C14 Modification of Moly

Gu Xian was intensely curious about the plan the little ghost was referring to.

The Pioneer might be an old-fashioned mech, but the Brilliant C-2 laser cutter it housed was not outdated—it was simply mounted on the Pioneer-12.

True, it might not hold a candle to today's cutting-edge cutters, but its widespread market presence meant it had to be acknowledged for its cost-effectiveness and practicality, making it the go-to laser cutter on the market.

This was especially the case on B-183 Star.

For a ubiquitous tool like this, barring any technological breakthroughs or material upgrades, its design was already the optimal solution.

What could Black Hole possibly propose? Could a mere alteration to the internal energy exchange structure truly transform the Brilliant?

Gu Xian wasn't underestimating or doubting Black Hole; he was simply curious—nothing more, nothing less.

Noticing his interest, the little ghost eagerly shared the blueprint with him.

"See here, the Brilliant still relies on the antiquated O-type energy exchange structure, which has an efficiency of just 30%, leading to significant energy waste. If we swap out the O-type for a tail-snake configuration, shift from 2D to 3D, and tweak these few spots here, here, and here, embedding them into a larger framework, we could boost the efficiency to 50%."

The little guy spoke with a hint of regret, "Fifty percent isn't exactly stellar, but given the material constraints and your technical barriers, it's the best Black Hole can offer. It's a real shame."

He looked up at a dumbfounded Gu Xian, "You get all that?"

Gu Xian took a beat before replying, "Are you truly illiterate?"

The little ghost stared back, surprised. "What else could it be? Oh, you mean what I just explained... As a mechanist, shouldn't you have a firm grasp of mech construction, history, maintenance, combat, and design?"

Gu Xian could feel himself shrinking with each term the little ghost rattled off.

Out of all these areas, perhaps mech combat was his only slight strength. Yet even in that arena, he was no match for Black Hole's sparring partners, let alone this whiz kid.

Simple skills...

He grumbled to himself. Imagine if the esteemed scholars at the Federation's Academy of Sciences overheard such talk—they'd probably be driven to despair!

"You can't possibly be clueless, can you?" The kid gaped at Gu Xian in astonishment.

"Of course not!" Gu Xian was frustrated but tried to maintain his composure. "I do know a little."

"Don't stress, your mech technology is light-years behind ours. To take up the mantle of Eon, there's much to learn. I'll guide you through it all, step by step," the kid offered with a boundless sense of empathy and understanding.

In his eyes, Gu Xian's ability to activate Eon was a testament to his talent, possibly even surpassing his own.

It was such a shame that a person of his caliber was constrained by circumstances, with only a rudimentary grasp of these basic skills.

"First things first, let's upgrade your weapon," the kid suggested. "We've got to build from the ground up, methodically."

"If you don't mind me asking, where do you stand in the Eon Corps?" Gu Xian couldn't contain his curiosity.

"Oh, I'm just average," the kid scratched his head, nonchalantly.

Gu Xian was at a loss for words.

Both had overlooked a crucial detail—this 'average' kid was the last to fall in the entire Mech Corps, the final remnant of a lost civilization.

They put that aside and dove into the task of enhancing the Brilliant Melody.

In many ways, they were cut from the same cloth.

When it came to mechs, they could both immerse themselves with unbridled passion, transforming it into laser-focused concentration, achieving a state of flow where they became one with their work.

Under this elevated state of mind, Gu Xian's excitement grew with each passing moment. The kid's words unlocked a cosmic pandora's box in his brain.

The kid, too, grew more animated with each explanation, his insights extending beyond the mere tweaks to the Brilliant Melody C-2 laser cutter.

He peppered the conversation with complex jargon, prompting Gu Xian to interject with questions whenever he was stumped, sparking fresh rounds of discussion.

The conversation would meander, but this wasn't a setback. It was through this expansive thought process that Gu Xian's foundational knowledge rapidly expanded, like an empty library being filled, letter by letter, page by tattered page, until one day, those pages would compile into volumes that filled the grand library to the brim.

The little devil was teaching with such joy, and Gu Xian was no dullard. His ability to extrapolate from a single example earned him countless praises.

"Exactly, that's right... Yes, the possibility you mentioned does exist, but with your current level of technology, it's still out of reach... Naturally, that's to be expected. Didn't I just say how impressive it was that you could come up with it on your own? You see, I told you it's fundamental knowledge. Don't worry, at the rate you're progressing, you'll soon have all this elementary stuff down pat..."

The greatest hope of a good student is to find a great teacher, just as the greatest joy of a great teacher is to discover a good student.

When the two come together, a powerful synergy is inevitable.

