Chapter 41: Repairing the Car in Such a Manner

“No!”
“I know these guys. They’re always extorting protection money around here, blackmailing people, doing all sorts of evil!”
“I was scammed by that blond punk last time—he demanded a whole gold coin from me!”
“I recognize that woman. She’s always staging accidents around here. I never thought she’d go after bicycles too—she must be desperate!”
“Call the police, quick! People like them deserve more than jail; even execution wouldn’t be enough!”
The three petty thugs listened to the murmurs of the crowd, their faces filled with despair.
“Listen, just listen! Hear what the people around you think of you! What’s the point of you living any longer? City officials, call the police!” Chen Yun looked at the crowd and spoke slowly, “Evil and virtue will always be repaid, the wheel of heaven turns. Just look up—who has Heaven ever spared?”
In that instant, Chen Yun activated the ‘Lightning Strike Talisman’, a reward he’d won from defeating the boss Catfish Spirit. His target: the burly man.
Crack! Suddenly, a bolt of lightning descended from the clear sky and struck the burly man. Having just regained consciousness, he was knocked out cold again, his body charred and unrecognizable.
...
Everyone present was stunned, dumbfounded. My goodness! That man was struck by lightning! Struck for real! People always say curses bring lightning, but today they saw it happen! The young man’s words were so powerful—‘Just look up—who has Heaven ever spared?’—and sure enough, Heaven answered, sending thunder to punish these beasts! Some of the more devout onlookers fell to their knees before Chen Yun.
The police arrived. After clarifying the situation, they arrested the gang that’d been committing crimes for years. Awaiting them was a long stretch behind bars.
Chen Yun retrieved the gold coin from the burly man’s pocket. Remarkably, the coin looked brand-new, untouched by the lightning. The crowd gasped again: “A sign from Heaven!”
Some busybodies recorded everything from start to finish and uploaded it online. Chen Yun became an instant sensation, dubbed “Lightning Brother,” and his fame skyrocketed.
After that thrilling ordeal, Chen Yun no longer dared to try out other skills. His bicycle’s durability had dropped by nearly a tenth; if he lost both wheels next, it would be no laughing matter.
He pushed his bike along for a while and was surprised to discover that its durability no longer decreased!
“Hey, riding it wears it out, but pushing it doesn’t? What kind of idiotic rule is that?” Chen Yun muttered. A mount is meant to be ridden—if you have to push it, what’s the point?
He soon spotted a bicycle repair stall by the roadside, marked by the system as a ‘Beginner Mount Repair Shop’.

“Since the toy bicycle is recognized as a real bicycle by the system, it should be repairable, right?” Uncertain, Chen Yun pushed his bike over.
The stall owner was an elderly man. Seeing Chen Yun approach, he asked, “Young man, what’s wrong with your bike?”
Chen Yun set the bike down and replied, “Sir, my bike’s broken, could you take a look?”
The old man examined the handlebars—no bend. Checked both wheels—no punctures. Squeezed the brakes—they worked fine. Inspected the pedals—no issues. Checked the seat—no tears. He was puzzled; this was a good bike, perfectly sound. What’s there to fix?
“Young man, there’s not a thing wrong with your bike, no need for repairs,” the old man said.
No issues? Chen Yun looked at the durability stat—453 out of 500, missing 47 points. How could there be nothing wrong?
“No, sir, please look more carefully. I’m sure there’s something wrong,” Chen Yun insisted.
Seeing the earnest expression, the old man was puzzled. Maybe he’d missed something? He took his tools and meticulously checked every part, even removed both tires to inspect the inner tubes. Still, nothing wrong.
The old man grew annoyed. “Young man, are you trying to mess with me? I guarantee your bike is perfectly fine. Move along, don’t block my business.”
Chen Yun was at a loss. How could this be? Wasn’t this a mount repair shop? How could he not fix a basic mount? He wanted to ask for another check, but seeing the old man’s displeased face, he swallowed his words.
What’s wrong here? Chen Yun scratched his head, trying to recall the repair mechanics from games he’d played before.
In most games, you hand the item or equipment needing repair to the shop. During repairs, a hammer icon appears along with a progress bar; when the bar reaches 100%, the item is fixed.
Hammer... progress bar...
That’s it! Chen Yun finally realized the problem.
Having figured it out, he grabbed a hammer from the stall’s toolbox. Under the old man’s astonished gaze, he struck his own bicycle with it.
“System notification: Player Chen Yun has not mastered the ‘Repair’ skill. This action is invalid.”

Just as I thought!
Chen Yun’s eyes gleamed as he looked at the old man, grinning. “Sir, could you please strike my bicycle with the hammer?”
The old man was dumbfounded. “What did you say?”
“I’m asking you to hit my bicycle with the hammer. I’ll pay you,” Chen Yun repeated.
... The old man’s mouth twitched. In all his years fixing bikes, this was the first time he’d had such a request.
“You’re not sick, are you? Why smash a perfectly good bicycle?” The old man was speechless. Was this kid dropped on his head?
“No! This bicycle’s a junker—it needs to be smashed. A few hits will fix it.” Chen Yun hurriedly handed him the hammer. “Sir, just hit it however you like, as hard as you can. Ten copper coins for each strike—what do you say?”
The old man took the hammer, looking at Chen Yun as if he were a lunatic. Someone actually wanted their bike smashed—and was willing to pay for it! They say the world is full of oddballs; today he’d met one.
“Are you serious?” the old man asked again.
“Absolutely! As real as gold! Just hit it as hard as you want—ten copper coins per blow. I’ll count for you, no tricks!” Chen Yun nodded firmly.
The old man was dizzy with disbelief. How could there be people so eager to waste money? Well, since he insisted, what could he say? Smash it, then!
The old man was straightforward—if he was going to hit it, he’d do so properly. For thirty copper coins, he’d better not slack; after all, fixing a bike usually costs only two coins, and three strikes would earn him thirty. What a deal!
So, a curious scene unfolded on the street: an elderly bike mechanic swung a hammer and smashed a pristine bicycle, while a beaming young man stood by, counting each blow!