Chapter 448: A Headstart
Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Hitesh_
"Zuoyan, I need a Type-E energy crystal. I"m gonna take a stab at it." w.a.n.g Tong had finished the a.n.a.lysis and realized that he needed to fix the energy source first in order to bring the METAL back to life.
"No, no, no! I thought you were going to look at it. Don"t waste the energy crystals."
"Just let me try it for once. I know what I am doing." w.a.n.g Tong said without looking at Zuoyan as the repairing work occupied him. Although this METAL had no life in it, w.a.n.g Tong felt that it was moaning to be fixed, like a patient in a hospital.
"Trust you? Tsz... Famous last words." Zuoyan shook his head. However, when he saw the genuine eagerness flicking in w.a.n.g Tong"s eyes, he gave in and handed him a crystal.
Embedding the crystal into the METAL was one of the most challenging procedures in repairing a METAL suit. Zuoyan highly doubted that w.a.n.g Tong would be able to pull it off.
"Get me some spare parts, and a mixer please" w.a.n.g Tong picked up a precipitating saw, turned it on, and sliced off the battered parts of the METAL off like a pro.
"We need to be quick. I can clean up the area around the crystal, and I need you to agitate the crystal for me. We only have three seconds." w.a.n.g Tong said without raising up his gaze from the METAL.
Zuoyan was amazed by w.a.n.g Tong"s familiarity with the repairing procedure. There was no doubt that he would be even more impressed if w.a.n.g Tong could really fix the crystal in three seconds. So far, only Tee was able to do that.
"Now!"
w.a.n.g Tong cranked up his soul energy. The key to fixing the METAL was the control of soul energy, but not its magnitude.
Zuoyan didn"t have time for second thoughts as he had to act quick. He acted out of instinct and followed w.a.n.g Tong"s instruction, agitating the crystal. Suddenly, the crystal appeared in w.a.n.g Tong"s hand without him grabbing it, and with a precise cut, w.a.n.g Tong successfully secure the crystal squarely in the socket. A golden glow emanated out of the crystal and coated the METAL. w.a.n.g Tong"s quickly finished the rest of the procedure: cutting, loosening, replacing the part, and covering it up. He had finished everything in one go like a brilliant calligrapher finis.h.i.+ng up his masterpiece.
When Tee claimed that this piece of METAL was beyond repair, w.a.n.g Tong knew that what she really meant was that without the energy crystal in place, it would be hard to start the repair. But, w.a.n.g Tong knew there were other ways. His solution was simple; he first powered the METAL with his own soul energy before he embedded the crystal.
w.a.n.g Tong heaved a sigh of relief after he finished everything. Repair using his soul energy had brought him a refres.h.i.+ng feeling. Until then, the only usage of his soul energy was to destroy. Although it was just a METAL suit, w.a.n.g Tong felt like he had saved a real person.
"Can I have some water?" w.a.n.g Tong asked, his eyes still fixated on the METAL.
"How did you do this?" A bottle of water appeared in front of him.
"Just followed the instructions on the manual. Not sure if I had done it right—Ah...Tee..." w.a.n.g Tong suddenly realized that it was Tee who had handed him the bottle.
Tee looked at w.a.n.g Tong suspiciously. This level of repair could only be successfully implemented by a level three engineer. Not only was w.a.n.g Tong able to complete it, but his speed was also much faster than anyone she had seen. What impressed Tee even more was that she knew that the METAL was already beyond repair, since its main crystal was shattered. But somehow, w.a.n.g Tong was able to bring it back to life nonetheless.
A swell of murmur rose among the engineers inside the shop; their voices were laced with respect and surprise.
Lao Jiu stared at the METAL with disbelief. He had never seen anyone able to fix anything that Tee had deemed not repairable.
Tee put the repaired METAL on her and tested it out.
"METAL"
Suddenly, a golden light shot through the METAL and lightened the entire room. Tee quickly turned the METAL off, but found herself surrounded by people.
"How was it, Tee? Did it work?"
Tee shook her head and then nodded. The promise of compensating for the expensive part due to a failed operation suddenly came over w.a.n.g Tong. He regretted acting on a whim and without consulting his wallet first.
"Tee, it worked, didn"t it? What do you mean? "
Tee looked at w.a.n.g Tong, her eyes filled with disbelief. "How did you do it, w.a.n.g Tong? How did you upgrade the METAL?"
"Upgrade?" Lao Jiu wrenched the METAL away from Tee"s hand and pressed it close to his spectacles.
"Zuoyan, which cla.s.s of crystal did you give him?"
"Its Cla.s.s E. We only carry Cla.s.s E in stock. Anything better than that will need approval."
"Yes, yes! This METAL had been upgraded! How did you do it? Unbelievable!" Lao Jiu"s face was lit up with glee.
Was it one of the miracles that the Blade Warrior was capable of performing?
"Lao Jiu, this is our business. Get out of here now. Leave all the METAL here, please."
"Tee, just let me hear what he has to say, please! I"m just curious."
"Do you want us to repair these or not?"
"Yes, yes... Ok, I will leave you guys alone."
"Ah-Lao Jiu, keep your lips sealed! w.a.n.g Tong, you come with me."
Zuoyan nudged w.a.n.g Tong and whispered, "Be...careful..." After w.a.n.g Tong and Tee disappeared behind the door, Zuoyan and his coworkers hurried to pick up the METAL, then started to study it.
…
"Grab a seat."
"Yes, ma"am."
"Haha, don"t be so serious. There is just something I need to know."
"Ask along."
"Have you learned METAL repair before?"
"No... "
"Are you telling me that you had learned METAL repairing in just the last few days?"
"Yes, and no. I have been watching you work, and I had learned a lot from you. I have a good memory, so I remembered all the procedures."
Tee lolled in her chair while scanning w.a.n.g Tong"s face for a trace of lies, but she couldn"t find any.
"So, you are a natural then. Do you mind sharing your secrets of upgrading the METAL?"
"There are no secrets. As you said, that METAL was done for, so I thought might as well giving it a boost using my own soul energy. I didn"t know it could upgrade it, hehe" w.a.n.g Tong said as he cracked a smile.
"Bang!"
Tee struck w.a.n.g Tong"s head.
"Why—"
"Don"t you dare laugh!" Tee"s voice carried an edge.
"What is it now?"
"Sigh... You have no idea how many hard working engineers have just been undermined by your natural talent. It"s not fair." Tee sighed out her resignation. She knew that even if she could understand w.a.n.g Tong"s upgrading technique, she wouldn"t be able to repeat it, since she lacked the same powerful soul energy as him.