Genius Mechanic: Chapter 89

Qiu Jin Grand Canyon Contaminated Zone (Black Hole)

89. Lively

Proofread by Cloud Chip Cake and An Zheee

Jiang Simiao explained, and only then did Ying Chenlin understand how the Black Hole’s eruption affected other Contaminated Zones.

The chaos stemming from the Black Hole began with its death. On that day, the detonation of the heavy weapons incinerated the entire Black Hole, along with the pollutants surrounding the Qiu Jin Contaminated Zone. Both the Management Bureau and the Mecha Alliance thought the matter had concluded, but not long after, S-class reports were detected in other Contaminated Zones.

The appearance of S-class reports in Contaminated Zones was generally considered normal; the Dawn Galaxy experiences several reports of S-level pollutants every year.

However, when multiple S-class reports appeared in one Contaminated Zone, various Contaminated Zone management authorities realized that something was amiss. These pollutants had emerged overnight, in more than one location. This information was reported to the Dawn Mecha Alliance, which, upon investigation, connected all these anomalies to the Black Hole.

The Qiu Jin Management Bureau had previously collected the energy characteristics of the Black Hole. They compared this energy signature with the historical abnormal magnetic fields in other high-risk Contaminated Zones in Dawn. This was when they discovered the issue.

The Black Hole, being a free-roaming Super-S-level pollutant capable of traversing the Star Alliance’s defense system, had passed through many Contaminated Zones before being discovered in Qiu Jin. It had undergone various abnormal magnetic field emissions in more or less every other Contaminated Zone.

When the Black Hole exploded this time, it triggered abnormalities in these emission channels.

Just as the Black Hole could open several emission channels in the Qiu Jin Contaminated Zone, now it released them all at once through a single explosion.

Huo Yan said, “According to the Alliance’s explanation, the Black Hole actually exists in a space with chaotic magnetic fields, which is why it can break through the Star Alliance’s observation system. In simple terms, its core lies in the turbulent magnetic fields. We were able to kill it because its core was in Qiu Jin at the time.”

Lin Yao, “And now, after its explosion, it’s excreting in all directions.”

“Dispelling pollutants, what’s with the talk of ‘discharge’? Keep it civil. When we bombed the Black Hole, no one could have imagined that this thing wouldn’t stay dead,” Jiang Simiao explained. Following this, Ji Qingfeng continued, “Our Dawn League has always treated high-risk Contaminated Zones as arenas for competitions. Now, with multiple S-class reports emerging, the Alliance is conducting a comprehensive investigation into all Contaminated Zone issues this week.”

Ying Chenlin understood from their explanations what had happened.

The appearance of the Black Hole in Qiu Jin was probably because its core happened to be in Qiu Jin when it was activated. If KID hadn’t blasted that mountain, the core would have drifted with the changes in magnetic fields. Eventually, it would have opened up in the FS Contaminated Zone, causing irreparable losses and casualties. The Black Hole was like a timed bomb; it’s just that this bomb was prematurely detonated in the Dawn Galaxy.

“This time, Qiu Jin suffered heavy losses. It won’t be usable as a Competition-level Contaminated Zone for at least ten years,” Jiang Simiao said. “The suspension of matches is a minor issue; the most challenging part now is dealing with these pollutants. We can’t just throw heavy weapons into every Contaminated Zone; that would waste the zones. The Frontier Army’s mission is to guard the Frontier, and they can’t be helping us solve problems all the time. So, the task of clearing falls on the Mecha Alliance.”

“We can’t compete for now. Mecha teams have to clear pollutants, and the impact is not only on our galaxy but also on several Contaminated Zones in neighboring star domains affected by the Black Hole,” Huo Yan said. “The Alliance is urgently adjusting its response strategy. It’s said that Chairman Li was called to the Star Alliance headquarters for a meeting and hasn’t returned yet.”

When Ying Chenlin heard about Li Jingyan, he paused slightly and asked, “Is there a problem?”

“No problem. We handled the Black Hole incident quite splendidly in the Dawn Galaxy. The Chairman probably received praise, right?” Jiang Simiao said. “It seems there are other matters too, but we’re not clear on them now. After all, we, the mecha teams who participated in Qiu Jin, are still on vacation. Everyone’s mechas aren’t repaired yet, so we’ll leave the rest to the Alliance.”

