Super Gene Optimization Fluid

“This Navy-issue, Eagle-class frigate encountered an electromagnetic storm back then, ultimately causing severe damage to its circuits; thirty percent of its mechanical components were ruined, and the four crew aboard it then lost their lives, one of whom was that best friend I mentioned.” Porter took another large swig of the strong ale as he recalled that painful memory.

Xia Fei nodded and set the tablet down. It was no wonder why the repair list had been so extensive; the spaceship had been subjected to an electromagnetic storm.

Thinking about it in another sense, the fact that the outer hull of the frigate remained completely intact after experiencing such a deadly storm, while only thirty percent of its mechanical components ended up ruined, it was a clear testament of the Hookbill’s durability.

“I wish to begin repairing this spaceship tomorrow.” Xia Fei eyed Porter, his voice resolute when he stated this.

“You’ve already decided? Do you know how much money you’ll end up spending?”

Xia Fei flashed a mild smile. “This is a top-grade frigate; its worth isn’t something that can be measured in money.”

Old Porter rubbed his moist eyes and slapped the table heavily. “Okay! As long as I can speed through the stars again, I can give it another shot!”

Porter stood up and made his way to the window, yelling to the mechanics who were still in the middle of their work, “Boateng, temporarily halt your repairs on that Incursus! Get everyone to take a rest; we’ll be starting on an important job tomorrow!”

Xia Fei thought about it for a moment. “Even if you did do that, there’s no need for you to climb out of bed just to speak to me, was there? Unless, of course, you’ve got something you wish to talk about.”

Avril walked over to her nightstand and drank a glass of water, complaining somewhat resentfully, “It’s been several days since you last had a chat with me. I wanted to ask if you’ve bought a spaceship yet. I heard that places like the warship graveyard are filled with bad people, so you hafta be careful.”

“Actually, there are good and bad people anywhere in the universe. I happened to bump into some really nice people over here and even managed to get my hands on a naval-issued, Eagle-class frigate.” Xia Fei very excitedly told her.

Avril was still a girl at the end of the day, so she did not have that same level of passion for things like warships and spacecrafts. She walked over to somewhere to the right of her computer. Her fingers could be heard flying across a keyboard for a while as if she were looking up information about it.

After some time, Avril turned to Xia Fei and said, “That spaceship isn’t too bad, but it, unfortunately, can only hold eleven people at most. That’s too small. Anyway, since you’ve bought yourself a spaceship, when do you plan to report to Heaven Execution Training Camp?”

Xia Fei chuckled. “The spaceship’s already damaged, so I’m in the process of repairing it, so I’ll need three more months before I can leave this place.”

Avril pulled a funny face on him. “Just what kind of restoration company did you find? Why would they need three whole months just to repair a frigate?”

Xia Fei gravely replied, “The restoration company I’m working with is definitely the best of the best; it’s just that the spaceship is a Navy-issue, so plenty of the components we need would not be easy to come by, and we’ll have to make it ourselves. Besides, I plan to do a very thorough modification of the spaceship as well. After all, this is my very first warship.”

Avril did not seem bothered as she nonchalantly asked, “What components do you lack?”

“So many things. Basically, everything except the hull of the frigate would be replaced.”

“Oh,” Avril shook her head and sighed. “If it’s so troublesome, why not just directly buy a new one.”

“This is a naval-issued, Eagle-class frigate. It isn’t something you can buy on the market.”

“It’s simple; I’ll just—” Avril suddenly changed what she wanted to say mid-sentence. “—I feel that you should be able to buy it.”

Xia Fei shook his head slightly. “You can’t. Besides, I intend to use this opportunity to learn spaceship maintenance properly. It’ll be the training of sorts, which can be very helpful to my future.”

Xia Fei was being very serious. Avril propped her chin in her palms as she beamed at him. “Hehe! You’re like a completely different person when you’re being serious. I think you look much cooler this way and a little like my dad.”

Xia Fei spread his arms as he mischievously smiled. “Come, give daddy a hug.”

Avril’s head suddenly lowered, her expression turning slightly disturbed. “Eww! Why do you look like a pervert when you’re not being serious?”

…

Before dawn broke the next day, the mechanics had all anxiously begun their work.

That naval-issued, Eagle-class frigate was brought into the workshop, and Boateng led eight other workers to begin inspecting every component of it, tearing out all the damaged parts they came across. This was the first step in modifying a spaceship: inspection and clean-up.

Xia Fei asked for a pair of universal modification pliers from Boateng, rolled up his sleeves, and joined them all in their work, his attitude completely serious.

The universal modification pliers were about 0.5 meters, weighing over ten kilograms. It was shaped like a large pipe wrench, with a densely packed mechanical structure on its top half. This tool was very advanced, pretty much able to dismantle any mechanical structure when used without needing to be replaced frequently.

Xia Fei began learning from the most basic skills of dismantling screws, lying underneath the fuselage as he tried to remove the pneumatic steering gears which were more awkward to disassemble.

After a while, he finally managed to remove the pneumatic valve. Sticking the universal modification pliers into his waist belt, he walked over to Boateng and wiped the sweat on his forehead as he asked, “What else needs disassembling?”

That was when a thick and rumbling voice called, “Next, you’ll bring along your bank card and follow me.”

Xia Fei turned around to find Old Porter with his two arms folded in front of him, laughing as he looked at Xia Fei.

“Heh… Uncle Porter, you’re up.” Xia Fei approached the older man and greeted him. His eyes were bloodshot, evidently a sign that he did not get enough sleep last night just so he could plan out the modification of the spaceship.

Porter’s pair of callused hands clapped Xia Fei’s back. “You really do have the look of someone intent on picking up spaceship maintenance. If you truly wish to learn, I can teach you all that I know later, but for now, I need you to join me on a trip to the black market.”

“Black market?”

“That’s right. A place that sells contrabands. I contacted several old friends of mine last night, and guess what? I’ve gotten my hands on both the control and anti-control modules. I’m going to bring you over there right now to take a gander.” Porter barked out a bellyful of laughter. “Prepare your bank card; those things don’t come cheap.”

Xia Fei could feel his heart seizing. Why was it that it sounded like something Phantom often said?