Chapter 281 Mech Research

October 15, 2040.

Beijing, sky ladder project headquarters, Special Equipment Laboratory.

Lin Mo stood before a massive workbench with a three-meter-long blueprint spread out in front of him. The blueprint was densely marked with various data, structural diagrams, and circuit diagrams, with every detail precise to the millimeter level.

This was the complete design for the Mecha Infantry System.

Li Xiao leaned in close, her eyes wide. She looked at the blueprint, then at the giant silvery-white figure nearby—one of the mechas that had debuted during the National Day military parade, brought here for further testing.

"Senior Brother," she whispered, "can someone really walk while wearing this thing?"

Lin Mo nodded. "It's not wearing it; it's sitting inside it."

He pointed to the cockpit's location on the blueprint. "The pilot is here, connected via a neural interface and mechanical arms. Whatever the brain wants to do, the mecha does."

Li Xiao imagined the scene and couldn't help but shiver. "That feeling... is it like becoming a giant?"

Lin Mo smiled. "Pretty much."

Chen Xueming came around from the other side and stared at the mecha's leg structure for a long time. He had made a special trip back from the platform just to see this legendary "Iron Giant" with his own eyes.

"Old Lin," he pointed at the hydraulic devices, "can this thing jump?"

Lin Mo thought for a moment. "Theoretically, yes. It can jump over ten meters high."

Chen Xueming whistled. "Then if it jumps up and smashes down..."

"It could crush a tank flat," Lin Mo finished.

Chen Xueming was stunned.

Li Xiao whispered from the side, "Senior Brother Chen, you're drooling."

Chen Xueming wiped the corner of his mouth and glared at her.

At 2:00 PM, the expert team began a detailed explanation of the mecha system.

The main speaker was Engineer Shen, the Chief Engineer of the mecha project. He was in his sixties with graying hair but bright eyes. He stood next to the mecha, holding a telescopic pointer like a professor giving a lecture to students.

"The Mecha Infantry System mainly consists of four parts." He pointed to different areas on the blueprint. "First, the powered exoskeleton. This is the core; all movements are achieved through it."

He patted the mecha's thick calf. "Forty-eight miniature hydraulic drive units are integrated here, each with a response time of less than five milliseconds. Whatever movement the pilot makes, the mecha can complete it synchronously."

Chen Xueming raised his hand. "How fast can it run?"

Engineer Shen smiled. "The theoretical top speed is eighty kilometers per hour. But in actual use, it's generally controlled within fifty kilometers, as the pilot can't handle anything faster."

Li Xiao asked, "Can it fly?"

Engineer Shen shook his head. "No. It's too heavy to fly. But it can jump. There are energy storage devices in the legs, allowing it to jump fifteen meters high and thirty meters far."

Li Xiao imagined the scene and couldn't help but let out a "Wow."

Engineer Shen continued his explanation. "Second, the protective armor. It uses Carbon Nanotubes composite materials, which are two-thirds lighter than traditional armor, but its defensive capability is five times that of titanium alloy of the same weight."

He tapped the armor plate on the mecha's chest, producing a dull thud.

"Ordinary bullets won't even leave a mark. An anti-materiel sniper rifle would need to hit the same spot more than five times consecutively to penetrate it."

Chen Xueming muttered, "This thing... is practically a mobile fortress."

Engineer Shen nodded. "You could say that."

At 4:00 PM, the lecture moved to the third part—the weapons system.

Engineer Shen's expression turned serious.

"The mecha can be equipped with various weapons. The standard configuration is built-in electromagnetic pulse cannons in both arms, with a single shot powerful enough to disable a main battle tank. Missile launchers can be mounted on the shoulders, carrying twelve rounds. There are also hidden combat daggers in the legs made of Carbon Nanotubes, which can slice through ordinary armor."

He paused.

"But the most important part is this system's AI assistance."

He pointed to the eye-like sensor on the mecha's head.

"LiDAR, infrared imaging, multispectral reconnaissance equipment, and a miniature quantum computer are integrated here. The AI can analyze the battlefield environment in real-time, automatically lock onto targets, and assist the pilot's decision-making. If the pilot loses consciousness, the AI can take over the mecha and return to base autonomously."

