"Junior Mechanic Qualification Certificate."
Holder: Wang Zheng.
Tsk, he got it easily even without that answer sheet.
In the room that had just been repaired, Wang Jixuan quickly packed his luggage. He was heading to the expansion area of the fortress, not leaving it entirely. He just sent a message to Zhou Zhengde, who didn’t come to see him off.
[01: Which expansion area?]
[02: C.]
[01: That area is relatively nice, with some spots where you can see sunlight every day. It's the fortress's reservoir and some mining sites, not far from the headquarters of the fortress defense army. Are you going with Major Ling Tong?]
[02: Going to be her babysitter.]
[01: Huh? Are you two living together now?]
[02: Mechanic. You should get a new girlfriend, Captain of Security.]
[01: You're right, the new biology minister has a great figure and is two years younger than me. I just saw her at the party yesterday, she has quite a charm.]
[02: You planning to switch sides? ψ(*｀ー)ψ]
[01: Uh, I meant charm-wise, not about her job. Work is work, life is life. Just message me if you need anything.]
[02: Big sniper.]
[01: What else?]
[02: Three big snipers.]
[01: Do you need that with Ling Tong around? And don’t worry, the psychics are just stationed here; they can’t access any information about Fortress 76 that we don’t allow them to. The governor has already stated that. However, my informant by the new biology minister said that Qin Qin has started to keep an eye on Ling Tong.]
[02: Can she threaten Ling Tong?]
[01: How could she? The value of a candidate for the terrifying mech pilot is something to consider. Ling Tong is someone that even the Blade Beasts want to take out first. I need to get to work; I’ll check in with Minister Qin later to see if she’s just pretending or if she really wants to investigate. If it’s the latter, we’ll deal with her.]
[02: Call me if you need anything.]
Wang Jixuan smiled as he put down the text exchange device. Since Zhou Yanei called his grandfather, he had become increasingly skilled at using his privileges. He was just a low-level security officer, yet he could directly intervene in the highest levels of the fortress’s administration.
As for Zhou Yanei’s mother… Wang Daolong didn’t have much fondness for her, but he planned to concoct a beauty pill for her later, purely as a thank-you gift for Zhou Zhengde.
“After all, I still need Xiao Zhou to look after me and help me pass the time while I cultivate.”
He packed his belongings into two boxes. The larger box contained his contraband, covered with layers of clothing, and wrapped in several layers of ‘mock scanning’ materials he got from the lower city.
Then, Wang Jixuan sat on the edge of the bed, meditating, waiting for his spiritual sense to slightly stir.
At two in the afternoon, familiar footsteps approached. Wang Jixuan lowered his legs, waiting for the unlocked door to be pushed open.
Ling Tong surprisingly wore a silver combat suit today, complete with tactical goggles. The material of the suit was between metal and rubber, perfectly blending with her mechanical arm. It had the heft of armor while fitting like a second skin, accentuating her slender legs and suddenly narrow waist just right.
To fit Ling Tong’s body shape, the designer had to use extra material below her neck; when she usually wore casual clothes, her soft muscles didn’t show such scale.
It had combat capability, visual impact, and aesthetic appeal, but…
It lacked a bit of that ethereal aura.
Wang Daolong’s gaze remained clear.
He quietly asked, “Are we going to fight?”
“No.”
“Then why this outfit…”
Ling Tong kept her mechanical arm behind her back, “It’s a style of daily wear that I can choose. Can we go now?”
Wang Jixuan nodded and picked up his bags.
Ling Tong asked, “Do you need help with your things?”
“No, it’s not much. You can take what you brought over later.”
“Okay, I’ll arrange for someone to move it over later. First, I’ll take you to the dormitory,” Ling Tong replied quickly.
As she turned, her ponytail bounced lightly, showing that she was in a good mood.
Wang Jixuan followed her for a few steps and then moved ahead to walk shoulder to shoulder with her.
“We need to pass through the military camp first,” Ling Tong reminded him. “You are now my recruited mechanic, Wang Zheng. I’m your direct superior, so try to show some tension as we pass through the camp. I’ve arranged for a vehicle there, and then we’ll head to expansion area C.”
Wang Jixuan muttered, “Show some tension?”
“Yeah, is that difficult?”
Wang Jixuan swallowed hard, tightly pursing his lips, making himself seem tense, his gaze a bit evasive.
Ling Tong almost laughed out loud.
She looked ahead and quietly said, “Good, mechanic. Please keep that expression. I’ll send out two reconnaissance drones to avoid the psychics.”
“Thanks for the hard work.”
“I’m your superior; you can’t say it’s hard work to your superior.”
“Then what should I say? Life is hard?”
“Something like that.”
Ling Tong cleared her throat and, in her calm tone and expression, softly said, “Sir, thank you for your care. I’ve benefited greatly from your selfless help over the years.”
“Eh…” Wang Daolong instinctively stepped back.
“My first instructor taught me that.”
Ling Tong’s lips curled slightly, looking a bit proud. “I have a set of lines for dealing with superiors; I can teach you later.”
Wang Jixuan chuckled silently.
And that’s what I’d use to deal with you?
But honestly, it’s not bad. — This combat suit.
…
Although Wang Jixuan had already seen the blue sky and white clouds through the vent, when he took the elevator from the sixth floor to the surface level of the military camp, the moment the elevator doors opened and sunlight hit his face, he still felt like he was in a different world.
