The Real Daughter Just Wants to Pilot Mechas - Chapter 23

“If I need to make a new mecha forearm, it’s going to be expensive. I should go find a part-time job tomorrow,” Jiang Momo said as she turned off the smart system. Sitting cross-legged next to the detached arm, she propped her chin on one hand while picking up the nearly shattered mecha forearm with the other, looking slightly frustrated. “This is too far gone. I probably won’t be able to fix it before the exam. If only I had a spare one ready.

“Wait! A spare!” Jiang Momo suddenly perked up.

She did have a spare!

She remembered the last time Little Eight guided her in building one, it was exactly a mecha forearm. It should still be usable.

“Too bad all the stuff I brought from the desolate planet was stored in a locker at the Central Mall Tower when I left the Jiang family. If I’d known, I would’ve had Yan Chang take me there first.” She thought it over for a moment, then decided to go retrieve her treasures.

***

After making a round trip overnight, by the time Jiang Momo returned to the apartment, it was already morning.

She placed the spatial compression storage box she had brought out from the Jiang family on the ground and took out the mecha forearm she had previously built.

That forearm had taken her a long time to assemble. It had three energy pathways alone.

“Eh? Wait, this is a right hand.” Jiang Momo scratched her head and finally decided to just go with it. She’d simply swap the hand for a left one.

The biggest issue now was to connect those three energy pathways to the mecha’s upper arm, which had only one.

Jiang Momo squatted and observed for a while, sketched a few rough diagrams on her light brain, then stuffed the half-complete arm back into the storage box, and put the mecha back into her space button.

She pocketed the button and went downstairs again.

She needed to buy more materials.

***

Downstairs, Jiang Momo had barely taken a few steps when she stopped.

Jiang Yuan and Jiang Yingying were standing at the entrance, seemingly waiting for someone.

“I told you I didn’t mistake her. It is her. Good thing we came out for a morning run or we wouldn’t have known she was still living on this floating island,” Jiang Yuan said proudly to Jiang Yingying.

Jiang Yingying didn’t respond to him. Instead, she gave Jiang Momo a graceful smile. Her pure white long dress made her complexion look especially pale. “Big Sister, come home with us. Mom and Dad are waiting for you.”

“She won’t go back. She’s already clinging to some big shot, hidden away in a golden house. Why would she go back to living in the maid’s room with us?” Jiang Yuan said bluntly, his nose in the air as he looked down at Jiang Momo. “I thought all that drama last time meant you had some major status with that guy. But what, he didn’t even take you to a high-tier floating island? Still living in this little apartment?”

“Second Brother, don’t say that. Big Sister might get upset,” Jiang Yingying said softly beside him.

Jiang Momo rolled her eyes in exasperation and didn’t want to deal with the duo playing their little double act. She walked straight past them.

Jiang Yuan quickly reached out to grab her wrist.

He missed.

“Big Sister, I’m here to invite you to study with me. Dad enrolled me in a prep class for the Central Mecha Academy’s entrance exam. There’s an extra audit spot,” Jiang Yingying called out behind her.

Jiang Momo paused. “No thanks.”

Coming to invite her now, with exams almost over? To quote Yan Chang, who are you trying to disgust?

Ignoring the two voices behind her, Jiang Momo quickly ran off.

***

Following a familiar route, her first stop was the Mecha Maintenance Center.

She was supposed to buy parts at the Mecha Parts Exchange market but she probably didn’t have enough money. So she decided to work first.

The maintenance center was the same as last time, high-tech silver walls, a large central hall, with a maze of passageways beyond. Crowds bustled back and forth, looking extremely busy. In the corner of the hall, a black-clad test pilot was climbing onto a mecha. Jiang Momo looked closely and realized it wasn’t E Mingjun.

The front desk had the same receptionist as before. He had been assisting another client but when he saw Jiang Momo, his eyes lit up and he rushed over.

“Miss! Are you here to apply?” the receptionist asked directly. “Professor Ge specifically told me to reserve a private repair room for you. I didn’t expect you to come so soon!”

“Yes, I’m here to apply,” Jiang Momo nodded.

“Perfect! We’re short on people right now!” The receptionist looked thrilled. “Every time a competition’s around the corner, mechas come flooding in for repairs. All old damages, impossible to finish in time, and they’re all urgent orders. You coming is a real lifesaver!”

“How’s the pay?” Jiang Momo waited for him to finish his speech before asking the most important question.

“For public orders, we price based on damage severity and average repair time, ranging from a thousand to fifty thousand. We provide the parts and cover 10% of the loss. For private orders, you’ll have to pay a 100-starcoin-per-hour rental fee to use our space. Parts can be bought here at market price.”

Jiang Momo nodded. “How do I take public orders?”

“Once you register as our repair tech, orders will be sent to your light brain. First-come, first-served. But be careful, there are penalties for missing deadlines.”

Jiang Momo understood that it all came down to hand speed.

“I’ll register you now.” The receptionist pulled out a scanner and scanned her light brain at the wrist. “Done.”

That’s it?

Jiang Momo looked at the hovering screen that popped up mid-air. The small boxes were full of basic mecha data and repair requirements.

She moved her finger slightly and took the top job.

[30,000 star coins have been deposited.]

