189: Chapter 189 Times Have Changed!

Lin Yuan's understated response caused the fervor that had just ignited in the hall to settle down slightly.

Shen Changhe stood where he was and took a deep breath.

He looked at the slowly rotating steel outline on the screen, then glanced at the five heavy encrypted hard drives, forcing himself to regain some rigor and rationality from the extreme fanaticism brought about by the technical data.

He rubbed his hands vigorously and quickly dove into the most practical, hands-on aspects.

"Academician Lin."

Shen Changhe raised his head, his mind quickly reviewing the data he had just scanned, and he rapidly took stock of the base's inventory.

"According to the technical data you provided..."

"The conventional materials needed to manufacture the mechs, such as titanium ore, iron ore, aluminum ore, as well as common structural alloys and standard military chemical raw materials, are in abundant supply here at Xishan Base."

"We can fire up the furnaces immediately and begin smelting according to the requirements in the technical data; it will be enough to support the initial formation of the mech frames and most of the basic components."

He paused slightly at this point, his brows knitting together involuntarily.

"However, there is a significant shortfall in several core rare minerals required for the mechs."

"For instance, nickel ore, palladium ore, the full set of light and heavy rare earth raw ores, high-purity graphite raw ore, as well as molybdenum-tungsten high-temperature alloy master materials..."

"With Xishan Base's daily strategic reserves, these items simply cannot meet the manufacturing requirements for the mechs."

"Academician Lin, these special minerals fall under the jurisdiction of multiple strategic reserve units. I need to submit a report to the higher-ups immediately and go through the most urgent application channels..."

"Chief Engineer Shen, there is no need for that."

Lin Yuan suddenly chuckled, waved his hand casually, and interrupted Shen Changhe.

"Regarding the material issue, I already reported it to Elder Yang before I came here."

"Fortunately, our country's current reserves of these rare minerals... can be described as extremely abundant."

"Elder Yang has already approved it."

Lin Yuan extended a finger and tapped it in mid-air.

"By tomorrow morning at the latest, all the missing special minerals and alloys will be transported directly to Xishan Base via a special train."

Upon hearing this, Shen Changhe was taken aback.

"Tomorrow morning? All of it?"

Then, his mind went "buzz" as an image suddenly flashed before him.

It was the recent operation where the nation had used 10-nanometer high-end chips to swap for rare earths and critical minerals on a global scale with great fanfare.

He was, of course, aware of that joint announcement that had shocked the world; it was trading the world's only high-end chips for the rocks beneath other people's ground.

In some regions, even before their rare earth mining contracts had expired, they bypassed their original buyers and sent letters of intent to the Xia Kingdom overnight.

After that wave of strategic harvesting, which could be called a dimensional strike, the Xia Kingdom's current reserves of rare resources...

Shen Changhe nodded in sudden realization, a touch of emotion appearing on his aged face.

It could truly be said that they were overflowing with wealth!

Having figured this out, Shen Changhe felt a rush of heat surge from his tailbone straight to the top of his head.

"So that's it!"

He rubbed his hands vigorously, his expression instantly becoming spirited, and his voice deepened a notch.

"Since the material supply is completely worry-free, nothing will be delayed!"

Shen Changhe clenched his fists, looked around at the team behind him, and raised his voice.

"All groups, listen up!"

"Start working on the implementation plans immediately!"

"Get the process flows, equipment schedules, and personnel allocations for your respective modules all drawn up before we clock out today!"

"Materials arrive tomorrow morning, and we start work immediately!"

The more he spoke, the more energized he became, waving one hand forcefully in the air.

"Let's all give it our best effort and strive to build the first prototype test machine as soon as possible!"

As soon as he finished speaking, dozens of people responded in unison, and the hall was filled with a scene of bustling activity, however...

"Chief Engineer Shen."

Lin Yuan's voice was not loud, but it caused everyone's movements to stop in unison.

"I think you might have a slight misunderstanding."

"I'm not planning to build just one."

Lin Yuan's words fell.

In the hall, the dozens of experts who had originally been preparing to turn around and get to work all stopped in their tracks.

Surprise appeared on everyone's faces, and gazes of confusion converged back onto Lin Yuan.

Not building one? What does that mean?

Lin Yuan met their puzzled gazes and continued unhurriedly:

"The quantity of those special minerals and rare alloys I requested from the higher-ups is extremely vast."

"If it were just to build a single test mech..."

He paused, his lips curling into a meaningful arc.

"...there would be no need for me to open such a large gap."

Upon hearing this, Shen Changhe was completely stunned.

As an old man who had spent his entire life dealing with military industry, his mind was deeply rooted in a set of incredibly rigorous procedures.

Any epoch-making heavy weapon must first have a prototype built, undergo countless static tests, dynamic tests, extreme environment tests, weapon system tests...

Only after obtaining all the data and fixing all potential problems can one consider small-batch production, finalization, and achieving mass production.

But now...

The first sample machine didn't even have a shadow yet.

Lin Yuan was actually planning to skip the entire trial-and-error phase and aim for... mass production?!

What a crazy idea this was!

And what an absolute certainty and confidence in his own technology this was!

Shen Changhe felt his heart twitching; he subconsciously swallowed, and asked in a dry voice:

"Then... Academician Lin."

"How many are you planning... to produce?"

This question voiced the inner thoughts of everyone present.

Dozens of pairs of eyes stared fixedly at Lin Yuan, and they even held their breath.

Lin Yuan looked at Shen Changhe and the dozens of experts around him, whose expressions were strained to the extreme, yet his posture remained relaxed and comfortable, completely unaware that he had just proposed a crazy plan.

He chuckled and gave his explanation:

"Those people The Other Side of the Ocean only recognize one thing in their bones."

He held up one finger.

"Power."

"A solitary prototype, no matter how heaven-defying its performance, cannot achieve a decisive strategic deterrent effect."

"The first appearance of the mechs—either it doesn't happen."

Lin Yuan's tone suddenly rose, revealing an indisputable edge.

"Or, it must be in a complete, large-scale formation, crushing down upon them with the force of Mount Tai, smashing right into their faces!"

"I want them to feel fear and despair from the bottom of their bones the very first moment they see it!"

"I want them to understand that the times have changed!"

These words left the entire hall so quiet you could hear a pin drop, yet they made everyone's blood roar like molten lava.

Everyone couldn't help but hold their breath, waiting for that final answer.

Lin Yuan unhurriedly raised his right hand, spread his five fingers, and then slowly closed them.

Then, in a light yet highly penetrating tone, he uttered the final number that caused everyone's brains to completely shut down.

"So my estimate for this quantity is..."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over every shocked face.

"Eight hundred."