Genius Mechanic: Chapter 229

Slared Contaminated Zone(Territory-Wide Abnormal Move)

229. Snowy Mountains Base Station Designated Position

Proofread by An Zheee and Cloud Chip Cake

Outside the Slared Defense Line, when the Third Star Domain Frontier Army decided to utilize all available energy to sustain operations in the Slared Contaminated Zone, Dawn Galaxy’s starship was the first to respond—being the fastest among all current support units.

“Do they have enough energy?” The Third Star Domain Frontier Army officer seemed skeptical, feeling that Dawn might be exaggerating. “Sustaining operations for a Management Bureau isn’t a small-scale energy requirement.”

In the immediate aftermath of the energy shortage, they had contacted all major Star Alliance starships stationed in the area. The collected energy could barely support the overall rescue operations. While the starships had prepared energy reserves, these were mainly intended for the mecha pilots’ combat needs and a month of navigation. After reserving energy for their retreats, the combined reserves of these starships, including the Frontier Army’s flagship, could only sustain the defense system’s highest-level for one hour.

An hour was far too tight, and allocating all resources could risk malfunctions in other systems.

“It’s enough,” a soldier hesitated before continuing, “They said they brought a full hold of energy tanks, enough to support both our logistics and jump operations.”

The Third Star Domain officer raised an eyebrow. “A full hold ¹???”

The soldier confirmed, “Yes, a full hold.”

Although the officer couldn’t fathom why the Dawn starship carried such a massive energy reserve, it was an immense help in the current situation. “Let them in. And pass my thanks to Dawn’s Chairman Li.”

The First Star Domain’s Dawn Galaxy starship entered the abandoned Slared Management Bureau’s area, joining the cluster of starships already docked there. When the staff inside the small Dawn spaceship saw the huge starship, their eyes lit up, and Zhang Ge’s “Fuck” jumped out uncontrollably.

“Did the Chairman just deploy Dawn’s largest starship?”

“It looks like it. I’ve never seen Dawn deploy such a massive starship before.”

The leader of Black Crow received a transmission from their mecha pilots. “That starship brought over mechas from three bases.”

“Fuck! Why did they bring so many mecha pilots too?”

Chairman Li Jingyan had brought along several key leaders. Aside from the KID base, which was practically empty, every mecha pilot from the other three bases who could respond to the emergency had been mobilized. That starship carried all the emergency support Dawn Galaxy could muster in such a short time.

“Why did the Chairman bring so many people at once?” a staff member asked.

Zhang Ge recalled Li Jingyan’s earlier proactive communication. “Maybe they thought we’d fight over some special energy source and came to back us up.”

The other starships couldn’t help but glance at the enormous Dawn starship. Once its docking port opened, several smaller ships began shuttling energy tanks and personnel to the Third Star Domain’s flagship. Li Jingyan stood at the command console of the starship, flanked by several Dawn Galaxy leaders and members of the First Star Domain Frontier Army.

Among them were Lao Qiu and Lieutenant Lu. Their arrival had utilized several key jump points, ensuring green lights throughout the First Star Domain. They bypassed all checkpoints to swiftly deliver the starship to Slared, aiming to support their mecha pilots. To provide this backing, the starship was loaded with vast amounts of energy and supplies, ensuring immediate aid for the mecha pilots when needed.

However, before they even reached the frontline, reports about Chronos reappeared in Slared. The Third Star Domain Frontier Army had taken full control of the Slared Defense Line.

News from Lieutenant General Lin came quickly. The Frontier Army had coordinated passage through major checkpoints along the border. Such rapid support was enabled because they followed shortcuts along the border.

Li Jingyan had already received all intelligence on Chronos en route and was well aware of the Third Star Domain Frontier Army’s plans. The Star Alliance’s reinforcements were still half an hour away. Meanwhile, the Frontier Army had fortified the whole of Slater’s perimeter. The severity of the situation surpassed even the crisis during Dawn’s Black Hole.

Despite support from three starships from the Third Star Domain Frontier Army, they still had no way to deal with Chronos. The gravity of the situation had exceeded Dawn’s initial assessments.

