Terra Tinkers Construct is fine.

The melee fighter without a shield followed closely behind, and the sound of arrows piercing the air rose again. The shield-bearer instinctively raised his shield to defend, but a shadow suddenly passed through the gap in his defense—the shadow seemed to vanish in an instant, then reappeared in human form after passing the obstacle, and swung a short sword to stab the shield-bearer in the back.

"clang!"

His answer was a crisp sound.

Chapter 71: Overflowing Advantage

clang--!

With a crisp sound, the short sword bounced high into the air, the splash of white slag proving that it "did indeed damage the durability," but it did not cause any damage to the armor itself. The raider was immediately stunned. He was a member of this gang and a person who could speak for himself in this area. His innate Originium Arts were related to shadows, giving him a unique advantage in battlefield mobility.

With this skill, he could always be the first to charge into the enemy ranks in battle, create chaos and disrupt their formation before retreating unscathed, continuously putting pressure on his opponents. He had seen the white armor on these soldiers, but he really did not expect that when he struck them with his sword, the armor, which did not look like metal at all, would be completely taken by his sword!

"These people's armor isn't just for show!"

He cried out in disbelief.

In that brief moment, the shield bearer, seeing the enemy's erratic movements and being attacked from behind, panicked a little. He had indeed built up trust in his armor through various training sessions, but real combat was different from training with his teammates. The large shield in his hand still felt heavy, and he did feel the real impact of something hitting him from behind.

This feeling was familiar to him; he had long been accustomed to it when he was hit by his teammates' sticks and machetes, but even so, he couldn't help feeling uneasy.

His teammates filled in the void of anxiety.

"!"

The melee fighter behind him swung his axe, his honed muscle memory moving faster than any thought could cross his mind; the agile attacker hastily dodged, still incredulously preparing to deliver another blow to the shield bearer…

--laugh.

A powerful crossbow bolt shot from behind the melee fighter, piercing his arm and slamming him and his body behind the shield bearer. The seemingly complicated situation was resolved in the blink of an eye. The somewhat panicked shield bearer bravely held his position, only unable to resist turning his head behind the shield to look behind him.

What he saw was an attacker dressed in clothes that were clearly different from theirs bumping into him, staggering, and then being grabbed by his melee teammate, who swiftly brought down an axe—without even a scream, only warm liquid splashing on the ground. His decisive infected teammate then casually tossed the man aside and patted him on the shoulder.

"Trust in your work, sir. Don't worry, it's not breached."

"...Huh? Oh."

He suddenly gained confidence that the equipment Milan had generously provided them could be adapted to "real combat scenarios" outside of internal training.

The confidence gained from "passing the test of real combat" instantly enveloped all of them, these greenhorns.

What kind of enemy is the most despairing?

This question may elicit different answers from different people, but "completely unbreakable" is definitely one of the most popular choices in the pool of possible answers.

This is the situation that gang members are currently facing.

The proven reliability of the equipment dispelled the last bit of unease in the hearts of these new recruits. The silence that had been imitated by Milan was surpassed by their instinctive courage. Under the influence of their burning fighting instinct, the battle cries of the Ursus people gradually grew louder.

The shield bearers remained true to their duty, supporting the core of the team as heavy armor shield protectors; but the melee fighters were a different story—the swing of weapons was accompanied by screams and chilling sounds of destruction. Whether it was a machete or a steel pipe, the weapons in the hands of the Rust Gang members could only leave shallow white marks when they hit the armor of the Canned Food members.

At most, it splashes up some white debris that looks like a special effect.

But the canned food members' counterattack was different. Their pickaxes and axes were real heavy weapons, and every swing could cause real damage. Some fools even tried to block with their weapons, but the [Stewed Bone Short-Handled Axe] brought a tempting warm wind when it was swung, which often smashed them to the ground along with their weapons, leaving them unable to get up!

You should know that this thing was issued to them by Milan because it has the attribute of "Lightweight 1", which can reduce the user's perceived weight by half to 13 kilograms, which is perfect for these Terra Bearmen who are only physically strong.

This weight is already an outrageous figure for Earthlings whose standard hammer and axe weigh no more than three kilograms.

