Repair Work

"Of course, you're very welcome."

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

"So, Lord, what kind of repairs are you planning to do?" he asked with great interest.

Li Ye thought for a moment before answering.

"It's best to experience it all, from top to bottom."

"Alright."

Lin Wu nodded repeatedly and then led him to the warehouse.

"Lord, you're not just doing this on a whim, are you?" he asked casually 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 uniform made of thick canvas and fire-resistant fibers, with metal rivets securing key areas. The uniform was predominantly dark gray, making it resistant to dirt and highly visible. It also had fluorescent markings on the front and back of the chest—this was to help the mechanics easily identify their companions' positions when working in dim environments.

The protective uniform featured a multi-pocket design, along with tool slots and belt hooks for carrying tools like wrenches and screwdrivers.

Its sleeves were also detachable, allowing for flexibility in various tasks.

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

Finally, there was a welding mask to protect against strong light and sparks, and high-top engineering boots with non-slip serrated soles.

This entire set of equipment was dirty.

The Tomorrow had not procured any mechanic equipment; Lin Wu and the others were currently using what the previous lord had left behind.

Although dirty, the gear was sturdy and durable.

Under Lin Wu's guidance, Li Ye began his first task—repairing the Tomorrow's tires and tracks.

The monsters on the wasteland were quite formidable; they knew how to use knives and firearms, and even employed tactics.

When fighting in the Rotting Lands, the Ant People had fired relentlessly at the Tomorrow with firearms, some even using rocket launchers and cannons.

The most outrageous part was that they also laid landmines.

Fortunately, they were only using ordinary weapons; otherwise, the Tomorrow might not have been able to withstand them.

Li Ye's task was to replace the broken track plates before him.

As a colossal entity traversing the wilderness, the track plates of the Mobile City were as large as a blackboard.

He picked up a wrench and strained to unscrew a bolt the size of a thermos cup. During this process, hydraulic oil sprayed out from the fractured lines of the track plate.

It carried a scent of burnt mixed with vulcanized rubber.

After all the bolts were removed, the task of disassembling and replacing the track plates would be handled by the mechanical arms on the deck.

After all, they were too heavy for Li Ye to move alone.

With a roar, Lin Wu activated the mechanical arm. At Li Ye's signal, it detached the damaged track plate.

Next, Li Ye took the new pipeline handed to him by his companion and began the replacement.

As each track plate was replaced, Lin Wu activated the auxiliary engine to begin the pressure test.

The Tomorrow's chassis emitted a low, whale-like hum.

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

"It's good."

Li Ye exchanged glances with a few companions and sat on the ground, relieved.

"Already tired, Lord? We've only just begun." Lin Wu adjusted his glasses.

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

This signified the successful completion of the repair.

If one looked closely, the inner side of the tracks was covered in a dense pattern of checkmarks and crosses.

In the following time, Li Ye and others took a lifting platform back to the deck to begin their second task—dismantling the city's armor plates.

The Tomorrow had ordinary city armor, which the previous lord had never replaced.

Now, most of the armor plates were severely damaged, their edges tinged with a dark, rusty red, as if torn by some beast.

Since the Tomorrow was about to be fitted with Level 1 city armor—Spore Armor—all of its current armor plates had to be removed.

Fortunately, this did not require manual labor; the mechanical arms and cranes could easily handle the job. If it were done manually, it would likely take ages.

Upon approaching an armor plate, the mechanical arm deployed equipment such as a thermal drill and a brass welding torch.

The thermal drill pierced the armor plate, and the brass welding torch sprayed a blue-white flame, burning the rusted bolts to a white heat. After waiting for the temperature to drop, Li Ye put on thick leather gloves and used a wrench to forcefully remove them.

The broken bolt heads detached like spent casings from a pistol, lightly clattering onto the deck.

When the old armor plates were removed, the crane would lift them to the lower levels to be re-melted into iron ore for recycling.

Although not much iron ore was smelted, for a Level 1 city like the Tomorrow, which was just starting out, it was natural to recycle whatever they could.

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

Inspect the steam pipes.

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

These pipes, spread throughout the city, transported high-pressure steam continuously through mechanical drive power, thereby driving the Mobile City's daily operations.

The condition of the steam pipes determined the very breath of this steel behemoth.

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

Li Ye's task was simple: place it on each steam pipe and listen to the sound it produced.

If the sound was "ding ding," it meant it was healthy.

If the sound was "ka—chi," it meant there was a leak somewhere, and he would have to sweat profusely to fix it.

In addition to this, Li Ye also had to carefully observe the interfaces of the steam pipes and the degree of rust on the bolts, making his own judgment on whether they needed to be replaced.

If the steam pipes were too dirty, they needed to be cleaned.

After inspecting over a dozen steam pipes, Li Ye was already sweating profusely.

"Should be about done, right?" he asked Lin Wu, turning his head.

The latter shook his head.

"You've only checked all the steam pipes in this area. You have to understand that a Mobile City has hundreds or thousands of pipes," he replied. "Since we're finally getting a break, we need to check them all from beginning to end."

"Huh?"

Fortunately, Lin Wu didn't continue to make things difficult for his lord, but instead, he took him to experience the last job.

That was the inspection and troubleshooting in the lower Power Engine Zone.

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

If any of these failed or stopped, the Mobile City would have problems.

This time, Li Ye couldn't go into it himself.

The dense array of instruments and valves in front of him left him bewildered.

He obediently followed behind Lin Wu, carrying out the inspections according to his instructions.

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

"I get it now."

He said, panting.

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

Lin Wu nodded slightly.

"You have far more perseverance than those lords, managing to stick with it."

"Actually, I always feel like you've assigned me the hardest jobs," Li Ye added, still catching his breath. "Are you getting back at me for not taking you to the sky city?"

Lin Wu gently shook his head and adjusted his glasses.

"How could that be."