Welcome to the Ability Shop!

Chapter 205 "Humanoid Weapons"

There wasn't a single guard outside the mansion at this moment.

Chen Xuan put on a hat and mask, and together with Liu Shuyue and Lin Qing, they climbed over the courtyard wall. There were still security cameras outside. Although Lin Qing couldn't hack them, she could detect their locations and choose a route that was out of the way.

The only one who went through the main entrance was Amy—because she couldn't climb over the wall.

Compared to the bustling scene two days ago, there were significantly fewer pedestrians in the new Paris today, and the air seemed to carry a more somber atmosphere. Black smoke could be faintly seen rising from the direction of the Louvre.

The attack occurred in the morning, and it's only past noon now, so the impact of the incident seems to be still spreading.

As Chen Xuan entered the city along the road, he discovered that there were heavily armed soldiers stationed at the intersection, and military vehicles were constantly passing by on the street.

Fortunately, they don't check pedestrians' identities; they're just preventing people from taking advantage of the chaos to buy things for free.

Television screens hanging by the roadside were also reporting on the changes at the Louvre: "...The First and Third Armies of New Paris have taken over the city's defense. Citizens are advised to minimize going out to prevent any accidents."

"We can see... the fire outside the palace has been extinguished by firefighting robots, but there are still fires breaking out inside..."

"Thirty-five dead have been carried out, two are seriously injured, and one is slightly injured..."

"According to survivors, this was not a simple case of AI malfunction; a massacre occurred inside the Louvre. The specific details are still unknown. General Hans has personally led a team into the fire, and we hope to learn the truth soon."

"The enemy is quite strong," Chen Xuan remarked, glancing at Lin Qing. "They've held out for three or four hours and haven't been completely wiped out yet."

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Lin Qing asked, puzzled.

"nothing."

Chen Xuan looked away. This was probably the downside of the significant improvement in individual equipment. With the help of advanced technology and equipment, dozens of people could sometimes be as capable of fighting as an army. This was almost a dead end for urban security, since it was much harder to guard against thieves for a thousand days than to steal for a thousand days.

Renting an apartment in New Paris is simple; you don't even need to meet the landlord. It can be done through a mobile app or a personal guide. All listings are registered on a dedicated system, making the selection process very convenient. Chen Xuan quickly found a small apartment on the tenth floor near the business district through Amy, and the contract was finalized after paying the rent.

"Where did all these empty rooms come from?" he asked, slightly curious.

“According to statistics, the total population of New Paris is declining year by year, and construction has not stopped, so it’s normal to have vacant rooms,” Amy replied.

"Then the rental market must be very small?"

Seeing such a convenient and mature rental app, he thought the new Parisian was overcrowded.

“That’s not the case,” the guide robot said. “These houses are owned by the Angel Alliance, the builder, and several large companies under its jurisdiction. Most people can only rent them, and if they don’t work, they will lose their eligibility to rent. So you should find a job as soon as possible to avoid ending up with nowhere to go.”

"These rules... are a bit too inhumane," Liu Shuyue murmured.

“That’s how companies are,” Lin Qing said dismissively. “Even if tomorrow were the end of the world, these people would still hold onto their assets tightly instead of distributing them to the poor.”

Chen Xuan couldn't help but recall the protest march he had stumbled upon.

Could their eagerness to return to the ground also stem from a desire to escape this constraint?

With the room situation settled, the Ability Shop now has a stable foothold here.

Chen Xuan then led the two of them, along with Amy, to the Atom and Electronics store.

Thankfully... this place is still operating normally.

It seems that the minor incident that happened earlier did not affect their business.

"Two guests!" It was the same shop assistant who greeted Chen Xuan. He clearly remembered Liu Shuyue. "I didn't see you yesterday, so I thought you weren't coming."

"There was a scheduling conflict, so I only came today," Chen Xuan said with a smile. "Why was there a sudden power outage?"

"It's probably because some of the wiring has been chewed up by rats," the other person said helplessly. "Although New Paris has a lot of new technology, many of the buildings are decades old, so aging is inevitable."

It appears that the object itself was not damaged.

Chen Xuan pointed to the Class A repair room, "The same one?"

"No problem, there's no one inside," the shop assistant nodded. "Please come in."

The three entered the cramped room. Lin Qing looked around suspiciously and asked, "Are you sure this is a repair shop? I can't even see any repair tools."

Liu Shuyue was also a little worried, "Will it be okay to let the strange object repair Lin Qing? Didn't it tell us to get lost before?"

