TCPUAAV Chapter 18

For Ruan Shiqing, this discovery was excellent news. By leveraging the strengths of both worlds, he could quickly familiarize himself with this world’s technology, particularly in the areas he excelled at: vehicles and weaponry.

 

After some consideration, he began translating his engine modification ideas onto paper.

 

The hovercar’s engine was an old-fashioned jet propulsion system with limited room for improvement. After some thought, he decided to focus on enhancing the fuel conversion rate.

 

The engine relied on the combustion of fuel in its fuel chamber to generate kinetic energy. The more fuel it burned, and the more efficiently it burned, the greater the kinetic energy—and thus, the faster the hovercar.

 

Currently, the engine’s fuel distribution system was overly simplistic. Ruan Shiqing marked the combustion chamber as a critical component. The fuel distribution paths needed optimization to shorten delivery times while increasing the amount of fuel supplied.

 

Additionally, he planned to increase the number of fuel igniters within the chamber to ensure adequate and even combustion.

 

Soon, a detailed schematic of the engine took shape under his pen, with all critical components clearly marked. His lines were clean and precise—so sharp they might as well have been drawn with a ruler. This was a skill honed over years of drafting designs.

 

Rong Heng, who had been lounging nearby in the sun, noticed the detailed sketch. His expression shifted, and he couldn’t help but quietly edge closer for a better look.

 

Though not a mechanic, Rong Heng’s experience on the battlefield had given him a solid understanding of the structure of various vehicles and weapons. He’d also worked closely with military mechanics. Comparing them to Ruan Shiqing, he was certain that even the mechanics in his unit couldn’t sketch with such precision by hand.

 

Most mechanics were reliant on advanced drafting tools, and without them, many would struggle to produce anything usable.

 

Ruan Shiqing then highlighted the intake turbine on the engine.

 

After studying the schematic for a moment, he added three aerodynamic baffles around the turbine. These baffles would provide additional control during sharp turns, functioning as a simplified version of an air controller.

 

Biting the end of his pen, he paused.

 

The baffles would need to be mounted around the intake turbine, meaning the material used must be exceptionally sturdy to withstand high air pressures.

 

None of the materials currently at hand seemed suitable. He’d have to find an appropriate metal plate elsewhere.

 

Pulling up his parts list, Ruan Shiqing added another item to it.

 

With the components the Xiong brothers had already collected, six pieces were still missing and would require significant effort to locate.

 

Sighing, he organized his design sketches and turned to find the puppy gazing at him intently.

 

Checking the time, he realized it was already evening. Smiling, he picked up the pup and rubbed noses with him. “What’s this? Waiting for Daddy?”

 

Not exactly.

 

Rong Heng leaned back, lifting a paw to push Ruan Shiqing’s face away. He coldly flicked his ears, which had grown uncomfortably warm.

 

Fine, one nuzzle is tolerable, but this is just too much.

 

***

 

The next day, Ruan Shiqing and the Xiong brothers set out to procure parts.

 

Curious about the design sketches, Rong Heng insisted on tagging along.

 

Left with no choice, Ruan Shiqing tucked the pup into his coat. However, taking the little mermaid along was impossible.

 

Watching the mermaid leaning on the edge of his barrel, gazing up at him with wide, longing eyes, Ruan Shiqing patted his head affectionately. “I’ll bring you a gift when I get back.”

 

Sure enough, the mermaid brightened instantly. He waved his hand eagerly, his eyes sparkling with anticipation.

 

After placating the mermaid, Ruan Shiqing headed downstairs with the pup.

 

The little mermaid swam to the window and stretched his neck to watch the courtyard, waiting to catch a glimpse of Ruan Shiqing as he left.

 

Sensing the gaze, Rong Heng glanced up toward the second floor and saw the mermaid peeking down.

 

Hmph.

 

Always playing the pitiful card.

 

*

The group headed back to the Subterranean Market.

 

Leading the way, Xiong Yuanyuan explained, “My brother’s already scouted out a few stalls with the parts on your list. We’ll check those out first. As for the high-strength metal plate you mentioned, if nothing here works, we might have to look into military-grade materials.”

 

He lowered his voice when mentioning “military-grade.”

 

On B3024, most of the metal waste was from civilians. Military metal waste was typically sent to highly secure scrapyards for disposal, with only small amounts of unimportant materials occasionally ending up here.

 

As a result, any “military-grade” materials circulating on the planet were likely smuggled, making such transactions a quieter affair.

 

“Let’s see what we can find first,” Ruan Shiqing replied.

 

They began by comparing parts at several stalls, evaluating quality and price. By now, Ruan Shiqing was a familiar face in the market and had become adept at bargaining. He managed to purchase five parts from two different vendors, leaving only the metal plate for the air baffles.

 

Military-grade material stalls were few and far between, and none of them had what he needed. Disappointed, Ruan Shiqing was about to call it a day when a familiar voice caught his attention.

