Genius Mechanic

21. Candidate

On StarNet, the news about KID's shop selling special parts had already spread.

"Is this thing really developed by KID themselves?"

"Yuan, this ID is unfamiliar, I've never heard of it."

"Do you think KID has such a parts designer? They couldn't even hire mechanics and mecha pilots, how could they afford to hire such designers? Why would a big shot stay in KID's small workshop?"

Some people were only interested in taking advantage of the opportunity to get good parts, but others had a more far-sighted vision. They realized that the technology that could raise the conversion rate of the A-GZ series parts so high could potentially revolutionize the entire parts market.

The discussion about parts technology increased, and some commercial companies rushed over smelling the profit, but they couldn't buy a single part. All the parts were snapped up by a certain ID, and they couldn't find a way to obtain any for research.

Some people turned their attention to the Sirius's parts market, hoping to find the source of KID's parts from there.

...

In the VIP lounge of the Sirius Mecha Parts Market:

Secretary: "Yes, Boss Xu has already taken all the parts and will deliver them to our laboratory for testing."

Boss Zhou: "Make sure he contacts the shop and we can establish a long-term business relationship."

After waving his hand slightly, Boss Zhou fell silent, and the secretary didn't say anything more.

Boss Xu was in a bad mood; he had received news before coming here that the low-priced parts they sold to KID were being resold at higher prices. Already irritated by the situation with Shen Xingtang, hearing this news made him even more displeased. He was in the middle of messaging his subordinate when he heard voices at the entrance.

Seeing Boss Zhou from Jianheng Technology Company entering, Boss Xu immediately put on a smiling face and handed over the prepared documents.

"Boss Xu, I heard you recently got a batch of A-Class parts and originally planned to sell them to KID, is that right?" Boss Zhou suddenly asked.

Mentioning KID, Boss Xu's expression became a little unnatural, but he quickly suppressed it and said, "Boss Zhou, you know how business is, sometimes things don't work out. Look, these are the new parts from our factory, and KID was also interested in getting them from us."

Boss Zhou didn't speak but looked through the prepared documents. After a while, he asked, "Your parts have a conversion rate of only 53% and are A-Class parts for the A-S-class mecha?"

Boss Xu immediately stated his advantage, "Our parts are compatible with several new A-Class mecha models."

"Don't you have any old A-GZ series parts?" Boss Zhou asked.

Boss Xu smiled, "The A-GZ series is outdated, and our factory hasn't produced them for a long time."

After hearing this, Boss Zhou felt a little disappointed. He found out from his subordinates that the supplier behind the shop was the KID base, and the person who brought out the parts was Boss Xu. However, the parts he brought were not as good as KID's, just common A-S class parts available in the market.

"Sorry, Boss Xu, but we don't need these for now," Boss Zhou declined.

Boss Xu's face stiffened, "Boss Zhou, we can negotiate the price."

Not wanting to waste time, Boss Zhou waved his hand, asking the secretary to see the guest off, and then contacted Manager Liu, "Find a way to get in touch with KID. We can discuss the technology for spiritual power modification of parts with them."

In a dim hotel room, a messy tabletop held several A-Grade anomalous crystals. A man came out of the bathroom, and the stench of pollutants was partially washed away.

The mecha key was casually placed nearby, and upon seeing it, he said, "Today was another fruitless day. Is the Feng Shui in Sirius not favorable for finding good anomalous crystals? How come we never come across good ones?"

You Su didn't respond but swept all the anomalous crystals on the table into the nearby backpack. He sat on the sofa with his legs casually bent, swiping through his Light Brain. He saw the bustling rumors on the StarNet about high conversion rate parts and the mysterious designer, Yuan. KID was currently in the limelight.

Thinking about the person he met not long ago, a trace of meaning flickered in You Su's eyes. "It's not that Sirius is unfavorable; it's just that those things didn't fall into our hands."

The electronic voice chimed in.

"The Contaminated Zone has nothing, we can find them somewhere else," You Su said nonchalantly, lowering the virtual screen that popped up. "I checked, and there are quite a few S-class attack-type anomalous crystals hidden in the Mecha Alliance of the Dawn Galaxy."

The electronic voice asked, "So, do we need to find Shen Xingtang?"

"Shen Xingtang served in the Border Army, and she has repaired S-class mecha. Finding anomalous crystals is one thing, but you also need to find a mechanic for you," You Su recalled the video he saw not long ago and the rumors on the StarNet. Shen Xingtang never mentioned anything about parts before.

Before the electronic voice could inquire further, You Su had already grabbed his T-shirt.

