Chapter 442: Handyman
Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Hitesh_
The Ark had provided the humans with a key to unlock the ability to explore the deep space. When the Ark started mass production, the entire universe would open itself up to humans, and only imagination would be the limitation.
Everyone believed that this day would come in the near future.
Three days later, the much-anticipated voyage was about to begin. The Battlecruiser set sail into the frigid space amidst the humming and chattering of thousands of spectators.
Wang Tong and his friends had soon received their orders, and all of them had to work for eight hours every day.
"Boss, what is your shift like? I am assigned to a post at the command center."
Karl stormed into the room and found out that Zhou Sisi and others had already arrived, and the atmosphere in the room was not quite right.
"It has to be a mistake! Let me talk to them. How could they assign you to the maintenance crew?" Hu Yangxuan said with fire in his eyes.
"WHAT! Maintenance? Hell no they didn't! I will talk to them!" Karl shouted.
"Calm your underpants. We are not sure if it is a mistake yet. I had a nagging suspicion that they did it on purpose." Zhou Sisi said.
"You mean..."
"Li Shiming and Patroclus's treatment was no better. Although they were assigned to the combat units, their rank was pathetic. I have heard that the Captain has quite an attitude, particularly towards Great House's members."
"Balls! Boss is not even from the Great Houses." Karl was a loss.
Although Wang Tong was not a member of any Great House, he was the heir of the Blade Warrior, and the young master of the Templars. What was worse, Kaost was also aware that Wang Tong had an unusual relationship with Ma Xiaoru, whose father was the de facto owner of the ship. Adding all clues together, Kaost was convinced that Wang Tong was even more sinful than those great house members.
The old captain was determined to use Wang Tong's case as an example to showcase his absolute power on the ship.
After hearing Zhou Sisi's explanation and analysis, the crowd finally understood the reason for Wang Tong and other top fighters' unfair treatment.
"That is not fair. He is getting his personal preference into business."
"That's the way it is. He has unrestricted power over everything on the ship, even a matter of life and death. You guys better lay low and don't create trouble for yourself." Apache said coldly.
"Balls! He can't do it to me!"
"He can, and the sooner you accept that, the better it is for yourself. We are not in a school anymore, kid." Apache said with a cold snicker hanging on his face. After toiling in the anti-smuggling unite, he had long since shed the bookish ideologies such as democracy and freedom.
"The maintenance crew is not that bad of a deal anyways. We are soldiers, and we have to obey our orders." Wang Tong said, but failed to hide the regret on his face.
"Xiaoru, what did they say?" As soon as Ma Xiaoru stepped into the room. Anxious faces greeted her.
"It is not a mistake. It's an order directly from the captain himself." Ma Xiaoru said helplessly. As soon as the ship left the dock, the captain was the only arbitrator in all matters on board.
Even Zhou Sisi's position carried more weight than Wang Tong. Not only was Wang Tong dumbfounded by the captain's decision, but he was also fearful of the boring life under the deck, inside the dark and squalid maintenance room.
However, an order was an order was an order. By noon, every soldier was to report to their duty, so everyone had to leave for their room to prepare for their first shift.
Samantha furrowed her brows as she scanned the list of assigned duties. Although she agreed that it was a smart move for Kaost to use Wang Tong's case to establish his authority on day-one, she felt that his methods had gone overboard.
Samantha didn't rush to Kaost and appeal for Wang Tong's assignment, but decided to wait for a while. She knew that Kaost would not back down since the purpose of this assignment was to make him look strong. Even if he listened to her, he would not change his orders so quickly, as it was bad for the morale.
The setback in Wang Tong's life might not be entirely a bad thing anyway. It would be a good reminder to him to not be carried away by his recent success. The only concern that Samantha had was that Wang Tong would publicly disobey the order and make a spectacle out of himself.
"Brother Shiming, you are the sneakiest person I have ever met! Now, do you think Wang Tong is going to make a fuss about his treatment?" Porten said with an ugly, smug look on his face. Porten himself had been assigned a cushy position. Kaost was a shrewd old fox, and was well aware of all parties' interests. Without being an expert at balancing interest of all sides, Kaost would not have been chosen as the captain.
Kaost's real target was clear: Wang Tong. The relatively unfavorable assignment of Li Shiming and Patroclus was merely a smokescreen.
"Maybe." Li Shiming said slowly as he scanned the data files in front of him. However, his joy didn't escape Porten.
After pulling some strings, Porten had learned that although Kaost was with the golden hawk publicly, he had maintained a connection with House Li, and their collaboration was more subtle than anyone could imagine. The old fox had used the confrontation between House Li and the golden hawk to his own advantage to set him apart from his colleges. He knew that golden hawk would support whoever House Li opposed the most, and conveniently for him, House Li had fought ferociously when golden hawk had proposed his name, along with ten others, on to the table. The next day, the list had reduced to just one: himself.
Despite the joy all around him, Wang Tong found it hard pressed to be happy. He plodded through a heavy gate and walked into the maintenance office.
He was a student of METAL combat, not a mechanic. All he knew about fixing things was left-lose-right-tight, and that was it! What else could he do other than tighten bolts?
Although he was disappointed by the assignment, Wang Tong didn't wear it on his face.
"You are...Wang Tong?"
"Yes."
Everyone paused what they were doing and looked at the young fellow they had seen on TV.
"I am sure you will do well here! Cheer up!" Duolang offered his counsel to the boy who was down on his luck.
"Yes, sir!"
"You can skip the formality and just call me Duolang. We will show you around here today. Our main duty is to make sure the machinery functions the way they are designed to."
"OK." Wang Tong nodded and cracked a smile. Duolang and his team gave him a friendly vibe, so he knew he was in good hands.
"Bang Bang Bang!" Someone was at the door.
A female mechanic in her twenties walked in, and Duolang started introducing. "Tee, come here. This is Wang Tong. I want you to show him around."
"Yes, boss."
After Tee walked out with Wang Tong in tow, she turned around and asked curiously, "So, you are Wang Tong?"
"Yes."
"Cool, call me sister Tee, and you will be under my charge from now on."