Chapter 15: Transformation and Upgrades

Lin Binbin specially went down the mountain to purchase some mechanical manufacturing equipment—whatever a blacksmith's shop had, he brought back an entire set.

Since he had advanced to the rank of Beast Tamer, the local supervisors no longer dared to interfere. In fact, their attitudes toward Lin Xiao and Cheng Mo had also noticeably improved.

Seeing this, the group simply gave up their original duties and devoted themselves fully to working on the mech.

Once all the tools were gathered, they began the transformation of White Ape.

Crack—

The fire lizard's crystal core was implanted into White Ape's body, and the once-broken mech now looked completely renewed.

The previously heavy-looking arm had been replaced with a powered mechanical limb. The metallic surface emitted a cold, pale glow, and with just a light squeeze, a raw iron ore was instantly crushed to dust.

In the center of the mech's chest, a small high-energy explosive had been embedded, ready to deliver a fatal strike to any enemy.

To improve its mobility in combat, they even replaced the wheels with a new set. With enhanced driving power, it could now traverse even jagged rock walls with ease.

"All right, that should just about do it." Lin Binbin wiped the sweat off his forehead, patting White Ape's head in satisfaction.

[Name: Ancient Mech (Damaged) — White Ape][Type: Basic Mech][Quality: White][Base Attributes: Defense 40, Attack 40, Power Level 17, Energy 1500][Attribute Bonus: In Berserk Mode, damage is doubled][Height: 1.4 meters][Weight: 55 lbs][Energy Source: Crystal Core][Combat Consumption: 20 Energy per minute][Abilities: Heavy Armor reduces 10 physical damage, enhanced attack range, can hit enemies within 2 meters.]

With the mechanical arm installed, White Ape's combat capability had clearly doubled. Unfortunately, this power boost came with a doubled energy cost as well.

"Seems like I'll need to figure out a way to secure more crystal cores," Lin Binbin sighed, deciding to take on a mission and try his luck in the mountains in a few days.

Just as he was stretching his sore neck and wrists, a system notification suddenly popped up.

[New components detected on the mech. Re-evaluating quality...]

Lin Binbin paused, anticipation rising in his heart.

[Ding! Assessment complete. Mech quality: White]

"..."

Forget the mech—your system must be top-tier, right? Damn it, this nonsense talk was definitely its specialty.

After a day of rest, Lin Binbin took White Ape out for training.

"White Ape, from today on we'll practice precision strikes." Lin Binbin pointed at a target 200 meters away and said, "We'll call it a day when you can hit the bullseye every time."

He then tossed a handful of stones to White Ape.

White Ape scratched its head with its mechanical arm. Its mechanical eyes flickered with confusion, accompanied by the squeaking of metal. After seeming to finally understand its master's meaning, it suddenly threw a punch—directly at the board holding the stones.

The board shattered on impact, and even the ground underneath it cracked.

"Roar!"

White Ape excitedly waved its fists—only to get a knock on the head a second later.

"I told you to throw the stone, not smash the ground! Do you even know what a stone is?"

If this mech had a facial expression, Lin Binbin swore it would be a dumb, flattering smile right now.

Taking a deep breath, he picked up a stone, weighed it in his palm, and threw it toward the target.

"See that? Try it like I did."

White Ape blinked its mechanical eyes, studying the stone with thoughtfulness. Then, using two fingers, it gingerly pinched one up.

Crack—

Before it could even lift the stone an inch off the ground, it crumbled into dust and scattered with the wind.

White Ape glanced nervously at its master, then quickly tried again… Crack. Crack—

Three hours later, the mech was finally able to hold a stone the size of an eyeball without crushing it.

"Roar! Roar roar!"

Just as it got excited—crunch—the stone shattered.

"..."

Lin Binbin's face darkened. He finally understood why some parents went insane helping their kids with homework.

"Forget it, let's try throwing bigger rocks first."

Night quietly fell.

The sound of White Ape's wheels screeching across the ground pierced the air. With a massive burst of kinetic force, its arm lifted high, and with a rush of wind, it hurled a half-man-tall boulder.

Whoosh—the speed was so fast it was barely visible.

Lin Binbin saw only a blur before the target, a hundred meters away, exploded on impact.

Even without using full power, White Ape's speed and strength far outclassed that of other beasts.

"Hmm, that'll do." As he spoke, a sly grin crept up on Lin Binbin's face. "Now let's go have a little fun tonight."

…

"That Lin Binhong really lost his mind today, daring to argue with Teng Yan in public. Does he want to drag us all down with him?"

Several Lin family side-branch youths were heading home from work.

"Seriously. If Teng Yan blames us for this, what are we supposed to do? Maybe we should teach that punk a lesson—cheer Teng Yan up a bit?"

"Who knows, maybe if we get on his good side, he'll recruit us too."

Hearing this, Lin Binbin frowned.

Just as the group was about to exit the breeding zone, there was a sudden crash—a boulder dropped from the sky. If someone nearby hadn't reacted in time, it would've landed square on one man's skull.

"Who's there?!"

In an instant, a dark figure shot toward the speaker.

A powerful arm twisted, and a fist slammed into the man's jaw. He flew through the air in a graceful arc and crashed hard to the ground.

Pfft! He coughed up blood—and before he could react, his friend's body smashed down on top of him.

The group ended up piled like a stack of logs in the corner of the breeding area.

"Trash should behave like trash," Lin Binbin stepped out slowly. He grinned, revealing a gleaming row of white teeth as he looked at the now swollen-faced youths.

"No matter how far the Lin family falls, trash like you don't get to push us around. Remember this—if I catch you bullying my second brother again, you'll end up like that rock."

Boom—

The boulder was pulverized into dust. The sound echoed, sending chills down their spines.

Everything had happened far too quickly—just in the blink of an eye. The few boys stared in shock, their horror growing as they recalled the power of that iron hunk.

Silence fell over the breeding zone. Only after that figure completely vanished did venomous glares begin to flicker in their eyes.

"Lin Binbin, huh? Fine. This isn't over between us!"