The journey back was uneventful.
This was because the method Bai Ye provided was, of course, feasible.
About two hours later, Bai Ye and his group appeared in an abandoned building in the slum.
Ji Ruyue closed her eyes and felt the surroundings for a moment, then opened them and said, "We're back."
Davis walked to the window and glanced out. "You don't need to use your scouting ability for this, do you? We can tell just by looking."
Looking out of the building, they could see people walking on the streets and some vendors around.
A burly man walked slowly, carrying a large piece of mutated creature meat.
"Hmph!" Ji Ruyue looked at Allen and asked, "What do we do now?"
Allen pondered for a moment. "This matter needs careful consideration. I need to contact some people to discuss it. Also, I hope you all can stay in the City of Ruins for the time being. As participants, your testimony about what we saw in Laboratory No. 3 will be invaluable."
Gonzalez patted his chest. "It's our duty."
Ji Ruyue and Davis nodded. "We agree."
Allen looked at Bai Ye. "Bai Ye, I'm sorry that I couldn't help you more this time when we entered that world. If you wish to leave, you are free to do so. The rest of us are capable enough to handle what's next. Furthermore, the City of Ruins is likely to face some turmoil."
"It's alright," Bai Ye said with a smile. "Don't worry about me. You can all go about your business. I'll be staying in the City of Ruins for the time being. Call me if you need anything."
Allen nodded. "Good!"
There were follow-ups to this matter, but at least the first phase of the hidden mission was complete.
"You successfully led the Hunting Ground Squad into the Mirror World for exploration. Completion: 80%. Reward received: Universal Mechanical Chip."
Universal Mechanical Chip (Item) (Gold): A legendary creation of the God of Mechanics, this chip can be used in any mechanical product's chip slot.
Effect: Omnimechanical (Can be installed in any mechanical product's chip slot, and will produce different effects depending on the mechanical product.)
Unique (This chip cannot be repeatedly removed and installed.)
The moment Bai Ye saw this item, his first thought was that he was rich. Then, upon closer inspection...
Damn it, it's an item!
It's not that items have no value, especially a gold-quality item.
However, the description of the Universal Mechanical Chip contained a crucial phrase: "Can be installed in any mechanical product's chip slot."
Simply put, this thing is actually a component for a super-quality item.
Even at gold quality, its tier dropped significantly.
Everyone knew that if one could collect all the components of a super-quality item, they would be items exceeding gold quality, just as the name "super-quality" implied.
But if you couldn't collect them all...
Look at that damn incomplete volume of the Sunflower Manual; Bai Ye was too lazy to think about it, as thinking about it only brought tears.
As for the Universal Mechanical Chip, it still had value.
For example, if Bai Ye found a mecha with eight components and only the final chip component was missing, he could use the Universal Mechanical Chip as a substitute.
Or if Bai Ye found an assembled mechanical armor and only lacked a chip, the Universal Mechanical Chip could also be used as a replacement.
In simple terms, as long as it was a chip slot, whether it was a mecha, mechanical armor, robot, mechanical limb, or tank, it could be substituted.
At the same time, the God of Mechanics...
With such a grand title, Bai Ye felt that after installation, the effects produced by the Universal Mechanical Chip might be better than those of the original chip, and the overall performance enhancement for the installed mechanical item would also be better.
However...
It was still the same problem, Bai Ye only had one chip, which was useless!
This was the type of item that would make Bai Ye weep with joy if he ever lacked just one chip, but currently, it was of no use.
But what if he lacked one someday?
So, Bai Ye felt that it was still acceptable!
After putting the chip away, Bai Ye looked at his other gains, directly referring to the rewards from the restricted zone.
First, there were the rewards for Restricted Zone Mission 1 and Restricted Zone Mission 2.
Bai Ye had not managed to obtain any crystallized abilities.
For Restricted Zone Mission 1, Bai Ye received Gonzalez's energy-powered Vulcan Gatling, a black-quality futuristic weapon.
The effect was average. It lacked armor penetration, damage stacking, and bullet explosion effects, which were crucial for firearms.
However, it did have infinite ammunition, which, combined with the Gatling's firing rate...
It was not very useful in duels between experts, but it was truly handy for dealing with trash mobs.
Then, for Restricted Zone Mission 2, Bai Ye obtained Allen's twin short swords.
The full name of these items should be "Rectangular Light Saw Cutting Daggers," also black quality. Their effect was passable, with a flashy ability called Magnetic Adsorption.
It was the move where Allen flicked his fingers and the swords flew out of their scabbards.
Theoretically, drawing a sword like this saves time, but...
Bai Ye had the Steel Slime, and wasn't directly controlling his sword much more powerful than this?
Of course, there were highlights. The blades had laser serrations on both sides, causing secondary damage, and the cutting damage could shatter armor, with a certain degree of improvement in attack power. Overall, they were decent weapons.
But they were of little significance to Bai Ye; like the Gatling, they were for trading.
However, the red-quality weapon from Restricted Zone Mission 3 was finally a little interesting.
No, not just a little interesting; it was to the point of making Bai Ye tear up.
Skywalker (Lightsaber) (Red): An energy lightsaber from a future technological civilization, it is lightweight and sharp, capable of easily cutting through high-hardness steel.
Effect: Lightsaber Flash (Upon activation, there is a 10% chance to shatter the target item. Cooldown: 180 minutes after each use.)
Swift Swordsman (When holding this weapon, speed increases by 25 points, and sword-drawing speed increases by 100%.)
Light and Shadow (When holding this weapon, illusions of light and shadow will appear during attacks to confuse the opponent.)
High Heat Accumulation (Lightsaber energy is increased by 300%. Unleash an aerial slash at a distance of 15 meters, emitting a high-heat energy wave.)
This thing...
Bai Ye's evaluation was that among lightsabers, it was the fighter of trash!
As a red-quality weapon, its effects were so lousy!
Bai Ye felt it was the lowest tier of red-quality weapon.
A 10% chance to shatter an item, with a three-hour cooldown, was purely a rip-off.
The Light and Shadow effect was somewhat interesting, but it was only useful for bullying weaker opponents. Experts were usually not fooled by such flashy tricks. The High Heat Accumulation was also of little significance. Weren't the Thunderclap Purple Lightning and Fiery Emperor Flying Fire, when transformed into lightning and fire by controlling the sword, much more powerful than this move?
The only incredible thing was Swift Swordsman!
A 100% increase in attack speed was truly terrifying. Combined with Light and Shadow, it was quite interesting. In close combat, it would be extremely explosive. Bai Ye felt that the Skywalker was red-quality entirely because of this effect.
However, precisely because it was red-quality, it was somewhat of a watered-down item.
But, did that matter?
This was a lightsaber!
The romance of a man!
...