Chapter Three: The Mechanic’s Trench Coat and the Modified Electromagnetic Rifle

[System Notice: You have executed a fatal attack—judgment passed! Enemy (Bionic Mechanical Shooter III) has fallen.]

Lin Bo swiftly drew his axe. Sparks flew from the severed neck of the red-painted shooting robot before it collapsed to the ground.

It was an unexpectedly tense dungeon challenge, but the time spent was more than twenty times that of the easy difficulty.

He had spent half an hour maneuvering around these three robots, playing a deadly game of cat and mouse, but ultimately emerged unscathed.

Mechanical Guard: Encountered a marathon runner—speechless.

[Dungeon completion conditions met. Calculating rewards.]

[You have earned: Network Disaster Coins x15, General Experience x100, Mechanic’s Coat (Gray).]

After laboriously dragging the three mechanical remains out of the portal, Lin Bo finally had a moment to inspect his new gear.

Mechanic’s Coat (Gray)
Type: Textile Craftwork
Weight: 1.1 kg
Equip Effect: +0.1 base proficiency when training mechanical-related skills
Description: Said to be the favored attire of many researchers in the mechanical factories, praised for its blend of practicality and style. Rarely considered formal armor.

In ancient times, even a single piece of cloth was a valuable possession, much like how modern people regard refrigerators or smartphones.

Though Lin Bo’s Knin Empire had already entered the early phase of the second industrial revolution, buying a well-made, durable garment was still something many working-class families debated over for several evenings.

Lin Bo rarely considered purchasing new clothes unless all his old ones were worn out.

He pulled out the Mechanic’s Coat: a slate-gray dye, a crisp cut, and six external pockets plus four internal ones—enough to make anyone suspect it could carry all their belongings.

No wonder it was so highly regarded.

Equipment produced by the Network carries hidden effects for players: it adapts to the wearer’s body shape, so Lin Bo found it exceptionally well-fitted.

[Abandoned Ancient Mechanical Factory] unlocked at a higher difficulty.

The rewards for completion are even richer: Network Disaster Coins x50, General Experience x300, Gray Quality Equipment (medium chance), White Quality Equipment (very low chance), Knowledge Scroll Fragments (very low chance).

Lin Bo tallied his current possessions: 20 Disaster Coins, 125 General Experience points; his mage-level progress bar read 125/450, nearly one-third completed.

“Currently, normal difficulty is bearable and yields good rewards. Hard difficulty is impossible to solo. I’ll keep grinding normal difficulty for the next few days—should level up by tomorrow, and save money to buy skills.”

He messaged the Network merchant, Anjielun, to purchase a meditation skill book.

---

“Meditation skills vary widely with different focuses—some enhance mental recovery, others speed physical healing, while some suppress desires and killing intent. You should choose based on your profession,” Anjielun advised, proving to be an excellent guide.

Following the merchant’s suggestion, Lin Bo selected “Black Snake Meditation” for 18 Disaster Coins.

[System Notice: Opening friend trade channel. Portal activation countdown commencing…]

A hum resonated as a sea-blue vortex portal opened, expelling a rolled black parchment onto the ground before Lin Bo.

Black Snake Meditation
Description: Ancient spellcasters of the Hailu school revered nature. Their ancestors observed snake hibernation in winter and discovered the secret connection between life and spirit—the unity of a fragile body and a tranquil mind.
Black Snake Meditation: Lv1 (0/50) Enter deep sleep, rapidly restore mental vigor.

Lin Bo unfurled the scroll; the entire parchment shimmered and a wave of light surged into his third eye.

Countless cultivation points flooded his mind. A chill traversed his body as he instinctively completed the initiation of Black Snake Meditation and could now train it independently.

There was still plenty of time before bedtime; Lin Bo had night watch duties at the lighthouse.

Before officially starting his shift, he planned to run one more normal difficulty dungeon to use up his challenge attempts for the day.

The harpoon gun he bought at the old town pawnshop worked well, but two harpoons had broken—these robots were solid machines, and piercing their armor severely wore down the harpoons.

Now he had a new ranged weapon: the electromagnetic projectile gun from the Bionic Mechanical Shooter III.

This high-tech weapon was lightweight, with a high firing rate and negligible recoil, using easily manufactured metal rounds. Compared to explosive bullets, this offered a significant advantage.

The only problem was that the gun lacked an internal battery pack and required power from the robot’s core.

So to use it, it had to be modified.

[System Notice: Received a friend message.]

[Trash Picker]: By the way, if you kill a mechanical shooter and want to use its cool gun, I can modify it for you.

[Lighthouse Guest]: I’m beginning to suspect you have foresight magic.

[Trash Picker]: Hehe, you’re quite the talker. I’ll give you a friend’s discount—1 Disaster Coin, and I’ll give you a sturdy electromagnetic gun that’s as good as new.

[Lighthouse Guest]: Thanks.

Three Mechanical Guards IV could be exchanged at Trash Picker’s place for one Disaster Coin, which would offset the modification cost. The shooter III would be sent along as a bonus—disassembled to extract the power core and install it into the gun.

[Trash Picker]: Our worlds’ time flows differently, especially offline in the Network chat channel. It takes me a few days, but you’ll get it within a few hours.

[Lighthouse Guest]: Learned something new today.

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After clearing the Abandoned Ancient Mechanical Factory three times, Lin Bo’s four harpoons had all been gloriously sacrificed. The town’s blacksmith shop had long since closed, so repairs were impossible locally.

Today’s dungeon haul: 225 General Experience points, 17 remaining Network Disaster Coins, a cool and practical Mechanic’s Coat, and a modified electromagnetic projectile gun.

Thanks to Trash Picker’s modifications, the electromagnetic gun was officially recognized by the Network. It displayed key information and could be stored in the player’s inventory, greatly enhancing portability.

Modified Standard Electromagnetic Rifle (Gray)
Type: Engineering Product
Weight: 3.5 kg
Description: Originally designed as a combat module for bionic guards by mechanics, modified by players for independent use. Fully charged, it can fire sixty high-velocity rounds. The modder thoughtfully included a voltage stabilizer, allowing charging from any power grid, no matter how poor.
“Speed is power, power is aesthetics!” — Modder’s note

The rifle stood waist-high on Lin Bo, with a rectangular body and tightly arranged electromagnetic acceleration coils on both sides of the barrel. Weld seams were polished smooth, and the white-painted stock bore playful cartoon graffiti.

Its overall look was high-tech yet carried a punk flair thanks to the quirky artwork.

The lighthouse had a whale oil generator powering the Fresnel lens bulbs, and as administrator, Lin Bo could steal a bit of power unnoticed.

As for the electromagnetic gun’s ammunition, merchant Anjielun sold 500 rounds for one Disaster Coin—a rip-off, considering they were just plain iron pellets without enchantments.

[Lighthouse Guest]: Thanks, the mod looks great.

[Trash Picker]: Mm-hmm, I collect these electromagnetic guns too. I’ll take the shooter guard remnants with them—two for one Disaster Coin. For aftersales, come straight to me; I offer ten free repairs.

[Lighthouse Guest]: Can you repair damaged harpoons?

[Trash Picker]: Enchanted harpoons? I’ll have to see.

[Lighthouse Guest]: No, just ordinary iron harpoons.

[Trash Picker]: Hey, do I look like a junk dealer? Don’t bother me with such low-tech stuff! (angry) (angry)

Lin Bo glanced at the nickname and silently typed: My apologies for the intrusion.