The young man was named Tang Shun and was once considered a wealthy second-generation, coming from quite a well-off family.
But later, the family declined, leading Tang Shun, who had embarked on the path of mechanical modifications, to lose adequate financial support and stagnate.
However, Tang Shun was an extremely stubborn person. He couldn't accept his strength stagnating at the first tier, so he turned to black market boxing.
He hoped to rely on this source of income to continue enhancing his abilities.
But precisely because of this, Tang Shun's modified mechanical leg often got damaged. Over time, he became a regular customer of Li Mo.
Looking at Tang Shun's mechanical leg, Li Mo lit a cigarette and took one drag after another in silence.
"How's it look, can it still be repaired?"
Tang Shun also lit a cigarette, enduring the pain in his body, and looked at Li Mo.
Li Mo remained silent for a long time before saying, "I'm getting old. My Qi Blood is starting to decline. I told you last time that would be the last time I'd repair for you, but clearly you didn't take my words to heart."
Repairing mechanical prosthetics is not an easy task. Don't be fooled by their smaller size compared to heavy machinery; due to the different materials used, their weight varies within the same volume.
Moreover, the parts of mechanical prosthetics are extremely delicate, making repairs very mentally draining. Li Mo, being older, no longer had the energy to devote to such tasks.
Tang Shun slightly furrowed his brows and looked at Li Mo with a hint of pleading in his eyes: "Uncle Li, I really am begging you. I've already secured nine consecutive wins in the black market. I'm about to achieve ten consecutive wins. This is truly the last time."
"Once I achieve ten consecutive wins, the prize money from the black market will be enough to enhance my abilities to the second tier. After that, I won't have to go back to such places anymore."
"Just help me one last time. After this, I'll never bother you again."
Tang Shun's words made Li Mo look a bit agitated, but he didn't immediately agree.
"Um... how about letting me give it a try?"
Just as the two fell silent, puffing on their cigarettes, a voice sounded beside them.
Li Mo looked over and saw Lu Sheng standing behind him with a shy smile.
"You?"
Tang Shun looked at Lu Sheng, frowning with a hint of impatience on his face.
"What's a mere apprentice doing here making trouble? Can't you see I'm talking to your master?"
Clearly, Tang Shun took Lu Sheng as a workshop apprentice. In Tang Shun's opinion, no apprentice in that workshop could compare to even a tenth of Li Mo's skills.
So naturally, he assumed Lu Sheng was just causing trouble.
Lu Sheng didn't respond to Tang Shun. He just looked at Li Mo with eyes full of determination. He had recently converted his skills into Basic Mechanical Prosthetic Maintenance. If he could try it out himself, it should greatly enhance his proficiency.
Li Mo remained silent for a moment, finishing his cigarette and stamping it out with frustration, then spoke, "How much have you grasped from the books?"
Lu Sheng gave a shy smile: "Pretty much most of it."
This time, maybe it was because he had witnessed Lu Sheng's terrifying talent, but Li Mo didn't doubt him. Instead, he made up his mind.
"In that case... you go ahead and try it. I'll assist you from the side!"
With that, Li Mo looked at Tang Shun and said in a deep voice, "I can help repair it this last time, but he has to do the work. I'll just guide from the side. If that's okay with you, lie down. If not, then forget it."
Tang Shun never expected Li Mo to have such confidence in this apparent apprentice. He hesitated for a moment, then his expression hardened.
"Uncle Li, I trust you. Since you've spoken, I have no reason to refuse. Go ahead!"
Tang Shun was a tough guy; otherwise, he wouldn't have ventured into black market boxing.
With that, Tang Shun followed Li Mo to his office, lay down on the repair table, and closed his eyes.
Behind him, Lu Sheng looked at Tang Shun's severely damaged mechanical legs, his eyes lighting up like a hunter spotting rare prey.
"This is a rare training opportunity!"
Lu Sheng rubbed his hands together, excited in his heart.
"Start. You operate first, and I'll observe from the side. I'll point out any mistakes you make."
Li Mo said to Lu Sheng.
"Alright!"
Lu Sheng went to the repair table, donned a convenient magnifying glass, and began to carefully inspect the damaged parts of the mechanical legs.
Mechanical prosthetics are renowned for their precision, and repairing those high-precision parts requires substantial mental attention, which is precisely why Li Mo was reluctant.
He was getting old, no longer having that much energy. Each repair would leave him needing ten to fifteen days to recover.
With third-tier Basic Mechanical Prosthetic Maintenance experience, Lu Sheng easily identified the damaged parts inside the mechanical leg and removed them one by one.
Li Mo watched from the side, nodding approvingly.
"Good, you've found all the damaged parts. You're officially a beginner in mechanical prosthetic maintenance."
Li Mo's face was filled with satisfaction.
Not getting overconfident, Lu Sheng carefully took out the damaged parts, placing them on the table and began repairs with the available tools.
Tapping, drilling, honing… each process conducted in order.
During the process, Lu Sheng made several mistakes, but they were caught in time by Li Mo, preventing any irreparable damage.
Three hours quickly passed. Lu Sheng, covered in sweat, reassembled the repaired parts into the mechanical legs.
After finishing, Lu Sheng wiped the sweat off his forehead and addressed Tang Shun lying on the repair table.
"Get up and try it. See if there's any discomfort."
Tang Shun opened his eyes and cast a surprised glance at Lu Sheng. He hadn't fallen asleep during those three hours. After all, letting an "apprentice" work on him, even he couldn't feel completely at ease.
But hearing Li Mo's constant expressions of satisfaction, Tang Shun realized he might have underestimated this guy.
Without hesitation, Tang Shun got up, moved around, and tested the strength and speed of the mechanical legs. Satisfied, he smiled at Lu Sheng and Li Mo.
"Not bad, not bad. They're fully repaired. Uncle Li, your last disciple is quite something, potentially able to inherit your mantle in the future!"
Clearly, after this repair, Tang Shun regarded Lu Sheng as Li Mo's last disciple. Given Li Mo's age, this was quite probable.