First I would suggest more research. There is much to learn but I will take a stab at answering some questions. What is your budget? If you have $1,500-$2.000 to spend on a bike and money left over for a helmet at minimum but I would suggest gloves, shorts and some kind of eye protection then just go to the bike shop and have them help you pick a bike. If you have this type of money you can stop reading. I hear your details and I suggest a hardtail and the travel you suggested 130-150 is good. I would not buy any bike with a 26″ wheel unless it is a fat bike. Newer bikes have a 29″ or 27.5″ wheel. I have both and either one is great. Droppers are great but not necessary. I have a Timberjack Salsa, 29er and a Santa Cruz, 27.5 and both are capable and great. Most bikes worth buying have a lock out on the shock. I would suggest more YouTube videos. Seth’s Bike Hacks or GMBN have a lot of great videos that you can learn all about mountain biking and they aren’t talking down to you or over your head. This is the one warning I would given the current environment. Bikes are hard to come by right now due to COVID. Everything got bought up even on the used market. Some selling on the used market realize there is a high demand and low availability and are raising prices. This is one of the few times I might suggest new over used. Watch for scams on used bikes.