This Setup Is Broken - This Setup is Broken Chapter 6: The Little Girl

As it turns out, Bai Shi’s fate isn’t at its worst yet because what’s lying in the repair shop’s yard is just a mech’s lower leg. He feels relieved—it’s much better than a bum, after all. This gives him some hope. He starts to suspect that even though the world is based on his suggestions, things might not happen if they’re too illogical or out of the ordinary.

He recalls the absurd and indecent suggestions made by the group and hopes his guess is correct. Otherwise, he’d be in trouble. But the group hadn’t picked a leg as part of the mech, so even if the bum scenario doesn’t come true, the setting will likely change. It will be replaced by something else. It’s like the world is saying to him: Since there’s no bum, go ahead and worship the mech’s toes instead.

With that thought, the hope that had just sparked in his heart dims slightly. No worries! Life must go on, no matter how tough things get. Bai Shi reassures himself that at least he gained something today. He’s confirmed that mechs don’t have bums!

But wait… is this discovery even useful? Bai Shi looks up at the sky, feeling lonely and empty. A loud thud snaps him back to reality. The mech part is moved to the central workbench in the workshop. Bai Shi takes a closer look at the massive alloy leg. Even though it’s just a part of a mech, he can’t help but feel a wave of excitement, since he’s never seen one up close before.

The leg is bright red, with a dent near the ankle and several scratches—likely from a heavy impact. A few workers are connecting diagnostic tools to it while uncle Xiao goes around the workbench, using instruments to check the metal. “A low-level, second-class mech. Looks like it’s brand new.”

“Second-class?” A coworker is surprised.

“I heard the customer bought it for their kid to practice on. I thought it’d be a third-class one. Rich people, huh?”

Everyone’s curiosity is piqued. “They don’t seem like one of the big families from town. Why would they come to this shabby place to get it fixed?”

One of the workers operating the equipment responds: “They’re from the big city. Someone recommended this place, said we do good work, so they came. The boss is taking this job very seriously.”

Uncle Xiao chats with them for a bit, then checks the test results and confirms that the wires and internal components are damaged. He smiles and calls Bai Shi over. “Come here. Don’t wander off. Stay and watch while we dismantle it, I’ll teach you to identify the parts. Low-level mech parts are pretty similar.”

“Got it.”

Bai Shi doesn’t need to ask why a mech pilot needs to learn about the parts—he knows the answer. If he truly becomes a pilot, whether he joins the military or a mercenary group, he’ll face missions and dangers. If his mech gets damaged when he’s on his own, he needs to know how to repair it. Especially as the protagonist, he must have both piloting and repair skills. It’s just more heroic that way.

Over the past six months, Bai Shi has learned about many parts. Aside from a few basic components that both farming and combat mechs share, most of what he’s seen are pictures in e-books. He’s never seen the real thing, since they’re incredibly expensive—far beyond what someone like him can afford. Now that he has this great opportunity, he’s definitely going to seize it. Second-class, low-tier … Bai Shi stares at the giant alloy foot in front of him, momentarily lost in thought.

He already knows about the mech ranking system because the group had discussed it on the first day. Mechs are divided into low-tier, mid-tier, and high-tier. Each tier is further broken down into three classes based on the quality of materials, with third class being the lowest and first class the highest. It’s said that there’s a huge gap between mid-tier and high-tier mechs, and even within the high-tier, there’s a significant difference between the classes. For Bai Shi, it’s like playing a video game or cultivation in a fantasy novel. The higher you go, the harder it is to level up.

There are only a handful of famous high-tier mechs in the Empire, making them extremely rare and powerful. He recalls the chat group’s discussion when they first started designing this world: The protagonist would pilot a top-tier mech, dominating the universe and crushing enemies. But what exactly is top-tier?

Since Bai Shi is currently at the stage of observing low-tier mech toes, he has no answer to that. The best he can do is to dig through his memory and see if he had ever made any reckless suggestions about mechs. Then, he remembers that the group once discussed the protagonist’s mech having a quirky personality, and he might have said something like “idiot.”

He wipes away some cold sweat. “An idiot mech? Fine then. At least it’s not a serious problem, otherwise, I might as well just give up and die.”

Uncle Xiao notices Bai Shi staring intently at the mech, probably overwhelmed by seeing a mech for the first time. He ruffles Bai Shi’s hair then turns to his colleagues to discuss the repair. They start dismantling the part. Bai Shi steps back and watches carefully, occasionally handing over tools. When the boss enters with the customers, they’re greeted by this bustling workshop. The boss smiles and turns to the man beside him. “Don’t worry, we’ll fix it as quickly as possible.”

The man in suit nods politely. “Thank you for your hard work.”

The boss waves his hand. “No, no, it’s our job.”

Bai Shi notices the group approaching and looks over.

Aside from the workers, there are five unfamiliar faces. The man talking to the boss is tall, dressed in a suit, and very polite. He gives Bai Shi the impression of a butler so he quickly shifts his gaze to the children beside him. They appear to be twins, a boy and a girl, about ten years old. They’re curiously staring at him too.

