"This thing is barely useful…"At first, Lin Jie had thought he'd gotten something great. But after studying its structure and energy output in detail, his brows furrowed slightly.Though the [Mechanic's Glove] looked like a mechanical gauntlet, it was actually just an auxiliary tool— and not for Pilots, but for mechanics. Most mechanics were ordinary people with limited physical strength; when maintaining high-grade or field mechs, they often needed equipment to help disassemble and install parts. This reliance on tools was restrictive and sometimes even slowed work down.The [Mechanic's Glove]'s only function was to enhance a mechanic's grip strength. Equipped with small built-in tools, it let mechanics quickly disassemble and install certain mech parts directly, without needing extra equipment."Its craftsmanship and technology are definitely more advanced than what I know… but that still doesn't make it useful," Lin Jie thought, suddenly feeling like the electric shock he'd endured that morning had been a waste. Even if he built this glove, it would at most speed up his maintenance of the Mammoth— it wouldn't improve the mech itself in any way."Good thing I still have two chances left," Lin Jie didn't dwell on the disappointment. With another thought, he twisted the Rubik's Cube again.A few seconds later, something resembling a transceiver appeared above the cube.
[R·Charge Shield]
[Type: Heavy Energy Shield]
[Rank: E]
[Mode: 2]
[Energy Output: 900~1100]
[Minimum Equipment Requirement: Class-E Field Mech]
"This one seems decent," Lin Jie's eyes lit up, and he read on carefully.Like the [Red Python], this shield was technically far superior to other Class-E weapons he knew. Both its energy transmission system and material composition had reached the theoretically optimal state.Most importantly, energy shields didn't have strict requirements for raw materials— their performance depended more on technical design. For Lin Jie, who had complete blueprints, building it would be no problem.His previously disappointed mood lifted a little. But soon, a realization darkened his expression again.Energy output!To avoid hindering a field mech's mobility, energy shields were usually small— which meant they had no independent energy supply and had to draw power from the mech's main battery.While this Charge Shield was more stable and defensive than the Mammoth's original shield, its energy output was also much higher. In plain terms, it consumed far more power. And the Mammoth, as an entertainment-grade mech, already had a small "fuel tank." Adding this shield would only make its energy drain even faster— which might not be a good thing for Curly Hair.Frustrated, Lin Jie decided to use his last chance to twist the Rubik's Cube. To his surprise, the cube had a new trick up its sleeve.With a click, the cube locked into place and began to vibrate, its surface glowing with pale blue light. But just as Lin Jie waited eagerly for new blueprints, the cube suddenly stopped moving. The blue light drifted upward, then dissipated into the space inside his body.What's the meaning of this?Lin Jie froze, trying to activate the cube again. But the number on it had already dropped to zero— no matter how hard he tried, the cube remained motionless."Did I set my expectations too high? Maybe not every twist gives blueprints?" Lin Jie opened his eyes in confusion and took a sip of water. The cube had only just reactivated a few days ago; he still needed time to figure it out.The next morning, Lin Jie and Curly Hair headed to the junk yard again. To Lin Jie's surprise, they ran into Li Zhe there.After Curly Hair had shot through the Blaster's armor that day, the [Red Python]'s energy core had exploded from overloading. Thanks to the cockpit's protection, Li Zhe had escaped with his life— he'd just been knocked unconscious. A few nutrient injections later, he'd recovered.This time, though, he didn't taunt Curly Hair. He just glanced at Curly Hair and Lin Jie from a distance, muttered what sounded like a curse, then went to rummage through the junk on his own."He's still coming to the junk yard— that means the Blaster can still be repaired," Curly Hair spat at Li Zhe's back, fuming. "I beat him that bad, and neither he nor his mech are seriously damaged? That guy's luck is ridiculous.""An energy rifle is still an energy rifle," Lin Jie said, urging him on. "Its armor-piercing ability is weak, and the energy core exploded at the worst moment— it didn't hit the mech's core. It's normal that it can be repaired. Ignore him; we need to hurry."Lin Jie gave a quick reminder, then split up with Curly Hair to search. According to his plan, their top priority was to find another Class-E heavy energy rifle— to rebuild the [Red Python].After its stellar performance in the last Flag Capture Battle, the [Red Python] wouldn't just provide the Mammoth with long-range firepower; it would also act as a strategic deterrent of sorts.But reality was cruel. After rummaging through the junk yard for two hours, Lin Jie hadn't found a single heavy energy rifle."Where are all the guns?" he muttered in confusion. Energy rifles had short lifespans and high failure rates— that was why he'd found a suitable base model so quickly when he'd gotten the [Red Python] blueprints earlier. Why couldn't he find a single one now?"You're too late," the prison guard on duty at the junk yard finally gave him the answer. "Two hours ago, all the other Pilots and mechanics came through here. Every group took a heavy energy rifle with them."Lin Jie: "…"Seriously? No one told him scavenging in the junk yard was a race. And besides— could any of them even modify the rifles? Wouldn't it be better to leave the parts to someone who actually needed them?"Fine, I'll keep looking," Lin Jie sighed, heading to another pile of junk. He could guess why those people had taken all the rifles. After seeing the [Red Python]'s power last time, they probably wanted to try modifying one themselves. Even if they couldn't, taking all the energy rifles would prevent him from building another [Red Python]— eliminating the threat at its source.Admittedly, this had caused Lin Jie a lot of trouble. But only trouble— nothing more.The junk yard was huge, with multiple mountains of scrap. Though each group had taken a rifle, some were still hidden deep away. After six hours of searching— and gathering materials for both the energy shield and the mechanical glove— Lin Jie and Curly Hair finally found an energy rifle under an old spaceship, getting everything Lin Jie needed.The only disappointment was that they couldn't find a usable alloy blade. For the Flag Capture Battle in a few days, Curly Hair would have to make do with that broken blade for now.