The main reason is that regular spacecraft generally have a small device that stores the ship identification code, which is installed inside the spacecraft and directly connected to the spacecraft's transponder.

The vessel identification number is similar to the vehicle identification number and is the most important way to identify a spacecraft.

Under normal circumstances, when the spacecraft's transponder is turned on, it will broadcast its legal identity to the outside world, and at the same time it will also send out confidential data such as an identification code.

Only the station or colony's guard force has access permissions.

Used to quickly determine the condition of the spacecraft and the identity of the driver when illegal activities are discovered.

If you are in a regular space station or colony in a galaxy, the transponder must be turned on at all times, otherwise a patrol spacecraft will come to investigate immediately.

Even if the transponder is not turned on, they have the ability to forcibly read the spacecraft data through professional technology.

This is professional ship electronic warfare stuff.

Chen Ming knew something about it, but he was just a maintenance technician at a mining space station, and these things were not within his knowledge.

Therefore, although Chen Ming knew how to erase the identification code, he still couldn't make a fake spacecraft identification code.

If Chen Ming wants to go to a prosperous galaxy in the future, it will be impossible for him to wander around in a spaceship without an identification code.

So you still have to ask Old Wu about this matter, he is definitely an expert in this area.

Then Chen Ming also planned to ask about the modification of the spacecraft's appearance for the same reason.

As long as the Iron Ore is modified so that its original owner is unrecognizable, how can the military recognize that the Iron Ore is a ship from the mining space station?

If Chen Ming had not seen the option of exterior modification, he would have started to find a solution himself, and he would not have had to ask Lao Wu whether the repair shop's equipment could be rented.

Of course, Chen Ming also knew that there were many ships of the same model and appearance. The appearance could only be used as a reference and could not be used as conclusive evidence of identity.

But Chen Ming thinks it is better to avoid such problems as much as possible.

In short, just take care of these two aspects.

The identification code and appearance have undergone tremendous changes, so the Iron Ore is no longer the Iron Ore.

The probability of the military finding me by following the spacecraft is very small.

As for the third thing Chen Ming wanted to ask Lao Wu about, it was the price of the depreciated spacecraft.

This is the second-hand preparation Chen Ming intends to make.

Although the probability of the Iron Ore being discovered is small, it is not zero.

If there was any sign that someone had tracked the Iron Ore, Chen Ming would have to change ships and escape.

But Chen Ming obviously could not afford the price of a new spaceship.

Therefore, a second-hand, discounted spaceship is very suitable for his current situation.

Chen Ming is not a moral purist, and doesn't care whether anyone has died on the spacecraft, or whether the spacecraft was stolen.

Anyway, his own maintenance function can turn any spacecraft from battle-scarred to brand new, and the difference is not noticeable at all.

Although depreciated spaceships are not as unpopular as depreciated weapons and their prices will not drop much, at least for Chen Ming, it is more cost-effective than buying a new spaceship at the original price.

However, this plan is actually a bit unsound.

Because Chen Ming temporarily plans to stay in the Pirate Space Station for about one to two years.

If enough money is not made during this period, the idea will be realized in the next galaxy.

Although Chen Ming wanted to stay longer, he would need to take off his protective suit and expose his face sooner or later.

And there must be some connection between the space station and the military outpost.

Therefore, the longer you stay in the pirate space station, the more likely your face is to appear in more people's impressions, and the more likely your identity will be exposed.

To be on the safe side, he couldn't stay in any system close to a military outpost for too long, in case someone really discovered his situation.

While Chen Ming was thinking about things, the elevator had already arrived at the gate of the dock.

The repair shop is just around the corner.

As soon as Chen Ming entered the maintenance shop, he saw four or five maintenance technicians walking in from the core city of the space station. They seemed to have just arrived at work.

However, Chen Ming did not see Old Wu inside.

Moreover, Chen Ming looked around the repair shop but couldn't find the lazy Old Wu in any corner.

So Chen Ming went straight to a maintenance technician on duty at the repair shop and asked him in the same disdainful look as Old Wu had yesterday: "I'm looking for Wu Ping'an, is he here?"