The chaos caused by the Black Hole’s eruption was temporarily beyond their consideration. They would deal with it once the leaders finished their worries.

After discussing the Black Hole matter, everyone’s gazes turned to Ying Chenlin.

The man sitting on the hospital bed couldn’t lift his right hand, looking frail and sickly. His appearance now made it difficult to associate him with a certain formidable identity.

Ying Chenlin was still reading the post-event reports about the Black Hole on StarNet when he suddenly noticed the surrounding gazes. “What’s wrong?”

Ji Qingfeng couldn’t help but glance at the keys placed on the nearby table. “You’re asking that? Before your retirement, you had such a prestigious and powerful identity. If it weren’t for this Contaminated Zone incident, we wouldn’t have known that the Sink guy mentioned on StarNet as having gone to inherit his family wealth is actually earning a salary of 8,000 per month at our base.”

Ying Chenlin paused at the words. “I mentioned this to Tang Jie last time. I even wanted to show her my professional certificate, but she declined.”

The others from KID: “?”

Ji Qingfeng looked at Jiang Simiao, “Is this true?”

Jiang Simiao: “…It seems like it is.”

The child was too obedient, telling them everything they asked about, almost revealing everything.

Shen Xingtang, being a cunning old fox, didn’t even dare to inquire further, and Jiang Simiao, under normal circumstances, would never ask. However, when carefully compared, every detail mentioned by Ying Chenlin before matched with Sink – an Individual Soldier pilot, underage retirement… but no one had connected the dots.

Moreover, how could this match up? They hired the Star Alliance’s top Individual Soldier pilot for 8,000 credits to work as a mechanic!?

Even a fool wouldn’t believe that statement, and they were not fools.

“When Xingtang returns, this salary has to be increased,” Jiang Simiao said.

If they didn’t raise it, once the netizens found out, their base station would be flooded with criticism sooner or later.

With an 8,000-credit contract, Shen Xingtang dared to say that Ying Chenlin would still sign it.

Lin Yao chimed in from the side, “I saw your moves from last season; it was super cool!!”

Lu Xi nodded, “Me too!”

Ji Qingfeng pulled the wheelchair himself, squeezing in front, “Save me a spot!”

The whole ward was filled with excitement, continuing until the half-hour visiting time was up. The others from KID reluctantly left.

After everyone left, Ying Chenlin lowered his head slightly. His right hand still lacked strength, and he felt a weight that couldn’t be expressed. From the time he woke up until now, neither the doctor nor the others mentioned his condition, which made him somewhat uneasy.

As he was about to get out of bed, he suddenly heard a familiar voice.

“What are you doing getting off the bed?! Stay in bed properly.”

Ying Chenlin raised his head and saw a familiar figure, “…Xun Bao? Why are you here?”

Xun Bao came in carrying a fruit tray. He placed the tray down and sternly said, “Do you have the nerve to ask me what happened? You come to KID as a mechanic, that’s fine, but you also activate your mecha inside a Contaminated Zone? I’m busy, and there’s also the Mecha League to watch. How can you forget what you promised me initially?!”

He kept grumbling and, while doing so, took out the fruits from the tray to wash them. “If I hadn’t contacted KID’s Boss Shen and communicated with her myself, would you still tell me it’s nothing like you did before?”

Ying Chenlin: “I’m sorry.”

Dr. Wu stood beside them holding a data tablet. “He needs a good talking-to.”

Only then did Ying Chenlin notice that behind Xun Bao were two other people – one was Dr. Wu, who performed the surgery on him, and the other was an unfamiliar man.

“Don’t give me that look. I rushed over as soon as I received the message. Do you know how dangerous your situation was this time?”

Dr. Wu looked at him helplessly. “With a body like this, you still dare to operate an S-class mecha?”

Ying Chenlin looked at him, puzzled. “What happened to my hand?”

“Nothing much, just when you operated the mecha under heavy load, the pressure caused all the metal nerves inside your mechanical limb to break.”

Dr. Wu noticed his expression and, recalling the situation when he came over to treat Ying Chenlin, felt a bit scared. “Because of this, the Frontier Army doctor and I had to reconnect all the metal nerves inside your right arm. Among all my patients, you are the first one to break mechanical nerves.”

