135: Chapter 135 Emergency Assembly

Three in the morning.

Just as the medical check at Tianmen Base concluded, Su Mingyuan walked into his office and closed the door.

The excitement of returning from the Otherworld had not fully settled yet, but he knew it was not the time to rest.

Su Mingyuan took a deep breath, picked up the encrypted satellite phone, and dialed a number.

Beep—— Beep——

It rang three times.

"Hello?"

Elder Qin's slightly sleepy voice came from the other end of the phone.

"Elder Qin, it's me, Su Mingyuan."

"Little Su..." Elder Qin paused, his voice tinged with the haze of having just been woken up, "It's so late... What happened?"

"Elder Qin, I'm back from the Zerg World." Thinking of the Savior mecha's parameters, Su Mingyuan spoke very fast, "I brought back some things, extremely important things."

The other end of the phone went silent for two seconds.

Elder Qin's voice became a bit clearer: "How important?"

"At a level capable of altering the form of modern warfare."

Su Mingyuan said word by word: "A complete set of tactical mecha design plans, supporting anti-gravity flight Systems, weapon Systems, Materials technology, and a full set of detailed data."

"..."

The other end of the phone fell silent.

Su Mingyuan could hear Elder Qin's breathing, which was much heavier than before.

"Are you sure?" Elder Qin's voice was completely awake, even somewhat hoarse, "Little Su, this kind of thing is no joke."

"I am very sure."

Su Mingyuan looked at the dozen boxes of blueprints brought by Longyan Squad, "This is over a hundred years of technological accumulation from the Zerg World. They use mechas to fight the Zerg, and the technology is quite mature. With crystal core energy and skyfall steel Materials, we are fully capable of manufacturing this concept-level mecha."

"..."

Another silence followed.

Then, Su Mingyuan heard rustling sounds, as if Elder Qin was getting dressed.

"What do you want to do?" Elder Qin asked.

"I want to build it as soon as possible." Su Mingyuan thought for a moment.

"How long?!" Elder Qin's voice raised an octave.

"At the latest a week, the next opening time of the Zerg World portal is in a week." Su Mingyuan's tone was firm, "Now the technical route is mature and the design blueprints are complete. We only need to construct according to the drawings and make adaptive modifications based on the characteristics of the crystal core and skyfall steel. The key is... Elder Qin, I need to mobilize the nation's top experts in machinery manufacturing and other Domains."

The other end of the phone quieted down again.

This silence lasted a full ten seconds.

"Little Su."

Elder Qin's voice sounded, carrying a solemnity that Su Mingyuan rarely heard.

"Although I hold the position of group leader in the Otherworld Development Leading Group, it is mainly symbolic."

He paused for a moment, "You can make your own decisions on all matters concerning the Otherworld, and you don't need to report to me in the future. After all, this world belongs to you young people."

Su Mingyuan was slightly stunned.

He heard the weight of these words very clearly.

This wasn't simple authorization; this was... completely letting go.

"However, Little Su." Elder Qin's voice sounded again, "Since you took the initiative to make this call, let me ask you one more thing—are you confident?"

"Yes."

Su Mingyuan did not hesitate.

"Good." Elder Qin took a deep breath, "Whatever resources you need, mobilize them directly. Whatever permissions you need, I will approve them for you. After hanging up, I will issue notices to all departments to fully cooperate with your work."

"Thank you, Elder Qin."

"No need to thank me." A hint of a smile crept into Elder Qin's voice, "Little Su, if this actually succeeds this time... we old guys can retire in peace."

The phone hung up.

Su Mingyuan put down his phone, stared at the design drawings in front of him, and a sharp glint flashed in his eyes.

He picked up the name list on the table and began dialing the first call.

Shen Yang, General Assembly Workshop of Shen Fei Corporation.

At three-thirty in the morning, it was brightly lit.

In the huge factory building, a brand-new J-35 fighter jet was parked on the assembly platform.

The silver-gray fuselage gleamed with a metallic luster under the lights, and its streamlined shape was full of science fiction vibes.

This was an improved variant of Great Xia's latest generation stealth fighter jet, codenamed Tianlong.

Dozens of engineers surrounded the aircraft, conducting the final review.

"President Wang, the engine's thrust-to-weight ratio has reached 12, exceeding the design index." A young engineer reported excitedly.

Wang Haifeng nodded.

He was fifty-six years old this year, with gray hair, but full of vigor. Having worked in the industry for thirty years, he had presided over the research and development of numerous models of fighter jets; the J-10 and J-20 both contained his hard work.

"What about the avionics System?" he asked.

"The AESA radar detection range is 400 kilometers, the stealth coating wave absorption rate..."

Buzz buzz buzz——

The urgent vibration interrupted the report.

Wang Haifeng frowned and took out his phone.

The screen showed an unfamiliar number, but the prefix was 001—this was the encrypted dedicated line of the Great Xia Department of Defense.

His heart skipped a beat, and he immediately connected.

