Wow! The item-dropping rate is really high!

"Hehe~"

"Dumbass."

With just a glance, everyone turned their heads away and went back to what they were doing.

The atmosphere was lively again.

'Dumbass!' Ren Fengxing's face was livid as he cursed inwardly.

The evident fact was that the trio had played a much bigger role than he had.

So what if there are more people? That's useless; he wasn't even planning to compete with them anymore, so why would this weasel need to chirp in?

Although he coveted the rewards of the jackpot mission, each member of the trio was terrifyingly strong.

He was not afraid of the resentment from solo players, but it was best to avoid provoking such powerful players who were clearly a cut above all other players at this stage.

After all, his guild wasn't following a single-core strategy, so missing out on a reward that solely benefited one person wasn't a big issue...

"Cough, cough!" Being called a dumbass made it impossible for Ren Fengxing to remain invisible, so he took the initiative to stand out, salvaging the last bit of his dignity, "The main credit for this mission goes to these three brothers, so I won't fight over the mission item, haha. Of course, the one thousand cash I promised everyone still stands."

This was his most graceful exit.

Speaking, Ren Fengxing just felt a twinge in his heart, a huge loss!

But it was his last chance to leave a good impression.

He said he didn't care about solo players, but when the opportunity arose, he still needed to rally them, even if it was just to leave a good impression on the thorns or the trio.

"Boss, do we get it too?" A discordant voice reached his ears.

Ren Fengxing shot a resentful glance toward his underling, his eyes nearly shooting fire, "Yes! Everyone does!"

Everybody was happy!

Except for the solo player who had spoken up, who watched Ren Fengxing's back with a confused face, feeling puzzled—

Why would His Majesty surrender first when his subjects are still willing to fight to the death?

"Fengxing?" The solo player approached him.

"Great! You're really something!" Ren Fengxing patted his shoulder, his smile somewhat spasmodic.

Turning away, he quietly ordered his subordinates, "Find a secluded place and take him out with two shots! I don't want to see this dumb fuck ever again!!"

"Time to go home!"

...

[You have completed multiple cycles of the Spiritual Power Breathing Skill, increasing your Spiritual Energy limit by +1.]

[Rewards from the mission: your Insight +0.1, Physical Fitness +0.1, Reflexes +0.1, Spiritual Energy +0.1, Heavy Weapons Mastery Experience +54, Ranged Weapons Mastery Experience +41.]

It had been a while since he'd received attribute feedback from a mission.

Indeed, launching different fresh missions tended to elicit feedback from players.

Any monotonous and repetitive action had a threshold for ability gain, which seemed to be an eternal truth in this world.

Bai E put aside his thoughts and finished his morning Mecha simulation cabin training.

Today, he was not lonely, secretly training all by himself.

His superior had found him a partner.

Someone familiar... Your journey continues with empire

Rose.

It was only natural to choose her.

Although whoever it was would undoubtedly be seen as a buy-one-get-one-free offer for Bai E, the selection itself still had to be excellent.

And ideally, it was someone who had cooperated with Bai E before and had a similar status... Rose was the perfect choice.

Her control over her body and comprehension seemed to carry over to operating Mechas. The speed at which she became proficient was almost unimaginable, only slightly behind Bai E.

Their coordination was also without question, as if they were born to know each other's intentions; even their operating habits were in perfect harmony.

After everyone left, the instructor looked at the detailed results of their first collaboration and fell into thought—

Perhaps, he should ask Hamilton to dig out a few more from the synthetic humans?

This stuff was a lot quicker to pick up than natural humans!

...

Bai E didn't leave the camp at noon.

Given the feedback from players, they must still be out on missions, probably encountering orcs by now; otherwise, there wouldn't be so much feedback on various abilities.

And Gilder had gone to Black Street under the guidance of the ratmen to get to know the local customs. It would likely be empty outside too; there was no need to go.

It was better to practice the newly acquired Spiritual Power Breathing Skill.

This technique needed to be practiced often, until it could be performed effortlessly like Yueying, who was always running it. Only then could he consider himself to have mastered it.

Looking at Rose sitting at the same table, Bai E leaned in close and whispered mysteriously, "Join me after lunch; I've got something good for you."

"Something good?" Rose narrowed her eyes, eyeing Bai E somewhat strangely.

Compared to before, the man now seemed to have more of what natural humans called "humanity."

But, since it was Bai E, Rose agreed immediately, "Sure."

Everyone seized the rare opportunity to rest at noon, and the barracks were silent. Bai E adeptly avoided most surveillance and led Rose to a quiet, deserted corner.

"Here, sit down."

Bai E led by example, indicating for Rose to mimic his actions.

Testing this on Rose was his idea.

His modified Spiritual Breathing Skill, derived from the Elf Breathing Skill, might not necessarily be suitable for all humans. He had to question its applicability.

