Chapter 25

Zhang Yuan opened his seafood noodles, planning to fill his stomach first.

Unexpectedly, the man across from him, upon smelling the food, gulped involuntarily.

"Would you like some? I can share half with you."

"Ah, thank you! I've been busy deciding what treasures to take on the journey, and I forgot to eat."

With this shared meal, the two quickly became acquainted.

This guy's name was Ye Kaifu, and he had the same level of education—only a bachelor's degree.

But most importantly, he was a "Level 8 Mechanic," skilled in various craftsmanship techniques.

Zhang Yuan's curiosity was piqued: "Is it that profession where… you file an iron ball with a file?"

Level 8 Mechanic, what kind of salary do they have?

Needless to say, it was certainly higher than his!

"It's not about filing a ball, but using basic tools like files, cutters, and polishers to grind a cube of iron into a sphere. The maximum error is only a hair's width. This qualifies as Level 8."

"A hair's breadth of precision? That's quite difficult, relying solely on manual perception for measurement."

"If you're skilled enough, it's okay, but for higher precision, advanced tools are necessary."

"Amazing!"

"It's nothing, there are more skilled people out there... Like Level 9 Machinists or Level 10 Mechanics."

Zhang Yuan sighed inwardly; everyone on the Earth Era had a skill, and he might have been the most mediocre one...

Of course, that was his past self.

Such high-level machinists were cultivated to quickly reboot civilization. The spaceship's load was limited, so not every industrial machine could be carried. Some parts had to be crafted manually.

Never underestimate the power of humans.

Within a few bites, he swallowed the noodles down and turned his attention to studying those metal creations.

He was also a mechanical enthusiast and had participated in a robotics competition during university.

In programming, he was competent. But due to poor hands-on skills, he didn't make much of an impact.

Ye Kaifu was beaming with excitement, his eyes glimmering.

Talking about his creations seemed to strike a chord: "This was my work in the ESL Robotics Competition, this one in the National Competition, and this one… this one… #…%;"

"Did you make them yourself with a file?"

"How could that be? The sensors and other parts were purchased, but most components were indeed handmade."

"What about the robot program?"

"Uh, most of it was done by me…" Ye Kaifu said, his expression becoming slightly unnatural.

Because…

During university, he accidentally became a sycophant.

In competitions, he always brought his "girlfriend" and his "girlfriend's male best friend," functioning as one god carrying two mortals.

But no matter how amazing a person was, there was a limit to what one could achieve.

So, he never won first prize.

The sycophant ultimately had nothing.

In a fit of anger, he left this heartbreaking world.

Zhang Yuan laughed: "Don't feel regret. First prize is so hard… I've participated too and didn't win anything!"

As they chatted, Zhang Yuan casually picked up something resembling a mechanical hand and examined it with curiosity.

Its appearance was impressive, with a metal power aesthetic, perfect as a movie prop.

He hefted it in his hands; wow, almost twenty kilograms!

Designing this mechanical arm would require a tremendous amount of time, and making it actually move would be incredibly challenging.

This guy was a true genius!

Ye Kaifu looked a bit proud: "…This is a Power Armor I made over four months, and it won a second prize in the Milky Way Awards. It was even borrowed for the movie Terminator 100!"

"Power Armor?"

"Well, I only made one arm. You make a move, and it mimics you. Want to try it?"

"Sure!"

Zhang Yuan, intrigued, put on a very tight leather glove that extended to his wrist.

The leather glove was connected by a wire to the iron arm.

When he turned on the switch, the sound of mechanical movement roared, much like an engine starting.

Ye Kaifu made some adjustments: "All set, you can move now."

Zhang Yuan attempted to curl his five fingers into a fist.

A mechanical sound followed, and the iron arm skillfully curled its five fingers into a fist.

He opened his fingers, and the iron arm did the same.

He asked curiously, "Is this leather glove a pressure sensor, the famous MIA pressure sensor system?"

"Yes!" Facing someone knowledgeable, Ye Kaifu was even more enthusiastic, rattling off various parameters.

"Try squeezing it." He picked up a can and placed it in front of the mechanical arm.

Zhang Yuan carefully moved his arm, and the iron arm mirrored his movements, cautiously gripping the can with its five fingers.

Crash—

The can let out a spine-chilling roar as it was crushed into a metal disc.

"The maximum grip strength can reach 320 kilograms, while an ordinary person's grip strength is only about fifty to sixty kilograms."

Wiping the sweat from his face, Ye Kaifu asked, "How does it feel?"

"No need to mention the good points, just the flaws, or I won't be able to make the decision to scrap it. I can't possibly take it to the sky."

"Really, talk about the flaws?" Zhang Yuan scratched his head: "I don't really know how to put it…"

"Go on, go on, don't be shy!"

"Uh, operating it feels a bit like a digger…"

"First, there's no feedback to the human body. Without looking, I can't tell if the iron hand is holding something or how much force I'm using. Compared to a human body, it lacks tactile sensation; it's inconvenient."

Ye Kaifu nodded, "Indeed, without human-machine interaction, you can only estimate how to grip things visually."

Zhang Yuan continued, "Second, I can't seem to control the grip strength. I crushed the can instantly... I just wanted to pick it up gently."

"That's true."

"Third, it seems there's a slight delay, and the movements aren't very smooth. The distance the mechanical hand moves feels different from the distance I move… How to put it, it's not very precise."

Although Ye Kaifu was somewhat unhappy, he had to admit that Zhang Yuan had a point.

Moreover, it was he who asked for criticism, so he couldn't blame others.

He hung his head, "Sigh, you're right, which is why it only got second place. Best to abandon it."

"Goodbye, dear. See you in the next life…"

He lifted the mechanical arm and placed it in a box.

Zhang Yuan felt a little embarrassed, wondering if he had been too blunt, making the thing seem worthless.

He hurriedly said, "Your model is pretty good actually. When it's moving, the gears have backlash, and different angles have different friction. The design complexity is high, and making it this well is already quite an achievement."

"The model's fine, but what use is there? It doesn't have much technical content; it just takes time." Ye Kaifu shook his head, sighed, and became lost in the sorrow of losing his harem...

Seeing this, Zhang Yuan decided not to say more and put the matter out of his mind.

With nothing else to do, he decided to study. Studying always brought a sense of happiness.

"What should I learn…"

The knowledge he once studied flashed through his mind.

Suddenly, a spark of inspiration struck him, and he recalled that there seemed to be a good idea in his father's tablet.

"The Study of Full Body Action Mapping Robots"