Chapter 00002: Fixing Cars, Fixing Watches, Fixing Computers
# Fixing Cars, Fixing Watches, Fixing Computers
Chapter 2
Novel: Above Destiny
Chapter 2: Fixing Cars, Fixing Watches, Fixing Computers
Four hundred years have passed since the disasters swept across the world.
What once seemed like an eternal great empire has collapsed and vanished, leaving behind a scattering of city-states amidst the fog, dimly reflecting the glory of the past.
Some say everything will be rebuilt after destruction, while others claim this is merely the last flicker before total ruin.
In June, in the Northern Federation, Haizhou, in the city of Yacheng.
Under the blazing sun, white clouds were scattered across the dazzling sky.
The reflections on the ocean, touched by the sea breeze, slowly blurred amid the waves, losing their clarity.
As the distant cries of seabirds mingled with the sound of the tides, everything felt shrouded in the subtle rhythm of the sea.
For the people of Haizhou, this scene was a common sight, hardly worth attention.
On this sweltering afternoon, with cicadas buzzing in the heat, the streets had grown sparse with cars.
Inside a car repair shop, the atmosphere was becoming increasingly tense.
"Master Ji, do you think there's something wrong with my headlights?"
In the reflections of a sports car's shiny paint, a slender and delicate arm gradually draped over the shoulder of a young mechanic.
Hearing this, the boy glanced down at the oversized headlights, carefully examining them.
The headlights were big and bright, almost as if they were gazing back at him, with flirtatious glimmers.
"It does seem like there might be a problem," Ji Jue said with a slight lean back, arriving at a conclusion, "It should be just a minor scratch; a bit of maintenance will do. Luckily, our shop has recently launched a care package for 998, which includes a full wax job and four deep cleanings. It’s quite a deal, don’t you think, Brother Feng?"
"Ah, yes, yes, yes!" Nearby, a burly mechanic covered in grease nodded eagerly in agreement.
"How annoying~" The female car owner playfully nudged Ji Jue's shoulder, leaning closer.
"What do you think about the exhaust pipe?"
She softly asked in his ear, "My husband says whenever he drives, it makes a huge noise, which scares people. Could you please help me blow something through it?"
Ji Jue turned to the exhaust pipe.
The weathered exhaust pipe seemed to look back at him, deep and dark.
"Replacing it should do the trick."
Ji Jue arrived at another conclusion, "We just received two new Mustang parts in the shop, all certified originals from Huanyu Heavy Industries... for only 12888, you can take a Mustang exhaust home! Brother Feng, you should come check it out quickly!"
As he said this, he tried to create some distance but could not escape her clinginess, like a small hamster entangled by a python, helplessly struggling.
"I still feel like there’s something wrong with this car..."
The woman, with large wavy hair, bit her lip, her gaze lingering longingly, "Recently, there has been a significant oil leak from the engine; it seems to be leaking oil now. Could you take a look for me?"
"So serious?!" Ji Jue exclaimed in shock, staring at the innocent engine under the hood for a long time before concluding, "It might lack maintenance. I’d recommend you buy our complete car maintenance package for 24999. If you sign up now, you’ll get a lovely set of floor mats and air fresheners. After the service, I guarantee it will feel as good as new! Right, Brother Feng?"
"Ah, yes, yes, yes!!!" The man with the wrench nodded eagerly, "If you recharge your card now, there’s also a 20% discount! Don’t wait, act now!"
Unfortunately, after all that selling, the car owner barely glanced in his direction, nearly pressing herself against Ji Jue instead.
It was as if she was boneless.
"But my husband says it won’t move after driving for two minutes; he says the acceleration feels too strong, and it’s unbearable."
Biting her lip, she blinked and continued, "Master Ji, is he telling the truth?"
Ji Jue couldn’t help but think, it was pointless to ask him—he was just nineteen, with a mere three and a half years of experience in fixing cars.
If she wanted real advice, she should ask Master Da Ji!
Oh, but she seemed to be after Master Da Ji…
But this woman clearly didn’t seem like an easy character.
What if Master Da Ji came out and she overwhelmed him with her antics?
That thought scared him!
Throughout his life, he had faced far too many such predations.
Back in school, it was mostly the upperclasswomen and some delinquents eyeing him.
But ever since he started working, all sorts of bad women from society kept appearing, eager for his looks, keen to lay their hands on him.
And now… she seemed like the type to take advantage without even offering a gift? It was truly disgraceful!
What a common girl, truly disappointing!
Ji Jue repeatedly signaled to the mechanic, Lu Feng, for help, but Lu Feng just leaned against the wall, watching the show with a wicked grin, enjoying the drama.
Until a savior descended from the heavens…
Boom!
With a loud crash, a burly figure appeared at the door, looking like a mountain of flesh, as they chucked two brand new tires on the ground, breaking the silence.
"What’s going on here?"
With arms as strong as a bull, the short-haired female boss wiped her hands on her apron, her fishy eyes scanning the room, "Changing the engine, huh? I’ll handle it… You two are idle, right? If you’re free, go unload the tires from the front to the store."
"Okay, okay, tires, tires, I love tires the most!"
Seeing the boss come to Master Da Ji's rescue, Ji Jue was overjoyed.
The female car owner's expression twitched, seemingly unhappy that someone had interrupted her plans.
But the boss exuded an aura that could silence mountains, along with a dead fish stare, making her hesitate to speak.
In the awkward silence, she pinched the cheek of a kid behind the counter who was busy with his homework, complimenting him on being cute, before leaving in her vehicle.
