Genius Mechanic: Chapter 124

Coria Contaminated Zone (Restricted Zone)

124. Influence

Proofread by Cloud Chip Cake and An Zheee

In the control room, when Lieutenant Lu’s voice was heard, everyone who was on edge breathed a sigh of relief. Shen Xingtang even had to lean against the nearby wall to barely stand, and Zhang Ge was sweating profusely from fear.

Old Qiu’s voice was slightly hoarse. “You’ve worked hard.”

Just as he finished speaking, he noticed the black mecha among the group of mechas, and his expression froze slightly.

“Old Qiu, we need to inform the others to evacuate as soon as possible!” A staff member turned around and said, “The collapse of the underground space beneath the base station is still ongoing. We’ve barely managed to protect the fusion weapon, but it’s difficult to guarantee the safety of the site. With the current rate of collapse, if the base station’s underground completely collapses and the fusion weapon falls down, it could trigger an explosion.”

The soldiers of the Frontier Army remained on the surface, feeling the seismic activity from more than three hundred meters below transmitting to above ground.

Several cracks appeared on the ground, and the underground space created by the contaminated tentacles seemed like a twisted and eerie beehive. Almost all of it was shattered under the stimulus of having its anomalous crystal stripped away. How far its roots spread was unknown, but given the current vibrations, the entire Restricted Zone had become extremely unsafe.

After receiving the message from the control room, almost every mecha division was mobilized.

Lieutenant Lu couldn’t spare time to explain other matters to the others. “This place is not safe. With no pollutants blocking us at the moment, we must leave the Restricted Zone immediately and evacuate by leaping out of the Coria Contaminated Zone.”

The mecha divisions on the side of the base station were also evacuated, with only the necessary Frontier Army personnel remaining behind until the end, while everyone else received orders for priority retreat.

Lieutenant Lu looked at the black mecha in You Su’s arms. After Ying Chenlin dug out the anomalous crystal, he discovered that their artillery fire could affect the previously indestructible tentacles. Obviously, the formidable defense of the original pollutant came from its regeneration ability and the energy carried by the fusion weapon. Now that the anomalous crystal had been dug out, the pollutant could only rely on the energy of the fusion weapon.

The fusion weapon turned pollutant might be easier to deal with than the situation 20 years ago, when it was impossible to neutralize or move.

The premise was that this pollutant, which lost its anomalous crystal, would not explode in this accidental collapse—

“We’re running out of time.” Lieutenant Lu looked at the black mecha and the Tank mecha. “Can these two mechas teleport?”

Huo Yan spoke up, “I’m okay for now, but on Ying Chenlin’s side, I’m afraid—”

Qi Sicheng and the others all saw the cockpit of the black mecha being pierced. Gale’s medical mecha said, “We can only rescue the person. With such a location being pierced, I’m afraid the mecha’s internal systems have been damaged, equivalent to losing all protection and being completely exposed.”

“Can you open the cockpit right away?” Qi Sicheng asked.

“It can be opened,” the medical mecha stepped forward. “We’ll pry open the cockpit directly and prioritize evacuating the mecha pilot.”

Yuan’s activation couldn’t hold for too long. The unconscious mecha pilot couldn’t initiate active teleportation.

You Su asked Theo, “Is there any response from Yuan?”

“There’s a signal, but no other response,” Theo had been trying to call Yuan since Ying Chenlin lost response. “It may be that the cockpit is damaged, limiting its functionality.”

As powerful as an S-Class mecha might be, its core resided within the cockpit. If the cockpit was damaged, the mecha’s intelligence would be restricted.

Upon hearing this reply, You Su directly spoke to the nearby medical mecha operator, “Pry it open directly, prioritize rescuing the pilot.”

The medical mecha had rescue procedures in place. Besides repairing a certain degree of damage, its main function was to provide emergency assistance in unexpected situations. There were also Frontier Army medical mechas on-site, and several medical mechas acting as safeguards made completely opening the cockpit no problem.

The obvious puncture hole on the exterior of the mecha Yuan’s cockpit made it necessary for the medical mecha to conventionally dismantle the outer panel of the cockpit using special tools. The vibrating environment posed significant challenges to all operations, but fortunately, there was a dual-qualified medical mecha operator in the Frontier Army, with extensive repair knowledge, who immediately took charge.

