76: Chapter 76 When confronted, would you believe me if I said it was a giant bat?

Dust in the Nevada desert swirled under the setting sun.

A black silhouette cut through the air, stirring up a violent gust of wind that made the gravel on the ground rustle.

The dragon's massive claws firmly gripped the base's landing platform, and it descended with a heavy metallic clang.

Its six compound eyes still flickered with lingering excitement, and a low, intimidating rumble emanated from its throat.

Chen Yuan nimbly unbuckled his safety belt and jumped off the dragon's back.

He brushed the dust off his pants and casually took off his goggles, revealing a refreshed face.

"Well done, little guy."

Chen Yuan patted the dragon's obsidian-like scales.

The texture was cold and hard.

The dragon affectionately rubbed its massive head against Chen Yuan's shoulder, nearly knocking him over.

Its strength was too great.

Even an unconscious display of affection was enough to break an ordinary person's bones on the spot.

"Alright, alright, I know you're hungry."

Chen Yuan smiled, patted it, and turned to look at Dr. Zola in the distance.

Dr. Zola was hurrying over with a group of engineering Tyrants, carrying various testing instruments in his hands.

"Quick! Hurry and feed it!"

Zola shouted in a shrill voice, his eyes full of obsession.

"It consumed at least 30,000 calories during that maneuver just now!"

Two Tyrants dragged out a freshly slaughtered whole cow from the cold storage in the back.

It was a beef cow that Chen Yuan had specially ordered from a top-tier farm, still carrying the scent of fresh blood.

The dragon's eyes went straight instantly.

It violently opened its long beak filled with sharp teeth, snatched the whole cow in one bite, and swallowed it in a few gulps as if it were eating a spicy snack.

Fresh blood splattered onto its black scales, adding a touch of ferocity.

Chen Yuan leaned against the dragon's thick hind leg, watching it feast.

This feeling was quite strange.

On his left were world-destroying missile racks, and on his right was an ancient beast feasting on raw meat.

Technology and wildness.

Violence and aesthetics.

Just then, the encrypted satellite phone in his pocket vibrated violently.

Buzz—buzz—

The sound was urgent.

It sounded like someone in a fit of rage, gripping the receiver tightly, ready to lash out.

Chen Yuan glanced at the caller ID, a playful curve appearing at the corner of his mouth.

Colonel William.

That old acquaintance from The Pentagon in charge of equipment procurement.

He answered the phone, and before he could speak, a roar that nearly shattered his eardrums came from the other end.

"Chen Yuan! You lunatic! What on earth are you doing?!"

Colonel William's voice sounded as if he had just had his wife stolen and been punched in the face. "What the hell was that thing you were flying near Area 51?!"

"Colonel, watch your blood pressure."

Chen Yuan picked his ear nonchalantly, his voice languid. "The weather in San Verde is so nice; having such a temper doesn't suit you."

"Temper? You're talking to me about temper?!"

Colonel William was panting heavily on the other end of the line. "Do you know? Just three minutes ago, my radar station blew up!"

"The general from the North American Aerospace Defense Command called me directly, asking if the Nevada desert had been invaded by aliens!"

"Three F-22s, those are 'Raptors'! They were played like headless flies by an unidentified flying object!"

"One of the pilots is currently undergoing psychological evaluation; he said he saw a dragon carrying 'Hellfire' missiles!"

Colonel William's voice was about to blow out the earpiece.

Chen Yuan listened to the call, but his hands weren't idle; he casually picked a piece of debris left from the explosion from under the dragon's wing.

"A dragon?"

Chen Yuan chuckled, his tone full of innocence. "Colonel, you must have been watching too many sci-fi movies. How could such a thing exist?"

"Are you still playing dumb with me?!"

Colonel William roared again. "That thing flew out of your base! Its speed exceeded Mach 3! It even gave my pilot the middle finger in mid-air!"

"The middle finger? That might have been his eyes playing tricks on him, hypoxia at high altitude."

Chen Yuan didn't blush or skip a beat, starting to spout nonsense. "Colonel, I think you've misunderstood. We were just conducting a routine technical test."

"Test? Test what?"

Colonel William asked through gritted teeth, suppressing his anger.

"Our company's newly developed product."

Chen Yuan leaned against the dragon's warm belly, his tone becoming like a serious salesman. "A brand new model of eco-friendly, bionic reconnaissance drone."

