14. The Competition

The Maintenance Department’s skills competition took place as scheduled at the end of the month.

Hundreds of workers clad in bright yellow uniforms entered the workshop one after another according to their assigned numbers. Following the competition rules, they were required to repair their assigned warships to at least 50% within the allotted time.

If the repair progress fell below 25%, the department head would temporarily detain them in the intern area, and those who performed exceptionally poorly might even be told to scram.

The competition at Huimin Factory was fiercely intense.

As the work order sounded, they awaited their assignments.

The Maintenance Department head announced sternly, “You have fourteen working hours to complete the competition. No pauses allowed. Manage your own meals. Communication with anyone during the period is forbidden. Violators will be immediately disqualified!”

At his command, the oxygen masks automatically silenced the workers’ whispers, and in the blink of an eye, they were transported to their workstations.

They were about to take on a batch of severely damaged warships. Seeing the dense array of damaged warship icons displayed on their smart brains, the workers’ eyes widened in disbelief.

The surveillance cameras captured every subtle expression of the employees — some anxious, others nervous.

The department head paced leisurely, arms crossed, scanning the room until his gaze settled on one unusually calm employee.

It was Bu Hui.

She leaned against the identification terminal, arms folded over her shoulders, her bright yellow uniform crumpled and wrinkled. Her demeanor was nearly half-asleep.

Slim in figure, her black hair tied neatly into a high ponytail, her eyes half-closed and lashes fluttering, she appeared to be resting with her eyes shut.

The department head’s face instantly darkened like a cast-iron pan.

How was she still sleeping?!

He immediately recognized which fleet the warship assigned to Bu Hui belonged to. Perhaps inadvertently, the warship she received should not have been part of this contest—it was far too damaged, raising the difficulty by several levels.

Even he was unsure if he could finish repairing it within the time limit.

The head had intended to have someone reassign her a different warship but was infuriated by her indifferent attitude.

Judging by her lazy demeanor, she was clearly here to coast through the competition.

Though the higher-ups insisted this was a government opportunity, he refused to tolerate slackers in his department.

He sneered coldly, waiting to catch her shirking her duties once she woke.

He would surely call her out publicly and kick her out immediately!

…

Bu Hui caught a cold from playing in the snow.

Yes.

Unprepared, she had spent several hours in the biting cold and icy snow, and woke up the next day with a fever.

She took antibiotics and followed the warm reminders offered by her smart brain.

Still, her body had its own rhythm; although she felt somewhat better after a few days, her spirit remained lethargic.

Rubbing her eyes, Bu Hui rested briefly before gathering her energy to inspect the warship before her.

At the center of the circular platform lay the wreckage of a hundred-meter-class destroyer, its silver-gray streamlined wings blasted to shreds, exposing bare circuitry.

Q-83.

Bu Hui immediately recognized it as a Federation warship. To salvage such a heavily damaged vessel meant either it was of great significance or its owner held a high rank.

The repairs would take a long time—far beyond what an intern should be handling at this stage.

Yet, having just returned from a business trip with overtime, Bu Hui had gained some experience with military aircraft structures.

Her mood remained calm.

The basic smart brain activated a virtual screen; a mechanical voice slowly intoned, “Welcome to the Huimin repair system. Identified 221 repair tasks pending. Would you like intelligent assistance?”

“Yes.”

“Please proceed to the next step…”

Following the smart brain’s instructions, the virtual workspace transformed into a lush green forest. A gentle breeze stirred crisp birdcalls, leaves rustling in a natural symphony.

The simulated environment was designed to alleviate the strain of prolonged work.

Bathed in soft sunlight, Bu Hui focused intently on repairing the ship’s fragments.

…

Is she finally moving?

In the office, the department head noticed Bu Hui’s activity and scoffed disdainfully. He was keen to see what she could actually achieve.

“How’s everyone performing?”

A deep mechanical male voice echoed, and the office door opened to reveal a robot about waist-high, dressed in a formal suit. Its head-mounted camera, serving as its eyes, scanned the room before settling on the department head.