However, it cannot be ignored that, thanks to the supernatural lightweight effect brought by the Artisan's Soul attribute, this thing actually weighs 26 kilograms, along with an attack power of 6.46. Even if the correction for real-world forces has a diminishing marginal effect, it is enough to amplify such a simple attack power by nearly 60%.

Even among the grunts of Terra, he can be considered a high-ranking grunt, a grunt with prestige!

Almost not.

The battle was completely one-sided: the gang had the advantage of fighting on home ground due to their stronghold, and more and more people came out when they heard the noise to join the battle, only to be taken down in batches by the canned food members who had become accustomed to relying on their armor advantage; and the officers were shouting themselves hoarse as they tried to organize an effective siege.

They even sent people to prepare heavy weapons, specifically to try and destroy the seemingly bulky shields.

However, their piecemeal attacks were meaningless against the 60-kilogram shield. On the contrary, it seemed that only the steady shield bearers could counterattack. The riot control door panel with a 9-point attack power bonus could produce a shockingly comical result even if it was just slapped.

all the best.

Just as Herag judged: if they were only fighting against gangsters, these guys' fighting ability would be considered excessive.

—After overcoming the initial anxieties, their performance in their first match was decent.

Milan thought to herself.

He did not participate in the battle directly, but followed the crossbowmen and observed their performance in the attack—not only in terms of personnel assessment, but also in terms of equipment assessment.

—If we only consider this level, it seems that [the bones] can actually handle it.

Relying on the quality of armor to gain an advantage over the unarmored was indeed Milan's instruction to his men before the first battle; in fact, they did quite well. After all, anyone can play a game where they can only attack and not defend, and it is a blessing for any kind of warrior.

However, from a third-person perspective, Milan can see the armor's performance more clearly: the damage caused to the plated armor by enemy attacks is included, not just the scratches that are only visible to the naked eye on the surface, but also the loss of "durability" in the face of real-world damage.

What was the extent of the damage in this battle?

The extent of the damage can be described as negligible.

Simply put, as an extension of Minecraft equipment, Tinkers' Construct armor also has the same "data-driven overall defense" characteristic: each piece of armor provides the wearer with all-around protection, and when the whole body suffers real-world damage, it must first calculate the source attack after passing through three layers of protection and then resisting the material strength of the armor.

Taking these canned members' current [Bone Plated Armor Set] as an example, the actual attacks that land on them first have to pass through the 8-point reduction in overall armor, then the durability protection from the [Tanned] attribute when calculating the damage level, and then the durability protection from the armor toughness brought by the [High Calcium] attribute... and when it is converted into actual damage to durability, it becomes negligible.

For ordinary Terrans, this armor alone, which can forcibly stabilize its integrity through durability, is equivalent to an extra white shield bar that increases health; not to mention the Minecraft bone material, which is identified as Tinkers' Construct and has a strength comparable to rock.

Some might ask: Oh, Milan also wore a full set of rock armor in battle before. Milan's rock armor only had an armor value of 9 points, and its durability was already worn out very quickly, even though the damage occurred in a single battle.

...What kind of attack put the greatest strain on Milan's armor at that time?

He was a qualified sorcerer selected from the local garrison troops, and he also had military-issue explosive crossbows. Apart from that, even the knives and guns of ordinary soldiers did not pose much of a problem for him. Such conditions would be even more difficult for these gang members.

—Go back and prepare some repair parts. If I'm really gone, they can hold on for a little longer. It won't be considered that I'm being heartless.

By the way, can they use "repair kits" that directly restore equipment durability?

Milan began to ponder.

The ensuing battles were rather uneventful for him: the recruits, though nervous, managed to keep their movements relatively straight. They were able to maintain their composure and utilize what they had learned in their assault training, which was enough to keep them in position in this overwhelming situation.

The resistance from this gang called "Cracked Tooth" was even weaker than expected: they had no real experts, and their weapons might look decent, but even their captains only had military-grade cold weapons—no heavy crossbows or large ballistae, and no powerful sorcerers. This was the situation they faced against this group of white cans that looked like they were wearing iron armor.