“It’s confirmed. Slared’s top-level defense system lacks sufficient energy. The Third Star Domain has decided to allocate all energy from its three starships to support Slared’s defenses,” Lieutenant Lu reported to Li Jingyan while contacting a representative from the Third Star Domain Frontier Army. “Chairman Li, are we certain about supplying all of our energy reserves?”

Director Liu: “Chairman, most of this energy allocation comes from the First Star Domain’s Alliance Headquarters…”  

“Give it. Afterward, let the higher-ups negotiate with the Third Star Domain. The immediate priority is to transport all the mecha pilots out of there,” said Li Jingyan resolutely.  

“This much energy from so many starships should sustain operation within the entirety of Slared for an hour, right?”  

On the monitoring systems, the terrifying changes within the Slared Contaminated Zone unfolded before everyone’s eyes. Although they had witnessed numerous cases of Contaminated Zones losing control or undergoing mutations, none had ever been like Slared. The whole planet’s energy flow was being drained dry. The energy for the Management Bureau’s natural operations had been entirely consumed. This was a pollutant that had only evolved into a Super S-Level three years ago, yet it already possessed such horrifying capabilities.  

Lao Qiu said gravely, “It’s uncertain. While we supply energy, Chronos is also absorbing it.”  

“One hour is an ideal scenario. It’s quite possible it won’t even last that long.”  

While they discussed the matter, various starships had already docked at designated positions. Mobilized mechas were transferring energy from the battleships and starships to Slared’s abandoned Management Bureau. Simultaneously, while heavy weaponry was being teleported inside, Slared’s major energy depots were being replenished with energy. Even with maximum efficiency, this would take thirty minutes.  

Thirty minutes to fill the energy depots, and the remaining thirty minutes ideally allocated to deploying the heavy weaponry at the detonation site.  

The timeline was too tight. Even though heavy weaponry could deliver pinpoint explosions, all tasks had to be completed within an hour.  

“There’s a problem,” reported a staff member hastily. “We just contacted KID. Boss Shen said that the jump coordinates in the Snowy Mountains region were disrupted by the pollutant explosions. The severely damaged mecha pilots are now rushing to the Snowy Mountains base station. Teleportation can only occur through the Snowy Mountains.”  

Lao Qiu realized the gravity of the issue. “This is bad. What about the heavy weaponry’s delivery?”  

“The heavy weaponry has been rerouted and is now being sent to the base station near Slared’s Snowy Mountains.”  

Wei Changyang, upon confirming that Slared’s energy supply was operational, swiftly issued orders to soldiers to set up an ambush point for the heavy weaponry. However, extreme weather conditions emerged in Slared’s Snowy Mountains. Following an avalanche, an unstoppable blizzard ensued. This directly impacted the temporary high-altitude jump points, rendering them inoperable.  

The damaged mechas had been brought aboard the Frontier Army’s floating ships. Upon entering, field mechanics and medics immediately began to assist. Nineteen mechas from the underground region were severely damaged. When Ying Chenlin emerged from Yuan, he was unsteady on his feet. He forced himself to stay conscious despite the exhaustion, and was helped aside by a medic. His face was pale, with machine oil and sweat mixing, leaving his hair soaked.  

“How are you feeling? Any other discomfort?” The medic crouched beside Ying Chenlin, patiently asking questions.  

“I’m fine,” Ying Chenlin’s voice was weak and hoarse. “Help the others first.”  

Stretchers passed in front of him frequently. While he had been shielded by others and hadn’t suffered major injuries, the number of damaged mechas and injured pilots on the ship exceeded his expectations.  

The docking area was crowded with medics. Some pilots from severely damaged mechas had yet to be fully rescued.  

Ying Chenlin listened to the cacophony of voices and wanted to step in to help, but his body was too heavy to move.  

As he lowered his head slightly, through his dim vision, he noticed varying degrees of frostbite on the joints of his left hand. Struggling to assess the condition of his teammates, he overheard reports of catastrophic damages.  

“Nineteen mechas from underground sustained severe damage. Nearly eight of them suffered ruptured external cabins. Several mecha pilots are exhibiting symptoms of pollutant-induced frostbite.”  

“The environment aboard the ship is too harsh. They must be immediately evacuated from the Contaminated Zone to the warship for treatment.”  

“How much longer until we reach the Snowy Mountains!?”  

“At full speed, about 10 minutes. I’ve already contacted the team to clear the jump point for rescue.”  

