You promised steampunk martial arts, but you've got an internal combustion engine in your chest

Inside the workshop deep inside the ship's hold, the air was thick with the smells of engine oil and blood.

Baili Jing's limbs were still chained to the iron bed.

His sensations were quite strange; he could clearly feel a metal machine being inserted between his chest and abdomen.

His internal organs were squeezed into a corner by the machine, but strangely, he did not feel any pain or suffocation. Instead, he had a vague, absurd feeling that this thing was originally meant to be a part of his flesh and blood.

Three black-clad mechanics, A, B, and C, were gathered around the bed, their fingers flying as they made final adjustments. At the same time, they were also sewing the torn flesh from Baili Jing's chest into a specially made slot on the outside of the machine.

However, Baili Jing couldn't care less about any of that at the moment.

There was a window on the side of the workshop, and from his angle, he could see the rows of black warships on the sea.

Although he couldn't see the specific situation on the deck, he clearly saw the hundreds of red-robed cultivators throwing grappling hooks, drawing their swords, and leaping about.

Moreover, every few breaths, a series of tremors would come from the direction of the deck, and faint shouts of battle would penetrate the ship's timbers and reach one's ears clearly.

Outside, the world is absolutely in chaos.

"My three bosses, could you please go faster?! I'm begging you!"

Baili Jing was sweating profusely with anxiety: "A fight has broken out outside!"

Old Man Jia held a small wrench in his hand, slowly and methodically tightening a screw, and then lifted his eyelids slightly:

"What's the rush? Young people are always so impatient. We have plenty of ways to escape. Just lie there and relax."

"What do you mean I can't feel at ease?!"

Baili Jing's eyes reddened with anxiety: "My brother! My own brother is still outside!!"

Bing tore off a stitch, gently touched Baili Jing's forehead with her delicate fingers, and said regretfully:

"Hey, young man, you can't rush this. The energy circuit isn't adjusted yet. If you get up now, the machine's suction will drain you dry. Be good, don't move."

The woman listening nearby burst into a strange, excited laugh, her eyes gleaming:

"Draining him dry is great! Hehehe! We can test his limits right here and see how this amazing machine can drain him! We can also verify whether stuffing him with some high-grade monster meat after draining him dry will make up for it. What a great experimental opportunity!"

Upon hearing this, Old Man Jia immediately bristled, glared, slammed his wrench on the workbench, and began to curse loudly:

"You crazy woman, can't you be a little more rational?! This machine was just installed, how can we test it like this? We need to wait for it to mature and integrate with the machine for at least a year or two, collect enough data, before we drain it dry!"

"You old fool, you don't know anything!"

The woman retorted without backing down, "His current state is the most pristine and purest! To test the upper limit of physical tolerance, it's definitely best to use his pristine state! Who knows what might go wrong later? If we don't test it now, when will we?!"

"Shut up, all of you! Is this the time to be saying these things?!"

C was unhappy and threw the steel needle into the plate:

"Can we talk about something important?!"

The old man and the woman turned to look at him at the same time. The old man asked impatiently, "Then tell me, what exactly is the key?"

C holds his heart in both hands, his face filled with piety and fervor:

"A name! What should this magnificent machine be called?!"

Baili Jing completely broke down.

He felt like he wasn't having surgery, but rather waiting to die in a mental hospital.

He roared with all his might:

"Can you guys fix this internal combustion engine first before arguing?! I need to go out and help!!"

The three mechanical masters, who were about to continue their fight, froze in place.

They all turned their heads in unison, their six gazes fixed on Baili Jing's face.

"What...what did you just say?" Old Man Jia's voice was a little unsteady.

Thinking they hadn't heard him clearly, Baili Jing roared back angrily, "I said I want to get out!!"

"No, no, that's not it!"

Old Man Jia grabbed Baili Jing by the collar, his eyes wide with shock: "You just said... what's the name of this machine?!"

Bai Lijing was taken aback: "Internal...internal combustion engine."

The workshop fell silent once again.

The three black-clad mechanics stared at each other, their eyes brimming with shock and ecstasy.

"Internal combustion engine...burns blood and fuel inside, doing work in a directional manner..." Old Man Jia muttered to himself, his withered fingers trembling violently.

"Wonderful! Absolutely wonderful!"

The woman rubbed her hands excitedly: "Concise and to the point, it gets straight to the heart of the matter! I was just thinking of calling it 'Heavenly Craftsmanship and Nine Dragon Furnace,' but now it seems that name was too deliberate! An internal combustion engine is much better!"

Bing cupped his face in his hands, his eyes filled with fascination: "If the data stabilizes in the future, we can start mass production and roll it out... This name sounds really impressive, internal combustion engine... a great name..."

"Stop discussing names!!"

Baili Jing rolled his eyes in exasperation: "Call it whatever you want! Call it a tractor, whatever you want! Hurry up and get this thing fixed! Someone outside is going to die!!"

Clang!

Just then, the iron door of the workshop was suddenly pushed open from the outside and slammed heavily against the wall.

The sudden turn of events startled everyone in the room.

The woman's face turned cold, and she whirled around, shouting sharply:

"Who?! Didn't we say no one is allowed to come in and disturb us until the renovations are complete?!"

Baili Jing was also stunned:

"Xiao Jie...?"

Indeed, it was Baili Jie who walked into the workshop.

But something was wrong with him. He was covered in blood, and his right hand was gripping a small steam-powered crossbow.

The boy's body was trembling violently, but if you looked closely at his eyes, you would find that the expression was definitely not fear, but rather an extreme excitement, tension, and a little... bewilderment?

Baili Jie looked at his brother, whose chest had been ripped open, swallowed hard, and spoke in a trembling voice:

"Brother...you...you're alright?"

Bai Lijing's heart clenched, his eyes filled with tension and worry: "Xiao Jie! Why are you covered in blood?! What happened? What's going on outside?!"

Old Man Jia's face darkened as he coldly stared at Baili Jie: "Little brat, whoever you are, get out of here right now!"

Baili Jie seemed not to hear, only staring intently at his brother, his lips moving slightly:

"Brother...I killed someone."

Before Baili Jing could recover from his shock, a sudden change occurred!

Rumble rumble rumble!!

Suddenly, a deafening roar came from outside the window!

A terrifying explosion rang out, sending waves crashing and shaking the entire workshop. Screws and tools scattered all over the floor.

Everyone's expression changed, and they abruptly turned to look out the window.

Flames shot skyward outside the window!

The black warship that was closest to us seemed to have been hit head-on by some heavy weapon. A huge black hole was torn open in the side of the ship, and thick smoke and flames shot into the sky.

Immediately afterwards, a chain reaction seemed to occur inside the warship, causing a second explosion, and a series of fireballs spread wildly across the sea.

Bing strode to the window, glanced at the sea of ​​fire outside, and raised an eyebrow in surprise:

"That noise... is it from our ship's steam ballistae?"

Old Man Jia followed closely, observed carefully for a moment, then shook his head with a furrowed brow:

"No, our steam ballistae, while powerful enough, aren't that powerful. This must be... something incredible they were carrying on their own ship, which got set on fire by a single shot!"

Baili Jing felt extremely tired.

He was too weak to get angry and could only weakly say:

"Please, stop talking... Hurry up and finish these last few stitches and start the internal combustion engine, okay? The outside is all messed up like this, if we don't get this done soon, we're all going to be killed..."