Repeat That Again

That evening, Nie Yun spent all his savings to buy two barrels of diesel and a pile of scrap metal. Before dawn the next day, he set sail on the Sea Wolf.

On the boundless sea, the rising sun cast a vast expanse of red light, gilding the Sea Wolf with a layer of morning glow. Nie Yun stood at the bow, arms spread wide, embracing the morning sun.

Naturally, this wasn't because Nie Yun was feeling poetic.

"Mmm~ so comfortable. How come I never realized sunbathing was this pleasant? It's so warm, ah! Amazing!" Nie Yun couldn't help but shout.

"Why do I feel like I'm becoming more and more like the Mechanical Insect? I don't even feel hungry after basking in the sun. Am I still human? Hmm... that question is too philosophical, not for me!"

Then he turned around and looked, instantly delighted. He saw the silvery-white Mechanical Insect also seemed to love the sunlight; it had crawled onto the sail, spreading its body to soak up the sun's light and heat to its heart's content.

After the proliferation and repair from last night, the keel of the Sea Wolf had completely recovered, and the number of Mechanical Insects had multiplied several times over, now forming a mass the size of a millstone.

The silvery-white Mechanical Insects had occupied most of the sail, looking like someone had painted an abstract silver piece on the canvas.

"Come on, my little darlings, eat your hearts out! As the saying goes, many hands make light work, and great effort creates miracles! Clearly, we don't have enough hands! Not enough effort! So, keep reproducing! There is no family planning here, I repeat, there is no family planning here!" Nie Yun waved his hand, and a wave of silver rushed toward the pile of scrap metal that was half a person high.

By noon, the two barrels of diesel had been completely consumed by the little guys, and the pile of scrap metal was reduced to nothing but grayish-white powder. The results were very gratifying; the sails of the Sea Wolf were now completely covered by the Mechanical Insects, who were lazily sunbathing while simultaneously repairing and reinforcing the sails.

If any passing ship saw that shimmering silver sail, they would probably curse: "Show-off!"

The Sea Wolf was decades old and lacked maintenance, with not a single part in good condition. Nie Yun felt that since he had enough "little brothers" now, he shouldn't forget his own kin, so he planned to have the Mechanical Insects give the Sea Wolf a full-body reinforcement!

At this moment, Nie Yun finally arrived at his chosen destination.

This was a deserted island, quite far from the mainland. Nie Yun had been here a few times before; there was something here that he—or rather, the Mechanical Insect—could use.

Circling half the island, the Sea Wolf reached a beach and slowly pulled ashore. It was desolate and uninhabited, but it held something that made Nie Yun drool—a shipwreck!

On the edge of the white beach, a dilapidated, old-fashioned single-masted sailboat sat quietly aground. Half of the hull was buried in the mud and sand, and after the long passage of time, its original appearance was unrecognizable, covered in all sorts of algae.

It had long since been visited by who knows how many people; aside from the broken hull, there was nothing of value left.

However, the junk in others' eyes was, to Nie Yun, a precious treasure. As the saying goes, even a rotten ship has three pounds of iron! For Nie Yun, who possessed the Mechanical Insect, the ship's hull itself was excellent raw material!

Nie Yun pulled the Sea Wolf alongside the shipwreck and secured it tightly with a rope. Then, with a wave of his hand, the Mechanical Insects, having just absorbed a dose of solar energy, swarmed over. Nie Yun watched with a beaming smile as the parts of the shipwreck touching the Sea Wolf seemed to melt and vanish rapidly, while the contact points between the Sea Wolf and the wreck slowly became brand new!

Doing business with no overhead is truly a joy!

Nie Yun grabbed an axe and happily went ashore to chop wood... oh wait, to collect energy!

Not long after, a bonfire party started on the Sea Wolf. Nie Yun stretched, watching the Mechanical Insects continuously devour the shipwreck while the Sea Wolf rapidly changed its appearance as if being renovated. He grinned from ear to ear!

"Brother, I haven't treated you badly, have I? Don't worry, when I get the chance, I'll find a real iron beast for you to upgrade and modernize!" Nie Yun stroked the hull as if he were caressing his lover.

It seemed he had already forgotten his original intention of keeping the Sea Wolf as an antique-level collectible. Men are just that fickle!

"Rustle~" The familiar sound at his feet pulled him back from his beautiful fantasies to reality.

He looked down and saw that the axe he used for chopping wood was now nothing but a wooden handle, and it was rapidly disappearing.

The "rustle" sound came again. He turned his head slightly and saw that the anchor that had followed him for decades, originally covered in rust, was now plated in a layer of silver and was slowly "slimming down."

"Damn it! What the hell are you guys doing!" Nie Yun was dumbfounded.

Wait, it seemed he had just said something terrible. What was it?

Nie Yun suddenly woke up. Holy crap, he had just said "no family planning"!

"Stop, stop! Stop reproducing!" Nie Yun hurriedly shouted, then picked up the anchor with a pained heart. The big thing that used to weigh dozens of pounds could now be lifted easily with one hand.

"Wuu~ we've relied on each other for so many years, why is your life so bitter! The old sending off the young, how could you bear to leave me like this! Where am I going to find an anchor as handy as you again!" Nie Yun was on the verge of tears.

Then, suddenly remembering something, he let out a loud cry, tossed the "young" aside, and ran into the cabin at top speed.

"Ah!" After a scream, Nie Yun walked out of the cabin, looking soul-lost.

"It's gone, everything is gone! How could you not even spare the pots and pans? I just bought them, they were still children! Do you have any humanity left!" Nie Yun looked at the Mechanical Insects, who were still eating the shipwreck, with grief and indignation.

But they didn't care if it was the master's pots and pans; as long as it was iron, they ate it all!

At this point, he could only accept this cruel reality.

"Sigh, at least leave me a pot to cook instant noodles in, what am I supposed to eat now!" Nie Yun sighed.

Just as he thought this, a portion of the Mechanical Insects nearby suddenly split off and quickly assembled into the shape of a pot, like building blocks.

Nie Yun was stunned. They could do that?!

He picked up the shimmering silver "pot" and tapped it with his hand. It clanged—very sturdy, perfect for cooking!

Nie Yun was overjoyed. "You can turn into whatever I think of? Come, come, come, turn out all my babies!"

No sooner had he spoken than a pile of pots and pans appeared before him, identical to his original ones!

"Hahaha! Good, well done! What are you standing there for? Eat! Eat your hearts out! There is no family planning here! I repeat, there is no family planning here! Hahaha!"

The wild laughter on the deserted island startled a flock of birds in the forest.