192: Chapter 192 The Final Self-Sustaining Ignition Test!

The young researcher's exclamation was particularly sharp and abrupt in the noisy workshop.

Shen Changhe's movements came to an abrupt halt.

Frowning, he turned around, his gaze falling on the flushed face of the young researcher not far away.

"Xiao Zhou."

Shen Changhe called out to him, his tone carrying a hint of dissatisfaction and severity at being interrupted.

"What are you making such a fuss about?"

"And what is this 'Iron Man' you're shouting about? What on earth is it?"

Under Shen Changhe's glare, the young researcher named Xiao Zhou subconsciously shrank his neck.

However, as his gaze swept over the hard drive in Lin Yuan's hand, his heart continued to pound wildly. His chest heaved violently a couple of times before he braced himself and stepped forward.

"Chief Engineer Shen... you don't usually watch movies, so you wouldn't know about this."

Xiao Zhou swallowed hard, desperately suppressing the tremor in his voice, and began to explain quickly.

"Iron Man is the superhero from the most popular and profitable sci-fi movie The Other Side of the Ocean in the last decade! There is no other!"

"In the movie, he is a wealthy man wearing a high-tech combat suit. The suit can fly at supersonic speeds, fire high-energy particle beams from its palms, and has a miniature reactor embedded in the chest providing infinite energy. One person can take on an entire army!"

The faster Xiao Zhou spoke, the more he gestured with his hands in the air.

"This thing has hundreds of millions of fanatical fans globally. Just from movie box office and merchandise alone, those people The Other Side of the Ocean have earned tens of billions of dollars!"

"Most importantly, in the hearts of countless young people around the world, this thing represents the ultimate fantasy of the coolest and most invincible individual mecha!"

"To put it simply, it is a cultural totem that The Other Side of the Ocean has spent huge sums of money to export to the whole world!"

"They just want to brainwash the globe through these movies, telling everyone that only The Other Side of the Ocean possesses the top-tier technology, and only they can save the world!"

After listening to this rapid-fire explanation, Shen Changhe stood there stunned.

He didn't know much about pop culture, but he had an extremely keen sense for strategic matters. He immediately grasped a few core keywords in Xiao Zhou's words—the ultimate fantasy of individual mecha, brainwashing, and cultural totem.

The next second, Shen Changhe turned his head abruptly. His gaze locked tightly onto the hard drive in Lin Yuan's hand.

In his mind, an image flashed like lightning, tearing through all barriers of perception—

If that invincible combat suit, imagined by The Other Side of the Ocean and used to brainwash the world, were to be built by Xishan Base.

Painted entirely with the most dazzling bright red flag of the Xia Kingdom. With a glowing, eerie blue cold fusion core in its chest. And then, rising from the land of the Xia Kingdom in front of the whole world.

Those people The Other Side of the Ocean, and those countless fanatical fans brainwashed by the movies... what kind of expressions would they have when they saw this scene?

Thinking of this, Shen Changhe couldn't help but gasp. His scalp tingled with an uncontrollable sensation!

Extreme shock and a sense of absurdity to the point of ultimate gratification surged from the soles of his feet straight to his skull.

The muscles in Shen Changhe's cheeks twitched violently. Immediately after, "Smack!" He slapped his thigh hard, threw his head back, and erupted into deafening laughter. "Hahahaha!"

The laughter echoed in the spacious workshop. The engineers busy nearby all stopped their work, turning their heads in astonishment.

Shen Changhe laughed until tears were almost streaming down his face. He raised his rough hand, pointing at Lin Yuan, his fingers trembling.

"Academician Lin, oh Academician Lin! This move of yours... it's too ruthless! But it's also too beautiful!"

"The Other Side of the Ocean worked so hard to build a cultural totem in front of the whole world, and they haven't even had time to warm it up yet..."

