Starting as a Mechanical Hunter

Chapter 939: Chapter 45: First Layer Collection Space

Just as people grow up and must leave home, mastering interstellar navigation technology and expanding outward is an essential task for every species entering the stage of an advanced civilization.

However, in the eyes of truly high-tier species, building a Dao Field inside a conch shell is a truly high-tech endeavor, involving the evolution of top-tier information technology.

For example, like the current scenario, constantly refreshing new planets by adjusting spatial dimensions to serve as different collection spaces.

This method is unfathomable even to a Level 3 Civilization.

...

Mechanical Serpent Constellation, outer planet, first layer of collection space.

This is what Star Thieves consider the true Mechanical Serpent Constellation, a planet-level Black Market composed of chaos and illegal constructions.

Dockyards, trading centers, beast fighting arenas, slave markets, repair shops, weapon sale points, biological transformation stores with various planetary styles are intricately interwoven together. Some entire buildings serve as offices for certain alien species, but as soon as you step out, it turns into beaches, oceans, hotels, with beauties from various species smiling at you, extending their tentacles and reproductive organs.

However, behind the hotel, sinister weapon craftsmen are cutting up corpses and polishing melee weapons, while below is a passionately surging beast fighting arena, spectators with bloodthirst, faces filled with fervor and savagery. A large amount of excitement drugs sprinkle like perfume, and just separated by a wall, alien homeboys are selling blood and wearing virtual connection devices.

While various forms of interstellar homeboys indulge in the Virtual Realm, the Black Market is playing out brawls, robberies, and forceful buying and selling.

”Ah, the familiar scent!” I am a Big Muscle Dominator took a deep breath of the turbid synthetic oxygen, exclaiming from the heart.

”Familiar my ass, you’ve never been here before,” Red Flower Demon retorted mercilessly.

The earliest trio, I Love Eating Buns, Red Flower Demon, and I am a Big Muscle Dominator were together again. Baozi was here to explore the market, I am a Big Muscle Dominator wanted to buy a suitable prosthetic device because his gorilla arm was blown off during a Star Thief siege battle, and as for Red Flower Demon, he was purely dragged here to be a bystander.

”Where are the others?” Red Flower Demon asked casually.

”Sister Ji and PP Boss went to the mall, Brother Umbrella went to see if he could take a job at an assassination agency in the Black Market, there’s only one or two levels left, and this master will soon be Tier 2 Full Level. Oh, and the Plane went to the alien slave market to buy a few alien female slaves to take care of his bird,” Baozi said casually.

Red Flower Demon instantly perked up, regretfully saying: ”If I had known, I wouldn’t have fooled around with you two losers. I would have gone with the Plane to see the maids.”

I am a Big Muscle Dominator, always taking the pure man route, rolled his eyes, put down a Heavy Hammer-type alloy prosthetic body, and commented: ”Then you better watch your backside; ever since that guy learned divine kung fu, his eyes have been weird. Every time I see him, I tighten up. Besides, how do you know he’s buying female slaves? He might be buying male slaves.”

”That’s not possible, right?” Red Flower Demon was dumbfounded.

”What’s impossible about it? According to our Boss, alien species’ preferences surpass your imagination. In many races, chromosomes are controllable, and so is gender; meaning you can change into a man if you want, or a woman if you wish.”

”That’s awesome!”

”It is indeed awesome...”

Baozi ignored the two fools behind him. At the moment, he was discussing the price of mechas with a Bionic Man.

”Impossible, impossible, you can’t get equipment like mine, a human-type, for anything less than 300 Credit Points.”

The ’Bionic Man’ shook his head vigorously, an expression of refusal on his face.

Baozi smiled with his signature sincere look, haggling with the other party.

”Old brother, with 300 Credit Points, you could almost buy a second-hand small Star Thief Ship, or if you knock off half, a second-hand exoskeleton is also doable. At your price point, in terms of firepower, it doesn’t compare to a large mecha; in terms of operability, it doesn’t compare to remote-controlled armor, you see...”

This Black Market Store, in front of him, was selling a very niche bionic-type armor.

As everyone knows, armor is divided into three types: traditional mecha, exoskeleton, and covering armor.

Their own camp follows the traditional mecha route, adhering to the three tenets of bigger, rougher, and stronger. If they break through the civilization level, they can upgrade to Star Armor, known amongst players as ’Interstellar Gundam’.

