69: Chapter 69 The Arrogant Mechanic

And at this time...

At the emergency repair site on the edge of the cliff where the gale raged.

"Click!"

Along with the final crisp, and even slightly beautiful metal resonance, the sound of locking into place rang out.

Ye Qingyu's fair and delicate hands finally fell weakly from the load-bearing steel beam, which was now completely encased in high-strength titanium steel plates.

Her small face, which was already somewhat pale from long periods of focus, was now as transparent as a sheet of white paper.

Beads of sweat the size of beans mixed with the black ash in the air, sliding down her exquisite chin drop by drop.

"Train Master..."

Ye Qingyu gasped for breath, yet her clever big eyes shimmered with a fanatical pride, as if she had completed a peerless masterpiece.

She turned her head with difficulty, looking at the dark gold train standing quietly behind her like an ancient god of war, and managed a weak, stunning smile.

"Three hundred meters... of tracks, repaired!"

As soon as the words fell, this tsundere genius mechanic girl could no longer hold herself up.

Due to the severe overdraw of her S-grade talent [Mechanical Resonance], and the intense pain from the burn on her slender arm caused by the aftereffects of the Blood-Winged Demon Bat's venom earlier.

Her legs gave way, and she collapsed toward the cold, hard temporary tracks like a butterfly with broken wings.

"Qingyu!"

Zhang Man and Chu Qingxue, who had been forming a steel defensive line nearby, cried out in alarm simultaneously.

But before they could step forward to support her...

A tall figure wrapped in the afterimage of violent blue lightning appeared beside Ye Qingyu as if by teleportation.

Su Chen's strong and powerful arms caught the soft, petite body with absolute stability, pulling her into his broad and warm embrace.

He looked at the girl's arm in his arms, which was somewhat red and swollen from the burn, and a trace of hidden heartache, which even he didn't notice, flashed in his deep eyes.

"Well done, my Chief Mechanic."

Su Chen whispered softly, then stood up abruptly, casting a cold gaze toward the temporary tracks ahead that had just been laid, shimmering with a cold metallic luster under the blood moon.

"Everyone, get on the train!"

Ling Yi, immediately cut the main cannon's overload circuit and inject all remaining backup energy into the power boiler!"

"Get us across this damn broken bridge at full speed!"

Accompanying Su Chen's unquestionable and domineering command...

Zhang Man, An Ye, Chu Qingxue, Lin Momo, and the other stunning Valkyries retreated into the train's interior quickly and in an orderly fashion, like a pack of well-trained female leopards.

"Rumble—!"

The abyss roarer's massive and heavy dark gold body let out a deafening roar once again.

The heavy wheels ground frantically against the rusted rails, sending up a series of dazzling sparks.

Under the awe-filled gazes of the top-tier Train Masters behind them, who looked on as if at a deity...

This heavy-armored train, carrying the wasteland's strongest combat power and most exquisite beauties, stepped onto the temporary tracks that Ye Qingyu had risked her life to repair with an unstoppable, crushing momentum.

"Clang, clang!"

These three-hundred-meter-long titanium steel tracks, suspended over the bottomless abyss, didn't even wobble slightly under the weight of the hundreds of tons of the steel behemoth!

This was enough to prove the absolute dominance of Ye Qingyu's S-grade [Mechanical Resonance] in the field of mechanical construction.

When the abyss roarer's massive rear completely crossed the gap of the broken bridge, leaving the meat-grinder-like beast tide and those still struggling trains far behind...

The temporary tracks, which were already teetering, finally snapped with a tooth-aching sound of twisting metal after losing the support of Ye Qingyu's talent.

Like a dead giant steel python, they fell powerlessly into the rolling black river below.

Those Train Masters who had still harbored a sliver of hope, intending to follow behind Su Chen to cross the bridge, were now completely despondent, forced to continue fighting for their lives against the endless beast tide.

Meanwhile...

Inside the abyss roarer's Silver Mid-Grade Life Science Research Carriage, which was equipped with extremely advanced technology and smelled faintly of disinfectant...

Ye Qingyu was lying quietly on a white, soft sterile hospital bed.

Her work overalls, stained with black ash and engine oil, had been changed.

In its place was a loose and comfortable cotton patient gown, slightly open at the collar, revealing a patch of snow-white, delicate skin and exquisite, alluring collarbones that invited imagination.

"Train Master, Little Sister Qingyu's burns aren't serious; she's just severely overdrawn her talent."

Liu Ruyan was wearing a tight and sexy white nurse's uniform, her impressively full chest stretching the uniform tautly.

She held a blue recovery potion that had just been injected, her soul-stirring peach blossom eyes full of tenderness as she looked at Su Chen, who was sitting by the bed.

"I've already injected her with the latest improved Primary Body Strengthening Recovery Potion. She should wake up in about ten minutes."

Liu Ruyan sensibly threw the used syringe into the medical waste bin, then stepped on her white high heels, swaying her slender water-snake waist as she tactfully exited the research carriage.

She even thoughtfully pressed the lock button for the metal soundproof door from the outside.

