20: Payment settled immediately (two parts combined, please read on!)

Inside the repair shop, the howling wind outside could be heard.

Today, there were an unusually high number of hover cars on the street. The explosion in popularity of the nearby mechanical market had allowed the market owners to earn a fortune, and neighboring parts stores and repair shops benefited greatly as well.

Zhao Mingyuan raised his hand again, and a square projection frame popped up on his wristband. Dozens of messages he had sent to Jiang Feng lay on the interface, none of which even displayed the basic words "Read."

He forcefully kicked a stack of boxes nearby, causing dozens of discarded servo motors to crash against each other inside the plastic containers.

The clattering was exceptionally grating.

"Damn it!"

Zhao Mingyuan cursed through gritted teeth, fine beads of sweat breaking out on his forehead.

"Ding-dong."

The wristband vibrated, emitting an alert tone. Zhao Mingyuan anxiously looked at it.

It wasn't Jiang Feng; it was the buyer.

"Where are the simulation test results? You have five hours left. Don't make me wait too long; you know the consequences."

Zhao Mingyuan's throat was dry. He wiped his forehead, and his hand came away wet. This was not the first time he had received such a death-warrant message. The buyer was clearly growing more impatient, and the tone was heavier each time.

His fingers rapidly slid across the projection frame, pulling up several circuit test screenshots he had prepared earlier, along with a photo of the assembled FTL engine, and sent them, adding the note: "Final debugging is underway. Data will be sent shortly."

Beside him, the Engineer sitting on a chair saw his actions.

"How long can that fool them?" he muttered softly, unconsciously spinning the multi-function screwdriver in his hand.

Zhao Mingyuan didn't answer. Instead, he dialed Jiang Feng's number again. After a long waiting tone, the cold automated response played once more.

"The user you are calling has hung up. Please try again later..."

He suddenly stood up and paced back and forth in the cramped workspace, muttering incessantly: "It's over, it's over... This time, it's really over!"

Next to the operating console, another repair Engineer was bent over, debugging the FTL engine assembly module.

This morning, they had completed the integration of the circuits and computing units.

But without the encryption module, they couldn't run the firmware simulation test at all.

"Brother Zhao, we can only simulate up to the third phase at most," the Engineer looked up and cautiously warned.

"Is the person you hired reliable? If we don't deliver soon, our shop will be..."

"F**k that Jiang Feng!" Zhao Mingyuan suddenly exploded, becoming a master of desk clearing as countless parts flew off with a sweep of his hand.

"That liar! That bastard who took the module and ran off!"

The air in the workshop seemed to freeze. The two Engineers exchanged uneasy glances and quietly retreated a few steps.

"Squeak..."

Suddenly, the iron door was pushed open.

A skinny young man wearing a dust mask poked his head in: "B-boss?"

"Do you have an NS-450 ion stabilizer here? I'll pay double..."

"Get lost!" Zhao Mingyuan's veins bulged. He grabbed the hydraulic pliers from the workbench and hurled them.

The metal tool exploded in a shower of sparks by the youth's feet. Zhao Mingyuan screamed hoarsely.

"Can't you see I'm busy? If you bother me again, I'll break your legs!"

The youth was so startled that his mask was crooked. He stumbled backward and tripped over his own heel.

"You f-freak!" He scrambled up using his hands and feet, and as he ran out the door, he didn't forget to yell back a curse.

"You deserve to rot in this garbage heap! Idiot!"

"You little bastard..." Zhao Mingyuan was about to chase him out when his wristband suddenly emitted an alert tone.

He viciously kicked the door shut and rushed to see if it was Jiang Feng. However, the message on the wristband disappointed him profoundly once more.

"You have new order information: 12 sets of pulse batteries, 5 sets of coreless motors, 95% new."

Zhao Mingyuan choked on his breath and continued to roar: "I should have known this f**king sooner!"

His cheeks were completely flushed, almost purple: "What 'just a middleman,' what 'contacting a Hacker to complete the job'—it's all bullshit! When I find him, I'm going to shove that pig head of his right up his..."

