Lu Qingli sighed: "Your temper is really... Forget it, I'm too lazy to say anything to you. If you need anything, tell me, I will definitely help you. Don't save money secretly to buy these things to eat."
Xiang Fan quickly waved his hand. "Really, no need, Senior Sister. I'm already very grateful that you can take the time to chat with me. Besides, I feel very fulfilled right now, and the work is quite interesting."
"You always like to carry it all on your own." Lu Qingli's eyes were filled with helplessness. "If you encounter any difficulties, remember to tell me. Don't force yourself. Do you hear me?"
Xiang Fan nodded vigorously: "I heard it, Senior Sister."
The two chatted for a while until Lu Qingli saw Xiang Fan was so sleepy that he almost fell on the table. Then she said distressedly: "Okay, you should get some rest quickly and don't stay up too late. Remember to contact me next time and don't make me worry anymore."
Xiang Fan watched the screen fade to black and breathed a long sigh of relief, his entire body seemingly sinking into the back of his chair, exhausted yet satisfied. He casually picked up the remaining half of the steamed bun and took a bite, his mouth filled with a dry taste. Although he wasn't particular about food, the "nagging" of his senior sister seemed to have made the meal much more delicious today.
While chewing his steamed bun, he muttered to himself, "Senior Sister is still so nagging, but...it's really nice."
After dinner, he pushed open the creaking door and walked out into the courtyard. The night breeze blew, carrying the faint smell of motor oil characteristic of the Ranxing Industrial Zone. Under the distant starry sky, the faint glow of Qixing Company's giant psychic tower could be seen.
His battered mech sat quietly on the wasteland, its silhouette looking particularly lonely in the night. Xiang Fan walked forward, gently stroking the rough outer shell of the mech. His fingertips touched the mottled scratches, and a sense of familiarity inexplicably rose in his heart.
"Hey, buddy, Senior Sister told me to eat well again today." Xiang Fan said softly, as if chatting with an old friend, "How about, after we get paid, we can also improve the food? Switch to some spiritual lubricant? Or at least fix the dents on your shell?"
The mecha naturally did not respond, but just stood there quietly. However, Xiang Fan seemed to have heard its answer. He smiled and patted its alloy shoulder, then turned and went back to the house.
The next morning, Xiang Fan was woken by the alarm clock at daybreak. With his hair messy and yawning, he got up, washed his face hastily, grabbed his tool bag, and ran out.
The streets were already bustling with activity. Workers from Qixing Company were walking towards the factory in groups of two or three. Various transport mechas shuttled through the air, and psychic railcars sped by. Xiang Fan followed the crowd, his steps brisk. Although a hint of fatigue still lingered on his face, his eyes still revealed a hint of anticipation.
"Good morning, Xiao Xiang!" Engineer Hong's voice came from the door of the maintenance workshop. He was wearing a washed-out work suit and was wiping his palms covered in engine oil.
"Good morning, Engineer Hong!" Xiang Fan quickly quickened his pace and ran over to help move the parts.
In the repair shop, machines roared, heat billowed, and the air was thick with the scent of metal and psychic materials. Xiang Fan expertly moved between the various mechas and equipment, organizing parts, checking wiring, and marking damaged components, his feet constantly busy.
"Hey, Xiao Xiang, this psychic conduit looks fine, but I feel the energy flow is a bit unstable." Zhao Shi handed over a seemingly intact metal tube.
Xiang Fan took it, frowned slightly, and channeled his spiritual energy into it. After a moment, he looked up and said, "Although this pipe is not broken, the rune layer inside is damaged, and the flow of spiritual energy will be stagnant. It will be troublesome to repair it. It's better to just replace it with a new one."
Zhao Shi curled his lips and said, "It's too expensive to replace it with a new one. It can still be used after repairing it."
Hong Gong heard this and snorted coldly, "Make do? You made do with these few spirit stones, and in the end, your mecha failed on the battlefield. Do you think you're going to pay for it with your life?"
Zhao Shi shrank his neck, stopped talking, and quickly threw the pipe into the scrap recycling area.
Engineer Hong turned to look at Xiang Fan and nodded with satisfaction: "Xiao Xiang, you are becoming more and more discerning."
"No, it's all thanks to your good teaching, Mr. Hong." Xiang Fan scratched his head with a smile.
Hong Gong laughed out loud: "You are quite sweet, boy."
Zhao Shi couldn't help but mutter, "He's clearly in the Qi Condensation Stage, but why does he seem more professional than those of us in the Foundation Establishment Stage..."
Zhang Hao, who was standing by, patted Zhao Shi on the shoulder and chuckled softly, "Who lets me think about it? This guy can't stand not touching a mecha for a day."
"That's true." Zhao Shi nodded, "But...it's really amazing that he has such tenacity."
At night, Xiang Fan returned to the cabin after a busy day and collapsed on the bed, not even bothering to change his clothes.
"Huh... I'm really exhausted today." He muttered, reaching out to push the communication device aside. Just as he was about to close his eyes and go to sleep, the screen suddenly lit up.
"Hmm?" Xiang Fan squinted his eyes and glanced at it. He saw the caller ID - Team Zero (Shadow Killer, Black Tortoise Guard, Ling Ruoxi, Ling Ruochen, Gu Master)
Xiang Fan's mouth twitched, he answered the call, and said lazily, "You guys, can't you just give me a break?"
The Shadow Killer's voice came with a smile: "Boss, stop talking nonsense and get online quickly! The Chaos Region has spawned some goodies again, and we must take them down this time!"
Ling Ruoxi added calmly, "It's said to be a purple gold-level resource point. If it's robbed, we don't know when we'll have the next chance."
The Gu Master's voice came lazily, "Stop rambling, Boss, you can't give up. Come help us crush the whole place."
"I..." Xiang Fan wanted to refuse, but when he heard the words "Purple Gold Level", he hesitated for a second.
Purple gold-level resources are top-tier mecha materials! If he could snatch some, his broken mecha... maybe he could upgrade it?
He sighed, sat up and rubbed his eyes: "Okay, wait for me for five minutes."
After shutting down the communication, he jumped out of bed and walked towards the mecha in the yard. He raised his hand to touch the alloy shell of the mecha and chuckled softly, "Man, it looks like we'll have to work overtime tonight."
The hatch slowly opened, and Xiang Fan skillfully climbed into the cockpit. The psychic interface and virtual network started simultaneously, and the battlefield loading interface appeared before his eyes.
On the screen, a familiar line of prompts slowly lit up—
"Welcome back, the King of Glory—Zero."
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