The Huimin Factory owner, Robo, was a silicon-based lifeform—what Earthlings traditionally considered a sentient robot. Their uniquely resilient bodies adapted well to various work environments, with exceptional logical thinking, often seen at city government offices.

The department head reported respectfully, “No clear progress yet; overall repair speed remains slow. Given the extent of damage, it’s understandably difficult.”

Previously, the competition had involved randomly discarded small aircraft, and there were complaints about unfair model discrepancies.

This year, they switched to salvaged frontline warship wrecks.

It also provided a clearer gauge of their current skill levels.

Robo asked, “How is the employee that the Secretary-General vouched for?”

The head snorted coldly. “I can forgive lesser skill but expect a serious and diligent work attitude! This one is lazy and reckless!”

Robo nodded. “Let’s reluctantly keep her for appearances. At worst, assign her menial tasks on the sidelines for a while.”

That was the usual practice for favored insiders.

After some brief chatter, just as Robo prepared to leave, the system suddenly alerted that someone had completed 10% of their assigned repairs, leading the competition.

The department head laughed loudly without hesitation, “It must be… huh?”

Robo echoed, “Huh?”

Both practically pressed their faces against the monitor.

“It’s her?” The head rubbed his eyes incredulously, almost shouting loud enough to break down the office door. “That insider?!”

The leaderboard displayed Bu Hui’s name prominently in first place.

“Is she cheating?”

“Or is the system malfunctioning?”

“This is simply impossible!”

The burly dark-skinned man paced nervously, refusing to accept this revelation. His facial muscles twitched as he scrutinized Bu Hui’s operations more closely.

Very good, very fast, each step solid and meticulous.

All factory-mandated procedures executed perfectly, as if she were an exemplary student.

“…”

At the moment when he least wanted to be pleased, here was the employee he most desired.

What a tragedy.

Originally intending to merely stroll through, the owner stopped to stay and observe the competition’s final outcome.

Bu Hui remained completely unaware of the outside world.

After a short break, she tilted her head back to drink a sweet nutritional supplement. The sugary flavor touched her tongue, soothing her weary mind.

With over half the repairs left, she estimated she could complete about seventy to eighty percent at her current pace.

It was easier than she had imagined—perhaps even too fast.

Bu Hui had no intention of rushing to the front. Being the early frontrunner wasn’t beneficial; she deliberately slowed down.

By the time the countdown nearly ended, she had repaired just over fifty percent of her assigned workload.

After the workers left their stations, they flocked to the hall to view the results.

Most had completed their repairs within the allotted time. A handful of top performers were far ahead, nearing ninety percent completion, eliciting gasps of admiration.

“Impressive!”

“As expected of the annual outstanding employees!”

“At this rate, they’ll be recruited by the military!”

The leading few were surrounded by praise and adulation, practically being lifted to the skies.

Bu Hui stood quietly in a corner, searching for her ranking. She was in the mid-to-lower tier—not prominent, not insignificant—just right.

She felt deeply satisfied and also marveled at how many hidden talents Huimin Factory harbored. Such a staggering workload, yet so many had achieved high completion rates! Clearly, she had underestimated them.

“Tsk, isn’t this the so-called genius you all bragged about? Only halfway done?”

A few maintenance workers who had sneered at her before swaggered up, teasing Bu Hui.

“Want me to teach you? Let me hear some sweet talk first?”

Unfazed, Bu Hui calmly held her wrench, silently calculating how much medical compensation she’d owe if she struck one of them in the forehead.

… Never mind, that would be expensive.

She regarded them regretfully.

The mocking workers took a step back, inexplicably feeling a chill down their spines.

Amid the murmurs, the Maintenance Department head stormed over in a fury.

He scolded them harshly, ordering them to do menial tasks in logistics next month, and berated their overall poor performance, yet had the audacity to mock others!

Bu Hui followed behind, secretly pleased, just in time to catch the department head’s wrathful glare.

For some reason—perhaps her imagination—the moment their eyes met, his expression grew even darker.

“And you, come with me.”

Bu Hui blinked in surprise.