Ying Chenlin lowered his head, looking at his own arm. “All of them broke…?”

“Isn’t that impressive? Skilled and daring.” The unfamiliar man looked at him, smiling, and said, “The first person to operate an S-class mecha with a B-level physique. I have high hopes for you.”

Noticing the unfamiliar voice, Ying Chenlin looked at the young man.

The man didn’t have the typical appearance of a Chinese person; he had a high nose bridge and shining golden hair. He looked like he was in his thirties.

“This is Dr. Eric, the new doctor at the base station, who your boss mentioned. He has been learning about your condition from me these past few days,” Dr. Wu said, looking at Eric, then added, “He’s already an A-level physique.”

“Upper limit A, lower limit B, but in reality, his basic physique is still B-level.” Eric looked at Ying Chenlin, smiling, and said, “Don’t listen to his terrifying words about all the mechanical nerves breaking. Let me tell you some good news – your mental power has undergone a similar change.”

Dr. Wu corrected him, “What do you mean by a change? That’s a breakthrough in the upper limit.”

Ying Chenlin looked at them, puzzled.

“More or less. With such a range, it’s indeed a kind of change.” Dr. Eric continued, “Didn’t we just say that your physique has a range from B to A? During your coma, we conducted a detailed examination and found that your mental power actually experienced a range change quite a while ago.”

Dr. Wu came to the ward for a reason…

Dr. Wu explained this matter to Ying Chenlin, “You’ve had many examinations before, and each time, there was a wavelength not belonging to an A-level mental power. Do you remember?”

Ying Chenlin remembered; the doctor would always mention this wavelength during each mental power examination. Moreover, with each examination, this wavelength became increasingly apparent. “I remember. You mentioned a range for mental power…?”

“Yes, this type of mental power wavelength belongs to one of the weaker ones of the S-level range. It’s rare and almost never occurs. The doctor who examined you at the time thought it was an abnormal symptom due to your gene surgery.”

Dr. Wu continued, “But in reality, it’s not. It’s a very weak S-level mental power wavelength, exceptionally rare among those with S-level mental power. It also differs from your S-level mental power intensity before the surgery.”

“In other words, you’ve experienced an S-level wavelength, and currently, you exhibit an A-level manifestation. However, this is contradictory. With this recent instance of piloting an S-level mecha, we discovered residual S-level mental power inside the S-class mecha you operated. That’s when we thought about this.” Dr. Wu said, “In fact, your mental power advanced before your physique, ranging from A to S.”

Dr. Wu didn’t know how to explain the situation; he hadn’t expected to find a problem with mental power when he received the report about the AB dual-zone physique. Such a situation wasn’t recorded in the existing medical records for postnatal advancement in mental power or physique.

Ying Chenlin was the patient with the most complicated recovery situation under him. After discussing with the experienced Frontier Army doctor, they concluded that this situation could only be related to his original dual S-level talent.

“After gene surgery, a decline in both mental power and physique is normal. Generally, there’s no possibility of recovery because genes are a factor that affects both your mental power and physique.” Dr. Wu pondered before saying, “Now, it seems like your current special condition is likely related to the genetic disease.”

When Ying Chenlin heard the news, he thought it was bad news. However, listening to Dr. Wu’s explanation now, it didn’t seem entirely bad. “Can my mental power reach S-level?”

“Yes,” Dr. Wu corrected immediately, “But don’t act recklessly. We’re just analyzing based on your current situation. Other aspects can only be recorded and analyzed after your mental power changes post-discharge. This task will be handed over to Dr. Eric.”

Ying Chenlin looked at the blonde doctor in front of him. He remembered that Shen Xingtang said this doctor was her friend but had a peculiar temperament. He nodded slightly towards Dr. Eric, who continued to smile at him.

After a while, Dr. Wu and Dr. Eric returned to the ward to discuss the patient’s condition.

Dr. Wu was not from Sirius and came to the hospital on official business only because of Chairman Li’s request, staying for only two weeks. He needed to hand over all the information to the new doctor at KID’s mecha base.

He earnestly advised, “Mr. Eric, you can’t encourage that kid, Ying Chenlin, to act recklessly.”

