Chapter 7: Skill Is Awesome

With Ms. Shen as this “wealthy family,” the subsequent procedures were too simple. Under a single phone call from Ms. Shen, the “new car” before him became Qin Yun’s property in under an hour.

Although Ms. Shen repeatedly emphasized that the car’s engine and transmission were undoubtedly damaged and beyond repair, Qin Yun, despite his doubts, decided to trust his own skill.

Whether this was a lucky find or a pile of scrap metal would depend on whether he could repair it after dismantling the engine and transmission.

If he could, he’d strike it rich; if not, he’d treat it as a fifty-thousand-yuan loss—after all, even as scrap, the car’s parts could fetch him over a hundred thousand.

“Mr. Qin, shall I have the car delivered for you?”

“Sister Shen, let me make a quick call first.”

Qin Yun pulled out his phone, found a number, and dialed. During his time at North China Institute of Science and Technology, he’d been well-liked and made many friends; one of them, after graduation, joined a Tuhu Auto Care shop, calling it a side hustle.

Over the years, he’d heard the guy had done exceptionally well and opened two more branches in Beijing.

He repaired vehicles like instruments—without tools, it was impossible. And vehicle repair demanded a vast array of specialized tools; he couldn’t possibly buy them all himself, since he’d only use them once.

The friend on the other end, upon hearing his request, agreed without hesitation.

“Come to the Tuhu shop in Sanlitun—I’ve got eight workstations. I’ll reserve one for you. Take as long as you want.”

After hanging up, Qin Yun asked Ms. Shen to have the car towed over on a flatbed cart.

Soon, the car arrived at the Tuhu shop in Sanlitun. Qin Yun jumped off the cart and examined it curiously. To run such a large auto care shop in Sanlitun, Shen Hu must have truly made it big.

Eight workstations lined up in a row, occupying a massive area. The shop entrance was packed with cars, always busy, with new vehicles arriving constantly; the staff were visibly overwhelmed.

Qin Yun’s gaze finally settled on the leftmost workstation.

“Old Qin, long time no see.”

As he looked around, a sturdy young man walked out from inside the shop.

Qin Yun looked at him and smiled: “Ah Hu, you didn’t turn your side hustle into your main job, did you?”

Shen Hu’s eyes shifted to the flatbed cart beside Qin Yun—the battered Land Rover was impossible to ignore.

“No way. A side hustle is a side hustle. I won’t abandon my main job—my company pays my social insurance and five insurances and one fund. I’m counting on my housing fund to buy a house someday.”

Hearing this nonsense, Qin Yun felt a headache coming.

“You want to repair this car? Is that it?”

Qin Yun nodded and told the mechanic to unload the vehicle, then dismissed the shop’s technician.

Shen Hu frowned: “I don’t even need to open the hood—I can tell the engine is dead.”

Qin Yun looked surprised: “You know how to repair cars?”

Shen Hu rolled his eyes: “Who are you disrespecting? I’m the shop owner. I can’t fix complex stuff, but I know the basics of car maintenance.”

“Haha, Boss Shen, awesome.”

“Cut the flattery.” Shen Hu looked at Qin Yun. “I run an auto care shop—we don’t fix engines.”

“I’m not asking you to. I’m doing it myself.” Qin Yun waved his hand.

Shen Hu’s face went blank. Seeing his expression, Qin Yun asked: “Is there a problem?”

“Old Qin, are you doing auto repair or am I? I’m getting more confused by the second.”

Now it was Qin Yun’s turn to roll his eyes: “Why not? Can’t I teach myself?”

“Pfft, bullshit.” Shen Hu called over a thirty-something worker. “Wang Shi, check this car for my buddy—can it be fixed?”

Wang Shi handed his tools to a younger worker and walked over. He hoisted the car onto the workstation, inspected it thoroughly, then shook his head: “Boss, the engine is dead—needs a full replacement. The transmission too. Everything else can be repaired, but it’s not worth it. A new engine and transmission alone would cost nearly half the car’s value. Add everything else, and it’s cheaper to buy a whole new one.”

Shen Hu turned to Qin Yun and shrugged: “You heard him. Replacing it’s better than repairing.”

“I’m still going to try.” Qin Yun smiled. After all, he’d paid two hundred thousand for this car.

“You’re insane.” Shen Hu shook his head, speechless, but didn’t argue further. “What’s your budget?”

“One hundred thousand.”

Hearing this, not just the mechanics but even Shen Hu were utterly speechless.

Wang Shi shook his head firmly: “Even if the engine and transmission weren’t broken, repairing all the other damage would cost more than that.”

“Alright then, Ah Hu, you mind your own business—I’ll start dismantling.”

Qin Yun walked to the workstation, eyed the tools. Though he’d never touched them before, he felt an uncanny familiarity—as if he’d used them countless times.

