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Chapter 199 - Creating A Tank

Seeker and the Overcomers continued to make their round discussions about the soldiers they want to create. The foundations to build a scout was perfect. But there were more roles to build.

"Following gaming terminology, we need to build a good Tank." Arthur explained.

"A Tank should be a heavily armored unit. It acts as an insurmountable wall that the enemies cannot easily destroy. The Tank is something that will make the enemy automatically know that it would take a lot of firepower to defeat it. It cannot also be ignored as it would have various abilities to deal with heavy damage."

"Tanks in most games can take a lot of damage. I don't think that we can build something immaterial unless we have those Almetals." Lowengren countered.

"The Unlocking can create ways to create a Tank that does not necessarily focus on durability."

"Then what should a Tank have?" Lowengren answered.

"A Tank should become the main focus of the enemy. This will give ample time for the rest to attack and destroy their enemies. In gaming terminology, this Tank should take all the aggression or the argo of its enemies. The Tank should have the ability to stay survive the onslaught as well."

 "Actually, I like Meng's version of a tank. Those metals that utilize Magnetic technology. In replacement of durability, is the ability to reform or regenerate. Tanks have that." Seeker opened up.

"My thoughts exactly. If we build a heavy Exoskeleton with Magnetic capabilities to withdraw and retrieve the piece of metals that may be chipped or cut off, we can create a diverse tank. Of course, the Tank we have to make should be a Tank in and out his suit." Arthur explained.

"So if the Scout has senses, a bit of sight and hearing from Richie, what can we put in a Tank? Unlike the Scout, this Tank seems to be heavily reliant on the technology. Unless we make something similar to Meng…" Lowengren didn't want to complete the sentence.

"My Path is not easily copied." Meng's tone was not angry but maintained a slightly respectful disposition.

Even Seeker frowned at this.

"The suit that I wear is costly. It's hard to acquire Almetal now. China was only able to find a small mine but have long depleted it. And although we have the means to create hybrid Almetal, it would take some time. Five months to produce a batch of Hybrid Almetal. Unless we have the mine that the WGP has up in the Arctic nations, we won't be able to produce an armor similar to mine."

"You have the process of making hybrid Almetals? You mean its not something to mine?" Seeker was dumbstruck.

"I presume we didn't have it in your future?"

"No! We didn't! We had to use various weapons that were borne of others Path. The weapons that we had were obsolete. The WGP was disbanded three years before the great war. So the factories and mines that they owned were lost. I always assumed that Almetals were mined, and making a hybrid needed a small bit of Almetal."

"We named it that way to fool our enemies. The truth is that we made it from another metal we discovered in our country. Through a secret method, we made it look like that it's being meld and combined with actual Almetal."

"I see. Then if you could not provide it in my future… it means that these hybrid metals require certain metals found only in China?"

Meng noded.

"If this is the case, then I should prioritize on the mass production of these Hybrid Almetals." He gave Lennox a glance.

"For now, I can send you some of the materials my soldiers salvaged to make a batch of these metals. I'll give you all the data we know."

Harker couldn't believe what he was hearing. The information that Meng was offering could have started a Continental War. But now, he is freely giving it to Lennox.

Lennox simply nodded.

"The best course remains the need for me to establish a new base in China. We have some intelligence that a mine may be near Mordor."

So that's why you guys are pretty resolved in defending that area." Seeker realized.

"As with Russia and the Caliphates." Meng added.

"No wonder that region was the most guarded location in my future. Tyrant Empress and those she enslaved set out to retrieve those areas. But by the time they did, most of the opposing countries had already built those Gargantuan with that metal."

"Do you have any other information about the Gargantuan? I can build it if you have the designs. Those charts and illustrations you drew based on your memories have so many terminologies that only the future engineers could understand."

"None. I'm pretty sure those were encrypted terms. Our scientists figured it out, but… I didn't bother to ask what it meant. It was very irrelevant for me to study anyway."

"Shouldn't guys like you who come from the future follow the clichés of being a vast know-it-all?" Lennox frowned.

"That's not even a thing." Seeker complained.

"It is a thing. People from the future should know all about these advanced technologies and teach us how to create it. Those who are sent back to their younger selves must have god-like knowledge to cure disease, create weapons, and so on. You only carried with you some half-baked cultivation technique."

"Half- baked? You couldn't even figure it out in my future! And why I should know those things? Do Time-Travelling Reincarnators study physics, engineering, medicine, farming, and animal husbandry instead of fighting the alien threat?" Seeker gave a sarcastic remark.

"I'm just saying, that of all the Time-Travelling Reincarnators, you are the worst Reincarnator."

Seeker rolled his eyes.

"Moving on…" Arthur urged.

"I think you guys are ignoring another problem." Meng interrupted.

"The main problem with creating an armor-like mine is that it is costly since you have to apply the magnetic technology. If you want to deploy it in battle, it has to be under One China's banner. It also needs to be made near Mordor. So how can you deploy these weapons around the world?"

