Chapter 193: Chapter 175: The "Loophole" of the Guapi System

As for Gao Xiaomeng...

She was staring longingly at the pastries, gulping down saliva. But she couldn’t reach out her paws, so all she could do was let out a few soft meows.

"President Gao, this cat is just adorable. What’s her name? Do you need me to look after her?" Hua Quanquan’s feminine side quickly emerged.

"Her name is Gao Xiaomeng. There’s no need to watch her; just let her stay by my side," Gao Neng said with a smile. Gao Xiaomeng didn’t exactly have the best temper.

"Understood. Here is the list of manufacturing prices for the high-end weapons I’ve compiled." Hua Quanquan spoke as she took out a price list she had prepared in advance.

Gao Neng gave it a quick glance.

What a ripoff!

The lowest manufacturing fee on the list was over five million Alliance Coins, with most falling between ten and twenty million. Was being a Manufacturing Master this profitable?

"These are all high-end custom weapons, so their prices are relatively higher. However, with the Celestial King Group’s brand backing us, I’m confident there will be no shortage of clients. President Gao, how many clients do you think would be appropriate per month?" Hua Quanquan explained while taking out a small notebook to take notes.

"Since it’s custom work... about three, I guess," Gao Neng estimated.

At an average manufacturing fee of ten million per piece, three a month would mean thirty million in profit. That would put the annual net profit at over 200 million!

Even if he only took a 51% stake, his annual income would still be well over 100 million.

It was incredibly lucrative!

However, these were high-end custom products, and their success was partly due to the Celestial King Group’s brand recognition. Other workshops would be lucky to get a single high-end custom order in a year.

Meanwhile, Hua Quanquan showed no intention of presenting a price list for lower-end custom products...

Fang Yuan must have instructed her beforehand.

After all, Fang Yuan was, at his core, a businessman.

He was all about investment and return.

If he saddled Gao Neng with a pile of low-end clients, his investment of tens of millions and his selfless technical support would truly go down the drain.

"Alright, I’ll let you get back to it, President Gao." Having confirmed the work details, Hua Quanquan tactfully excused herself from the workshop, gently pulling the door closed behind her.

Gao Neng wasted no more time.

He directly opened the grand treasure chest of inner armor materials gifted by the system.

BUZZ!

A huge pile of manufacturing materials and a blueprint landed on the workshop’s crafting table.

Gao Xiaomeng’s eyes lit up instantly at the sight.

"Gao Neng, what is all this stuff?"

"I’m going to make a piece of inner armor. These are the materials. Don’t touch anything, or I won’t bring you next time." Gao Neng first opened the blueprint to take a look. It was rather complex, and would take at least three days to complete.

"Oh... What’s the big deal? I, the great Xiaomeng Queen, can do it too!" Gao Xiaomeng waved her paw, picked up a pastry, and tossed it into her mouth. CHEW, CHEW. Her attention was soon completely captivated by the snack.

Gao Neng ignored Gao Xiaomeng and continued to study the blueprint.

After the battle in the small building, he had truly come to realize the power of the other races.

These spies who had infiltrated the City of Hope weren’t fundamentally strong in combat. Or perhaps they had sustained injuries on the battlefield that prevented them from breaking through to higher levels.

But even so, these aliens were still this powerful.

Just how strong were the ones on the actual battlefield?

’Without a Seed Burst Pill, my strength is only enough to kill a Tier Three Late Stage at best. It would be extremely difficult to kill even a Tier Four alien. If I ran into a Tier Four alien prodigy, I’d probably die even in a one-on-one fight!’ Gao Neng was still thinking about going to the battlefield, unaware that Chen Yichuan had instructed Gui Zian to remove his, Fang Tangtang’s, and the others’ names from the list.

’My strength needs to increase.’

’I have to forge this inner armor, too.’

’And my combat techniques need to be reinforced.’

Before Tier Four, energy can’t be projected outward, so combat techniques are mostly close-quarters. After Tier Four, energy can be projected, allowing one to form their own "magnetic field energy range" and learn new combat techniques.