The noise hit him like a wave.
In the distance, the blue sky, mountains, and desert brought his gaze from far to near.
Ahead was a bustling camp, with neatly arranged arched warehouses and strong men in camouflage uniforms moving about. Many warehouses flickered with the bright light of electric arcs, and various mechs, ranging from two meters to over ten meters tall, were displayed everywhere.
Mechs.
They had those in the cultivation world too, but they were much rougher and usually called “Yanjia.”
As a junior mechanic, Wang Jixuan certainly knew the role of mechs now.
Mechs were crucial combat power against Blade Beasts, usually boasting powerful firepower, exceptional mobility, adaptability to all terrains, and comprehensive combat strength to take on high-level Blade Beasts.
In the war against Blade Beasts, these mechs weren’t the main firepower; that was still various types of guns. The mech troops usually handled the infiltration tasks during battles against Blade Beasts, and mech operators had the highest casualty rates.
— Controlling costs for firepower units was the second major chapter in the beginner’s course for mechanics.
Nearby, he heard the sound of engines as three soldiers in camouflage vests controlled their exoskeleton power armor like stilt walkers, quickly running past.
“Let’s go.”
Ling Tong urged, leading Wang Jixuan into the sunlight and into the fortress defense army camp.
Wang Jixuan heard a faint creaking sound, and the feeling of his feet on the yellow earth made him feel much more grounded, while the endless expanding scenery before him made his heart soar.
This was a place where people could live!
After spending so much time in the fortress, how could a normal person not become twisted?
Just…
“The spiritual energy is indeed thinner than below.”
Wang Jixuan found this a bit puzzling.
In their cultivation world, it was generally the case that the higher the place, the denser the spiritual energy. That’s why many experts preferred to live at the peaks.
The word “immortal” originally meant a person on top of a mountain.
“A bit strange.”
Wang Daolong was drawn to the noise in the distance and looked up to see several large multi-rotor drones flying in sync from the western sky, dragging an exaggerated large pulse cannon below them.
In the past, Wang Jixuan would have thought, “This magical tool looks impressive!”
But now, after being influenced by the knowledge of mechanics, he instinctively considered, “How much energy does this thing consume? Can the fortress really afford it?”
Screech—
The sound of brakes made him instinctively take half a step back as a lightweight all-terrain combat vehicle stopped in front of him and Ling Tong. The driver immediately jumped out and stood straight, saluting.
“Major!”
“Mm.”
Ling Tong responded briefly, opened the door, and sat down, turning to look at Wang Jixuan.
“Get in.”
“Yes, sir.”
Wang Jixuan shouted, trying to sound tense, placing his suitcase in the back of the combat vehicle.
As soon as he settled in, Ling Tong slammed the accelerator, and the vehicle’s four wheels kicked up some sand and rushed forward.
The wind rushed past!
Wang Jixuan felt like he was back in his youth when he had just learned to fly objects. That rainy season when he was sixteen, he soared on a giant paper kite in the back mountains, laughing in the wind.
Then he crashed into the protective array wall of the scripture pavilion, nearly injuring himself badly.
Wang Jixuan silently brushed away that embarrassing memory and enjoyed the scenery around him.
The terrain in expansion area C was slightly higher, with military facilities along the way.
As they climbed a relatively flat mountain road, Wang Jixuan looked back and saw most of the military camp in his view. The thousands of “square concrete boxes” scattered inside and outside the camp were the ends of the fortress’s ventilation and sunlight transmission systems.
Pretty good.
Aside from the lower city being too dark, this fortress could indeed be considered a “home.”
He looked up, trying to spot the shadow of the space fortress with his naked eye, but after looking for a while, he only saw a passing transport plane and the large trail of clouds it left behind.
Before Wang Jixuan could admire the sky closely, his view was filled with the gray of the tunnel.
Then came a section of the tunnel that wasn’t very well lit, sloping gently downward, leading to an unknown destination.
Wang Jixuan asked, “How long until we reach area C?”
“About a few more minutes.”
Ling Tong replied softly, slightly furrowing her brow. “Don’t speak for a while; I’ll handle the negotiations. There are some uninvited guests ahead.”
“Psychics?”
“Yeah, the new minister. She just happened to wear combat gear today.”
Ling Tong’s pretty face was a bit cold, her eyelashes slightly longer than usual blinking gently, and the small gaps on her mechanical arm lit up green in sequence.
Self-check complete.
Preparing for battle.
Wang Jixuan carefully sensed, but it was clear that his spiritual sense was nowhere near as useful as Ling Tong’s radar.
About two minutes later.
Screech—
The brakes let out a reluctant groan as the terrain vehicle stopped at the tunnel exit.
There, several armored vehicles were lined up, and a dozen figures stood in front of them, with five people sitting inside the vehicles.
Wang Jixuan sensed about four psychic auras, likely all level C, currently inside the armored vehicles and not showing themselves.
The energy within these psychics was patchy, not even as strong as that Zheng Shiduo guy.
However, psychics had a variety of abilities, and it was hard to determine their actual strength without engaging them.
Wang Jixuan showed just the right amount of tension.
Ling Tong calmly picked up the intercom from the vehicle’s center console, watching the figures ahead, taking a deep breath to stay calm, her lips, which had been specially moisturized that afternoon, gently parted.
“Get lost.”
A few people in front clearly shivered.
(End of Chapter)