Chapter 490: Rest Day

10:06, the dark tide abruptly receded like a retreating wave; the profound night that had swallowed the sky instantly shattered, replaced by the clear morning sunlight of Hawaii pouring down, the sky revealing a gem-like blue with not a single cloud, warm rays enveloping the entire coastline of Oahu.

Lin Xian stood at the coastal harbor of a billionaire’s estate, having fully consumed the half-sunken yacht; the sea breeze gently slapped against rocks and sand, stirring fine spray, the salty ocean air mingling with the fragrance of subtropical vegetation, filling the air with a tranquil, leisurely scent, as he gazed toward the distance—this once-popular resort now shrouded in deathly silence, yet such a place gave their band of apocalypse survivors a rare sense of peace.

Huh~

Lin Xian hadn’t slept all night and reaped rich rewards: besides the vast amount of supplies scavenged from the city, he had gained at least ten thousand mechanical source points overnight, directly breaking through Level 7 of his Mechanical Heart.

“Now, this blueprint.”

Opening the R&D Center, Lin Xian pulled up the blueprint for the Interstellar Predator XR01 mech; this mech had performed impressively in Dawn City, forming the core defensive force alongside the Xuanwu and Zhuque, its 60-meter frame a true giant, yet Lin Xian had no intention of manufacturing it.

First, manufacturing would take too long—even with six construction sequences active, it would take over 144 hours, consuming massive materials and energy, during which Lin Xian couldn’t produce anything else, which would be extremely inconvenient.

After entering the oceanic orbit, Lin Xian considered the risks and prioritized the construction of the Skytrain Armory Ship above all else; should trouble arise, the Skytrain would be his final safeguard across the Pacific.

And the facts proved his decision utterly correct: in terms of overall combat capability, the Interstellar Predator XR01 occupied an awkward position—it couldn’t threaten a single S-class anomaly, while Lin Xian’s elite squad could easily handle anything below S-class, making it practically useless for him, yet for the Interstellar Military, such a giant mech operable via neural sync would undoubtedly become a primary weapon in future defensive battles.

Thus, Lin Xian’s current manufacturing focus, besides drones, was the “Iron Man Dragon Girl” mech army he had co-developed with Viola; if he were to build a giant mech, it would need to be at least the level of Unit-01, so he was currently only interested in the “Planetary” Titan blueprint hinted at by the R&D Center.

Lin Xian placed the blueprint back into the R&D Center, and the screen reappeared.

【This blueprint has reached 【God Tier】; developing 【Planetary】 requires Mechanical Manufacturing Level 7】

【Planetary Titan Mech (Blueprint) Development Time: ****】

【Requires 6000 quantum bits of computational power】

This content was nearly identical to the last one.

“My Mechanical Heart is already Level 7; I just need to level up Mechanical Manufacturing—this should be quick. Perfect timing—I’ll use this to grind my proficiency while mass-producing the mech army…”

“Then there’s the computational power.” Lin Xian frowned: “Viola and Grace are both 8192-quantum-bit AIs—they should meet the requirement—but how do I connect them?”

“Do I just throw Viola into the Black Star Forge?”

That would be problematic—Viola is currently the central controller of his Skytrain and drone swarm; without her, his 20-person team couldn’t even operate the five-kilometer-long interstellar behemoth, and Grace is currently atop the Southern Heavenly Gate…

After some thought, Lin Xian decided to first raise his Mechanical Manufacturing level to see the exact development time the R&D Center would provide.

Lin Xian immediately entered the Black Star Forge space; the “Iron Man Dragon Girl” mech blueprint was still incomplete, so he didn’t let the construction sequences idle—he flooded all six with automated manufacturing tasks, all dedicated to producing functional drones: material handling, 3D construction, and maintenance industrial robots; the more drones, the better—they would greatly enhance Lin Xian’s manufacturing and maintenance efficiency.

Overnight, nearly 900 communication relay stations had been deployed across the city—all thanks to these drones, enabling Lin Xian to monitor nearly all areas rapidly and maintain connection with the Skytrain, safeguarding team members on reconnaissance missions.

