Yun Pengtao quickly turned back, only to see that the military training artifact, which was intact just a moment ago, had instantly turned into a pile of parts on the table.
Jing Mingqiu took out a strange-looking machine, placed the parts on it, and tapped gently. The hard steel seemed like clay, easily transforming into various shapes.
Long ones, round ones, short ones, square ones...
Jing Mingqiu's operation was smooth and flowing. The sounds of steel being struck blended together like musical notes, captivating Yun Pengtao.
After more than an hour, Jing Mingqiu scanned it again with the system.
[Name: Simple Auxiliary Mech (Semi-finished)]
[Description: A small mech forged from low-carbon steel. Due to insufficient material quality and poor craftsmanship, it can only provide a certain amount of support...]
[Recommended for further modification!]
After reading the scan results, Jing Mingqiu shook his head. "I want to continue modifying it, but even the most skilled housewife can't cook without rice. I don't even have high-carbon steel, let alone all the high-quality ores needed for mech modification."
"However, this is enough for now. Military training isn't actual combat. Other items are fine, but standing at attention is quite tiring..."
Yun Pengtao suddenly spoke, interrupting Jing Mingqiu's thoughts. "Boss, is the military training artifact finished? Can I try it?"
"It's finished, but," Jing Mingqiu paused, "this is modified according to my size. Second Brother, if you want one, I'll experiment with it tomorrow. If it works well, I'll make one for each brother in our dorm."
Yun Pengtao scratched his head. "That makes sense. It's better to test it first. It's getting late, I'm going to wash my feet and sleep."
After Yun Pengtao left, Tang Bei immediately squeezed in, a fawning smile on his face. "Boss, I believe your skills will definitely succeed. Tell me, what parts are needed for this modification? I'll order them right away!"
"This isn't anything high-tech, just some common parts," Jing Mingqiu casually took a piece of paper and wrote down the parts needed to build the simple auxiliary mech. "Buy according to this list, four sets of each are enough."
Tang Bei took the paper, quickly scanned it, and carefully put it away.
"Four sets? Why four sets? There are four people in our dorm, and you already have yours, shouldn't it be three sets? Oh, I get it, Boss, you're preparing to make one for your girlfriend!"
"Boss, can you show us a photo of your girlfriend? It would be so awkward if we met and didn't recognize her!"
"What girlfriend," Jing Mingqiu was bewildered, "I asked you to prepare four sets of materials because this auxiliary mech is still a semi-finished product, and I need to add parts for further processing."
"Auxiliary mech, Boss, that name sounds much better than military training artifact. Also, I'm all sweaty from today's exertion. Is the restroom empty? If it is, I'll go take a shower first!"
Tang Bei, having made such a huge blunder, felt embarrassed to stay any longer. He chuckled and left under the guise of taking a shower.
Jing Mingqiu couldn't be bothered to pursue it. He placed the modified simple auxiliary mech on the table. As he was about to put away the small nuclear-powered smelting machine, a hand calloused from hard work reached out from the side. Then, Xia Zhongtian's timid voice rang out.
"Brother, let me help you..."
"No, no," Jing Mingqiu waved his hand. "This thing is quite dangerous, I can do it myself. Fourth Brother, if you want to help, grab the broom and help sweep the floor. I was cutting parts and made a mess of metal shavings."
Xia Zhongtian nodded obediently, ran to the door, picked up a broom, and began sweeping diligently.
Yun Pengtao, who had just finished washing his feet, saw this and went to help as well. With the combined efforts of the three, the dorm was soon tidied up.
As Jing Mingqiu lay on his bed, preparing to sleep, Yun Pengtao suddenly spoke, "Boss, you're in the dance class, are there any pretty girls in your class? Introduce one to your brothers!"
"There are indeed quite a few pretty girls. Let me tell you..."
Freshmen in college, full of youthful vigor, Jing Mingqiu was drawn into the conversation and enthusiastically started introducing them. The late-night chat session in the male dormitory thus commenced.
They started by talking about the beautiful girls in their class, then moved on to the college entrance exam, their high school lives, embarrassing moments from back then, their aspirations and hobbies...
They were all of similar age, with no conflicts between them, and similar interests. They chatted until three in the morning, when exhaustion finally overtook them, and they fell into a deep sleep.
They didn't sleep for long before Jing Mingqiu and the others were awakened by the ringing of their alarm clocks.
The instructors were coming to inspect the dormitories in the morning, so sleeping in was out of the question.
With no other choice, the four of them, yawning, climbed out of bed, balled up their blankets, and threw them into their lockers. Then, they took out their neatly folded thick quilts and placed them on their beds.
Dazed, the four of them stumbled to the dining hall. After a hurried meal, the second day of military training officially began.
The autumn sun was still fierce. Seeing several students feeling unwell and forced to withdraw from training, the instructor, worried about the safety of the other students, did not continue the drills. Instead, he led the formation to a shaded area.
Rest was out of the question. If they couldn't practice marching, they would practice standing at attention, the standing at ease stance, and the squatting posture.
Among these, the most difficult wasn't standing, but squatting, with the entire body's weight resting on one leg. After only a few minutes, their legs went numb.
The students, drilled by the instructor, were groaning in pain and covered in sweat.
But none of this posed a problem for Jing Mingqiu. Although the simple auxiliary mech lacked an energy module and couldn't provide power, its special structure could provide support when Jing Mingqiu stood or squatted, allowing him to maintain a posture as if leaning against a wall or sitting, thus reducing physical exertion.
From the morning, the instructor had trained them for over three hours straight. Everyone else was sweating profusely and exhausted, while Jing Mingqiu only had a few beads of sweat on his forehead.
The instructor from the adjacent formation came over for a visit and patted the shoulder of the instructor of Jing Mingqiu's formation. "Hey, Zhong Hui, that guy under you has pretty good physical fitness. You're training him so hard, but he doesn't seem to be affected at all."
"That's strange," Zhong Hui looked puzzled. " I remember very clearly that everyone was quite tired during training yesterday, and there were no substitutions in my team. There's no reason for his physical fitness to improve so much overnight."
"Could he have taken something?"
The thought of this possibility made their faces change color. They spontaneously surrounded him!
Just then, Jing Mingqiu's simple mech, slightly shifted due to sweat, was slightly out of place under his clothes. He lifted his pant leg to adjust it.
As the two instructors approached, they saw a cold glint flash on Jing Mingqiu's leg. Their expressions instantly changed, and they lunged forward...