The Only Fixer

"Yeah, Mr. Lamar. Ignore him. He just wants to show off."Bill ignored the crowd; his gaze remained fixed on me. "Dare you do it?" My wife Linda Gordon's pale and thin face flashed through my mind. She took medication regularly, and the family's savings were long gone. My daughter had just been admitted to university. We needed money right now.I was laid off as part of "optimization", like a fish thrown onto shore. Apart from this one skill that others looked down upon, I had nothing at all.Dignity? Dignity was worthless in reality.However, a tightness stuck in my chest, neither rising nor falling; it almost suffocated me."Yes." I heard myself say.A cruel smile appeared on Bill's face."Alright! You've got guts!" He turned to his assistant behind him and shouted, "John Sterling! Prepare the contract! No, it's a betting agreement! Today I'm going to show him that he can't speak nonsense and brag all he wants!"A few minutes later, a sheet of paper, still warm from the pri

I closed my eyes."Haha, who are you acting all mysterious for?" A young worker taunted in a whisper."Exactly, does he think he's an expert? Just listen, and he'll know the problem."Melody also frowned, clearly not understanding my actions.I ignored them, and the entire world seemed to consist of me and this machine. I could hear the subtle sounds inside it—the almost inaudible, abnormal friction between the gears; the extremely subtle, sluggish jolts when the guide rails moved; the faint popping sound of bubbles breaking as lubricating oil flowed in the pipes.These sounds were a jumble of noise to others, but they were a clear report filled with symptoms to me.I remained motionless for a full ten minutes.Then, I straightened up and took off my reading glasses. I repeatedly ran my rough hands over the cold seams of the guide rails, as if caressing a lover's skin. My fingertips could feel the micron-level misalignment and wear."How is it?" Melody finally could not help bu

In my early 20s, I stood before the world's most advanced machine tool, dressed in brand-new blue overalls, my eyes gleaming with a thirst for knowledge.Beside me were meticulous and rigid Gorman engineers and top technicians from all over the world.With an unyielding spirit and extraordinary talent, I mastered all the technical points in the shortest time and could even discuss improvement plans with the Gorman masters.Together, we drank beer, went through drawings, and stayed up all night. We gave each machine we debugged a name.Back in the present moment, the blond and blue-eyed senior engineer named Klaus patted my shoulder in broken English and said, "Shaun! You're a genius! A true mechanical genius!"I looked at the dusty machine in front of me, my eyes turning tender. "Back then, its model was still called DMC-60H. We all called it Ingrid. It was like an arrogant and precise Gorman girl. You must treat it with the gentlest and most understanding way, and it will show yo

"This is a typical chain reaction caused by hardware damage! Do you know what a security parameter is? Do you know what level of access is required to enter this machine's backend?"He turned to Bill, continuing to fan the flames with a heartbroken expression. "Mr. Lamar, you're just too soft-hearted. That's why you were deceived by these charlatans! Now, great. Four million dollars has been completely wasted!"Bill's fists were clenching, the veins on the back of his hand bulging. He pointed at me, his voice trembling with extreme anger. "Shaun, you'd better give me an explanation. Otherwise, that contract... Today, you won't be able to walk out this door no matter what!"The immense pressure squeezed me from all sides, like tangible seawater.Bill's eyes flashed with a fierce glow, as if he were about to pounce over and tear me apart.Henry stood to the side with a smile.The slight awe the factory workers had felt for me vanished instantly, replaced by the amusement of onlooke

My voice was not loud, but every word pierced Henry's heart like an awl."I... I didn't...You're spouting nonsense! This is slander!" Henry rambled incoherently, trying to argue his way out.Bill could not take it anymore. The self-made businessman hated nothing more than being scammed like a fool. He suddenly kicked over the toolbox beside him, scattering metal tools everywhere with a deafening bang."Henry Lewis!" Like a furious lion, Bill lunged at Henry and grabbed him by the collar. "You fucking dare to scam me? I pay you 200,000 dollars a year for consulting, and you fucking colluded with outsiders to swindle me out of four million dollars?"He punched Henry hard across the face.Henry's refined face instantly turned into a bloody mess; his gold-rimmed glasses flew off and shattered on the floor."Mr. Lamar! Mr. Lamar, let me explain! It's a misunderstanding!" he screamed in horror."Misunderstanding my ass!" Bill kicked him again, knocking him to the ground. "Beat him! Be