5. Repair
The lights in the maintenance room suddenly turned on, and blue-green holographic screens appeared throughout the room, brightening the entire space.
Several mechas near the entrance of the maintenance room showed various degrees of damage. The severely damaged mecha had dents on its external armor, and Ying Chenlin was currently dealing with the extensively damaged right arm. He had already completed the basic reconnection of the severed part, but the interface was filled with exposed metal nerves.
"Put up the program console," Ying Chenlin said.
Lin Yao found the button on the program console and pressed it, causing the fault page to be enlarged and displayed in mid-air.
Ying Chenlin looked up at the fault information in the air, quickly scanned it, and then used a pair of mechanical pliers to deftly remove the damaged internal metal nerves.
Ji Qingfeng's heart skipped a beat. Didn't he say not to remove anything?
He looked up and saw the young man sitting on top, taking out a fist-sized component and performing a series of manipulations at the interface of the mecha's arm. He heard a clicking sound, and the component was fitted in.
Ying Chenlin didn't use anything other than the tools available on the maintenance station, including the components.
Seeing this action, Ji Qingfeng couldn't help but feel doubtful. Generally speaking, repairing a mecha is more challenging than assembling one. Repairing a mecha involves troubleshooting and requires the mental power of a mechanic to inspect the damage.
Mecha pilots specialize in piloting mechas, while mechanics specialize in repairing them. The program console is only an auxiliary tool for judgment. They usually use their mental power to quickly and accurately identify the problems with the mechas.
But the young man on the mecha didn't seem to do any of that. He just entered the cockpit, came down to get a component, and started working like that. In fact, since Ying Chenlin started the repairs, Ji Qingfeng hadn't felt a significant amount of mental power being used in the area, only a tiny bit of outwardly released mental power.
At this moment, Lin Yao came down from the program console and said, "Da Feng, did you notice? His mental power is very weak."
"Yeah," Ji Qingfeng frowned slightly, "How could it be weak to this extent? Shouldn't it be an A-level mental power?"
Just now, their attention was focused on Ying Chenlin's junior mechanic credentials, assuming that his mental power was merely being concealed.
The projection or concealment of one's mental power is common; advanced individuals can control their mental presence.
Ying Chenlin was an A-level mental power user, which was the only reassuring point for them... But so far, they felt little pressure from him, weaker than even someone with C-level mental power. Even when repairing the mechas, they couldn't sense any other mental energy.
"I'll go take a look." Ji Qingfeng took a few steps outside, but suddenly saw that two error pop-ups disappeared from the top of the projection screen. Dozens of error messages had been displayed, but with a single movement of Ying Chenlin's clamp, the top two disappeared.
Lin Yao was taken aback.
Ji Qingfeng blinked, "He doesn't need to use mental power for repairs...? Is this guy relying solely on the error screen to troubleshoot?"
Ying Chenlin continued his actions without pause, swiftly cutting the metal nerves with his mechanical clamp.
The error messages on the console stopped increasing, and each error was now fixed. With Ying Chenlin's repairs, the pop-up errors vanished one by one.
Half an hour passed, and the dense array of error messages was reduced to the last two.
Ji Qingfeng's initial excitement had now calmed down. Seeing Ying Chenlin make another move, he hurriedly asked, "Brother, do you need any more tools?"
"No, I'm good." Ying Chenlin slid down from the mecha's right arm, gracefully returning to the cockpit.
The cockpit was narrow, and the mental resonance was dim and faint. Ying Chenlin paused at the connection of the right arm's metal nerves, cut off the last piece of the damaged nerves, and the outer program console popped up with a new command.
[“Mech ID” Mecha self-check failure has been resolved. Would you like to continue the self-check?]
"Alright."
Ying Chenlin emerged from the cockpit, taking a few steps down from the mecha. "Pause the self-check program, and remember to disable the mecha's self-check setting later."
Lin Yao hastily clicked 'No,' and the long-lasting alarm finally stopped.
As they went to inspect the mecha's issues, Ying Chenlin made way for them and casually surveyed the makeshift maintenance room.
