Chapter 690: Follow me with your hands and feet!

"It's rare for people from the southern continent of the Yao world to come here... Let me confirm again, Joseph, the position you are applying for is a flying boat pilot?"

"Yes." Joseph sat upright.

"But why did you report to our maintenance station? Pilots earn much more than us, and unlike us, they don't live in the flying boat ring all year round, far away from the ground city..." The skeleton maintenance captain sitting opposite was puzzled, and his dark eye sockets looked under the paper: "Huh? It turns out that you got airsick during the test flight. What a pity."

Joseph thought to himself, if I wasn't flying sick, I would definitely go on the flying boat.

Flying boat pilots are among the three most popular professions nowadays, along with athletes and stage performers.

Athletes can constantly challenge their own limits. If they can activate the [flow state], it will be a huge help whether they continue to train or switch to other professions.

There are athletes from the Yao clan in every world. They started with "Kuafu chasing the sun", and now their running figures can be seen everywhere.

This is not a simple path of cultivation, but a basic profession with extremely high gold content. Each city provides subsidies to athletes who are willing to settle in the local area, provides them with places to exercise, and vigorously encourages the participation of all people in sports.

Stage performer is an ancient profession with a long history, which can be traced back to the earliest beast fighting era [Ale Theater]. At that time, performers took the stage to perform the Yao tribe's classic play "Death of the Devil".

Since the Green Forest Dance Company completed its tour around the world, driven by these beautiful girls, the popularity of stage performers has rapidly increased, and the income of practitioners has also shown explosive growth. In particular, young men and women have flocked to it, all dreaming of stepping onto the stage and becoming the focus of everyone's attention.

The addition of musical instruments such as the [Kekko box] has also made stage performances richer. Dance, music, drama, and live battle flags have filled the performance schedules of major theaters almost every day.

Compared with these two professions, flying boat pilots are even rarer.

Flying boats are meant to break through the boundaries of the world, to enter the void beyond the sky where there is nothing and yet it seems to encompass everything. This high-end profession that transcends the existing civilization system, is mysterious and curious, and has always been admired by people. Girls also particularly favor flying boat pilots.

Unfortunately, most of the pilots are skeleton ancestors who do not marry, so the precious pilots who are not undead are more popular.

Joseph has been an athlete (he has completed a long-distance race around the southern continent) and has danced on stage (although as a background dancer), but he ultimately wants to be a flying boat pilot.

He has been craving challenges and adventures since he was a child.

The flying boat pilot can see too many things that other people can't see, just like flying from the top of the world! Another thing is that the flying boat pilot's income is very high, very high! There is no point in taking risks without wealth feedback!

The flying boat pilot met all of Joseph's needs, including a mysterious adventure, a wealth far exceeding that of others, and the admiration and love of the girls! Relying on his excellent physical fitness, a good foundation and learning adaptability, he passed the two-and-a-half-year trainee assessment.

However, during his first cross-border flight, Joseph foamed at the mouth and his eyes rolled back. Fortunately, the experienced flying boat pilot gave him emergency treatment and he was able to land safely.

As a result, his application for employment was rejected, and the only place he could go was the maintenance station.

…

"Some people are born with dizziness from flying across borders."

Captain Skeleton expressed his understanding: "Although the maintenance station is not as beautiful as the high altitude, it is very stable here. Our daily work is to maintain the flying boat and the ground track. We eat and live at the station, which is very convenient."

"Then we have a vacation every six months, and each vacation lasts for two months. We have to stay on site all the time, and life is quite boring. But now we have the Fairy Palace, where we can go to sing and experience the feeling of returning to city life. We can also move here if we have families..."

Joseph sighed inwardly.

What can I do? Just make do with what I have.

Breaking through limits can make up for congenital defects.

The maintenance station isn’t too busy, so he has plenty of time to work out and develop his [athlete’s] abilities.

"One last question."

