The conflict with the Wildfire Team finally came to an end.
Yusei re-hid his D-Wheel, then followed Dikaide and Ping Tian Shun back to the factory.
Before the large, dilapidated iron gate, Dikaide yelled twice, his voice straining.
Soon, the large gate slid open, and Rali’s head peeked out.
“Huh?!
Were you guys beaten up?!” Rali asked, somewhat remorsefully.
“The Wild…
the Wildfire Team shouldn’t be coming back, right?”
Dikaide wanted to pat Rali’s head, but the stubborn child dodged him.
In the end, he could only smile wryly, his hands on his hips, and walked into the factory: “Thanks to Yusei, the Wildfire Team won’t trouble us again.”
“However, Rali, you should hand over what you stole.”
“After all, Yusei risked his D-Wheel and Deck to win it.”
Upon hearing the words “D-Wheel,” Rali’s eyes lit up.
He looked enviously at Yusei: “Wow!
You’re a D-Wheeler?!
Where is it?
Where is it?!
Can I see it?!”
“I have a friend who’s also a D-Wheeler.
Although his skills are just average, he has a really, really cool Monster Card!”
“Since you’re a Turbo Duelist, you must also have some super cool Cards, right?!”
“Ra-li!” Dikaide, like an older brother, intentionally drew out his voice, interrupting the child’s chatter.
Knowing he couldn’t get away with it, Rali could only sigh softly and reluctantly took out the stolen item.
Under the somewhat harsh factory lights, it was revealed to be a Monster Card, and a Synchro Monster at that!
Ping Tian Shun patted Rali’s shoulder and smiled, “We understand, Rali.
You wanted to use this Card to improve everyone’s lives.”
“But you’re not a little kid anymore, so you should understand.”
“This Card rightfully belongs to Yusei.”
Compared to the others, Ping Tian Shun was more protective of Rali’s self-esteem.
Clutching the white Card, Rali looked up and observed Yusei, then looked at the newly repaired conveyor belt and the pile of scrap being cleaned up.
Finally, he smiled and sincerely handed the Card to Yusei:
“That’s right, Yusei.
You helped us so much, we haven’t even had a chance to thank you properly~”
“This Card truly is yours.”
“But…
I bet it’ll be super cool!!”
Ping Tian Shun smiled reassuringly, and Dikaide nodded in satisfaction, then rolled up his sleeves and went off to work with the other two brothers who had been toiling in the factory all along.
Yusei smiled and replied: “Alright, I’ll definitely let you see it when I have time.”
Taking it from Rali’s small hand, Yusei carefully examined the not-so-new Synchro Card.
This was the first Card he had truly obtained for himself since transmigrating.
The Deck and D-Wheel he had used before were either “picked up” or “stolen” by him.
Strictly speaking, they didn’t truly belong to Yusei, but this Card was different.
Under the flickering overhead light, Yusei looked at the Monster’s Card Name and Card art.
He saw that it was a heavy armored Machine Monster.
[Armored Bone Dragon]
[Level 6]
[LIGHT Attribute / Machine-Type]
[ATK/DEF: 2500/1600]
[Effect: When this Card is Synchro Summoned: This Turn, this Card cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects, and any damage you take becomes 0.]
After reading this Monster’s Effect, Yusei’s eyes brightened.
This kind of high resistance is extremely rare.
Its 2500 ATK is comparable to the protagonist Yusei Fudo’s Stardust Dragon.
Most importantly, its Level is 6, which happens to allow for a Synchro Summon using “Quickdraw Synchron” and “Junk Synchron”.
Yusei carefully put the Card away.
There was still some time until dawn, and Yusei, who hadn’t yet figured out his next steps, simply started moving things with Dikaide, Ping Tian Shun, and the others.
Rali was still small, but surprisingly strong, carrying boxes back and forth without showing any signs of fatigue…
After several hours of busy work, the first ray of dawn finally shone into the Satellite Sector.
The factory bell rang, signaling that it was finally time for the shift change.
While working, Dikaide told Yusei about the situation in this factory.
Their group was divided into two shifts, one during the day and one at night, responsible for sorting garbage here 24 hours a day.
Although they didn’t work the same hours, both groups were like family.
If the conveyor belt broke down and the higher-ups found out, everyone would face the same punishment.
In severe cases, they might even be expelled from the factory district and become jobless drifters.
Over the past few years, they had experienced many things together.
This job was something they had only obtained after paying a great deal.
Dikaide’s group hadn’t received much education since childhood and mostly did manual labor.
They knew nothing about machinery, so if Yusei hadn’t appeared in time to repair the equipment tonight, their entire group might have been finished.
After listening to Dikaide’s explanation, Yusei also shared some things about himself.
Unlike Dikaide’s group, he had received an education when he was young.
However, he was rather stubborn and didn’t apply himself much, having set his heart on becoming a Rider.
So, in a fit of anger, his family sent him to an auto repair shop, where he learned many things and, with the help of an elder brother figure, embarked on the path to becoming a professional Rider.
So that ‘Quickdraw Synchron’ became your most cherished Card?” Ping Tian Shun, listening nearby, laughed and interjected, “Looks like you really miss the days of repairing D-Wheels, huh?”
Yusei smiled: “I guess so.”
As they chatted and laughed, the factory, which had been chaotic due to the equipment malfunction, was now tidied up.
The bell stopped ringing, and several sleepy-eyed people their age, yawning, pulled open the main gate and walked in.
Dikaide waved his hand in greeting: “Hey, guys!
Let me introduce you to this brother, his name is Yusei.
From now on, he’s one of us.”
One person with disheveled hair and sleepy eyes yawned, his mouth agape, seemingly not fully awake: “Ah, got it.
So, will he be on the day shift or the night shift?”
Yusei was startled.
“I…
I don’t think I ever said I’d work here, did I?”
Dikaide was about to explain when suddenly, several adults’ laughter echoed from outside the door.
His expression changed, and he tapped the nearby corrugated iron with his sleeve.
Those who were slacking immediately stood at attention, and those smoking quickly threw their cigarette butts to the ground and extinguished them.
“It’s the factory manager…” Dikaide whispered to Yusei.
Soon, a fat man with a potbelly, chewing a cheap cigar, walked in.
Everyone saw clearly that when he first entered, his face was full of smugness and joy.
But when he saw that everything in the factory was orderly, the fat on his face sagged.
He and the few people behind him walked around the factory in a circle, nitpicking and finding fault wherever they could.
Finally, he cursed and grumbled and left.
After the factory manager and his group left, Dikaide’s expression turned extremely grim.
Yusei couldn’t help but ask, “What’s wrong?”
Ping Tian Shun narrowed his eyes and explained coldly: “Something’s not right.
It feels off.”
“Exactly.” Dikaide frowned tightly.
“That guy usually doesn’t come here for half a year.
Today, he started inspecting before dawn, and right after something happened to us last night.”
Yusei realized something: “So…”
“Hmm.” Dikaide nodded.
“You said the parts weren’t taken by the Wildfire Team.
Now it seems that that scoundrel deliberately had someone sabotage the equipment.”
“His goal was simply to find an excuse to kick us out and sell our jobs to someone else!”
(End of Chapter)