The Legendary Mechanic

The post about fighting a Calamity Grade became popular very quickly on the forums. As the players' strength kept growing, they started eyeing up the Calamity Grades. Now that someone had brought it up, it immediately triggered the impulses tons of players had suppressed in their hearts.

The last time they killed a Calamity Grade was in Version 3.0 during a big operation organized by the army. After that, the army never organized anything like it. The post received a lot of responses.

However, as the public stargates everywhere were closed to all Beyond Grade A organizations, most players displayed their regret of not being able to help due to distance issues. After all, most people still had to look after their own black markets. Plus, this was only a proposal of a player, not a big mission, so it had limited rewards. As such, most people were only willing to show support on the forums.

However, there was also a group of people who were strongly interested in this matter.

In the base, Jupiter closed the private chat window on the interface, turned around to look at the room of pillars and elites of the Guild of Gods, and nodded firmly.

"I've already spoken to that player. We'll be in charge of this operation. The boss' activity area is the Didora Star System of the Endless Nebulae, not far from us… We happen to have many guild members nearby operating the black markets, so it'll be easy to dispatch them."

The guild's pillar Poseidon hesitated and asked, "This will affect the mission progress of many guild members, won't it? Plus, this is not even a mission. Is it worth it for us to put in this much effort?"

Jupiter nodded heavily. "Of course! This is an amazing opportunity to gain fame. Our club hasn't achieved much in the last few Pro Leagues. If we can make some achievements on our side and increase the popularity of the club, everyone will get a bonus!"

The Guild of Gods guild was the professional guild under the Temple of God club. As their professional team did not achieve good results on the professional scene, the guild had not had a great time in the past few versions. All the fame was grabbed by Dynasty, Long Sky, and Rivervale.

As versions changed, the guilds accumulated more and more strength. They started having ambitions for things they never dared to think of in the past. If they could eliminate a Calamity Grade, the club would also benefit from it.

"Are you sure it'll be effective? The players already killed a Calamity Grade in Version 3.0. It won't be as sensational to do it again, will it?" Poseidon was hesitant.

"Stupid! How did that Atimo die in Version 3.0? It was a faction event organized by the Black Star Army. Way too many people participated, so no one got famous because of it. However, if our guild kills a Calamity Grade on our own, it will be completely different! It'll be the first guild kill!" Jupiter poked Poseidon's head heavily.

Hearing this, the guild pillars present all agreed.

Although the army already used the 'Human Wave Tactic' to kill a Calamity Grade, the first guild kill meant something different. It would definitely be remarkable.

The only superior achievement would be a solo kill, but everyone knew that no one in the players was that strong yet.

"Poseidon, isn't it too risky? Can we really kill a Calamity Grade on our own?" Poseidon scratched his head.

"We'll have to try it. I think there's a chance. After all, it's no longer Version 3.0 now," Jupiter said in a deep voice.

When they killed Atimo, the army created an environment where Atimo could not escape. With hundreds of thousands of players reviving again and again, they finally killed him using the 'Human Wave Tactic'. After all, the difference between Grade B and Calamity Grade was far from the difference between Calamity Grades and Beyond Grade As, so the Human Wave Tactic was still effective.

Of course, as a guild, they could not just send as many people as the army did. However, the average strength of the players now was unlike in the past; they were thirty levels higher on average, and the elites were all above level 150. They were now seniors among Grade Bs.

Plus, the Black Star Army had always been updating its equipment and technology. The equipment and weapons the players were using now were also much stronger than during Version 3.0. They even had trump cards like the Evolution Badge, so their combat capability was quite impressive.

Therefore, Jupiter felt that the guild should have the capability to kill a Calamity Grade, and it was worth gambling.

Hearing his explanation, the guild pillars were convinced. They were all thrilled and filled with anticipation.

This was not a mission, but they did not care.

Jupiter looked around and loudly said, "Since no one has any objections, we shall go fight the boss now. Let's go!"

…

In the Didora Star System was the Heavy Iron Guards headquarters.

It was a huge galactic fortress that looked like a base made of countless rectangular blocks of various sizes. Its structure was very neat, layered, and edged.

A huge pattern was engraved on the front armor of the galactic fortress. It looked like the helmet of a heavy mechanical suit. This was the organization symbol of the Heavy Iron Guards.

The Heavy Iron Guards was a renowned civilian armed force in the Didora Star System. Most of its members were Mechanical Pugilists. On the surface, it was just a civilian armed force, but it was said that it had a strong background and a secret indescribable connection to the Feeney Civilization that ruled this Star System.