Captain Skeleton put down the job application in his hand and said: "The maintenance station needs stable personnel, and maintenance workers need to stay on the job for a long time. We may not have such outstanding talents, but we must have a responsible and persevering attitude. Are you really determined to join our station and become a maintenance worker who is usually far away from the ground and the city?"

"Joseph, you are an elf. Elves always love nature. No offense, I just have to be responsible for the entire site. I don't want us to welcome a new member and then he leaves us soon."

"Please don't worry."

Joseph opened his arms and said, "As you can see, I am a great elf. In the southern continent, great elves are traditionally responsible for defense and fighting. They do not have as high requirements for the environment as the elves, but most great elves stay in the south. I will definitely stick to my post and become an excellent maintenance worker."

"I see."

Looking at the Hulk in front of him, Captain Skeleton extended his hand to him: "Welcome aboard, maintenance worker Joseph. I am the stationmaster of the 77th maintenance station, Kepler. If you have any troubles or want to chat, feel free to come to me at any time. I will give you the most honest advice."

Joseph shook hands with the other's dry, bony hands.

"Joseph, you're not going to run away, are you?"

"Of course not, Captain Kepler."

They both smiled at each other.

…

On the first day at the site, Joseph wanted to run away.

Although he had planned to temper his will and physique at the maintenance station until he could overcome the cross-border dizziness, he would apply for the job of a flying boat pilot.

But this place was much more difficult than he had imagined.

First of all, the No. 77 maintenance station only has a small tower platform, and there is a circle of dormitories around the tower. Other than that, the scope of activities is limited to the track area they are responsible for on Line 4. His daily food is salted dried meat, dry wheat cakes, jam and water, and he can get one pound of fresh meat and fruit every 7 days.

The vast majority of maintenance workers are skeleton ancestors. They don’t eat or drink and have no need for food.

Joseph is the only non-undead life in the entire Maintenance Station No. 77, and the rest are all skeleton ancestors.

Normally, skeleton maintenance workers like to play collision competitions. They form two teams, line up in an array, and charge at each other at high speed. The side with a complete skeleton standing at the end wins.

No matter which team Joseph joined, it was unfair to the other team, and they couldn't tear him into pieces, so Joseph became a permanent referee. Being a referee was not a good experience. As long as the game started, he was always cursed by both sides.

Apart from his boring spare time, another difficulty for Joseph was inspecting the flying boat.

In security inspection and maintenance work, there is a link called [loop inspection].

Today's flying boat has two loops made of crystal structures, namely the [dynamic loop] and the [static loop].

[Dynamic Circuit] is responsible for transferring the energy converted by the steam furnace to every crystal structure in the flying boat, activating the element structure in each area, and finally starting the entire flying boat.

The [static circuit] stops and extinguishes the entire crystal structure system. The safe and smooth landing of the flying boat depends entirely on this circuit.

When inspecting the double circuit, because the design of the flying boat itself needs to be as small as possible and carry as little weight as possible, there is not enough space reserved for inspection and repair. This is not a problem for the skeleton ancestors, they can separate their heads and arms and put them into those gaps for inspection and repair.

But for Joseph, it was extremely difficult to do this.

He had to suck in his stomach - although he was neither fat nor muscular among the great elves and had a well-proportioned body, he could not compare with those skeletons who were completely without flesh and blood.

Every time he checked the circuit, he would get stuck at the neck or waist and it would take a lot of effort to get out.

In fact, the maintenance personnel have been protesting and demanding optimization. However, the transformation of the flying boat is expensive. Although a small number of fourth-generation flying boats have been put into operation, the vast majority of those still in service are still third-generation aircraft.

Finally, there is loneliness.

Joseph always felt that as a tough guy, he would never feel lonely. That was a problem only weak boys would encounter.

Besides, there are 14 maintenance workers in Maintenance Station No. 77, and they are all easy to talk to.

But after a year here, Joseph realized he might be wrong.

Loneliness is not being alone in a place where there is no one, it can also be being alone in a place where there are many people but feeling out of tune with the people around you.

