Genius Mechanic: Chapter 235.1

Slared Contaminated Zone(Territory-Wide Abnormal Move)

235.1 Relocation

Proofread by Cloud Chip Cake and An Zheee 

By the time the KID members returned to the KID base from the shopping center, it was already past midnight. Jiang Simiao’s hover car’s rear storage compartment was packed full, and there were additional items scheduled to be delivered directly to the new base on the outskirts.

Shen Xingtang was still awake and working late into the night. As soon as she stepped out of the maintenance room, she received an enormous bill forwarded by Huo Yan. Her eyebrow twitched when she noticed that Ji Qingfeng and Lin Yao had even bought four sets of bedsheets.

The KID mecha pilots were lined up in the training room, while Jiang Simiao sipped some coffee and yawned from his seat nearby.

“Buying two sets of bedsheets to alternate between, I can understand,” Shen Xingtang pointed at the bill. “But four sets? Do you think money grows on trees?”

Ji Qingfeng replied earnestly, “Tang Jie, it’s a bulk purchase deal. You need to buy 20 sets to get the discount. We could only manage by buying extra. It wasn’t worth buying individually!”

“And this?” Shen Xingtang pointed at an item on the list. “An intelligent storage cabinet?”

Lin Yao: “That one had an eight-piece set discounted by 30%.”

Shen Xingtang felt a headache coming on. She let this group of clowns buy household items, and all products that were cheap and discounted, they just bought. And if there weren’t enough items, they just bought the complete set. 

Jiang Simiao tried to ease the situation. “It’s fine. The extras can be used to furnish the new staff dormitories. We’ve got plenty of new recruits joining when we move to the new base.”

Shen Xingtang didn’t feel like scolding them anymore. She just sighed, realizing they had fallen for the enticing, addictive marketing strategies of the shopping center. Waving her hand, she dismissed them to rest.

“Xingtang, you can’t handle everything yourself. Sometimes, you just have to let them be,” Jiang Simiao commented.

Glancing at the bills and the inventory list, Shen Xingtang noticed something. “Virtual pods? Who bought that?”

Jiang Simiao: “Apparently You Su paid for those. Everyone got one.”

Shen Xingtang: “That’s excessive spending! Even if you have money, you shouldn’t waste it like that. Buying from the mall is 30% more expensive than sourcing directly from manufacturers!”

Jiang Simiao: “…That’s true. Maybe you should talk to him about it later.”

Shen Xingtang: “Why don’t you go?”

Jiang Simiao: “I wouldn’t dare.”

“Forget it, let’s not talk about this matter,” Shen Xingtang muttered, setting the bills aside. She couldn’t stand to see her team getting fleeced. Assigning Jiang Simiao to handle the finances, she turned her attention to other pressing matters. With their mechas handed over to the Dawn Alliance for repairs, their immediate concerns shifted to preparing for the base relocation and testing new weaponry. “The mechanic list will be finalized in a few days, and we’ll need to recruit more staff to help with miscellaneous tasks. More recruits mean the base’s operations will have to scale up as well.”

The purchased items were temporarily stored in the warehouse, to be moved during the relocation.

By the time Ying Chenlin reached his dormitory, it was late. He found a neatly wrapped package sitting right at his door.

He hadn’t ordered anything.

Ji Qingfeng and Lin Yao happened to pass by carrying some items. Noticing Ying Chenlin standing by his door, they asked him about it.

Lin Yao said: “Oh, that package? You Ge just picked it up and said it’s for you. I left it at your door.”

“For me?” Ying Chenlin asked, puzzled.

“Seems like it. You Ge got called away by Tang Jie and didn’t have time to tell you,” Lin Yao added.

Left with no choice, Ying Chenlin brought the package into his room. Opening it, he found it full of clothes. Thinking You Su might have made a mistake, he messaged him. After showering, he received a reply.

You Su called him directly. “The clothes are in standard sizes. The store had a buy-one-get-one-free deal. I can’t wear them, and if you don’t take them, I can’t return them.”

“It wasn’t much money. Just wear them casually.”

Ying Chenlin glanced at the dozen or so pieces of clothing at his feet. “I can’t wear them all.”

You Su lazily replied, “Rotate through them. Didn’t you say you needed new clothes during the day?”

Hearing this, Ying Chenlin had no choice but to respond, “Thanks, You Ge.”

After they chatted briefly, Ying Chenlin placed the clothes aside. Curiously, he looked up the prices of a few items, only to find they were ten times more expensive than the discounted ones he and Lin Yao had bought.

“Isn’t buy-one-get-one-free supposed to be for items of the same size?” he quietly asked Yuan.

Yuan’s key glowed faintly. “Hmm.”

In the room across the hall, You Su ended the call and tossed his light brain aside, kicking another package into a corner. He closed the page displaying information about Chronos, rubbing his temples.

Theo asked, “Did you just call Chenlin?”

You Su didn’t answer. “Is your energy fully charged?”

“You’re only separated by a door. Why call him instead of talking face-to-face?”

