Chapter 190

Chapter 190

Ai Baozhu added: "‘Life Tech Machinery Co., Ltd.’ has limited annual output, sold globally, so money doesn’t guarantee a purchase, let alone a factory tour. My family got a cleaning robot—worth it. Besides cleaning, it chats, finds lost jewelry, stuff like that."

"We got a sparring robot," Qi Huang said, pleased. "Come to my place sometime—it’s got interesting attack patterns."

Her top-class combat skills likely owed much to it.

Seeing both had the company’s products, eyes turned to Si Zhaohua and Feng Lan. What did they buy?

"Butler assistant robot," Si Zhaohua answered promptly.

Qi Huang tsked, miffed: "The priciest."

Among the company’s products, butler assistants were the most expensive, able to handle diverse tasks with vast knowledge and high IQ/EQ to match elite butlers. Only the Si Family’s wealth could afford it.

Lastly, Feng Lan didn’t disappoint, saying curtly: "We got a kitchen set."

Wu Mingbai, catching their reaction, pressed: "Like what?"

After a pause, Feng Lan answered: "Mechanical teapot, teacup, spatula, pot…"

Lan Subing asked soulfully: "Beauty and the Beast?"

Laughter erupted. Exactly—living machines brewing tea or cooking resembled the cursed tableware in the fairy tale.

Feng Lan shut down, sitting silently.

Su Bei said righteously: "Don’t do that. Is it wrong for Feng Lan to want to be a fairy-tale princess?"

"You didn’t spare him either," Zhao Xiaoyu stifled a laugh.

After the fun, Meng Huai continued: "No photos allowed. You likely won’t see any secrets, but don’t talk about it either."

Standard rules—no objections. Mu Tieren asked: "Why are we going? For fun?"

A break for their hard training seemed reasonable, but on Meng Huai, it felt off.

Especially with their teamwork still a mess—why a break?

As expected, Meng Huai sneered: "Fun? Dream on! We’re going to see how machine parts coordinate, to learn their spirit."

He sighed, muttering: "Though I doubt it’ll help."

It was an "Endless Ability Academy" tradition, leveraging their partnership with Life Tech to send students for exposure.

Especially for teamwork training, the living parts’ synergy was impeccable, but Meng Huai doubted it’d inspire students.

Still, orders were orders: "You’ll get a chance to buy products. Prepare money and check their website."

"Teacher… can I skip it?" Mu Tieren raised his hand, noticing surprised looks and adding, "I’d rather train physically here. I’m not on the main or reserve team—do I still need to observe teamwork?"

A rare obedient student, Mu Tieren never questioned school or teacher plans—his first time. And for such an intriguing event, his refusal was baffling.

Meng Huai, surprised, studied him before refusing: "No, it’s a school mandate—S-Class must go."

Using Mu Tieren’s words, he countered: "Since you’re not competing, why train so hard? Relax."

Tasks assigned, Meng Huai left. The group discussed, starting with Mu Tieren’s odd refusal. Jiang Tianming asked concernedly: "Class Monitor, you okay? Is there something off about this trip?"

Everyone saw his refusal as strange. His excuse—needing training time—was flimsy. As Meng Huai said, with no competition role, why push himself?

Though diligent, he’d never skipped events for training.

He’d never rejected school or teacher tasks, from manual labor to sparring or tutoring, always complying. In everyone’s mind, he was the quintessential good student, a classic Class Monitor. A trip to Life Tech wasn’t grueling—why refuse?

Jiang Tianming’s question subtly probed for hidden issues, offering help.

Mu Tieren didn’t bite, realizing his slip and backtracking: "No issue, I overthought. Teacher’s right—I don’t need to train so hard. You’re all progressing fast, so I got anxious, wanting to utilize every moment."

Plausible enough, Jiang Tianming didn’t press.

But Su Bei wasn’t convinced, eyeing Mu Tieren thoughtfully.

