This is really not mechanical ascension
Chapter 397 - 212 "Mutated Energy" Choosing the Upgrade Path_2

Chapter 397: Chapter 212 "Mutated Energy" Choosing the Upgrade Path_2

Ulrich’s eyes flickered; he had already asked around—no Raider had seen that main cannon.

However, that thing was indeed useless; he was originally selling it as spare parts.

Ulrich had many matters to attend to and no time to bother with them.

The steel castle was mostly destroyed, but a small part remained intact; he picked a room, then destroyed all the surveillance and eavesdropping devices inside.

He took out his smart terminal, opened the Black Hole Network, found Feder’s account, and sent a message—"How did the United Fleet suddenly disappear?"

There was no response at first, and Li Ming didn’t mind that, setting it aside for the moment as he turned to open the Control page.

Now finally having some downtime, he could deal with the batch of Mother Ore in the Folded Space.

He put his hand in his pocket, starting with absorbing the smaller ones, while also working on developing the Genetic Seed.

As time passed, roughly twelve hours later, the Mother Ore in the Folded Space was fully absorbed by him.

Discounting the hundred spent, 1247 pieces remained.

The familiar prompt popped up on the Control page again, asking if he wants to spend a thousand Mother Ore to reduce the switch cooldown of the Controlled Objects.

This was exactly what Li Ming was waiting for; he clicked confirm without hesitation, and the dense lines of text on one side of the Control page began to disappear one by one.

The half-hour switch cooldown was further reduced to just 15 minutes, which was very short, making future actions much more convenient without the need to carefully calculate the time.

pieces of Special Energy remained, enough for emergencies.

Finally, there were the three Dimension Crystals, whose absorption was extremely slow, taking an entire hour to fully assimilate.

A prompt popped up on the Control page—[Detected Mutated Energy]

"Huh?" He looked at the column of Mutated Energy on the Control page, which was not listed under the unpredictable Divine Energy.

He seemed to remember, wasn’t this thing called Divine Energy?

Why has it changed?

Li Ming found it quite strange and contemplated carefully.

Mutated Energy is the carrying Energy needed to upgrade A Level Controlled Objects, and it’s different from Divine Energy.

"Damn..." Li Ming was quite surprised; it seemed that the Dimension Crystals were also different.

That Divine Energy seems to be from Superpower Istanbul.

As his Life Level improved and his horizons broadened, he increasingly understood just what level of power that so-called planet-tearing action of Superpower Istanbul was, and this was still achieved under the severe interference of the Main Universe.

No wonder the Torch Organization was so certain that this move could scare the Yitelan Civilization.

It should be related to the Life Level of the source Dimensional Creature of the Dimension Crystal, Li Ming guessed.

Absorbing the other two Dimension Crystals also yielded three pieces of Mutated Energy.

He was eager to try, scanning the Control page, feeling an impulse to spend immediately.

But he quickly suppressed this impulse, starting to combine it with his current self, currently only having three pieces of Mutated Energy; he couldn’t blindly Upgrade, and he needed to plan reasonably.

He would soon become a B Level Life Form; his main battle system was still the boost from many Controlled Objects, using the [Mechanical Iron Cavalry] Trait, possessing the [Feros War General Level Mecha].

However, because of the use of Materialization, one of his vital burst tactics, [Thunderstorm Fervor], couldn’t be used.

So, the first one, was to Upgrade his old friend—the Tank Guard, to replace the [Feros War General Level Mecha]

The [Tank Guard] had accompanied him all the way from Silver Grey Star, it deserved much credit.

Using Mutated Energy did not increase the upgrade cost, but as nine million units of Metal Energy were injected—

[Tank Guard Mecha is about to be upgraded to A Level, please select the upgrade path.

Materialization

Control]

Li Ming looked at the prompt that popped up, extra effects besides simple upgrading, which was also within expectations.

In the real world, not all B Level weapons or A Level weapons require Mother Ore or Dimension Crystals as materials.

Using these for upgrades brings additional enhancement effects; having experienced the enhancements of Mother Ore before, Li Ming wasn’t too surprised.

"These two paths correspond to the use of Materialization and Control." Li Ming pondered; since the [Feros War General Level Mecha] was repaired to A Level Mecha, there was no such prompt.

