Journey Of The Immortal Through The Multiverse

"Oh my god, John Smith, you bought a heavy truck‽"

The four teammates were invited to the garage, and Li Ya Lin and Lin Ya's faces were soon filled with surprise and excitement. They climbed all over the heavy truck. As Lambert was particularly interested in the engine, he opened the car hood to admire it.

"Thank you," said Zhang Wei solemnly to John Smith.

A logistical vehicle was a very luxurious item for a team like them. Zhang Wei felt embarrassed that John Smith had bought it with his own money.

John Smith laughed it off. "Hehe. Just treat it as my way of helping impoverished teammates."

Zhang Wei's mouth started twitching as he was lost for words. Although John Smith was saying the truth, it was still agitating for Zhang Wei.

"I wracked my brain to come up with a name for this truck."

Zhang Wei listened expectantly.

John Smith cleared his throat and said in a serious tone, "Black Bull."

Zhang Wei's body jerked upon hearing the ridiculous name. He gave an unwilling half-smile. "Nice… what a nice name."

"Oh. You think so too? This name is very catchy and concise. I am quite proud of myself for coming up with this name," John Smith said in a satisfied tone.

"I'm glad you are happy with the name."

"Wow. The driving space is huge." Li Ya Lin was having a lot of fun when she suddenly thought of something. "who is going to drive the car?"

"This is my truck. I will be driving it, "John Smith said.

Immediately, Li Ya Lin's face paled, and her body started trembling. "Can… can I not travel in the car?"

Zhang Wei frowned and reprimanded her. "John Smith spent so much money to let us enjoy some comfort and convenience. How can you reject this?"

Li Ya Lin's face was now as pale as a sheet. She felt that nothing was more horrifying than this.

"You guys will regret this," she mumbled.

Regret? Zhang Wei was puzzled. Is John Smith a terrible driver?

Then it's nothing serious. How bad can his driving be? Everyone here is a well-trained agent in excellent physical condition. Nobody gets dizzy on roller-coasters. There's nothing to fear about this, Zhang Wei thought to himself.

"Oh yeah. Our boss told us that we will be moving out in four days," Lin Yao said suddenly.

John Smith's eyes lit up. He had spent about ten days giving the truck an overhaul. He still wanted to install heavy firepower on the truck. He had already mastered the knowledge required, but there was simply not enough time. He thought for a while and said to Zhang Wei, "Bring the Combatant Armored Suit to me. I will help you improve it."

Zhang Wei's eyes lit up. He had confidence in John Smith's mechanic skills.

Li Ya Lin overheard their conversation. She jumped at John Smith and nudged his shoulder. "What about me! What about me! You promised to customize some equipment for me!"

"You have to wait until I have some inspiration."

As a Pugilist, you should focus on using your fists to punch people. Why are you always eyeing my mechanic equipment? John Smith pushed the noisy Lin Ya Lin aside.

The original Combatant Armored Suit was brought out right away by a staff member from the logistics department. Just like the armor exhibited in museums, it was propped up with a plastic skeleton and stored in a human-height metal box.

"Since time is running out, I will have to focus on the most essential modification. Firstly, I will increase the energy capacity. Then, work on the structure will begin to reduce the weight and upgrade the skeleton of the mechanical parts. This will help to improve your overall movement."

"That will be great!" Zhang Wei's face brightened with happiness. The suit was extremely heavy for him. After every use, his whole body would ache badly, worse than after running ten kilometers.

"Next, I will modify the sensing system. I will fit a simple chip onto the suit to survey the situation outside, and I will personally donate a firepower control system, which will give your long-range weapons an auto-aiming ability.

"Lastly, if time permits, I will also add a simple close-combat weapon."

"Sounds great!" Zhang Wei was exhilarated.

But suddenly, John Smith changed his tone. "And, of course, all of these things are chargeable. The total cost will be $360,000."

"How… how much‽"

Zhang Wei stared at him, his mouth agape in disbelief. His total savings had not even reached a million dollars.

"Do you think this is too pricey?" John Smith narrowed his eyes at Zhang Wei.

