Chapter 6 I Found A Battleground (1/2)

Using the method of fast charging, it took only two hours for Wawa's power to be fully charged. Tossing aside the cable head in its hands, Wawa appeared to be brimming with energy. Rotating its propulsion belts endlessly, it turned in circles around Chen Jin.

”Is this really a robot? Not a dog, or some other kind of pet? I think you're sillier than a dog.” Chen Jin used to have a pet dog. It was a male miniature teddy bear breed and he named it ”Yiyi.” It was a good chap, except for its calculating and lusty nature. Whenever he felt like beating it up, it would circle the table in rounds with him. When he wanted to call it over, he would hold a sausage in his hand. It was a surefire way to get it to race to him.

When it met a female dog in heat, it would instantly forget his owner and not return home. Chen Jin was sad and hurt for a long time when the dog passed away from illness last year. Looking at Wawa, Chen Jin thought that it was the epitome of silliness; it was simply too silly.

...

Donning a pair of latex gloves, he took out a toolbox filled with a complete set of repair tools. Taking out the junk radio from the snakeskin bag, he put it on the chair. He planned to try and fix it. Chen Jin actually had pretty good hands-on skills. His Dad, Cheng Gang, worked at a state enterprise that manufactured airplane landing gears and was a core technical staff in the company. He was also the team leader for the key nuclear research team and had been awarded a stipend as a ”top-ranking mechanical craftsman.” Having inherited part of his excellent genes, Chen Jin had a certain talent for mechanical design. When he was young, Chen Gang would frequently take him to tour his company in the hopes of directing his development such that he could succeed in his position in the company.

It was just that under his Mom's excessive indulgence, the direction of Chen Jin's interests quickly shifted to other areas. But his basic talent still existed. In the background, Chen Jin still played with LEGO blocks, DIY computers, anime figurines and also modified toy racing cars, hence accumulating a rich, hands-on experience.

For example, about half of the 100-plus anime figurines residing in his bedside drawer in the bedroom was assembled by him using materials that he bought. If he bought all of them ready-made, he would have bankrupted his family a long time ago. The six houses that they had would not have been enough for him to spend it all.

Of course, his craftsmanship was average. The figurines that he assembled himself bore only a slight resemblance; it was just barely enough to satisfy his hobby of collecting them. His skills could not be compared to the experts specializing in making figurines.

He very quickly took apart the radio, exposing the circuit board inside. The circuit board was very roughly made, and the wiring was in a mess. A thick layer of dust had accumulated on the surface of the board. Using a brush, he cleared away the dust, exposing the internal parts and circuit route.

Suddenly, his movements stopped. Shaking his head, he said, ”The diode is spoiled. It is essentially very difficult to repair. Or should I say, it is highly challenging for me to repair it.”

It was good that he had something prepared! From an old bookstore on Earth, he got a voice recorder that was very popular 10 years ago. It was from Sony and still functional. Not only did it have a small make, but it also produced high-quality audio.

Chen Jin only had to take the tape inside the large cassette and transfer it into a smaller sized, empty cassette. Using the Sony voice recorder that he brought here, he could play the tape. The tape was quickly transferred.

The moment of anticipation had arrived. Could the Sony voice recorder play the tape? Chen Jin pressed the ”play” button on the radio.

”Crackle ~ Buzz ~ ”

He heard a noise that was reminiscent of background static on an old TV that had lost its reception. After some time, a beautiful and touching voice could be heard. It sounded as if there was a group of people singing and dancing.

Out there

There's a world outside of Yonkers

Way out there beyond this hick town, Barnaby

There's a slick town, Barnaby

Out there