 

He paused, then doubled back, finding a familiar vendor in a corner.

 

The man recognized him as well and greeted him warmly, “Hey, it’s you! Back so soon? Struck it rich already? What are you looking for this time? I’ve got some new stock.”

 

This was the same vendor who had sold him the seemingly junky robot 09, which had turned out to be a high-performance military model.

 

Ruan Shiqing’s curiosity piqued. “I’m looking for a high-strength metal plate, preferably military-grade. Do you have anything like that?”

 

“I do.”

 

The vendor rummaged through his chaotic stall, failing to find the item. He then opened a nearby animal-hide sack and began pulling items out.

 

After scattering various odds and ends across the ground, he retrieved three oval-shaped metal spheres with strange patterns on their surface. “Here, these should meet your needs.”

 

“What are these?”

 

“Worm Metal,” the vendor claimed.

 

Ruan Shiqing wasn’t easily fooled. Worm Metal, a cutting-edge material heavily controlled by the government, was used exclusively in critical fields like military engineering and energy.

 

It would never show up on a remote scrapyard planet like this.

 

He picked up one of the metal spheres, noting its significant weight despite its small size. He handed it to Xiong Yuanyuan, who used all his strength to smash it against the ground several times. The sphere remained unscathed.

 

Though it clearly wasn’t Worm Metal, it didn’t resemble any other known materials either.

 

“This isn’t Worm Metal.”

 

Called out, the vendor’s enthusiasm dimmed, and he grumbled, “Fine, you’re not easy to fool. But it’s nearly as good as Worm Metal, just a hair inferior.” He pinched his thumb and forefinger together to demonstrate.

 

“Name your price,” Ruan Shiqing said.

 

“Three spheres, 1,000 Starcoins,” the vendor declared, justifying the steep price. “You know, Worm Metal isn’t just extracted from Zerg shells. It’s also fused with volcanic crystals formed in active volcanoes. These three are top-grade volcanic crystals!”

 

“Three hundred,” Ruan countered.

 

“Four hundred.”

 

After a brief stare-down, they settled on 350 Starcoins.

 

On the way back, Xiong Yuanyuan held the three metal spheres, tapping them one by one. “Are these really good for making air baffles?”

 

“We’ll find out soon enough,” Ruan Shiqing replied.

 

When conventional materials fall short, unconventional options are worth exploring.

 

Back home, Ruan Shiqing headed straight to his workshop with the spheres.

 

The metal couldn’t be used as-is; it needed to be reshaped using high heat.

 

Ruan Shiqing placed the spheres in a high-temperature chamber and began heating them.

 

Under the intense heat, two of the spheres quickly softened and started to melt, but the third remained solid, its surface patterns beginning to ripple like flowing water.

 

This sphere was clearly different from the others.

 

Turning the heat to maximum, Ruan Shiqing watched as the two spheres turned into molten metal, flowing into a mold. The third sphere, however, remained unyielding, its surface unaffected.

 

Once the molding process was complete and the pieces had cooled, Ruan Shiqing retrieved the unchanged sphere and examined it closely.

 

It was oval-shaped, with a dark gray hue that resembled a giant egg. The intricate patterns on its surface felt neither entirely metallic nor stone-like, giving it a unique texture.

 

Intrigued by the sphere’s resilience, Ruan Shiqing decided to set it aside for further study.

 

He then turned his attention to the six rectangular metal plates molded from the other spheres. Calling Xiong Yuanyuan for assistance, he mounted the plates onto the hovercar’s engine and ran a stress test.

 

“They’ll do for now. Once the matching hydraulic system is installed, we should be good to go.”

 

As they worked on modifying the hovercar in the courtyard, Rong Heng slipped unnoticed into the workshop.

 

Jumping onto the workbench, he circled the strange “egg” twice.

 

He’d already sensed something unusual about this sphere back at the market. Unlike the other two, this one carried a unique aura.

 

It was alive.

 

It was an egg.

 

Frowning, Rong Heng hesitated before testing his theory. Drawing on his partially recovered strength, he struck the egg with his paw.

 

His attack, which could easily incapacitate even a strong Beastkin man, left the egg entirely unscathed.

 

Rong Heng’s brows furrowed deeper as suspicion solidified into certainty. He tapped Ruan Shiqing’s smart terminal and issued a command to Noah: Scan this egg.

 

The workshop’s analysis equipment whirred to life, scanning the egg on the workbench.

 

Three minutes later, the results appeared on a virtual screen.

 

Noah displayed the findings: Your Highness, this is an unhatched dragon egg. Based on the data, it is over a hundred years old.

 

A dragon egg in slumber for more than a century.

 

Only dragon eggs possessed such incredibly tough shells, impervious to fire and extreme heat.

 

 

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Another cub maybe will soon join in???

 

Thanks for reading!

For every three ko-fis, I will upload a bonus chapter~