Who said this card is outrageous?

The Soul Armor is complete!

He picked up the card and examined it. After confirming that there were no problems with the quality, he carefully put it away.

However, he no longer has the energy to fuse new cards. He only has half of his mental energy left. Fusing a fourth-tier card requires more energy than it can be made. Forcing a fusion would only make the result uncontrollable.

So Zhang Che had no choice but to spend the rest of his time making low-level cards.

This is both to prepare for the official start of construction in the future and to fulfill my promise from last night to get some suitable cards for Sister Xinran.

Originally, he planned to make a top-tier level 3 card for Wang Xinran in one go, but now he can only take it slowly.

Now his only dilemma is which series of cards to prepare for Sister Xinran.

I forgot to ask her what kind of person she liked.

After thinking about it, Zhang Che simply did everything he could.

Anyway, second-tier cards don't cost him much; making one is just a matter of minutes.

Most of them are cute summon cards like Vulpix, Eevee, and Newleaf.

Finally, adding two [Misty Body] cards and one [Fire Resistance Ring] card completes the task.

One [Misty Body] card was given to Ji Xingchuan, just in case, while the other two cards were given to Wang Xinran.

She was, after all, a peak second-tier transcendent, so she could afford to use three second-tier cards.

……

During dinner, Zhang Che gave the cards to Wang Xinran.

"Sis, take a look and see which one you like." Zhang Che laid out the three summoning cards in a row in front of Wang Xinran.

Wang Xinran's eyes lit up when she saw the fluffy little animals on the card.

"This is... for me?"

"Otherwise what?" Zhang Che smiled. "You can use the second-tier card I promised you last night."

Wang Xinran reached out and picked up the Eevee card, examining it from all angles. The Eevee in the card was tilting its head, its round eyes looking straight ahead, its tail slightly upturned—it was incredibly cute.

"So cute..." Wang Xinran's voice softened.

She picked up the card again, looking at its six fluffy tails, and couldn't help but reach out and touch the card, as if she could feel its soft, furry texture.

Finally, there was [New Leaf Cat]. Wang Xinran looked at the green kitten on the card, and the smile on her lips grew wider and wider.

"Xiao Che, how can I choose? I want them both!"

Zhang Che shrugged: "Then let's have them all."

"Huh?" Wang Xinran was clearly taken aback.

“You’re not summoning them all at once,” Zhang Che explained. “There’s no limit to the number of mental bindings. Just bind all three first, and summon them as needed.”

Regarding the choice of main cards, Wang Xinran ultimately chose to have them all, based on Zhang Che's advice.

With her talent, she will eventually be able to advance to the third tier, at which point she will have access to even more cards.

Moreover, these three cards all have good evolution potential, so there's no need to replace them later.

……

The next day, Zhang Che, whose mental strength had fully recovered, returned to the basement and took out the [Soul Armor] he had just made the day before, as well as the [Water Curtain Armor] and [Extreme Cold Ice Curtain] that he had been using.

These three cards are the fusion materials he carefully prepared!

The fusion ability was activated, and the light intertwined, forming an energy vortex between the three cards.

Zhang Che was fully focused on perceiving every change in this process, while simultaneously activating his anchoring traits in an attempt to fine-tune the direction of the fusion.

The mental energy was being depleted faster than expected.

It was as if a bottomless pit was frantically devouring his mental energy, and in just a few seconds, nearly a third of it had been consumed.

Zhang Che could only grit his teeth and persevere.

After a while, he felt his head begin to throb and his temples throb, a sign that his mental energy was about to be exhausted.

Without hesitation, Zhang Che reached for the prepared psychotropic drug, bit off the stopper, and tilted his head back to gulp it down.

As the medicine entered his throat, a cool energy rose from his stomach and slowly flowed into his brain. His depleted mental energy was replenished, albeit only a drop in the ocean, but it at least allowed him to hold on for a little longer.

These alchemical potions were obtained during the last settlement of merits in Binhai City. The quantity was small, mainly for emergency use.

Right now!

After downing two bottles of psychic potions, Zhang Che felt like he was floating. His mental energy was constantly fluctuating between being depleted and replenished, and his brain felt like it was being stuffed into a washing machine, buzzing around.

Fortunately, the final result was quite good; a brand new card with blue and purple hues finally appeared before him.

Zhang Che picked up the card and examined it carefully.

The card depicts a majestic suit of armor, entirely black with a heavy outline, featuring deep alchemical patterns on the shoulder and breastplates, resembling flowing water.

The helmet's visor was completely closed, and the eye area consisted of two narrow triangles that emitted a golden light.

The entire suit of armor stood there steadily, like a silent mountain.

