The shop owner suspected that Yun Xingze was sent by a competitor—who would ever cut the price down to one-tenth? After getting scolded, Yun Xingze not only didn’t leave, he shamelessly kept bargaining, trying to convince the owner that he was just a student who loved mechas but had no money. At first, the owner thought he was lying, but Yun Xingze’s eyes were clear and sincere, and he spoke so earnestly that the owner gradually softened.
Yun Xingze kept talking until his throat went dry and finally managed to bring the price down to 150,000. The owner wiped the sweat off his round head and said helplessly, “I really can’t go any lower, kid. Please spare me…”
Yun Xingze knew this was the lowest price the owner could offer. But he only had 100,000-star coins—he was still 50,000 short. After thinking for a moment, Yun Xingze gritted his teeth and said, “Alright, 150,000 it is. But I don’t have that much money right now. Please hold this mecha for me. I’ll come back in a few days. Thank you, sir.”
The owner looked at the serious and determined look in Yun Xingze’s eyes. Instead of being angry, he suddenly smiled. “You’re pretty interesting.”
Usually, people who bargain also say things like “I really love this mecha,” but it’s just polite talk. However, Yun Xingze’s eyes were full of genuine passion and determination.
“Please, sir, you must keep it for me.” Yun Xingze stared at the owner, looking like he wouldn’t leave unless he agreed. “Don’t sell it to anyone else.”
The owner laughed and cried at the same time. “Alright, alright, I promise. Just leave me your contact information.”
Only then did Yun Xingze relax. He shook the owner’s hand and thanked him repeatedly before leaving the underground third level.
Even though he had secured the mecha, Yun Xingze didn’t feel any more relaxed. The registration for the mecha tournament only lasted one week, which meant that if he couldn’t raise the remaining 50,000 within that time, he would miss his chance.
For Yun Xingze, the tournament was a perfect opportunity—not only could he enjoy the thrill of mecha battles, but he could also study other people’s mechas. He couldn’t miss it.
After returning to school, Yun Xingze lay on the dormitory couch and searched the internet for quick part-time jobs. He browsed everything from search engines to the campus forum, until a post on the forum caught his eye. It read:
“To the users of Starsea Mecha Help Network:
Can those who don’t know how to fix mechas please stop taking orders?! My mecha’s left arm was just a little stiff, but the idiot who took the job dismantled the entire arm and now can’t put it back. Is this guy a spy from another military school?”
Yun Xingze read the post carefully and learned that aside from the campus forum, Starsea Military Academy also had a website called the “Starsea Mecha Help Network.” Since repairs at mecha shops were expensive, the school encouraged students to help each other on this site. Students who knew how to fix mechas could register as repair workers and accept jobs.
This also gave poor students a way to earn money. Because prices were lower, many students with broken mechas would post their problems on the site. But if you were unlucky, you might run into situations like the one in the post.
Fixing mechas to earn money?
Yun Xingze sat up from the couch and quickly opened the help network site. He skimmed through the page and saw many repair orders from students. He tried registering as a repair worker. Aside from submitting ID information, he also needed to scan a mecha repair toolbox.
Toolboxes cost anywhere from 1,000 to 20,000-star coins and came with a few basic materials. He gritted his teeth and bought a toolbox worth a little over 1,000 on a shopping app.
About twenty minutes later, a delivery drone arrived at his dorm. After receiving the toolbox, Yun Xingze scanned it and successfully registered. Then he began looking for repair orders.
The jobs varied—some were routine checks, some involved broken parts. Prices also varied by difficulty. Yun Xingze wanted a high-paying one but was disappointed to find most were very cheap. Just as he was about to settle for a small job, he noticed an unclaimed order… for 40,000-star coins?!
His eyes widened, and he clicked on it without thinking. The requester only asked for routine maintenance and an elbow modification. Modification jobs were usually expensive, but 40,000? That meant the client was rich!
But… why hadn’t anyone taken it?
Curious, Yun Xingze checked it out and saw it had a lot of views. He opened the mecha preview—it was all black and looked familiar. Tilting his head, Yun Xingze thought for a while and suddenly realized—it looked just like the one projected above the training center!
Could it be Luo Wenchuan’s mecha?
But Yun Xingze didn’t care whose mecha it was. He needed the money. Even if it belonged to the royal family of the Interstellar Empire, he was taking it.
The system’s soft voice asked, “Confirm acceptance of this repair order?”