"Shove it where?"

A calm voice came from the doorway.

Everyone whipped their heads around, only to see Jiang Feng standing there, covered in dust and rusty red metal shavings.

He wore a black jacket. Just outside the open door, a Robot Dog walked in and obediently squatted by his feet, its blue electronic eyes rotating slightly, devoid of any emotion.

Its sharp alloy teeth gently clicked together under hydraulic power, making a metallic clanging sound.

It wasn't a threat, yet it was more real than any threat.

Zhao Mingyuan's face instantly went from "red turning purple" to "white turning green," and a fawning smile quickly plastered itself onto his face.

"Jiang... Brother Feng!"

He exaggeratedly spread his arms as if to embrace his new wife, but his peripheral vision kept drifting toward the Robot Dog's teeth.

"I knew it! I knew you would arrive on time! All that just now, uh, that was all about some idiotic client, it absolutely wasn't about you! Please, please, please don't misunderstand!"

The two Engineers exchanged glances. One rolled his eyes, and the other shrugged.

Jiang Feng walked into the workshop expressionlessly, the Robot Dog following close behind him.

Zhao Mingyuan noticed that it was covered in a layer of finely polished camouflage paint that looked ragged but was actually 99% new.

His eyes paused. He saw that Jiang Feng was carrying a black metal case in his right hand, with a faded sticker on the surface.

The image was of a galaxy in rotation.

"Did you bring the item?"

Zhao Mingyuan asked urgently, his eyes glued to the case.

Jiang Feng did not answer immediately. Instead, he surveyed the workshop, his gaze lingering on the faces of the two Engineers for a second. He then noticed the empty beverage cans stacked in the corner—more than a full case—all double caffeine.

"The buyer rushed you?" he finally asked, his voice terrifyingly calm.

"Ah? Uh... it's just, just a routine confirmation of the progress," Zhao Mingyuan rubbed his hands, his smile forced.

"As you know, everyone is rather cautious with these kinds of transactions..."

Jiang Feng walked up to the workbench and placed the black case flat on the surface. The two Engineers immediately gathered around but were startled into taking a step back by the Robot Dog's warning tilt of the head. No one understood the value of this Robot Dog better than them.

The hydraulic muzzle, the alloy claw blades, the slightly bulging casing under its ribs with louver-like vents, and the split design at the tip of its tail—all of this indicated that this was a machine with extremely high internal heat generation!

And high heat generation is often strongly related to energy consumption.

And energy consumption is a crucial metric for measuring a machine's power.

Jiang Feng opened the briefcase. Inside was the encryption module, its surface covered with miniature ports and glowing data channels, looking spotless, just like new.

"An FTL-X7 encryption module," one Engineer gasped, whispering very softly.

"This isn't a module for civilian engineering vessels; it's military-grade!"

Jiang Feng glanced at him, gently took out the module, and handed it to Zhao Mingyuan: "Inspect the goods."

For the next forty minutes, the only sounds in the workshop were tools clanking and the low voices of the Engineers. Zhao Mingyuan nervously paced back and forth, occasionally sneaking a peek at the expressionless Jiang Feng and the Robot Dog, which always looked relaxed.

"Connection successful!" an Engineer suddenly shouted. "The firmware is fine; the system has recognized it!"

Zhao Mingyuan practically lunged toward the main console, where dense streams of data scrolled across the screen.

A few seconds later, a green progress bar appeared in the center, next to the text: "FTL Engine Simulation Test Initiating."

"It's running!" Zhao Mingyuan was ecstatic, his voice changing pitch. "It's actually running!"

Jiang Feng leaned against the wall, watching them frantically monitor the various parameters. Memories kept surfacing in his mind, becoming more vivid.

He realized then that the former Jiang Feng was not only good at hardware repair but also skilled in software repair.

At least he could understand what they were messing around with. These two Engineers were clearly a little more professional than Zhao Mingyuan. Outside, they would be highly sought-after talents, so Zhao Mingyuan must have hired them temporarily.

