Zero Soul Power? Then He'd Study Mecha

"Dad, I want to learn about mecha!"

The wrench nearly slipped from Tang Ziran's hand.

Had he heard that right? Why did his eldest son, Chen Xing, suddenly want to study mecha?

He quickly set down the wrench and crouched.

"Chen Xing, do you know what you need to operate a mecha?"

Chen Xing nodded.

"I know. Soul Power."

"But you don't have any Soul Power."

Tang Ziran didn't want to crush his son's confidence, but that was the truth.

Unlike Wulin, who had awakened only yesterday, Chen Xing had no Soul Power.

Without it, studying Soul-Guidance Mecha would be nothing but theory. He could never put it to use.

"I don't have Soul Power, but I can draw one."

"Draw one?"

Tang Ziran was puzzled.

Chen Xing was an excellent artist, that much was true. But mecha had to be built with real materials and Soul Power. How could he draw one into existence?

The thought made him curious.

How did Chen Xing intend to draw a mecha?

"Want to come to the shop with me this afternoon?"

"Okay."

That afternoon, Chen Xing went with Tang Ziran to a shop called Ziran Mecha Repair.

As soon as they opened the door, the mingled smell of machine oil and metal washed over them.

Chen Xing looked inside. Parts were piled everywhere, and several design blueprints hung on the aging walls.

"Master's here!"

A voice called from inside, and two men came out.

One was sturdy and dark-skinned. The other looked gentler.

Tang Ziran saw them and ushered Chen Xing forward.

"Come on, let me introduce you. This is my son, Chen Xing."

"This is your senior apprentice Wang Dagou, and this is your senior apprentice Xu San. They've both studied under me for years, and they're both Level 2 Mecha Repairers."

Chen Xing looked at the two men.

They're both Level 2 Mecha Repairers?

His father, Tang Ziran, was a Level 4 Mecha Repairer. Wasn't he a Mecha Designer as well?

Wang Dagou, though? That's quite a name.

Maybe everyone goes around calling him "big dog, big dog"...

Wang Dagou was sizing Chen Xing up too.

After looking him over, he grinned.

"Master, your son's a handsome kid. Takes after his mother, doesn't he?"

Tang Ziran laughed and gave his arm a smack.

"Quit joking around. I have to repair the mecha the Federation sent over today, so I won't have time to teach Chen Xing. Look after him for me. Teach him the basics, and I'll check what he's learned afterward."

Wang Dagou thumped his chest.

"No problem, Master. Leave it to me!"

Xu San added with a smile,

"You'd better teach him properly, Dagou. Don't lead Master's son astray."

"When have I ever led anyone astray?"

"Last time you taught Old Liu's kid next door to fix a hydraulic rod, he finished up and leaked oil all over the floor."

"That's because he was clumsy!"

Watching them bicker, Chen Xing felt himself smile. The atmosphere here was pretty good.

After giving a few more instructions, Tang Ziran headed into the workshop in the back.

He planned to finish repairing the Level 2 mecha as quickly as he could, then come out and see how much his son had learned.

He didn't think a child with zero Soul Power could get very far, but Chen Xing was his son. Of course he cared.

Wang Dagou set his wrench on the table and pulled over two stools. He sat on one and beckoned to Chen Xing.

"Come on, junior apprentice. Sit."

Chen Xing came over and sat down.

Wang Dagou picked up a palm-sized metal part from the table and held it out to him.

"Know what this is?"

Chen Xing took a look. It was a round metal disc with several grooves across the middle and small connectors set into its rim.

He shook his head.

"This is a standard transmission interface disc for a Soul-Guidance Mecha,"

Wang Dagou said, tapping the grooves with a finger.

"When a mecha moves, energy passes through these channels from the core to its limbs. Don't underestimate this thing. If the interface disc fails, the mecha can't move at all."

Chen Xing studied it closely and committed the explanation to memory.

"Mecha are complicated in some ways and simple in others."

Wang Dagou leaned back and crossed his legs.

"There are only a few major systems: energy, transmission, control, armor... Get those concepts straight first, and the rest will be easier to learn."

Chen Xing nodded.

"How exactly does the transmission system work?"

Wang Dagou paused.

He's asking for details already? Did he even understand what I just said?

"Well, the transmission system..."

Chen Xing listened carefully to Wang Dagou's explanation, but the longer it went on, the more he frowned. He couldn't quite follow it.

Then a thought struck him: Why not try that?

No sooner thought than done.

He closed his eyes and called out in his mind.

"Pom-Pom."

"I'm here."

"Can you help me analyze this transmission disc?"

"Sure, Pom! I'll answer your question in the most direct, truthful, no-beating-around-the-bush way possible."

Chen Xing's mouth twitched.

Direct, truthful, no beating around the bush...

How much bean bun did you eat?

Jokes aside, Chen Xing knew this Pom-Pom of his was genuinely incredible.

He had found her on an abandoned train.

When they met, she had dramatically declared herself the super AI of Elation and insisted she merely looked like Pom-Pom.

Chen Xing hadn't believed her at first, but testing her after he got home had been a pleasant surprise.

She really was impressive. She could answer all sorts of questions.

With that in mind, Chen Xing listened to AI Pom-Pom's answer.

"This is a standard transmission interface disc for a Soul-Guidance Mecha. It has four components: a base, energy guide channels, buffer spring plates, and interface terminals."

"How it works: energy enters the interface terminals through the guide channels. The buffer spring plates regulate its flow rate before it passes to the next transmission component, Pom."

"Key specifications: guide-channel depth, 0.3 millimeters; interface-terminal impedance..."

Chen Xing's eyes grew brighter as he listened.

So that's how it works.

The grooves hadn't been cut at random. Their depth, angle, and spacing all mattered.

He looked up at Wang Dagou.

"Senior apprentice, is there a standard depth for the grooves on this interface disc? If they aren't deep enough, that would affect the energy's flow rate, right?"

Wang Dagou opened his mouth, startled.

He looked down at the disc, then back up at Chen Xing.

"How... how do you know about guide-channel depth?"

A faint smile tugged at Chen Xing's lips.

"I guessed. I saw the groove on this part and thought about what you said about transmission. So I wondered whether it was meant to carry energy."

Wang Dagou blinked.

He had taught plenty of people. Most were doing well if they remembered what the part was called the first time they saw it.

Yet this kid had gone straight to asking about guide-channel depth.

A short distance away, Xu San's hands stilled. He glanced up at Chen Xing.

This kid really has something.

"Not bad, junior apprentice! You've got a knack for this!"

Wang Dagou slapped his thigh.

"Then let me ask you something else. Do you know what the buffer spring plates are for?"

By now, Chen Xing had learned the answer from AI Pom-Pom.

He pretended to think it over for a moment before speaking.

"Are they there to stop the incoming energy from damaging the interface? Like when you turn a tap on too hard and the pipe joint can burst."

This time, Wang Dagou was genuinely astonished.

He stared at Chen Xing for several seconds, then turned and shouted toward the back room.

"Master! Your son's brain works too well! If I keep teaching him, he'll put me out of a job."

Tang Ziran's laugh came from the workshop, tinged with pride.

"Just teach him properly!"

Xu San said nothing, but the corners of his mouth lifted.

He had noticed the unmistakable pleasure in Tang Ziran's response to Wang Dagou's shout.

What caught his attention even more was how unnaturally fast this child with zero Soul Power grasped mechanical concepts.

In the workshop, a strange feeling stirred in Tang Ziran's heart.

"Chen Xing..."