"That won't be an issue," Lennox replied.

"Those weapons won't be something that the WGP can detect. Although right now, it will be quite taxing for me. But the progress of Charles' study of the Unlocking has greatly aided in improving my potential."

Even Meng grew curious at Lennox's boastful claims.

"How strong have you grown exactly? I haven't met you in my future, but I am pretty sure you weren't this strong at this time." Seeker wondered.

"Before I acquired the Unlocking, I could only create several thought processes. But after utilizing Charles drugs as a baseline and the data of Seeker's brain, I was able to increase the capacity and storage of my brain."

"Capacity and storage?" Meng raised an eyebrow.

"The mind of Lennox is the most complex among Overcomers. At least, in terms of the physical form of the brain. His mind is like a computer. Arthur of the future confided that you could even emulate simple games in your mind. I bet the main key to your growth was my brain's data." Seeker laughed.

"It was. Your brain kept changing. For someone like me, it was easy to change my cells to follow your foundation. The truth of the Unlocking hidden in your brain allowed me to reach a level that can emulate games now."

"Emulate games?" Harker asked.

"What kind of games?" Lynd asked curiously. It was the first time he dared talk so casually to an Overcomer.

Seeker turned to Lennox as did everybody else.

"Currently, several of my thought processes are working together to play one of the surviving relics of the Post-Modern world. Of course, the game I chose is simple. It won't have too many elements, which makes it easier for me to emulate."

The room was silent.

"So that's why I never see you relaxing. Some of your thought processes were actually playing games!" Arthur finally realized it. The missing pieces of the enigma, which made up his father, finally made sense.

"Twenty? Thirty? Just how many thought processes do you even have prior to the Unlocking?" Arthur complained.

"I don't follow. How does he play a game in his head?" Lynd was the first to ask.

"It's a video game. He's playing a video game in his head. He programs his thought process to act or perform several commands like a computer. At his level, a single thought-process could do multiple tasks."

"I don't understand." Lynd inquired further.

"Lennox has great memorization. He has a photographic memory and can use his imagination to mentally reproduce or imagine a vivid picture. It's hard to explain, but basically, he can imagine an entire video game. Of course, depending on the number of thought process, he may choose to emulate older games for its lack of complexity."

"So… he's playing right now? As we speak?" Lynd asked further.

Lennox frowned as he revealed a slightly frustrated expression.

"I'm still looking for the six fishing tiles. It's a tiresome activity. I've been in this cursed route for hours already."

"What game is he talking about?" Meryl asked Lynd.

"Ruby? Your head is playing Ruby?" Lynd ignored Meryl and asked Lennox to confirm.

"No. Not Ruby. Emerald. Of course, I modded it a bit so that all of them appear on various routes spread evenly. It's a mod that maintains vanilla storyline, which I prefer, but at the same time allows me to play it without the pesky need to trade from other versions."

"You even modded it?!" Lynd was starstruck at Lennox's explanation.

"Yes. I also changed the evolution sequence so that many of them will evolve without being traded. The later versions have too many variables. So it will slow down my progress in my other research, which is currently working to find ways to improve our chances for the coming war." Lennox gave a very, very rare boast.

Lynd stared in worship at the being known as Lennox.

"I must copy that Path!" Lynd vowed to himself.

"I don't quite see the worth of this imagination exercise." Harker turned to Seeker in confusion.

"His imagination is very powerful, Harker. To him, it's as if he's really playing the game. I'm sure you've noticed it. Your recollection is stronger than ever. You can even recall music as if you actually hear it. In his case, he's doing it in a very larger and more complicated sense."

"But that doesn't make any sense. Isn't he basically playing pretend in his brain?"

"Not really. His control over his thoughts is very profound. He can program some of his thoughts to think but only follow a simple rule. That is how he's playing the game. He makes some of his thought processes act like codes. In his current game, some of these thoughts dictate the random encounters, the events, the RNG, everything. And even though his thoughts make all of these, he himself doesn't know it."

"He can not communicate with himself?" Harker repeated.

"Cannot communicate with himself?" Seeker replied with a fuddled look.

"I mean, he can choose not to talk to himself?"

"Erm…"

Harker looked like he wanted to release all the frustration, but Seeker was his boss.

"Just kidding. I get what you mean. Yep. He does that. His other thoughts have no idea what these randomly generated numbers or rules are. That's how he's able to play a game mentally and enjoy it as if he's playing it for real."

At that moment, Lynd imagined himself playing Skyrim. But since he didn't even have a second thought process, Lynd could only keep it to himself. It became his goal. He could play 24/7 with this!

"I must find the Way!" Lynd was motivated.

"How can any of this be of use to making a Tank?" Meng finally stepped in and asked.

"He can assign commands to his lightning. We've seen what his lightning is capable of. If he was given time, he could program his lightning to become almost sentient." Seeker explained.