After Yun Xingze confirmed, the partnership was established. Soon, a message popped up:
[Anonymous User]: “Are you sure you’re taking this job?”
[FixItWithMe]: “Yes.”
[Anonymous User]: “On-site?”
[FixItWithMe]: “Either is fine.”
[Anonymous User]: “Then meet at the clearing behind the school’s grove. 8 a.m. tomorrow.”
[FixItWithMe]: “No problem.”
The next morning, Yun Xingze arrived early at the clearing behind the grove, toolbox in hand. The area was one of the few open spaces on campus where students often came to fix mechas.
Soon, a tall Alpha with light brown hair appeared. When he saw Yun Xingze, he froze.
The Alpha walked up and scratched his head. “Hey, have you seen a mecha repair worker around here?”
“That’s me.” Yun Xingze pointed to his toolbox. “ID is ‘FixItWithMe.’”
The Alpha turned around and left.
“Hey! Why are you leaving?” Yun Xingze quickly chased after him. “I really can fix mechas! I’m not lying!”
He had spent over a thousand star coins on that toolbox. If the job was canceled, he’d have to wait a full day to take another one. That meant he’d lose money on his first try!
Desperate, Yun Xingze blocked the tall Alpha’s path. “Come on, big guy, don’t go. Let me try. I have more than ten years of mecha repair experience…”
“You mean scamming experience?” The guy looked expressionless. “You’re an Omega, and you can fix mechas?”
“Why can’t Omegas fix mechas? What does gender have to do with it?”
The Alpha looked even more annoyed. His name was Ke Lei. A few days ago, he posted the job on behalf of his roommate. He raised the price several times, but no one dared take it. Last night, someone finally accepted the order. With a clean ID and direct responses, it seemed like a real pro had taken the job. Ke Lei was happy for hours.
Who knew the person was a pale, soft-looking Omega?
“Move,” Ke Lei said, walking into the woods. As he walked, he messaged his roommate:
[Ke Lei]: “Da Chuan, I met a scammer. Definitely not a real repair worker…”
Right after he sent it, someone grabbed his hand.
It was the first time Ke Lei had ever been pulled by an Omega. His face turned bright red, and he quickly shook it off. “We’re just a lonely Alpha and Omega here—this is really not appropriate!”
Yun Xingze said anxiously, “Just trust me once. You haven’t paid yet. If I mess up, you don’t have to pay.”
Ke Lei hesitated. He’d been looking for a repair worker for a while, and this guy at least had a toolbox—maybe he did know something?
Yun Xingze used his trump card: “You’re already here.”
Looking into Yun Xingze’s sincere eyes, Ke Lei somehow agreed. He took out a black mecha cube and handed it over. “Fine. Try it.”
Just then, Ke Lei’s smartwatch received a message:
[Luo Wenchuan]: “?”
[Ke Lei]: “Never mind, you’re busy.”
Yun Xingze took out the scanner from the toolbox and scanned the mecha. A few minutes later, a holographic image appeared on his screen. Ke Lei, watching his skilled movements, started taking him seriously.
Yun Xingze analyzed the data on the screen. The routine check was done quickly. He filled out a report and sent it to Ke Lei. “It’s not a big problem. Some basic parts need replacing. I’ll handle it now.”
Ke Lei looked at the report and had to admit this Omega really knew his stuff.
Yun Xingze unfolded the mecha into a sitting position, took out a lift, and climbed up. The mid-sized mecha stood five to six meters tall when seated. It wasn’t hard to work on.
He removed the old parts and replaced them quickly. It only took about ten minutes.
While working, Yun Xingze confirmed that this was indeed the mecha from the training center’s projection, but with many modifications. It kept the general structure.
He had noticed the elbow connection was flawed. The pilot seemed to know too, and had tried modifying it but not well so they sought help online.
Yun Xingze began the real modification. As he measured and planned in his head, he knew he couldn’t build a new joint due to lack of materials, so he had to make precise adjustments.
The mecha elbow joint, much like a human’s, was a complex structure made of multiple bionic exoskeletons with elastic bands for flexibility. To improve it, the arms had to be separated and the internal framework reworked.
This kind of job was both simple and difficult. It didn’t require new materials, but the parts were closely linked, and a mistake could ruin the system. That’s why even experienced students wouldn’t dare take it.
But for Yun Xingze, it was no big deal.
