[You have completed major repairs on a primary grade mechanical weapon. Repair difficulty rating: Difficult. You gained 150 Mechanic profession EXP. You gained 300 Basic Mechanical Repair skill EXP.]
[You have completed preliminary repairs on an intermediate-grade mechanical weapon. Repair difficulty rating: Difficult. You gained 200 Mechanic profession EXP. You gained 500 Basic Mechanical Repair skill EXP.]
Half a day later.
Inside the repair shop, Su Yu let out a long exhale as he examined the two weapons before him.
The chain-powered rotary saw was nearly fully restored. While he couldn't replicate some of its additional functions like the emergency overdrive mode that boosted cutting speed at the risk of motor damage its standard operations were now completely functional.
As for the dual-range shotgun, the results were less impressive.
Though Su Yu had managed to restore the core mechanism that allowed it to switch firing ranges, whether due to subpar replacement parts or his own still developing skills, the final product fell short of expectations. The "Silver Stag" shotgun's close-range effectiveness capped at thirty meters, while its long-range barely scraped past the fifty-meter baseline.
However, this compromise in range came with a silver lining the weapon's firepower had significantly increased.
Su Yu skimmed through the system's detailed repair assessment:
[Repair Evaluation Summary]
[Overall Repair Rating: Average]
[Final Product Condition: Marginally Functional]
[Post-Repair Analysis: …]
At least it's functional, right?
Su Yu scratched his head, shrugging off the mediocre results with pragmatic acceptance. After all, his primary goal had been gaining experience, and that mission was accomplished.
As the repairs concluded, the now-familiar sensation of leveling up washed over him. This time, the boost to his memory and comprehension was subtler than during his initial profession awakening, and the physical enhancement less pronounced. Still, the progress was undeniable the necrotic tissue on his radiation afflicted right arm had receded further.
At this rate, by Level 7, the cumulative physical improvements should completely eradicate the radiation sickness.
Clenching his fist, Su Yu's eyes shone with determination.
Nono, store the repaired firearms on the counter and deliver these two to the usual spot. The hunting teams will probably come to collect them tomorrow.
Affirmative.
The little robot dutifully wheeled over, transporting the weapons with methodical precision.
Su Yu glanced outside where the lead-gray sky had darkened completely. Though barely past seven in the evening a time when even his rural hometown would still be lively the shelter was already plunged in darkness. Resisting the urge to stand out, he sighed and retreated to his bedroom.
Before sleeping, his gaze lingered on the nightstand where an electro-sniper rifle rested. Its pristine appearance belied its true condition meticulously maintained through years of care, yet with critical components like the power core and capacitor magazine irreparably degraded.
This "Shadow III" had been his mentor's most treasured possession. The kind-hearted old man, who'd never ventured beyond the shelter's walls, nurtured dreams of the cosmos through crumbling propaganda magazines from humanity's golden age of interstellar expansion. Even on his deathbed, he'd made Su Yu promise to someday see the stars for him.
While profoundly grateful for the old mechanic's teachings, Su Yu had long considered this wish impossible. The war-torn Ruined Star had lost its ancestral technologies, and its cyclical history of rising and collapsing civilizations made spaceflight seem like fantasy.
But now, studying the rifle's system appraisal, hope flickered:
[Shadow III Electro-Sniper Rifle]
[Condition: Severely Damaged]
[Repair Feasibility: Possible (Current Success Probability <0.1%)]
[Grade: Exceptional (Mechanical Item Hierarchy: Crude → Primary → Intermediate → Advanced → Specialist → Exceptional…)]
[Note: When repairing/recycling Exceptional-grade mechanical items, Mechanics may trigger "Inspiration," granting random rewards including but not limited to: substantial profession EXP, random skills, or Exceptional-grade blueprints…]
"Exceptional-grade blueprints!"
Whether such blueprints might include starship schematics remained uncertain, but the mere possibility kindled ambition. Beyond honoring his mentor's dream, Su Yu had personal stakes on this radiation blasted world, non-enhanced humans rarely lived past thirty, and even sheltered elders like his 51 year old mentor exhibited the decrepitude of octogenarians.
Gently tracing the rifle's contours, Su Yu drew a steadying breath before surrendering to sleep.
Dawn brought him straight to the mirror. As anticipated, the radiation lesions had advanced but at a dramatically slowed pace.
Even without further leveling, complete arm radiation would take five months now.
This reprieve from imminent doom lifted a weight from his shoulders. As he opened the shop's shutters, a booming voice interrupted his relief:
Kid! Heard about the radiation sickness how you holding up?
A bearish man nearing two meters in height shouldered through the doorway, concern etching his rugged features.