"Hello?"

"Are you President Wang Haifeng? I am from the Department of Defense." A young yet solemn voice came from the phone, "Are you at Shen Fei right now?"

"Yes, I am..."

"President Wang, there is an emergency mission." The other party directly interrupted him, "Within one hour, please rush to Shen Yang Airport, and a special plane will pick you up to go to Southern Jiangsu."

"What?" Wang Haifeng was stunned, "Wait, right now? Past three in the morning? I am still conducting the J-35's..."

"President Wang."

The other party's voice became even more solemn.

"This is a national mission with the highest priority. Regarding the content of the mission, I have no right to inform you, and you will naturally know when you arrive in Southern Jiangsu. Please set off immediately, do not carry any electronic devices, and only bring a change of clothes."

Wang Haifeng felt his heartbeat speed up.

In his thirty-year career, he had received countless emergency missions, but this tone...

This level of confidentiality...

"I understand." He took a deep breath, "Setting off immediately."

The phone hung up.

Wang Haifeng turned around and looked at the surrounding engineers, all of whom looked at him with puzzled eyes.

"President Wang, what's wrong?"

"The meeting is suspended." Wang Haifeng took off his work clothes and walked out quickly, "The J-35 review meeting will be hosted by the deputy chief engineer. I have an emergency mission and need to go to Southern Jiangsu."

"What mission?"

"I don't know, higher-ups only said it must be kept confidential."

Leaving these words behind, he had already walked out of the workshop door.

Behind him, the engineers looked at each other in dismay.

"Could President Wang be... transferred to work on some big project?"

"What kind of huge project could make President Wang ignore even the J-35?"

"Could it be... a sixth-generation fighter?"

Gobi Desert, CASIC Missile Test Base.

Four in the morning.

Li Mingzhe stood on the observation deck, holding binoculars, staring at the shooting range ten kilometers away.

He was forty-eight years old this year, a top domestic missile expert, and had presided over the R&D of the Dongfeng-41, Dongfeng-17, and Dongfeng-5C.

Coming to the Gobi this time was to test the terminal maneuverability of a new hypersonic missile.

"Countdown 30 seconds." The technician's voice came from the walkie-talkie.

Li Mingzhe gripped the binoculars tightly.

"10, 9, 8... 3, 2, 1, launch!"

Boom——

In the distance, a streak of fire soared into the sky.

Dragging a long tail flame, the missile ascended at an extremely fast speed, then traced a graceful arc at high altitude and dive-bombed toward the target.

The speed became faster and faster.

Mach 5... Mach 8... Mach 10!

"Target locked, terminal maneuver initiated!"

The missile suddenly turned at an altitude of 5,000 meters above the ground, performed a counter-intuitive S-shaped maneuver, and then accurately hit the target.

Rumble——

A mushroom cloud rose.

"It's a success!"

Cheers erupted on the observation deck.

Li Mingzhe also showed a smile. This test meant that Great Xia had taken another big step forward in the field of hypersonic weapons.

Clatter clatter clatter——

The sound of a helicopter suddenly rang out.

Li Mingzhe raised his head and saw an armed helicopter rapidly approaching, then steadily landing in the open space in front of the observation deck.

The cabin door opened, and two fully armed soldiers jumped down.

"Engineer Li Mingzhe?" One of them strode over.

"It's me." Li Mingzhe frowned, "Who are you..."

"Sent by the Department of Defense." The soldier saluted and then handed over a document, "Engineer Li, there is an emergency mission, please come with us immediately."

"Wait, what mission?" Li Mingzhe took the document, which was stamped with a bright red Top Secret seal, "My test just finished, and I haven't had time to process the data..."

"Someone else will organize the data." The soldier's tone was unquestionable, "Engineer Li, our time is very tight."

Li Mingzhe looked at the document, then at the helicopter, and a strong premonition surged in his heart.

What level of mission could make the Department of Defense directly dispatch an armed helicopter to pick someone up?

"Can I ask where we are going?"

"Southern Jiangsu."

"What about the mission content?"

"Confidential."

Li Mingzhe took a deep breath, turned to his assistant, and said, "Xiao Zhang, you will be responsible for the subsequent work. Send the data directly to me after it's organized."

"Engineer Li, you are..."

"A national mission."

He strode toward the helicopter.

Behind him, the staff members of the test base were all stunned.

"Engineer Li was urgently transferred away?"

"What mission is so urgent? He didn't even look at the data?"

"An armed helicopter picking someone up... This is quite a high specification!"

Beijing, Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Four-thirty in the morning.

The laboratory was still brightly lit.

Zhao Wenxuan sat in front of the computer, staring at the rapidly scrolling code on the screen. He was thirty-eight years old this year, a leading figure in the domestic artificial intelligence Domain, having presided over multiple major projects such as Tianhe Supercomputing and AI deep learning.

At this moment, he was debugging a brand-new neural network algorithm.

"Old Zhao, almost done, right?" The assistant next to him yawned, "It's almost dawn, can't we do it tomorrow?"