The medical mecha’s dismantling was much rougher than that of a mechanic, but fortunately, Yuan only suffered puncture damage, without damage to other components. The entire dismantling process went more smoothly than expected.

When the cockpit door opened, the dim environment of the cockpit was supplied with a continuous stream of oxygen. The young man was unconscious in the pilot’s seat. The midsection of the mecha had suffered penetration wounds, with the youth’s mechanical arm now fractured and split into two pieces, part of it still being connected to the mecha sockets. The broken parts revealed the inner mechanical nerves.

Those of KID and Gale said nothing when they saw this scene. The medical mecha’s operator, responsible for dismantling the cockpit, was even more shocked.

In the cockpit, the pilot’s seat backrest was obviously penetrated. When Ying Chenlin rushed forward at that time, the tentacle directly attacked the position of the pilot’s seat. The young man seemed to have anticipated this, presumably using his mechanical arm to block the fatal blow at that moment. What was astonishing was that in such an environment, he could still think calmly to such an extent, switching to the Flowing Fire Sword to extract the anomalous crystal, as if the pain caused by the tentacle shattering his mechanical arm was insignificant to him at that time.

“…How did he continue to operate at that time?” the medical mecha operator asked.

But at this moment, Huo Yan suddenly shouted, “He’s exposed to the environment, hurry up and get him out.”

His voice immediately awakened everyone else. Before he spoke, the cockpit of the white mecha on the side had already opened.

You Su’s mecha entered automatic standby mode. He got out of his open cockpit and jumped into the other mecha’s cockpit along the medical mecha’s arm. His movements were quick, but he was particularly careful when touching Ying Chenlin. He adjusted Ying Chenlin’s injured hand carefully and then lifted the unconscious person from the backrest.

Lieutenant Lu had seen many injured soldiers, but this was the first time he had seen a mecha pilot like Ying Chenlin.

He may be clear-minded, yet he can recklessly seize opportunities at critical moments. He may seem courageous but reckless, yet he can think of the most appropriate way to handle precise changes down to the millisecond.

At this point, Lieutenant Lu couldn’t figure out how this person actually approached problem-solving.

Lieutenant Lu: “Notify the control room to prepare the medical team!”

“Lieutenant, the control room is ready, let’s evacuate as soon as possible!” a soldier said.

Hearing that the medical team was ready, the worried mecha pilots breathed a sigh of relief.

But things weren’t over yet; escaping from the Coria Contaminated Zone was the current priority.

Yuan was forcibly invaded by You Su’s spiritual power and retracted into Ying Chenlin’s key. He brought Ying Chenlin back to the cockpit. By now, several fissures had appeared on the ground, and mechas were constantly flying out from the direction of the base station. When they flew out, they even saw people from YDS and the Second Star Domain.

“How did Hu Luobu and the others come?” Zhao Lejie asked in surprise.

“YDS and Black Crow came to help from outside the Restricted Zone. When you entered the underground, they happened to be near the base station,” Qi Sicheng explained. “The mecha pilots of the Second Star Domain also came to help.”

Ji Qingfeng was startled, “That person surnamed Bai?”

“Competition is competition, but in emergencies, they also volunteer their efforts,” Qi Sicheng led the people from Gale to fly at the forefront, catching a glimpse of the Frontier Army behind him. “What comes next is no longer a problem we can solve.”

Most of the mechas were evacuating, while a small number continued to move towards the base station.

With no interference from the pollutants inside, they quickly found the Restricted Zone’s exit with the guidance of the Frontier Army. As soon as they exited, they were faced with densely packed pollutants. Qi Sicheng took the initiative with several mechas from Gale, saying, “We, Gale, will cover. The rest of you, go to the teleportation coordinates.”

KID didn’t decline. Their mechas were more damaged and couldn’t compare to the mechas led by Qi Sicheng.

“Wait a minute?! Isn’t that my daughter crawling at the forefront!?” Ji Qingfeng swept across the pollutants on the scorched earth below, spotting a black elongated worm flying.

Zhao Lejie couldn’t help but say, “You’ve been talking about your daughter this whole time. The fire in the Restricted Zone was so intense; your daughter might have been roasted already.”

“That’s not right… It seems to be that iron wireworm.” A Gale mecha pilot spoke up. “Look at the radar; there’s an S-Level contamination source reaction.”

