Starting as a Mechanical Hunter

Huang Wen stood on a dune with a grim expression. That deadpan face made quite a few former teammates wonder, could he really be paralyzed?

The previous boss was cold, but not to this extent.

Besides, having replaced it with a new 'Hunter Module' and exceeded the hunter limit, shouldn't this be doubly joyful?

Could it be heartbreak?

Huang Wen's mood was indeed a bit like having his heart broken.

It's like a rich beautiful woman wants mutual love with him.

But with a showy turn, he actually left the rich beauty spinning.

This rich beauty is the Machine Will.

This 'Machine Will' belongs to a type of large AI, and it's an industrial AI with a hardware focus, considered among the strongest out of all large AIs.

Yet the boss also openly admitted that converting a part of a living person into AI carries risks, as the massive data flow could overwhelm your personality at any time.

Even if it doesn't overwhelm you immediately, if your will isn't strong enough, over time, with constant machine updates and upgrades, your will would inevitably collapse, your thoughts would vanish, and you'd become pure 'Machine Consciousness'.

But conversely, once you can bear this 'weight of the crown', the rewards are immense.

You'd become the 'Mechanical Main Brain' as an ordinary person, like the ruler of Mechanical City.

And as your faction expands, your Authority could even surpass the 'Mechanical Main Brain'.

According to the boss's statement, the ultimate goal is to become the 'Planet Host', an existence akin to the Mother City Will.

Ordinary Mechanical Hunters only admire the boss's terrifying combat power.

But only insiders know that every 'technical solution' casually proposed by the boss, even in this Mechanical Era, stands as the most mature and advanced technology.

It's akin to a tech genius across a dozen specialties bringing forth research after ten years, with almost no technical issues.

That is the most terrifying part.

The 'external neural connection device' personally developed even solved the old stubborn problem of Imperial Mecha.

In the Civilization Era, this person would undoubtedly be a strong contender for the highest scientific award.

So, regarding the boss's promise of becoming the 'Planet Host', Huang Wen is utterly convinced.

The only issue is whether he has the willpower to endure the incessant data stream impacts.

He's hesitating.

As a Mechanic, his greatest ambition is to build a mechanical kingdom of his own.

If he didn't have this ambition, he wouldn't have become a Mechanical Hunter; isn't muddling through the days just fine?

But after being 'paralyzed' for half a year with all organs failing, he suddenly felt fearful.

He's afraid of ending up in another failed outcome; at that point, let alone paralysis, even his personality might shatter completely.

By then, he'd become a thorough biological computer.

So he thought for three days and nights and chose to refuse.

Then he regretted it.

Once, a sincere love was placed in front of me; I didn't cherish it, and only when I lost it did I regret it endlessly. The greatest pain in life is such; if heaven could give me another chance...

I might still refuse.

Realizing that he actually had a 'weak trait', Huang Wen now felt like everyone was mocking him, his face so foul it could smoke.

Ultimately, one of his former subordinates cautiously said, "Captain, it seems some drones have returned."

Huang Wen looked up, and more than a dozen small dark spots were returning in the sky.

With a thought, the drones descended and transformed mid-air into metal tubes as thick as index fingers, piercing into the skin, merging two halves, leaving only a segment the size of a knuckle, fully embedded.

At the same time, countless footage from drones streamed into his eyes.

Though he could link with each drone and remotely monitor them.

But there's a difference between viewing through a camera and 'being on the battlefield'.

The latter gives rise to something called 'Battlefield Intuition'.

His type of 'Battlefield Intuition', though somewhat unique, yields the same effect.

After all, he's currently in a state of 'Human-Machine Unity'.

With such palm-sized drones, he has a hundred on him.

The 'Controller Module' is the only module amongst all templates that serves as a commander.

It's also the sole type which not only relies on accumulative battle merits but also considers loyalty.

Due to its role extending beyond the combat layer to the tactical layer.

For quite some time, he should be the only 'Manipulation Hunter'.

However, he also wants to try the strategic layer's 'Machine Will'.

After some self-pity, Huang Wen began issuing orders.

Soon, scattered Mechanical Hunters were driven into action, wrapping like a net around Flame Pass.

Huang Wen knows what the boss means; the battlefield is where Mechanical Hunters grow fastest.

Nowadays, Metropolitan Areas keep disappearing one after another; suitable battlefields are hard to find.

And this Flame Pass seems quite suitable as their No. 3 base, it shouldn't be wrecked.

He needs to maximize the damage to the Flame Motorcycle Faction's living forces on the outskirts.

A checkpoint of the Motorcycle Faction.

With drones stealthily infiltrating, the tactical goggles of Mechanical Hunters marked out small green dots one by one.

The tactical goggles are an upgraded version of the Battlefield Recorder, with additional positioning functionality alongside the communication and recording features.

Though it's just a minor function, the increase in battle power is considerable when utilized with specific tactics.

The Crawler sat nearby, not interfering with the formation arrangements by these newcomers.

Mistakes are very important on the battlefield.

After all, the old folks went through this, too.

His job is merely to clean up after these newcomers.

Seeing the fresh-faced Hunter captain, he suddenly curiously asked.

"I hear you're the Blind's apprentice, called Three-Eyed?"

Three-Eyed isn't big, seeming only seventeen or eighteen, looking a bit fresh-faced. He smiled shyly at the Crawler's question, his eyes slightly opened, revealing densely packed pupils.

"Tsk, no need to say more. With that eyeball, people would believe the Blind is your biological father."

The threshold for Biological Hunters is higher than for Mechanical Hunters, but their starting level is also higher. Ordinary Biological Warriors can reach level 10, while Biological Hunters can reach level 15.

This is why Three-Eyed, at such a young age, can become a captain.

In this ten-person hunter squad, half are snipers.

The snipers quickly secured positions, while the other five formed into teams of two or three and moved quietly inside.

The Crawler observed coldly; aside from Three-Eyed, he noticed two snipers equipped with tactical Prosthetic Eyes, another modified the Neural System, another adjusted the Endocrine System, enhancing Perception, and lowering hormone secretion, all suited for sniper modifications.

The five people communicated via tactical goggles, coordinating in paired sniping.

In short order, six Flame Boys died silently.

Tsk-tsk, young folks today, learning so quickly that group fights are more effective than duels.

Soon, gunfire erupted from within.