"It's a barcode scanner that's rolling around, what does it have to do with us?" Chen Xuan said dismissively.

"Hello, guest, I am a Class A repair assistant. Please listen to my explanation of the repair instructions." A programmed, synthesized female voice came from the loudspeaker.

"Alright, I know, I agree," Chen Xuan interrupted abruptly. His voice trailed off.

Then the gate opened, and a tray extended out.

"What are you trying to do?" Lin Qing asked, puzzled.

"Put the item that needs repair on it, and then just wait." Chen Xuan briefly explained the repair method. "I remember your weapon prosthetic is detachable, right?"

"Huh? Are you sending some strange creature to fix me?!" Lin Qing exclaimed in surprise.

"That's right. Since the Dimensional Agency can obtain advanced technology here, it's most likely related to some rare artifact. Although it couldn't fix the barcode scanner, it strongly rejected the gun itself, which means it at least recognizes its value."

"How can you interpret it that way?" Lin Qing chuckled, but still agreed, "Alright, since you put it that way, I'll give it a try. Turn your head away."

"Can't I see it?" Chen Xuan was greatly disappointed. He had originally wanted to see what the prosthetic body looked like when it was removed.

"No... I'm embarrassed."

"You should turn around quickly." Liu Shuyue directly helped him turn his head 180 degrees.

Two clicks were heard, and Lin Qing breathed a sigh of relief, "All done."

Chen Xuan turned around and found that the other person was holding a piece of her right forearm, while her other hand was already tucked into her sleeve.

"You can disassemble the whole hand?" he exclaimed in amazement.

Liu Shuyue sighed regretfully, "This is why you can't use magic; the circulation of spiritual energy has been completely blocked."

“I am a soldier, so the transformation is naturally very thorough. This arm can penetrate a 5-millimeter-thick steel plate when running at full power. Ordinary bones simply cannot withstand such an impact,” Lin Qing explained. “Spells are indeed amazing, but it takes several years to learn and master them, right? This kind of prosthetic surgery only takes two hours to turn a civilian into a soldier.”

"I don't understand, what's so embarrassing about taking your hands off?" Chen Xuan said, still bothered. "Won't it be okay to walk around naked in the future...?"

"Only a lunatic would walk around naked!" Lin Qing glared at him. "His arms are too short and bald, they just look awful."

Is it ugly? He couldn't help but imagine the other person's limbs being dismembered...

No, that's not a good way to think. Chen Xuan coughed twice. "Alright, alright, I won't look. Put your hands on the tray."

"It won't swallow my hand, will it?" Lin Qing did as instructed, but her face was still full of worry. "I don't have any spares right now..."

"If it can't be repaired, at worst it will just be returned as is."

The tray retracted, and the gate closed immediately.

The three waited for about half an hour before finally hearing the electronic announcement, "Dear customer, the product repair is complete. Please take your item and pay the corresponding fee at the counter."

As soon as he finished speaking, the prosthetic arm was delivered, and it seemed to be somewhat different.

"This is...my hand?" Lin Qing picked up her arm and examined it with some confusion.

Chen Xuan found the difference in appearance—the hand that was sent in earlier had obvious interfaces and heat dissipation vents, as well as skin-like fiber material at the base of the thumb, but on this hand, all of the above features had disappeared. If it weren't for the locking structure at the severed arm, he would have thought it was a real severed arm.

And that's not all, he discovered that he had manicures on all five of his fingers!
Is this considered part of the repair?
"Uh... why don't you try connecting it?" Chen Xuan turned his head somewhat guiltily, after all, it was his idea to come here to repair the prosthetic body.

Lin Qing took the arm with some skepticism, started the self-check program and turned up the virus protection level to the maximum, but less than a minute later, a look of shock appeared on her face.

"It's actually fixed!"

"Really? That's great." Liu Shuyue was genuinely happy for her.

Now it was Chen Xuan's turn to have doubts. "Are you sure?"

"Look!" Lin Qing rolled up her sleeves, rotated her wrist, and then with a snap, a folding scimitar sprang out from above her forearm, the blade emitting a faint blue light.

"Plasma scalpel, normal."

Then she flipped her palm over, revealing the dark muzzle of a gun.

"Electromagnetic transmitter, normal."

Finally, Lin Qing straightened her five fingers, and her nails instantly extended into ten-centimeter-long claw blades, complete with manicured designs. "The finger hooks are fine too. All three weapon systems are working properly!"

Chen Xuan and Liu Shuyue were greatly impressed.

Neither of them could have imagined that their opponent had so many weapons hidden in that short arm!
(End of this chapter)