Bai Shi freezes for half a second, suddenly realizing something. His eyes immediately focus on the little girl. She’s wearing a light-colored dress, looks very pretty, with a sweet smile and gentle eyes. Her long, smooth hair gives a great first impression. In his mind, two large words flash by: “Cute girl!” (妹纸: slang term refer to an attractive or adorable girl in a lighthearted and affectionate way)

To let the protagonist encounter mech parts, there has to be a trigger. The people in the chat group clearly added a little spice to this situation. Not only did they introduce these people, but they also brought along a pretty little girl. The coincidence is almost too perfect! If he’s guessing correctly, this little girl is probably the protagonist’s little missy— one of the members of his harem..

Bai Shi almost curses out loud. “How old is he right now? Those people in the group have no morals! Oh no, no, it’s not about early romance or inappropriate relationships. The point is, he’s gay! He has absolutely no feelings for women, okay?!”

“Are you a mechanic too?” The little girl asks in a soft voice. She isn’t angry despite Bai Shi staring at her, and she doesn’t act spoiled like most rich girls—of course, this is probably because of the protagonist’s magnetic pull on his harem.

Feeling guilty, he turns his head away. “Sorry, little girl, but we’re not compatible!”

Chi Haitian, who is hosting the guests along with the boss, notices Bai Shi staring at the girl in a daze. Seeing his awkwardness, he assumes Bai Shi is shy. The corner of his eye twitches, he smacks Bai Shi on the head. “She’s talking to you!”

Bai Shi, covering his head, turns back with a blank face and says: “I’m not a mechanic.”

The girl looks curious. “But I saw you helping earlier.”

“I’m learning.” Bai Shi replies. Suddenly he remembers something crucial. In a typical harem novel, the girls in the harem not only serve as love interests but also play critical roles in advancing the plot and supporting the protagonist’s power. If he wants to complete this story, these girls are essential. Bai Shi goes quiet, seriously considering the possibility of becoming close friends with all the harem girls while still allowing the plot to progress smoothly. He wants to flip the table, the difficulty level of this mission is ridiculously high!

What if one of the stronger-willed love interests can’t handle just being friends and drugs him? He’d be traumatized! Speaking of which… would castration work? That way, he could safely become the head eunuch in the palace! Determined, Bai Shi decides he might as well hang himself with a rope when he gets home and end it all. Death would be cleaner.

The little girl smiles gently when she sees Bai Shi staring at her again, looking both tender and lovely.

“……..” Bai Shi once again turns his head away.

Soon, the boss and others take over the conversation, discussing the repairs. The twins wander around Bai Shi, then ask the man in the suit if they can go look at the fields outside. The man agrees and assigns someone to accompany them. Since Bai Shi is their age, the boss kicks him to go along as well.

In this high-tech world, farming is done with precision machinery. The fields are neatly organized, and a gentle breeze creates waves across the crops. Bai Shi glances around. Although there are no flowers, the air is fresh and the green scenery is relaxing. He had expected the group to create a romantic moment for the protagonist, let him alone with the girl. But surprisingly, nothing happened. Maybe they aren’t as shameless as he thought?

As he hesitates over whether he should rethink this, the little boy beside him suddenly slips and falls into the dirt, getting all muddy. He starts whining about changing his clothes. So the assistant takes him back, leaving Bai Shi alone with Tang Xin.

Bai Shi: “……”

His heart clenches. “Forget rethinking—those people are as shameless as ever! All of you can go to hell!”

The girl had already introduced herself as Tang Xin. Tang Xin sees what happens and calmly says she’ll wait for her brother to return. Bai Shi has no objection and starts chatting with her. He quickly realizes that Tang Xin is gentle and introverted, the classic girl-next-door type, typical harem character. He wonders if his plan to befriend her could actually work since her personality is so nice.

“Hey, little girl, how about I buy you a cotton candy and we can become friends?” But before he can speak, a hover car suddenly zooms in, stops right in front of them. Before he can react, they’re pulled inside.

In a flash, Bai Shi realizes they’re being kidnapped. Before he can struggle, a sharp pain hits the back of his head, he loses consciousness. He has no idea how much time passes before he wakes up in a shabby little warehouse. Outside, he can hear voices clearly in the quiet space.

“We grabbed the wrong ones! We’re missing one!”

“How could you mess this up? Do you really think the young master would be dressed in such shabby clothes?!”

“I was in a hurry. I just grabbed a boy and a girl, how was I supposed to know it’d turn out like this? What do we do now? We’ve already confirmed the little girl’s identity. Why don’t we just kill her and then go after her brother? As for the extra one, we’ll kill him too.”

“Easy for you to say! They’ll definitely be on guard now. How are we supposed to grab the brother?”

They decide to go consult with their boss, their voices fading but still audible meaning they’re still nearby. Bai Shi looks at his hands and feet, which are bound. He glances over at Tang Xin, thinking to himself that this is clearly a “hero saves the beauty” plotline. “This protagonist’s life is truly miserable!” Tang Xin slowly regains consciousness and sits up.

“Don’t scream.” Bai Shi whispers.

“They’re right outside. Don’t be afraid. I’ll figure out a way for us to escape.”

Unexpectedly, Tang Xin remains calm, She glances around the room, then snorts. “Dang it, that bastard who sent me here to get mech fixed had bad intentions all along!”

Bai Shi: “……”

Tang Xin glares at him coldly. “I’ll handle this. You stay quiet and don’t get in my way. If you drag me down, I’ll kill you first. Got it?”

Bai Shi: “……”

“What the heck is happening?! Where’s the sweet girl-next-door?! Little girl, you’ve definitely woken up on the wrong side of the bed!”