The rescue ship jolted as it made its way to the jump point. Ying Chenlin watched as stretcher after stretcher passed in front of him, catching sight of Lin Yao and Zhao Lejie. Zhao Lejie’s right hand was injured, and Lin Yao showed signs of frostbite. Slowly, he took in the condition of his teammates. Before long, a figure suddenly stopped in front of him.  

Ying Chenlin froze slightly and looked up to see a shadow crouching down. You Su had stopped in front of him.  

“Are you cold?” You Su asked.  

Ying Chenlin didn’t feel cold—his body was already numb. “No.”  

You Su’s gaze lingered on the thermal blanket the medics had draped over Ying Chenlin. Finally, he took off his own jacket and added it over the blanket. “Don’t pass out. We’ll be out of here soon.”  

You Su stood up, seemingly needing to attend to something else. After giving the medics a few instructions, he quickly left.  

Ying Chenlin, his voice hoarse, wanted to ask You Su if he was injured. But as he lifted his eyes, he saw a tear-like gash on You Su’s left arm. The combat suit was damaged, and the wound underneath was still bleeding.  

“Theo told me its cabin’s left side had a penetrating wound,” Yuan’s voice came at the right time. “The internal structure of the mecha isn’t completely compromised. The temperature control and anti-pollutant systems were still running, mitigating the cold air entering through the breach.”  

“Are you okay?!” Huo Yan arrived after confirming Lin Yao and Ji Qingfeng’s conditions with the medics. He looked at the oil stains on Ying Chenlin’s suit and, after ensuring there were no other injuries, let out a sigh of relief. “Da Feng and Xiao Yao have Xiao Xi taking care of them over there. Their injuries look severe, but they’re not as bad as they seem. You don’t need to worry too much.”  

Ying Chenlin nodded. “What about You Su? His left arm seems injured.”  

“He told me it’s just a surface wound and not to worry.” Huo Yan glanced out the window. “You Su seems to have some connection with the Third Star Domain Frontier Army. I heard he went up ahead to inquire about the situation.”  

“What situation?” Ying Chenlin looked up slightly.  

“It’s not looking good,” Huo Yan said, helping Ying Chenlin sit up and explaining the time constraints, Dawn’s reinforcements, and other details. “Right now, we need to return to the Snowy Mountains base station to jump. The Frontier Army can’t leave yet. After the heavy weaponry arrives, Commander Wei Changyang plans to deliver it to a designated detonation point for the explosion.”  

Ying Chenlin was taken aback. “Deliver it to a designated detonation point?”  

“There’s no time. It’s all or nothing,” Huo Yan said. “Based on current intel, Chronos is located deep beneath the Snowy Mountains. To inflict enough damage, the heavy weaponry must be delivered to the mountains’ deeper underground layers. The deepest sections are the two paths we excavated earlier. Although the avalanche buried a lot of the depth, these two paths are still usable.”  

“Captain Huo, over here!” Qi Sicheng called out.  

Huo Yan told Ying Chenlin to wait there and quickly ran over to Qi Sicheng.  

Ying Chenlin frowned. Time was running out…  

Even with the energy reinforcement from Dawn, the highest-level of Slared’s defense system could only hold for a limited time. If the Frontier Army truly intended to deliver the heavy weaponry to that location, the individuals responsible for the delivery were unlikely to make it back alive.  

As he was deep in thought, someone approached him.  

You Su seemed to have finished speaking with someone and walked over to Ying Chenlin. He was about to take him to the medical room in the back. “We’re about to reach the jump point. There’s a fixed spot in the medical room to prevent jostling.”  

“You Su, the delivery target underground… It doesn’t have to be the Snowy Mountains’ ice cave,” Ying Chenlin said, his gaze shifting to the ship’s exterior. “There’s an even deeper location.”  

You Su paused. “Where?” 

“The underground of the Slared Snowy Mountains Base Station,” Ying Chenlin murmured as he gazed at the Slared Snowy Mountains Base Station directly below the ship. “When each base station was constructed, their foundations extended dozens of kilometers underground to monitor various environmental changes. The Snowy Mountains Base Station has such an area underground.”

Ying Chenlin continued, “We don’t have to go to the ice caves.”

“We’re arriving at the Snowy Mountains!”

