Volume 3, Chapter 58 – Aila Learns to Go Online

Objective: craft the Poor-Quality Exoskeleton Armor.

After leaving the archive room, Chen Anran did not hurry back to find Aila. Instead, she used the remaining time to start making the exoskeleton armor.

With this thing, her combat strength would rise dramatically.

But after a long stretch of smooth progress, Chen Anran finally ran into trouble.

Three attempts in a row all ended with problems, and everything she made was nothing more than a pile of scrap metal.

In the end, she barely gained 1,000 EXP.

“Looks like my understanding still isn’t enough.”

High-level blueprints had intelligence requirements, limitations from mechanical theory, and demands on fabrication equipment as well.

There was no shortage of fabrication equipment, and Chen Anran’s intelligence had also reached the requirement, so it seemed her mechanical theory was still lacking.

Chen Anran gave up on the plan of crafting the complete exoskeleton armor.

Besides [777], she had also obtained a blueprint for [Tri-Axis Mechanical Arm] while reading earlier.

Chen Anran recalled that among the blueprints Gray needed, there was one called [Tri-Axis Power Unit], which had been broken down from Aila’s crafting blueprint.

Multiple blueprints could be combined into a more complex blueprint, and complex blueprints could likewise be broken down into simpler ones.

So Chen Anran decided to dismantle the exoskeleton armor blueprint.

If she could not make the full-body armor, then making only arm armor or leg armor should not be a problem.

Basic Analysis.

It could analyze not only mechanical devices, but also blueprints.

Current level: Lv3. Analysis progress: 3%.

Watching the painfully slow progress, Chen Anran felt as though it might hit its limit and stop parsing at any moment.

Gritting her teeth, she directly spent 7,000 EXP to raise Basic Analysis to Lv5.

Today had basically been for nothing. All the EXP she had earned was spent right back out.

But the result was gratifying.

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The progress, which had stalled at 7%, began increasing again.

Ten minutes later, it finally reached 30%.

“Ding! The analysis progress of [Poor-Quality Exoskeleton Armor] has reached 30%. You have obtained the new blueprint [Poor-Quality Mechanical Leggear].”

In the end, the progress stopped at 41%.

Although it did not continue rising, Chen Anran was already very satisfied.

Because she had seen the stats of this [Poor-Quality Mechanical Leggear].

It was a piece of mechanical armor that covered the lower legs and feet.

It could roughly be understood as a special kind of “boot.”

Of course, it did not look particularly good, since it was an unrefined original blueprint.

The leggear was built entirely from a mechanical framework, so it required the wearer to have 15 Strength.

Chen Anran’s Strength was exactly 15.

Powered by both electricity and a “black tech” pneumatic chamber, the [Poor-Quality Mechanical Leggear] had a battery life of about one hour.

Its attributes under normal operation were as follows:

+15 Speed, Jumping Power x3, Armor: 30/30.

It had a blue-black exterior. The part wrapping the feet used a hollowed-out design, while the sections covering the calves consisted of three steel struts, pneumatic lines, and an electric transmission system.

Near the knees on both legs was a raised pressure chamber. Once the pressure chamber’s burst mode was activated, energy consumption would become ten times higher than before, but the +30 Speed and 4x jumping power could also produce unexpected effects.

Ugly was not a problem. Good performance was what mattered.

What was more, the design of this leggear was relatively slim, so it was obviously possible to add extra decoration.

It could be styled into all kinds of appearances according to personal preference.

In other words, in-game, this thing could even change form based on your own “character customization.”

Although Chen Anran really wanted to make it right away, it was already getting late.

Chen Anran now understood that for this kind of difficult mechanical creation, it was hard to succeed in one go before her proficiency was high enough.

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So she used the little time she had left to make two more [777], earning another 1,500 EXP.

The tools were all ready now. Tonight she would train Aila a bit, and tomorrow they could hang up the sign and open the shop for business.

The place they lived was very close to the Research Center and Nine Songs’ branch here, so in practice it was extremely safe.

Even if there was not much foot traffic for the time being, that was fine.

Zhou Jieyu was already something of a well-known “walkthrough master” and “wise elite player” in Twinmoon City.

