Chapter 54: Preparation and Departure

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Xiang Shan’s preparations began with recharging. Both motorcycles were hybrid electric-gasoline models. Due to frequent raids by henchmen, it was often necessary to wait outside for several days. During that time, they couldn’t borrow public solar panels from nearby villages or towns, so both bikes were equipped with small solar panels. Additionally, the motorcycles had ethanol engines to provide bursts of power.

Next was replenishing the coolant. Xiang Shan fashioned a siphon system with a hose to draw some coolant from both motorcycles and inject it into his own body. To protect the internal circuits of his cybernetic limbs from damage by the "Iron Flower"—a metallic aerosol—he released vaporized coolant from the cooling system to maintain relatively high internal pressure, preventing the infiltration of metallic particulate aerosols.

He also needed to top up his coolant reserves; otherwise, the artificial muscle fibers in his cybernetic legs would overheat quickly. After refilling the coolant, Xiang Shan checked his condition again. His external armor bore several bullet holes from Griad’s gunfire, but the damaged internal components had been mostly replaced, so the impact on his combat effectiveness was minimal. He only needed to be cautious of weapons like the "Iron Flower" aerosol or nano carbon fiber capable of causing short circuits.

Of course, this caution applied equally to both sides. No one on this land was likely to wield the "Iron Flower" to its full potential. Though the "Iron Flower" was a microscopic metallic aerosol, it was not like natural dust particles, which were roughly spherical and uneven. Instead, it consisted of slender, flat flakes. Xiang Shan roughly recalled that when magnetized, this substance could be controlled through magnetic levitation technology to form "Gang Qi," which could defend against electromagnetic pulses targeting electronic devices and high-speed lasers that allowed no reaction time.

Moreover, the "Metallic Aerosol Gang Qi" could inflict limited damage on enemies. However, no one on this land was skilled enough to wield "Gang Qi," as it required complex calculations and specialized martial arts. Based on the chips Xiang Shan had found, none—including Griad’s—supported martial arts involving "Gang Qi."

Besides the external armor, the most problematic area was his cybernetic legs. "The artificial muscle fibers have deteriorated severely," Xiang Shan observed by gradually opening and closing circuits to test the muscles. "After only a few battles, about one percent of the muscle fibers have ruptured. Well, considering the design, these fibers were meant to be continually replaced to maintain optimal condition… As expected from government-issued prosthetics, durability is evidently low."

Still, they were sufficient for him to conquer the next mountain stronghold. Another issue was his cybernetic hand missing a finger. The finger, cut away by Griad’s bullet, still couldn’t be reattached due to a lack of resources. Yet even so, Xiang Shan refrained from swapping out his hand for Paulus’s steel fist prosthetics. His torso was too light; even if he struggled to wield those steel fists, his effectiveness would be greatly limited.

This was why Xiang Shan insisted on first eliminating the large Green Forest bandit stronghold. While there was an element of "righteous justice" and "restoring peace to the region," the primary motive was resources. In his hazy memory, some highly skilled martial artists directly concealed themselves within enemy bases to recuperate, repairing their prosthetics using the enemy’s resources.

Resources unattainable in the Recycle Station town should be plentiful in the Z Organization’s stronghold. Xiang Shan wrapped the parts he dismantled from the welfare officer and placed them in the cargo bed of his "donkey" bike. He also integrated the electronic sextant from Griad’s drone into the donkey’s system.

Now, he should no longer get lost. The sextant also provided him with his approximate coordinates.

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Latitude 37°16' N, Longitude 89°13' W. An area entirely unfamiliar. Xiang Shan’s memory was so fragmented that he couldn’t be sure if awakening here held any particular significance.

After finishing, he tore a large piece from a black tapestry to wrap Yuki, folding his disciple into a tight bundle and hanging him from the back of the motorcycle.

"Master, are you really sure about this?" Yuki’s voice came from inside.

"Idiot, don’t speak aloud—type inside your head," Xiang Shan scolded. "Basic communication skills must be mastered!"

"[#Understood.]"

Xiang Shan found a decorative item in the motorcycle, fixed it on his head, and transferred Andy’s clothing to it. Then he commanded Ali’s prosthetic body to mount the motorcycle.

