A Warm Letter

Thanks to Xiao Bai's large hands, after digging for over twelve hours, he finally unearthed a massive, thirty-meter-long...
Shuttle Crab ?
This sturdy creature had eight legs and two massive mechanical arms, just like its namesake. However, it boasted an abundance of "eyes"—sensors scattered across its back and legs. Beyond serving as a base station, it was also a large maintenance robot.
Inside, it housed ten 'Spiders' and a simple parts processing system that could slightly adjust parts' dimensions or perform basic fabrication, allowing it to adapt to more extreme conditions.
Its abdomen carried over a dozen spiral drills that served as both anchoring "anchors" and radiation-absorbing "charging stations." These were also equipped on the smaller base stations, granting them exceptionally long operational lifespans.
So despite being a "dinosaur" from over a decade ago, it remained remarkably classic and reliable.
Instead of absorbing energy, Xiao Bai extended a mechanical arm and used the system's built-in maintenance functions to conduct an initial inspection.
A moment later, he received an assessment report.
"It's much stronger than I expected. The overall structure is still intact, but it hasn't been maintained for over a year. Some internal components were burned out by radiation, causing the shutdown..."
"Estimated repair time: 2 hours. Required electronic components: 36. No problem, let's begin."
As Xiao Bai gave the order, the Mechanical Arm sprang into action. It lifted several 'crab shell' panels, revealing a dense web of circuits beneath, and began disassembling and reassembling components.
Xiao Bai glanced at the complex structure, his scalp tingling with unease.
"Thank goodness this Mechanical Arm can repair itself autonomously. Otherwise, I'd have to trouble Professor Wang again."
The Mechanical Arm's reach was limited, restricting Xiao Bai's mobility. He decided to log into the 'Tavern' and continue poring over his research papers.
Two hours passed quickly, and the repair neared completion. The final step was to overwrite the system and permissions. Only after this could this massive 'Shuttle Crab' truly become Xiao Bai's own.
Normally, it would be extremely difficult to complete this final step unless the base's Centr al Control System was completely destroyed. One would have to contend with various software and hardware firewalls. Even if one succeeded, the system would automatically initiate a self-destruct sequence, making it nearly impossible to hack and steal data.
"That's why scenarios where someone types a few keystrokes and suddenly sees a dozen zeros added to their bank account, or runs a simple program that makes enemy autonomous machines turn against their own, only exist in fantasy stories."
"Without physical ac cess, relying solely on network attacks would at most allow you to steal some data or crash a system. But the security defenses of these autonomous machines are even more stringent than those of the Tavern's Contribution System or a bank's savings system."
While studying biology, Xiao Bai had also taken the time to learn about cybersecurity. He used the 'Wish' function to create a custom defense system and integrated it into the Shuttle Crab to prevent it from being hijacked.
Soon, two lines of text appeared before Xiao Bai:
Main Control System overwrite complete.
"Authentication complete. C4-621 confirmed as highest authority."
"This code name is really getting on my nerves..." Xiao Bai grumbled, then tried to store the Shuttle Crab in his Storage Space.
With a flash of green light, the massive 30-meter-long creature shrank into a tiny crab icon.
"How is this Storage Space even more heaven-defying than the Absorption function? Unlimited capacity, effortless retrieval—once I'm rich enough, couldn't I just carry around a whole Mecha Legion in here? We could storm the battlefield together!"
"The only downside is that I can't modify these 'icons' as freely as I can my own body. I have to deploy them and modify them normally."
"Plus, not everything can be stored. It has to be inanimate property that truly belongs to me. I can't put the Little Milk Cat or my Physical Body in here. I wonder if I'll be able to store future Biological Mecha?"
As Xiao Bai spoke, he activated the thrusters and raced back to the base at full speed.
He landed in a hangar with a gaping hole in its roof, where the best-preserved Ghoul quietly rested.
The Shuttle Crab must have relied on the slight shelter provided by the roof to avoid a direct hit from the Great Demon Lord's lightning, which is why it wasn't too badly damaged. At least its reactor was still operational.
Xiao Bai released the Shuttle Crab again and loaded Professor Wang's repair plan into its system, waiting for the assessment report.
"Hmm... It needs 15 hours, several hundred electronic components, a Main Control Chip, a set of sensors, self-defense weapons, and armor plates... We can dispense with the latter."
Xiao Bai canceled several repair projects, then used the Autonomous Main Control Module to deliver the necessary parts into the Shuttle Crab's body and initiated the repair process.
A dozen or so drills on its underside burrowed into the ground, recharging itself while deploying the onboard Spiders. It also extended its massive Crab Claws and began dismantling the surface armor plates.
Xiao Bai didn't linger, turning back towards the Graveyard to find materials like Main Control Chips and sensors that he didn't have.
As his processing power increased and his scanner improved, his efficiency in scavenging junk also improved. He no longer needed to blindly open "blind boxes" everywhere like before.
"These densely packed yellow arrows... The Graveyard's resources are no less abundant than the Base's. After all, it hasn't been ravaged by the Great Demon Lord."
"Then what's there to say? Just grind it out."
Xiao Bai opened a biology paper, memorizing it by rote while rummaging through the scrap heap.
He quickly found some needed chips and sensors, delivered them to the "Shuttle Crab," and returned to continue digging.
Fifteen hours later, after completing the repairs, Xiao Bai gained a new "Ghoul" under his command.
He immediately issued a remote command, switching it to excavation mode and directing it to the collapsed base for salvage.
Meanwhile, the "Shuttle Crab" wandered the base, assessing other damaged mecha to see what was worth repairing.
"I don't need to go back now. I'll gather more parts, fix up a few more helpers, and then bid farewell to my 'Good Buddy'—for better or worse."
As he spoke, Xiao Bai received an email.
The sender was anonymous, the email address a string of gibberish, and the content even more absurd:
"Buddha says: Mami mami mami..."
Xiao Bai froze, then found an online decoder and pasted the long string of "Buddhist verses" into it. Only then did the true message emerge.
"Another scam?" Xiao Bai muttered, glancing at the beginning of the message and feeling a flicker of hope.
Hello, I noticed your anonymous letter. Could you elaborate?
But as he continued reading, his blood ran cold.
My name is Fanxing, a Funeral Ranger.

Chapter end