The Robot Dog lay quietly by his feet, but its sensors continuously scanned the entire room, including the outside.

"Ding-dong." The wristband vibrated.

Jiang Feng opened it and saw a message from Lin Xiaoyu.

First was a photo of her and the Robot Dog posing in front of the street sign in the 31st Slums. Iron Clad Gold had been dressed up by her as a knight dog, wearing a black tablecloth cape and carrying two small school bags on its back.

Jiang Feng gritted his teeth, then bit his tongue, his expression slightly contorted.

The Robot Dog by his feet craned its neck and tilted its head, seemingly assessing whether he was having a cerebral hemorrhage.

"I've arrived at Mom and Dad's place. Lin Xiaomeng and Lin Xiaoxue get out of school today for the holiday, and I need to pick them up. Should I pass on a message?"

"Lin Xiaomeng? Lin Xiaoxue?"

Jiang Feng mumbled, and two nearly identical, young, and beautiful faces immediately appeared in his mind—not at all like Lin Xiaoyu.

One had blue hair, wore earrings, and looked rebellious and untamed.

The other had long bangs, and her "school style" sweater was stretched enough to become "innocently sexy."

Lin Xiaomeng and Lin Xiaoxue, twins, were his in-laws' latest masterpieces... 'I have a pair of twin sisters-in-law?' Jiang Feng's eyes widened.

If he said he wasn't excited, he was about to have a cerebral hemorrhage; if he said he was excited, he was genuinely about to have a cerebral hemorrhage.

Fine, there was nothing more to say. With a wave of his hand, the message was sent.

"Just say hello for me. If you sisters go shopping, spending a little extra money is fine."

The next second, Lin Xiaoyu's reply arrived, showing she had been waiting.

"Don't spend too much money. Mom said she's making spicy intestine hotpot and told me to go buy chili sauce. Nya nya nya..."

She sent a selfie sticking out her tongue. Jiang Feng looked at her dark eyes and couldn't help but smile slightly.

Reaching out to pat the Robot Dog that had moved closer, Jiang Feng looked at its pair of bright blue electronic eyes, feeling very good.

The simulation test lasted for nearly two hours.

When the final system diagnostic showed all indicators within the standard range, Zhao Mingyuan nearly burst into tears. He immediately sent the complete report to the buyer, along with a message.

"Test completed. Everything is normal. Ready for delivery at any time."

A moment later, the buyer's reply appeared as expected.

"Very good. Deliver on time. Don't pull any tricks."

Zhao Mingyuan let out a long sigh, collapsing into the chair as if a massive burden had been lifted.

He looked at Jiang Feng, his tone carrying a hint of flattery: "Brother Feng, this time I truly owe it to you. If you hadn't shown up when you did, I probably would have lost my life."

Jiang Feng smiled faintly: "Skip the pleasantries. I want my money."

Zhao Mingyuan was momentarily stunned, then immediately reacted: "Oh, oh, right, right, right. The twenty-five thousand you advanced for me, plus the two thousand service fee, that's twenty-seven thousand total. I'll transfer it to you now."

Zhao Mingyuan hastily operated the payment terminal on his wristband.

"Ding-dong." Jiang Feng's wristband vibrated.

"New message: 27,000 earth federation coin has been deposited into your account."

"Account balance: 30,499.22 earth federation coin."

"Interest due this month: 14,650 earth federation coin."

"Medical fees due this month: 5,000 earth federation coin."

Jiang Feng's face lit up, then quickly calmed down. The month was still long. He shouldn't repay the debt yet, or he would only have ten thousand left.

Zhao Mingyuan was busy having the two Engineers pack up and load the massive FTL engine onto a rented hover truck.

Before long, six unassuming-looking hover cars pulled up outside and honked their horns.

Zhao Mingyuan gave the two Engineers a look. They immediately got into the truck and purposefully drove into the middle of the convoy. The six hover cars spread out in traffic but maintained a formation of three in front and three behind, escorting the truck into the distance.

Jiang Feng narrowed his eyes, too lazy to speculate, and unwilling to know things he shouldn't know.