n

n

n

nA week later:

n“Boss, how’s it going? Did you finish the Tier 4 weapon?” Andrew asked as he entered Maximus’s workshop.

n“Hmm, it’s almost done,” Maximus replied, his gaze fixed on the massive weapon resting on the table.

n“How’s your progress with the signal transceiver I mentioned?”

n“Boss, it’s quite difficult. I still need a few years to create such a powerful transceiver,” Andrew sighed.

nMaximus had asked him to develop a transceiver capable of covering at least the entire continent they were on.

nIf it’s just a normal transceiver then it’s easy.

nBut what Maximus needed is a transceiver that can forcibly connect with other transceivers.

n“Hmmm, take your time. After all, we still have 7 years until the 10-year mark.”

n“As for the tier 4 monster that was coming for me?”

n“As long as this tier 4 weapon is finished they were done for.”

n“That’s great!” Andrew’s eyes lit up with determination as he returned to working on the transceiver.

n…

nAnother week later.

nIn Maximus’s workshop:

nBoom*

nRoar*

nWandered: Host, a Tier 4 monster is approaching from 998 kilometers away.

n“Oh? It’s finally here,”

n“Fortunately, the Tier 4 weapon is complete, albeit a bit rough,” Maximus mumbled, eyeing the somewhat bulky weapon before him.

nDue to the rushed construction, the weapon appeared bulky and cumbersome.

nIt hadn’t even been properly mounted onto the RV.

n“But it’ll suffice.”

n“Go call the collection robot to mount this thing” Maximus order Wanderer.

nWanderer: yes host

n..

nA few minutes later…

n“Boss, are you testing the weapon today?” Andrew emerged due to the commotion and asked.

n“No, a Tier 4 monster is headed this way.”

n“So soon?” Andrew murmured, but a glance at Maximus’s expression told him the reason.

nWith a danger magnet like Maximus in the vicinity, it was hardly surprising that the monsters flocked to them.

n“Enough chitchat, help me mount this thing,” Maximus urged, giving Andrew a nudge.

n“Sure thing, boss!”

nWith the assistance of collection robots and Wanderer, Maximus and Andrew mounted the Tier 4 weapon onto a platform, allowing Wanderer to have full control over it.

n“Wanderer, is the energy reserve sufficient?”

nWanderer: Host, there is approximately 0.8 exajoules of energy remaining.

n“It should be enough,” Maximus reasoned.

nAfter all, clearing over ten thousand Tier 3 monsters from before had consumed at least 0.4 exajoules of energy.

nAs for the corpses, Maximus hadn’t had the time to process them, as he was busy creating the Tier 4 weapon.

n“Wanderer, ready and fire!”

nWanderer: Firing sequence commencing.

nCoordinates: (728, 23,2)

nSpeed: 300 meters per second

nCalculating…

nCalibrating…

nFire initiated…

nBooooom!!!

nThe tremendous explosion generated sonic waves, causing various robots to topple.

nEven Maximus and Andrew were affected by the shockwave.

n“Wanderer, report!” Maximus fought dizziness and inquired.

nWanderer: Report—no observable remains within a 3-kilometer radius from the epicenter of the blast.

n“Hmm,” Maximus lay down, allowing his body to recover.

nA few minutes later…

n“Damn, boss, your weapon is way too intense,” Andrew couldn’t help but complain.

nBoth of them were injured by their own weapon, so it was only natural for Andrew to voice his grievances.

n“Shut up! I rushed through the whole process, using subpar Tier 3 materials to create a Tier 4 weapon. What did you expect?”

nThe weapon’s performance was clearly a disappointment.

n𝗈𝐯xt.𝒪𝐦

nIf it wasn’t his creation, he’d toss it aside like rubbish.

n“Oh, right! It’s still impressive, boss.”

n“You managed to create such a powerful weapon in just two weeks,” Andrew corrected himself.

n“Sigh, it looked like it needed some major upgrade”

n“Don’t worry, boss. Take all the time you need…”

n…

nThree years later…

nThe vast wasteland once teeming with biological monsters had been replaced by a sprawling mechanical factory.

nIn the periphery, there is a hint of vegetation adding color to the previously desolate landscape.

nIn one of the rooms, Andrew gazed at the transceiver with tired eyes and a numb spirit.

nEvery beep seemed to momentarily halt his heartbeat.

nBeep*

nBeep*

nWith each subsequent beep, Andrew’s excitement grew.

nBeep*

nThe third beep displayed hundreds of thousands of signals received, indicating his success.

n“Finally!” Andrew’s energy surged as he leaped up.

n“Boss, I’m finished!!!” He shouted, racing toward Maximus.

n“Boss!!!”

n“Alright, calm down. I’m busy here,” Maximus waved his hand, engrossed in his work.

n“Boss, I finished the transceiver you requested,” Andrew said, hoping for praise.

n“Oh? You did a good job. You finished it quite early,” Maximus finally turned his head to Andrew and commended.