He exposed the joint, identified weak points, and temporarily removed the elastic bands. Then he began shaving the radius of the joint to increase flexibility.
Just as he tapped the area with his repair knife, Ke Lei yelled, “Wait! You’re just going to start like that?! Aren’t you going to sketch it out first?!”
Yun Xingze paused. “I don’t have that habit.” He’d drawn countless diagrams and guided countless mods. His eyes and brain were enough.
“This mecha is expensive!” Ke Lei shouted from below.
Yun Xingze had no choice but to make some symbolic marks.
As Ke Lei panicked, Yun Xingze boldly began cutting, slicing off a chunk of metal.
“Crap—! It’s over! He’s doomed! Luo Wenchuan’s gonna kill him!”
Yun Xingze’s ears hurt from the yelling. He glanced at Ke Lei and thought: How is Luo Wenchuan such a big deal if he freaks out like this? Is it all about his loud voice?
Ke Lei trembled. “W-What are you trying to do…?”
Yun Xingze ignored him and kept working, tweaking joints, adjusting tension points, and moving fast—too fast for Ke Lei to see clearly. Every move was bold but precise.
When he was done, he reassembled the arms and tested them. The mecha’s forearm moved in a smooth arc, just like a human arm.
Ke Lei, shocked, watched in awe.
Yun Xingze moved on to the other arm. This time, Ke Lei didn’t stop him. He just watched, full of curiosity.
After finishing, Yun Xingze climbed down, packed up, and said, “All done. Try it out. If you’re not happy, you can come back.”
“That’s it?!” Ke Lei couldn’t believe it. “That was way too fast!”
He looked up at the joints and couldn’t tell what exactly Yun Xingze changed—just that it looked more natural, and nothing was broken.
Yun Xingze admired the mecha—it was well-designed and clearly valuable. He was itching to try it. “Hey, Luo—can I try piloting it?”
Ke Lei, still dazed, didn’t notice the slip. “No way! Absolutely not!”
Letting an Omega drive Luo Wenchuan’s mecha? That was worse than messing up the mod!
Seeing Yun Xingze’s disappointed face, Ke Lei softened. “Um, this mecha’s control level is SS… you probably can’t handle it.”
“I understand.” Yun Xingze nodded. He had forgotten that the neural link tech here was underdeveloped, and his C-level mental strength couldn’t operate high-level mechas.
Ke Lei packed up the cube and scratched his head. “Don’t be discouraged. What’s your mental level?”
“C-level.”
“That’s okay. Just train more. Getting from C to B is pretty easy. It’s the later levels that get hard. Our school has special rooms for training mental strength. If you want to pilot advanced mechas, go practice there.”
Yun Xingze nodded. He had to admit—improving his mental strength was crucial. Even if he bought that second-hand C-class mecha, he wouldn’t be satisfied. One day, he’d drive something like Luo Wenchuan’s.
Of course, improving neural tech to remove mental limits was also an idea—but that would take massive funding and research. Right now, he couldn’t afford that, so he had to start with himself.
Besides earning money, Yun Xingze now had another mission: to strengthen his mental power.
Ke Lei said he’d contact him again after testing the mecha.
As Yun Xingze left, he remembered the café waitress saying, “Luo Wenchuan is so handsome, he should be made into a statue.” He couldn’t help but wonder—he’s alright, but is he really that good-looking?
After parting ways, Ke Lei returned to his dorm with the cube and organized the mod data to send to Luo Wenchuan.
Before clicking send, he was super nervous. It felt like handing in homework to a scary teacher. He even started regretting trusting that Omega.
No one else had taken the order because everyone recognized Luo Wenchuan’s mecha. And with his icy personality and terrifying skill, who would dare touch his mecha—let alone try to improve it?
What if it was ruined?
Ke Lei grew more anxious. What was he thinking today, trusting that Omega?
Before sending the file, he confessed:
[Ke Lei]: “Da Chuan, that repair guy might not be very reliable… but his eyes were really clear, so I believed him…”
Then he finally sent the file.
Five minutes later, Luo Wenchuan received it but didn’t reply for a long time.
Just as Ke Lei was about to panic, a message appeared:
[Luo Wenchuan]: “Who modified this?”
Ke Lei’s vision darkened. From that one question, he imagined Luo Wenchuan’s fury.
He was doomed.
Luo Wenchuan was definitely going to hunt that Omega down.