There was a huge scar on the man's back, stretching from his left shoulder all the way down. It had not been repaired for over a year. It still remembered the scene when it was heavily hit, losing its core weapon, and You Su was injured and bedridden for a month.

Seeing that the man had put on his clothes, covering the scar, the voice asked, "Where are we going now?"

You Su picked up his backpack, "Sell the anomalous crystals and check out of the hotel."

---

While people were investigating Yuan's relationship with KID on the StarNet, Ying Chenlin had just returned to the base.

"What did the doctor say when you went for the checkup today?" Shen Xingtang asked with concern.

Ying Chenlin replied, "Everything is fine. The doctor said I need to rest."

In the training room, four people gathered around counting money. The parts were only recently put up for sale but were quickly swept clean by a regular customer who paid a price far beyond expectations.

Ji Qingfeng said, "Seems like the guy knows his stuff. After grabbing all the parts, he kept asking for more. The boss told me not to reveal too much, so I didn't pay much attention to him."

Shen Xingtang knew this business well and spoke like an experienced person, "The income from merely selling the parts is alright, but the main point is to use this opportunity to establish the reputation of KID's new shop. Afterward, they can open auctions and set purchase limits, and the profits from that are not something a few million star coins can compare to."

Lin Yao said, "Boss, you seem to know a lot about this?"

Jiang Simiao cleared his throat heavily, suddenly recalling the days when someone was intensely studying online store auction and limited purchase marketing strategies with Ji Qingfeng.

Shen Xingtang glanced at him, "I may lack experience in opening an online store, but do you think I don't know how to do business?"

"Regarding those parts, someone will surely dig deep to find the source, but it's all business relations. We can leave it for now," Shen Xingtang handed the data board to Ying Chenlin, "This is today's earnings, after deducting the costs, the profits are all here."

Ying Chenlin hesitated, "I don't need it."

Shen Xingtang said displeasedly, "What do you mean, you don't need it!? Even siblings need to keep accounts clear, not to mention that I am your boss. I won't mistreat my employees."

Ji Qingfeng also chimed in, "Yes, Chenlin, you must take the money. We are just helping with some small tasks, but the part modification is all your work. There's no reason not to accept payment."

Lin Yao nodded, "Although our base is not rich, we pay the wages promptly and never delay them."

Ying Chenlin replied, "Fine, put it aside for now. I have a list of materials, and I'll need your help to collect them later."

"I'll send you the material list, and I'll include the remaining star coins in your salary," Shen Xingtang said, not willing to see someone not take the money. "Recently, there might be some disturbances, and there will be many inquiries. Ignore any irrelevant news."

On the internet, everyone was discussing core technology issues, but this wasn't fundamentally a technical problem; it was a matter of Ying Chenlin's talent. If it were another mechanic, who would have the time and patience to use mental power to impact the interior of parts, going through twists and turns to refine the details? One slight mistake, and tens of thousands of star coins would go down the drain.

Shen Xingtang had also attempted it in the last few days but hadn't succeeded.

She wasn't sure about other things, but Ying Chenlin's skill in refining parts was not something learned haphazardly; instead, it required excellent patience, knowledge of part performance, and precise control of mental power.

These were all matters of experience that couldn't be mastered in just a decade or so.

Shen Xingtang looked at Ying Chenlin with slight curiosity. The kid was so young; where did he acquire such skills? Moreover, she couldn't fully understand him; she felt like he knew everything, yet he didn't seem to have any guards up against her, as if he always trusted her.

Ji Qingfeng said, "Can we increase the budget for refining weapon materials?"

Lin Yao stared at Shen Xingtang, his eyes gleaming with hope.

"Regarding the parts, the funds do seem abundant now," Shen Xingtang replied, coming back to reality. "We can indeed increase the budget for the weapons."

Ying Chenlin looked at the people around him. Ji Qingfeng and Lin Yao were visibly delighted, and Shen Xingtang had a relaxed smile on her face.

With a glance at the simple KID base, Ying Chenlin's mind recalled the files he had seen before.

The files on KID's entire team going missing.

Ying Chenlin didn't have a clear memory of the details in the files, and he only vaguely remembered Ji Qingfeng and Lin Yao after seeing them in person. However, he could be certain that it happened within the past two years, likely during the 8th round of the first star domain's Dawn Galaxy Tournament. The personnel of KID's team at that time should include Ji Qingfeng's group.

Ying Chenlin could only remember some scattered details from the files, and most of the information was later revealed through public reports on the StarNet, causing a huge sensation.

After the accident, a joint investigation team from several star domains conducted an investigation and filed a report. The accident occurred in the Contaminated Zone [FS], which was one of the high-risk Contaminated Zones in the Dawn Galaxy. [FS] was an important Contaminated Zone often used for league tournaments, and it was considered relatively stable, so the accident caught everyone by surprise.