"Are your parents still alive?"

"Why are you asking about them? They have already passed on." Zhang Wei was startled by the strange question.

"Do you have any siblings?"

"No. I'm their only child."

"Do you have a wife or a girlfriend?"

"N…No. I'm all alone."

John Smith shook his head with a perplexed expression. "Then what's the point in saving so much money?"

The comment shot right to his heart!

"Fine. Fine… Stop talking. I will pay!" Zhang Wei gripped his c.h.e.s.t in pain. He felt like his heart was being stomped on by a thousand rhinos.

…

[Basic Energy Theory] Lv. 3 had given John Smith the ability to strengthen energy mechanics.

However, he didn't want to give Zhang Wei's suit a mighty modification, so there was no need for a new energy blueprint. Good stuff had to be kept for personal use.

To build in a weight-bearing mechanical skeleton and a sensing chip, one could use blueprints. These two were rather common.

_____________________

Do you wish to proceed with talent fusion?

(Lv. 1 Basic Spatial Sensing + Lv. 1 Basic Virtual Electrical Engineering)

This fusion will cost you 10,000 EXP.

_____________________

Do you wish to proceed with talent fusion?

(Lv. 2 Basic Dynamics Principle + Lv. 4 Basic Mechanical Engineering)

This fusion will cost you 10,000 EXP.

_____________________

Fusion Success!

Congratulations, you have discovered [Low-Level Smart Chip]!

____________________

Fusion Success!

Congratulations, you have discovered [K600-type Mechanical Skeletal System]!

¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

These two were common mechanical blueprints, so most Mechanics would have them. John Smith achieved fusion success on his first try without any hiccups.

[Low-Level Smart Chip] was also sold on the market. However, by unlocking the blueprint, John Smith could tweak it by writing his code. The words 'low level' indicated that there would be more advanced versions of it, such as highly intelligent Al for large robots or even intelligent system control for huge space vehicles and war machines.

On the other hand, [K600-type Mechanical Skeletal System] was one of the basic models of inner mechanical skeletal systems.

The outer mechanical skeletal systems were worn directly on the body, while the inner type fitted the whole body seamlessly, hidden inside of the external armor. It retained the same functions as the external skeletal system but provided extra mechanical power. The inner skeletal system was a must for making a Mechanical Armored Suit. Needless to say, the more advanced versions were applied to small, medium, large, and extremely large armored suits.

John Smith removed the exterior of the combat suit, exposing the intricate parts in the interior. John Smith observed for a moment before he began his work.

First, he increased the energy capacity, then he added in the skeletal system and the smart chip, and lastly, he purchased some imaging devices, cameras, and an infrared sensor for the sensing equipment.

On the dawn of the fourth day, he finally finished upgrading the Combatant Armored Suit.

Despite the same old, black, and heavy primitive suit exterior, the inside of the suit had been changed tremendously. It finally resembled a powerful and advance mechanical armored suit.

But time constraints did not allow John Smith to add a close-combat weapon. John Smith was not bothered by it. Not delivering the promised product after payment was not new to him; he had already delayed the delivery of a High-Explosive Gunpowder for more than half a month.

John Smith yawned and looked at his interface.

[Combatant Armored Suit: Deriving progress 2%]

Retro-derivation of equipment was one of the methods for Mechanics to obtain blueprints. The requirements were very stringent because the progress would usually halt when they could not fulfill the pre-set conditions. Sometimes, just as the progress reached 30%, it would ask for INT to reach XX before it could continue the derivation. Furthermore, even when the progress reached 100%, a huge amount of EXP would have to be consumed to officially master the blueprint.

The core of the [Combatant Armored Suit] as part of the Advanced Mechanic Knowledge [Heavy Machine Modification]. When the progress bar reached 50%, it looked like this knowledge would be required. Since the blueprint for the suit was not essential for John Smith, he was not bothered by that.

It was the move-out day. The team of four gathered in the garage. Lin Yao looked at the computer screen and said suddenly, "The department has gathered. The gathering point is the East Sentry Post."

"Okay. Let's board the truck!" Zhang Wei said solemnly.

