The entrance to the underground core production zone was a heavy cast-iron gate as thick as a coffin lid.
When the gate opened, the bearings let out a shriek like fingernails scraping wildly across a blackboard. Naruto's temples throbbed, and he desperately wished he could pull out a shotgun and blast these illiterate fools on the spot.
But his current persona was a "genius idiot," so he could only cover his ears, open his mouth as wide as a hippopotamus, and let out a string of exclamations like, "Wow, big iron thing, so amazing!" While he was at it, he naturally wiped the grease from his hands onto the sleeve of the technician leading the way.
The Rōran technician guiding him was named Azad. Seeing the black smear of engine oil on his sleeve, his face turned green. But remembering the "miracle" of this idiot kicking a crane back into working order, he could only swallow his curse and force out a smile uglier than crying. "Little Xuan, this place down here is Lord Anrokuzan's lifeline. Look carefully, don't touch anything. Otherwise, we'll toss you in there to smelt steel."
Naruto nodded with a foolish grin, nearly drooling, but the instant he stepped into the workshop, the stupidity in his eyes switched to the icy sharpness of a chief engineer.
This was a massive underground cavern—spectacular, yet more like an industrial hell.
Countless thick steam pipes crisscrossed overhead like varicose veins. Dark-red furnace fire painted the rock walls like scorched pigskin. Thousands of crude conveyor belts wriggled like intestines, carrying every kind of puppet component. The air reeked of sulfur mixed with cheap engine oil, while the deafening crash of giant pistons made people feel as if their brains were sloshing around.
Naruto activated "high-speed scan mode," his gaze sweeping