"No." Zhao Wenxuan didn't raise his head, "The convergence speed of this algorithm is still not fast enough. It must be optimized to within 0.1 seconds, otherwise there will be a delay when applied to the real-time control System."

"But..."

Boom boom boom——

The roar of engines suddenly came from outside the window.

Zhao Wenxuan raised his head and saw through the window that three black guard cars rushed in through the institute gate and slammed on the brakes downstairs at the experimental building.

The car doors opened, and more than a dozen fully armed soldiers jumped down.

"What's going on?" The assistant was startled.

Zhao Wenxuan was also stunned.

Bang bang bang——

A knock on the door sounded, very urgent.

"Is Director Zhao Wenxuan here?" A solemn voice came from outside the door.

Zhao Wenxuan walked over and opened the door.

Four soldiers stood outside the door, led by a major.

"Director Zhao?" The major saluted, "I am sent by the Department of Defense. There is an emergency mission, please come with us immediately."

"What mission?" Zhao Wenxuan frowned, "My experiment hasn't finished yet..."

"Director Zhao."

The major interrupted him and handed over a document.

"This is the highest-level transfer order; you have no right to refuse. Please pack your personal items immediately. Experimental data must not be taken, and all electronic devices such as computers and mobile phones must be left at the institute."

Zhao Wenxuan took the document, saw the red seal on it, and his heart trembled.

The highest level...

"May I ask where we are going?"

"A confidential location, you will know when you arrive."

"What about the mission content?"

"Equally confidential."

Zhao Wenxuan was silent for two seconds, then turned and looked at the laboratory.

The code on the screen was still running, and the algorithm hadn't been fully debugged, but he obviously couldn't care about it now.

"Xiao Wang," he said to the assistant, "Help me save the experimental data, and the subsequent optimization work... pause it."

"Director Zhao, where are you going?"

"I don't know either."

Zhao Wenxuan gave a bitter smile and walked out with the soldiers.

There wasn't even time to save the experimental data.

What on earth level of mission was this?

Beijing, a certain military research institute.

Five in the morning.

Seventy-four-year-old Academician Zhou was in the laboratory, looking at a set of exoskeleton equipment in front of him.

This equipment was silver-gray throughout, with smooth lines, covering the human body's major joints and muscle groups. Once the operator put it on, they could easily lift 200 kilograms of heavy objects, their running speed increased by 50%, and their jumping height exceeded 3 meters.

This was Great Xia's latest generation individual exoskeleton System, codenamed Ares-1.

Academician Zhou had cultivated this Domain for forty years.

From the earliest hydraulic drive, to the later motor drive, and now to the bionic muscle fibers, every technological Breakthrough contained his hard work.

"Academician Zhou, the torque of the shoulder joint is still not enough." A young engineer said frowning, "When the operator lifts heavy objects over 150 kilograms, there will be a noticeable lag."

Academician Zhou walked over and carefully checked the shoulder drive module.

"The motor power is not enough." He took off his glasses and wiped them with a handkerchief, "Either replace it with a higher-power motor, or optimize the transmission ratio. But a motor that is too big will increase the weight, and optimizing the transmission ratio will reduce the response speed..."

He fell into deep thought.

This was the eternal puzzle of exoskeleton technology—the balance among strength, speed, and weight.

To have greater strength, one must use a high-power motor, and the weight goes up.

To have faster speed, one must lower the transmission ratio, but then the strength is not enough.

To have a lighter weight, one must use a small motor, and the performance drops.

For forty years, Academician Zhou had been spinning in this vicious cycle.

Sometimes, he would think that perhaps this was the limit of human technology.

Perhaps exoskeletons could never truly be practical and could only remain in the laboratory stage.

Ring ring ring——

The phone rang.

Academician Zhou answered it.

"Hello?"

"Academician Zhou, I am from the Department of Defense." A young man's voice came from the phone, very respectful, yet carrying an unquestionable firmness, "There is an emergency mission, and you need to proceed to the designated location immediately."

"What mission?" Academician Zhou was stunned for a moment, "I am currently optimizing the exoskeleton, here..."

"Academician Zhou."

The other party interrupted him.

"This mission is related to exoskeleton mechanical devices."

"..."

Academician Zhou's heart skipped a beat.

Related to exoskeletons?

"Did you encounter any technical Bottlenecks?" he immediately asked, "If you need technical support, I can guide remotely, or you can send the Materials over, I..."

"It's not a technical Bottleneck."

A hint of... excitement crept into the other party's voice?

"Academician Zhou, you have studied exoskeletons for decades, and now... there is something that may subvert your cognition, and you need to come and see it in person."

"Subvert my cognition?"

Academician Zhou frowned.

He had made exoskeletons for forty years and seen countless technical solutions; what could subvert his cognition?

"A 44-meter-tall humanoid mecha."

The other party said word by word.

"It can lift a main battle tank with one hand and is capable of flight."