He knew Mu Tieren hid secrets—his sudden bursts, black smoke and red-glowing eyes hinted at something extraordinary.

Would this trip expose him? How did it tie to Life Tech?

With a guess forming, Su Bei looked away.

Others chatted. Ai Baozhu teased: "I’m getting a kitchen set too. Feng Lan, you’ve got one—share the user experience."

She loved the drama. Their wealthy families had staff for tea or cooking, making mechanical aids unnecessary. Feng Lan’s unease suggested a story.

Feng Lan said helplessly: "My cousin Feng Ling bought it, and she mostly uses it."

Their family planned for a butler assistant, but Feng Ling, rebellious and opinionated, took charge. Drawn to the kitchen set during a tour, she asked to buy both.

The family refused, sparking her defiance—she skipped the butler assistant, buying what she liked. Her logic: "Away from home, I call the shots." With money in hand, would she obey? At worst, she'd face punishment—let the Feng Family try returning it!

Returns were impossible, so they punished Feng Ling, barring her from solo tasks. This time, they ate the loss.

Feng Lan admired his free-spirited cousin.

He glanced at Su Bei: "So, she’s the princess, not me."

Su Bei chuckled, nodding: "Fair, you’re not."

"Anyone know Life Tech’s employee benefits or how to join?" Zhao Xiaoyu asked, a question none considered.

Though contracted to stay at the academy post-graduation, her commoner instinct prompted job-related curiosity.

Si Zhaohua thought, pulling out his phone: "I’ll ask my family."

He didn’t track such things, but his family likely knew. Life Tech, a niche high-tech firm, needed many workers due to demand, and some Si Family branches probably worked there.

Soon, his butler replied. Si Zhaohua looked up: "Decent pay—100,000 a month, three Mental Crystals. Joining requires a mechanics-related Ability, graduation from an Ability academy, and passing their training."

"100,000 plus Mental Crystals? Nice," Zhao Xiaoyu sighed, though the job was irrelevant to her.

In their class, only Su Bei might qualify—his Gear-related Ability could count as mechanical.

Friday came, and S-Class's fifteen gathered at the gate. A rare full-class event to a famed company had everyone excited.

Meng Huai and Lei Ze’en led, the latter’s [Teleportation] Ability handy for short trips, simplifying pickups.

Via teleportation array, they appeared before a factory encased in iron, with one entrance guarded by two uniformed security officers.

The guards, expecting visitors, didn’t sound alarms. After a cautious glance, one approached: "You are…?"

"I’m the lead teacher for ‘Endless Ability Academy’s’ tour group," Lei Ze’en said, showing his teacher ID. "Here to bring students to tour Life Tech’s factory."

Ability academy teachers needed certification, overseen by the Ability Government. Like the normal world, a certificate didn’t guarantee a job, but without one, teaching was impossible.

The guard, knowing who was coming, verified Lei Ze’en’s ID, signaled the booth guard, and stepped aside.

The iron gate opened, revealing another, like a bank vault’s, with a ship-wheel-like lock, exuding impregnability.

"Please wait; the guide will arrive shortly," the first guard said, following them in, his face expressionless, posture rigid like a soldier.

Within two minutes, the gate hissed open. A man in a neat blue uniform, hair impeccably styled, emerged, polished yet professional.

Smiling warmly but courteously, he greeted Meng Huai and Lei Ze’en, clearly not their first meeting. Su Bei raised an eyebrow—likely the usual student guide, explaining their familiarity.

After greeting the teachers, the man turned to Jiang Tianming’s group: "Hello, students. I’m your guide, Zhang He, workshop director at Life Tech Machinery Co., Ltd. Call me Guide Zhang. Follow me—I hope you enjoy what you see and have a pleasant experience. If you learn something, it’s our honor."

Through a long, narrow corridor, they entered the factory. Inside, they were surprised to see a large pool of green liquid. A worker, fully suited like an astronaut with a transparent helmet, poured metal parts from a cart into it—finished shells, chips, gears, screws, rivets.

