LCH， numb with shock， rushed to Thomas， lifting him so that his upper body rested against his legs. He quickly patted Thomas's charred face， trying to revive him. Thomas， coming to his senses， opened his eyes and coughed out a puff of black smoke， which covered LCH's face.
“I'm okay， just a bit dizzy，“ Thomas said， sitting up and shaking his head vigorously.
In this junkyard， filled with various mechanical remnants and aged power batteries， Thomas had been engrossed in discovering a valuable item and had neglected to be cautious， resulting in a solid electric shock. Fortunately， his robust physique prevented a trip to the hospital.
“Is this your mechanic?“ Jet and David approached， their faces showing a mix of amusement and schadenfreude.
“...What's wrong， isn't he good enough?“ LCH replied， his tone less confident. He had hoped to impress Jet and David with Thomas's skills， but Thomas's mishap had somewhat embarrassed him.
“Good enough? Of course! Not everyone can remain conscious after such an electric shock. His physical resilience is impressive. Take good care of him， we're off， haha...“ Jet dropped these words mockingly and turned to join David in scouring the junkyard， laughing boisterously as they walked away.
In reality， a mechanic getting an electric shock wasn't a big deal. Accidents happen， especially in a profession frequently dealing with electricity. However， the issue was the timing. LCH had just been boasting about Thomas， and the next moment， Thomas was tumbling down the garbage heap in a rather embarrassing state， making him appear amateurish.
“Yesterday， when I saw you checking the programs， you seemed like a high-level mechanic. How could you make such a rookie mistake?“ LCH looked at Thomas with a mix of frustration and concern.
Thomas's fall had not only hurt him physically but had also dented LCH's pride.
Because common errors are the most prevalent…
Thomas touching his slightly singed face， replied，“You're wrong. I didn't get electrocuted by mistake; it was intentional!“
“Intentional?“
“Yes， intentional.“
“Why would you intentionally electrocute yourself?“
“I thought your hairstyle looked cool. I wanted to try the same.“
LCH， momentarily lost for words at this display of stubborn pride， could only respond by giving Thomas a thumbs-up in silent admiration.
“Alright， take this.“ Thomas， not wanting to dwell on the topic， handed LCH a black disk-like object.
“An intelligent core? You got electrocuted because of this?“
LCH's eyes lit up， his earlier complaints forgotten. Mechas were classified not just by tonnage， power output， and armament but also by whether they were equipped with an intelligent core. These cores served not only as the main control chip but also housed an auxiliary AI， capable of monitoring the status of both the Iron Rider and the mecha. They could record combat data， develop autonomous combat modes based on the gathered data， and provide a certain level of combat and decision-making capabilities even in the absence of the Iron Rider， assisting in combat situations.
However， intelligent cores were expensive to produce and were not typically installed in lower-grade mechas. Mechas equipped with intelligent cores were usually at least of the vanguard class， and Thomas had found this one in a scrapped vanguard-class mecha. It was this unexpected find that had led to his momentary carelessness and electrocution.
“It wasn't electrocution; I was just getting a perm，“ Thomas corrected with a bit of humor.
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“Alright， alright， a perm it is. You've just... had your hair done， so you must be feeling uncomfortable. Rest here for a while; I'll handle the search for the rest，“ LCH agreed， his movements becoming more efficient after pocketing the intelligent core. His demeanor radiated energy. With the main control chip issue resolved， the Mammoth was ready for combat again. Everything else was a minor detail. Thomas was now the hero of the hour， and whatever he said went unquestioned.
However， what LCH didn’t notice was the swift change in Thomas’s expression after he turned away. Thomas’s gaze deepened in an instant. Glancing around to ensure no one was paying him special attention， he leaned against a piece of machinery， closed his eyes as if resting， but immediately immersed his consciousness within his body.
Even Thomas himself hadn't expected that this electric shock would turn out to be a blessing in disguise， stirring the Rubik's Cube that had lain dormant within him for twenty-three years.
“So， what's happening now…”
In his mind's eye， Thomas observed the cube， which had always floated quietly， unresponsive to all his efforts over the years. But now， things were different. Above the cube appeared a faint blue numeral“1，“ and Thomas felt a mysterious connection with it. It seemed... he could now manipulate it.
“A blessing in disguise， or unavoidable misfortune.“
After a moment's contemplation， Thomas decided to try manipulating the cube. It had been lying dormant within him for over two decades， and finally showing some activity， he felt compelled to explore it. If he missed this opportunity， the connection might disappear， and who knew when it would become active again.
Click!
With his mind made up， Thomas issued a command to the cube， and this time， it obeyed， rotating exactly as he had envisioned.
After twenty-three years of unchanging patterns， the Rubik's Cube finally altered. The next moment， it trembled slightly， and the pale white patterns on the side facing Thomas lit up with a faint blue luminescence. After a brief flicker， the light drifted upwards and converged above the cube， forming a holographic-like image with detailed structural breakdown. It resembled an oversized energy rifle.
Simultaneously， a stream of information flooded Thomas's mind:
**[Star Beast Chimaera]**
**Type: Heavy Energy Rifle**
**Grade: E+**
**Combat Modes: 3**
**Output Level: 800~1700**
**Minimum Equipment Requirement: Private-class Field Mecha**
“Huh?“
After reading the description in his mind and looking at the three-dimensional hologram above the cube， Thomas slowly opened his eyes， a metaphorical question mark forming above his head.
Twenty-three years!
For twenty-three years， he had lived in this world， almost daily inspecting the cube， trying to communicate with it， hoping for some response， some function. After all this effort， the first sign of life it showed was a weapon blueprint—and it was a lowest-grade E+ level blueprint at that.
This revelation was simultaneously baffling and intriguing. The Rubik's Cube， which had been a mystery for so long， finally showed its potential， albeit in an unexpected way. Thomas couldn't help but wonder about the significance of this discovery and how it might influence his future in this mechanized， battle-focused world.
“Is this just making a fool of me?“ Thomas thought， his eyes filled with helplessness.
“After all， I'm a high-level talent.“
“Do I really need such a low-level blueprint from you?“