Chapter 15: North Tower Maintenance
Tang Li was clearly surprised that this sickly-looking Omega was the first to step forward. He surely didn’t know how difficult the maintenance tasks at North Tower Base were. But this was fineâafter going there, he would learn that being a Mecha Master was not a game, and he would know to back off. Tang Li gave a fake smile. “Very well.”
Tang Li stopped staring at Bai Mu and looked at the crowd again, his tone carrying a hint of helplessness: “Who else?”
Perhaps because an Omega had taken the lead, it stirred the competitive spirit of the Alphas and Betas. This time, after the question, the crowd was no longer silent. Three more people raised their hands, including Qi Ji. In the end, after Tang Liâs repeated inquiries, they finally gathered eight Mecha Masters.
The eight people sat in two maglev cars and took the military lane toward North Tower Base. The lane was extremely fast, so even though the bases were far apart, the drive wasn’t long.
The architecture of North Tower Base was very simple. That towering transmission tower in the center was the lifeblood of the base, and even the energy reactor was located inside it. The other buildings were constructed around the tower to protect it. The entire base consisted of silver metal buildings, with countless aerial tracks connecting them. From a distance, it looked very magnificent.
The maglev cars stopped in the parking spots. The group got out and, under the guidance of a North Tower maintenance officer, passed through layer after layer of inspections before finally entering the central control room. As soon as Bai Mu entered and looked up, his heart skipped a beat.
A tall, sharp figure stood among the crowd. He was wearing a crisp, black military uniform, his frame upright and his legs long, radiating a steady and cold aura.
The man was standing there listening to a maintenance officerâs explanation, and just as Bai Mu and the other Mecha Masters entered, he happened to turn back. When he saw Bai Mu, his brow quirked slightly.
There was a hint of playfulness in it.
Of course, it was only visible to Bai Mu. In the eyes of the crowd, the Consul still carried a steady and cold pressure.
Bai Muâs heart sank. How could he have overlooked this? If such a major failure occurred at North Tower, Han Naijin would naturally come here.
And the moment his eyes met Han Naijinâs, he knew the difficulty of his escape plan had increased significantly.
Han Naijinâs face remained impassive. He only gave Bai Mu a fleeting glance, and after expressing his gratitude to the eight people who had come to help, he fixed his eyes once more on the massive screen covering an entire wall in the center of the control room. An elder maintenance officer was introducing the problems encountered during testing.
Bai Mu saw the name on the manâs tag: Wei Bichen, Senior Maintenance Officer. This senior officer was a tall, thin middle-aged man who looked very serious. His introduction of the problems to Han Naijin was concise, with almost no wasted words.
Listening to Wei Bichenâs explanation, Bai Mu also became focused. He temporarily set aside his plan and listened seriously. Since he was here, even if he wanted to escape, he wouldn’t be negligent in the maintenance task. He also looked at the wall; the entire screen was divided into nine sections, monitoring the operation of all important equipment in the base in real-time.
Wei Bichen looked at Han Naijin and said, “The Mecha Masters who came to help are here. Consul, do you think we should start the Level 3 defense test now?”
Han Naijin said solemnly, “You may start.”
Once Han Naijin gave the word, all the maintenance crew and Mecha Masters left the control room. They went to the locker room to put on protective suits, adjusted the built-in communication devices, and entered the maintenance site inside the transmission tower.
The interior of the tower was a closed structure with an extremely complex layout. Countless catwalks were connected together, and coolant return pipes were clustered all over the inner walls. The bottom of the tower held the giant energy reactor, and their current observation platform was located about twenty meters above it.
Looking down from the platform through the transparent top of the reactor, one could see the flames of the burning Red Crystal ore. Even at a height of twenty meters, and with cold air and water being constantly sprayed, the heat generated by the reactor still roasted everyone. Bai Mu had just arrived at the platform, and his body was already soaked in sweat.
Bai Mu looked up; in the center above the platform stood three giant screens monitoring the reactorâs output in real-time, filled with complex names marked in different colors and constantly shifting values. The leftmost screen showed the reactorâs structural parameters.
Currently in Level 1 defense mode, the reactor was running normally, with all data within reasonable ranges.
