The next morning.
The sky was just beginning to brighten.
Lu Yuan quickly finished washing up and took the earliest unmanned bus heading for Qiuye City.
He had been ordered to leave school.
He got up this early not to go to school, but to check out that mechanical repair shop in the city.
According to his life simulation experience.
When he was expelled, he became an apprentice to that little old man and started his journey as a repair apprentice.
If he could find a job, it would slightly reduce the pressure at home.
After a while.
The unmanned bus arrived at the stop, Lu Yuan swiped his card and boarded, randomly finding a seat by the window.
As the vehicle slowly left the slum, the surrounding buildings on the road became tall and splendid.
The buildings stood in rows, the streets were wide and clean.
Various structures were arranged in an orderly and rational manner.
Most of the passing pedestrians were dressed decently, exuding a refined demeanor.
Compared to where Lu Yuan lived in Qiuye City, it was seemingly two different worlds.
When he got off the bus, he navigated through the skyscrapers according to the memory in his mind, and finally found an inconspicuous repair shop at the city’s edge.
The shop was converted from an abandoned logistics warehouse.
Though dirty, messy, and dilapidated, it was very spacious, covering over a thousand square meters.
Above the main entrance hung a sign for Li’s Repair Shop.
The pitch-black and sticky ground was littered with various mechanical parts and repair tools.
However, what caught Lu Yuan’s eye was this.
At the entrance of the repair shop stood two steel mechas resembling those from sci-fi movies.
These two mechas were about four to five meters tall, silvery-gray in color, with smooth lines, agile and nimble builds.
Just standing there, they were like steel fortresses, extremely visually impactful and oppressive.
Zero-Type Mecha!
Lu Yuan immediately recognized the model of these two mechas.
These were the most common basic mechas of the Star Alliance, possessing immense power to fight against hundreds.
With minimal training, ordinary people could pilot Zero-Type Mechas to easily kill an unarmed Tier One Martial Artist.
As far as Lu Yuan knew, aside from their prevalent use on the Starfield Battlefield,
Zero-Type Mechas were often used for some dangerous missions or to deal with high-threat criminals and outlaws.
Though these mechas appeared intact on the surface, for some reason, they were in a paralyzed state.
No matter how the pilots controlled them, there was no response.
"Core module intact, weapon module intact, power module intact..."
A burly, spirited old man was leading four apprentices up and down the maintenance ladder, groping inside the mecha for a long time.
But they couldn’t find the problem, becoming as anxious as ants on a hot pan.
Finding no solution, the old man finally mustered the courage to approach the two pilots and reluctantly said:
"Gentlemen, I’m just running a small shop here and really can’t find the issue. How about you take them to the mecha repair factory for a check?"
Hearing this, the two pilots immediately frowned.
The two were a young man and a woman.
They were wearing standard black combat uniforms, with a star insignia on the left chest, clearly belonging to the Public Security Bureau.
"Master Li, I’ve heard you have an excellent reputation in Qiuye City and know all kinds of Zero-Type Mecha malfunctions inside out."
"We urgently need these two mechas. If you can fix them within half an hour, we can offer double the payment."
The tall woman suppressed the urgency on her face and patiently said.
"This..."
Old Li looked troubled, glancing at the two mechas and these young people before him, caught in a dilemma.
For small repair shops like theirs, reputation was the most important thing.
Even though mecha malfunctions were diverse, failures to fix were common,
But having worked in this line for decades, failing to even identify the problem would seriously damage their reputation and lose many clients when word got out.
"Let me think a bit more."
Old Li, full of worry, pulled out a cigarette from his pocket, squatted by the roadside, took two deep drags, and pondered where the problem could be.
"Sister Yao, should we go to the black market..."
The young man whispered to his companion.
"No, these are Public Security Bureau mechas. If they appear in the black market, it will easily attract others’ attention."
"Moreover, those people on the black market are ruthless. If they catch us in a bind, it will only result in worse consequences."
The tall woman refused decisively.
Meanwhile.
Lu Yuan saw Old Li squatting by the roadside smoking and hurriedly approached.
"Master Li."
"You again, kid? Go play by yourself, I have no time to deal with you today."
Old Li waved his hand quickly, speaking gruffly.
"Master Li, I’ve been expelled and plan to find work here with you."
Lu Yuan straightforwardly said.
The old man was named Li Chifeng, but due to his stinginess and eccentric character, people called him Old Li.
However, as Lu Yuan now had a favor to ask, he naturally dared not call him by that name.
"Do you think this is a welfare home?"
Old Li was stunned by his words, feeling amused and annoyed.
In this Interstellar Era, where mechas were the norm, though a mecha mechanic didn’t sound very dignified,
the status and income surpassed those of countless white-collar workers in their nine-to-five jobs.
Moreover, it was a skilled trade that got more valuable with age; many people from town outskirts sought to learn from him, but he never agreed.
Now, did Lu Yuan want to become his apprentice just by opening his mouth?