Trigger mechanism

Blueprints.

Are they valuable?

Absolutely.

In a world where superhumans are rare, human civilization still relies heavily on technology and various grades of thermal weapons. Given this context, high-tech weapons inherently aren't cheap, and the blueprints for these weapons are even more valuable, especially for mecha weapons. Even the lowest grade E weapon blueprint, if up to standard, can fetch a substantial royalty fee, whether sold to a civilization's political party or to famous mechanical arms dealers in the universe. It's enough to secure a comfortable life for an ordinary family.

However, everything is relative. While such a blueprint might be incredibly valuable to the average person, for Thomas, its worth diminishes. It's only an E-grade weapon, after all. With his knowledge and skills, given the right conditions, Thomas could easily create a dozen or more of these himself. In this context, the E-grade blueprint seemed somewhat redundant.

"Wait, I should think about this calmly..."

As Thomas pondered, he examined the blueprint's structure, his expression suddenly changing. Though it had only been a few minutes, as a mechanic, he noticed something special about this Red Maw. Compared to the E-grade weapons he knew, the Red Maw seemed to have optimized specifications in every aspect. Specifically, its output level, output interval, and structural ratio had reached the ideal state, which was beyond Thomas's existing knowledge. There were no similar weapons in his memory.

The reason was simple: with a multitude of technological methods and a wide variety of weapons, deficiencies in one weapon could be compensated for by others. Hence, people wouldn't focus excessively on developing a single weapon.

Take handguns as an example. Most people wouldn't focus on significantly increasing the range and lethality of handguns because, firstly, it's time-consuming and not necessarily successful, and secondly, it's not essential. If a handgun's range is insufficient, one can use a rifle; if a rifle's rate of fire is inadequate, there's the option of a submachine gun; and if a submachine gun lacks killing power, a sniper rifle can be employed. When the limitations of a weapon can be overcome by simply switching firearms, few would obsess over overcoming a single weapon's flaws.

But this Red Maw was different. Although it was not a high-grade weapon and its blueprint was not overly complex, Thomas was certain it represented the ideal state in all aspects. Even compared to military and major tech companies' weapons of the same class, it was in no way inferior, perhaps even stronger.

"The blueprint is idealized, sure, but I don't know if it can actually function once built. I saw a heavy energy rifle while searching for parts earlier; maybe I can try modifying it according to this blueprint," Thomas thought.

He got up and located the energy rifle in the junkyard, a piece intended for field mechas and thus exceptionally large, over two meters long, resembling a cannon more than a gun. It was a basic model, designed for private-class heavy artillery.

After carefully examining the rifle's structure and confirming that it could be modified according to the blueprint, Thomas called over LCH, and the two of them lifted the heavy energy rifle onto the flying car. Once they had ensured they had all the necessary parts, they decided to return.

"So soon? Have they given up?" Jet Lee mumbled to himself from a distance, watching the prison guards escort LCH and Thomas into the flying car, which then took off. He knew well the extent of damage to LCH's mecha, which was largely his doing, and doubted that Thomas and LCH could have found all the parts needed to repair it in such a short time.

"Actually, the damage to the external armor is not a big issue; the main concern is the main control chip. If they've found a replacement for that, other damages are minor problems," David interjected. As a professional mechanic, he had more insight than Jet Lee.

"So, you're saying they might actually be able to fix that mecha?" Jet Lee asked.

"It's a possibility," David replied.

Jet Lee fell silent for a moment but quickly resumed scavenging through the junk, his expression slightly grim:"Hmph, no big deal. His mecha isn't that high-end anyway. As long as I find allies, or if I ambush him again, I can still blow it up!" He seemed unashamed of resorting to underhanded tactics, even when he had a mecha advantage.

"Maybe I underestimated this Rubik's Cube..."

Later that night, as Thomas lay in bed, he couldn't stop thinking about the day's events. It had been seven or eight hours since he returned to the prison. Although the intelligent core could solve the main control chip issue, it wasn't compatible with the Mammoth. He needed a specialized computer to modify the intelligence program within the core. Simon had already arranged for it, and it would arrive the next morning.

With four days left until the next Capture the Flag battle, there was ample time. After carefully inspecting the Mammoth's damage and the structure of the heavy energy rifle, Thomas had devised a plan for both repair and modification, and the day had passed quickly.

Now, alone in the quiet of the evening, his thoughts returned to the Rubik's Cube in his mind. He began to suspect that the cube held more than just an E-grade blueprint. True, the blueprint that had emerged was somewhat underwhelming, but he had only made one twist. What would happen if he twisted it a third or fourth time?

Thomas estimated that a 3x3 Rubik's Cube has approximately 43 quintillion possible states. If each twist produced a blueprint, it couldn't all be the lowest E-grade, could it? Of course, the ideal scenario of getting a blueprint with each twist was just speculation, as Thomas had only twisted it once and couldn't draw a definitive conclusion.

Even if several twists were required to yield a blueprint, the cube still potentially contained a vast array of designs, possibly including some incredibly advanced ones. However, for Thomas, who was still serving a sentence, these possibilities seemed quite distant. His immediate priority was to figure out why the cube, dormant for twenty-three years, suddenly reacted that day.

After much thought, he arrived at a conclusion: the electric shock. Reflecting on the day's events, Thomas believed that being electrocuted was the only plausible trigger. Perhaps it was the electrical energy entering his body that activated the cube, allowing him to manipulate it. Moreover, the energy was only sufficient for one twist, which explained why the cube was unresponsive again.

It might be wondered why Thomas, a mechanic, had not been electrocuted before. The answer was that he had, multiple times. However, in this highly advanced universe, safety measures were extremely reliable. Even if Thomas was careless during work, the power would be cut off instantly, making previous shocks brief and of low voltage.

The recent incident where he remained in contact with an electrified door for several seconds before being thrown back was a first for him. He speculated that previous shocks were too short to energize the cube sufficiently, and only this longer exposure provided enough energy for a single twist.

"So, to reactivate the cube, I might need to be electrocuted again for an extended period..." Thomas concluded, somewhat ironically considering the risks involved.

Thomas glanced at the bedroom's power outlet and instinctively grimaced. Despite his resilience, the memory of the day's electrocution still made him uneasy. It was a far cry from the usual stories of transmigrators or those with game-like systems, who gained powers or advantages without such painful experiences.

"What is this, really?" he pondered."Transmigrated to a star-spanning universe, and I have to get electrocuted to become stronger?"