Theo trailed off as he glanced at the page on You Su’s light brain. “That ugly thing isn’t dead yet?”

“Wei Changyang is investigating. No results yet,” You Su replied coldly, throwing the device onto his bed. “It’d better be dead.”

—

Returning to Sirius, KID had a lot to handle.

The Dawn Galaxy’s announcement of the Star Domain Tournament quota brought a surge of attention to KID on StarNet. People even started camping outside the KID base, and their shopping spree for discounted goods managed to trend on social media. They even received a message of consolation from their younger brother base, from Gale’s Zhao Lejie.

“These guys clearly don’t know how to live properly,” Ji Qingfeng remarked. “Do they even understand what the hell being hardworking and thrifty in running one’s household is?”

Lin Yao: “Lao Zhao’s loaded!”

Ying Chenlin paid no attention to their chatter. The profit share from the online store had just been credited to his account. Previously, he had tried to transfer money to You Su for the clothes he bought, but You Su had refused to accept it. Restless by nature, Ying Chenlin couldn’t sit still. Unable to access the maintenance room or the training room, he ended up being taken out by the KID members for a bit of fun.

Over the next few days, he followed the KID team around Sirius, visiting shopping malls and material markets, and returning with a haul of items.

He also acquired a lot of materials, intending to keep them for Yuan and Theo to modify and enhance the adaptability of the mechas.

Two days later, Ying Chenlin was finally granted access to the maintenance room. His first stop was to check on the progress of the S-Grade weapons that had been co-developed with Grandpa Gu and engineers from Jianheng during the Star Alliance Special Mission.

The anomalous crystals used were already known abilities. Some new anomalous crystals obtained during the Star Alliance Special Mission were still awaiting weapon designs, but those acquired earlier in Contaminated Zones and at the Hydra auction had already been forged into weapons. Thanks to the assistance of Jianheng’s Boss Zhou, the forging process was faster than before, and the weapons had already entered the testing phase. Pending expedited approval from the Dawn Galaxy, the weapons could be ready in time for use in the Star Domain Tournament.

This batch of weapons included eight in total, all crafted from the anomalous crystals purchased at the Hydra auction.

“There’s a higher proportion of control and control release weapons in this batch,” Grandpa Gu explained as he led Ying Chenlin to the weapon display rack and pulled up some data. “The Dissipation Shield made from the Sea Coral anomalous crystal was the easiest to create. Based on your original plan, we followed the data from Huo Yan’s Devouring Shield and forged a reactive shield capable of nullifying attacks.”

The Sea Coral’s ability was [Melting]. Ying Chenlin had conceptualized a shield inspired by Huo Yan’s Devouring Shield, designed to dissipate ranged attacks and dissolve close-range strikes. The shield fundamentally worked by breaking down energy. When long-range projectiles hit the shield, their power would be rapidly dissolved, and when melee mechas with energy-charged weapons struck it, their effects would be nullified. This offered both defense and partial attack neutralization.

Grandpa Gu continued, “Huo Yan excels at using these types of tools. If he wields this shield, he’ll be able to use it even more effectively than the Devouring Shield.”

Ying Chenlin nodded. Huo Yan, known for his agility with even semi-enclosed shields like the Counter-Damage Shield, would undoubtedly handle the Dissipation Shield with great skill. “The Sea Coral was intended for him from the start.”

In addition to the Sea Coral Shield, there was also a functional weapon with the earth attribute [Spatial Force Field].

This anomalous crystal, left behind by Ying Chenlin’s father, was one of the rare special anomalous crystals. The Spatial Force Field weapon could adjust gravity, making it useful both for close-range control and long-range support by altering mecha flight speeds. This weapon was tailored for Lin Yao.

Ying Chenlin’s attention then shifted to the Green Dandelion and the Sea Monster in the distance.

Both weapons had taken shape and were in the testing phase, progressing smoothly.

“And one more,” Grandpa Gu said, leading Ying Chenlin to a semi-finished weapon further inside. “This is the dual-anomalous crystal weapon with ice and water properties. You mentioned before wanting to design this as part of a set. Was that to leverage the synergies between similar-attributed weapons? While this type of weapon system offers synergy, its range of application is rather narrow, and this set’s attack power isn’t particularly high.”

The Green Dandelion was a wood attribute, the Sea Monster was a water attribute, and the dual-element weapon before him combined the Zero Degree and Deep Water Sphere abilities with ice and water properties. Judging from the functions of the five completed weapons, it was clear that KID intended to experiment with a wood and water attributed control-focused weapon system in the future.

During the Galactic Ranking Competition, KID had suffered due to mismatched weapon combinations. Gale’s thunder-based system and YDS’s dual-control thunder and water system had both demonstrated how selecting the right weapons for different Contaminated Zone scenarios could produce exceptional results. Now, as KID prepared to leave the Dawn Galaxy and face well-equipped top-tier teams in the First Star Domain, they were likely to encounter opponents on par with Gale and YDS.