“Clear the jump point and have all injured mecha pilots evacuate first!”

You Su’s gaze lingered on Ying Chenlin. After some consideration, he crouched down and said, “Get on.”

Ying Chenlin froze.

You Su added, “Unless you plan to run there on your own?”

-＊-

At the abandoned Slared Management Bureau, the entire Frontier Army was urgently meeting to discuss the optimal detonation site for the heavy weaponry. The failure of the high-altitude jump points rendered the nearest transmission point for the weapon unusable. Given the current timeframe, the person transporting the weaponry would likely not return. Wei Changyang volunteered to escort the weapon, though his request was met with strong opposition from many in the high command.

No one wanted to risk lives unnecessarily if it could be avoided.

“But right now, we have no other options,” Wei Changyang said calmly over the video conference. “Within the next half hour, this is all we can do.”

“The weapon’s explosion can be preset to a fixed location, but you’ll have less than ten minutes to escape—far too little time for you to jump out.” Another Third Star Domain Frontier Army officer spoke solemnly, “Our defense systems won’t hold long enough for you to get out; do you understand that, Wei Changyang?”

“Sacrifice is sometimes inevitable.” Wei Changyang’s tone remained calm. “Years ago, to deal with Chronos, General You adopted the same approach. She was right: Chronos cannot be allowed to survive. An S-Level Chronos was challenging enough back then, and this one is beyond S-Level.”

“We all understand that, Wei Changyang. But we lost General You because of that last-ditch effort. Now you’re suggesting the same thing. What happens if you’re lost too?” the Third Frontier Army officer asked. “If someone must go, it should be me. You have the most combat experience with Chronos, and you shouldn’t be the one to make this sacrifice.”

The dire situation was evident to all in the command room linked by the video feed.

Li Jingyan, watching the operation meeting, felt his heart grow heavy. He looked toward an elderly man beside him. “Lao Qiu, is there really no way to handle Chronos without such a devastating outcome?”

“Chronos is immensely powerful,” Lao Qiu replied, closing his eyes. “It’s the strongest Super S-Level pollutant recorded by the Star Alliance to date.”

“The Third Star Domain’s decision to act is unsurprising; protecting the Star Alliance’s citizens always comes first in Frontier Army protocols,” Lieutenant Lu explained, noticing Li Jingyan’s concern. “I heard about Chronos’ attack a few years ago, since the First Star Domain participated as well.”

“That was almost eleven years ago,” Lieutenant Lu continued. “When Chronos’ detection report emerged in the Third Star Domain, it happened to be during joint military exercises between the two domains.”

During the joint exercise, they encountered this unusual pollutant, which led to significant Frontier Army casualties. Despite the scale of the joint exercise, neither Star Domain initially requested support, opting to engage Chronos on-site. But Chronos, possessing an abnormal time ability, swiftly turned the situation disastrous. Before anyone realized it, casualty reports were already coming in.

“Yes, due to a misjudgment regarding this unique pollutant, soldiers from both domains’ Frontier Armies lost their lives. Eventually, a Third Star Domain Frontier Army auxiliary—rumored to be a powerful mercenary mecha pilot—approached Chronos with heavy weaponry,” Lieutenant Lu recounted. “The initial plan was for her to place the weapon near Chronos’ nest and then withdraw, but in the end, the detonation occurred before she could escape.”

“She didn’t make it?” Li Jingyan asked, stunned.

“Correct,” Lieutenant Lu replied. “Neither her remains nor any trace of Chronos’ death were ever found.”

“The peculiar nature of the time ability makes Chronos exceptionally adept at evasion. Only a very close-range detonation can lower its chances of escape,” Lao Qiu said with a heavy sigh. “I understand Wei Changyang’s thinking. The Slared Defense Line is even tighter than a Frontier Contaminated Zone’s. In such a confined space, though Chronos might’ve evaded at the frontier, in Slared, it’s not as easy. This may be the closest we’ve come to killing Chronos, and Wei Changyang wants to reduce variables by placing the weapon as close to it as possible.”

“So as long as it’s close to the underground base, that should be enough?” a mechanic aboard the starship asked. “The two ice caves are buried under the avalanches. If we’re looking for the closest point, isn’t there a place even closer directly below the Slared Snowy Mountains Base Station?”