"Sentient energy? I heard that WGP has such technologies."

"Mine is different. I create thought processes and bestow it to the energy I make. I can hide it in an Exoskeleton or Armor. I don't think the WGP will go through the trouble of analyzing the Exoskeleton's or Armors we send and test it with any sentient detecting techs."

"Exoskeletons that have your thought processes? If I had that, I wouldn't need to walk out of my armor." Meng knew the vast possibilities of creating such equipment.

"This means that the Tank we create can make an imitation of the various skills that the Tanks in Piercing can create." Arthur nodded.

"Crowd control skills?" Meryl gave her guess.

"Yes. My team is pro-gamers. They adapt to new characters and can use the skills given the right time they have. It doesn't have to be the exact same skills. As long as it's a skill that can do the purposes of crowd control, Dara will adapt."

"The Queen of Tanks." Meryl muttered Dara's title.

"I can train her." Meng and Lennox offered together.

Arthur and Seeker gave the two a strange look.

"Really? The two of you? Charles would probably become her slave after you teach her."

"I believe, with enough electrical stimulation, I can force her to awaken a secondary thought process. I know that for players like them, especially tanks, what they have to have the most is the presence of mind. Although gaming strategy works here, this isn't a game. Dara has to have the capacity to always be aware of what is going on around her."

"I see… That's an exciting proposal. You plan to make her your guinea pig?"

"She already has the basic training. I'm sure that out of all the players, the Tanks of Piercing are the most suited for my experiments. They stand at the forefront of the battle. They need fast hands to carry their slow-moving bodies and react accordingly. They have to keep in mind the health of their allies and as well as their own. The strain that they go through is the broadest. Marksmans and snipers focus on one opponent. Scouts focus on a single enemy when attacking, but observes the whole battle from afar. But a Tank is someone who stands at the very forefront of the battle. The burden of multi-tasking falls on them. So I think she's the best candidate for my experiments."

"What about you, Meng?" Seeker turned to Greydon.

"I have developed a very unique and powerful method of using my Armor. It will save her some time on how to use the Magnetic capabilities of the suit. I'm sure with Lennox's, he can easily code his lightning to create an electromagnetic push and pull that would be more complicated than the magnetic means of reforming those armors."

"Of course. My Lightning can push Chinese electromagnetic techs to another level. But right now, it will take an effort as I have to expend a lot of energy to make one." Lennox explained.

"I guess… We have the solid foundation of a Tank. But what about the pilot? Do we have any specific sciences that can improve her strength?" Arthur asked the team.

"Dawn technology aided with that Path." Lennox smiled.

"I propose an experiment. It is risky… But since Seeker has acquired the foundations needed for this, we can create a limited version of it."

The theory that Lennox proposed stunned everyone. Even before the experiments began, Dara was actually asked whether or not she would allow herself to become the first Guinea pig. As animal trials are not possible whenever the Unlocking is involved, the only choice is to go straight to human trials.

Dara agreed.

The process was one of the most intensive operations that even made Arthur sleepless. He would talk and even comfort Dara, which was rare even as their leader.

The Clown, the Businessman, and the Lumberjack stood as Dara's large Exoskeleton rushed forward.

Suddenly, the movements of the Exoskeleton became so fast. It had no boosters, but it could fly with the strange electricity that created magnetic capabilities.

The Exoskeleton zoomed fast, but the Clown simply stood up and punched out, hitting the Exoskeleton.

CLANG!

A loud metallic sound rang out as if two large metals struck each other.

But as the Clown's fist struck Dara's Exoskeleton, the entire body broke into pieces like an empty knight's armor.

Dara was standing on one of the pieces that were mysteriously floating.

She wore the same synthetic outfit that Titan had and continued to run forward. Her right fist was glowing bright red, and she punched out.

One of the most significant advancements that Seeker had was that he was finally able to trace Meng's cells. Through the study of creating cancer cells and aided by the Dawn soldier's research, they were able to turn Dara's right hand into a formidable weapon.

Tank's required great defense. But to be a threat, they need to have the capability to deal massive damage.

BOOM!

The punch exploded out and even sent the Clown flying.

The Armor quickly reformed at Dara's left hand, and she punched the Businessman.

CLANG!

The metal fist and the face of the Businessman also create a powerful clanging sound.

 The Lumberjack was struck by the debris of Dara's remaining armor.

Each armor that struck the Lumberjack emitted a bright electrical spark that disabling the Lumberjack from making other movements.

"It worked!" Dara was delighted as she witnessed the successful infliction of a crowd controlling skill that used Lennox's lightning.

This gave Dara the time to ready another attack.

Her right hand gave the same reddish glow.

BOOM!

The Lumberjack was then blown backward as well.

"MaliciousUnicorn has logged in. Piercing Armor has joined the battle.." Dara smirked confidently.