The spacious maintenance room was now more visible, but it was quite disorganized, with two mechas at the forefront and spare mechas further back.
Though the maintenance room was more spacious than other areas, it still paled in comparison to the team base that Ying Chenlin had seen before. His gaze swept toward the distance, where he faintly spotted two teleportation devices. It was evident that this place used to be a mecha storage and teleportation area but had been temporarily repurposed as a maintenance room.
Quickly retracting his gaze, Ying Chenlin relaxed his right hand, feeling a tingling sensation between his fingers.
He stood quietly, his emotions unclear from his appearance.
When Ji Qingfeng finished checking the mecha and came out, he looked up to see Ying Chenlin standing by the elevated program console.
The slender figure of the young man stood upright with a suitcase beside his legs.
At this moment, he had lowered his eyes, relaxing his hand with some discomfort.
Is his hand bothering him?
"Brother," Ji Qingfeng called out.
Ying Chenlin turned his head and saw Ji Qingfeng and Lin Yao standing behind him.
Ji Qingfeng's gaze inadvertently stopped at Ying Chenlin's hand. "Thank you for this time. Without you, we wouldn't have known how to solve this alarm issue."
"You're welcome. Troubleshooting the faults was a minor issue," Ying Chenlin replied gently. "Other mechanics could have done it too."
"Still, thank you!" Ji Qingfeng noticed Ying Chenlin's gaze and decided not to look at his hand anymore. "You've been busy for so long, you must be tired. Let's go to the meeting room and talk. Lin Yao, go make some tea."
"Sure!" Lin Yao quickly left the repair room.
Ying Chenlin nodded.
The chaos in the repair room finally ended, and Ji Qingfeng took Ying Chenlin to the meeting room.
Though it was called a meeting room, it was actually combined with the training room, and nearby, two take-out boxes could be seen on the meeting table.
This was KID base, but it was notably different from the KID in Ying Chenlin's memory of the future.
In the future, KID base was vast, and the meeting room was at least three times larger than this one. In the early days, KID faced many difficulties, and issues with management and mechanics were just the beginning. Later on, they would face a downturn in the new season of mecha league.
Ying Chenlin's gaze fell on the two mechanics not far away. He was also unfamiliar with Lin Yao and Ji Qingfeng, but he had browsed through the KID archives from a few years later and remembered the names of several mechanics recorded in an encrypted file, including Lin Yao and Ji Qingfeng.
In the next season, KID made it to the top eight of the Dawn League, but encountered an unexpected accident during the quarterfinals. An outbreak occurred in the contaminated area, causing a major disturbance in the spatial magnetic field, and the entire KID team lost contact during that match.
It was an unforeseen accident, and the team faced the threat of disbandment. However, it was Shen Xingtang who bore the tremendous pressure and persevered.
Lin Yao had just entered the meeting room but quickly went out again, seemingly to answer a communication call.
"Our boss had an urgent matter and went to the contaminated area this morning. It's just the two of us here at the base," Ji Qingfeng said while searching behind the table in the meeting room. He soon took out a smart board and continued, "But she told us before that if anyone came, we should let them take the test."
Ying Chenlin paused his recollection and looked at the set of questions handed to him by Ji Qingfeng. "Is this set of questions from your boss?"
"How did you know?" Ji Qingfeng was surprised.
Ying Chenlin took the test and hesitated for a moment. "I came across some information online."
Ji Qingfeng patted his shoulder. "Well, you've prepared quite thoroughly for this interview with our team." He chuckled. "Not many candidates would go online to check information about us."
…..
In a damp environment, the air was filled with a foul smell. A woman wearing overalls with disheveled hair, which was simply tied behind her ears and with a light, shallow scar on her exposed forehead, entered a space enclosed by a blue barrier amidst the chaos. Inside, she saw a man sitting there.
"Simiao," the woman called out.
The man, whose full name was Jiang Simiao, was the current strategist of the KID club. He wore glasses, and his slightly fair face exuded a scholarly aura. At the moment, several smart devices were placed in front of him, with one of them displaying a red light. He asked, "How's the meeting going?"