The maintenance engineer looked at Chen Ming with some surprise and replied, "Wu Ping'an disappeared last night and we couldn't get in touch with him. Do you know him?"

"Knowing is knowing..."

Before Chen Ming could finish the second half of his sentence, he noticed that the maintenance engineer in front of him seemed to have seen something behind him. His face suddenly changed and he seemed a little nervous.

Chen Ming immediately turned his head and saw a man who was also wearing the maintenance technician's work clothes, but his temperament was obviously different from that of an ordinary maintenance technician walking towards him.

He waved his hand to signal the maintenance engineer who was chatting with Chen Ming to do his own thing, and then said to Chen Ming: "Are you looking for Wu Ping'an too? If you see him, please tell him. There is a lot of work waiting for him in the factory. Tell him to come quickly."

Chen Ming immediately realized who this person was. It must be Lao Wu's boss, the director of the maintenance factory.

So Chen Ming immediately agreed, and at the same time showed an interest in the job, asking, "What kind of work?"

The factory manager looked at Chen Ming with a strange expression and said, "What kind of work can a maintenance factory do?"

Chen Ming coughed awkwardly, then shamelessly recommended himself: "Actually, I know a little bit about this. If you're short of manpower, I can give it a try."

"You can?"

The factory director stared at Chen Ming for a while, either considering whether to believe Chen Ming or thinking about what Chen Ming meant.

Just when Chen Ming was wondering if he was too direct, a maintenance engineer following the factory director suddenly whispered something to him.

Chen Ming barely heard him say the words "yesterday" and "left together".

The factory director's expression changed slightly, and he looked at Chen Ming seriously.

But under the protection of the protective suit, he could only roughly see that Chen Ming was a young man, and knew nothing else.

It was not known whether it was because he heard from his subordinates that Chen Ming knew Lao Wu, but he did not refuse directly. Instead, he took out the terminal and called up several photos of the spacecraft maintenance.

He pointed to a photo of an engine being repaired and asked, "What's wrong with this place?"

Chen Ming took one look and gave an answer directly: "It was damaged by the explosion impact, and the aging of the line caused a short circuit. It can be repaired by replacing the line and the splint. However, the engine as a whole seems to have some problems. It is a refurbished product and needs to be replaced, otherwise it will break down sooner or later."

The factory manager swiped his finger, changed the photo and continued to ask, "What about this one?"

The second photo he took was of the bridge control panel. The outer operating panel had been removed, revealing the extremely complex electronic components and circuits inside.

These electronic components and circuits are badly damaged, and just looking at them gives people a headache.

He carefully looked at the various types of damage on it and began to answer questions one by one about how to repair the control panel.

In the end, Chen Ming couldn't help but say, "Since this control panel is broken like this, it's better to replace it with a new one."

Boss Wu's expression remained calm and there was no change until Chen Ming finished speaking, then he showed some satisfaction.

At least he already had an understanding of Chen Ming's knowledge reserves, and knew that Chen Ming must have studied this area specifically, so there would be no problem for him to temporarily replace Old Wu.

"Come with me."

The factory manager didn't make things difficult for Chen Ming and took him directly to the depths of the repair shop.

"Since you're looking for work, then you can help others first. You'll get 15% of each maintenance task, and whether you can continue to do it later will depend on the situation."

Chen Ming was slightly stunned, not because the treatment was too bad, but on the contrary, because the treatment was too good.

For this type of piece-rate maintenance task, generally speaking, the maintenance worker takes half and the maintenance shop takes half.

Chen Ming, an assistant, can get nearly half of the salary of the maintenance engineer who does the main work. To be honest, this treatment is a bit exaggerated.

You have to know that I am a person who suddenly appeared out of nowhere to find a job. It is already good enough that others do not drive me away and give me such good treatment.

It really made Chen Ming hard to believe.

Could it be because of Old Wu's face?

Chen Ming's mind was full of doubts, but since he was the one who brought it up, he had to at least go over and take a look.

The factory manager quickly took Chen Ming deep into the repair plant, a place used to repair spacecraft that was separated from the outside area where various tradable spacecraft equipment was displayed.

