Card maker? No, I'm a mechanic!

"Alright, the flight problem is solved."

"So next, it's about mobility."

Thinking of this, Jiang Zhe couldn't help but frown slightly.

"Mr. Lin, do we have any materials here that can provide high-intensity thrust with instantaneous bursts?"

"No, no! Do you think I'm a wishing tree? That I can grant your every wish?"

Upon hearing this, Professor Lin immediately puffed out his beard and glared, waving his hand dismissively.

"Your request is too demanding, wanting both instantaneous bursts of energy and high intensity."

"Although the college has a large collection of materials, most of them are standardized and conventional materials."

"The kind you're looking for might not even be available."

"I see."

Jiang Zhe was somewhat disappointed upon hearing this.

If he really can't find it, he'll probably have to take the loops off the arm armor and reuse them.

Although it's feasible, he doesn't want to compromise on these floating cannons.

Moreover, his arm armor is a standard feature, and he can't use it lightly.

"but……"

Just as Jiang Zhe was pondering whether there was any way to get help from the Lin family.

Professor Lin then changed the subject, lowering his voice slightly.

"I have heard some news."

"Dark alley".

Professor Lin pointed to a spot outside the window.

"But it's not the stuff you find at street stalls; it's something much deeper."

"There's a small auction going on tomorrow night."

"It's said that this shipment was brought out by a team led by the black market leader from a newly excavated mechanical relic."

"Mechanical relics?"

Jiang Zhe's heart stirred; these words held a natural attraction for him.

"That's right, that ruin is rather strange. There are no magical beasts or animals inside, only all sorts of puppets and the like."

"Although many things have become useless due to the lack of a certain energy source, it is said that there are still quite a few good things."

Professor Lin shrugged.

"It's just that those things are too technically advanced, and the high barrier to entry alone can exclude a large number of illiterate people who lack knowledge."

"But I think..."

Professor Lin looked at Jiang Zhe with a smile in his eyes.

"That would be much simpler for highly educated people like us."

"Is that so?"

Jiang Zhe licked his lips, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes.

Completely custom-made.

It doesn't matter if they don't understand or know how to use it, because they will know how anyway.

Even if it's just some incomplete relics, his skills are more than enough to repair or modify them.

By then, the final piece of the puzzle for the floating cannons will be complete.

"How do we get to that deep place?" Jiang Zhe asked directly.

After all, last time Chen Ming and I only bought things from street stalls, and we didn't really understand the details.

"That's easy."

Professor Lin took out a black card from the drawer, which had a skull pattern printed on it.

"This is the admission ticket. It was given to me by a student who went astray, but I'm too lazy to go."

"Take this to the deepest part of the alley and find Old Jack. He will lead the way."

"Alright, stop standing there."

After handing the admission ticket to Jiang Zhe, Professor Lin waved his hand impatiently.

"Go back and take a shower. You smell terrible. People who don't know better will think I run a pig farm in the lab."

"Didn't you drag me here...?"

"What?"

"It's okay, you're busy."

Jiang Zhe muttered a complaint under his breath, but he wasn't annoyed. Instead, he happily put away the spoils of the trip.

But just as he reached the door, he seemed to remember something and paused.

"By the way, Elder Lin, about the relics..."

"Don't worry, I'll talk to the principal."

"We'll just declare it a regular Class C site to the public. As for the rest... we'll handle the aftermath."

Professor Lin didn't even look up, and began fiddling with the instruments on the table.

"You just focus on your research now, don't worry about anything else."

"Oh right, and this too."

As he spoke, he pulled out another card.

"The SIM card, didn't you say it was broken? Here you go."

"If you don't use it more carefully, you'll end up buying all your stock from me every day."

"Thank you, Mr. Lin!"

Jiang Zhe took the silver card and felt a warmth in his heart.

This old man may be sharp-tongued, but he's really thorough in his work.

