Chapter 24: Repair Work

"Of course, you're very welcome." Upon hearing Li Ye’s idea, Lin Wu adjusted his glasses. "So, Lord, what kind of repair work do you plan to do?" he asked with keen interest. Li Ye thought for a moment, then gave his answer. "Best to experience everything from top to bottom." "Alright." Lin Wu nodded repeatedly and led him to the warehouse. "Lord, you're not doing this on a whim, are you?" he asked, half-jokingly on the way. Li Ye shook his head. "Don't worry, I won't give up halfway." A few minutes later, he received a set of equipment in the warehouse. First was a protective work suit made of thick canvas and fire-resistant fiber, reinforced with metal rivets at key points. The suit was primarily dark gray, dirt-resistant yet conspicuous, and had fluorescent markings on the chest and back — designed to help mechanics locate each other in dim environments. It was designed with multiple pockets, tool slots, and belt hooks for carrying wrenches and screwdrivers. Its sleeves were also detachable for convenience in various tasks. Next was a pair of fully enclosed oil-resistant rubber gloves, along with alloy knee pads and elbow pads. Finally, there was a welding mask resistant to strong light and sparks, and high-top work boots with anti-slip serrated soles. The entire set was filthy. The Tomorrow hadn’t purchased new mechanic gear — what Lin Wu and the others used had been left behind by the former lord. Though dirty, the gear was sturdy and durable. Under Lin Wu’s guidance, Li Ye began his first task — repairing the Tomorrow’s tire treads. Monsters in the Wasteland were quite hardcore; they knew how to use knives and firearms, and even employed tactics. While fighting in the Rotting Lands, the Antfolk had fired wildly at the Tomorrow with guns, even using rocket launchers and cannons. Most ridiculously, they even planted landmines. Fortunately, they only used standard-level weapons — otherwise, the Tomorrow might not have held up. Li Ye's task was to replace the broken tread plate in front of him. As a giant beast roaming the plains, a Mobile City’s tread plates were as large as blackboards. He picked up a wrench and strained to loosen bolts the size of cups, while hydraulic oil sprayed from broken pipelines in the treads. It carried a burnt smell mixed with the scent of vulcanized rubber. After removing all the bolts, the job of dismantling and replacing the tread plate was left to the deck's mechanical arm. After all, it was far too heavy for Li Ye to move on his own. With a rumble, Lin Wu activated the mechanical arm, which, under Li Ye’s direction, removed the damaged tread plate. Li Ye then received a new pipeline from a teammate and began replacing it. As each tread plate was replaced, Lin Wu activated the auxiliary engine to conduct a pressure test. The chassis of the Tomorrow let out a deep hum like a whale’s song. Only when the tachometer’s needle stabilized in the green zone did Lin Wu nod to everyone. "It’s good to go." Li Ye exchanged glances with several companions and collapsed onto the ground, relieved. "Tired already, Lord? This is just the beginning." Lin Wu adjusted his glasses. He then put on oil-stained gloves and drew a checkmark on the inner side of the tread. That symbolized a successful repair. On closer inspection, the inner side of the tread was full of dense checkmarks and crosses. Next, Li Ye and the others took the lift platform back to the deck to begin their second task — dismantling the city's armor plates. The Tomorrow was equipped with standard city armor, which the former lord had never replaced. Now, most of the armor plates were severely damaged, with rusted dark-red edges, as if gnawed by some beast. Since the Tomorrow was about to be fitted with Level 1 City Armor — Spore Armor — all the existing plates had to be dismantled. There was no need for manual labor — mechanical arms and cranes could easily handle the job. If done by hand, it would take forever. Approaching a section of armor, the mechanical arm deployed tools like a thermal drill and brass welding torch. The thermal drill pierced the armor plate, while the brass torch sprayed blue-white flames, heating the rusted bolts until they turned white-hot. After waiting for the temperature to drop, Li Ye put on thick leather gloves and began forcefully removing them with a wrench. Broken bolt heads dropped like spent shells from a gun, clattering softly onto the deck. When the old armor plates were removed, the crane lifted them down to the lower levels for smelting and recycling into iron ore. Though the amount of iron ore recovered wasn’t much, for a newly established Level 1 city like the Tomorrow, every bit counted. After Li Ye had worked at it for a while, Lin Wu assigned him the next task. Inspecting steam pipelines. If steel was the muscles and tendons of a Mobile City, then steam pipelines were its veins and nerves. These pipelines ran throughout the city, transporting a constant supply of high-pressure steam through mechanical drive, powering the daily operations of the Mobile City. The condition of the steam pipes determined the very breath of this iron behemoth. To help with this, Lin Wu gave Li Ye a retractable steam stethoscope. Li Ye’s task was simple: press it against each pipe and listen to the sound. A “ding... ding” meant the pipe was healthy. A “ka—chi” meant there was a leak somewhere, and he would need to sweat it out with repairs. Besides that, Li Ye also had to carefully check the pipe joints and bolt rust to judge whether they needed replacement. If the pipes were too dirty, they needed cleaning. After inspecting over a dozen steam pipelines, Li Ye was already drenched in sweat. "Isn’t that enough?" he turned and asked Lin Wu. The latter shook his head. "You’ve only inspected all the pipes in this section. A Mobile City has hundreds or even thousands of pipelines," he replied. "Since we’re taking this chance to rest and repair, we naturally need to check from top to bottom." "Huh?" Fortunately, Lin Wu didn’t continue to torment his lord and instead took him to experience the final task. Inspecting and troubleshooting the lower power engine zone. As the steel heart of the Mobile City, this area housed the boiler chamber, steam overpressure chamber, emergency power cabin, main drive shaft, differential gear matrix, and condensation recovery system. If any one of these failed or stopped, the entire Mobile City would be in trouble. This time, Li Ye couldn’t handle it personally. The sea of gauges and valves before him left him clueless. He obediently followed behind Lin Wu and began inspecting under his guidance. By the end of the day, after changing back into his clothes, he was utterly exhausted. "I get it now." He panted as he spoke. "I’d rather run a store than do repairs and troubleshooting." Lin Wu nodded slightly. "You’re far more persistent than other lords — you actually stuck it through." "Actually, I feel like you gave me all the hardest work," Li Ye added between gasps. "Are you holding a grudge for not taking you to the Airborne City?" Lin Wu shook his head lightly and adjusted his glasses. "How could that be."