“Hmm?” Jiang Momo jumped at the notification. “They pay upfront?”

“Of course!” said the receptionist. “But if you don’t finish on time, you’ll owe triple. We’ll withdraw it directly from your account.”

Jiang Momo nodded and looked again at the details of the job she had just taken.

It was a rush order, 96 hours to repair a B-grade mecha with 30% damage.

“Your repair room is left turn, Room 4004, fourth door down,” the receptionist said with a polite smile, pointing the way. “Best of luck.”

Jiang Momo followed the direction and found the branching paths looked like a spiderweb. Once inside, it was impossible to tell how large the place really was.

4004 was just down the first hallway, easily visible.

She pushed the door open. Inside the dark room, someone was sitting in the only chair. Judging by the silhouette, it was a slender man.

She stepped back out and checked the nameplate to ensure it was the right room.

“This is my repair room,” Jiang Momo said from the doorway, half-turned to him. “I need it now, please step out.”

“I know. I was waiting for you,” the man said, unmoving. “Aren’t you going to turn on the light?”

Jiang Momo, hearing that he wasn’t leaving anytime soon, leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed.

Seeing she wasn’t moving, the man asked directly, “You repaired Yan Chang’s mecha the other day, didn’t you?”

“Yeah,” Jiang Momo said. “I’m not taking jobs right now.”

“I’m not here to ask for repairs!” The man stood and took two steps toward her, looking a bit anxious.

Jiang Momo could see his expression, though he clearly didn’t realize it.

The room was too dark. Because of the special setup at the door, hardly any outside light came in.

The man stopped after just two steps. “Did you agree to join the mecha competition?”

Jiang Momo eyed the shadowy figure inside and asked, “How do you know about the competition?”

She didn’t believe anyone who sneakily hid in someone else’s room could be a good person. He didn’t even have permission to turn on the lights.

The man looked up, his young face full of exhaustion. His gaze circled once around the faintly glowing light brain on Jiang Momo’s wrist. “I was his mecha technician during the last competition.”

“Oh, nice to meet you,” Jiang Momo said.

“Nice? It’s not nice!” the man gritted out. “So, you agreed to compete?”

Jiang Momo stared into his eyes. His facial expressions were animated but his eyes were empty, calm like still water.

“I did,” she nodded.

“And you agreed to fix his mecha again?” he asked.

“Yeah, his mecha broke down again recently,” Jiang Momo said matter-of-factly.

“Don’t fix it. I suggest you cut your losses while you can,” the man said.

Jiang Momo: “What do you mean?”

“He gave that light brain to you, didn’t he?”

Jiang Momo didn’t respond.

But the man hadn’t expected her to. He continued his monologue, “He probably gave you a lot of other things too, right? You think he’s a good guy, right? Generous, thoughtful, charming, cheerful, throwing money around like it’s nothing?”

Jiang Momo nodded.

The man couldn’t see her from the darkness inside but he gave a bitter smile, the fatigue in his eyes deepening. “Maybe you won’t believe me but that’s exactly how he acts when he’s got his eyes on a target. He’ll spare no expense. As long as you’re still useful, he’ll give you anything.”

Target? What target?

Jiang Momo sensed something off in his words.

The man still ignored her and went on, “But the moment you fail to meet his expectations even once, he’ll turn on you instantly. Then he’ll use legal means to take everything back. I worked with him for two months and I still haven’t finished paying off my debts.”

“Why are you in debt?” Jiang Momo asked directly, cutting to the heart of it. “Didn’t he only give you things that could be returned? You sold his stuff, didn’t you?”

“The things can be returned, sure. But during the repair work, he doesn’t provide any parts or labor fees. You have to pay out of pocket first. He has a top-tier legal team of over three hundred people. There’s no way to get back any unpaid costs for parts or repairs.”

The man raised his eyes and stared straight in Jiang Momo’s direction. “Did he pay you for the repairs this time?”

“Nope, I wasn’t planning to charge him anyway,” Jiang Momo said casually.

She had originally offered to fix his mecha to offset the rent.

The man choked on that, then let out a cold laugh. “Of course. He’s counting on us feeling awkward about asking for money. That’s why he’s so shameless.

“Think carefully,” he sighed and stood up. Though tall, his hunched back made him look dispirited. As he walked to her side, squinting at the sudden exposure to light, he suddenly said, “Especially since you’re a girl. Don’t trust him too much. Don’t invest emotions you shouldn’t.”

Jiang Momo blinked, stunned. “Huh?”

What did he mean by emotions she shouldn’t have? What kind of new information was this?

Seeing her confused expression, the man thought she believed him and turned to leave. “Take care of yourself.”

“You’re with Ling Yelin, aren’t you?” Jiang Momo scratched her face and threw out a guess.

It was just a shot in the dark but her instincts told her only Ling Yelin could pull something like that off. Still, she didn’t rule out the possibility that the guy was genuinely concerned and just wanted to warn her out of kindness.

If he was acting out of goodwill, she’d apologize for her attitude.

“I’m not! How could I be?” the man’s eyes darted, denying it immediately.

Jiang Momo stared him down and said firmly, “You’re with Ling Yelin.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about!” His expression changed rapidly as he instinctively glanced toward the door.