Exoskeletons are easy to understand, and prosthetic bodies, in the strictest sense, also belong to the exoskeleton category, known as Implantable Exoskeletons.

Covering armor is easier to grasp, akin to Iron Man’s style, following a single-soldier route. The nearby giant-level civilization, Mirta Federation, is a renowned manufacturer of armors, with various models famed across many Stellar Vortexes.

Its arch-nemesis, the Galen Republic, however, follows a giant battleship and artillery path.

The armor this suspicious store sells is a quite unique civilian mecha, outwardly resembling a typical ’Mirta Person’, high nose and deep-set eyes, gold-tinged skin, and finely crafted, lifelike features with a distinct biomimetic technology evident.

Yet, therein lies its awkward point; in terms of firepower, operability, and evolvability, it lags behind other three types of armor.

Its position is probably for a few small alien species to use as transportation, with a large sign outside the store — Accepting High-End Customization.

Seeing that Baozi was merely talking and not making any purchases, the store owner immediately lost interest in this two-legged creature. A glance was enough to shift his gaze to Red Flower Demon, his eyes instantly lighting up. In two steps, he held onto Red Flower Demon’s hand.

”Little brother, you have a nice body. Interested in letting me research it? I’ll cover the maintenance costs and your fees for virtual misses!”

Red Flower Demon, who was just mocking the Plane with I am a Big Muscle Dominator, suddenly saw a man grabbing his hand and got goosebumps all over. With a flip of the wrist, a Single Molecule Line ejected from the seam, winding around the other’s neck.

”I advise you to calm down. Yes, I have guy friends, but I don’t engage in that myself.”

The store owner took a look at the other and realized, ”So you’re an old-school heterosexual enthusiast.”

As soon as the words were out, a blond-haired, blue-eyed bionic person with golden peachy buttocks and a chest of the Abyss came out of the store, showing a coquettish expression.

”Hey handsome, can I serve you?”

Red Flower Demon had to muster considerable effort to refuse the other’s proposal.

As the three continued exploring the market, Baozi suddenly paused, realizing with enlightenment.

”I get it now; I understand why they’re so reluctant to offer discounts.”

”To be honest, Tier 2: Fine equipment isn’t sold at a high price in the first place.”

I am a Big Muscle Dominator remarked casually; most exoskeleton transformers are adept at ’Mechanical Maintenance’, and he was no exception. With a single glance, he could tell the materials were quite solid, but he hadn’t said so just to support Baozi, the shrewd trader.

”The equipment isn’t the key; the key is the channel!” Baozi squinted and said, ”Do you know why he modifies bionic armor to look like a Mirta Person?”

”What do you mean?”

”Huh?”

Baozi glanced disdainfully at the two, slowly uttering two words, ”Species smuggling.”

Red Flower Demon immediately turned his head, noticing the legitimate-seeming name ’Wang’s Civilian Mecha Store’, which clashed with the Black Market’s vibe.

”Smuggling into Level 3 Civilization territory to become Level 3 Civilization citizens—no wonder the materials are so cheap; they’re channel merchants!” I am a Big Muscle Dominator understood too.

”Let’s go, continue surveying the market.”

As Baozi continued his market survey, his brows furrowed tighter and tighter.

The grade of equipment in this Black Market... wasn’t high at all.

Though the types were varied and bizarre, even getting military supplies wasn’t a problem, but compared to the Cyber Test Field’s offerings, it felt like it was merely so-so.

’Could it be that the Newbie Village we come from is actually very advanced?’

Baozi silently pondered.

Just then, a loud explosion suddenly came from the street not far ahead, followed by someone angrily cursing: ”Damn it, Liberation Association! Block these lunatics!!”

At these words, Black Market merchants of all races and styles grabbed their weapons and rushed out together, displaying a united front, even the previous channel merchant from the ’civilian route’ joined with ten or so bionic armors.

”It’s unscientific, being this enthusiastic?”

I am a Big Muscle Dominator couldn’t understand. On the way here, he’d seen quite a few incidents of forced buying and selling, and brawls breaking out at the drop of a hat, and passerby weren’t so eager to get involved.

”Liberation Association, weren’t they the suicide maniacs we encountered on our last mission?” Red Flower Demon recalled.

Baozi now understood.

As Black Market merchants, their selling and murdering were established.

As interstellar terrorists, the other party’s forte was that there’s no selling, only murdering.

Truly deadly rivals.