Chapter Thirteen A Lifesaving Straw

As Liu Fei emerged from the hospital, the night had already fallen. He walked alone along the streets, amidst a crowd where flying skateboards swiftly glided close to the ground.

Flying skateboards were a luxurious adult toy equipped with a miniature anti-gravity system, requiring minimal energy to hover within the atmosphere. More entertaining than hovercars, flying skateboards were beloved by many.

On top of the flying skateboards were hovercar driving spaces, their streamlined bodies shimmering with a metallic gloss even in the high altitudes.

Above the hovercars were the flight spaces for mechas. Various civilian mechas roamed the vast night sky, occasionally emitting a bright orange glow from their engine nozzles due to angle adjustments, adding to the spectacle.

On inhabited planets, strict aerial regulations were enforced. Violating these rules resulted in severe legal consequences; warnings, fines, license revocation, and even imprisonment for endangering public safety. Whether it was a flying skateboard, a hovercar, or a mecha, their operation within densely populated cities could easily cause immense destruction.

Each inhabited city had a fully armed aerial police force with fortress-like hovercrafts and standard-issue mechas. They could apprehend violators of aerial regulations and, in cases of imminent danger to human safety, could request immediate authorization to open fire from the control center.

Flying skateboards were permitted to fly within a height limit of 1.5 meters from the ground, while hovercars had no such restriction and could fly as high as 200 meters above ground, similar to flying skateboards. Mechas had stricter requirements, being mandated to fly beyond 200 meters in height. Flying within urban areas demanded even more stringent adherence, prohibiting flight below any tall buildings. In the event of combat mechas passing over urban areas, they had to request authorization from the aerial control center.

In essence, mecha regulation was akin to the ancient management of dump trucks in cities on Earth, which were infamous as road killers.

Whenever Liu Fei walked the streets at night, his gaze sharpened, fixed on the mechas flying to and fro in the sky, his dreams hidden within their cold metal shells.

But today, Liu Fei ignored the mechas that usually captivated him, walking with a heavy heart.

Yes, Liu Fei had something weighing heavily on his mind.

He had a heavy burden today.

Exiting the hospital, Liu Fei kept asking himself.

Finding a solution was the urgent task at hand.

Countless ideas were dismissed by Liu Fei, returning to the starting point: "Zuo'er Mech University".

Apart from carving, Liu Fei had no other notable skills. Although he had some talent in mechas, he lacked the relevant credentials to pursue a career in the field.

Undoubtedly, wood carving became Liu Fei's only choice.

However, this idea was quickly rejected, as Zuo'er Mech University was the only handcraft wood carving shop on the entire Zuor Star. 

In fact, with the rapid development of technology, handicrafts were becoming increasingly rare. Advanced light-controlled carving machines could fully satisfy market demand. Shops like Zuo'er Mech University, offering luxury handcrafted items, were already quite rare. In holographic images of Zuor Star showcased to the outside world, Zuo'er Mech University served as a symbol of Zuor Star's cultural heritage, highlighting the rarity of such establishments.

Unconsciously, Liu Fei found himself on Fallen Street. Despite being late at night, Fallen Street remained bustling. Shops on both sides were soliciting business, with some affluent students lingering around. At this time, some hooligans from the slums also began to emerge, getting drunk and reveling in groups, adding a lively atmosphere to Fallen Street.

Danger!

An extremely dangerous aura hit him. Almost instinctively, Liu Fei's slender body swiftly turned. If there were someone who could pilot a mecha, they would recognize Liu Fei's movement as a highly professional and difficult maneuver. In the blink of an eye, Liu Fei flawlessly demonstrated the dream-like maneuver of the Black Mecha 'Embroidery Needle 111' through human movement.

Unfortunately, no one recognized this dazzling maneuver.

"Swoosh."

"Swoosh."

"Swoosh."

...