The leader of this organization was 'Earth Core' Dafis. Rumor had it that he was a claw of the Feeney Civilization who did immoral jobs for them.

At this point of time, inside the office at the main base, Dafis was attending to a distinguished guest. They were having a great chat, and laughter came out of the room from time to time.

"Haha, thank you for personally escorting this batch of cargo. I've already had my people check it. It looks quite great,"

Dafis' tone was filled with satisfaction as he spoke with a smile.

In front of him was a man wearing a dark yellow robe who also looked like a pangolin and was a member of the Feeney race as well. However, a large portion of his body was prosthetic, and his electronic eyes were shining with a red light. His body sank deep into the sofa, clearly showing how heavy he was. His organs and limbs were almost all prosthetics, and his body was covered in metal.

"Of course, when did we ever send you any cargo that was bad quality? This batch contains all our new official military weapons the military specially approved to sell to you. Others couldn't buy it even if they wanted to."

This prosthetic man spoke with a vocal device at his throat with a simulated enthusiastic tone.

He was the emissary of the Feeney Civilization who had been in charge of contacting the Heavy Iron Guards on behalf of the upper echelons. The two of them were indeed working together; the Feeney Civilization provided Dafis with resources, and in exchange, Dafis worked for them.

The Feeney Civilization had a liking for mechanical prosthetics, seeing prosthetics as the definition of beauty. It had always been a top market for mechanical prosthetics. Almost everyone had some prosthetics. Some civilians even changed their entire body into different machines except for their brains. Mechanics also made up the majority of Supers in the civilization, and Mechanical Pugilists were mainstream.

"Don't worry, I know why you're here. I've taken your things, so of course, I'll complete the mission properly." Dafis grinned. "I'm about done with what you guys asked me to do last time. According to the information you provided, I've already gotten rid of the nails the Beyond Grade A Association has planted in the black markets in the nearby Star Zones. There are only a few planets left."

"Oh? Many of them are Immortals of the Black Star Army, so they can't be killed. Are you sure you've handled all of them?" the emissary asked casually. He grabbed the glass on the table and drank the black, sticky liquid inside. This was a heavy metal drink especially designed for prosthetic people that would be dissolved into different elements through their prosthetic organs. It was very nutritional for them.

"Immortals, so what? As long as their black-market channel is destroyed, they'll have to either start from nothing or piss off."

Dafis was not concerned.

The emissary put the glass down and said curiously, "I heard from your subordinates that some of those Immortals you killed said they'll take revenge. Aren't you afraid?"

"Can they? These people are powerless. They only dare to talk that way because they won't die, or they would've tucked their tails and fled. If they try to take revenge, I'll just kill them again."

Dafis snorted, expressing his disdain while also sounding a little sour.

With his strength, he looked down on everyone with inferior strength. However, any Super would envy the players' immortality, and he was no exception. Therefore, he never held back when fighting them.

He could not get it, so he had a twisted sense of hatred toward them, feeling uncontrollably sour.

"I have nothing to worry about then." The emissary nodded. "Nonetheless, this is a mission from the three Universal Civilizations, so it's best to be cautious. Plus, the black market was originally controlled by us and provided us a lot of profits. The Beyond Grade A Association thinks they can send some random people to take over our black market just because they have the black market administrators' support. They're just daydreaming."

Some of the upper echelons of the Feeney Civilization were the umbrella of most black markets in this Star System, making their own wallets thicker from them. However, when the Beyond Grade A Association planned to unite the black market, it disrupted their money-making.

At this sensitive time, the three Universal Civilizations spoke with multiple Star System civilizations and asked them to work with them to disturb the association's people in the black market. The Feeney Civilization was one of said civilizations.

The Endless Nebulae was very far from the Shattered Star Ring, so the Black Star Army's hands could not extend that far. Plus, they were a Star System civilization protected by the Peace Treaty. Holding on to the three Universal Civilizations was much more beneficial than fawning over the Beyond Grade A Association. Therefore, the Feeney Civilization supported the three Universal Civilizations and told Dafis to eliminate the people the association sent to operate the black market, killing two birds with one stone.

"They won't be able to with me here." Dafis waved casually. Suddenly, he narrowed his eyes and said, "Don't forget what you promised after it's done…"

The emissary chuckled and said, "Don't worry, we've been working together for so long. The people above never thought of going back on their word. As long as you can handle this problem properly, not only will we support you to continue expanding, but we're even willing to let you become one of the controllers of the black market behind the curtains. You will get your dividends from the black market as promised too."