Seeing this, Bai Mu already had a preliminary understanding of North Towerâs defense capabilities. Compared to the Empireâs sky-curtain defense system, this one was much weaker. In terms of energy supply alone, the energy provided by burning Red Crystal ore wasn’t enough to make the particle flow completely active, so the defense capability of the sky-curtain would be greatly reduced. But for a city-state, this base was a qualified defense.
Every movement of the maintenance crew on the platform was displayed on the screens in the central control room. Everyone was staring at the platform, but Han Naijinâs eyes were fixed on only one person.
Just then, a mechanical voice sounded from high above:
[System ready. Level 3 defense system is about to start.]
As the voice fell, a massive hum followedâthe powerful sound of giant machinery starting up. Immediately after, the observation platform beneath their feet began to vibrate. The values on the monitoring screens above showed significant changes, with some colored bars fluctuating wildly.
Bai Mu stared at the data on the screen without blinking, recording and analyzing it in his mind.
Energy transmission system: Normal.
Pressure: Normal.
Cooling circulation system: Normal.
Particle flow continues high-speed scattering.
…
Energy supply exceeds Level 1 defense; energy continues to accelerate burning, about to break Level 2 defense…
A more intense wave of heat hit themâan unbearable roasting of the body. The clothes inside Bai Muâs protective suit were completely soaked with sweat. He suddenly felt a wave of dizziness and his body swayed; he immediately grabbed the railing beside him.
The continuous, powerful hum echoed through the entire towerâa heart-pounding and shocking sound. Bai Muâs heart also began to beat more violently. At the same time, every maintenance officer and Mecha Master in the control room also held their breath, staring at the monitoring screens. No one said a word; everyoneâs heart was in their throat. Thus, no one noticed Han Naijin quietly stepping out from among them.
The flames in the reactor grew more and more intense, and the energy burning continued to accelerate. Bai Mu gathered his spirit and looked at the values on the monitoring screen again.
The energy generated by the burning had surpassed the critical value and was about to reach the minimum energy requirement for Level 3 defense. The red bar representing energy was rising slowly, but the numerical value displayed was climbing at an extremely fast rate.
The system was running without abnormality. Bai Mu felt a bit relieved. A bead of sweat slowly rolled down from between his brows, gathering at the tip of his nose. Bai Mu glanced down; the bead was about to fall. He shook his head to flick it away, but new sweat gathered immediately. Bai Mu shook his head with a bitter smile.
Hissâhiss-hissâhissââ
A blood-curdling sound of spraying gas suddenly rang out!
Bai Mu snapped back to his senses. He searched in panic and saw that white gas was constantly leaking from the return pipes clustered on the towerâs inner walls. The sound came from there, and the needle on the pressure pumpâs circular dial began to spin uncontrollably.
Bai Mu was shocked. This indicated that the pressure in the return pump had exceeded its maximum limit, and the pipes were already starting to swell. Bai Mu immediately pressed the communication button on his suit: “Calling Control Room. Pressure in Return Pump No. 7 has suddenly increased with a risk of explosion. Please perform decompression immediately.”
As soon as he finished speaking, before he got a reply, the piercing alarm drowned out all other noise:
[Cooling water temperature abnormal.]
[Return pump output power abnormal.]
[Decompression device abnormal.]
…
Countless abnormality alerts sounded. Within seconds, numerous red warning boxes popped up on the three monitoring screens, one overlapping another until the entire screen was filled.
Bai Mu finally heard the control roomâs reply: “Control Room can no longer operate Return Pump No. 7. Maintenance crew, please evacuate the platform as quickly as possibleâ”
Before the word “possible” could be finished, a massive explosion erupted. A section of the return pipe burst in the middle, and the steaming return water sprayed out like fireworks shot into the sky.
“Go, quickly!”
“The platform is dangerous!”
But before the crew on the platform could react, the water stream sprayed directly toward the platform!
The water column, accompanied by immense force, bent the platformâs railing. A fragile human body had no way to resist such a rapid stream. All the crew were swept off the platform by the water. Bai Mu only felt a massive pressure hit him, and he had no power to resist as he was thrown into the air from the platform.