As soon as the words were spoken, everyone looked down, and the black wireworm seemed to have noticed them too, fleeing even faster and diving into the scorched earth. Ji Qingfeng had just reunited with it, but before he could take a good look, it disappeared. “How can it run so fast!?”

The other mecha pilots: “…”

After being ridden like a horse for such a long time, fed and watered according to your mood, if it could still approach, wouldn’t it just be a masochist!?

You Su landed in the middle of the team. Ahead were Huo Yan, pulled by Lu Xi and Lin Yao, and a group of five mechas, all of which were almost worn out. The cockpit continued to supply thick oxygen which mixed with the smell of machine oil and blood, making it unpleasant.

Theo said, “I’ve maximized the oxygen! You Su, why do I feel like we’re always picking people up?”

Inside the cockpit were the mental powers of two individuals. Theo, who was initially against the invasion, had now become accustomed to it.

The temperature inside the cockpit was adjusted to 27 degrees by Theo. The temperature in Theo’s cockpit was previously lower, so adjusting it to this temperature for the first time made him somewhat uncomfortable. “Back when you were injured, and blood filled the entire cockpit, I didn’t see you ask me to raise the temperature.”

This time, You Su could only carry the person horizontally. The person in his arms had weak breathing, and his damaged arm could only be placed in his embrace. However, this posture was uncomfortable, forcing You Su to operate the mecha’s flight with his left hand. “Are the vital signs stable?”

The neural line originally connected to You Su to capture his vital signs was now connected to Ying Chenlin, and Theo monitored Ying Chenlin’s condition thoroughly.

“Stable, very stable,” Theo said. “Vital signs are stable, but his hand may need to be dealt with as soon as possible.”

You Su lowered his eyes slightly. Ying Chenlin’s pale face bore traces of faint blackness. The black stains from the energy fuel had completely faded. He didn’t know why, but You Su felt like Ying Chenlin’s face seemed a bit thinner than before.

As he piloted the mecha, he suddenly noticed movement in his arms.

Theo exclaimed softly.

You Su snapped out of it and looked down, seeing Ying Chenlin curled up, his face against his chest. The slight movement made by Ying Chenlin’s actions caused You Su’s left hand to shake. The trembling of the entire mecha startled the surrounding mecha pilots, but You Su quickly stabilized.

“He’s still moving,” You Su commented.

Theo: “Of course, he can move! Just be careful not to press on his hand!”

After a while, Theo asked again, “You Su, your face looks a little flushed. Do you want to lower the temperature a bit?”

You Su didn’t say anything but raised the temperature by two degrees. “No need.”

Qi Sicheng maintained their formation very well, and coupled with the mecha pilots from YDS and Black Crow behind them, the group arrived at the Jump Point safely. The Frontier Army mecha pilots did not withdraw. When they returned to the Coria Management Bureau, they saw a huge starship parked outside Coria, with the emblem of the First Star Domain on it. All the mecha pilots who had just landed were surprised; they hadn’t expected the arrival of the First Star Domain’s General Military.

In the control room, the busy work of the staff continued; the threat of Coria was far from over.

“All Alliance mecha pilots have evacuated from the Coria Contaminated Zone, and the First Star Domain’s General Military has taken over handling the follow-up in the Coria Contaminated Zone,” the staff reported.

On the communication screen, the chairman of the Second Star Domain and the president of the Dawn Galaxy, Li Jingyan, breathed a sigh of relief when they heard this.

The First Star Domain’s General Military arrived nearly four hours earlier than expected. It was probably due to using continuous leaps to shorten the journey. Now the handling of the follow-up in the Coria Contaminated Zone could only be handed over to the First Star Domain.

“Hey, Boss Shen!?” Zhang Ge shouted.

Shen Xingtang: “I’ll leave the rest to you.”

Shen Xingtang didn’t stay in the control room any longer. After receiving the news that KID’s mecha pilots had leaped, she rushed to the Jump Point for the first time, leaving all subsequent processing to Zhang Ge from Gale. Jiang Simiao and the others only learned about what happened when the news leaked from the control room. Seeing Shen Xingtang leave, Jiang Simiao didn’t care about anything and followed her.