He planned to infiltrate the Z Organization’s bandit stronghold this way. Ali and Andy were henchmen of the Z Organization. This wasn’t mere coincidence; the Z Organization was the dominant bandit faction nearby, and Recycle Station town fell within their sphere of influence. From the start, Xiang Shan intended to wipe out this bandit stronghold, so his ground-effect vehicle had been heading toward the Z Organization’s base.

Most of the bandits visible here belonged to the Z Organization. Even "Silver Drive Shaft" Leif was Ali’s idol. Ali wielded a steel rod as his main weapon in hopes of someday joining Leif’s ranks.

Yes, although Xiang Shan considered Leif a scoundrel, to the bandits Leif embodied masculinity itself.

Since the bandits couldn’t access the satellite networks controlled by the government and lacked resources for wired networks, news of Griad’s defeat and death likely hadn’t reached them. However, Griad probably left instructions about his movements, so the enemy might have some suspicion. Xiang Shan didn’t even need to read anyone’s memories to know this; Enoch’s last state made it clear.

If Leif and the explosive Kwei had remote communication, they wouldn’t have needed Enoch to send messages. Leif was already the fourth leader of the stronghold.

News of Ali and Andy’s deaths certainly wouldn’t be reported back. Xiang Shan planned to exploit this to slip inside. After all, launching a direct assault on the bandit stronghold from outside was nearly impossible. The stronghold was easy to defend but hard to conquer.

Firstly, a bandit stronghold had very few surface structures. If the surface was too conspicuous, orbital weapons would be brought to bear. Space-based kinetic weapons like the "Staff of God" were essentially "throwing trash." In this era, the sheer number of satellites meant much of the visible night sky was filled with fast-moving points of light. Behind these satellites lay even more space debris, which, once slightly melted, became excellent kinetic projectiles—virtually costless and even profitable to drop, assuming a clean satellite orbit was secured.

The main body of the bandit stronghold was underground, supplemented by an extensive network of tunnels. Exits were concealed and regularly changed to avoid detection by official forces.

Griad, as the bandit leader, naturally had detailed maps of the tunnels. Xiang Shan planned to enter through them.

"There are about two hundred people in the Z Organization, with one-third of the henchmen routinely rotating out for scattered raids. Only the assault teams, suicide squads, and minor leaders fully dedicate themselves to martial training. There should be only around 130 enemies inside the base."

"Of those, only about fifty are fully cybernetic warriors, and they usually stay within the stronghold."

"Notable experts include only two: the second-in-command ‘Little Poison’ and the third-in-command ‘Blue Steel Vulture’ Daniel."

Xiang Shan wasn’t overly worried about this battle. As his memories gradually returned, his buried martial arts skills were unlocking. Simultaneously, he was deconstructing and rewriting the martial arts he had plundered: Will’s Bionic Fist Beast Path, Paulus’s Mecha Steel Fist, Longkoni’s Four-Heart Blade Technique, Leif’s SSC Triple-Weapon Staff, as well as Griad’s "Ferocious Tiger Thunder Spear," "Cloud Mist Sun-Blocking Drone Formation," "Apocalypse Tank Path," and the welfare officer’s "Storm Stop Ten-Machine Killing Formation"—all became part of his arsenal.

Although he couldn’t yet fully deploy Griad’s or the welfare officer’s top-tier military martial arts with his current prosthetics, the experience in countering other martial arts was invaluable. These techniques were shattered and assimilated into his own martial arts, continuously stimulating his memory and guiding him to restore his overwhelming internal power.

Whether cybernetic or organic, external or internal arts, Xiang Shan was no longer comparable to his state half a month ago.

As the master and disciple ventured deeper into the desert, the surroundings remained largely unchanged. Without the occasional glimpse of strange vegetation on the ground, one might have thought they were going in circles.

Those plants were indeed bizarre. As Yulia and Yuki had said, there seemed to be no truly green plants left in this world. Along the way, Xiang Shan saw only black lichens, weeds, and even small shrubs.

He truly wondered how such things had evolved.

Soon, Xiang Shan found an entrance. From afar, it appeared as a large rock, but cybernetic strength easily lifted the hollowed-out stone, revealing the entrance to a secret tunnel.

With two motorcycles, a corpse, and his disciple, Xiang Shan dashed into the tunnel and accelerated.

Cameras began flashing by. These were basic surveillance cameras arranged in a closed-loop network, impervious to wireless internal skill hacks. Any reckless move would trigger mechanical alarms.

This was the first line of defense against internal skill masters.

"From now on, no talking. Understood?"

"[#Understood.]"

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