Bai Muâs body fell rapidly from the air, and the heavy protective suit only increased his falling speed. The distance from the reactor was only twenty meters; the fall to the ground would take only a few seconds. With the reactorâs scorching temperature, if he fell, he would be roasted alive even if the fall didn’t kill him!
In that moment, time was infinitely stretched. Every detail was magnified to the limit.
Bai Mu saw the other Mecha Masters and maintenance crew. As they were thrown over the railing, they agilely deployed their light mechas and quickly ascended, stopping at a safe platform at the top of the tower in the blink of an eye. The entire sequence took only a second or two.
But in those one or two seconds, his body was still falling. His light mecha was so depleted it couldn’t deploy. And everyone naturally assumed he had a mecha; no one was watching the falling him.
Flames tumbled in the reactor, and the dazzling light flashed across his transparent face shield. His vision was filled with red and leaping flames. He could feel the scorching air on his back. Was he going to fall just like that?
Was it all going to end here?
In such an unexpected way?
Bai Mu had no strength to think; his mind was a complete blank.
However, just then, a black silhouette suddenly flashed before his eyes. Immediately after, his body seemed to hit a hard object. He stopped falling, and an intense counter-force brought him upward, the speed so fast there was no buffer. Bai Mu felt as if his body were being squeezed, his internal organs distorted by the pressure. But in that split second, he knew he was safe.
After a dizzying moment, when he regained his senses, he was stopped at a safe passage entrance. All the maintenance crew who had been on the platform were gathered here.
Bai Mu gasped for breath. He suddenly looked up behind him. The first thing he saw was a sharp jawline, followed by a high bridge of a nose and narrow eyes. He looked at those eyes in a daze, his face filled with disbelief.
It was Han Naijin who had saved him!
How was that possible!
Han Naijin was supposed to be in the control room. Even if he saw him fall, there was no way he could have arrived in time.
“Luo Yi, how are you? Are you hurt anywhere?”
An urgent voice broke his daze. Bai Mu came to his senses, still shaken. Standing before him was Qi Ji, concern shining in his eyes, though he didn’t come closer because half of Bai Muâs body was still leaning in Han Naijinâs arms.
Bai Mu immediately stood straight.
From behind him came Han Naijinâs inquiry: “Are you alright?”
His body was fine, but the continuous roasting had consumed too much of his strength. He shook his head inside the face shield to indicate he was okay.
Bai Mu looked into the distance. The return pump was still spraying water, and the water turned to steam before it even hit the ground, dissipating into nothing.
At that moment, the communication device on Han Naijinâs person rang. It was Wei Bichenâs voice: “Consul, considering the extreme danger of continuing the test, the control room has consulted and decided to stop. Please give your instructions.”
Han Naijinâs expression was exceptionally coldâat least Bai Mu had never seen him look like that. Han Naijin pondered for a moment and then said, “I agree. Stop the test.”
Wei Bichen replied: “Understood. Stopping the test immediately!”
The mechanical voice sounded again:
[Level 3 defense test is about to terminate…]
[Stop signal is being sent…]
The mechanical voice turned into a rhythmic beeping sound that lasted for a full ten seconds. Then, the mechanical voice spoke again:
[The test cannot be stopped.]
What!
The test couldn’t be stopped!
Everyoneâs face turned pale with shock upon hearing this. At the same time, everyoneâs communication device transmitted the scream from the control room: “The energy reactor temperature is climbing rapidly! Pressure values are abnormal! Core meltdown has already occurred! All personnel in the tower, evacuate immediately!”
“All personnel, evacuate!”
Translatorâs Note:
Terms to note:
- Top A (é A): Short for “Top Alpha,” referring to the most dominant and elite Alphas in the ABO hierarchy.
- Tomorrow Morning (ććĽć¸ ć¨): The name of the cocktail. In CN novels, these poetic names usually hint at the “consequences” of the drink!
- Sky-curtain (夊ĺš): The planetary defense shield.
- Red Crystal (辤ćś): The energy source for the reactor. Think of it like super-powerful radioactive coal.
- Luo Yi (çž äź): Just a reminder, this is the fake name Bai Mu is using!
Stay safe and see you in the next update!Â
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