"A drone?!"

Colonel William sneered on the other end. "You call that thing a drone? What kind of drone has wings that flap? What kind of drone can leave F-22s in the dust?"

"Chen Yuan, do you think I've never seen a DJI drone or something?"

"That's where you're wrong, Colonel."

Chen Yuan shifted to a more comfortable position. "Drone technology is changing with each passing day. To pursue ultimate stealth, we adopted bionic principles. Wings flapping to generate lift—isn't that quite scientific?"

"As for the high speed... that just shows our propulsion system is well-made."

"And it uses completely biomass fuel, zero emissions, which is very in line with current environmental concepts."

Colonel William fell silent.

For a full ten seconds.

Chen Yuan could even hear him rubbing his temples on the other end.

"Chen, you bastard who lies without drafting a script."

Colonel William's voice was filled with deep helplessness. "That kind of maneuvering, even missiles can't keep up! Do you think I'd believe that's a drone?"

"The President has already inquired about this. If you can't give me a reasonable explanation, the committee at The Pentagon will cancel all your orders tomorrow!"

Chen Yuan sighed, as if dealing with an unreasonable child.

He watched the dragon finish the cow, currently extending its tongue to lick the blood off its claws, a glint of craftiness flashing in his eyes.

"Alright, since you insist, Colonel."

Chen Yuan lowered his voice, his tone becoming mysterious. "Then I'll tell you the truth. But this involves our company's core secrets, so please don't spread it."

Colonel William's breathing slowed down too. "Speak, I'm listening."

"Actually, that's not a drone."

Chen Yuan spouted nonsense with a straight face. "It's a by-product of our laboratory. You know we've been working on genetic optimization, right?"

"The one that just flew out is actually... a genetically mutated giant bat."

There was another dead silence on the other end of the line.

"A bat?"

Colonel William's voice was filled with absurdity. "Chen Yuan, are you fucking kidding me? Your bat is twenty meters long? Your bat carries Hellfire missiles?"

"Oh, it's just an accident."

Chen Yuan made a face at the dragon, which cooperated by letting out a satisfied burp. "In biological research, occasional mutations or growing a bit too large is very normal."

"As for carrying missiles, that was for load testing. After all, bats are biologically designed to carry things."

Chen Yuan paused, his tone becoming extremely sincere:

"Colonel, you have to look on the bright side. This shows our genetic enhancement technology has made breakthrough progress. Even though this bat is a bit big, it's obedient."

"It can not only scout but also attack, and most importantly, it doesn't even need radar. It relies on ultrasound; how advanced is that?"

Colonel William was about to go crazy with anger.

He felt his IQ was being rubbed against the floor by this Chinese man.

"A mutated giant bat... Chen Yuan, do you really think this line of reasoning can fool those old guys at the Department of Defense?"

"Believe it or not, the facts are just like that."

Chen Yuan shifted his position, looking at the dragon's golden vertical pupils, his mouth slightly upturned.

"Or, you can come to my base and see for yourself."

"By the way, help me ask those pilots."

He deliberately drew out his tone, his voice full of playfulness:

"Besides this 'bat', do they want to see something even more exciting in their lifetime?"

A violent coughing sound came from the other end of the line.

Colonel William seemed to be quite angry.

"Chen Yuan... you wait for me."

"This isn't over!"

The call was abruptly hung up, and the dial tone echoed in the sunset of the desert.

Chen Yuan put away his phone and tossed it to Alice behind him.

He turned his head to look at the prehistoric beast, which was looking at him with an innocent face.

"Let's go, little guy."

Chen Yuan patted the dragon's thick chin, his eyes flashing with fanatical light.

"Although the name 'bat' is a bit lame, it's still more low-key than 'dragon'."

"After all, in this world, only we 'lunatics' are worthy of possessing the truth."

The dragon let out a low roar and flapped its wings violently.

A fierce wind stirred up a sky full of sandstorms again.

"Boss, Miss Samantha has been waiting in the reception room for two hours."

Alice walked up at the right moment, her tone carrying a hint of playfulness.

"That female reporter who insists on interviewing you?"

Chen Yuan adjusted his collar and walked toward the base's elevator.

"Let her wait."

"Tell her I'm busy shoveling shit for my 'bat'."