"Lads! Put some muscle into it!"
Old Gan's voice boomed through the loudspeaker.
Before him, however, were not lads, but a group of middle-aged uncles, forty to fifty years old.
They were straining to pull a steel cable, at the other end of which was the head of a mecha half-buried in a mountain of parts.
The uncles chuckled at Old Gan's shouts, working even harder.
These were Old Gan's old friends, who had grown up together, worked together, endured hardships together, and grown old together.
Jude, without a mecha, had become a spiritual idol for all the poor people in Wuhe City overnight.
With just one call from Old Gan, over thirty people were willing to help build the mecha for free.
Outside the tent, everyone was enthusiastically searching for mecha parts.
Inside the tent, Gu Ya was carefully operating a class-body battery.
It was only today that Gu Ya learned that all mecha energy came from a universal material called "class-body".
According to Old Gan, class-body had arrived centuries ago with a comet.
After that, countries went to war with each other over this material, turning the once peaceful world into a bloodbath.
All because of the immense energy it contained.
A ten-cubic-centimeter class-body energy battery could allow a 300-ton heavy mecha to fly continuously for eighty years.
One battery could last from a grandfather's generation to a great-grandchild's.
Some said that class-body was a "thief" that siphoned energy from the universe.
The class-body battery in Gu Ya's hand was found by Old Gan in a pile of scrap more than ten years ago.
Old Gan had treated it like a treasure and kept it safe.
He always felt it would be used for a very meaningful purpose at a special time.
Now, his wish had come true.
Connecting the battery was not difficult, it just involved installing it into a special container.
This container was shaped like a heart, pointed at the bottom and wide at the top, with three main power conduits extending from the top.
The surface of the container showed no seams, appearing as one solid piece.
However, there was an embedded button, which, when pressed, opened the top of the device and split the bottom into three parts.
It contained immense complexity within.
After the battery was installed in its designated position, over twenty small components needed to be installed, including: an energy extractor, a recycler, a proportion controller, a micro-stator, a perpetual rotor, and a plasma energy converter.
And all of this had to be done within this container, which was smaller than a computer case from the old world, less than twenty cubic centimeters.
While it seemed cumbersome to ordinary people, it was well within Gu Ya's capabilities now.
As dawn broke, Gu Ya had finished installing the mecha's "heart".
The next step was to find the other parts of the mecha.
This couldn't be rushed and sometimes relied on luck.
Gu Ya walked out of the tent, stretched, and yawned, looking at the rising sun.
A child brought him a bowl of hot soup.
This was the only meal Gu Ya had eaten in the past two days.
He didn't care about the ingredients or the taste; it was simply delicious.
After eating, he headed towards the search area.
On a small hill of scrap parts far from the camp, thirteen uncles were resting.
Behind them, a rusty mecha head had been pulled out, leaving a large pit behind.
Old Gan saw Gu Ya approaching and said, "Xiao Zhao, take a look at this head. How is it?"
Gu Ya and Old Gan had agreed not to reveal his identity as Jude in front of outsiders.
Because the people helping might inadvertently leak his information, and word would spread, eventually reaching the school.
Gu Ya circled the mecha head several times, his system continuously analyzing,
"Hmm, thirteen faults, but it can be repaired. Not bad."
After resolving the issue with the mecha's head, the next step was its limbs and torso.
Old Gan led Gu Ya further away, to a scrap heap as tall as a four-story building.
There, five uncles were squatting beside a half-person-high hole at the bottom of the heap, peering inside.
Soon, a young man crawled out of the hole.
"Dig it out! There's indeed a complete mecha torso inside."
"Got it! Let's go!"
The five uncles ran to the five old micro-mechas behind them and began clearing the hole in the scrap heap, digging inward little by little.
Old Gan stopped the young man. "Wu Xuan, come here! Let me introduce you. This is Xiao Zhao."
Wu Xuan's expression was indifferent. He shook Gu Ya's hand casually.
The moment Gu Ya touched Wu Xuan's hand, he immediately realized that this young man, who was similar in age and stature to himself, was also a mecha master.
