Chapter 24: Maintenance Work

"Of course, you are most welcome."

Upon learning of Li Ye's intentions, Lin Wu adjusted his glasses. "So, my Lord, which aspects of the maintenance work do you intend to undertake?" he asked with considerable interest.

Li Ye thought for a moment before replying, "It would be best to experience everything from top to bottom."

"Very well." Lin Wu nodded repeatedly and led him toward the warehouse.

"You aren't just doing this on a whim, are you, my Lord?" he asked, whether intentionally or inadvertently, as they walked.

Li Ye shook his head. "Rest assured, I won't give up halfway."

A few minutes later, he was issued a set of gear in the warehouse.

First was a protective jumpsuit made of thick canvas and fire-resistant fibers, reinforced with metal rivets at key stress points. The suit was a dark, grime-resistant gray with fluorescent markings on the chest and back—designed to help mechanics locate one another in dimly lit environments. The jumpsuit featured multiple pockets, tool slots, and belt loops for carrying wrenches, screwdrivers, and other implements. Its sleeves were also detachable to facilitate various tasks.

Next came a pair of fully enclosed, oil-resistant rubber gloves, along with alloy knee and elbow pads. Finally, he was given a welding mask to guard against intense light and sparks, and a pair of high-top engineering boots with anti-slip serrated soles.

The entire set of equipment was filthy. The *Tomorrow* had not purchased new mechanic gear; currently, Lin Wu and his team were using what the previous Lord had left behind. Though dirty, the equipment was sturdy and durable.

Under Lin Wu's guidance, Li Ye began his first task: repairing the crawler tracks of the *Tomorrow*.

The monsters of the wasteland were quite hardcore; they knew how to use blades and firearms, and even employed tactics. During the battle in the Rotten Lands, the Ant-Men had fired wildly at the *Tomorrow* with guns, some even using rocket launchers and artillery. Most absurdly, they even laid landmines. It was fortunate that they were only using standard-grade weapons; otherwise, the *Tomorrow* might not have survived.

Li Ye’s job was to replace the broken track plates. As a behemoth roaming the wilderness, the track plates of a mobile city were the size of a blackboard. He gripped a wrench and strained to unscrew bolts the size of a water cup. During the process, a significant amount of hydraulic fluid sprayed out from the ruptured lines of the track plate—a scent of burnt char mixed with vulcanized rubber.

Once the bolts were removed, the task of dismantling and replacing the track plate was left to the mechanical arms on the deck. After all, it was far too heavy for Li Ye to move alone.

With a roar, Lin Wu activated the mechanical arms, and at Li Ye's signal, they pried off the damaged plate. Li Ye then took a new line from a companion and began the replacement. Once the plates were swapped out, Lin Wu started the auxiliary engines to conduct a pressure test. The chassis of the *Tomorrow* emitted a low, whale-song-like hum. Only when the tachometer needle finally stabilized in the green zone did Lin Wu nod to the group.

"That’s it."

Li Ye and his companions exchanged glances and sat on the ground, relieved.

"Tired already, my Lord? This is only the beginning," Lin Wu said, adjusting his glasses. He then put on his oil-stained gloves and drew a checkmark on the inside of the track, signifying a successful repair. If one looked closely, the inside of the track was covered in a dense thicket of checkmarks and crosses.

For the next phase, Li Ye and the others took the lift back to the deck to begin the second task: removing the city's armor plating.

The *Tomorrow* possessed standard city armor, which the previous Lord had never bothered to replace. Now, most of the plates were battered and broken, their edges tinged with the dark red of rust, as if gnawed by some wild beast. Since the *Tomorrow* was about to be fitted with Level 1 "Spore Armor," all the old plates had to be removed.

This didn't require manual labor; the mechanical arms and cranes handled it easily—had it been left to human effort, they would have been working until the end of time. As they approached an armor plate, thermal drills and brass welding torches extended from the mechanical arms. The drill pierced the plating, and the torch spat out blue-white flames, heating the rusted bolts to a white-hot glow. After waiting for the temperature to drop, Li Ye put on thick leather gloves and used a wrench to forcefully remove the remnants. The sheared bolt heads fell onto the deck like shell casings from a firing pistol.

As the old plates were removed, the crane hoisted them down to the lower levels to be melted down and recycled as iron ore. Though it didn't yield much, for a fledgling Level 1 city like the *Tomorrow*, every bit counted.

After Li Ye had experienced this for a while, Lin Wu assigned him the next task: inspecting the steam pipes.

If steel was the muscles and tendons of a mobile city, then the steam pipes were its veins and nerves. These pipes, which ran throughout the city, used mechanical drive force to transport a constant supply of high-pressure steam, powering the city's daily operations. The condition of these pipes determined the very breath of this steel giant.

Lin Wu handed Li Ye a telescopic steam stethoscope. Li Ye's task was simple: press it against every steam pipe and listen to the sound it produced. If it sounded like "ding... ding," it was healthy. If it sounded like "krr-hiss," there was a leak, and that meant a long, sweat-drenched struggle to fix it. Beyond that, Li Ye had to carefully inspect the joints and the extent of rust on the bolts to decide whether they needed replacement. If a pipe was too dirty, it had to be cleaned.

After checking over a dozen steam pipes, Li Ye was already drenched in sweat.

"Is that about it?" he turned to ask Lin Wu.

The latter shook his head. "You have only checked the pipes in this one area. You must remember that a mobile city has hundreds, if not thousands, of pipes," he replied. "Since we have a rare chance for a refit, we must check everything from start to finish."

"Ah?"

Fortunately, Lin Wu did not continue to make things difficult for his Lord, instead leading him to experience the final task: troubleshooting and maintenance in the lower engine room.

As the steel heart of the mobile city, this area housed the boiler cabin, steam overpressure chamber, emergency power cabin, main drive shaft, differential gear matrix, and condensate recovery system. If any part here malfunctioned or stalled, the entire city would face disaster.

This time, Li Ye could not take the lead. The dense array of gauges and valves before him left him at a loss. He obediently followed behind Lin Wu, following his instructions as he began the inspection.

By the end of the day, having changed back into his regular clothes, he was thoroughly exhausted.

"I’ve come to realize something," he said, panting. "I prefer running a shop to maintenance and troubleshooting."

Lin Wu nodded slightly. "You have far more perseverance than those other Lords; I'm surprised you managed to finish."

"In fact," Li Ye added between breaths, "I have a feeling you assigned me the heaviest work. Are you harboring a grudge because I didn't take you to the sky city?"

Lin Wu shook his head gently and adjusted his glasses. "How could that be?"