Chapter One: Mechanical Weapons

A four-year-old boy with delicate features and porcelain-like skin was intently studying the half-human-sized box before him. This boy was Long Yin. He circled the box several times, finally noticing a symbol in the upper right corner. Upon a card was an image: a human figure wearing a safety helmet, face shield, protective suit, and holding a tool in each hand—a mechanic! The card depicted a mechanic!

Long Yin arched an eyebrow. A card-machine? So this wasn’t just an ordinary box, but a card-machine—a contraption crafted with the aid of various wondrous cards and tools from daily life! Card-machines possessed all sorts of powerful functions. Each tool bearing the card-machine symbol hid mysterious abilities. The most remarkable aspect was that once a card-machine was perfected, it no longer needed cards to function, completely breaking free from card constraints.

Long Yin scrutinized the symbol again, then shook his head. Not quite a full card-machine, after all. The card showed a mechanic, and while the box was indeed a card-machine, it required energy cards to operate. Any device still dependent on energy cards was, at best, a semi-card-machine. Cards permeated daily life; these common cards were known as daily cards. Daily cards couldn’t function independently, always needing energy cards to power them. Thus, energy cards were the most heavily consumed of all.

In this card-based world, the advent of card-machines was revolutionary, an extension of ancient wisdom—mechanisms that didn’t rely on cards, almost unimaginable. Thus, every mechanic was exceptionally brilliant, often a master card-crafter or card-mender worthy of respect.

Staring at the box, Long Yin wondered when his eldest sister had acquired a semi-card-machine. He frowned. Should he destroy it? Not to mention the risk of injuring whoever was inside, his sister would probably destroy him first for wrecking her things.

With a sigh, Long Yin pulled a card-crafting pen from his pocket. Gazing at it, he seemed lost in thought, as if seeing a dainty, exquisite pen—a birthday gift for his fourth birthday. When his spiritual power had tested at an astonishing A-level, his stern father had gifted him this pen, silently hoping he’d become a card-crafter.

His thick lashes trembled slightly. He had indeed lived up to expectations, becoming a card-crafter—reaching the pinnacle and even earning a unique master title. A faint sigh escaped his small mouth. That person was gone; now he was Long Yin. Fate was strange: once again at four, receiving the same birthday gift—a card-crafting pen.

A complex, age-incongruent expression flitted across his delicate face. So be it—he could never truly let go, so why force it? He might as well follow his heart, especially since he couldn’t give up the pen in his hand or his love of crafting cards of all kinds.

Collecting his thoughts, Long Yin’s face resumed its calm indifference, his eyes serene and untroubled.

The moment he gripped the crafting pen, a sharpness seemed to flash in his gaze, a keen aura emanating from his small frame. No one who witnessed this would believe the child before them was only four years old!

His wrist poised high, Long Yin’s expression didn’t waver as the pen tip touched the box. Lips pressed tight, he guided the pen steadily; a crystalline blue line flowed from its tip, forming a smooth, intricate pattern. He dared not pause, barely able to maintain the natural flow—his small body strained by the immense spiritual drain of a seven-star card.

Strictly speaking, he was drawing only a four-star energy-release sigil, but it was being inscribed directly onto the box, not a blank card, and without any auxiliary materials. This difficulty rivaled that of crafting a seven-star card. Sweat beaded on his brow, his lips pale. He’d considered using materials, but lacked both the time to prepare and the gold coins to buy them.

What he was drawing was the energy-release sigil, a structure he’d invented on a whim in a past life. Back then, drawing such sigils without materials was as effortless as eating or drinking. Now, even a simple four-star structure exhausted him. Large drops of sweat rolled down his fair brow as he bit his lip and forced himself to finish the final stroke. The endpoint perfectly overlapped with the start; instantly, blue light surged through the energy structure, bathing the pattern in a soft, glowing blue. Long Yin smiled. At last, it worked—now to await the result.

From his examination, Long Yin judged—based on past experience—that the energy card powering this card-machine was at least three-star, and most of its energy had already been used. Hence, he drew a four-star release sigil, just in case there was a four-star energy card inside—otherwise, his efforts would be wasted. So he took the risk of a splitting headache to draw it.

