13: Chapter 13 The Ultimate Challenge for Trolls!

Wang Tao's sudden arrival to inspect the goods and his massive investment of one million yuan acted like a shot of adrenaline, completely dispelling the vast majority of doubts online.

On the official website of the "Cyber Freedom Republic," the number of registered citizens began to grow exponentially.

Those "Founding Titles of Nobility" that had previously been ignored were now snapped up by "trolls" and speculators who had caught wind of the opportunity.

The total amount of Lin Zhou's Nation-Building Fund surpassed the 1.5 million mark in just a single day.

He had money, initial credibility, and a potentially powerful business ally.

Everything seemed to be heading in the best possible direction.

But in the online world, there is never a shortage of contrarian voices.

Amidst the cheers of "Lin God is awesome" and "Long live the Cyber Nation" in the livestream, a user with the ID "Rational Discussion of Everything" posted over a dozen bullet comments in the same format.

"Everyone calm down! I have a scientific question! The premise of atmospheric water collection is that there is water vapor in the air. Although the desert the streamer chose is arid, it's not at absolute zero humidity. If—and I mean if—this machine were placed in an absolutely dry environment with air humidity approaching zero, like an alien planet or certain extreme regions on Earth, how would it work? This technology has a fatal limitation!"

At first, this bullet comment was drowned out by the flood of information.

But this user was exceptionally persistent, tirelessly copying and pasting.

Soon, some busybodies began to follow suit.

"Yeah, what if one day there isn't a single drop of water in the air? Wouldn't this thing just become scrap metal?"

"Does the streamer dare to adjust the humidity to zero for a test?"

"I bet he doesn't dare. This must be the technology's Achilles' heel!"

This line of reasoning quickly fermented in the livestream, forming a new wave of skepticism.

Even some "new citizens" who had just donated money began to have second thoughts.

Lin Zhou remained silent, simply watching these bullet comments quietly.

It wasn't until the voice of doubt grew louder and louder, almost overwhelming the voices of support, that he finally stepped in front of the camera.

He wasn't angry, nor was he in a hurry to defend himself; there was even a playful smile on his face.

"Our friend 'Rational Discussion of Everything' has raised a very good question."

As soon as he spoke, the noisy livestream immediately fell silent.

"Any technology has its scope of application and boundary conditions, and [Solar Water Collection Technology] is no exception. In its conventional mode, it does indeed rely on water molecules in the air."

Hearing this, the skeptics immediately became excited.

"See! He admitted it!"

"I knew there was a loophole!"

Lin Zhou ignored them and continued unhurriedly:

"However, who told you that this machine only has a 'conventional mode'?"

His words left everyone stunned.

"What does he mean? There are hidden functions?"

"Is it like a hidden ultimate move in a game?"

"Streamer, stop keeping us in suspense, show us already!"

Lin Zhou walked over to the water collector and tapped a few times on the control screen on its side.

The screen interface switched instantly, and a bright red "Enhanced Mode" option popped up.

"To cope with extreme drought or even environments without a viable atmosphere, I designed a second water extraction scheme for it."

Lin Zhou pressed the red option.

"Hum——"

A low, powerful motor sound, different from before, emanated from inside the water collector.

Under the gaze of tens of millions of netizens, an incredible scene unfolded.

A hatch with an alloy casing at the base of the water collector slowly opened, and a multi-sectioned telescopic drill rod, gleaming with a cold metallic light, suddenly shot out!

At the tip of the drill rod was a high-speed rotating composite drill bit.

"Zzzz——"

Accompanied by a piercing friction sound, the drill bit effortlessly bored into the hard, parched sandy ground beneath.

Sand and soil flew as the drill rod extended section by section. In just a few dozen seconds, it had penetrated more than five meters underground.

At this moment, the bullet comments in the livestream completely vanished.

Everyone was struck speechless by the scene of violent aesthetics before them.

"Is... is this a Transformer?"

"It went from a water collector to a drilling machine?"

"Did I just see the AllSpark?"

Lin Zhou's voice rang out again, carrying the composure of someone revealing a mystery.

"On Earth, even in the driest deserts, it is not completely dry beneath the surface. The soil still locks in a considerable amount of liquid and solid water. The principle of the Enhanced Mode is to extract moisture directly from the geological layers through drilling."

He pointed at the screen.

"The drill bit has a built-in microwave heating module and high-sensitivity sensors that can precisely locate water-rich soil layers and instantly heat them, vaporizing solid and liquid water. The vapor is then sucked back through the hollow drill rod to the condensation core inside the device for processing."

As he explained, the data on the device's screen began to jump wildly.

A "Soil Humidity" reading soared all the way from 0% to 15%.

And at the outlet, the flow that was originally just a trickle suddenly more than doubled in thickness!

Clear water splashed and surged into the storage tank, the water level rising at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"This... this is just too ridiculous!"

"In other words, as long as the planet beneath your feet isn't a pure lump of iron, it can drill water out for you?"

"Where's that nitpicker 'Rational Discussion of Everything'? Why don't you come out and say something?"

That "Rational Discussion of Everything" had completely vanished into the crowd.

The entire livestream was filled with nothing but "Holy crap" and "Awesome."

Lin Zhou turned off the Enhanced Mode. The drill rod retracted automatically, the hatch closed, and the water collector returned to its original quiet and elegant appearance.

It was as if the violent scene from just a moment ago had been a mere hallucination.

"Now, are there any more questions?"

Lin Zhou asked calmly toward the camera.

No one dared to raise any more doubts.

The power and perfection displayed by this technology had surpassed everyone's imagination.

Lin Zhou knew that the livestream demonstration, which had lasted for several days, could now come to a successful conclusion.

He had proven the authenticity and revolutionary nature of this technology to the entire world.

Credibility and funding were both in place.

"Citizens, friends," Lin Zhou's voice became solemn, "the desert field demonstration phase concludes here. Thank you all for witnessing this."

"Next, the 'Cyber Freedom Republic' will enter its next and most critical stage."

He turned off the other seven camera angles, leaving only the one facing him directly.

"We will officially begin peer-to-peer negotiations with sovereign states."

With that, he closed the livestream.

The dark screen, however, cast an even brighter light in the hearts of countless people.

Everyone understood that this seemingly absurd dream of nation-building, initiated by an unemployed programmer, had at this moment stripped away all its disguises and bared its sharpest fangs.