116: Resource integration and team upgrade

Three minutes after the countdown ended, Chen Wang pressed the physical switch on the main console, cutting off all hope's wireless signals. The chip in the shielded cabin was still vibrating, but he didn't look at it. Now was not the time to deal with it.

"Start modifications," he said without turning around, his voice directly transmitted into everyone's earphones in the workshop.

Lin Wei responded immediately. She stood on the lift platform to the left of the wuling divine vehicle, holding a spray gun, with silver-gray nanomaterials, freshly sorted from supplies, in front of her. This material would flake off at low temperatures, and the previous two spray coatings had failed.

"Heating group, prepare," she said.

Chen Wang opened the kindling system interface, his finger sliding the energy distribution bar. Six high-density batteries supplied power simultaneously, and the current entered the vehicle's metal frame. The engineering module initiated the heating program, and the vehicle body's surface temperature slowly rose to minus forty degrees Celsius.

"It's ready," Lin Wei said, looking at the terminal data. "You can spray now."

The spray gun started, and the nanomaterial was sprayed onto the vehicle body as a mist. The silver-gray coating spread along the metal seams, eventually forming honeycomb-like heat dissipation patterns. The entire vehicle's color changed, no longer its original camouflage, but a dark color with a metallic luster.

"External armor reinforcement complete," Lin Wei recorded the data. "Cold resistance can reach minus one hundred and ten degrees Celsius, and impact resistance has doubled."

Chen Wang nodded. He walked around the vehicle once, touching the new coating with his gloved hand. The surface was smooth but not reflective, meeting the stealth requirements. He patted the hood: "Check the seal."

Su Wan was already waiting in the living cabin. She opened the detector, confirming that the air pressure was stable. No dirt had entered during construction. The medical area, command cabin, and repair room were all under positive pressure.

"Seal is normal," she said.

Amy Chen sat in front of the control console, with the prototype of the black tide energy conversion device she brought in front of her. This machine was originally used to collect residual energy in the fringe zone, and now it was connected to hope's power system.

"I want to try connecting the first-level buffer circuit," she said.

Chen Wang agreed. He knew there were risks. black tide energy was unstable, and direct absorption could burn out the core. But if they didn't try, they wouldn't be able to generate their own power.

Amy quickly tapped the panel. She set the pulse frequency, mimicking the rhythm of the black tide fluctuations, and began small-scale capture. Waveforms appeared on the screen, and values jumped around.

"First absorption," she said. "Starting in three seconds."

The countdown ended, and the equipment emitted a low hum. A faint blue light flowed from the antenna into the energy guide tube. The energy entered the buffer pool, was attenuated three times, and then converted into direct current to charge the energy storage system.

hope's power bar moved slightly.

"It worked," Amy whispered. "Received attenuated energy, conversion rate 12%."

Chen Wang saw the energy display rise to 76%, and the lights were noticeably brighter. This was not the end, but it was progress.

"Continue to adjust parameters," he said. "The goal is to exceed 90%."

Su Ling then climbed onto the turret platform. The new electromagnetic cannon was already installed, its barrel gleaming with a cold light. She put on her protective suit and fastened her seatbelt.

"Weapon test ready," she reported.

"Follow the procedure," Chen Wang reminded. "First-level charge, then stop after firing."

Su Ling activated the system. The electromagnetic cannon began to charge, and a faint blue electric arc flickered at the muzzle. Small debris on the ice surface was sucked up, floating in the air.

The target thirty kilometers away was a pile of scrapped cars. Aiming calibration was complete.

The first shot was fired.

Boom—

The explosion cleared the accumulated snow, blasting a deep pit. The shockwave traveled back, and the ground vibrated for two seconds.

"It hit," Lin Wei said, looking at the remote screen. "The deviation was less than 0.5 meters."

"Second charge," Su Ling operated the panel.

Chen Wang frowned. He found that the power level was rising too quickly. The kindling system's alarm light suddenly turned red.

"Stop!" he shouted.

But it was too late.

The main circuit current overloaded, and a sharp screeching sound came from inside the electromagnetic cannon. Lin Wei immediately disconnected, but it was already overloaded. Coolant automatically sprayed out, and white mist quickly covered the turret.

Chen Wang rushed onto the platform and opened the inspection cover. The inner wall of the cannon barrel had burn marks, and parts of the insulation layer were blackened.

"Cut power," he ordered.

The system cut off the high voltage. The alarm stopped.

The five returned to the command cabin, gathered around the main console. The screen displayed accident data: energy connection was too aggressive, charging was too fast, heat dissipation couldn't keep up, and safety values weren't set.

No one spoke.

Lin Wei opened a new document and began writing an energy regulation algorithm. She needed to reduce the reaction speed between the weapon and the power system, adding a delay judgment.

Su Ling took off her protective suit and walked to the weapon cabinet to get a testing pen. She climbed onto the turret, checking the old circuits one by one. Two spots were marked red and had to be replaced.

Su Wan reviewed the energy graph from earlier. She found that when the electromagnetic cannon charged, it not only consumed power but also affected the life support system.

"I suggest creating a correlation table," she said. "Connect human status with machine operation. For example, when a person is nervous, should weapon output be restricted?"

Amy was still adjusting the energy conversion device. She changed the pulse interval to make the absorption rhythm more natural. This time, the conversion rate rose to 18%.

"If it stays like this, it can be fully charged in four hours," she said.

Chen Wang stood in front of the main console, staring at the image of the cannon barrel's burn marks. He knew the problem wasn't with the equipment, but with how to integrate it. Each piece of technology was separate, and forcing them together would lead to problems.

He reached out and turned off all high-energy consumption test permissions.

"Pause all combat tests," he said. "First, perform stability checks."

The lights were adjusted to energy-saving mode. hope stopped on the modification platform, with only the faint glow of outline lights outside. The internal systems ran normally, and no one left their posts.

Lin Wei's algorithm progress reached 34%. Su Ling sent the list of lines to be replaced to the maintenance team. Su Wan began organizing body monitoring data. Amy recorded the log of the first complete absorption cycle.

It was evening.

Chen Wang walked to the rear of the vehicle, examining the seams of the new coating. The honeycomb pattern hadn't cracked. He raised his hand to look at the bronze watch his father left him. The hands pointed to six seventeen.

The cooling pump in the corner of the workshop made a regular sound. This was the only large piece of equipment still working.

Su Ling walked over and handed him a printed paper. It was the weapon system's safety inspection report.

"These two lines must be replaced," she said. "Otherwise, it will burn again next time."

Chen Wang took the paper. The ink was clear, and the edges were slightly curled.

He was about to speak when the kindling system suddenly popped up a notification:

[Energy Fluctuation Anomaly]

[Source: External Conversion Device]

[Current input power continuously rising]

He turned and quickly walked back to the control console.

Amy stared at the screen, her finger hovering over the emergency cut-off button.

"It sped up on its own," she said. "I didn't change the parameters."

The conversion rate jumped from 18% all the way to 43%, and was still rising.

hope's power level surged past 80%, nearing the 90% red line.