Teaching it to players couldn't be considered a universal case because their panel systems, just like his, were nonsensical.

So, finding someone from the native population who was close to him and would never betray him to test it was undoubtedly a secure backup for his future.

For instance... just for instance: if he ever did something outrageous and the military or even the city pursued him, perhaps at a critical moment, he could use this breathing skill, applicable to all humans, to save his own life?

Yueying had said it, humans had no similar breathing techniques.

Maybe because they were so numerous, they didn't bother to research it.

But if he directly hit them in the face with a ready-made skill, they would have no reason to refuse.

The more trump cards, the better.

Rose obediently learned from Bai E and sat cross-legged, her muscular, wheat-colored thighs exposed under the shorts she wore for training.

"What do you want to do?" she asked, puzzled.

"Teach you how to breathe."

Rose was even more perplexed, "You need to teach me how to breathe?"

"It's related to spiritual energy."

"Spiritual energy?!" Rose's eyes narrowed, as she instinctively looked around and, noticing no one was nearby, she lowered her voice in surprise and asked, "You have spiritual energy now?"

"Shh~" Bai E hushed her, "This is something I've only told you, it was taught to me by that Elf Race's Yueying."

The details weren't necessary to elaborate on, having a source was enough.

"I just want to see if you can learn it too."

"Spiritual energy..." Rose murmured, sitting up straight with excitement.

As a newly created artificial human, she naturally longed for the extraordinary power of spiritual energy she occasionally heard about.

However, she had heard that there was a natural prohibition in their artificial bodies, making it nearly impossible for any of them to master spiritual energy.

Now that there was an opportunity to learn spiritual energy, she had to grasp it well.

"What should I do?"

"Just follow my lead."

Whether it was the Elf Breathing Skill or the Spiritual Power Breathing Skill tailored for Bai E's own use, the essence remained unchanged, and the core concept was always the same. Thus, the teaching process was almost identical.

The only change was the rhythm.

"Calm your mind."

"Concentrate."

"Empty your brain..."

Bai E guided Rose into a state of grace.

If it weren't for Bai E, Rose would have been the brightest one among these new recruits.

Her comprehension was not bad at all.

Following Bai E's guidance, Rose easily entered the zone.

Bai E, who had begun to develop a certain "spiritual sense," could vaguely perceive the body beside him gradually entering a sublime state conducive to sensing spiritual energy.

"Breathe out~"

"Breathe in~"

The first step in learning spiritual energy is to perceive.

Bai E didn't possess Yueying's powerful ability to externalize spiritual energy, so he could only guide her to feel it for herself as much as possible.

If her talent was strong enough... perhaps she could feel that wondrous power herself, right?

Perhaps...

"Breathe out~"

"Breathe in~"

Bai E, with his eyes closed, also entered the optimal state for cultivating spiritual energy.

Time slowly passed.

At a certain moment, an alarm in his heart silently rang, and the afternoon training session, like an invisible alarm clock, awakened Bai E from his meditation.

[Through the process of instructing others, you have gained a deeper understanding of your own spiritual energy, increasing your spiritual energy limit by +2.]

"..."

Better than a night of meditation for himself?

Indeed, teaching others appears to be the best time to organize one's own learning.

Bai E nodded silently to himself and looked at his companion.

Rose blinked her beautiful big eyes with long eyelashes.

"Didn't feel anything?" Bai E felt somewhat embarrassed.

"Nothing," Rose said earnestly, nodding her head and emphasizing her point, "not at all."

Including watching Bai E's breathing, she didn't sense any hint of mystical aura from it.

And she firmly believed in the existence of spiritual energy, so personal will was not the issue.

"Maybe my level isn't high enough?" Bai E suggested, looking for problems in himself first.

"Indeed..."

"..."

Rose burst into laughter, her hearty and generous demeanor unchanged, "Of course, it's also possible I just don't have the talent. Yueying was willing to teach you, which means you have some advantage. It's alright if I can't learn; I appreciate that you would teach me!"

"Alright then..."

"Let's go," Rose said, patting off her bottom and standing up without a hint of dejection, "The Psychic Pressure Resistance Training is about to start, and it's my first lesson, so I can't be late."

Since she had become Bai E's partner in piloting mechas, she had to participate in Psychic Pressure Resistance Training as well.

"Okay! Let's go!"

...

Watching the soldiers gradually gathering before her, Franca's eyes drifted off.

That morning, she received an emergency notice from the headquarters for all enforcement officers—

To capture the "demon child"!

The so-called "demon child" was just a term.

They didn't seem to have any connection to demons, and even through the professional methods of the enforcement officers, no trace of demonic essence could be found on them.

But for some reason, normal humans who came into contact with these "demon children" were highly likely to become minions of demons.

These were the devil's offspring!