Card Name: Black Rhino Armor (Water)

Type: Equipment Card

Level: Tier 4

Grade: Blue

Effect: Summons the Water Black Rhino Armor to combine.

Additional skills: Raging Waterfall Peak, Waterfall Fury

Attached equipment: Water Armor Shield

(Note: See that? That's the beauty of numbers!)

Looking at the black rhinoceros armor on the card, Zhang Che's lips slowly curled into a smile.

This is exactly what he wanted!

Chapter 178 Armor Combination!

It really did!

Zhang Che looked at the cards in his hand, his emotions already so intense that he could hardly contain himself.

After all, which boy hasn't dreamed of becoming a superhero when he was a kid?

Although he's not the Ultraman with the highest stats, Armor Hero is still a good choice. He watched that tokusatsu series countless times in his previous life; he was definitely a die-hard fan.

Moreover, he's only at the fourth tier now. As Zhang Che's strength continues to improve in the future, it's not impossible for him to create cards that allow him to transform into Ultraman.

The Giant of Light—that's the ultimate dream for most boys!

"No, my brain is about to explode," Zhang Che quickly took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.

After sensing that he still had a considerable amount of mental energy left, he couldn't wait to activate the card in his hand.

A blue-purple light emanated from the card, illuminating the entire basement. Zhang Che held the card in both hands, feeling the power contained within, and couldn't suppress the smile on his lips.

At the same time, out of a sense of ritual, he also specifically shouted out—

"Armor Combination!"

The voice echoed in the basement, carrying a solemnity he himself was unaware of.

Accompanied by a dazzling light and shadow effect—at least Zhang Che himself thought it was very cool—a set of rather heavy-looking black armor was covered on his body.

First came the breastplate, which conformed to the curves of the body and had light blue patterns along its edges; then came the shoulder armor, which was wide and thick, like two shields; followed by the arm armor, leg armor, and helmet, which appeared one by one and were assembled together seamlessly.

The whole process was smooth and effortless, as if some invisible hand was putting armor on him.

When it was finally fully formed, coupled with Zhang Che's already considerable height, it was no exaggeration to describe him as "robust": his originally slender figure appeared much more robust under the armor, with broad shoulders and a commanding presence.

Zhang Che subconsciously clenched his fist, and a surge of power instantly welled up in his heart.

The fullness of every muscle in his body, enhanced by the armor, made him feel a powerful surge of energy with every breath. If he were to encounter that armored undead again now, it probably wouldn't last three punches.

"As expected of the Black Rhino Armor, its stats are truly impressive!" Zhang Che remarked with some emotion.

Now that I've already transformed, I definitely have to test the quality of this armor myself.

He looked around the basement. There was definitely no need to test the tables and chairs here, because if the Black Rhino Armor couldn't even handle these things, then it had no reason to exist.

Thinking of this, Zhang Che suddenly had a flash of inspiration and took the alchemy cart out of his [magic pocket].

The vehicle's manual states that the empty vehicle weighs approximately 530 kilograms, or a little over half a ton, which is sufficient for testing the capabilities of the [Black Rhino Armor].

Zhang Che bent down, grabbed the chassis of the alchemy chariot with both hands, took a deep breath, and then exerted force. The chariot was lifted up and floated steadily in mid-air. After a while, it was slowly put back into place.

The whole process was much easier than he had imagined. He could feel a little strain, but it was about the same as when he normally lifted a 50-pound bucket of water with one hand.

The new model is quite good, but it's a bit different from the Black Rhino Armor Zhang Che remembers, and its performance is noticeably weaker.

But then he thought about it again. The Black Rhino Armor he made this time was missing the most important main weapon, the Meteor Spear, and the ultimate skill, the Frenzy Strike. It was clearly not the complete version, just like Ahri's back then.

Therefore, it is normal for it to have defects.

His next task is to find an opportunity to obtain a suitable water-attribute spear-type equipment card to fill the gap in the [Black Rhino Armor].

Even though it's just a weakened version, the stats of the [Black Rhino Armor] are still enough to be Zhang Che's trump card for a long time to come.

Just imagining the enemy finally managing to break through all obstacles and reach Zhang Che, ready to cut off his backline, he instantly activated his armor combination...

It will definitely give the other party a huge surprise!

Just imagining that scene made him laugh.

……

Most importantly, compared to the other four sets of armor, the [Black Rhino Armor] is designed for defensive counter-attacks.

Since its stats are high enough and its speed isn't fast, it doesn't require much skill in combat; just go all out.

Once the stats are right, all that's left is to charge in, get a firm footing, and then unleash your full power to knock the enemy down.

No need for fancy dodges, no need for sophisticated combos, and not even much battlefield judgment. When you hit me, I'll withstand it; when I hit you, you won't be able to withstand it.