042 a small refractive force field generator

"What the hell is all this?"

Lying in bed, Zaire flipped through a dizzying array of salvage finds. Unable to contain his frustration, he sat up, furrowing his brow as he examined the labels on all the items. He fell into silence.

After a few minutes, Zaire sighed and muttered, "I knew it…"

In this second round of salvage, the most valuable item was a single, unopened small-scale refractor field generator. This high-tech device, typically reserved for officers in the Empire's defense forces, projects a protective energy field around the user. It disperses and resists laser plasma and incoming bullets.

In other words, Zaire no longer had to worry about most bullets. He could joyfully wield his chainsaw sword without fear of getting hurt.

But!

Zaire had to grumble about that "but."

The rest of the salvage consisted entirely of ammunition and clothing, along with some food supplies completely unsuitable for human consumption!

While the salvage charges from the simulator were reasonable, the surprise and anticipation of the first salvage with the Iron Man left Zaire feeling a deep sense of disappointment.

He sat cross-legged on his bed, lost in thought. Zaire's fingers moved, pulling out the field generator.

It was a palm-sized, heavy metal plate with the emblem of the human Empire—a two-headed eagle. Surrounding the eagle were some line patterns.

Zaire squinted at it, studying it carefully. He eventually discovered that the so-called line patterns were the touch points for activating the field. By tracing them in sequence from top to bottom, the refractor field could be activated instantly.

Satisfied with his curiosity, Zaire tossed the generator on the bedside table.

With a loud thud, he collapsed onto the pillow. The force of his landing made the bed creak and groan.

Zaire closed his eyes, trying to fall asleep, but he tossed and turned, unable to settle. Finally, gritting his teeth, Zaire opened the simulator's salvage page once again.

"I'm going to gamble big! I want powered armor! Even if I can't wear it, I can at least look at it, right? If not, I wouldn't mind even a feedback-based powered exoskeleton…"

Muttering to himself, Zaire selected ten more salvage attempts.

[Salvage Completion Countdown: 9 hours 59 minutes 59 seconds]

Staring at the countdown ticking away, Zaire finally calmed down and quickly closed the simulator. He drifted off to sleep, content in the knowledge that dreams can offer anything…

------------------

The next morning at nine o'clock.

The first thing Zaire did upon waking was check the salvage results. He found that there was still about an hour left until the salvage was complete.

So, he decided to put it out of his mind for now. After finishing his morning routine, Zaire went straight to the basement to check on how his Iron Man friend was adapting to its new surroundings.

However, as soon as he stepped into the basement, Zaire was taken aback by the unfamiliar scene before him.

The old basement, constrained by Zaire's skills and materials, had only been propped up with steel plates and wood in key areas. It had been entirely unrefined and unpolished.

But now, the entire basement had transformed. Smooth steel plates, with no visible welds, covered the walls and floor. Even the hole that had been recently dug out was meticulously designed and finished. A simple metal ladder was now visible, extending partway up.

"Whoa—"

Zaire took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing thoughts. He cautiously approached the hole and peeked inside.

He saw that the cavern was now a deep, metal-lined passage!

"How on earth did it do this?"

Zaire furrowed his brow and muttered to himself. After a moment's hesitation, he began to climb down the metal ladder.

About fifteen meters underground, Zaire's eyes adjusted to the darkness. When he reached the bottom of the cavern, he turned around and was stunned to find a cavern of at least five hundred square meters, already taking shape!

"Good morning, Zaire."

Before Zaire could react to the shock, the two-meter-tall Iron Man emerged from a nearby underground passage, carrying a pile of new steel plates. Its eyes glowed with a faint blue light.

"Uh…"

Zaire, wide-eyed, was momentarily at a loss for words. Finally, he managed to point at the new building materials and ask:

"Friend, where did you get these metal materials?"

"I ordered them under your name from a construction company. There are more materials on the way. The ones brought in were delivered by workers according to the contract and unloaded a few kilometers away under a bridge. There's also an abandoned underground entrance there. I'm studying a species called ants, and I've been moving the materials in bit by bit…"

"I remember my bank account doesn't have much money left…"

Zaire looked at the Iron Man with confusion and asked:

"What did you use to pay for this? My credit card?"

"Zaire, Terra's financial system and economic principles are quite fragile and rudimentary, with many flaws…"

The Iron Man slowly stood up, tilting its metal head. The blue light in its eyes focused on Zaire as it explained:

"I obtained unclaimed funds from the network in a matter of seconds, which are beyond the statistical reach of Terra's human economy, and it's completely legal and compliant."

"Zaire, do you need any? I can transfer money directly to your bank account. If you're worried about drawing attention, Terra's stock market is also open now. Would you like to become Terra's new billionaire?"

"Billionaire!"

Zaire, already a millionaire, took a deep breath. The sudden temptation of wealth didn't completely cloud his judgment.

Breathing heavily, Zaire quickly waved his hand at the Iron Man and said:

"Not for now! I don't want to become famous so quickly!"

"Thanks for the offer! If I need anything, I'll definitely ask for your help… I need to calm down for now. 025, you can continue your work."

Before finishing his sentence, Zaire hurriedly climbed back up the ladder, moving as if he had rockets installed on his backside.

Watching Zaire disappear quickly, the Iron Man's blue light flickered. The mechanical voice that followed seemed filled with confusion.

"It's just some easily accessible unclaimed resources… Why did Zaire react so strongly? Is it because, like me, he prefers to stay low-key and free?"

"But… if Terra doesn't even have a temple, how can it be worthy of the existence of the Omnissiah?"

The Iron Man shook its metal head, as if sighing.

.....

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