Leaving this quiet space solely to Su Chen and the genius girl who had just rendered great service.

The constant-temperature air conditioner in the carriage blew a comfortable warm breeze that could make one's bones go soft.

Su Chen sat on a metal folding chair by the bed. His large, rough hands, which usually held heavy cannons and blood-dripping battle knives...

Were now holding a pure cotton hot towel that had just been heated by the intermediate water circulation system.

His movements were surprisingly gentle as he wiped Ye Qingyu's fair little face, which was covered in black ash and oil marks, bit by bit.

His focused expression made it seem as if he wasn't wiping a dirt-covered mechanic, but a priceless world-class treasure.

"Mm..."

Just then, Ye Qingyu on the bed let out a soft, delicate moan.

Her long, curled eyelashes, like butterfly wings, fluttered twice before she slowly opened her clear, clever eyes.

When her still-confused gaze gradually focused on the face of the man sitting by her bed, who was as handsome and resolute as a deity...

Especially when she realized that the usually decisive and peerlessly domineering Train Master...

Was actually looking at her with a gentle gaze she had never seen before, and was even personally wiping her face with a hot towel!

This mechanic girl, who always prided herself on being a genius and was so tsundere that she wouldn't even spare a glance at the rich and handsome men who pursued her...

Her brain was like a steam boiler overloaded by overclocking; with a "boom," it completely fell into a severe state of crashing!

"Tra... Train Master..."

Ye Qingyu spoke with a stutter, her originally jade-white little face turning red at a visible speed, from her cheeks all the way to her translucent earlobes.

She even subconsciously pulled the quilt up, trying to hide her petite chest that was rising and falling due to her racing heartbeat.

"You're awake? Does the injury on your hand still hurt?"

Su Chen didn't stop his movements. He rinsed the towel in the basin of warm water, wrung it out, and gently wiped Ye Qingyu's long, fair swan-like neck again.

The slight friction from his rough fingertips occasionally caused a layer of fine pink goosebumps to rise across Ye Qingyu's skin.

"I... I'm fine now."

Like a startled little rabbit, Ye Qingyu suddenly turned her head toward the inside of the bed, not daring to look directly into Su Chen's deep eyes that seemed able to see through one's soul.

But her tsundere nature chose this moment to come out uncontrollably.

"Don't... don't misunderstand!"

Ye Qingyu bit her alluring pink cherry lips, forcing herself to put on an indifferent act.

"I... I didn't risk my life to repair the bridge for you!"

"I just... just felt that if I didn't fix that section of track, I would also die in the mouths of those disgusting bats."

"Right! I only did it for self-preservation! I certainly wasn't trying to please a domineering tyrant like you!"

Listening to the stuttering and even logically messy tsundere explanation of his Chief Mechanic...

The corners of Su Chen's usually cold mouth could no longer hold back a brilliant, even slightly mischievous, curve.

He didn't expose the little girl's extremely clumsy lie.

Instead, he suddenly put down the hot towel.

Su Chen's tall and straight body suddenly leaned forward, and his handsome face, perfect as a sculpture, instantly magnified infinitely in Ye Qingyu's pupils.

A domineering scent, mixed with a faint smell of tobacco and the strong pheromones unique to a mature man...

Was like an invisible net, instantly shrouding Ye Qingyu completely.

"What... what are you going to do..."

Ye Qingyu was so nervous she almost stopped breathing. She could even feel Su Chen's hot breath spraying onto her burning cheeks.

However...

Su Chen didn't make any violent moves as she had imagined.

He only reached out his large, well-defined hand and incredibly gently tucked a strand of sweat-dampened hair from Ye Qingyu's forehead behind her ear.

Then...

Under Ye Qingyu's gaze, which was shocked to the extreme—she couldn't even move her eyes...

Su Chen lowered his head slightly and, on that smooth, fair forehead that even carried a faint, clean scent of soap...

Pressed a gentle kiss that carried no lust, yet was full of endless dominance and pampering.

"You've worked hard, my Chief Mechanic."

Su Chen's deep, sexy voice, as resonant as a cello, rang softly in Ye Qingyu's ear.

When those two warm lips left her forehead...

And when Su Chen's straight back pushed open the medical carriage door and he left with composed steps...

A full half-minute passed.

Only then did Ye Qingyu seem to wake up from an extremely long and incredible dream.

Her clever big eyes were filled with unbelievable mist, and her two small hands tightly covered her cheeks, which were so hot they were about to drip blood.

She was like a cooked red crab, and even a few wisps of shy steam seemed to rise from the top of her head.

"He... he actually kissed me?!"

"This domineering bastard! This was this genius's first kiss!"

Ye Qingyu rolled frantically on the bed, crumpling the white quilt into a mess.

But if anyone were to see her expression right now, they would discover...

On this tsundere mechanic girl's red-hot little face, there wasn't the slightest bit of anger from being trifled with.

All that was there was a deep infatuation that was about to overflow from her eyes, as sweet as if she had drunk a large jar of honey.