bookbashuk Chapter 3 Recharge Recharge
Chapter 3 Recharge Recharge
Andy held the so-called "holy ring" between two fingers, disdainfully raising it to his eyes.
At that moment, he almost turned off his tactile sensors.
The surface of this thing is covered with a thick layer of dark brown grease, which is the "holy oil" that countless technical priests have applied over the decades, mixed with incense ash and dead skin tissue to form a patina.
Even more problematic is the threaded part.
The originally precise threads have been filled with red sealing wax.
The Mechanics have a bad habit: they believe that if a part cannot be installed, it must be because the faith is not devout enough. In this case, they need to use extremely pure red wax to seal the gap, euphemistically called "divine seal".
If you want to completely destroy a machine, the best way is to seal its air intake with wax.
The STC interface on Andy's retina is displaying errors like crazy.
[WARNING: 98% surface contamination on the part.]
Recommendation: Conduct industrial cleaning immediately.
Andy didn't have an ultrasonic cleaner; he only had one hand.
He bent down and picked up a greasy rag from the ground beside him.
This piece of cloth is probably cleaner than that priest's robe.
When they saw Andy rubbing the "holy relic" on the rag, Gamma-9's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
"Sage... Sage!" Gamma-9's voice trembled. "That contains the blessings of three generations of bishops! That holy oil is..."
"Shut up."
Andy only replied with two words.
He has a lot of strength.
DAOT's Iron Man of Engineering: His finger grip strength is so great that he can twist steel bars into a pretzel.
He wrapped the copper ring with the rag, twisted it hard, and then rubbed it vigorously.
The sound of the hardened wax cracking was particularly crisp in the air.
Gamma-9 let out a scream, as if Andy had wiped away not dirt, but his precious old face.
In Warhammer 40K, cleaning is a sacrilege, because dirt represents the sediment of history.
But for Andy, cleaning is cleaning.
Divide it in no time.
The original dark ring revealed the original color of brass, and Andy cleaned away the old grime in the threads with his fingernails.
Sure enough, it was just an ordinary industrial valve without any decorative patterns.
Andy threw away the tattered cloth that had turned black and turned to walk towards the air purifier that was still screaming.
The machine was vibrating more and more violently, and water was starting to spurt from one of the cooling pipes next to it.
The apprentices responsible for guarding the machines were kneeling on the ground, banging wrenches on the floor in an attempt to drown out the alarm with noise.
Unable to solve the problem, these people tried to solve the loudspeaker that was raising the issue.
Andy kicked aside an apprentice blocking his way and stood in front of the gap that was spewing out hot gas.
STC's field of view instantly locked onto the installation location.
[Target: Main intake valve interface.]
Optimal torque: 45 Nm.
[Caution: High-temperature surface.]
Andy's heat-resistant coating on his hands allowed him to ignore the steam that was hundreds of degrees hot.
He pressed the gleaming brass valve onto the notch.
In that instant, it was perfectly seamless.
The smooth feel of those industrial standard parts meshing together made Andy so happy that he almost overloaded the logic core.
This is what machines should look like.
There was no damned wax seal, no disgusting holy oil, only the purest contact between metal and metal.
Andy exerted force with his wrist and rotated it clockwise.
One lap, two laps, three and a half laps.
"Click".
A crisp locking sound rang out.
The next second, a miracle happened.
The enormous machine, which had been resembling a late-stage asthma attack, suddenly stopped vibrating.
The harsh metallic scraping sound disappeared, and the black smoke stopped.
Instead, there is a deep, powerful, and rhythmic hum, the sound of fan blades cutting through the airflow.
The red warning light on top of the machine flashed twice and then turned into a soft green.
"call--"
A powerful gust of air suddenly gushed out from the exhaust vents located on both sides of the hall.
This airflow dispersed the lingering stench of decay from underground, bringing in fresh air that had been filtered multiple times.
The refugees, who were still coughing and choking, were stunned.
They breathed deeply and greedily, and some even felt dizzy from the sudden increase in oxygen concentration, as if they were intoxicated by oxygen.