Li Xiao asked, "Could this AI... go out of control?"

Engineer Shen shook his head. "We considered this during design. All AI decisions must be executed within the scope of the pilot's authorization and cannot attack autonomously. Simply put, it's a tool, not a commander."

Li Xiao breathed a sigh of relief.

Chen Xueming asked, "So, can this thing be used now?"

Engineer Shen thought for a moment. "Theoretically, it's usable. But it still requires extensive testing."

He looked at Lin Mo.

Lin Mo had been listening silently without interrupting. Now, he looked up at the silvery-white mecha, his gaze deep.

"Build a prototype," he said. "We'll test it ourselves."

At 6:00 PM, the discussion moved to the specific implementation phase.

Section Chief Wu arrived from the Carbon Nanotubes factory and joined the meeting. Looking at the blueprints, his brow furrowed into a knot.

"Chief Designer Lin, there's no problem making the mecha's armor with our Carbon Nanotubes. But those hydraulic units, drive systems, AI chips... those aren't our strengths."

Lin Mo nodded. "I know. That's why we need to collaborate."

He looked at Engineer Shen. "Are there any domestic manufacturers that can do it?"

Engineer Shen thought for a bit. "For hydraulic units, the Southwest Precision Machinery Factory can do it. Liu Jianguo has experience there. For the drive system, Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation's electric propulsion team can give it a try. For AI chips, the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Institute of Computing Technology has existing solutions."

Lin Mo recorded this quickly in his notebook.

"Then let's contact them separately," he said. "Within one month, produce the sample parts for each system. Within two months, assemble the first prototype."

Chen Xueming asked, "Who will do the testing?"

Lin Mo looked at him. "You want to do it?"

Chen Xueming was taken aback for a moment, then smiled.

"Yes."

At 8:00 PM, Li Xiao sat in the data center, pulling up all the technical information for the mecha system.

She browsed through it item by item, becoming more alarmed the more she saw.

This thing really could be built.

powered exoskeleton, protective armor, weapons system, AI assistance—every subsystem had a mature technological foundation. Carbon Nanotubes, miniature hydraulics, and quantum computing were all new technologies developed in recent years.

But integrating them created a weapon that could change the nature of warfare.

She remembered the image of those ten mechas marching through Tiananmen in formation during the National Day parade. Their steady pace and silvery-white shells made them look like giants out of a science fiction movie.

Now, she was going to be involved in building a real mecha.

"Manager Li," Xiao Zhou walked over, carrying a cup of coffee, "aren't you off work yet?"

Li Xiao shook her head. "I'll look a bit longer."

Xiao Zhou leaned in, looking at the blueprints on the screen, his eyes full of curiosity.

"Manager Li, do you think these mechas will be used in space in the future?"

Li Xiao was stunned for a moment. "Space?"

Xiao Zhou nodded. "Yeah. Isn't there something possibly on Mars? If we sent mechas up there, it would be much faster than people walking."

Li Xiao was silent for a few seconds.

She thought of the mystery on Mars, those two overlapping curves, and Lin Mo saying, "Then we have to go even more."

If there really was something on Mars, mechas would indeed be the best exploration tool.

"Xiao Zhou," she said, "you've reminded me."

At 11:00 PM, Lin Mo was still looking at the blueprints.

He had been looking at them all day, and his eyes were so sore they were tearing up, but he didn't dare stop. Every detail of the mecha system had to be thoroughly understood to discover and solve problems during testing.

His phone rang. It was a message from Li Xiao:

"Senior Brother, can mechas be used on Mars?"

Lin Mo looked at the message and was momentarily stunned.

Then he smiled.

He replied:

"It's worth considering."

Li Xiao replied instantly:

"Then I'll start thinking about it."

Lin Mo looked at the message, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly.

This girl was starting to think about big things now, too.

He put down his phone and continued looking at the blueprints.

Outside, the night was deep. Stars were invisible in the Beijing night sky, but he knew that fifty-five million kilometers away, that red planet was still there.

Mechas, Mars, signals, alien civilizations...

All the clues were slowly converging.

And he, along with these people, was stepping toward the answer one step at a time.