“Ant-7” Nanometer 3D Printing Construction Robot completed, Mechanical Manufacturing Proficiency +15

“Steel Vein” Pipeline/Circuit Laying Robot completed, Mechanical Manufacturing Proficiency +12

“Silver Shuttle-A” Magnetic Levitation Cargo Transport Robot completed, Mechanical Manufacturing Proficiency +11

With all six construction sequences running at full capacity, a drone was manufactured, charged, and ready in under five minutes; Lin Xian’s material reserves were abundant, and at this rate, he could produce twelve per hour, nearly three hundred per day—under such investment, his Mechanical Manufacturing level would upgrade within a day.

The team entered rest period; after dawn, Lin Xian assigned no specific tasks, yet several squads split off to search the city—perhaps seeking the thrill and rewards of exploration, or simply unable to sit still, wanting to wander the island city; early morning, Ningjing, Xiaoqing, and Abai headed toward the wealthy district, Shuqin Building’s Shasha toward the casino zone, while Shizhi and Long Zhijie prepared to explore nearby small islands, and Sun Yuzhen volunteered to join them.

“Everyone, maintain communication at all times. Lin Xian has already deployed communication modules across the island city—always prioritize safety.”

Chen Sixuan’s voice echoed from the bridge, transmitted to everyone’s communicators.

Lu Xingchen and Qian Dele found a comfortable spot on a white sandy beach, setting up lounge chairs and sun umbrellas, settling into their post-apocalypse holiday mode.

“You must be looking forward to that lattice evolution, right?” Qian Dele, wearing a floral shirt, sipped an ice-cold beer scavenged from the island, his large sunglasses hiding half his handsome face, speaking to Lu Xingchen.

“Of course!”

Lu Xingchen lay relaxed in the shade, enjoying the warm sea breeze: “It enhances cultivation—exactly what I’ve been seeking.”

Qian Dele shrugged: “I don’t really care—I’m already fast enough with my ability. I don’t even know how much stronger I can get. But the idea of crystals growing inside my body? Kinda gross.”

He turned his head and grinned at Lu Xingchen: “So it’s not unreasonable for Lin Xian to be worried.”

Lu Xingchen fell silent for a moment, then turned to Qian Dele, pushing his sunglasses up: “Qian, have you heard of the Nascent Soul?”

Qian Dele frowned: “Yeah—cultivation novels.”

“Exactly.” Lu Xingchen said confidently: “Think of the lattice as a Nascent Soul being refined—it becomes easier to accept. I believe there’s a profound similarity: the lattice is a container for storing dark energy, the foundation that lets ordinary people like us wield power sufficient to fight those colossal demons.”

Qian Dele was stunned: “You really think that way?”

Lu Xingchen smiled: “Lin Xian once said that Blood Essence demons are like the power core of a mech—those colossal beings can split mountains, crack earth, reverse rivers and seas, yet inside them is only a fist-sized crystal. From a scientific perspective, shrinking a nuclear core to that size? Whether viewed through cultivation or science, that’s power, isn’t it?”

“Whoa, didn’t know you weren’t just a nerd—you’re actually smart. Makes sense.” Qian Dele nodded: “Micro-nuclear power. Interesting.”

Lu Xingchen lifted his sunglasses, rolled over on his lounge chair; sparks crackled on the beach—Mo Xiaotian fired two arcs of electricity; fifty meters away, a pile of rocks exploded with the stench of charred flesh, eight zombies reduced to twisted skeletons, now sweating profusely as more zombies swarmed toward him.

“Focus your attacks. If your power is insufficient, concentrate it into a single point.” Lu Xingchen called out without opening his eyes.

“Got it!”

Mo Xiaotian’s face was a mix of excitement and tension—he could now freely release electric arcs resembling pulse guns, easily piercing zombie skulls; when concentrated, they could spread in a fan pattern, causing massive area damage. Lu Xingchen had brought him here to help clear the nuisance zombies, and also to give him real combat experience.