If she got Zhou Jieyu to help promote the place on the game forums, wouldn’t money come pouring in?

Training a few players who were unreliable in some ways but dependable in others to help with odd jobs really was damn satisfying!

“I’m back!”

Chen Anran opened the door with her key and walked in.

She got no response from Aila.

Chen Anran found that a little strange. Could Aila not be home?

Aila had a key, and she knew how to close the door too.

But Chen Anran quickly rejected that thought. After changing into a different pair of shoes, she had barely set her backpack on the floor and taken two steps when she saw Aila sitting on a specially made metal stool, staring unblinkingly at the computer screen.

At the same time, Aila’s left hand rested on the mouse and her right hand on the keyboard.

The crisp clacking sounds went on without pause.

This was…

Chen Anran quietly walked behind Aila. Looking past Aila’s small shoulder, she saw on the screen the detailed interior of a building. Aila was controlling a woman dressed in black leather, fighting zombies with a rifle.

“…”

This…

Chen Anran was completely speechless.

She could not think of any words to describe how she felt.

Do you know what it feels like to watch an NPC play a 3D game inside a virtual game?

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Especially when Chen Anran realized that Aila was the kind of top-tier player people called a “god.”

Her aim was far too accurate.

Those zombies were like fixed targets. Aila popped their heads one after another in rapid succession.

The score in the lower-left corner of the screen kept rising too.

She was amazing, but Chen Anran inwardly thought, It’s over.

Judging by how obsessed Aila looked, she had clearly transformed into an internet-addicted loli.

She was so engrossed in the game that she had ignored even her own big sister walking up behind her.

Finally, after a prolonged fight, although Aila’s marksmanship was excellent, she had kept circling around in the same place and soon ran out of supplies. In the end, she fell beneath the zombie horde.

“Ah! I lost again.” Aila closed the game.

Then she turned back and suddenly said to Chen Anran, “Anran, you’re back!”

So she did know I was standing behind her after all, Chen Anran thought.

“Have you eaten dinner yet?” Chen Anran asked.

Aila shook her head. “Not yet.”

“Mhm.”

Chen Anran responded, took off her coat, and tossed it onto the bed. The skin exposed beneath was fair, while her abdomen looked especially toned. Her slight figure unexpectedly had a certain charm.

But Aila was incapable of appreciating that.

“How did you find this game?” Chen Anran asked in confusion.

She had only learned how to use a browser yesterday, and today she was already a gaming expert. Was this the power of an advanced robot?

Chen Anran felt a trace of frustration.

“I searched online for how to ‘improve my marksmanship,’ and someone recommended this to me.” Aila skillfully pulled up the exact question she had asked.

The corner of Chen Anran’s mouth twitched. That NPC netizen had been enthusiastic and innocent.

He had thought Aila was asking how to improve her aim in a game.

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But Aila meant the real thing!

“Next time, I’ll take you to a shooting range to try a real gun. Eat first. After dinner, there’s something else I need your help with,” Chen Anran said.

“Okay, okay!” Aila immediately stood up.

Eating was still more interesting.

Since she had no competitive streak, after her initial curiosity wore off, Aila had only been “practicing her marksmanship.”

After dinner,

Chen Anran took out the two 777s and began sharing her ideas with Aila.

She first demonstrated several times how to operate the 777, then explained her train of thought, prompting Aila to nod repeatedly.

“As long as it can help Anran, then there’s no problem.”

Chen Anran was deeply moved.

After that,

“I want to sleep with Anran.” Aila suddenly tugged at Chen Anran’s panties just after Chen Anran had come out from her bath.

“Huh? Why?”

Actually, Chen Anran was worried that if they fell asleep together, Aila might end up pinning her down.

“The internet says you’re supposed to sleep together with someone you like!” Aila refused to let go of the panties.

It’s drafty down there, hey.

“…”

Damn, what exactly had Aila been reading online?

Chen Anran’s mouth twitched.

Seeing that Aila absolutely would not let it go, Chen Anran could only agree. “Fine, fine. No problem.”

Her Strength was 15 now and her Endurance was 23. With Aila’s weight, she was no longer in any danger of being crushed to death.