The battle quickly advanced to the heart of their stronghold—perhaps the limited entrance space of their hideout, converted from a giant valve, gave them the confidence to hold their ground, and they continued to put up a stubborn resistance, causing trouble for Milan's advance.

"If the other side blocks you, you can block them in return."

Milan, who looked like he was about to yawn, casually said, "Besides, what are those pickaxes for? What did I say at the beginning? Pickaxes are your first choice as disaster relief tools, so stop staring at that broken door!"

"People are already living inside, why don't you tear down the wall?!"

—Is this how you describe disaster relief, boss?

The armored soldiers looked at each other, but still blocked the door with single shields, while the others split into small groups, and the melee fighters took out their pickaxes; even without Minecraft permissions, and unable to use Minecraft tools to knock down blocks, they were still incredibly fast at breaking through the material with their pickaxes—after a series of clanging sounds, the thick metal walls of the old valve pipes were knocked open, revealing neat square holes.

There were also people inside the hollow who were preparing to block the door and surround the enemy, but were now completely bewildered.

"grown ups!"

Just then, a figure suddenly darted out from the shadows! Perhaps it was one of the leaders or officers of the Cracked Tooth, who saw Milan standing behind and pointing at these armored men, and he immediately had an idea.

He roared and charged straight at Milan—and at the same time, people who seemed to have been prepared and lying in ambush jumped out one after another; some of them hid in thick pipes or hidden stairwells, and it seemed that rather than being pushed to their doorstep by Milan and his men, they planned to use the "nest" as bait to plan a counterattack.

Even the seemingly dead-end hideout—whether it holds hidden secrets—is hard to say.

"...Those who manage to survive in these complex areas are all quite shrewd; it seems that's definitely the case."

Milan, who hadn't realized this before and thought it was just like running a dungeon, nodded thoughtfully.

They didn't even notice that those people were divided up to entangle the melee fighters who could still run, and only slightly distracted themselves from the crossbowmen, concentrating most of their energy and firepower on themselves.

But the moment the attacker, who might possess speed-enhancing skills, closed in with his crossbow bolts, he swung his weapon down—an Ursus military knife with a longer attack range than a dagger, presumably possessing greater power and lethality.

Seeing Milan raise her arm from afar... he even felt like laughing for a moment.

"what!"

His speed increased even further, bursting forth so fast that he even outpaced the crossbow bolts slightly; the Ursus saber, carrying the momentum of his charge, stretched even longer during the acceleration, resembling a chilling silver-gray curtain, its target clearly aimed at Milan's arm...

"..."

His charge came to an abrupt halt, and the slashing of his long saber also stopped abruptly; an inch longer should be an inch stronger, and his blade should be longer than his arm, so no matter what Milan, who seemed unarmed, did, he should have been behind him.

However, every inch longer makes you stronger.

A spear longer than Milan's height suddenly appeared in his empty hand. With a casual thrust, the spearhead easily pierced the attacker's body, hanging him on the spearhead like a piece of cured meat.

Then came the clanging of crossbow bolts—the Milanese spear swung, shaking off the attacker's body as if shaking off raindrops, the movement even somewhat casual; after this moment of obscured vision, the ambushers who had jumped out with him suddenly noticed.

Just like that long spear.

Without anyone noticing, a set of armor appeared out of thin air on Milan's body—a heavy set of armor, thicker and more rigorous than his white-armored subordinates, gleaming with a cold metallic luster.

"..."

Although the helmets with embedded armor covered their faces, preventing them from seeing Milan's expression, it was still possible to discern from the details of their movements: the leader of this armored man turned his gaze and clearly swept it over them—and in the eyes of Milan himself and a group of armored soldiers, their expressions probably changed to this in an instant.

"..."

Milan remained silent.

Only when the spear in his hand disappeared, replaced by a short, silvery-blue bow; and with a flick of his wrist, as if drawing an arrow from thin air, he produced an arrow that was crystal clear and as fine as crystal threads.

He drew his bow, nocked an arrow, and remained silent.