As soon as he gave the instruction, Li Ya Lin moved rapidly onto the driver's seat and stared at John Smith anxiously. "Can… Can I drive the truck?"

John Smith rubbed his eyes. He had been burning the midnight oil for the past few days, so he was sleepy beyond measure. Thus, he did not insist on driving. He told her to drive steadily before moving to the back of the truck. He used a few backpacks as a blanket and lay on the floor to sleep.

Li Ya Lin sighed in relief at once. She felt as if she had just escaped death narrowly. She didn't even have the energy to point out the irony in John Smith's words "drive steadily."

Upon seeing that John Smith wanted a good sleep, the rest all sat in the driving space to avoid disturbing him.

…

West Capital, East Sentry Post, Military Train Station.

The superiors highly valued this attack on the base at Dark Crow Valley. Division 13 sent three covert ops teams to take part in this large-scale mission.

The first was Zhang Wei's team, and the other was Ma Qing Yang's team, the one that saved Zhang Wei's team.

The last team was Covert Ops' ace team, led by the team leader, Di Su Su.

The two ops teams were waiting at the train station, accompanied by an officer from the Staff Department. His role was to give advice and supervise the operations to keep the agents in check.

There were instances in the past where every team had a strong-opinionated elite agent, resulting in many differing opinions that led to poor teamwork and caused many hiccups to their missions. To counter this problem, Division 13 had modified its mission procedure: when multiple teams were working together, a staff officer would be the overall brain of the mission.

Officers from the Staff department learned how to command various battle situations all year round. Before the mission, they would study every agent from the respective teams to better evaluate mission plans. Although the agents all believed that the staff officers only knew how to write mission reports and take responsibility, they had to obey orders from the superior. As long as the staff officer didn't control them too much, everyone would be at peace with him.

"Why is Zhang Wei still not here? He's very late."

Ma Qing Yang looked at the Sun and took a puff on his cigarette. He was quite good friends with Zhang Wei, and their teammates had friendly relationsh.i.p.s, too.

Di Su Su and her team waited on the other side. She was playing with a coin in her hand. The coin, reflecting beams of sunlight, was turning and moving rapidly under her agile hand. She was eager and excited to meet Li Ya Lin because it meant that she would get to bully and tease her again. Plus, she was quite intrigued by her new teammate, John Smith.

The leading staff officer, Qi Bai Jia, rubbed his good-looking brows. His eyes were irritated by the flickering reflections of sunlight from the coin. He had no choice but to turn his face toward the other side.

A loud engine sound traveled from afar. Everyone could hear the huge horsepower of the incoming vehicle. They felt the floor shaking as the vehicle got closer. Qi Bai Jia looked up at the source of the sound and saw a gigantic and ferocious military truck approaching.

Ma Qing Yang flicked his cigarette b.u.t.t off and crushed it with his heel.

Di Su Su clenched her fingers tight, gripping the coin in her palm.

Qi Bai Jia adjusted his collar.

"They are here."

Black Bull slowly came to halt. Zhang Wei and his team alighted from the front of the vehicle.

Qi Bai Jia saluted and introduced himself. "I am Qi Bai Jia, the staff officer who will be leading this mission."

"Greetings. Happy to be working with you." Zhang Wei nodded. Then he turned his head and smiled at Ma Qing Yang heartily while giving Ma Qing Yang a big hug.

On the other side, Lin Yao's eyes glittered upon seeing Di Su Su, his gaze tightly locked onto her. He waved his arm shyly. "Hello, Su Su Jie."

"Little Lin Lin." Di Su Su just ignored Lin Yao and walked past him toward Li Ya Lin while he was still mesmerized by her. She pinched Li Ya Lin's cheeks. "Tsk tsk. You have grown prettier since the last time I saw you."

"Screw off. We are not that close." Li Ya Lin frowned and shoved Di Su Su's annoying hand away.

Di Su Su was not bothered by it. She scanned around and asked curiously, "Where is your Mechanic? Where is he hiding?"

Li Ya Lin crossed her arms in front of her c.h.e.s.t. She gave a cold look and refused to answer.