A gust of wind swept by, narrowly avoiding danger, causing Liu Fei to break out in a cold sweat. His muscles tensed, resembling a poised cheetah, full of tension.

"Hahaha…" A triumphant laughter echoed in the night sky. When Liu Fei turned around, the group riding the flying skateboards was already several hundred meters away, their speed astonishing.

"Modders!" Liu Fei's pupils contracted sharply as he watched the departing group. "Modders!" In the slums, there was a group of mysterious individuals known as modders. They had no fixed income or profession but gathered in dark corners like unseen rats. However, they lived a fulfilling life by modifying discarded flying skateboards and occasionally repairing outdated electronic appliances for the slum residents.

What exactly was modification? It was an ancient profession with a long history. Even in the ancient times of Earth, there were modifications to automobiles, aircraft, and various mechanical devices. Nowadays, due to technological advancements, the scope of modification had expanded. Modifying flying skateboards, hovercars, or even conventional weapons, modders could turn decay into magic, enhancing the speed and power of the modified machines and weapons.

In the field of modification, mech modification was the most attention-grabbing. It was shrouded in mystery, akin to ancient Earth's network hackers. Many people knew about it, but few truly understood it.

However, the pinnacle of modification was not mech modification but the modification of space battleships.

Like any other profession, modification had its ranks, ranging from novice to top-tier modification masters. However, modification masters were mostly legendary figures. There were rumors about them in the modification field, but those who had the chance to meet them were almost negligible. Among the seven major star domains, there were no more than three who qualified as modification masters combined.

Liu Fei had heard from Ironhead that over twenty years ago, there was nearly a war outbreak among the seven major star domains over the contention for a modification master. Almost all experts from the seven star domains were mobilized. However, the modification master mysteriously disappeared, and the conflict subsided.

Undoubtedly, the people just now were modders. However, they seemed to be of a low rank, at least according to Liu Fei's assessment. If it were him, he could make those flying skateboards fly faster and lower.

The technique of modifying flying skateboards not only involved increasing their speed but also maintaining a close distance to the ground. The lower the distance to the ground, the more advanced the configuration of the flying skateboard and the higher the required driving skills. It was said that the pinnacle of modifying flying skateboards was to maintain a distance of only five millimeters from the ground. However, that was just a legend. Even if a flying skateboard reached the modification data, no one could control it. Flying at high speeds just five millimeters above the ground was an extremely dangerous adventure.

"Stop!"

A somewhat shabby blond youth suddenly performed a magnificent backflip, and the flying skateboard flying at high speed abruptly came to a halt. This was a dangerous stunt and violated the flying skateboard regulations. If caught, they would be fined, but in the slums, that wasn't an issue.

"What's up, John?" The group of modders all stopped.

"Did you guys see that guy's 'arcuate step' just now?" John looked at everyone. He wasn't sure if he had actually seen the high-difficulty 'arcuate step.' He had only occasionally seen someone demonstrate it while piloting a mech. Besides, he felt that the possibility of a 'arcuate step,' a highly difficult mech movement, being performed through human movements was unlikely. After all, human bodies couldn't perform some movements that machines could.

"What 'arcuate step'?" Several people were puzzled, looking at each other, curious.

"...Forget it, let's go. Maybe I saw it wrong." 

John sighed. As an enthusiast of modifications in the slums, due to limited conditions, he could only modify some simple discarded flying skateboards. He couldn't touch high-end luxury technological products. Actually, if he hadn't worked at an underground modification factory, his horizons wouldn't be much broader than theirs. John shook his head and manipulated the flying skateboard to head towards the outskirts, where an exciting modified skateboard competition was being held. If he could win the prize money, hehe!

Soon, John's expression turned frustrated. He had participated in over thirty high-speed flying skateboard competitions, but he had never won even a single Zuor coin in prize money, which left him feeling quite depressed.

'Arcuate step!' If only he understood the maneuver's variations, even if he didn't win first place, getting second or third place should be no problem...

...