Guide Zhang explained: "This pool contains our boss' Ability, [Life Essence]. Non-living objects soaked in it gain life, but this pool’s concentration is low, sustaining life for an hour. Wait a bit, and you’ll see it's effects."

While waiting, Su Bei frowned, scanning with Mental Energy. He felt watched, but found nothing—like an illusion.

For a normal person, such a fleeting sensation might be dismissed. But as an Ability user, with heightened Mental Energy sensitivity to gazes, he trusted his instinct.

Others felt it too, occasionally glancing around, but the green liquid drew more attention. Ling You and others approached it curiously. Mo Xiaotian, eager, asked: "Can we touch it?"

"No," Zhang stopped him, explaining, "Notice the worker’s gear. Living beings can’t touch Life Essence—it drains life force, killing instantly."

Proudly, he defended his boss: "He’s not just about machines—his Ability harms humans and Nightmare Beasts too."

Meng Huai and Lei Ze’en knew this. Lei Ze’en smiled: "I remember Senior Sun joined their tri-school competition."

Though a first-year when Sun was a third-year, with no overlap, tri-school competitors were campus legends, so they knew of him.

Su Bei looked thoughtful. This Ability sounded problematic… Knowing this was a manga world, he viewed plot-related matters with a god’s-eye perspective.

[Life Essence] hadn’t raised flags, but Zhang’s words did. An Ability capable of absorbing life—could it stay trouble-free in a manga world?

This mindset let Su Bei glean more than others without manga insight.

Mu Tieren was tied to Life Tech—Life Essence gave life to the lifeless and took it from the living.

Did this connect to Mu Tieren’s changes? Was he human or mechanical life?

With questions, Su Bei watched the workers.

As Zhang said, the parts’ Life Essence bath was brief. Five minutes later, the worker pressed a button.

With a chime, the now-nearly-clear green liquid drained, revealing glossier parts, hopping lively at the pool’s bottom.

Another workshop’s door opened. A man in a different-colored uniform pushed a cart in, blowing a whistle from his neck. The parts, as if summoned, scurried to the cart.

Lacking limbs, they rolled or jumped—yes, jumped, inexplicably, with a quirky, eerie charm.

Mu Tieren, curious, rubbed his ears and approached: "Why do they come willingly?"

Zhang explained professionally: "The whistle, provided by our boss, commands these little lives to gather. Nearby parts hearing it obey, saving us from fishing them out or chasing runaways."

"Amazing!" Mo Xiaotian peered at the whistle. "Anyone can use it?"

Zhang nodded, then shook his head: "Yes, but it lasts only a day, after which you'll need a new one."

Sensible—permanent whistles would be a threat in others’ hands, so the boss wouldn’t distribute them lightly.

Once all parts hopped into the cart, the worker pushed it to his workshop. Zhang led them along: "That step gave the parts life. Next, they assemble themselves into products."

Entering the next workshop, they were stunned. Who could imagine gears, screws, and rivets moving autonomously, assembling themselves? They saw it firsthand.

Though eyeless and noseless, their lively hops showed life. This was "Life Tech Machinery"—aptly named.

Zhang, unfazed, smiled: "To make parts fit better and work flexibly, we rarely use machines for assembly. These living parts find ideal partners, forming complete products."

This echoed their teamwork struggles. They were like parts, theoretically compatible, yet failing to form a cohesive team.

Intrigued, they watched the parts’ assembly closely.

Parts paired up, applied adhesive, aligned, and combined, swiftly forming a complete product.

Once formed, the lively parts stilled, as if losing life, becoming ordinary components.

"Though it’s an Ability, it’s still…" Zhao Xiaoyu’s expression was complex.

Lan Subing finished: "Worldview-shattering."

Zhao Xiaoyu nodded gravely, agreeing.

Jiang Tianming mused: "This is like my childhood sci-fi dreams. If this tech spread, it’d be incredible."