Chapter 1: The Stranded Black-Haired Man, Section 8

As expected, as soon as Black-Haired voiced his request, OldOld Buick immediately agreed without hesitation. His prompt acceptance left all the scavengers around in awe.
But upon reflection, it made sense. Although the remnants of Moni were extremely valuable, it was precisely because of this that he could show his sincerity. To keep a warrior like Black-Haired in the team, a sufficient price had to be paid.
On Planet Shek, although the profession of warrior was prestigious, it was also very scarce. Those who could resist the mental pressure of magic mechs solely with their physical strength were even rarer. Just this alone was enough to place Black-Haired among the top warriors. In monetary terms, it would likely be worth millions of Kari—or even more. OldOld Buick had made a huge profit.
Thus, in the following days, Black-Haired enjoyed the best treatment among the scavengers. Not only was everything provided for him, but OldOld Buick even assigned someone to serve him personally, showing extreme attention to him.
“Hehe, Black-Haired, I’m sorry. The conditions here aren’t great—please bear with us. Once we return, I’ll find you a pretty girl to serve as your maid. After all, a warrior is a person of status; we can’t treat you carelessly. Rest assured, with me, OldOld Buick, here, you won’t be mistreated at all,” said OldOld Buick, grinning cheerfully, even showing a hint of apology on his plump face.
At such times, Black-Haired would still smile gently and politely, shaking his head casually without saying a word.
Judging from Black-Haired’s expression and actions, almost everyone forgot about the madness of that ruined magic mech. Similarly, at that moment, the scavengers began to see Black-Haired as a gentleman of good upbringing, treating him with even greater respect.
But was that really the case?
After the battlefield was cleaned up, the scavengers finally began their next task. The long bodies of the puppet worms formed a circle in the desert and then spread out, creating a small camp. Various magic machines emerged and entered the ruins in groups.
By convention, it took about seven days to excavate a small ruin. During this time, the scavengers had extremely heavy workloads, like hardworking ants striving to collect everything of value. Black-Haired, on the other hand, became the busiest person in the team.
However, this “busyness” was targeted—at least not from Black-Haired’s perspective.
Because he had to repair his own aircraft.

In the last battle, George had already been killed, so the responsibility of guarding later fell on him. And this was exactly what he wanted.
This was a new world, and for Black Hair, every opportunity to learn more about the weapons in this world was one he couldn’t afford to miss. After all, his true identity was that of a thug—a dangerous fugitive wanted by the Federation. As a thug, the importance of strength naturally came first.
Sitting quietly in the warehouse designated for storing magic mechs, Black Hair silently watched the massive robotic figure before him, a faint smile on his face.
Mony, the so-called dangerous relic guardian mentioned by scavengers. Its real name was the KR-1 Adaptive Intelligent Combat Armor, the standard equipment of the Earth Federation Army. It had long been his rival, and no one knew better than him its power and characteristics.
To put it plainly, this armor’s firepower and combat capabilities weren’t outstanding. It ranked among the lowest in the Earth Federation’s military forces and had even been used as a disposable unit. Yet, it had one very special feature: its engine.
As an unmanned intelligent combat armor, or disposable armor, its engine was exceptionally powerful, with an average output of 3,000 horsepower and 7,200 horsepower during combat. It could not only withstand intense battles but, after optimization, even match the power of the Federation’s main combat armor. Compared to the magic mech “Beetle” that Black Hair had piloted for the first time, it was incomparably stronger.
That’s why Black Hair asked for the remains of this Mony.
The prototype of magic mechs was the Federation’s mech warriors. Although Black Hair didn’t understand why Federation technology existed in this world, it clearly provided him with great advantages. After examining it firsthand, he became even more determined to modify it.
Replacing the main drive shaft, auxiliary power output rods, and segmented power adjustment devices—these major changes couldn’t be carried out due to limited conditions. But replacing the engine and making minor adjustments to the magic mech were things Black Hair could definitely do.
In fact, although magic mechs were also humanoid combat units with advantages in diversity and versatility, they were somewhat outdated compared to this KR-1 combat armor.

Take its most prominent feature, the mental control system, for example. At first, it was very difficult to understand. It was thought that the human body couldn’t withstand such immense mental pressure, but only by experiencing it firsthand did one realize otherwise. Magic-powered mechs reduced mental pressure by lowering overall power output. Even so, they still required the assistance of special organisms. Yet in Black Hair’s case, the effect of this mental pressure was surprisingly minimal—almost no burden at all.

Although the KR-1 model is an intelligent combat mech, it can also be manually controlled after modification. Though much more complicated than mental control, it far surpasses it in terms of power and defense. The fact that this KR-1, after countless years, still possesses considerable combat strength and thick armor is the best proof of that.

In general, the mechanical mechs that Black Hair was familiar with were somewhat more advanced than magic-powered mechs, while magic-powered mechs had better flexibility. Each had its own strengths.

Of course, this might also be because Black Hair hadn’t seen many magic-powered mechs.

“Quite a good target,” Black Hair said with a gentle smile, beginning to “operate” on the magic-powered mech.

Just then, a scavenger suddenly appeared outside the warehouse door.

“Mr. Black Hair, OldOld Buick has asked you to come over. There’s an urgent matter to discuss.”