Li Jingyan heard this and asked, “What do you mean?”

“The Frontier Army must have considered this point,” Old Qiu didn’t deny the mechanic’s statement. “The base station’s underground area indeed has deeper and more suitable locations. But have you thought about one problem? Once the explosion occurs within the base station, the detonation point will be within the base station’s defense zone. This will weaken the power of the heavy weaponry and also affect the top-level defense system supported by the base station.”

Detonation of heavy weaponry occurs almost instantaneously. The distance from the base station doesn’t matter, as the base station will be engulfed in the blast just as quickly. 

However, the key lies in the sequence of events. The base station is a critical node in supporting the top defense system. The outermost layer of the base station has a small defense system that can delay its destruction by about ten seconds compared to the surrounding area. This critical ten seconds allows the defense system to withstand the initial, most significant blast, extending its operational duration.

“If we detonate it in the base station’s underground area,” Lao Qiu contemplated, “it’s not impossible, but there’s not enough time. Without sufficient time to adjust the energy flow of the base station’s defense system, we cannot ensure it will sustain the extended duration.”

If they had more time, they could redirect the energy flow of the base station’s defense system, contracting its protection inward and enabling the heavy weaponry to detonate deep underground. This way, the base station could last the crucial ten seconds, neither disrupting the operation of the defense system nor compromising the weapon’s effectiveness.

But the problem is a lack of time. Adjusting the energy flow requires the involvement of base station personnel, and there’s no time for the personnel to jump for modifications at this stage. 

The highest-level of the defense system has limited endurance. The constant assault from pollutants was straining it, and although reinforcements from the Star Alliance were expected within half an hour, they didn’t have enough time to distribute energy to all the base stations. The situation was eerily reminiscent of the desperate decision made eleven years ago—if they want to eliminate Chronos, this was the only method left.

As the rescue ship reached the jump point, the heavy weaponry was already next in line for transport. The defense system had only 35 minutes left to hold.

On the rescue ship carrying wounded soldiers from the Frontier Army, the medical staff conducting patient registration noticed discrepancies during data verification. “Wait, why are two mecha pilots from the Dawn Galaxy missing?”

“Which two!?” another soldier exclaimed.

“KID Trace and Sink,” the medic replied. “No sign of them!”

At the Slared Snowy Mountains base station, You Su was carrying Ying Chenlin on his back, racing towards the base station’s energy repository. As soon as they disembarked, they were blocked by the Frontier Army, but You Su skillfully maneuvered under Ying Chenlin’s guidance toward the repository.

“Can the defense system’s energy flow be reconfigured in 10 minutes?” You Su asked while running.

“It can,” Ying Chenlin replied, his gaze landing on You Su’s left arm, where blood was still flowing from a wound. “But your injury hasn’t been treated.”

“Stop right there!” The Frontier Army spotted them and shouted urgently.

You Su glanced at the approaching soldiers and changed direction to avoid them. “I recall you once said you didn’t know how to repair base stations.”

“I learned,” Ying Chenlin said, his head resting against You Su’s shoulder. “If you mess up the defense system again, we won’t be able to afford the damages.”

Ying Chenlin had visited the Snowy Mountains Base Station once. While the others were resting, he had examined the energy repository during the mecha repairs, gaining a basic understanding of its structure. A year ago, Ying Chenlin wouldn’t have been capable of altering the energy flow of a Slared energy repository. However, during the Qiu Jin campaign, the base station staff who worked with him had explained the principles behind the defense system.

“When have I ever messed something up?” You Su asked.

Ying Chenlin: “The Qiu Jin base station’s defense system.”

You Su: “…”

Ying Chenlin had a habit of figuring things out when he didn’t understand them.

After the Qiu Jin campaign, he familiarized himself with base station operations to avoid a repeat of the situation where You Su damaged a defense system, leaving him unable to repair it.

“You Su, what if I can’t do it?” Ying Chenlin asked.

You Su didn’t slow down, evading more Frontier Army personnel as he turned into the building housing the energy repository. “I brought a mecha. If it doesn’t work, we’ll escape. If it does, we’ll reduce the casualties.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure to get you out.”

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Translator Notes

1. Hold – A large compartment below decks in a ship mainly for the stowage of cargo[↩]