Gu Xian lost track of how long he had been at the Eon Training Camp.

He was completely engrossed in the fulfilling and delightful experience of absorbing knowledge, only realizing that six hours had slipped by when he finally stepped out of the camp.

The B Group had already clocked out, and there was Chen, still bustling about under the faint light. A takeout box sat on his desk, likely a meal Chen had brought back for him, not wanting to wake him during his dinner break.

Gu Xian had fully grasped the modifications for the Brilliant C-2 laser cutter, but the thrill of learning was what he cherished most.

It was an ineffable joy, a sensation of being light as air, akin to grasping the essence of life in a single day.

This time, the ease and pleasure of his experience were astonishing, a stark contrast to his previous exit from the camp, where time seemed to crawl by. Back then, he had mastered the Pioneer mech, and after what felt like thousands of battles within a black hole, time had stretched on endlessly.

Now, his fondness for the Eon Training Camp was skyrocketing.

Maybe this camp was truly different from the ones he'd known before.

Gu Xian didn't yet realize that this was what it felt like to be among like-minded friends.

He slid out of bed, careful not to make a sound. Chen was still immersed in sculpting his clay figures under the lamp.

The sculptures that had been packed away during the day were now gone, presumably shipped off.

Chen's desk looked a bit bare.

But Gu Xian was certain that in this focused state, it wouldn't be long before it was cluttered with new clay creations once again.

The orange tabby cat lay at Chen's feet, its eyes half-closed, looking as though it was on the verge of deep sleep.

Gu Xian stroked the cat's sculpted ear before finding a small pouch to carry the grayish-white crystal fragment close to his body.

He planned to find some scrap steel to craft a necklace, embedding the crystal fragment within it.

Losing such a tiny item was a concern; he had no idea how he'd go about finding it again.

After his meal, Gu Xian headed to the mecha zone.

At the construction site on 33 Bay Road, most tools were designed for mechas, but there were also smaller tools for mecha repairs.

These 'small' tools were still quite large and operated by an AI system, essentially functioning as robotic mimics.

Gu Xian's goal was simple: to make a necklace, he just needed to melt a small chunk of iron and shape it.

Creating a mold was straightforward with a 3D printer. However, melting the iron was the real challenge.

Iron melts at 1,536 degrees Celsius, and without specialized equipment on-site, reaching such a temperature was a tall order.

Did he really need to go off-site for this?

Gu Xian was hesitant. It was not only inconvenient, but he also had a subconscious desire to keep the existence of the grayish-white crystal a secret, even if no one else knew its significance.

His eyes scanned the repair equipment until they landed on something.

The Molten-C2 Laser Cutter.

It could slice through steel, but it worked more like a hot knife through butter, cooling and solidifying the steel rather than melting it into a liquid.

The issue was essentially a lack of power, but that was no longer an obstacle.

What if he applied the Black Hole's modification plan and altered the energy exchange system within the Molten-C2? Could that be the solution?

Curiosity piqued in Gu Xian.

He was driven by a compelling urge to see if the Black Hole's modification plan could actually work in reality.

This curiosity even began to overshadow his initial intent to create the necklace.

Without hesitation, he got to work and quickly located Chen's engineering mecha.

His own Pioneer was in dire need of an overhaul, and the laser cutter was completely wrecked, rendering it unusable.

The construction site's pioneers each had a rented mecha, with no spares available. Gu Xian's unit was delivered later, while the one he tested was just a random pick from Group A's inventory.

He was confident that Chen, given his nature, wouldn't fault him for using his mecha—provided, of course, that he didn't damage it.

Gu Xian expertly directed the auxiliary robot to detach the Molinite C-II laser cutter from the mecha and began tweaking the internal structure with a compact laser engraver.

Vian, passing by outside, caught a glimpse of Gu Xian and swiftly made himself scarce.

As a foreman, it was his duty to hold Gu Xian financially accountable, but the instinct to avoid confrontation was human nature. Vian knew well what mattered more.

Outside of work, he preferred to keep his distance from Gu Xian.

And as for what Gu Xian was up to... well, who really knew? The only concern was that he steered clear of another run-in with the Security Department.

Unbeknownst to Gu Xian, the internal modifications didn't take long. His countless repetitions at the Eon Training Camp had made him adept at the task.

With the robotic assistant's aid, the lines he drew were both elegant and precise.

Upon testing, the laser's power visibly increased, and without the need for overloading, the beam turned a stark white.

Pleased with his work, Gu Xian crafted a silver-white necklace for himself, restored everything to its place, and retired to his room for sleep.

He was utterly unaware of the magnitude of his actions.

The following day at work, everything descended into disarray.