Reborn in 1878: America's Number One Bandit

Chapter 2 The First Batch of Death Warriors in the Wilderness

The California wilderness at night is vast and silent.

In the distance, the occasional long howl of a coyote could be heard.

Lawson walked on in the night.

The air was filled with the smell of pine needles and dry dust, which I inhaled into my lungs.

He didn't go far; about a mile from the camp, he found a gentle slope with soft soil.

The terrain here is slightly higher, offering a wide view and allowing one to observe the surrounding activity at any time.

"let's start."

Lawson slammed the shovel on his shoulder into the ground.

His body was so weak that he was already out of breath after walking just this short distance.

He took advantage of the slope and dug the soil directly from the side.

Dig for a while, then rest for a while.

Finally, one cubic meter of soil was dug up.

The data on the core panel has also changed.

Earthwork energy reserves: 1

[Upgrade requirements detected. Upgrade now?]

"upgrade!"

The green jade core shone brightly, and the text on the panel blurred.

[Level: 2] (3 assassins can be refreshed daily. Generating an assassin requires 1 unit of earth energy)

[Upgrade Requirements: Consume 1 unit of Granite Energy]

"It's refreshing three times a day now."

Lawson was delighted, but was immediately drawn to the new upgrade conditions.

granite?
He looked around, and the corners of his mouth involuntarily turned up.

In this rocky mountainous region, granite is the most abundant material.

He dropped the shovel and immediately got to work.

He doesn't need a complete boulder; he just needs to make up a volume of one cubic meter.

He picked up the granite fragments of varying sizes and gathered them together.

Picking up stones is much faster than digging in the dirt.

It only takes a dozen minutes, and one cubic meter of granite is enough.

"Continue upgrading!"

[Level: 3] (4 assassins can be refreshed daily)
[Upgrade Requirements: Consume 1 cubic meter of hardwood]

"From one a day, to three, then to four..."

Lawson couldn't immediately grasp the pattern.

He felt that the increase in these numbers was not random, but there was too little information at the moment to make a judgment.

He shifted his attention to the new upgrade requirement: hardwood.

He turned his head and looked in the direction of the railway construction site.

In the darkness, the camp's outline was indistinct, but between the camp and the railway line, there was a place where a huge shadow, like a small mountain, had accumulated.

That's a pile of raw materials used to process railway sleepers!
Lawson's eyes lit up.

It takes about 2,400 sleepers to lay one mile of rail.

Transporting timber from the east was costly, so sourcing locally became the best option.

California has no shortage of high-quality trees.

He crouched low and crept over quietly.

Those piles of wood were stacks of North American redwood logs with astonishing diameters!
This precious tree species, which would later be regarded as top-grade timber and command high prices, was in this era only fit to be cut and laid under cold railway tracks.

"What a waste of resources."

Lawson sighed, but his hands moved without slowing down at all.

He selected two logs that were thick enough and placed his palms on them.

The two logs disappeared.

The notification for another core upgrade arrived as expected.

"upgrade!"

[Level: 4] (7 assassins can be generated daily)
[Upgrade Requirements: Consume 1 cubic meter of carbon steel]

1, 3, 4, 7...

A mathematical sequence flashed through his mind—

Lucas sequence!
If this guess is correct.

In the next level, the number of assassins refreshed daily will be 11!
We'll know whether it's the Lucas sequence or not after the next upgrade.

Let's look at the latest upgrade requirements:

One side of carbon steel.

Lawson glanced at the railway tracks lying quietly on the embankment not far away.

The spare rails piled up at the construction site were unattended, but the railway company still kept two hunting dogs on a leash.

This wasn't due to negligence on the part of the railway company; the main problem is that nobody steals these things.

Stealing railway tracks is simply not cost-effective.

A standard railway track is twelve meters long and weighs several hundred kilograms.

In this era, without the right tools, it is almost impossible to steal it silently.

Transportation is inconvenient, and concealment is difficult.

The only way to sell stolen goods is to sell them back to the railway company.

Not only are the prices low, but the punishment is extremely severe if you get caught.

Hanging or long periods of hard labor.

Almost no fool would risk their life to steal this thing.

Lawson glanced at the two vicious dogs, then weighed his own frail little body in his hands.

They abandoned their plan to take immediate risks.

"There's no rush."

Safety is always the top priority.

He brought up his attribute panel and examined it carefully.

[Host: Lawson]

[Core Level: 4] (7 assassin slots can be automatically refreshed daily; their stamina is 1.1-1.4 times that of a normal adult male, and they are randomly generated.)

