Activating the Mechanical Desert Spider's body defense mechanism was somewhat unexpected for Lu Yuan.
From beginning to end, the players strictly followed his requirements for dungeon runs, keeping the party size below five.
Jubian had already made RPG rocket launchers, but Lu Yuan strictly prohibited bringing such weapons into the dungeon. Besides worrying about explosions causing collapses, another very important reason was to avoid overly powerful weapons causing the Mechanical Desert Spider to become "stressed".
But now, these mechanical creatures still showed signs of mutation.
There was only one reason.
"We are very close to the Mechanical Hive."
The Executive Officer's words attracted everyone's attention.
"Mechanical Hive"
These four words sparked endless imagination among the players.
What was inside the Mechanical Desert Spider's hive? Treasures accumulated over many years?
Will there be a BOSS battle? What kind of technology can be looted after defeating it?
"Are there these kinds of enhanced monsters everywhere near the Mechanical Hive?" someone asked.
Lu Yuan replied, "That's just a relatively easy situation to handle. It's also possible that the entire mechanical species is undergoing combat modifications, and if not dealt with promptly, they might even push back against our camp."
Everyone exchanged glances.
Dungeon monsters actually being able to push back against the players' novice village was truly the first time they had heard of such a thing.
Lu Yuan: "In short, tactics must be adjusted. The future mode of operation will change from small teams to large groups. Every afternoon from 2 pm to 4 pm is when everyone is awake and active. I hope that during this time, everyone will put aside other things and fully participate in the Mechanical Hive's assault."
"For the rest of the time, the team size should not be less than 5 people. Black Smoke, I'm handing over the team command after this to you. Can you handle it?"
"I can! I'm good at this."
Black Smoke patted his chest and assured Lu Yuan. His in-game appearance was that of a hairy, slightly graying uncle, and he was the oldest character both in and out of the game.
"Okay." Lu Yuan looked out the window at the cave dungeon.
"Xiao Xue will return to the hibernation pod to recover from her injuries first. After this, you will pause your civilian research and assist Jubian in developing more powerful weapons. As for Jubian... I guess you haven't been idle these past few days, have you?"
"Of course not! Executive Officer!"
Jubian pushed up his non-existent glasses and smiled crookedly.
He took out his personal Pad and showed everyone the results of his work over the past few days.
It was a set of quite cool-looking military exoskeletons!
"Please allow me to formally introduce the 'Barbarian' light military exoskeleton! I adjusted the maximum power of the frame and joint motors based on the 'Worker Ant', and furthermore..."
Ye Xing: "Alright, alright, I'll say 'awesome' in advance. Skip these unimportant parts and just tell us the equipment stats!"
"Agreed!"
Everyone unanimously agreed.
Jubian sighed.
"Ah, okay... This exoskeleton weighs 90 kilograms in total. The maximum output of the upper limbs is 500 kilograms. Sprint speed is no less than the wearer's own speed. Endurance time in maximum output state is 40 minutes, and endurance time in walking state is 20 hours."
"Various parts of the exoskeleton can have external armor attached. Of course, the more armor there is, the more power is consumed when walking."
"Moreover, it has a characteristic: the higher the wearer's strength, the more responsive it is. If the strength is insufficient, they can only perform highly precise but slow movements like the 'Worker Ant'. Currently, only the three Soldier players, Caoyuan, Guo Li Cheng, and Ma Lou, should be able to operate it perfectly."
A wail went through the crowd.
"That's okay," Lu Yuan comforted everyone. "After leveling up a few times, all classes can reach the strength level of a Level 1 Soldier."
"So, should the first exoskeleton be given to Caoyuan?" Ye Xing asked.
"Actually... the greatest use of the exoskeleton is to increase melee blocking ability and defense, as well as resist weapon recoil, allowing the wearer to use heavy weapons," Black Smoke interjected.
"So, I think it should be given to Guo Li Cheng first! Let her tank at the front to attract aggro. As for Brother Caoyuan, I think he's more suitable for ranged output."
Caoyuan stroked his chin and nodded.
"Mm, reasonable. Guo Li Cheng can hold aggro very steadily."
Everyone thought about it and it seemed to be the case. Guo Li Cheng was indeed a talent for tanking, and they all cast their votes in favor.
"I... how did I become a tank character who pulls aggro!?" Guo Li Cheng stomped her foot in anger. "This old lady is a genuine beautiful girl, okay!?"
Ye Xing: "Big Sis, when you swing that plasma greatsword of yours, it's like a giant glow stick. It's hard not to be the most eye-catching person on the field. Besides, a girl has to be under 18, right..."
Guo Li Cheng: "Shut up!"
In short, Lu Yuan made the final decision, and the choice for the main tank was happily settled.
For the next three days, other production projects in the camp were suspended.
Two small 3D printers produced 6 player hibernation pods, and the large 3D printer made the first 'Barbarian' exoskeleton, plus more weapons and equipment.
Players who ventured deep into the dungeon discovered different types of mechanical creatures. They each had different main weapons; some had machine guns, some had flamethrowers, and some had grenade launchers.
However, their weaknesses were also quickly analyzed by the players.
Machine guns can only suppress one direction at a time, so flanking is sufficient; although flamethrowers and grenades have a wide attack range, their sustainability is poor. You can simply lure them into exhausting their ammunition and then swarm them.
In actual combat, players explored tactics like feinting and flanking, 'Old 6' ambush tactics, and injuring one and then surrounding it to attack reinforcements. They even invented barbaric dungeon playstyles like the "Plasma Flying Axe style".
They even made items that could be called insane, such as the "Plasma Beast Trap".
The darkness of human nature was fully displayed in this underground world; the mechanical race simply couldn't cope.
The Mechanical Desert Spider's biggest weakness was still its limited AI intelligence; it wasn't smart enough.
When they gave up melee charges and chose to engage in ranged combat with humans, it created a problem.
As long as human firepower and tactical levels were higher, they would be defeated like a collapsing mountain.
At first, the team could only defeat five monsters in one dungeon run, but by the next day, they could defeat twenty-three at once.
This also led to a steady increase in the number of captured Mechanical Desert Spiders.
On the third day, the first 'Barbarian' exoskeleton came offline. Guo Li Cheng put it on instantly with a happy expression, then logged into the player community and uploaded a large number of selfies.
【Nu He Guo Li Cheng】: "Thanks to Brother Jubian's design, the exoskeleton feels great after putting it on. I will share my usage experience as soon as possible later on, please bear witness!"
"Holy moly! There's already a military exoskeleton? Technology is advancing so fast!"
"The chest armor looks very strong defensively."
"Upstairs, you'd better be talking about the chest armor."
"The greatsword is also newly made, right? It feels even bigger than the previous one."
"Introduce it too, please."
【Nu He Guo Li Cheng】: "Yes! This sword was also personally designed by the Executive Officer. There is an area on the blade that doesn't generate plasma, which can be held with the other hand for blocking. Also, the charging port on the hilt can connect directly to the power armor glove, sharing a battery, so you don't have to frequently plug it back into your backpack to charge."
"I see, the exoskeleton is still strong. Combat power is directly raised by a notch! I'm really looking forward to the day when power armor is updated."
【Nu He Guo Li Cheng】: "Hehe~"
This woman, saying she didn't want it, but her body was very honest, specifically posted to show off.