Chapter 72 [The Player]

Milan stepped into the gang's stronghold called "Cracked Tooth"—or rather, the stronghold that had previously belonged to the gang.

The air was filled with the usual smell of rust and engine oil, along with a lingering stench of blood. The dim emergency lights and the extra-equipped Originium lamps cast distorted shadows, illuminating the scattered mess on the ground.

The battle is over.

Thanks to the astonishing wisdom of the resistance forces outside in "capturing the leader first," the last wave of resistance was voluntarily quelled. Most of those who still had the will to fight were put to rest, and the few remaining soldiers were disarmed and imprisoned.

The white armor panels of the canned members were stained with mottled dirt, which then slowly slid off due to the regularity of MC armor, revealing the remaining traces underneath, casting unique shadows in the dim light.

Milan nodded: As expected, in a battle of this level, the performance advantage brought by Tinker's Soul equipment is overwhelming. The biggest loss in this battle was the white marks on the armor of several team members—they checked each other's armor, whispering to each other, their faces showing a mixture of fear and excitement.

But in terms of difficulty... it's probably not as difficult as the rigorous training they underwent under Helag.

"grown ups."

Upon seeing Milan, Alexei quickly approached. As the leader of the infected, he was the nominal captain of the team and also served as the commander of Group A while holding the position of crossbowman. He removed his helmet in front of Milan, revealing his face, which was flushed from the intense exercise. He bowed slightly to Milan, but his words remained clear and coherent.

"We have taken control of the main area of ​​the stronghold, the remaining resistance has been eliminated, and the seized property is being inventoried."

"As expected, the contents mainly consist of Ursus gold coins and Originium ingots, which are hard currencies commonly used on the black market. There are also some inferior weapons and equipment, which are far inferior to your gift."

"Seventeen people were captured. The hard-line resisters have been dealt with, and they are likely all peripheral members. According to their confessions, the leader of the Cracked Tooth gang escaped with a few close associates through a secret passage unknown to us, while the gang still has four officers."

"We killed one, captured two alive, and the whereabouts of the third are unknown; upon questioning, he appears to be a Lupo, male, around thirty years old, non-infected, with enhanced agility and explosive power in his Originium Arts..."

"Oh, then there's no need to look for it."

Milan, surveying the new territory, didn't even turn his head and casually said, "Let me nail it to the wall, right by the door. You'll see it when you go out later."

Alexei: "..."

He paused for a moment, then immediately stopped talking, a look of understanding and awe flashing in his eyes. He lowered his head and changed the subject.

"Yes, I understand... So what's our next task?"

"Now that we have an area under actual control, we need a place suitable for transportation and communication."

After looking around and recalling the corresponding locations on the map, Milan nodded and said, "This place is nice. It's more organized than our little shack. Let's use this as a temporary window for external communication."

"Then, send a message under the name 'Canned Goods,' notifying all the major gangs in this area to gather two days later at the nearest meeting place commonly used in the mid-level black market." (Er Ni~^Liu IX-Yin Sanba)

Do you want to integrate them?

Alexei asked.

Do I look like I have the time or inclination for that?

Milan chuckled: "I don't insist that I'm the only voice here, but I hope that [Canned Food] will have enough weight in this place until the end of the month."

"Those who can understand human language don't need much attention, and those who can't understand it don't matter either. If I can't explain it logically, I can explain it using physics."

He paused here, then turned to look at Alexei—Milan was not short, but not particularly tall compared to the men of Ursus, yet Alexei dared not overstep his bounds and almost instinctively lowered his head.

He felt Milan pat him on the shoulder.

“You’re from Ursus, and you’ve dealt with nobles and bureaucrats before. You’re better than me at intimidating them and keeping them in line. We’ll definitely have to fight. Don’t be afraid of conflict. You can be a bit aggressive and assertive. I’ll cover for you.”

"However, I hate trouble, and I hate it even more when people take it upon themselves to cause trouble."

Milan's words were very clear, and Alexei understood them perfectly: the significance of the delicate timeframe of "one month" was no secret to Milan's men—Alexei understood immediately, bowed, and accepted the order, saying, "Yes, sir, I will handle it properly."