Zhang Wei answered, "He's a little tired, so he is still sleeping on the truck."

"This truck is….?"

Zhang Wei stood upright and said with a face full of pride, "Our logistical support vehicle."

Jealousy filled Ma Qing Yang and Di Su Su's teams. They gave their team leaders a bitter look.

"We want our logistical support vehicle, too."

Qi Bai Jia clapped his hand. "Okay. Time is running out. Let's move out."

A military-use train was parked at the station. Instead of transporting the items using airplanes or regular cars, forty well-trained field personnel are loading boxes of firearms and ammunition onto the train.

Since the major expressways were destroyed, the Six Nations had focused on the development of the railway to connect various destinations. Military-use trains ran designated military railways, which made them faster than civilian trains. Three days was all that was required for the train to reach its destination. The first five carriages comprised of the driving cabin, two bedrooms, the restaurant, and firearm storage respectively. The last few carriages were open-air – specially made for carrying other vehicles. Li Ya Lin drove Big Black up onto the carriage. The field personnel locked it in place tightly and covered the truck with a dust-sheet.

Once everyone had boarded the train, it moved off. The train radiated under the fierce sunlight and drove into the dangerous and treacherous forested fields.

….

John Smith woke up soon after he felt the vibration of the train.

The ceiling of the carriage was installed with lamps that illuminated the room under a soft white light. The carriage was filled with lifeless, ice-cold machines and mechanical weapons, but they gave him a sense of security.

John Smith rubbed his eyes forcefully before he got his full concentration back. He opened the carriage door only to realize that he was on a high-speed train that was already on the move. The wild wind gushed toward his face, blowing his messy hair all around. The floor was vibrating non-stop and the riotous sound of the train movement rushed into his ears. The train moved smoothly along the rail toward their destination.

A galaxy of stars illuminated the dark sky.

Mountains could be seen on the distant horizon.

Have I slept for the entire day?

For a while, John Smith was slightly startled. He then put on his Facial Simulator and adjusted his face to that of a regular man from his memory. After this, he placed a mask over the Facial Simulator. He had always been this careful. Afterward, he followed the trail of light and entered the carriage from the front.

The sound from the wind disappeared the moment he entered the carriage; noisy chatter filled his ears instead. He felt as if he had just transmigrated from the stone age to modern civilization.

As soon as John Smith walked in, everyone stopped talking. Every pair of eyes was fixated on John Smith. They scanned him with curiosity.

Di Su Su was the first person to stand up. She moved her beautiful waist and moved seductively toward John Smith.

"So, you are John Smith?" she asked curiously.

"I think you've got the wrong person," John Smith replied nonchalantly. John Smith knew that he would lose a lot of faces if he answered all the questions directed at him truthfully.

Everyone's face stiffened. What a blatant lie! Everyone was here in the cabin. Who else could he be‽

Li Ya Lin was instantly delighted as she saw the scheming Di Su Su getting rejected. She waved at

John Smith. "Xiao Ge, come here and sit."

John Smith nodded and moved beside Zhang Wei and the others. Li Ya Lin whispered to John Smith, "Great job! You just embarrassed that scheming Di Su Su."

"Scheming?" John Smith was surprised by her description.

"That's right. Di Su Su is a scheming, cunning, and sly snake!" Li Ya Lin said with a mouth full of detest.

John Smith squinted. "Are you describing yourself?"

Lin Yao could not agree more. However, he dared not add anything for fear being beaten up by Li Ya Lin. He secretly looked at John Smith with respect. That's my John Smith—full of balls—a courageous man who never filters his words.

When Di Su Su saw Li Ya Lin and John Smith's intimate gestures, her face turned black. Traces of anger flashed in her eyes.

On the other side, Ma Qing Yang extended his hand and smiled. "Hey, brother. Nice to meet you. I'm Ma Qing Yang."

John Smith shook his hand as he held back the enraged Lin Ya Lin, unfl.u.s.tered. "Technically, we never met."

Ma Qing Yang was dumbfounded. He surveyed John Smith's mask, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. "Oh. You are right."