While the pilots’ skills played a significant role, relying solely on operational prowess to overcome crises wasn’t a sustainable strategy. Properly matched weapons could enhance overall performance.

Grandpa Gu recalled Ying Chenlin’s considerations when designing the weapons. Initially, he had thought the designs aimed to maximize synergy through a single elemental attribute system. However, it seemed Ying Chenlin had other plans.

“I’ve studied other Star Domain Team Battle Tournaments. Weapon systems typically fall into two categories,” Ying Chenlin explained, examining the weapon data in front of him. “One is a unified system, like pure water or fire attribute weapons, and the other focuses on functional chains between the weapons.”

KID’s previous weapon setup leaned toward a functional chain system, centering on You Su’s wind attribute and Lu Xi’s Enhancement Cannon. It prioritized functional coordination over elemental synergy. What made KID unique was the individuality of its pilots, each with a highly distinct combat style. Aside from the relatively harmonious synergy between Huo Yan and Lu Xi, the other pilots’ fighting rhythms varied significantly.

In his past life, Ying Chenlin had worked with KID when its team of pilots excelled at cohesive teamwork. This version of KID, however, was still in its infancy, with many new variables introduced since his rebirth. The pilots from his past life might not reunite with KID in this lifetime, and the weapons he had previously designed couldn’t be blindly applied to the current team.

You Su’s rhythm was the hardest to grasp, Lin Yao favored aggressive and fast-paced combat, and Ji Qingfeng was a cautious pilot with a slower tempo.

Because of these varying styles among their primary offensive pilots, forcing KID into a single-attribute system—such as wind-attribute weapons—risked erasing the team’s uniqueness and disrupting the pilots’ combat habits. Ying Chenlin wasn’t focused on pursuing the strongest weapon combinations; instead, he wanted to design weapons that would allow KID’s unconventional tempo to shine.

Grandpa Gu commented, “The wood and water attributes pair well together, but the remaining three weapons you’re working on have functions that are hard to integrate with the rest. They might even clash.”

Distinct personal styles were not unique to KID. Ying Chenlin and You Su also had highly individualized preferences. Ying Chenlin preferred fire-attribute weapons, while You Su leaned toward wind-attribute ones. Wind attribute weapons were more compatible overall, but fire attribute weapons clashed with wood and water systems, making it hard for teammates to provide effective support.

While KID’s resources had improved, their progress in weapon development had to evolve alongside the team, at KID’s pace.

Ying Chenlin’s weapon designs were tailored to each pilot’s operational habits. KID’s pilots were adapting quickly, but integration and training took time. Switching to a new weapon set didn’t instantly guarantee the same proficiency as the previous one.

This concern weighed on Grandpa Gu as well: The weapons could be produced quickly, but could the pilots train fast enough to master them?

For the designers and forgers, the challenge was to create weapons that the pilots could quickly understand and use effectively.

Ying Chenlin moved further into the room, where three more weapons were placed.

“Precisely because they’re hard to integrate, our opponents won’t be able to predict how we’ll use them,” Ying Chenlin remarked, his gaze settling on three weapons: two fire-attribute weapons and one wind-lightning hybrid. “I said I wanted to make these into a set, but it’s more than that—I want to design multiple core weapons.”

Following his gaze, Grandpa Gu observed the three unfinished weapons. The outermost one was a fire-attribute shield weapon. Further inside were two uniquely shaped weapons—one a cannon-like weapon, and the other resembling neither a cannon nor a standard firearm, it looked more like an ancient weapon commonly seen in ancient China: [Bow].

“KID’s weapon system emphasizes individual styles. Except for the Tank, any of our other five mechas can become KID’s core.”

Ying Chenlin had many ideas, but these ideas could only be further expanded once KID’s weapon arsenal was complete. He had previously discussed tactics with Jiang Simiao, and after the Galactic Tournament, a certain realization grew stronger. “Lu Xi is very strong. She can keep up with You Su’s rhythm. We’ve previously built a three-pronged support strategy around her, where she acted as the control core, managing multi-line operations.”

“During the Star Alliance Special Mission, I heard Huo Ge talk about GBK’s captain Claude and his assassination style. Ji Qingfeng is cautious in his attacks. With him at the center, we can develop an assassination strategy.” Ying Chenlin’s gaze shifted to the Siren anomalous crystal. “Then there’s Lin Yao’s fast-paced close combat, You Su’s long-range attacks… and also an endurance strategy centered around the Medical.”

In team battles, the greatest fear is having the team’s core strategies thoroughly studied and targeted.

This is one of the hardest challenges in team battles—if one person is targeted, the entire team might suffer.

Ying Chenlin believed that for KID to move out of the First Star Domain, the most crucial aspect was to diversify their core strengths.

In tactical terms, this meant evolving from single-core or dual-core strategies to a more perfected multi-core approach.

If you're enjoying the story don't forget to support the author! You can also support me on KOFI for site maintenance, raws purchase or as an energy boost~ 

Join discord to get notified whenever a new chapter is uploaded since I'm  incapable of keeping up with a schedule~