As soon as they arrived at the entrance, they saw Ying Chenlin being carried by You Su among a group of medical teams. The medical team next to them was already prepared, and You Su handed the person over to the medical team before following behind them. Jiang Simiao nodded at Shen Xingtang and immediately followed You Su.

Shen Xingtang looked up towards the top of the mechas and saw KID’s team.

Lu Xi was anxiously standing by, helping to carry two medical kits, while Ji Qingfeng and Lin Yao supported and assisted Huo Yan as they walked down. Ji Qingfeng, tall, and Lin Yao, short, supporting the tall Huo Yan, gave rise to a subtle sense of humor.

“Look how strong You Ge is, he just picked up Chenlin and ran.” Lin Yao said, “If you pick up Huo Ge and run, we’ll be even faster.”

Ji Qingfeng: “Can you just pick up someone with a waist injury!?”

Lin Yao: “You just can’t do it.”

The medical team below stood watching as the three of them moved from the cockpit of the mecha. It was the first time they had seen an injured mecha pilot have time to joke around. When they finally laid Huo Yan on the stretcher, the man let out a heavy sigh, not knowing how long he had been holding his breath with his waist injury.

Shen Xingtang held back the tears in her eyes and walked up a few steps. “How are you feeling?”

“It looks like I’ll have to stay in bed for about two months this time.” Huo Yan took a deep breath, smiled, and said, “Aggravated an old injury.”

Shen Xingtang breathed a sigh of relief. “We won’t be on any missions for the next two months. Everyone, take a good rest.”

Huo Yan looked worriedly outside. “Is the Contaminated Zone okay?”

“Whether it’s okay or not, it’s not something we should be concerned about next. Trust the Frontier Army; they will do their best to solve the problem.”

Shen Xingtang confirmed that Huo Yan was okay. She received a message from Jiang Simiao on her light brain, saying that Chenlin had been taken to the emergency room, and she needed to hurry over there. “I’ll go over there to check the situation. If there’s anything wrong with Old Huo’s injury, let me know right away.”

The entire Coria Management Bureau was bustling with mecha pilots and medical teams moving around. There were a lot of injured mecha pilots this time, and everyone in the Bureau was busy. The emergency medical team mobilized by the Frontier Army was composed of doctors of the highest level from the current Dawn Medical Team. In addition to this, a large number of treatment instruments were prepared.

When Shen Xingtang arrived outside the emergency room, she saw You Su leaning against the outside of the emergency room, waiting.

You Su’s combat suit was covered with traces of energy fuel, especially in a large area on his front. His neck was still red, and his eyes were cold as he looked at the virtual screen outside the emergency room.

Not only that, but there was also Coria Management Bureau personnel around, and even the guards around Old Qiu.

The rescue team for Chenlin was organized by Old Qiu, and the team mobilized was close to being the highest-level medical team that could be mobilized within Coria.

Shen Xingtang paused for a moment, nodded slightly at the other party, and then asked Jiang Simiao, “What’s the current situation?”

“The preliminary diagnosis is irreversible damage to the right arm, with moderate infection and mental power depletion,” Jiang Simiao informed her of what the doctor had said. “It seems like Chenlin’s mental power control is better than before. According to the doctor, the depleted mental power is actually the lightest of all his conditions. The doctor is now concerned about the wound on his penetrated arm.”

Shen Xingtang paused slightly. “There shouldn’t be any problem with the mechanical arm, right?”

“There are issues,” You Su shifted his gaze and looked at Shen Xingtang. “At the time, his right arm was pierced by the pollutant. The tentacle was contaminated with tissue fluid, and while it pierced the mechanical arm, the fluid was also brought to his injury’s location, resulting in direct infection.”

Compared to contamination from being exposed to the environment, the infection caused by the right arm being pierced was the most severe.

In contrast, the problem of mental power depletion, which required rest to resolve, was very simple. The direct infection caused by the right arm being pierced wasn’t so straightforward. Moreover, considering that Chenlin already had a genetic condition, the medical team was most concerned about the potential subsequent problems caused by this direct infection.

“Rebuilding a mechanical arm for him is simple, but the doctors are worried about the subsequent risks this infection may bring,” Jiang Simiao stared at the emergency room, “They are currently debriding the wound, removing all threats of infection before proceeding to the next step—”

Before he could finish his sentence, a doctor walked out of the emergency room.