"Not well. They're still arguing over there," Shen Xingtang said as she casually found a chair to sit on. She caught a glimpse of the communication records on Jiang Simiao's light brain and asked, "What's happening at the base? Have you asked about it?"
"I just communicated with them. It's a warning alarm on one of the mechas at the base," Jiang Simiao explained briefly about the situation at the base and the multiple communication calls from Lin Yao. "In the end, the mechanic who came for an interview helped solve the problem. They were concerned that you might inquire about it, so they sent the surveillance room's video."
As Jiang Simiao recounted the events, Shen Xingtang's brow gradually furrowed.
Jiang Simiao noticed her expression and asked, "What's wrong?"
"It was just an external repair, not involving core data." Shen Xingtang held her light brain and continued watching the surveillance video. "Thank goodness I listened to him and didn't pause the program; otherwise, when I returned, Ji Qingfeng's mecha would have needed a complete overhaul."
It was her negligence. She hadn't expected the previous mechanic to be so unreliable that they had set up a timed self-check on the mecha.
"It seems like he didn't spend much time on the repair," Jiang Simiao said. "He used the tools available in our base, and he didn't touch anything else. However, Lin Yao mentioned that this mechanic didn't use mental power when repairing the malfunction surfaces."
"He didn't use mental power?"
Shen Xingtang's gaze on the video became more focused.
The surveillance footage showed the spacious repair room, and Shen Xingtang immediately spotted the mecha with the warning light, as well as the young mechanic sitting on it. The mechanic's attention was entirely focused on the mecha, and his movements were efficient as he systematically repaired the damaged sections.
Then, she noticed his right hand—it was a mechanical prosthetic.
Jiang Simiao knew what she was thinking and explained, "Lin Yao said that the person has a mechanical prosthetic for his right hand."
"Appearance isn't the criterion for judging a person."
Shen Xingtang's tightly furrowed brow relaxed again as she watched the mechanic deftly working and cutting things. This was a very experienced mechanic; troubleshooting was theoretical knowledge for mechanics, but dealing with so many malfunctions at once was a tricky problem even for experienced ones on the job. A novice mechanic without practical experience would easily hesitate and miss the appropriate handling time.
However, this person seemed different. His logic was clear, and his movements were precise.
Not using mental power means he relies entirely on experience and judgment.
His abilities are not as immature as his appearance suggests; rather, he seems like a seasoned veteran with around ten years of experience.
Suddenly, Jiang Simiao's light brain trembled.
After turning back, he said, "There's one more thing—they gave the test you prepared to the other person, and the answers just came in."
Shen Xingtang swiped her light brain. Instead of watching the video, she opened the written test that Ji Qingfeng had sent. The virtual board displayed the questions from start to finish. The fundamental theories were flawless, and even the difficult points she had specifically set up were easily resolved. She chuckled lightly, "This person actually wrote a detailed analysis of weapon parameter adjustments for the practical question at the end..."
Jiang Simiao was surprised, "So, you're saying he's truly knowledgeable and skilled?"
"More than that, no academic school could write such things."
After finishing reading, Shen Xingtang switched to the resume and opened the information about the applicant, Ying Chenlin.
Junior mechanic, A-grade mental power, B-grade physique, 18 years old.
Seeing Shen Xingtang's brow furrow, Jiang Simiao asked again, "What's wrong? Weren't you impressed with him just now?"
"I am impressed. I'm already willing to hire him on the spot," Shen Xingtang smiled and handed the resume to Jiang Simiao, "I'm just thinking, with the salary I offer, why would an experienced mechanic like him come to apply?"
Shen Xingtang knew what kind of employees she could attract with the salary she offered. She offered a monthly salary of 8,000, and her requirements were just the entry-level standards for mechanics. To those experienced mechanics, her recruitment notice seemed like she wanted to hire apprentices, not real mechanics.
As they spoke, the space they were in suddenly filled with loud alarm sounds.
Jiang Simiao's gaze flickered, and he immediately looked at the nearby machines. "Something's happened."
"We don't have enough manpower here," Shen Xingtang's expression turned serious. "Contact Ji Qingfeng and send them the coordinates."