“How can you say it’s acting recklessly?” Eric closed the ward door and glanced at the two people talking inside, saying, “You’re treating him too delicately; he’s not as fragile as you think. And, isn’t this good news?”

“Breaking through after adversity, it’s a miracle.”

“I enjoy appreciating miracles, and I also enjoy creating miracles.”

As the ward door closed, Xun Bao peeked at Dr. Eric as he walked away before saying, “I keep feeling like the way that doctor speaks is strange, and he doesn’t seem very reliable. But Dr. Wu seems very respectful towards him.”

Ying Chenlin was eating the fruit prepared by Xun Bao. “It’s a bit sweet.”

“Of course, I specially brought it from the Mingguang Star Belt. Didn’t you love eating this when you were a child?” Setting aside the discussion about the doctor, Xun Bao suddenly remembered something and handed a note to Ying Chenlin. “Oh, by the way, when I was coming over, I met a mecha pilot from your mecha base. He asked me to give this to you.”

Ying Chenlin was puzzled. “From our mecha base?”

Xun Bao replied, “The tall one, always fond of attacking teammates.”

Ying Chenlin wondered if it was from You Su. He took the note and, upon opening it, saw the words inside.

He was momentarily stunned and looked at the black and red mecha key on the table beside him, his eyes filled with emotions.

Xun Bao noticed him looking at Yuan’s key. “What does the note say?”

Ying Chenlin whispered, “It’s good news, very good news.”

—

In the Mecha Alliance of the Star Alliance, numerous Mecha Alliance leaders from the five major Star Domains attended the meeting. As the conference concluded, leaders from various Galaxies walked out of the spacious conference room, chatting as they moved.

Several Mecha Alliance leaders couldn’t help but glance at Li Jingyan, who was leading the way. They couldn’t resist adding a few comments while discussing among themselves.

Also, due to the extraordinary achievements of the Dawn Galaxy where Li Jingyan was located, the First Star Domain received repeated praises from the Star Alliance Headquarters in this conference. The Chairman of the First Star Domain Mecha League, benefiting from this glory, had a continuous smile on his face.

It’s important to note that the performance of the First Star Domain Mecha League in the entire Star Alliance was quite ordinary, even considered the bottom, with the Dawn Galaxy being among the least competitive within the First Star Domain. The act of killing a Super S-level Black Hole was truly shocking. Initially, the leaders of other Galaxies were waiting for the Dawn Galaxy to actively seek assistance from other Galaxies after seeing the reports on StarNet. Only then could they rightfully mobilize resources from the Dawn Galaxy.

The Dawn Galaxy usually had relatively meager resources, but this Super-S-level Black Hole brought so many S-level resources to Dawn, making even the most resource-rich star domains jealous.

However, to everyone’s surprise, the Dawn Galaxy did not seek help from anyone. In the end, it depended entirely on the mecha pilots at the bottom of Dawn who killed the Black Hole. It was a super S-level Black Hole, and they managed to kill it in less than five days. To put it into perspective, the last time a Super S-level pollutant appeared in the Second Star Domain, it took a full 15 days to eliminate it.

“Five days. If there weren’t video records on StarNet, I would have thought that Dawn was lying.”

“Dawn’s performance in the League last year didn’t seem great either. They had an Individual Soldier champion, Sink, who unexpectedly retired, and their team results were also a mess. Being able to kill a Black Hole is indeed bewildering.”

“Most importantly, there are no death records. I’ve seen some video data, and such results are truly baffling.”

“Because of this incident, the Star Alliance has advanced that initiative…”

During the discussions, several leaders walked by and chatted with Li Jingyan.

In the end, it seemed like Li Jingyan refused, and walked away with a cold face.

Dawn’s actions this time were too eye-catching, and the riots caused by the Black Hole affected many high-risk Contaminated Zones within the Dawn Galaxy. Some ordinary Contaminated Zones also experienced abnormal magnetic field conditions due to the explosion of the Black Hole.

The Black Hole had covered the Dawn Galaxy for a long time. Its disappearance caused disturbances in the Contaminated Zones that were originally influenced by it.

If not for this, Li Jingyan wouldn’t have come to the Alliance to submit the report on the suspension of the Dawn Galaxy’s Mecha League.