The hall was deathly silent, with only the steady sound of the machines running.
Andy dusted off his hands and turned around.
He saw that Gamma-9 was still gaping, and the aperture in its single eye was rapidly expanding and contracting.
Gamma-9 looked at Andy, his mind going through a storm.
If it were an ordinary person, they would probably feel like an idiot for wearing a crucial part like jewelry for twenty years.
But Gamma-9 is a priest of the Mechanicus.
His logical loop instantly completed a perfect self-strategy of closing the loop.
"I understand..."
Gamma-9 muttered to itself, then its volume suddenly increased.
"I understand!!"
He knelt down again with a thud, this time with a smoother, more sincere gait.
"This is the ultimate secret of the sacred object!"
"It's more than just a talisman; it's a missing piece of the machine's puzzle! Sage, you've actually gone so far as to 'return' such a precious relic to this ordinary iron machine in order to save these lowly mortals!"
"What a magnificent spirit of sacrifice! What a sublime 'rite of return'!"
Upon hearing this, the apprentices and refugees around them suddenly realized what was going on.
That's it!
No wonder it couldn't be repaired before; it turns out we didn't offer the precious sacred objects as a sacrifice!
The way everyone looked at Andy changed from awe to fanaticism.
He's not only a tech genius, but also a compassionate saint!
Andy stared blankly at the group of charlatans lost in their self-pity.
He is tired.
Reasoning with these people is harder than teaching Eugene the brilliant mind to do calculus.
Moreover, the red warning text on his retina had become extremely glaring.
[Warning: 3% battery remaining.]
[Warning: Forced hibernation mode is about to begin.]
A deep sense of weakness swept over Andy's consciousness.
For an Iron Man, no electricity means death.
The fear of gradually losing consciousness is ten thousand times more terrifying than hunger.
He must get a high-powered power supply immediately.
What powers this newly repaired air purifier?
Geothermal generator set.
Andy looked up at the heavy blast door at the end of the hall.
STC scans revealed a small isotope thermoelectric generator behind it, which, while having a poor output, was enough to fully charge his nearly depleted battery.
"that……"
Andy spoke, his voice carrying a barely perceptible weakness, but to Gamma-9 it sounded like unfathomable indifference.
"This maintenance ceremony consumed too much of my mental energy."
Andy pointed to the door.
"I'm going to the energy core room for deep 'data meditation'."
"No one is allowed to disturb me before I come out."
If this request were made under normal circumstances, Gamma-9 would definitely jump up and kill someone.
The energy core room is a forbidden area of the Mechanicus; only priests with the necessary authority are allowed to enter and maintain it.
But now?
Gamma-9 didn't hesitate for even a second.
The miracle of "returning the sacred object" had completely shattered his psychological defenses.
Let alone getting into the energy room, even if Andy said he wanted to take off his prosthetic leg and use it as a crutch, he would have to hand it over and ask if it was comfortable to use.
"Of course! Of course!"
Gamma-9 scrambled over, pulled out an oil-stained magnetic card, and swiped it on the rusty card reader.
"Click."
The heavy explosion-proof door slowly opened.
A wave of heat hit me.
Andy looked at the fuel rod inside, which emitted a faint blue light, and felt like a wolf that hadn't eaten for three days had seen fresh meat.
He suppressed the urge to rush in, maintaining the composure of a great sage, and slowly walked in.
"close the door."
Andy said with his back to Gamma-9.
As the door slammed shut, Andy's tense body instantly collapsed.
He rushed to the generator set, flicked out a generic data probe with his finger, and forcefully shoved it into the rough maintenance interface.
"Recharge! Recharge! Recharge! Recharge! Recharge! Recharge!"
The moment the current surged in, Andy almost cried out in pleasure.
at the same time.
His STC database automatically performed a local area network search because it was connected to the energy network.
An encrypted message hidden in the underlying code suddenly popped up.
[Signal from the same source detected...]
Distance: 300 km.
[Signal characteristics: STC standard construction template - fragments - hydroponic farm.]