n“Hahaha, I’m that awesome,” Andrew laughed, holding his hips confidently.

n“Hmm, now we can recruit others.”

n“But how do we do that, boss? Everyone here is so arrogant. How could they join us?”

n“Just send a general message displaying images and information about our base.”

n“And for those who don’t want to join, offer to trade items of equal value.”

n“Wouldn’t that expose us, boss?”

n“Hmph, look at our surroundings. Even if Tier 5 monsters come here, they’ll be turned into minced meat due to our bombardment.”

nMaximus didn’t worry about his safety.

nIn the past three years, besides upgrading the RV, he had fortified the base into an impenetrable stronghold.

nUnless it was a horde of tier 5 monsters, they could just dream of breaking into his base.

n“Um, you’re right, boss”

nGlancing at the densely packed Tier 4 weapons, Andrew broke into a cold sweat.

nHe could only hope that any coming visitors would behave themselves.

n“How should we name our base, boss?”

n“Let’s call it Shadow City.”

n“Simple and clear. Then I’ll get to work, boss.”

nAndrew proceeded to fulfill his role, spreading the word to anyone about Shadow City.

nOnce he was done, he returned to his work, aiming to enhance the transceiver’s range to cover the entire world.

n…

nSoon, the message reached hundreds of thousands of people within the transceiver’s range.

n“Huh, did I receive a message?”

n“What’s this? Another survivor?”

nCereb muttered to himself as he heard the beeping sound.

n“Let’s see…”

nUpon reading the detailed description of Maximus’s base, he couldn’t help but be amazed.

n“Shadow City…”

n“How amazing, so much progress.”

n“Huh? It’s possible to trade?” Cereb read and looked at the bundles of Tier 4 materials in his room.

nHe was fortunate to have spawned in an area rich in Tier 4 materials.

nHowever, unfortunately, using Tier 4 materials was a hundred times more challenging than Tier 3, so he hadn’t made much progress.

n“Oh, they already have Tier 4 weapons?”

n“Should I get one?”

nCereb decided and packed his things as he made his way to Maximus’s base.

nOthers also packed their belongings in hopes of exchanging technology with Shadow City.

nAs for recruitment, only a few individuals saw the value in it and bothered to consider the offer.

nUnless they were truly desperate, most were hesitant to join any group.

n…

nSeveral months passed, and Cereb came to Shadow City.

n“Is this Shadow City?” Gazing at the imposing mechanical city before him, he couldn’t help but sigh.

n“What a genius, I’m no match for this…”

nAs he approached, a drone flew toward him.

nPlease state the purpose of your visit.

n“I’m here to trade…”

nPlease follow me.

nThe drones were controlled by Wanderer, giving them a bit of intelligence.

nCereb followed the drone to a designated area for trading.

nUpon seeing that he was here, he stepped out of his vehicle, clad in bionic armor.

n“Uh, how do I initiate a trade?”

nObserving the empty shed, he couldn’t help but ask.

nWanderer: Hello there, I’m Wanderer. You can inquire with me about trading.

nSuddenly, a bright screen appeared, projecting the virtual image of Wanderer.

nHe was portrayed wearing a cowboy hat, a futuristic outfit, and smoking a cigar.

n“Hmm, can I see the list of your products?”

nOf course…

nSoon, a list of available products along with an exchange list was presented to Cereb.

n“So many varieties of Tier 4 weapons?”

n“I’ll take three.”

n“Oh, there’s also a portable home. I’ll take that…”

n“This scanner is more powerful than mine. I’ll buy it…”

n“Huh? What’s this energy crystal?”

nIt’s a concentrated energy source containing about 1 exajoule of energy.

n“So much?” Cereb couldn’t help but be shocked.

nOne of the reasons he struggled to utilize Tier 4 materials was due to the lack of sufficient energy.

nEncountering concentrated energy was a pleasant surprise.

n“I’ll buy it!” Cereb clicked hastily.

n“Huh? You also accept monster corpses?”

nRealizing that energy crystals could be exchanged to seemingly worthless corpses, he couldn’t help but grow excited.

n“Hahaha, I’ll buy some weapons and hunt monsters and earn money,” Cereb thought with a grin.

n“That’s it! How much is the total?”

nTier 4 weapons, various auxiliary devices, energy crystals, exquisite synthetic food…

nThe total is xxx Tier 4 materials or xxx Tier 3 materials or xxx corpses…

n“So much?”

n“Uh, I don’t have enough materials.”

nCereb suddenly realized that he had selected many items.

nHe had become so absorbed in the excitement of browsing that he clicked on whatever he fancied.

n“Disregard the other items, just keep this Tier 4 weapon and 1 energy crystal.”

nCereb compromised, deciding to earn more money before making further purchases.

nIt’s advisable to join Shadow City. You can receive a 50% discount.

n“Is this solicitation?” Cereb chuckled and shook his head.

nThen that will be…

nSoon, the transaction concluded, and Cereb embarked on his journey to hunt monsters instead of being hunted himself.

n

n