The Legendary Junkmaster

Chapter 167: Drones (2)

Jason sighed as Syssie finished her evaluations of a number of the things he had created but held off on gaining points for. The total from this round of evaluations came to 345 PP. Jason let out a long sigh as he opened the skill tree in his mind. 'If I'm going to make drones, there are a few things I'll need to brush up on first.'

He navigated to the Computing skill set and chose to upgrade it from Basic to Apprentice then straight to Journeyman. Costing a total 120 PP. The usual routine of sharp pain arrived, with Syssie also writhing around on the ground beside the ANT-V. 

With that done and the pain fresh in his mind, he set his eyes on the Electronic Engineering branch. He did the same with this and brought it up to the Journeyman level as well. The total that this came to was 170 PP. After the ritualistic pain subsided this time, Jason scrolled through the available skill. 'I have 55 PP left over from this batch, plus the 5 PP from last time. So that gives me only 60 PP to spend. Can I even get anything with that?'

He still had a number of skills at the Apprentice level, but the ones he was interested in for that project were Physics and Electrical Engineering. 'It's not enough.' Jason sighed as he wondered if he should create more things to further his stash of PP. 'Let's see what I can do with this for now. I'm just spending points blindly like this. Once I run some tests in the field, I can find out what exactly I need to improve.

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Jason got to work on the blueprints that appeared in his mind for the smallest one that he could create with his current knowledge. It was a mechanical cat design, but the blueprints insisted that he had to use a computer to input code for it to work properly.

'These computers... There should be some in the NEST I can use but it means leaving Highrise. It'll give the Lord and the bounty hunters a chance to come after me again.' Jason sighed as he started work on what he could do right now. If I prepare everything beforehand, maybe I can get in and out without revealing the NEST.'

'It would be best if I can deal with it like that. The ANT-V should have enough speed for me to gain the time I would need over anyone keeping an eye on me.' Jason hummed as got to work with cutting and shaping the different metal plates that would be used for the exterior casing. 

He wanted to be certain of the size of its interior before deciding on the layout of its electronics and wiring. 'Hm, will it really be able to go unnoticed? Now that I see its size, it still seems a bit big...' It would all come down to its fine motor controls, whether it could be of any use. 

It would need enough flexibility to get into smaller areas and hide more easily. But if it wandered across a street, it would be fairly easy to spot. He doubted anyone would mistake it for a random beast with all of the metal. 'I'll have to paint it or something...'

Jason let out a sigh as he added another task to everything that he had to do. 'Well, it's enough to know that I still need to increase my skills to deal with this issue. I just can't make anything smaller as I am now. So the issue has to lie in the electrical transmissions and maybe I'm still missing something in electronics...'

There seemed to be no end to improving himself, which left him feeling frustrated. Although Syssie had been repaired, he was not eager to take the risk of upgrading himself quickly in case not all of the flaws had been ironed out. He had the suspicion that Syssie would eventually reach her limit again and they would face the same problem.

However, he wanted to be prepared for that situation before it happened to arise. So he would only push himself into new territory if it were required. He started work on cleaning up old gears and finding parts to fit each other. If nothing was at hand, he would tinker with what he did have to reshape it. 

Time flew by quickly for him as he worked away. The shop opened and closed under Raymond's guidance as credits continued to flow in. He was not short of money right now, but he was more than aware that if he needed replacements for the materials sent by Sentinel, it would cost him a lot. After all, they were not native to Highrise.

'How long will these even last for? I'm reluctant to use them as I am now, but I can only gain experience in their use if I do.' Jason shook his head slowly as he eyed the materials. He had the sinking feeling that he should start his drone design over from scratch again, but use some of his rare resources. 

'No... I'll finish this first and see how it operates. Maybe it'll reveal some insights on its own.' Jason nodded as he started to feel sluggish. 'Damn! Don't tell me I'm worn out already! I really have to finish this!'

Syssie sighed from the side as she saw Jason's eyelids begin to droop while was he was operating some of the machinery to cut metal. "Jason! Wake up! You're going to kill yourself if you keep this up! It'll still be here tomorrow. Come on, you heard what Raymond said and I agree. You have to start taking better care of yourself!"

Jason let out a groan as he glanced at her. The bags under his eyes had turned a darker shade with all of the sleepless nights, and it was apparent that he was exhausted. He was pushing himself to the limits every day to meet the expectations that he was placing on himself.

'Seriously... what am I going to do with you?'