Only a mecha master would have that kind of grip strength and handshake posture.
Of course, Wu Xuan also realized this. He glanced at Gu Ya and then turned away.
Throughout the day, everyone in the scrap mecha parts yard was busy, and they managed to acquire most of the major spare parts.
After dinner, no one rested. They continued their search, guided by searchlights.
Gu Ya looked at the pile of mecha parts, now resembling a small mountain, and felt a mixture of bitterness and joy.
He hadn't expected that assembling a mecha would require so many components.
He didn't have time to think, as he had to assemble these hundreds of parts by tonight.
Rolling up his sleeves, he got to work!
The first step was to connect the torso and the lower limbs.
Beside a newly erected simple assembly frame, the torso was already hoisted up.
This was the torso of a dual-cockpit mecha, with a slightly bulging chest to accommodate two pilot seats.
Gu Ya climbed into the cockpit to inspect it. Although it was filled with dust and had a pungent smell of oil, it was the most intact mecha torso they could find, so there was no other choice.
Gu Ya directed the uncles operating the micro-mechas to lift the lower limbs and move them slowly to the installation position.
These were the torso and lower limbs of two different models of mecha, but their connection dimensions were the same.
Gu Ya skillfully slung his tool bag over his shoulder, climbed onto the assembly frame, and began the connection work.
According to the analysis from the holographic screen,
First, the support skeleton was to be securely connected with fastening clasps, and then the movable joints were to be installed.
As this was his first time installing, Gu Ya was slightly unaccustomed, cautious, and a little nervous, ensuring that no part requiring tightening or lubrication was overlooked.
After connecting the skeleton and joints, the next step was to install the thin protective plates that covered the skeleton.
The thin protective plates were very important, not only for protecting the skeleton and joints but also for containing grooves for mounting various lines.
However, these thin protective plates were scarce, and even when found, they were often severely damaged or corroded beyond use.
Gu Ya had no choice but to use thin protective plates for critical areas and aluminum foil for other parts.
After covering with thin protective plates and aluminum foil, the next step was to install the energy conduits, electrical wiring, communication lines, and joint drive motors.
This task required extreme meticulousness; even a slight oversight could lead to unexpected malfunctions and disasters.
After completing these two tasks, the sky had already begun to brighten.
The night wind was bone-chillingly cold, but Gu Ya was sweating profusely.
During this time, the others had brought in more items, including a left arm, fragments of armor plating, and some important small parts.
Gu Ya's body ached all over, and his hands could barely grip his tools.
He sat dejectedly and tiredly on the assembly frame, waiting for his strength to recover before continuing.
Just then, Wu Xuan walked over.
"Need any help?" Wu Xuan asked.
Gu Ya saw the exhaustion on Wu Xuan's face as well, realizing he must have been busy all night. He replied, "I can manage on my own."
"Come on, it'll be easier with an extra pair of hands." Wu Xuan's tone was cold, but his movements were very swift.
With two people working, the progress increased significantly.
By the time the sun was directly overhead, the two had already connected the lower limbs and the left arm.
Standing in the scorching sunlight, the two young men looked at their masterpiece and smiled at each other.
Gu Ya glanced at the holographic television not far away. The battle on the battlefield was still ongoing.
This was the 38th match, meaning that with two more matches, the first round of elimination would be over.
Wu Xuan saw Gu Ya's worry and comforted him, "We'll make it in time."
"Yes, I hope so," Gu Ya replied.
"Actually, you're Jude, aren't you?" Wu Xuan said softly.
Gu Ya smiled knowingly.
Under the blazing sun, this incomplete mecha, despite its damaged, ugly, and peculiar appearance, looked like a monument in Gu Ya's eyes.
It was the product of many people's hard work.
"Next, we need to install the head and the energy battery," Wu Xuan said.
"And debugging," Gu Ya said thoughtfully.
"Let's go!" Wu Xuan finally showed a hint of a smile on his face.
"Let's go!"