"Of course I trust you guys." Dafis smiled with satisfaction.

He had chosen to take the risk of offending the Black Star Army, of course, for his own interests. No way was he going to risk his life without enough profit.

Due to the Feeney Civilization's liking of mechanical prosthetics, the profit the black markets of this area earned through smuggling machines every year was an outrageous figure. Dafis had been tempted by it for a very long time. Now, he just had to remove the nails the outsiders had planted there, and he would be able to take a bite of this huge cake. To him, this was a perfect opportunity.

Thinking of the bright future where he could earn more than enough cash to swim in, Dafis was so overjoyed even his cells felt more active than usual.

However, at this time, a change suddenly occurred!

Boom!

A huge explosion suddenly sounded in the base. The two of them both felt the base tremble. The glasses on the table fell onto the floor, and the heavy metal drink spilled all over like a puddle of black oil.

Then, a blaring alarm rang, and the warning lights lit up, painting the entire room red.

Dafis stood up instantly, summoned his aide-de-camp, and yelled, "What's happening‽"

"Boss, the base just got bombarded. The enemy's ship cannons are too strong. The protective shield cracked, and some of them already charged into the base. The artificial intelligence center is now sending troops over!" the aide-de-camp hastily replied.

"Who dares to attack my headquarters? Are there Calamity Grades?" Dafis was shocked and furious.

"I—I don't know, there's no symbol on their spaceships but no Calamity Grade energy source has been detected…"

"They have no Calamity Grade, yet they dare attack my headquarters‽"

Dafis was enraged. He pushed the aide-de-camp aside and headed out of the room.

This time, the emissary said with a worried tone, "Should I hide for now?"

"What's there to be afraid of? I'll handle the problem and come back in no time."

Dafis walked out without even looking back.

The aide-de-camp was just about to follow behind when the emissary suddenly grabbed his arm.

He turned and saw the emissary said, "Er… I'd better hide. Do you have a safehouse here?"

…

More than ten completely black battleships hovered outside the base, continuously launching attacks.

Boom!

Dark red beams from cannons dashed right across and landed on the protective shield of the Heavy Iron Guards' space base, creating countless cracks.

Charge cabins and airdrop cabins covered in shields continuously shot out from under the battleships, bolting onto the surface of the base through the cracks. Some were destroyed in midair by the base's artillery cannons, but some penetrated the base's armor, leaving holes behind.

"Keep sending people down! All those who board the enemy headquarters successfully, remember to bind your revival flag!"

Inside the main ship's command room, Jupiter issued orders loudly with excitement.

All the people in this fleet were players of the Guild of Gods, which took quite some time to gather secretly. After obtaining enough intelligence, they charged toward Dafis' headquarters.

In order to kill a Calamity Grade, the Guild of Gods went all out. These battleships were all assets of the guild that were equipped with tons of war weapons. Although there were not many of them, their technology was very advanced and very high quality. It was basically overkill to use them against a civilian armed force, all just so that the members could quickly board the enemy base.

At this time, the guild channel was filled with messages that refreshed the screen every second.

"Nice, I got in!"

"People behind, come quickly! The enemy's reinforcements are here."

"Mages and Psychics control the battlefield. Give the Mechanics time to summon their machines!"

"Don't waste time on minions. Force the boss out!"

Inside the base, the players who had boarded were on a slaughter. They were all high-level Grade B Supers, killing tons of guarding troops like harvesting crops.

At this time, a huge pressurizing presence rapidly approached.

With a loud bang, the metal wall on one side was broken open, and Dafis rushed in holding that heavy axe in his hands.

Dafis looked around and locked his eyes onto Army Commander's Big PP—he had an impression of this guy whom he had killed ten times. He was furious.

"It's you‽"

Army Commander's Big PP crushed a Grade C Mechanical Pugilist with a cannon attack, turned around, and grinned.

"Surprised? I told you I'd be back!"

Before Dafis could reply, Army Commander's Big PP pointed at him with his gun and yelled, "Brothers, that's him. Get him!"

The next moment, the eyes of everyone focused on Dafis. The excitement of seeing a prey appeared in their eyes.

Even with how experienced Dafis was on the battlefield, being stared by a ton of Grade B Supers still made him intuitively shiver.

However, the next moment, the rage in his body exploded. He raised his mechanical heavy axe and charged right into the battlefield, blasting away two players in his path.

"You're all… looking to die!"

On the side of the players, they yelled almost simultaneously, "Team MT! Go!"