Everyone’s gaze turned to the doctor, who removed the medical mask and explained, “There are two issues that need to be addressed.”

The mechanical nerves inside the mechanical arm were actually connected to Chenlin’s own nerves. The contamination infected the mechanical nerves, and part of the infection would also spread along the nerves to the upper part of the arm. Of course, the infection rate of the mechanical parts was not as fast as that of the human body’s nerves. Through the doctor’s intervention and the emergency measures taken at the time, the source of infection has been intercepted as much as possible.

Ordinary contaminations, doctors can quickly resolve.

But this contamination is too unique. First, it carried a large amount of energy from the fusion weapon, and second, its contamination source map was almost chaotic.

“The patient seems to have taken emergency measures right after the mechanical arm was shattered, which was very effective and basically blocked the infection in his arm,” the doctor explained. “But infection is inevitable, and while we are analyzing the contamination here and an emergency serum has also been used, we cannot predict the consequences of the infection for the patient, which is the first issue that must be explained. In addition to this, there is a second issue.”

Shen Xingtang’s heart tightened. “What is the second issue?”

“The patient’s constitution and mental power are different from those of ordinary mecha pilots. Physical damage and mental weakness can also weaken his resistance to infection,” the doctor sighed. “With these two issues overlapping, his condition has become very peculiar, and considering his medical history of genetic disease we need to consider all possibilities.”

Upon hearing this, Shen Xingtang’s heart clenched. “Can it be resolved?”

“It can be resolved, but we are worried that this infection will affect the mecha pilot,” the doctor looked back anxiously. “The patient is a mecha pilot, and the mechanical arm has already affected his operational proficiency. Now, the consequences caused by the infection have not been completely eliminated. We are afraid that this will affect his subsequent mecha operations.”

Upon hearing this, You Su looked at the doctor. “Are the consequences of the infection benign or malignant?”

“Generally, contamination infections are malignant. We are already extracting anti-interference serum based on the contaminated tissue adhered to his mecha,” the doctor explained. “I’m just explaining the most serious situation to you, but it’s not entirely hopeless… I heard that there was a mecha pilot in the First Star Domain’s General Military who was seriously injured due to direct contamination by pollutants. At that time, a very outstanding doctor solved the problem. We have already sent someone to contact that doctor, but the doctor has already gone to the General Military’s headquarters. We don’t know if we can find him.”

“As long as we find that doctor, it should be fine, right?” You Su said.

Shen Xingtang looked at You Su. “Do you know that doctor?”

At this moment, footsteps suddenly sounded at the end of the corridor, and the footsteps of several people overlapped.

Everyone looked towards the corridor’s end, where several doctors in medical attire hurried over, carrying medical equipment, accompanied by several soldiers wearing combat uniforms from the First Star Domain’s General Military for protection. Shen Xingtang saw the man who was at the back of the team, the Lieutenant General of the First Star Domain’s General Military, whom she had only seen on the communication screen before.

“Lieutenant General!” The doctor looked astonished at the man.

The Lieutenant General walked up to the crowd and said to the doctor, “This is the doctor who treated me in the past. He is good at dealing with infection issues. The patient inside is very important. He is a mecha pilot and we hope to preserve his right hand and his career, and let him leave Coria in good health.”

“I am the chief of the medical team of the First Star Domain’s General Military,” the leading doctor said without delay. “Where is the patient? Send me the medical report immediately.”

Shen Xingtang looked at the Lieutenant General, then glanced slightly at You Su beside her, she seemed to have found the source of the familiarity she felt.

Jiang Simiao looked bewildered. “Wait a minute, that person and You Su—”

You Su frowned slightly and looked at the middle-aged man standing in front of him, his eyes slightly cold.

The man in military uniform had a stern face with no expression whatsoever. When he saw You Su, he just nodded slightly. “You Su, long time no see.”

Author’s Note:

Don’t worry, Chenlin will be fine! There are still some plot points to be filled in Coria.

After this arc, KID will take a break for a while, and then we’ll enter the highly anticipated competition chapter!

TN:

Damn, both Chenlin and You Su are dynasty babies! And their fathers were close! So if things happened differently, they could have grown up together~

NEXT ARC!

DAWN GALAXY(WARMONGERING/WAR PREPARATION)

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