[1-200] THE MECH TOUCH

Chapter 158: Old

While Marcella's comment about the crew aroused some worry, Ves decided to deal with it later. His newly hired crew used the trip to Cloudy Curtain as the Barracuda's shakedown cruise, so Ves expected them to arrive a bit later than usual.

First, he had to finalize his latest design. He mainly dedicated his time with testing his semi-finished mech's stealth systems. After optimizing its stealth armor as best Ves could manage in a few days, he turned his attention to the detachable particle generator.

Ves intended to employ the particle generator as a smoke generator. Once the rifleman mech fired its high-powered laser rifle, it exposed its position. Even the most ramshackle thermal sensors would be able to sense the incredible amount of heat projected by the laser beam and track it down to its origin point. His mech might as well be waving around a gigantic signal flare.

Once its enemies zeroed in on its position, the rifleman mech would have to flee. Throwing up a giant cloud of interfering particles at the right time should allow the vulnerable mech to evade pursuit.

Ves mainly had trouble with getting the particle generator to disperse its cloud quickly. If it released its payload too slowly, then the mech's opponents could catch up before the module hit its stride.

His handy Jury Rigging sub-skill came to use as Ves employed a handful of unconventional means to enhance the spread of the particles. He also tinkered with the Festive Cloud Generator, forcing it to release a massive cloud of black vapor once activated.

Once he put the latest iteration to the test, the entire area within fifty meters became engulfed in a soot-like black miasma.

"It's like an exploding ancient chimney." Ves noted as he nodded his head in satisfaction. The speed, reach and density of the miasma finally met his standards. Unless the rifleman mech ran too hot, it should be able to use the cloud to withdraw.

Such a clever means conformed to the Dogged One's methods. Unlike the Instructor, the Dogged One lacked the fortune and destiny that could elevate him into a pinnacle fighter. He only managed to survive through stacking the deck in his favor by making his preparations beforehand.

"Honor is a luxury for the strong. The weak can only fight the strong through dishonorable means."

So what if it was shameless? All's fair in love and war! Different from the standard rifleman mechs, his mech only truly showed its strength when it had the initiative. The moment his variant lost its advantage, it should immediately run and shake off its enraged pursuers.

Once he became somewhat satisfied with the design, he put the finishing touches on its appearance. He left the coating alone but added in a diminished version of the LMC's logo.

While Ves might not have spent a lot of time on this design, he was proud of his work. He almost finished this project. It just needed a name.

He didn't think too much about it. He tried a few conventional ones but when he thought back on the Dogged One, they didn't fit. Ves spent half an hour wracking his mind on the issue before he ultimately settled on Old Soul.

"It contrasts nicely with the Young Blood."

As an immortal, the Instructor might be older than the Dogged One, but in terms of mentality and life experience the bounty hunter had an edge over the pampered former knight.

The name also reflected the Dogged One's lack of apprentices. He had never taught anyone the tricks of the trade, mostly because he couldn't teach others to survive without putting them through torment. He was destined to live out his life without family or friends.

Ves shook his head. He kept getting the feeling he went a bit too far with these myths. Even though they didn't exist for real, he still felt somewhat bad for giving the Dogged One such a joyless life. He couldn't come up with anything better with his average creativity.