Drawing the energy-release sigil on the box was a simple “removing the firewood from under the cauldron” approach. The sigil’s structure was inspired by the blast card from magic cards—both released energy, but one did so explosively, with destructive force, while the other simply released energy steadily, causing no direct harm—a slow, subtle destruction. Once the box’s energy card was drained, the card-machine would lose power and cease to function.

Wiping sweat from his brow, Long Yin silently awaited the energy depletion. When the last trace of energy was gone, the sigil faded, nearly invisible. He touched the faint outline—without close inspection, no one would notice. If his sister discovered this, he’d be in serious trouble. Destroying her collectibles would surely lead to his “humane destruction.”

With a click, one side of the upright box opened. Long Yin brightened and stepped forward. As expected, this was truly a card-machine, wondrously designed. Inside, there were many compartments that automatically adjusted their size to fit whatever was placed within—marvelous indeed.

No wonder the mechanic was known as the “Left Hand of God”—every item worthy of the card-machine title was exquisite, as if crafted by the divine. One compartment, taking up half the box, held a girl about his size, curled up with her arms around her knees. When she looked up, Long Yin sighed and reached out a hand. “Little sister, it’s not your fault you’re pretty, but flaunting it before my big sis—that’s your mistake. If you’re to blame for anything, it’s just for being too beautiful. My sister has a collecting obsession, especially with beautiful things. You’re the second one she’s ‘collected’—you should feel honored!”

The child offered no response, only a cold stare. Long Yin leaned in and pulled her out. “You’re really strange. The governor’s daughter was collected once—she cried her heart out, but you’re not making a sound!” He shook his head in puzzlement, ruffling her soft hair. “Little sister, the squeaky wheel gets the grease. If you keep quiet, your family will ignore you! Come on!”

He took the still-unresponsive child’s hand and walked forward, pausing for a moment. Was she scared senseless? Honestly, his big sis… But criticizing her was forbidden—house rule number one.

“Here, little sister, have a candy! Let’s go!” Long Yin seemed entirely unaware that, inside, he was a man over twenty. He always kept candy in his pockets—at his apparent age, sweets were the perfect icebreakers.

The little girl still eyed him coldly. Long Yin unwrapped a candy and tried to pop it in her mouth, but she turned her dainty face away, causing the candy to fall to the ground. Long Yin sighed regretfully, “What a waste!” Her unfriendly attitude didn’t bother him—weren’t all kids like this?

He took out another candy, unwrapped it, and popped it into his mouth. “Little sister, it’s really sweet. Want to try?” He dangled another piece before her. Her eyes seemed to waver as she watched him. Long Yin exaggerated his enjoyment and offered her the candy, expecting her to accept. Instead, she suddenly shoved him, and, caught off guard, Long Yin tumbled back into the box with a pained cry. Oh dear, little girls were especially hard to deal with!

Looking up, he saw her crouch down. Was she about to pounce? A fight? Instead, something entirely unexpected happened—he was assaulted by a little girl! Was she kissing him? No—she was biting him! The soul of a twenty-something man was momentarily speechless. He’d just been forcefully kissed by a four-year-old girl!

She straightened, gazing intently at the stunned Long Yin, snatched the candy from his hand, and, apparently unsatisfied, started rifling through his pockets for more. Long Yin felt utterly at a loss—this girl was scarier than his sister! What was happening? Hey, little sister, this is harassment! I don’t like women, let alone little girls!

Having collected over twenty candies from him, the girl licked her lips, savoring the taste, and squinted playfully. Then, to Long Yin’s astonishment, she revealed four sharp canine teeth. She had vampire blood? How could such a noble bloodline be here? Stunned, he saw her lunge again, those sharp teeth flashing dangerously. Being bitten would not be fun at all. Long Yin grimaced. “Little sister, be careful—don’t bite people! This isn’t a game!”

“It’s not a game!” For the first time, he heard her speak—her voice clear and sweet as an oriole. Long Yin blinked, “What?”

“I’m going to mark you!”

Mark me? Vampires only bit for inheritance or to recognize a chosen mate. She was too young for inheritance, so it must be to establish a partnership contract! Long Yin had no desire to form any kind of bond with a vampire—especially not a little girl. He liked men; beautiful women were not his type at all.