Sorry, Our Captain Is a True All-Rounder

Chapter 98: Chapter 98: Second-hand Market

"A mecha I built? If you actually have the guts to pilot it, I’ll give you this." Shi Feng shot him a thumbs-up.

Shi Feng still didn’t have enough confidence in his own skills. Building a mecha was a completely different beast from building weapons and bombs.

The former’s procedures were far more complex, and he had no one to teach him. The latter was comparatively simpler, plus he’d had guidance.

That was why Shi Feng was so lacking in confidence.

But Gu Kaiwen was desperate for his own mecha right now. He took a step forward, grabbed Shi Feng’s hand, and said with the utmost sincerity, "I believe in you. You’ll keep my life in mind."

Lin Jingjing hurried to grab his other hand, adding, "I believe in you. I’m sure you can do it."

With that, the two of them said in unison, "Please, you must build me my very own mecha."

Shi Feng: ...

’Thanks. I’m exhausted.’

Feng He and Mo Xuan watched the scene unfold, and upon hearing that last sentence, it instantly dawned on them.

’Those two are getting Shi Feng to build mechas for them!’

’How could they be left out of something like this?’

Both of Shi Feng’s hands were already being held. These next two were even more shameless; they walked right up, squatted down, and latched onto his thighs. "Shi Feng, don’t forget about us!"

As he spoke, Feng He looked up, batting his eyelashes, while Mo Xuan was more direct. He opened his mouth and said, "If you help me, I’ll do your laundry for a month."

"Damn!" Gu Kaiwen heard him and, after a quick curse, jumped in. "I’ll bring you breakfast for a month!"

Assaulted by the four of them, Shi Feng felt completely done with the world. He finally relented and agreed to each of them.

"Alright, I get it," Shi Feng sighed. "Now let me go."

The group let go at the same time, looking at him with beaming smiles. "We’re counting on you, Great Shi Feng!"

"It’s not that I have to work hard, it’s that my life is hard."

The group immediately swarmed him, massaging his shoulders and legs, their faces plastered with fawning smiles. "Not hard, not a hard life at all."

Shi Feng, for his part, quite enjoyed this treatment. With a couple of satisfied grunts, he gathered the books he needed to read, then hugged them to his chest and said, "Clean this stuff up. We’re heading back."

"Yes, Great Shi Feng!" The group moved quickly, and soon everything was back in its proper place.

They turned off the lights, locked the door, and walked down the side of the road, the streetlights illuminating their path forward.

And ahead of them, their futures seemed limitless.

As time went on, the date of the inter-corps competition drew ever closer. Many in the First Corps were busy with preparations.

This was the first competition after this year’s war against the mutant beasts had concluded, and it was the most anticipated event on the entire network.

After months spent in constant fear, everyone could finally relax.

Even the usually desolate B6 Star became lively once the mutant beasts went into hibernation.

The group had pestered Captain Li for a long time before he finally agreed to let them go out and have fun for a day.

Having once again received permission to leave the First Corps base, the group shot out of there like mad dogs let off their leashes.

Captain Li watched from behind, shaking his head helplessly, but he couldn’t stop himself from shouting at their rapidly disappearing backs, "Be careful! Don’t go running into any mutant beasts!"

"We know—"

The shout echoed back to Captain Li. He shook his head again. They were still just a bunch of kids in their twenties, full of playful energy. ’Let them be.’

They had earned a lot of Star Coins recently. The commanders of the other corps were not hurting for money.

They were generous spenders. Not only that, but they ate every last bite of the food the group cooked, praising how delicious it was.

Any chef loves to hear praise from their customers. Hearing the compliments made them happy, so they put even more heart into their cooking.

Out and about today, the first place they went was the used mecha parts market that Shi Feng had been dying to visit.

Shi Feng had looked up guides online beforehand, so they headed straight there after getting out.

Because B6 Star was a frontline planet, countless mechas had been damaged by the mutant beasts during the months of resisting the invasion.

To generate extra revenue, the military sold these scrapped mechas at low secondhand prices.

As a result, the used mecha parts market here was saturated with components, making prices relatively cheap.

And since Shi Feng was short on cash, this place was his paradise.

The five of them, wearing the new casual clothes they’d bought but hadn’t had a chance to wear yet, browsed the vast secondhand market.

Plenty of people were there to buy used parts. Tinkerers like Shi Feng were a dime a dozen, so the market was quite bustling.

Shi Feng walked at the very front, while the other four followed behind him, their eyes darting all over the place.

Then Lin Jingjing saw a particularly familiar mecha part, and she stopped in her tracks.

The head of a silver mecha sat beside a pile of miscellaneous parts. Being so large, it was hard to miss.

But Lin Jingjing’s eyes were drawn to the string of code on its surface. She remembered it clearly.

She remembered it because it belonged to the mecha she had cleaned back in the wash bay. She’d even caused a fair bit of trouble by taking it for a joyride, since the key had been left inside.

Each soldier in the First Corps was assigned their own mecha. For one to show up in a secondhand market meant its pilot was gone.

The mecha’s owner hadn’t survived the mutant beasts. He had become just another meal to sustain them through the winter.

"What are you looking at?" Gu Kaiwen glanced back, saw Lin Jingjing had stopped, and walked back over to her.

"This," Lin Jingjing said, pointing to the mecha head. Seeing that the two of them had fallen behind, the three in front walked back. Feng He and Shi Feng were also taken aback when they saw the head.

"He’s dead?" Feng He asked.

"Yeah, he’s dead," Lin Jingjing replied.

Shi Feng pursed his lips, thought for a moment, and finally walked over to the stall owner. He pointed at the mecha head and said, "How much for that one?"

The stall owner lifted his eyelids, glanced at it, and said, "2,500 Star Coins."

The price was acceptable. Shi Feng picked up the mecha head, turning it over in his hands. Finally, he said, "I’ll take it."

When the stall owner heard this, he immediately got up from his chair, a trace of a smile appearing on his previously expressionless face.

"Alrighty."

With the purchase of the mecha head, the stall owner even threw in a piece of armor plating—perfect for making a mecha arm.

After they were done browsing the market, Shi Feng still hadn’t found the mecha core he wanted. It seemed he would have to go into a proper shop.

’But the ones in the shops will be very expensive.’

Shi Feng checked his account balance, then apprehensively entered a rather old-looking shop.

Inside, only a middle-aged man was dozing in a rocking chair with his eyes closed.

The maneki-neko on the counter immediately chirped as they entered: "Welcome!"

The sound was quite loud, startling the middle-aged man awake.

"Look around on your own," he mumbled, his voice thick with sleep. "Tell me if you need something."

Apparently, the owner had no intention of waiting on them and just wanted the group to browse on their own.

The group didn’t mind and began to explore the shop.