Their mechas suffered extensive damage, and even if the internal Galaxy League in Dawn were to conclude, the subsequent Star Domain and Star Alliance competitions would be a significant challenge for Dawn.

The decision to suspend was made after internal discussions among multiple mecha bases in Dawn. Regardless of the performance, Dawn always prioritized the mecha pilots.

Why not take this opportunity to provide more training opportunities for the mecha pilots within Dawn?

The turmoil caused by the Black Hole this time might not necessarily be a disaster. It also brought unprecedented resources to Dawn.

During this conference, many chairpersons of other galaxies came to discuss with him. It was nothing more than seeing Dawn’s current decline and expressing the willingness to cooperate. In reality, they wanted their mecha pilots to be stationed there to obtain S-class resources.

Li Jingyan couldn’t agree. The resources for their mecha pilots in Dawn could be handled internally, and he wouldn’t allow them to be given to others.

Seeing the others walk away, Li Jingyan lowered his eyes slightly, looking at the light brain in his hand. The main page displayed several lines of text:

[Regarding the restructuring of the Star Alliance Team Mecha League…]

He thought to himself, hoping to buy more time for their mecha pilots.

Time passed quickly. Chenlin stayed in the medical station for a whole month. During this month, people came to visit him every day. As the doctors requested him not to overwork, apart from the rehabilitation for his right hand, he could only browse various news on StarNet every day.

During this period, KID’s mecha pilots also went on a mission, and when they returned, they brought back two S-grade anomalous crystals.

When his right hand recovered almost completely, he finally got permission to leave the hospital, and KID’s mecha pilots rushed back.

When settling the medical expenses, he learned that the expenses had already been settled by Shen Xingtang.

Jiang Simiao said, “It’s all under the base’s public account. This is a work injury. She specifically instructed me to tell you not to repay it.”

Ji Qingfeng said, “Rest assured, Tang Jie is more savvy in saving money than I am. Everyone in our base has purchased special insurance.”

He continued, “But Tang Jie was a bit surprised. The base had bought you insurance for a mechanic before, but not for a mecha pilot. It turns out your original insurance was the lowest tier?”

“Yeah,” Ying Chenlin replied. “Back when I was an Individual Soldier soldier and hadn’t joined the Mecha Base, I was young and didn’t think too much about it.”

Lin Yao looked at him in confusion. “Ah? Aren’t you still only 19 now?”

Ying Chenlin paused and nodded, “Yeah.”

You Su looked at him, and his eyebrows twitched slightly at Lin Yao’s words.

“Oh, by the way, the boss also arranged a bunch of medical insurance for you. The cost is quite substantial.” Lin Yao exaggeratedly gestured with his hands, “Just short of buying insurance for your hair!”

Ying Chenlin calculated the money in his mind and realized it was another significant expense. His wallet hadn’t seen any income for a long time.

The group returned to the base happily. When they entered the base, Ying Chenlin saw two familiar faces.

An old man was busy in the maintenance room, and beside him, a diligent young boy was trying hard to handle materials and tools. Faintly, they could hear Grandpa Gu scolding his grandson.

During his hospital stay, Ying Chenlin heard from Shen Xingtang that two new assistants had joined the maintenance room. He hadn’t expected these two newcomers to be the Gu grandpa and grandson.

“Grandpa Gu came over when he was discharged. Xingtang posted a mechanic apprenticeship recruitment notice outside, and Grandpa Gu brought Gu Xiaotian over, saying he didn’t want a salary, just food and accommodation.” Jiang Simiao, watching the busy figures in the maintenance room, explained, “Tang Jie said it wouldn’t work, and in the end, they gave him the standard wage according to the recruitment standards.”

Huo Yan smiled, “Haha, but it’s true. Our boss is too thrifty, and there aren’t many apprentices applying.”

“The old man’s skills are pretty good. He’s been helping with mecha repairs during this time and has been a great help.”

You Su tilted his head and noticed that Ying Chenlin had already walked a few steps into the maintenance room.

Grandpa Gu, who was busy, noticed the movement behind him. Just as he turned around, he saw a somewhat unfamiliar young man.

Before Grandpa Gu could speak, the young man had already extended his hand.

“Hello, I’m Ying Chenlin.”

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