The original purpose was to mainly use [Tank Guard] for Materialization, naturally selecting the [Materialization] upgrade path.

The hint vanished, and within the control page, the icon of the Tank Guard Mecha was engulfed in golden light as its surface metal shed, revealing the intricate machinery inside.

The old materials were absorbed by the golden light, and then surfaced in the form of liquid metal, slowly covering the mecha’s surface, changing its overall color from orangish-yellow nearly to pale gold into a unique shade of gold.

Its surface displayed a subtle metallic luster, as if made up of countless tiny gold metal flakes forming dynamic patterns.

[Tank Guard--A Level: Advanced Combat Mecha, focused on defense.

...

Materialization ability--Stone Skin: Adds 25% damage mitigation.]

Such an effect, materialization ability?

Li Ming was surprised; all the data enhancements provided by the control had vanished, and upon closer perception, the [materialization ability] could have a direct effect on the true body of the controlled objects.

However, it still consumed his physical energy.

"It should all be focused on reinforcement through materialization; then these data enhancements are useless," Li Ming pondered to himself.

The metal energy required by the controlled objects generally depends on the control effect and their material properties.

Since there are no data enhancements, their capabilities must have been greatly strengthened, not to mention the addition of [Stone Skin]—an ability usable through materialization.

This ability, derived from the enhancement of the mother ore, is simple and crude, directly providing 25% damage reduction.

He raised his hand, and the Tank Guard Mecha suddenly materialized, overall looking more robust, about 2.5 meters tall, with clear-cut metal edges. Many parts sported new armor structures, heftier and more ornate, suggesting functionality beyond mere decoration.

Tapping on it lightly, it emitted a thudding sound. Focused on defense, its defensive power was probably several times that of [Feros], and Sandro would likely not be able to break through so easily.

As for offensive capabilities, he smiled; with [Thunderstorm Fervor], the overall data enhancements currently convertible were nearly a hundredfold.

If he became a B Level life form, in combination with [Tank Guard], using the enhancements from [Thunderstorm Fervor],

Tsk tsk...

He indulged in the thought; a B Level life form was within reach, and then he would unlock another control bar.

Right, and then there was the [Extreme Transformation] he intercepted last time; he wonders what kind of change it would bring.

There was no urgent need for the Secret Record of Liberation; his current Evolution Theory and the Secret Record were both at B Level.

He had time to complete them slowly; numerous ideas crossed his mind, which he then suppressed.

Next to upgrade was the [Silver Grey Particle], which was more of a supportive class, not like other main combat controlled objects.

He was now considering endurance; using various abilities while piloting an A-level armored mecha consumed too much energy, needing to focus on endurance to avoid becoming exhausted in mere seconds.

And the [Silver Grey Particle] not only enhances controlled objects but also brings a physical energy boost, making it the perfect choice.

As for the path, he chose Control, because the abilities of the [Silver Grey Particle] manifested through the control bar without occupying it.

This offered the best cost-effectiveness.

Eight million metal energy were thrown in, along with a dose of mutated energy; the [Silver Grey Particle] boiled, undergoing an internal transformation, as the nano-particles were enveloped by golden energy, shifting entirely to a thorough silver.

[Silver Grey Particle--A Level: Special nano-particles, their origin unknown.

...

Control effect: Trait--[Physical Energy Surge]

Control ability--Integration: Silver Grey Particles can merge with any controlled object of the same level, enhancing its performance without occupying a control bar.]

It evolved into a trait?

Li Ming felt a stir in his heart and checked carefully.

[Physical Energy Surge: Enhances physical energy by 600%, reduces the rate of physical energy loss by 25%.]

Whew~ Li Ming grinned, good, very powerful, exactly what he wanted.

With a cost of seventeen million, watching his metal energy drop from four to two billion caused him a bit of heartache, but it genuinely boosted his strength.

As for the last portion of mutated energy, he had no immediate use for it; the current controlled objects were enough, and he saved it for an urgent need.

Having processed these, what he needed to wait for was the progress of development; a B Level life form would represent a qualitative leap for him.

As a C Level life form, he could hardly bring out the full power of these controls; he grew increasingly anticipatory in his heart.