Meanwhile, Lu Feng, having had enough of the drama, sent a regretful gaze towards those hefty headlights as they drove away.
Just then, he received a hard knock on the back of his head from Lu Ma, nearly sending him tumbling.
He jumped up, laughing, "Ouch, Mom, if you had come a bit later, maybe she would have signed up for the 9999 gold card!"
"I run a repair shop, not a duck stand! You brat, stop making trouble!" Lu Ma shouted, exasperated, using his nickname in anger, "You like watching shows, huh? After enough fun, move those tires to the back yard!"
Now it was Ji Jue's turn to enjoy the show.
What a spectacle!
Moving the tires didn’t take much effort.
The shop had an old forklift, and Lu Feng had considerable strength, so Ji Jue, a college student who came to work part-time, didn’t have to struggle.
In the afternoon, business was slow as usual.
After moving the tires and washing two cars, everyone lounged in the shade, finding themselves with nothing to do.
Lu Ma was supervising a few kids working on their summer homework, while Lu Feng lay on a mat, chuckling at short videos.
Ji Jue borrowed an old computer from the shop, likely about as old as he was, and continued working on his thesis.
In the afternoon sun, it cast a light on the young face of the boy, causing passing girls and older ladies to halt and gaze.
Sadly, a burn scar that crept from his collar, extending to his cheek, marred his complexion.
It was so hideous that it made his otherwise perfect visage slightly flawed, a shame indeed.
Otherwise, wouldn’t it be nice to debut as an idol?
At the very least, some wealthy aunties might wave money around, inviting him to their luxurious homes to sing and dance, much better than repairing cars here.
Yet Ji Jue hardly felt regretful and had never thought there was anything wrong with working in a car shop.
In these times, with disasters running rampant and every day a struggle, it was no easy feat for an orphan who lost his parents at a young age and was constantly beset by misfortune to stay alive.
Having kind people take him in for work, without deducting his pay, and even helping him out whenever they could was truly a stroke of luck.
Moreover, he had also gotten into university.
Though his living situation was modest, it was free from worry.
Compared to the lonely and miserable past, life had begun to take a turn for the better.
Since heaven had granted him a chance to rise again, he had to rely on his abilities to live a meaningful life.
There was no reason or excuse not to strive.
"A kind of... high-precision... harmonic reducer joint... design and analysis?" Lu Feng leaned over, peering at Ji Jue’s screen, clearly dizzy just from the title.
"What’s it meant to lift?"
"Just a mechanical joint design that pairs with a small reducer," Ji Jue explained, "It uses this principle in machinery to reduce speed and enhance output."
"Oh, flexible joints, huh? I've seen them on exoskeleton armor in the army."
Lu Feng quickly grasped the concept, patting Ji Jue on the shoulder, a bit prouder than when he earned money himself, "Not bad, little Ji, you’re amazing!"
Ji Jue smiled and shook his head, "Not at all, it’s my teacher helping me."
The new type of planetary gear, meant as the foundation for the thesis and design, was originally a research result of his professor.
Getting even a chance to taste the fruits of it was like a pie falling from the sky!
Furthermore, besides the topic proposal, there was basically only an outline remaining, so he was naturally on edge.
With Professor Ye's notorious strictness, if he messed up, he might be deemed useless and thrown out of the group.
He was counting on her recommendation letter to try for a second-level engineering license, so he could not afford to slack off.
Unfortunately, the busy time didn’t last long.
As the old computer buzzed and vibrated, its cooling fan wailed, clearly struggling to handle the heavy task of opening a document while running two web pages.
Ji Jue could only pause for now.
He glanced at the time; it was just a bit past four.
He took a tissue, wiping the grease off his watch band, doing it earnestly and meticulously.
These days, aside from a few, wearing a watch had pretty much transitioned from a functional need to a way of showing off.
After all, why wouldn’t one just pull out their phone to check the time instead?
Was it because they forgot to charge it last night?
Times were changing.
Back when Ji Jue’s grandfather was still alive, the family’s flagship clock brand was well-known throughout Haizhou.
In those years, if any child passed the entrance exams, they would surely visit the shop to buy a fancy pocket watch.
Once they wore their uniform, the watch chain would peek out from their pocket, captivating the attention of countless young ladies.
But alas, Ji Jue lost both parents too soon, and times changed so rapidly that past glories had long since faded into dust.
All he inherited was an old shop that likely couldn't be reopened, a few rudimentary skills, and this watch left by his parents.
To be honest, all these years, Ji Jue hadn’t even figured out what brand this watch was.
He could only guess from the complex symbols on its face that it was likely something used for precise timing in intricate machinery.
The design was rare, quite different from most on the market.
It looked like the styles favored by sailors in earlier times, but typically sailors' watches had perpetual calendars or moon phase displays.
This one, aside from the hands, had just one mysterious window.
Two rows of tiny numbers seemed to change gradually over time, slowly increasing, though the trend was very slow.
When Ji Jue first wore it as a child, the number was only 06; now, it had grown to 92.
What was even stranger was that it lacked a crown for setting the time, no winding mechanism, and no seams whatsoever.
Ji Jue had even borrowed a high-precision microscope from the school lab, but he couldn’t find any seams or solder points on the case; it appeared perfectly seamless, with even the crystal encased inside—tight as could be.
He had once placed it on his desk for months, observing it daily, and found that it kept perfect time.
That proved that it didn’t wind automatically from arm movements… so where did its power come from?
Could it possibly be a perpetual motion machine?
(End of chapter)