Chapter Sixty-Four: The Falcon Strike Combat Module

According to Thorn, the Black Island Organization had already been established before Baishan Star lost contact with the Empire, and today marked exactly sixty-one years since its founding. The party at that branch earlier had been in celebration of this very fact.

What was said casually was taken to heart by the listener. Under the tight control of the planetary intranet, forming an underground organization was no small feat; even more astonishing was that it had managed to exist right under the Empire’s nose for a full six years. The forces and support behind it must have been formidable.

If the Black Island Organization truly possessed such power, it should have been able to sweep across Baishan Star with ease after communications were lost. How could it have degenerated into a rabble of lunatics, beaten down by city-states like Nankang?

But that wasn’t the main point.

The real point was this: according to Thorn’s account, counting backwards, the Black Island Organization must have been founded in Galactic Year 1251.

The year itself wasn’t remarkable, but before Ji Cheng crossed over, he had completed a hidden side quest about the Galactic Empire. The final reward was a cryptic, fragmentary message that he still remembered vividly:

[No residual traces left behind]
[Imperial Special Investigation Team—local, inspection, and customs departments cooperated but failed to resolve the case]
[Biological monitoring signal disappeared at: East Perseus Province—Pegasus Arm]
[Disappearance date: Galactic Year 1251, September 6th]
[Notice: Case terminated]

“And today’s date...” Ji Cheng glanced at a passing bus. Though it flashed by in an instant, he clearly saw the digital clock on the driver’s console: 1312, September 6th, 10:22 a.m.

The ‘case’ mentioned in the message coincided exactly with the founding date of the Black Island Organization.

Time and place matched perfectly—it was almost impossible not to draw connections.

“So could this mysterious navigational blackout over Baishan Star be related to that incident?”

“And what exactly was that case? Did someone important die nearby?”

“What about those aberrant creatures outside the city, and the ‘natural entropy-reduction phenomena’—how did those appear?”

“What role did the Black Island Organization play in all of this?”

As he walked along the street, Ji Cheng pondered these questions in silence.

“If I want to restore contact with the Empire, I must lift the navigational blackout over Baishan Star. Otherwise, in such a remote place, there’s no way a ship can come directly.”

“This case is probably an important clue, but for now, the information is too scant—fragmented and incomplete. I’ll have to see if I can find more hints elsewhere.”

Heading to the Hive Laboratory was imperative.

Ji Cheng rounded a corner and slipped into a mall. The car sent by the City Defense Department to pick him up was waiting in the parking lot beneath.

He and Thorn had already agreed—on the surface, he’d continue as the City Defense Department’s undercover agent inside Black Island, but secretly, he’d play the role of Black Island’s mole within the City Defense Department.

Of course, when the layers were peeled away, he was, in truth, still the City Defense Department’s operative in Black Island.

“Drive. Stop at the City Defense Department first, then take me back to Outpost 304.”

Two days passed in a flash; all the supplies Ji Cheng had ordered had arrived. He’d even taken the time to reacquaint himself with combat techniques aided by the data ether.

Before crossing over, his character in the game had also relied mainly on this combat style.

“Ah, this feels much better—my micro-movements and fine control are coming back,” Ji Cheng said as he moved swiftly around the training room, gripping an angular pistol in his right hand. The black casing gleamed with a metallic hardness that exuded a sense of terrifying power, even without firing.

Thud!

The butt of the gun struck the new training dummy with a heavy blow, sending it swaying violently.

“Dagger thrust at the weak spot on the right abdomen.”

Shana’s voice sounded in Ji Cheng’s mind.

He immediately flipped his left hand, drawing a silver-grey tactical dagger with a flash. Except for the handle, the guard and blade were forged from Kun steel, the spine etched with intricate wave patterns, the blade reaching 21 centimeters, the blood groove deep, and the edge razor-thin—a truly savage weapon.

He drove the dagger straight toward the dummy’s right abdomen.

“I’ve corrected your angle downward by 0.8 degrees,” Shana interjected through the data ether, subtly adjusting the thrust so the blade slid precisely into the seam of the dummy, plunging deep.

“Release and retreat, kick its left knee with your right foot.”

Ji Cheng let go of the dagger and kicked the dummy’s left knee, using the momentum to pull back in one seamless motion.

“After all this testing, it turns out the Hawk Strike combat module suits me best.” He grabbed a towel to wipe his sweat, tossing it aside.

“The first-tier gene prototype you injected primarily enhances nerve reflexes and agility. This hit-and-run style is indeed a perfect fit for you,” Shana agreed gently.

The data ether assisted combat by applying various combat modules. In the heat of battle, it could help you find the optimal attack method and make the right choices.

The more sophisticated modules covered not only melee weapon techniques and movement, but also operation of common mechanical weaponry, including mechs, firearms, and various targeting arrays.

In the game, a data ether with maxed-out mechanical knowledge, paired with a top-tier combat module and the most advanced mechanical weapons, wielded by an experienced and calm user, was nearly invincible.

Of course, this led to a flood of complaints against the developers, since ordinary players couldn’t afford the data ether.

Without it, they couldn’t use combat modules, nor operate complex mechanical weapons, let alone command an entire fleet.

The gaming experience was nil.

“Hawk Strike, really? Isn’t it just hit-and-run? You humans love to glorify yourselves with fancy names—how foolish,” Anchan’s cold voice echoed in his mind as well.

“Can’t you come up with a more dignified name?” Ji Cheng shrugged and charged the dummy again.

This time, his movements were noticeably smoother and more precise.

“To the left.”

Thump.

He drove his elbow into the dummy’s solar plexus.

“Vertical slash.”

Crack.

The Kun steel dagger cleaved down along the collarbone, leaving a deep gash.

“Withdraw.”

With Shana’s assistance, Ji Cheng quickly familiarized himself with the new combat style.

He couldn’t buy Imperial combat modules now, nor did he want to bother the little empress with every problem, so he collected battle scenarios and wrote a few simplified modules himself.

They weren’t as effective as the official ones, but were worlds better than the old, crude, flailing approach.

After all, the data ether’s analytical abilities were unmatched—as long as you gave her a core idea, she could produce a detailed methodology.

For the Hawk Strike module, Ji Cheng had defined that core as: fast, precise, and cautious.

Like a hawk in the hunt—lock onto the prey, strike with explosive speed, and if the blow missed, retreat far without hesitation.

The Hawk Strike module minimized exposure to counterattacks while maximizing the power of the initial assault, though at the cost of greater stamina drain.

“Shana, if we disregard external enhancements, how would you rate my current strength?”

He stepped back from the dummy again.

“In my system, if a typical first-tier ability user has a combat rating of 100, your base rating—without serums or other enhancements—would be around 140.”

“And with the combat module?”

“It’s hard to quantify, since your self-written script lacks references, but I estimate you reach about 190.”

A satisfied smile appeared on Ji Cheng’s face.

If the Hawk Strike module could really raise his combat strength from 140 to 190 or even close to 200, that would be considerable indeed.

“Alright, that’s enough for now—I’ll go shower.”

He set aside his weapons and took a quick rinse in the training room’s side chamber, then began putting on new gear.

Trousers with knee guards and tactical leg bands, all-terrain combat boots, a multi-function belt...

Bare-chested, he slid the Kun steel dagger into the most convenient spot on his belt, holstered the Black Rock pistol at his waist, and set his packed backpack nearby.

Footsteps approached from outside, growing closer.

Luo Rao entered, glanced over Ji Cheng, and gave a tight-lipped smile.

“A’Cheng, the car’s here. Time for us to go.”