’If I could just reach Tier Four!’

’With my hidden talent, it would be a quantum leap!’

’But I don’t have much time left...’

’There’s no way to break through to Tier Four in such a short period.’

’So, I can only focus on strengthening my combat techniques. Given the time I have before heading to the battlefield, I can learn one more technique at most. What should I learn?’

’Hmm, a footwork technique!’

’So I can run away!’

As Gao Neng thought about this, he began to craft the ’Thornmail’.

Crafting Thornmail was a bit different from making the Electromagnetic Cannon.

There’s a saying: "A hundred refinements forge true steel."

For the Thornmail to be hard enough, each component had to be repeatedly tempered.

...

For three days, Gao Neng basically lived in the workshop. He didn’t go out or return to the military academy, and Hua Quanquan didn’t disturb him much either.

She only came by to deliver food at mealtimes.

Gao Xiaomeng, on the other hand, was uncharacteristically quiet during these three days. She watched Gao Neng craft the Thornmail the entire time, not taking a single step away. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

「Three days later...」

The Thornmail was complete.

Only now did Gao Neng realize just how absurdly good the system’s gifts were. This Thornmail was golden in color, fit his body perfectly, and was made of an extremely light and breathable material.

When he wore it, it felt just like a thin layer of clothing; he could barely feel it at all.

’This stuff from the stupid system is actually pretty good. If only it would give me a super-duper weapon too?’ Gao Neng thought as he admired the Thornmail. But he quickly dismissed the bold idea. ’Trigger another mission? Nah, better not. The stupid system is a bit of a scammer!’

However, after dismissing the idea...

An even bolder thought bubbled up in his mind.

In fact, this idea had been lingering in his mind for the past few days.

He could indeed live a peaceful life if he gave up on the stupid system’s missions. But with aliens all around, how long could that peace truly last?

A year? Or two?

Ye Ying escaped.

But she definitely wouldn’t let things go.

He couldn’t count on having a Seed Burst Pill every time he was in a tough spot. Those things cost twenty million Alliance Coins a piece; only a whale like Fang Tangtang could afford them.

Besides, three days ago Shen Ning’Er had said she’d gotten stronger again!

She was going to craft a new weapon!

But he was still stuck in the same place.

Still at Tier Two Mid Stage. His progress... was slow?

Gao Neng made a rough calculation. At his current cultivation speed, under normal circumstances, it was possible for him to reach Tier Four, or even Tier Five, within a year. In that case, when the war with the other races began in two years, what level would he reach?

Tier Six?

Or Tier Seven?

Maybe!

Gao Neng couldn’t be sure. The higher one cultivated, the harder it became. Many people were stuck at Tier Six their entire lives, unable to break through.

Reaching Tier Seven was no easy feat.

He had already started much later than most.

Fang Tangtang was only sixteen this year, but her strength had already reached Tier Two Late Stage. Plus, Fang Tangtang was rich. If she really started chugging potions, her cultivation speed would probably be even faster than his.

As for Shen Ning’Er...

She was even more terrifying.

Even Lin Ying might not be her match.

At this rate of progress, what level would Shen Ning’Er reach in two years?

Gao Neng felt a heavy pressure. Even if he was a genius, if he slacked off midway, he would eventually be reduced to a nobody.

The path of the strong is like rowing a boat upstream; if you don’t advance, you fall back.

You can only press forward!

Therefore, the most correct choice was to find the system’s loopholes and seek the fastest shortcut to a breakthrough.

Gao Neng had thought a lot over the past few days, carefully analyzing the stupid system’s mission-issuing function.

The normal mission-issuing process was: Mission Name + Mission Description + Mission Objective + Mission Reward.

Of these, he could define the ’Mission Name’ and ’Mission Reward’, while the Mission Description and Mission Objective were adjusted by the stupid system based on the reward.

The most treacherous part was the Mission Objective.

’So, could I change my approach?’

’Do it in reverse!’

’For example: what if my Mission Name also included the Mission Objective? That way, wouldn’t it be much harder for the stupid system to screw me over?’