After the incident, [FS] was completely sealed off, becoming the most severe contamination accident in the history of the Star Alliance League, shocking the entire Star Alliance.

During the subsequent investigation, the joint investigation team found traces of suspected pollutants after sending people for in-depth investigations multiple times. After comprehensive investigations, one of the core reasons that led to the accident was the appearance of a super S-class pollutant called [Black Hole].

This pollutant was classified as super S-class because the extent of its impact was incalculable.

Before Ying Chenlin's rebirth, [Black Hole] had only appeared twice, and the Star Alliance could only predict its presence through contamination levels. It almost ignored the Star Alliance's containment measures, and the only certain thing was that it only appeared in Contaminated Zones with a contamination level above 6000.

If this lifetime followed the original trajectory, the fact that [Black Hole] appeared in the [FS Contaminated Zone] might happen again.

"What are you daydreaming about?" Lin Yao looked at You Su.

Ying Chenlin snapped back, "Just thinking about something."

As he spoke, Shen Xingtang's light brain lit up, and she glanced at it before rejecting the call.

Jiang Simiao asked, "Is it Boss Xu again...?"

"Someone surnamed Xu, trying to sell me parts again."

Shen Xingtang didn't need any more parts at the moment. This person had called several times today, seemingly trying to inquire about something. She had seen enough of this type and didn't want to waste time arguing, so she said, "Let's talk later."

Before she could finish her sentence, Shen Xingtang's light brain lit up again.

"Why is it ringing again?" Shen Xingtang was about to hang up, but when she saw the caller ID, she paused. Immediately, she got up and walked to the side to answer the call.

While the others were discussing the next arrangements, Ji Qingfeng asked, "Are Huo Ge and Xi *Mei coming back soon?"

*mei - younger girl

"It's almost time. The vacation is about to end," Jiang Simiao replied.

Ying Chenlin knew these two people; they had been repairing mechas in the KID base these days. He had also looked at the profiles of the mecha mechanics in the base, Huo Yan and Lu Xi, who were also KID's league mecha mechanics.

Hearing that, he realized that the position of KID's base Artillery mecha was still vacant. Who was it according to the files again...?

Ying Chenlin recalled for a moment and suddenly remembered something.

Ji Qingfeng suddenly spoke, "By the way, Sanshui, has the candidate for the Artillery mecha been decided?"

Before Jiang Simiao could reply, a voice came from behind.

"It's been decided." Shen Xingtang came in from the doorway with a smile on her face. "I just received a call, and they'll report here tomorrow."

Author's Note:

Here it is! Wishing You Ge a smooth reporting tomorrow, and there will be little red envelopes in the comment section~

--------------------------------

Let me recommend my friend's new book, "No Dolls Allowed [Infinite]" by Chun Fengyao (It's great! There are plenty of chapters! You can dive right into it!)

The past experiences made Wen Shi no longer believe in anyone.

The only one he could trust in this world was himself.

****

Wen Shi was unexpectedly pulled into an infinite game.

[Congratulations, player, for awakening the 'I Am Who I Am' skill.

I Am Who I Am: Spend one hundred star coins to summon a version of 'me' from a parallel world.]

Wen Shi was indifferent, "Summoning someone to their death?"

Until...

During a terrifying night at the haunted castle, the owner of the castle demanded to find the perfect bride. Before that, he would dispose of one player every night.

The background story that was originally plain and ordinary completely collapsed when Wen Shi summoned a girl with a long sword.

The girl affectionately called Wen Shi "little brother" while pointing the tip of the sword at the castle's owner's forehead.

From that day on, the castle's owner became completely terrified of marriage.

At the contaminated apartment, Wen Shi accidentally summoned a sickly heartthrob.

The weak heartthrob knocked on every door, smiling at the indescribable residents, "Will you take care of me?"

On the Ghost Month's 15th day, when ghosts roamed the streets, Wen Shi looked at the zombies he had summoned.

Wen Shi: "Come, repeat after me. Ghosts roam the streets, and it's very dangerous. We have to hide first."

Zombie: "Gho-ghost, the food is very fragrant."

Wen Shi: "We need to hide!"

Zombie angrily said, "Hungry, food, no picky!"

****

No friends? We'll be your friends.

No family? We'll be your family.

Wen Shi found the warmth of humanity again and encountered romantic love.

After dating for a while, Wen Shi shyly said, "My family wants to meet you."

The savage Boss, who was a Level 10 social phobic, asked, "How many?"

"A tiny bit."

Note: The versions of 'us' from parallel worlds are of different ages and genders, with distinct personalities. Everyone is an independent individual.