for a moment, and spoke up again.
"Aunt Xiang, are you planning to have Lad Xiang inherit this shop? But with his brain, are you sure he can hold onto it once you're gone?"
Aunt Xiang's triangular eyes narrowed, and she suddenly swore, "Old lady, why do you need to care, you brat, get lost, do your mother's business, trying to make my son cannon fodder again! Rot, you dog-hearted lung! Get out, get out, and leave your mother alone!"
Gao Gong shrugged, slung the knife box over his shoulder, and turned at the door, saying meaningfully, "Aunt Xiang, time doesn't stand still."
"Get out, get out," Aunt Xiang grabbed something and threw it over, "you piece of trash, take my trash with you and scram."
Gao Gong caught the black shadow, looked down, and saw it was a bottle of blade oil.
After Gao Gong left, Aunt Xiang panted heavily, lost in thought.
"Mom, I think Brother Gao is right. After you're gone, I'll definitely get tricked." came a whiny voice from behind the door.
"Shut up!" Aunt Xiang shouted fiercely, her appearance reminiscent of a fierce mother tiger protecting her cub.