Chapter 24: Bombing the Fish
In this vast world—where eating and sleeping are the most important, and everything else is taken one step at a time—Yang Bo was assigned the next day to clean out a small storeroom. The room was crammed with all sorts of books, including some shamefully risqué illustrated volumes, as well as a collection of old optical discs and similar relics.
It was fairly typical for a low-level cleaner at Anzhijie Services: you were expected to handle the unsavory, secret items of the rich and famous. Yang Bo suspected that Anzhijie Services was nothing more than a company that did the dirty work; cleaners with higher clearance might even be involved in outright criminal activities.
After finishing work, Yang Bo took the bus home. Along the way he passed a massive building where workers were busy decorating. On closer inspection, he realized it was the venue for a concert by the pop diva Li Aido—a grand performance to be held at a dome-shaped entertainment center.
Li Aido, with her doll-like face, attractive petite figure, and an ethereal, otherworldly voice, had long been rumored to have awakened a particular vocal gene. In his previous life, Yang Bo had been an avid fan of hers—though back then he was just an insignificant nobody who never even made it into her fan club. Now, having taken over, he no longer chased stars; he simply appreciated good singing.
Back at home, as per his usual routine, Yang Bo took a long, cleansing bath—using the time to discharge his own built-up energy. He clearly felt that his strength had increased considerably, since the water in his bathtub had been noticeably heated by his energy release (thankfully the tap had been left running, or else the water would have boiled over).
"35%—so my body is now storing about 1,750 units of electrical energy. Not a huge amount, but it's something," he muttered.
Later, he logged into the Mech World game, unaware that his reputation as "Bird Slayer" had already spread like wildfire on the forums. Bird Slayer had first made his name by slicing tiny birds with a five‑meter mech blade, then moved on to mowing down grasslands, setting prairies ablaze, and causing environmental havoc. Eventually, his actions even forced a B‑level infiltrator to reveal himself—and that was considered perfect. Yet misfortune struck when the base's defense system ended up blasting both the infiltrator and Bird Slayer to bits!
Within the game, accidental friendly fire from the defense system was rare. According to data analysis, this latest grass-cutting escapade would net Bird Slayer at least 500,000 gold coins.
Yang Bo also checked up on B‑level infiltrators. These infiltrators were a specialized branch of the enemy forces—experts in stealth, camouflage, and ambush—who operated bio‑mechs (mechs grown from biological materials) that could amplify a gene‑enhancer's innate powers. For reasons unknown, the Federation banned research on bio‑mechs.
After carefully studying the game's mall and then searching online, Yang Bo finally chose an impact bomb designed for use against monsters hiding in caves. The bomb, which generated a tremendous shockwave, cost 10,000 gold coins each. Yang Bo purchased three. (In truth, he had his eye on a micro‑hydrogen bomb as well, but that one was 100,000 gold coins apiece. Yang Bo decided to try the impact bomb first—if it didn't work, he'd consider the micro‑hydrogen bomb. However, his plan with the micro‑hydrogen bomb wasn't to detonate it outright; he intended to dismantle it and use its toxic components to wreak havoc on small animals.)
After all, the game officials boasted that Mech World was a highly free‑form game—so why not act as if you didn't know it was all remotely controlled?
Armed with three impact bombs, Yang Bo set out. His entry‑level mech had no flight capability, so it had to trudge forward on its long, powerful legs, thundering across the endless plains of overgrown grass and shrubs. There were even patches of swamp—but for a mech equipped with a rocket backpack, no swamp was too daunting. Moreover, his mech's radar system provided guidance on the best routes to take.
However, almost as soon as Yang Bo's mech left the base, it was spotted. Low‑level mechs like his were extremely rare—most had been modified extensively—so his basic, unmodified unit immediately attracted attention. Yang Bo longed to upgrade his mech, but doing so would cost a fortune. For instance, installing a flight booster was a one‑time upgrade that, once used, had to be discarded. Besides, Yang Bo wasn't interested in hunting mutants or gene‑polluted creatures; he preferred to hassle ordinary animals without spending extra money on modifications.
After traveling more than 200 kilometers in about half an hour, Yang Bo's mech began to show signs of strain—he felt physical soreness and estimated that the journey cost him at least 500 credit points.
"This is a dangerous area—be careful," he cautioned himself as he checked the map. Danger ratings were determined by his mech's level.
There was a vast lake with water stretching as far as the eye could see, surrounded by wild grass and virtually no people. Although his mech was waterproof, underwater operations were not recommended, as all functions would be severely reduced; there were specialized underwater mechs for that purpose.
"Damn, if only our bio‑search radar were available on Earth, fishermen would fight over it—detecting not only the size of a fish but also its species," Yang Bo commented as he activated his radar. His small mech radar's detection range and depth varied with the environment.
Electric eels typically live in freshwater streams. Yang Bo quickly detected one—a solitary eel in a lake about 50 meters away and 3 meters deep.
"This is a bit tricky—a single electric eel isn't exactly worth dropping a bomb on," he mused. "Maybe I should develop a new energy‑efficient fishing system?" "Better to observe for now," Yang Bo decided, strolling around to get a better look.
What Yang Bo didn't know was that, less than a kilometer away in a clump of bushes, a small gray bird was silently eyeing his mech. And hundreds of kilometers away, in a neatly arranged underground facility, a virtual screen displayed the silhouette of Yang Bo's mech.