There is a passage going straight through this area on the side close to the dock, and spacecraft that need repairs will enter from here.

The ships waiting for maintenance here are different from the ships docked at the berths. All of them are suspended in the air. It seems that the location where the spacecraft is undergoing maintenance work is not affected by the space station's simulated gravity system.

When Chen Ming came in, he could see that many spaceships were being repaired, but they were not being repaired by the staff of the maintenance factory, but by the crew of the spaceships themselves.

They just borrowed equipment from the repair shop.

It looks like there's no need to ask Old Wu about the spacecraft modification.

If others can rent maintenance equipment, then you can do the same.

The factory manager did not stop at the door, but continued to take Chen Ming to a maintenance technician who was sorting out tools.

The repairman had a shaved head and looked to be in his thirties or forties.

When he saw someone coming, he immediately stood up and called out respectfully, "Director."

The factory manager nodded and said, "Old Wu has skipped work again. This guy is someone Old Wu knows and has some skills. He will help you first. If you have any questions, come to me later. I have to go find Old Wu now."

"good."

After the bald repairman agreed, the factory director left Chen Ming here and quickly disappeared along the same road he came from.

The bald maintenance engineer seemed to relax a little when he saw this. He took his tools and called Chen Ming to a spaceship that was waiting to be repaired.

He pointed to a device next to him and said, "Put the terminal here, plug in that cable."

There is already a terminal placed here on this device, and a data cable connected to the device is plugged in.

Chen Ming did as he was told. After the terminal loaded for a moment, a count of "1" and a panel introducing the maintenance task requirements appeared.

Chen Ming didn't rush to look at the mission, but turned his head to take a look at the spaceship first.

This spaceship is not a civilian spaceship, but an armed frigate called the Sentinel-class.

Like the Conquest class, the Sentinel class is a spacecraft that is more suitable for escorting caravans.

Compared to the Expedition class, the Sentinel class has thinner armor, lower overall mass, and greater maneuverability.

It has two small carrying points and a more special missile mounting point, and has a different focus on combat than the Expedition-class.

Many large merchant caravans will choose a mix of expedition-class and sentinel-class frigates when selecting escort ships to adapt to different combat environments.

The Sentinel-class ship in front of Chen Ming was severely damaged, with its engine and rear armor almost completely damaged, and it looked like it had been destroyed.

Or to put it more clearly, this ship was the pirates' spoils.

After seeing enough, Chen Ming looked at the terminal again.

The maintenance requirements of the customer of this ship shown on the terminal are very low.

Only minimal repairs and upkeep are required to ensure the normal operation of the spacecraft and to activate the hyperspace channel system and weapon system.

Such a request is consistent with Chen Ming's stereotype of certain pirates.

Seeing that Chen Ming had almost finished looking, the bald repairman continued to call Chen Ming to come to his side.

At the same time, he pointed to a piece of equipment that could assist in moving in a zero-gravity environment and said to Chen Ming, "Come on, put that on and follow me. We're going to the spaceship."

Chen Ming is quite familiar with this kind of equipment.

Without any help, he put on the protective suit and started putting the equipment on.

The lightweight protective clothing did not affect the wearing of the equipment. Chen Ming quickly made preparations and stood next to the bald maintenance technician.

When the bald maintenance engineer saw Chen Ming like this, he couldn't help but ask, "We are in the space station, why are you working in this outfit?"

Chen Ming moved around a bit, and after making sure that this wouldn't affect his activities, he said, "I'm used to it."

The bald man didn’t say much, since he wasn’t the one who was feeling uncomfortable anyway.

After saying "It's up to you", he took a step forward and walked into the zero-gravity area.

With the help of equipment, he soon stood at the hatch on the starboard side of the spacecraft, which looked like it had signs of violent damage.

The bald maintenance engineer went in, and Chen Ming followed him into the zero-gravity area.

With the help of equipment, they approached the damaged spacecraft.

But when Chen Ming came into contact with the spaceship, he was stunned for a moment.

Two lines of words appeared in his mind, just like when he first touched the Iron Ore.

[New spaceship signal detected, whether to change the brain control signal connection]

[Currently connected ships: 1/1]

(End of this chapter)