As John and a group of modifiers disappeared into the vast night, Liu Fei began to stride purposefully towards his "house". However, perhaps consciously or subconsciously, Liu Fei's steps became somewhat different. If anyone noticed him, they would feel a strange sensation - as if this young man's legs could generate force from any angle.

The recent close encounter with the modifiers had given Liu Fei a sense of danger. His body, still on high alert, had not fully recovered from its instinctive defensive posture, making him feel like a combat-ready mech.

"I'm going back to school..."

Suddenly, a vaguely familiar voice rang out. Liu Fei instinctively looked up and saw two figures standing at the entrance of a dilapidated inn in the distance, one of whom he recognized.

Su Zijing.

Looking at her curvaceous figure, Liu Fei's face contorted with disgust. In his mind, all the female students hanging around the slums of Fallen Street were no good. This aversion had been deeply ingrained, instilled by Ironhead, who had warned him repeatedly not to associate with any women from Fallen Street.

Ironhead was dead, but his words still held sway over Liu Fei!

"Let go of me, let go of me, I want to go back to school!"

Just as Liu Fei was about to leave, it seemed that the young man had grabbed Su Zijing's arm. Su Zijing, standing at the door, suddenly raised her voice, sounding very angry.

"Smack!"

A crisp slap echoed. Liu Fei's heart inexplicably skipped a beat, his brows furrowing as his gaze once again fell on Su Zijing.

"You bitch, this is Fallen Street, do you understand? Granny's, why are you still pretending to be a saint when you're here? Get in!"

A voice roared, but the hustle and bustle of Fallen Street seemed unaffected. People passing by didn't even spare a glance. In Fallen Street, such incidents happened every day, and people had become indifferent.

As the young man said, this was Fallen Street! Why would a good woman come here?

In fact, the reason why the "dirty, messy, and chaotic" Fallen Street was popular among some students was precisely because of its environment that ignored everything. In Fallen Street, even mentioning murder on the street wouldn't attract much attention. It had become a culture, a way of life. It happened every day, as commonplace as eating and dressing.

"You hit me, you actually hit me..."

Su Zijing muttered to herself, staring blankly at the man in front of her, a face full of ferocity. She couldn't believe that this man, who had treated her like a princess, would actually hit her, and in full view of everyone. Her dignity, high and mighty, was mercilessly trampled upon, leaving her brain in a state of blank stagnation, like a computer crashing.

"Smack!"

Another crisp slap. Su Zijing snapped out of her blank state, finally feeling the fiery pain on her cheek. Her proud eyes now showed extreme panic.

"Let go of me, let go of me, help me..."

Su Zijing erupted in an instant, kicking and punching, but unfortunately, a soft and weak woman was no match for a strong man. Su Zijing, whose hair was grabbed, was about to be dragged into the inn. Piercing cries for help rang out in Fallen Street, but not a single person showed any inclination to play the hero.

"Stop!"

A cold voice sounded.

"Liu Fei, save me, save me..."

As Liu Fei appeared in front of Su Zijing, she immediately screamed. At this moment, Liu Fei was like a lifeline to her.

"A thousand Zhuo'er coins, I'll save you."

Liu Fei was surprised that Su Zijing knew his name, but he hesitated for a moment before slowly approaching the young man.

Suddenly, the whole Fallen Street seemed to quiet down. Dozens of pairs of eyes looked at Liu Fei in astonishment. Not only the people around, but even the young man and Su Zijing were dumbfounded.

"Do you agree or not?" Liu Fei's eyes flashed with impatience. If it weren't for the money, he wouldn't want to waste even a second here.

"I agree, a thousand..."

Seeing Liu Fei about to leave, Su Zijing suddenly became terrified, struggling desperately. Though her hair was grabbed, she nodded vigorously.

For Su Zijing, Liu Fei was her lifeline. Whether this lifeline could save her or not remained to be seen, but at least she couldn't let go.