"General, shall we strike now?" a voice boomed from the underground command center. The space was meticulously organized. A tall man with small horns on his head shouted.
"Not yet. That fellow who's detected our senior spy must have his reasons. These shameless bastards allow remote-controlled mechs—even though over the years we've lost real men, the enemy only loses machines," the general replied. The general was a towering, muscular middle‑aged man nearly two meters tall, with bulging muscles, his face covered in yellow‑black fuzz, a large nose, and a beard—resembling a tiger.
If Yang Bo were to see him, he'd realize this was one of the gene‑mutated individuals featured in the game's propaganda—either mutants or altered beings.
"General, I'll go capture a live one. Even a low‑level mech is preferable to a pile of raw materials," cooed a curvaceous woman in a soft voice—though her hands looked clawed, with gray hair covering them, while the rest of her appearance was normal.
"Not yet. Wait a moment," the general waved dismissively.
At that moment, Yang Bo, walking along the lakeshore, muttered, "This is getting complicated—these electric eels are everywhere." The key for Yang Bo was to achieve his goals at minimal cost; individually targeting each eel would be far too slow. No one else could afford that—but if someone started a fire, it would trigger two master‑level skill gains, rendering individual farming meaningless.
"Damn, if only I were piloting a battleship, I could obliterate this entire lake with one shot," he mused.
"Looks like I have no choice but to poison them. I seem to recall that some bombs contain extremely toxic materials," Yang Bo resolved to look further into it, then to devise a plan. Some chemical substances are incredibly toxic—but he'd have to survey first. After all, if the game is truly as free as they claim, then who's to say? I'll pretend I don't know this is all remote control.
Armed with three impact bombs, Yang Bo set out once more. His basic mech, lacking any flight ability, trudged forward on its long legs across the boundless plains, where wild grass and shrubs reigned, and even patches of swamp could be seen. For a mech with a rocket backpack, no swamp posed a threat. Moreover, its radar system provided guidance on which route to take.
Yet, as soon as Yang Bo's mech left the base, it was spotted—because low‑level mechs were exceedingly rare and many had been modified. Yang Bo's plain, unmodified mech immediately drew attention. He longed to upgrade it, but upgrades such as installing a flight booster were prohibitively expensive and one‑time only. Besides, Yang Bo wasn't interested in hunting mutants or gene‑polluted creatures; he just wanted to hassle ordinary animals without extra modification.
After more than 200 kilometers in half an hour, Yang Bo's mech began to ache—he felt soreness and estimated that the journey cost him at least 500 credits.
"This is a dangerous area—be careful," he cautioned himself as he checked the map. Danger ratings in the game were relative to your mech's level.
There was a vast lake stretching to the horizon, surrounded by wild grass and virtually deserted. Although his mech was waterproof, it was not recommended for underwater use—its functions would be greatly diminished, and there were dedicated underwater mechs for that.
"Damn, if only this kind of bio‑search radar were available on Earth, fishermen would fight over it. It could detect not only the size of a fish but also its species," Yang Bo said as he activated his radar. The small radar on his mech had variable detection ranges and depths based on the environment.
Since electric eels typically dwell in freshwater streams, Yang Bo soon detected one—a solitary eel in a lake about 50 meters away, 3 meters deep.
"This is a bit tricky—a single electric eel isn't worth dropping a bomb on," he mused. "Maybe I should develop a new energy‑efficient fishing system?" "Better to observe first," Yang Bo decided, strolling around to survey the area.
What Yang Bo didn't know was that, less than a kilometer away in a clump of bushes, a small gray bird was silently watching his mech. And hundreds of kilometers away, in a well‑organized underground space, a virtual screen displayed the silhouette of Yang Bo's mech.
"General, shall we strike now?" a voice boomed from the underground command center. The space was meticulously organized. A man with small horns on his head shouted.
"Not yet. That fellow who detected our senior spy surely has his reasons. These shameless bastards even allow remote-controlled mechs. Over the years, we've lost real men while the enemy only loses machines," the general replied. The imposing man, nearly two meters tall and heavily muscled, had a face covered in yellow‑black fuzz, a large nose, and a beard—resembling a tiger.
If Yang Bo ever saw him, he'd know this was one of the gene‑mutated beings—the mutants—as portrayed in the game's propaganda.
"General, I'll go capture a live specimen. Even a low‑level mech is better than a pile of raw materials," said a curvaceous woman in a soft voice. However, her hands looked claw-like, covered with gray fuzz, though the rest of her appearance was normal.
"Not yet. Wait," the general dismissed with a wave.
At that moment, Yang Bo, walking along the lakeshore, muttered, "This is complicated—these electric eels are scattered everywhere." He needed to achieve his goal at minimal cost; taking out each eel one by one would be too slow. No one else could afford that. If someone started a fire, it could trigger two master-level skill gains, making individual farming less attractive.
"Damn, if only I were piloting a battleship, I could annihilate this entire lake with a single shot," he mused.
"Seems I have no choice but to poison them. I recall that some bombs contain extremely toxic raw materials," Yang Bo resolved, planning to research further and then devise a strategy. Some chemical substances are incredibly potent—but I must scout first. Once they're here, I'll decide.
(End of Chapter)