Although he still appeared cheerful and talkative, and could chat with every colleague, when he returned to the house and looked out the window at the untouchable and distant world, he felt even more lonely and insignificant.

Some people say that the sky blocks people's eyes, so people dare not hope for too high places.

But only when he came to the track above the Yunzhong Temple and lived in the flying boat loop far away from the land, did he realize that the sky is a kind of protection for tiny lives.

Looking too directly into the sun can burn your eyes.

Staring into the endless void, the void will swallow you up.

Joseph felt a sense of insignificance and loneliness facing the infinite void, as if everything he had cared about in the past had become unimportant.

Even if he became a flying boat pilot, what would it matter? Even those great apostles on the ground who dominated an era were just a floating dust in the void.

Perhaps only God is eternal.

Life loses its meaning in the face of this boundary beyond cognition.

Joseph was depressed.

He saw other skeleton maintenance workers doing boring work, always doing their duty, and enduring the gaze from the void. If he wanted to stay here for a long time, perhaps he had to lose his life once like his colleagues, so that he could see everything clearly again.

He felt that he should leave here.

Just as Joseph was about to resign and accept the scolding from Captain Kepler, fate took a subtle turn.

It was a routine safety inspection every seven days, but the one who came was not the skeleton inspector from before, but a bright and cold red-lipped beauty. She had sharp and bright eyes, and spoke concisely, directly and clearly. Even though she was wearing the heavy safety armor required for her job, it could not hide her bright and attractive temperament.

"My name is Leah. I have been appointed as the senior safety inspector of Ring Road Line 4. From now on, I will be responsible for routine inspections of Maintenance Station 77. I hope to work with everyone to ensure safety here."

"In order to allow each area to respond more quickly, the [Flying Boat Ring Road Management Committee] has decided to install crystal lighting circuits at each maintenance station to better guide the flying boats..."

Joseph heard nothing.

His depressed heart was beating strongly and violently at this moment!

Now that neither money nor flying can make her happy, this beautiful girl has rekindled her long-dormant energy and fighting spirit.

There is no mistake in the poem, post, content, and read the book on 6, 9, and bar!

Joseph's eyes filled with tears.

This beautiful senior inspector pulled herself up when being stared at and eroded by the void.

This is no longer a question of love between a man and a woman, but a question of whether one can still hold out hope for the future and whether one still has a lingering attachment to life! When the other party was about to leave, Joseph walked over quickly: "Hello, Inspector Leah, my name is Joseph, and I'm a maintenance worker here. Nice to meet you!"

"Hello, Joseph, I wish you good luck in your work and life."

Leia smiled and waved, then lowered her head and got into the flying boat to rush to the next checkpoint.

At this time, Captain Kepler said to Joseph: "Miss Leah is very popular, but unfortunately she is seriously ill..."

Joseph was puzzled: "From what I have observed, Inspector Leah should be a vampire, right?"

Leia's sharp fangs, pale cheeks, red eyes, and dangerous flickering pupils are all characteristics of vampires.

"right."

"But don't vampires have a long lifespan? Inspector Leah is very old?"

"No, she's not very old, as far as I know."

Kepler recalled: "She was a researcher at the [Flying Boat Ring Road Management Committee] and participated in the flying boat's exploration mission to the [Demon Well]. The flying boat crashed... Although she was rescued in the end, she was eroded by the Demon Well and suffered irreversible damage. Although she has completed a blood transfusion at the [Blood Hill], I heard that this decay will gradually infect the brain."

"Liya was supposed to rest, but she insisted on coming back to work. She said her health had deteriorated seriously. She was suffering from intermittent blindness and frequent vomiting and bleeding. I don't know how long she can last."

Joseph felt bad.

Such beautiful eyes, but they can hardly see anything now.

He felt that he had to do something.

"It's probably difficult for you to meet her directly. Leah is running around everywhere. She is mainly busy repairing some technical areas of each maintenance station, and increasing the fit and linkage between the flying boat and the maintenance station. The purpose is to make the maintenance station more important... She is a workaholic." Captain Kepler said, "She will come again next week."