And the entire process of dismantling a car was already fully mapped out in his mind.

“Alright. If you need anything, call me inside. Use this workstation as long as you want. Need help? Ask Wang Shi. Wang Shi, this is my buddy.”

Wang Shi nodded: “Understood, Boss.”

Qin Yun thanked him. Shen Hu walked off without another word.

Wang Shi watched Qin Yun pick up the tools, puzzled: “The other parts are secondary. The engine’s dead—what are you going to do about it?”

Qin Yun didn’t turn around. He circled the car once. “Let’s see if I can fix the engine too.”

(⊙_⊙)??

Wang Shi felt like he’d heard a ridiculous joke: “You said what? Repair the engine?”

Qin Yun tapped the hood and sighed: “Whether it’s fixable depends on how bad the damage is.” He then began operating the hydraulic lift, adjusting the car’s height, grabbed the pneumatic wrench, and without hesitation, inserted it into a bolt hole.

Wang Shi smirked. Though Qin Yun’s movements looked practiced, repairing an engine was pure fantasy—like a joke.

Engines could be repaired, yes—but that required truly advanced, cutting-edge knowledge. After all, some people couldn’t even figure out a tangram.

Wang Shi didn’t believe this guy, the boss’s buddy, had such ability. So he decided to stand nearby—partly to prevent injury, partly to watch the spectacle, so he could tell the story later.

Qin Yun’s movements were impossibly smooth—no wasted motion.

Wang Shi could handle basic dismantling too, but he knew he could never match Qin Yun’s fluid efficiency. Every removed part was neatly arranged beside him.

A true expert reveals himself at first glance.

Just from the dismantling process alone, Wang Shi judged Qin Yun to be a master. His pneumatic wrench’s speed and torque were perfectly controlled. His initial disdain faded significantly—but he still didn’t believe Qin Yun could repair the engine. After all, car structure and engine repair were entirely different things.

Anyone who’s repaired cars knows: once in a flow state, one’s focus becomes absolute, and time loses all meaning.

From afternoon until the next morning when the shop opened, the entire Land Rover Defender had been completely disassembled. All parts lay neatly arranged on the floor, leaving the arriving staff stunned. Someone whispered: “Is this guy a robot? Took down a Land Rover overnight—insane.”

Shen Hu didn’t come today—he called in. He had a real job after all.

When Wang Shi arrived, he stared at the scene, speechless.

“Uh… you… stayed up all night?”

Qin Yun looked up and smiled: “Good morning, Wang Shi.”

He then pulled out a handwritten list and handed it to Wang Shi: “Wang Shi, I need your help.”

Wang Shi took the list. It listed numerous parts—exact models and dimensions, thoroughly detailed—but contained no engine or transmission components.

“So he gave up. I knew it—fixing the engine? That’s ridiculous.”

Qin Yun ignored Wang Shi’s thoughts and said: “Wang Shi, please help me procure all these parts. I’ve already spoken with Boss Shen—you can call him to confirm.”

Wang Shi nodded, then asked: “Alright. But what about the engine and transmission? Not fixing those?”

“Not yet.” Qin Yun shook his head. “First, get me all these parts.”

Wang Shi assumed Qin Yun was too proud to admit defeat, so he didn’t press further. “Alright, I’ll go get them.”

Qin Yun smiled: “Thanks.”

Wang Shi left to shop. Qin Yun stared at the disassembled car before him, grinning ear to ear, ecstatic inside. He’d hit the jackpot—the engine was indeed broken, but he could fix it. The transmission was even simpler—just replace a few clutch plates and sensors.

The engine’s damage could be repaired in only two ways: through official channels, or by finding an identical engine.

Official channels were out—they didn’t offer such services. So only one path remained: find an identical engine. Fortunately, this Land Rover Defender model update hadn’t changed the engine design at all!

“Old Qin, how’s it going?”

Shen Hu’s voice came from outside!

Qin Yun’s eyes lit up. He grabbed Shen Hu by the neck: “Ah Hu, get me a scrapped identical engine!”

Shen Hu blinked: “An engine?”

Then he realized: “You’re serious about fixing it?”

“Of course! Can you get one or not? If you can, this car’s still alive!”

Shen Hu thought for a moment: “Wait for my call.”

Qin Yun nodded and punched him lightly on the chest.

“Alright, I’m counting on you. I’m heading back—I’m exhausted!”

Back at the hotel, he ate breakfast, took a shower, and slept. When he woke up refreshed, it was already noon. Without delay, he headed straight for Beijing West Railway Station to catch a high-speed train to Badaling Great Wall Station.

Because that morning, the system’s check-in task had refreshed again.

【Check-in task released: Host must arrive at Badaling Great Wall, walk from the main gate to the 12th tower on the north side to complete check-in.】