Big G, Coffee Machine and Goblin

Chapter 2 The G-Wagon and the Coffee Machine
Unlike his first trip, Ma Li made much more thorough preparations this time.

First and foremost is the choice of transportation.

Hiking is the simplest and most convenient way to travel, but it limits the amount of supplies you can carry, and injuries can slow you down.

Fortunately, his sprain wasn't too serious. Although it took him three times longer, he still limped back. After resting for about a week, he was almost fully recovered.

But looking back, Ma Li still couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.

If he had twisted his ankle more severely, or fallen and injured his waist or leg while climbing, losing the ability to move, his situation would have become extremely dangerous, and he would have been almost unable to save himself.

So this time, Ma Li plans to drive on the road.

Ordinary family cars can only drive on man-made asphalt roads and cannot cope with the harsh terrain of the valley.

Fortunately, there is a type of car specifically designed for this situation.

Ma Li ultimately chose a professional version of the G300.

This vehicle dates back to the 1970s. It was commissioned by the Iranian Emperor Mohammad Reza Pahlavi to be manufactured by Mercedes-Benz, specifically for use as a military off-road vehicle to cope with the harsh environments of deserts and mountains.

However, before these first-generation G-Class vehicles, chassis code W460, could be officially delivered, the Pahlavi dynasty collapsed.

Mercedes-Benz had no choice but to seek other buyers, and subsequently marketed the car and its upgraded versions to the militaries of countries such as Argentina, Germany, France, and Australia.

However, Mercedes-Benz's real success came in the civilian market. The civilian G-Class, based on the W463 chassis, established its position in the luxury off-road vehicle market, while the military version had a relatively low ownership rate.

The professional version of the G300 is one of the few G-Class models in the civilian market built on the W461 chassis.

Compared to the W463, which mainly targeted the civilian market, the W461, as an upgraded version of the W460, emphasized extreme off-road performance and was therefore more favored by the military, resulting in many military versions of the G-Class, the most famous of which was the German Wolf SSA armored vehicle.

The G300p, also known as the professional version of the G300, is designed primarily for specialized clients such as rescue teams and exploration companies with specific needs. It also uses the same W461 chassis as the Armored Wolf.

As far as I know, most G300p cars in China are imported through special channels such as parallel imports.

Strictly speaking, this car is not suitable for city driving, and with a price tag of over a million, it is destined to be a toy for only a few wealthy people.

However, it unexpectedly came in handy for him at this moment.

Ma Li found the G300p at a car wash on the street next to the hospital.

Like other car owners who go to the car wash, its owner left the keys behind.

Ma Li found the key on the wall of keys at the car wash with almost no effort, and then started the G300p smoothly.

However, he was not in a hurry to hit the road, but planned to make some further modifications and preparations to it.

Few of Ma Li's friends and former colleagues in City B knew that he could repair cars, and even fewer knew that his family owned a car repair shop.

In fact, Ma Li had been helping out at the shop since he was ten years old, assisting his father and other craftsmen. However, he didn't like the job.

Besides the fact that it's unpaid, the more important reason is that auto mechanics all have a "stinky" smell.

It was a chemical smell mixed with engine oil, paint, and metal rust, which would cause Ma Li's classmates to intentionally or unintentionally distance themselves from him.

Ma Li had seen people cover their noses in disgust in front of him more than once, and no one wanted to play with him or go home with him after school.

Even worse, even if Ma Li took three showers a day, he couldn't completely get rid of the stench.

Small organic molecules in engine oil and solvents can easily adhere to clothing, skin, and even hair, making them difficult to clean.

That's why Ma Li has been almost always alone since the third grade of elementary school.

After entering puberty, many of his classmates started dating, but Ma Li remained single.

He has a hard time making friends, let alone hoping for a romantic relationship.

Ma Li had tried to resist before; he had tried to escape working illegally at the auto repair shop more than once, but he was always ruthlessly suppressed by the cold-blooded and arbitrary capitalists, and his backside was often left bruised and battered. It wasn't until after the college entrance examination that Ma Li's escape plan, which had been brewing for seven or eight years, was finally put into action.

Perhaps because he wasn't troubled by early romantic relationships or led astray by bad influences, Ma Li ultimately achieved good results in the college entrance examination. Without hesitation, he chose to study at a university in City B, thousands of miles away.

Moreover, instead of following Lao Ma's orders to choose vehicle engineering, she secretly applied for international affairs and international relations.

Ma Li didn't actually enjoy studying international affairs; it was simply because this major seemed to be the furthest removed from auto repair.

At that time, he was determined to escape the auto repair shop and his stubborn, uncommunicative father.

In fact, he did manage to stay in City B as he wished and found a job, although that job had nothing to do with his university major.

But Ma Li persevered and even rose to a middle management position within the company.

But fate is sometimes full of drama. Later, due to health reasons, Ma Li received a severance payment and returned to his hometown.

Then he was swept up in this strange red mist.

Ma Li shook his head vigorously, as if trying to shake off these messy emotions.

He followed his memories to the familiar auto repair shop, where, like most shops in the city, the roller shutter door was open.

However, the place was empty.

However, all the tools and equipment were still there, some of which were almost unchanged from what Ma Li remembered. He even found the words he had crookedly carved on the rear pillar of the lift.

—That's terrible.

In addition, the shop has added some new equipment, such as a tire changer, a hot patching machine, and a motor repairer for the wheel balancing machine. The walnut shell carbon deposit cleaner, four-wheel alignment machine, and CD player have also been replaced.

Ma Li has never understood why some people are so passionate about repairing cars, something that gets them covered in oil and grease.

However, one thing is certain: that man truly loved his work.

In contrast, Ma Li doesn't invest much emotion in his work. Although he is a well-known workaholic in the company, he has always only regarded work as a means to make a living.

Nobody likes those strings of numbers on KPIs.

Ma Li plugged the capsule coffee machine into an outdoor power bank and made himself a latte.

He wasn't a coffee lover at first; he simply needed coffee to stay alert, but it gradually evolved into a ritual before starting work.

Before embarking on a major undertaking, it always feels like something's missing if you don't have a cup of coffee.

It's like sailors not praying to Mazu before setting sail.

Rather than a dietary preference, it's more like a kind of postmodern ritual.

Capsule coffee machines are a godsend for office workers like him. Firstly, they are healthier than instant coffee, without so many unnecessary additives; they are made from pure coffee beans, and you can mix and match whatever flavor you want.

However, it is not as complicated to operate as a regular coffee machine, and it is easy to maintain, requiring almost no cleaning.

Normally, once a bag of coffee beans is opened, its shelf life is not very long, and it is difficult for one person to finish it. However, the capsules used in capsule coffee machines are already pre-packaged and sealed, so there is no such problem.

Take Lor, a beverage that Ma Li often drinks, for example. One capsule usually costs around two yuan, which is cheaper than Luckin Coffee and Kudi.

Moreover, the capsule coffee machine itself is very small and can be placed directly on the workstation.

Every time Ma Li drinks coffee, he can't help but praise it from the bottom of his heart.

Just like Christians praising Jesus.

(End of this chapter)