A week later, Joseph saw Leah again when she came for inspection.

She seemed to have become thinner, and her eyes were covered with a layer of mist. Sometimes her vision was blurred, which should be a further deterioration of her blindness. Leah was still in a hurry. Joseph managed to chat with her for a few words, and she left quickly again.

Joseph racked his brains.

What can I do?

Technology, tinkering...

He couldn't help but think that if he could make some technical improvements, he would have the opportunity to sit down and chat with the other party face to face.

Over the next month, Joseph tried various methods to solve the most troublesome double-circuit problem at work.

Use your brain! Use your hands and feet!

In order to keep his mind clear, he resumed running at high intensity, running wildly in the humanoid area of ​​the loop whenever he had time. The faster he ran, the calmer he felt and the clearer his mind became.

While running, the whole world seemed to stop. Joseph could clearly see the tracks drawn on the ground, every wrinkle of the soft leather boots under his feet, and the muscles under his outer armor pressing rhythmically against each other.

It’s flow.

The flow state that he had longed for during his athlete stage was actually initiated under such circumstances.

Joseph draws on the years of experience provided by his fellow maintenance workers, and searches for answers in his memories of his past life in the southern continent, in his short career as an athlete, and in everything he observed as a dancer...

Three months later, Joseph made a prop, which he called "magnetic probe".

This prop consists of two parts, one is the magnetic element and the other is a specially made magnetic probe.

By pulling the magnetic elements into the double loop, the flying boat can be inspected.

Magnetic elements react strongly to the probe. Anyone can clearly see the magnetic elements that are evenly adsorbed on the inner wall of the crystal on the crystal structure, and then through a simple energy transmission through the fire and steam furnace, they can see whether the magnetic elements are leaking and partially blocked, and thus judge the current status of the entire circuit.

From now on, dual-circuit detection does not need to be separated from the head, nor does it need to be stuck inside to suck the belly. Just one probe can complete it! As soon as Joseph's invention was announced, the head of the Huandao Flying Boat Management Committee, Apostle [Fahai], came in person. After confirming the capabilities of this tool on the spot, he congratulated Joseph and highly praised him.

The apostle of high status talked with Joseph for a whole day, asking for Joseph's experience and ideas and inviting him to be a researcher. Joseph did not refuse, but he asked to stay at the site because it gave him inspiration and everything - most importantly, Leah was here.

Fahai waved his hand and gave him a dual identity.

No matter the congratulations and praises from the bigwigs, or the filming and interviews from the reporters, nothing made Joseph as happy as when he met Leah.

“You’ve made something amazing.”

Leah, who was blind, smiled sincerely: "You have helped many people and made the whole ring road project take a big step forward. Thank you, Joseph!"

Joseph was finally able to shake her hand as an equal.

"…Miss Leah, is your illness incurable?"

"Ah? What do you mean there is no cure?"

"Didn't you get into trouble at the Demon Well and become terminally ill..."

"It's true that something happened, but I'm just blind. I can walk, hear, and observe the world in other ways..." Leah was stunned for a moment, gritted her teeth and said coldly: "Who said I'm going to die? Who is it?"

Joseph's head buzzed.

Spreading false information can really cause harm to others!

But...it's great!

"Miss Leah, what do you think of me?"

"You? You are very talented and have already made great achievements. I would like to learn from you."

"Then will you marry me?"

“…”

Leah thought about it carefully and said, "I don't want to."

It still doesn’t work.

It was very polite of me not to call myself a lunatic after hearing such a request.

Joseph didn't know why he said such words in a fit of anger. Maybe Miss Leah had some special attraction to him, which made his previous state invalid and filled him with motivation and enthusiasm...

"Let's start by being friends," Leah suggested.

Joseph perked up.

“Okay, okay!”

The two started out as friends but got married a month later.

Then Joseph regretted it.

(End of this chapter)