……

After leaving the laboratory building, Jiang Zhe couldn't help but take a deep breath of the fresh air in the college.

Although I didn't even spend a full day in the ruins this time, I still felt a sense of disorientation after returning from that dark and damp terrain.

He stretched, preparing to go back to his apartment to take a good shower and get some sleep.

"Brother Jiang Zhe?"

A clear and melodious sound suddenly came from the side.

Jiang Zhe turned his head and saw Lin Xiaoyou standing prettily under the shade of a tree, holding several books.

Upon seeing Jiang Zhe, her large eyes instantly curved into crescents, and she jogged over to greet him.

"It really is you! I thought I was seeing things."

"What a coincidence," Jiang Zhe smiled, "Just got out of class?"

"Yeah, those theory classes are incredibly boring."

Lin Xiaoyou pursed her lips, then seemed to have thought of something and excitedly tugged at Jiang Zhe's sleeve.

"By the way, Brother Jiang Zhe, I have some good news for you."

"Oh?"

"It's a mining vein. Construction officially started yesterday."

Lin Xiaoyou said with great enthusiasm.

"Your batch of cards is simply amazing. What used to take forever to grind ore can now be cut open in an instant."

"That efficiency is like slicing tofu."

"The elders in my family were overjoyed and told my sister and me that we must thank you properly."

"That's good."

Jiang Zhe nodded, completely as he expected.

After all, this card has proven its power multiple times in the ruins, making it easy to cut through inanimate objects.

"But there's something rather strange..."

Lin Xiaoyou changed the subject, her delicate eyebrows furrowing slightly.

"What's wrong?"

"It's that Fireworks Workshop."

She lowered her voice and spoke mysteriously.

"Didn't they buy a few other small mines?"

"Logically, if you buy a mineral vein, you should be mining it to make money, right?"

"But I heard from my sister that they've started construction there too, and it's quite a big undertaking."

"But……"

"But what?" Jiang Zhe narrowed his eyes.

"But it seems they haven't shipped any ore out at all!"

Lin Xiaoyou shrugged.

"Every day, trucks come and go, but all they bring out are waste and soil; not a single piece of real ore has been found."

"Don't you haul ore?"

Jiang Zhe stroked his chin, seemingly lost in thought.

Buying a mineral vein but not selling the ore is clearly illogical.

"Maybe they're digging for something else."

Jiang Zhe gave a perfunctory reply, but secretly noted down this suspicious point.

"Who cares? As long as they don't mess with us."

Lin Xiaoyou, however, was carefree and quickly put the matter out of her mind.

She glanced at Jiang Zhe's tired face and said with concern:

"Brother Jiang Zhe, you look so tired. Did you just finish something?"

"Yeah, I just came out of the ruins."

"Then you should go back and rest. I won't bother you anymore."

Lin Xiaoyou waved obediently.

"Remember to come visit me after you've rested!"

"must."

……

After saying goodbye to Lin Xiaoyou, Jiang Zhe returned to the teaching assistant's apartment.

After taking a comfortable hot shower that washed away all the fatigue and dust, he finally felt completely revitalized.

Lying on the soft sofa, he fiddled with the black admission ticket in his hand.

"The auction tomorrow night..."

"But we'll need to find a helper."

He thought of Suman.

He's quite skilled and quick-witted.

Most importantly, after this trip to the ruins, the two of them became more in sync and found it easier to use the equipment.

"Perfect, her injuries aren't too serious, they should be treated today."

Jiang Zhe smiled, picked up the newly acquired communication card, and prepared to connect to the mental imprint.

However, the next second, his movements froze.

"broken……"

Looking at the empty card in his hand, he couldn't help but twitch his lips.

"This is a new card..."

"The previous spiritual imprints were all in the old card, but now they're all gone."

"I freaking don't have her number!"

Jiang Zhe slapped his forehead, somewhat speechless.

This is awkward.

Do we really have to run down to the girls' dormitory and call for help?