Qi Bai Jia clapped his hand. "Since everyone is here, I will now explain the details of this mission. Field personnel please take your leave."

Field personnel knew that this was the rule, so they left this carriage without hesitation. The place immediately quieted, as only the three covert ops teams and Qi Bai Jia were left inside.

"This is a joint mission between Hesla's Intelligence Department and us. Hesla's troops are stationed at the border, and they could move out at any moment. Our job here is to infiltrate the enemy base to gather information about their defenses so that we can provide the troops with intelligence support.

"Hesla has sent us a map of the Dark Crow Valley. This place is easy to hold but hard to attack, and with deep forests, we will not be able to locate the coordinates of the base with our satellites. We have zero information about their troop number and location. We can only attack from land."

Everyone was very serious when it came to their mission. Di Su Su scratched her forehead and frowned. "This sounds like a heavily-guarded best. Is it possible for Hesla's troops to storm the base on the ground?"

"They refused." Qi Bai Jia shook his head.

Everyone understood the reason; as long as Hesla could take down the enemy with two-thirds of their effort, they would never deploy their full strength. Furthermore, when there was too little information about the enemy's power and location, Hesla would not allow its troops to go in prem.a.t.u.r.ely for fear of suffering too many casualties. The Covert Ops department would be brought in to do the dirty work like such an infiltration.

Li Ya Lin grumbled, "Then where is the infiltrating point?"

Qi Bai Jia pointed at a spot on the map. "On the west side of the valley, there is a large town called Crow's Forest. The fact that they dare to build a town near a base of the Germinal Organization suggests that the two parties are colluding. Therefore, there must be a few scouts from the valley base stationed in the town. This is our opportunity to obtain crucial intelligence".

"And according to intelligence from the higher-ups, there are three noteworthy enemies from the Dark Crow Valley base."

Qi Bai Jia gave out a folder of information sheets to everyone. As everyone was reading through the sheets, he summarized the gist of the information. "Pan Kuang—head of the base, 35 years-old, Asian, E+ Pugilist—is one of the Germinal Organization's executive officers. His weapon is a blade, nicknamed Blade-soul. His last recorded feat was three years ago when he defeated twelve Theseus agents at the border alone. Four of them were superhumans."

The page showed an emotionless man. He looked like any ordinary man but gave off an extremely fierce vibe.

"Ji Jie, deputy head, male, 29 years-old, mixed Asian and Caucasian, limited information. We only know that he seems to be a relative of the leader of the Wind Eye Organization, Ji Nuo".

"Dormund, captain of the security forces, 43, from Raylen. He specializes in different firearms, and he is an extremely elite special agent. He used to lead a whole Night Owl squad."

Doubt filled Ma Qing Yang's face. "I thought we did not have much information regarding the internal situation of the base? Where did all this detailed information come from?"

Everyone was wondering the same thing.

Qi Bai Jia shook his head. "Not sure. The higher-ups said it was classified."

Everybody stopped their questioning.

John Smith pricked up his ears slightly. The source of this intel is sitting right beside you guys.

Qi Bai Jia added more pointers for everyone to take note. Suddenly, his tone changed. "For this combined exercise, Hesla will be sending teams of agents from the intelligence department. They will move with us when we meet at the rendezvous point."

Zhang Wei's expression became unnatural, and he questioned, "Agents from two countries working on this mission together?"

Qi Bai Jia was feeling embarrassed and coughed. "Yes."

That was just courting trouble!

Hesla was unsatisfied with the intel from Stardragon. Also, they didn't want to expend much of their force, so they requested that Division 13 deploy manpower for this mission.

The agents looked at one another with unease. The relationship between the two countries was rather stale. The agents even seemed hostile toward one another. It seemed like the mission would turn out to be a flop.

None of this intel was useful for John Smith. He yawned and looked out of the window. He squinted after he caught sight of something. He immediately interrupted the discussion and shouted, "We are under attack by beasts!"

Everyone was stunned and could not react. The train vibrated violently, causing the agent to almost fall. At the same time, there was a loud and horrible cry from the field personnel in the back carriage.