[Next level upgrade requirement: Absorb 1 cubic meter of carbon steel] [Host physique: 7] (Potential cap 14, standard for normal adult male is 10)

[Earthwork Energy Reserve: 0] (1 unit of earthwork energy can generate 1 level 1 assassin)
Current number of assassins: 0

[Current Functions: Mindset Communication, Mindset Takeover, Skill Sharing]

Lawson noticed that with each upgrade of the core, the upper limit of his physical potential also increased.

Upon reaching level 4, the potential cap actually reached 14 points.

Although the current value is still a paltry 7 points, this is undoubtedly a huge surprise.

He keenly observed the key difference between himself and the assassins.

When a suicide soldier spawns, he randomly gains stamina, while his own constitution is increased.

One word difference makes a world of difference.

To describe someone as having good physical strength, it would at most mean that they are strong, have great endurance, and recover quickly.

However, constitution is a more fundamental and comprehensive concept.

It's not just about muscle strength and endurance; it also includes bone density, muscle fiber resilience, and the function of internal organs.

The digestive and absorptive capacity of the stomach and intestines, the detoxification capacity of the liver, the recovery capacity of the kidneys, the blood supply efficiency of the heart, the strength of blood vessels, and even the sum of a series of bodily functions such as vision, hearing, and nerve reaction speed.

If we use a modern car as an analogy, improving physical strength is at most like giving the car a better engine, better tires, and a full tank of gas.

Improving the vehicle's overall condition means upgrading the entire vehicle in every way.

A comprehensive upgrade was implemented, encompassing the engine, suspension system, transmission, cooling system, oil system, and even the central computer, sensors, and all wiring.

This is a leap in the level of life.

A sense of anticipation welled up in Lawson's heart.

His thoughts returned to the present, and the glaring "0" in the "Earthwork Energy Reserve" column reminded him that he couldn't even create a single assassin.

We can't let the 7 core slots we got today go to waste.

He picked up the shovel again and walked back to the earthen slope he had just dug up.

He wielded the shovel and began digging again.

Soon, he dug out another cubic meter of soil and quickly absorbed it into the core space.

Earthwork energy reserves: 1

"It's finally okay."

A brand new selection interface popped up.

[Please select the race of the assassins to spawn]:
Asia, Europe, Africa, the Americas...

Select [Asia].

The next menu will pop up: [East Asia], [South Asia], [Central Asia]...

Select [East Asia].

The menu has been further refined: [Qing Dynasty], [Korea], [Japan]...

When he selected "Qing Dynasty", even options down to the province level appeared.

"Shandong Province".

Right after he confirmed, two more options appeared on the screen: [Male] / [Female].

"They can even choose female assassins?"

Lawson then discovered that the "Female" option was grayed out and could not be selected.

It seems that the level is not high enough or the conditions are not met, so it is not open yet.

Next is choosing the refresh location.

Dead soldiers can spawn within a certain range centered on the host, or they can spawn near an existing dead soldier, using that dead soldier as an anchor point.

"Refresh using me as the anchor point."

Suddenly, a figure appeared out of thin air.

He was a burly, dark-haired young man wearing a brand-new set of coarse cloth shorts, carrying a shovel in his hand, and a hunting knife at his waist.

Lawson laughed.

"Hey, it even comes with beginner clothes and equipment."

He immediately checked the information of the assassin.

[Death Squad Number One (Unnamed)]

[Stamina: 14]

[Place of birth: Shandong Province, during the Qing Dynasty]

[Skills: Stealth Mastery, Reconnaissance Mastery, Close Combat Mastery, Marksmanship Mastery]

Loyalty: Absolute

Languages: Chinese (Shandong dialect), English (basic)

"Pretty!"

This first assassin was actually a rare gem!

"From now on, you'll be called Er Gou (Second Dog)."

Er Gou grinned, revealing a set of white teeth: "Great! Thanks, boss!"

Lawson pointed to the earthen slope next to him and ordered, "Don't just stand there, go dig some soil."

"okay!"

Er Gou picked up the shovel and started working.

Large chunks of soil were dug out and then disappeared at his feet, directly absorbed by the core and transformed into earth reserves.

Lawson found a rock nearby and sat down to rest and recover his strength.

With Er Gou around, he doesn't have to do anything himself anymore.

Er Gou can dig much faster than him.

Before long, another cubic meter of earth energy had been collected.

Lawson made the same choice.

Another burly, black-haired figure appeared beside him.

[Second Deadly Soldier (Unnamed)]

[Stamina: 13]

[Skills: Hunting Mastery, Tracking Mastery, Trap Setting]

【…】

"You'll be called Three Dogs," Lawson said casually.

"Yes, boss."

San Gou, wielding a shovel, joined in the digging, making the work even faster.

(End of this chapter)