Maintenance Work

"Of course. You're more than welcome."

After learning Li Ye's intentions, Lin Wu adjusted his glasses.

"So, my lord, what kind of maintenance work did you plan to do?" he asked with great interest.

Li Ye thought for a moment before answering.

"It would be best to experience everything from top to bottom."

"All right."

Lin Wu nodded repeatedly and led him to the warehouse.

"My lord, this isn't just a spur-of-the-moment decision, is it?" he asked seemingly casually along 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 from the warehouse.

First was a protective work uniform made of thick canvas and fire-resistant fibers, with metal rivets securing the key areas. The uniform was mainly dark gray, dirt-resistant yet conspicuous, and had fluorescent markings on the front and back of the chest. This made it easier for mechanics to keep track of their companions in dim environments.

The protective uniform had multiple pockets, tool slots, and belt hooks for carrying tools such as wrenches and screwdrivers.

Its sleeves were detachable as well, making it convenient for carrying out various tasks.

Next came a pair of fully enclosed, oil-resistant rubber gloves, along with alloy knee pads and elbow pads.

Finally, there was a welding mask that protected against intense light and sparks, as well as a pair of high-top work boots with slip-resistant, serrated soles.

The entire set of equipment was filthy.

The Morrow did not have any mechanic's equipment in stock. What Lin Wu and the others were using had been left behind by the previous lord.

It was dirty, but sturdy and durable.

Under Lin Wu's guidance, Li Ye began his first task—repairing the Morrow's tire treads.

The monsters in the wasteland were extremely formidable. They knew how to use knives and firearms, and could even employ tactics.

When fighting in the Rotting Lands, the Ant People had fired wildly at the Morrow with their guns. Some had even used Rocket Launchers and artillery.

Most outrageous of all, they knew how to lay land mines.

Fortunately, they had only been ordinary-grade weapons. Otherwise, the Morrow might not have been able to withstand them.

Li Ye's task was to replace the broken tread plate in front of him.

As a behemoth traveling across the wilderness, a Mobile City's tread plates were as large as blackboards.

He picked up a wrench and laboriously twisted open the bolts, each the size of a water cup. During the process, quite a bit of hydraulic oil sprayed out from the ruptured pipes in the tread plate.

The air was filled with the smell of scorching mixed with vulcanized rubber.

After all the bolts had been removed, the Mechanical Arm on the deck would handle the dismantling and replacement of the tread plate.

After all, it was simply too heavy. Li Ye could not move it by himself.

With a roar, Lin Wu activated the Mechanical Arm. At Li Ye's signal, it dismantled the damaged tread plate.

Li Ye then took the new piping handed over by his Companions and began replacing it.

As the tread plates were replaced one after another, Lin Wu activated the auxiliary engine and began the pressure test.

The Morrow's undercarriage emitted a deep hum like the song of a whale.

Only when the tachometer's needle finally stabilized in the green zone did Lin Wu nod to everyone.

"That's enough."

Li Ye exchanged glances with several Companions before sitting on the ground in relief.

"Are you tired already, my lord? This is only the beginning." Lin Wu adjusted his glasses.

As he spoke, he put on oil-stained gloves and drew a checkmark on the inner side of the tread.

This represented the successful completion of the repair.

On closer inspection, the inside of the tread was covered in densely packed checkmarks and crosses.

Afterward, Li Ye and the others took the Lifting Platform back to the deck and began their second task—dismantling the City Armor plates.

The Morrow had ordinary City Armor, which the previous lord had never replaced.

Now, most of the Armor Plates were badly damaged, their edges stained a dark rusty red, as though they had been torn apart by some beast.

Since the Morrow was about to be equipped with Level 1 City Armor—Spore Armor—all of its Armor Plates had to be removed.

There was no need to dismantle them by hand. The Mechanical Arm and crane could handle the job with ease. If they relied on manpower, they would probably be working until the end of time.

Once they approached an Armor Plate, the Mechanical Arm unfolded a thermal drill, a brass welding torch, and other equipment.

The thermal drill pierced into the Armor Plate, while the brass welding torch sprayed blue-white flames, burning the rusted bolts until they glowed white-hot. After waiting for the temperature to drop, Li Ye put on thick leather gloves and began forcibly dismantling them with a wrench.

The broken bolt heads fell onto the deck like spent shell casings ejecting from a firing pistol.

Once the old Armor Plates were removed, the crane hoisted them away and sent them to the lower level, where they were smelted back into Iron Ore for recycling.

Although not much Iron Ore could be smelted out of them, for a newly established Level 1 City like the Morrow, every little bit that could be recovered was worthwhile.

After Li Ye had experienced it for a while, Lin Wu immediately assigned him his next task.

Inspecting the steam pipelines.

If steel was the muscles and tendons of a Mobile City, then the steam pipelines were its blood vessels and nerves.

These pipelines spread throughout the city, using mechanical power to deliver a constant flow of high-pressure steam and drive the Mobile City's daily operations.

The condition of the steam pipelines determined whether this steel beast could breathe properly.

For this task, Lin Wu gave Li Ye a retractable steam stethoscope.

Li Ye's task was simple. At each steam pipeline, he had to place it against the pipe and listen to the sound it made.

If it made a "ding-ding" sound, that meant it was healthy.

If it made a "click—hiss" sound, there was a leak somewhere, and he would have to get to work until he was sweating profusely.

In addition, Li Ye had to carefully inspect the steam pipelines' joints and the extent of the bolts' corrosion, then decide for himself whether they needed replacing.

If a steam pipeline was too dirty, it had to be cleaned.

After inspecting more than a dozen steam pipelines, Li Ye was already sweating heavily.

"Shouldn't we be about done?" he asked, turning to Lin Wu.

The latter shook his head.

"You've only inspected all the steam pipelines in this area. You should know that a Mobile City has hundreds or even thousands of pipelines," he replied. "It's rare to have a chance to conduct a full overhaul, so naturally we have to inspect everything from beginning to end."

"Huh?"

Fortunately, Lin Wu did not continue to make things difficult for his lord. Instead, he took him to experience the final task.

That was inspecting and troubleshooting the lower Power Engine Zone.

As the steel heart of a Mobile City, this place housed important devices such as the Boiler Room, Steam Overpressure Cabin, Emergency Power Cabin, Main Drive Shaft, Differential Gear Matrix, and Condensation Recovery System.

If any one of them malfunctioned or stopped, the Mobile City would develop problems.

This time, Li Ye could no longer handle it personally.

The area before him was packed with instruments and valves, leaving him completely at a loss.

He obediently followed behind Lin Wu and began the inspection according to his instructions.

By the end of the day, after changing back into his clothes, he was exhausted beyond recognition.

"I understand now."

He said this between gasps.

"Compared to inspections and troubleshooting, I prefer running a shop."

Lin Wu gave a slight nod.

"You have far more perseverance than those other lords. I can't believe you managed to stick it out."

"Actually, I always feel like you assigned me the toughest jobs." Li Ye paused to catch his breath. "Are you taking personal revenge because I didn't take you to the Sky City?"

Lin Wu gently shook his head and adjusted his glasses.

"How could that be?"

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