"And yet, you suddenly snatch their totem away, wipe it clean, paint it with our colors, and place it on Xia Kingdom's territory—"

"Good heavens, this is not just killing them, it's attacking their hearts!"

Watching Shen Changhe's wild demeanor, Lin Yuan's lips curled into an easygoing smile. He handed over the black encrypted hard drive in his hand.

"Chief Engineer Shen, you exaggerate. It was just a casual act," Lin Yuan said with a light chuckle, exuding a calm composure.

"Chief Engineer Shen, this won't require much production capacity; building one unit is enough."

"Many of the special alloy materials and servo motor data inside are compatible with the Chengying Mecha, so we can just allocate them from the existing batches."

Shen Changhe took the hard drive with both hands, clutching it as if it were a treasure.

"Rest assured, Academician Lin!" He patted his chest heavily, a raging fire igniting in his eyes.

"Since the materials are compatible, it's even easier to handle. It absolutely won't affect the overall progress of the eight hundred Chengying Mecha!"

"However, since it's individual-sized, the material specifications and mold scheduling will need to be readjusted."

"I'll go to the server room to pull the data, study it, and arrange for it to be put into production immediately!"

After saying this, Shen Changhe clutched the hard drive and turned to run. His retreating figure was incredibly eager, as if it would be a disaster if he were even a second late.

Watching Shen Changhe's hurried figure disappear around the corner of the corridor, Lin Yuan shook his head slightly and smiled silently.

After Shen Changhe left, the young researcher named Xiao Zhou remained standing there, not leaving. His feet seemed rooted to the ground, staring fixedly at Lin Yuan, his chest heaving violently. He swallowed with extreme difficulty.

Xiao Zhou tentatively took half a step forward, his voice trembling, his eyes filled with the anticipation and confirmation of a believer on a pilgrimage.

"Aca... Academician Lin."

"The technology on the hard drive... is it really the Iron Man suit from the movie?"

"The kind that can fly, fire cannons from its palms, and has a light glowing in its chest?"

Lin Yuan turned his head and looked at him. Meeting that young face, filled with disbelief and eager anticipation, he smiled slightly and nodded.

"Yes."

Just one word. Having received this affirmative reply, Xiao Zhou clenched his fists, and jumped on the spot.

"Holy sh*t!"

"Awesome! Awesome! Awesome!"

He let out a few low roars, spinning around in place with excitement, wishing he could rush out right now and scream at the sky.

Looking at his uncomposed state, Lin Yuan sighed inwardly. This is the power of top-tier IP entering reality.

...

That afternoon, the news that Lin Yuan was going to build an "Iron Man" as a side project spread through the entire Xishan Base as if it had grown wings.

At first, many of the old experts buried in their work were confused, completely unaware of why the young people were so excited. But after frantic explanations from the many young engineers and researchers in the base, everyone understood the cultural significance behind this "Iron Man."

The atmosphere of the entire base changed completely. The original solemnity—tense, oppressive, and a desperate struggle for the nation's fate—was suddenly mixed with an extremely bizarre fanaticism.

Everyone, from the chief engineers in their sixties to the interns in their early twenties, became "entertainment seekers."

In the workshop, the engineers assembling the Chengying Mecha parts worked even harder. The way everyone looked at Lin Yuan also changed.

Beyond the original extreme awe and respect, there was now an unusual glimmer. This atmosphere, driven by strong emotions, forced the production efficiency of Xishan Base to rise another notch.

At nightfall, in the exclusive suite at Xishan Base, Lin Yuan finished his shower, changed into loose loungewear, and leaned back on the sofa. He picked up a glass of warm water and had just brought it to his lips.

"Buzz—" The specially made mobile phone on the coffee table suddenly emitted a short vibration. Lin Yuan put down the water glass and picked up the phone. The screen lit up, and a text message from the highest-level encrypted channel popped up.

After reading it, Lin Yuan smiled and murmured softly: "Finally... the final self-sustaining ignition test is about to begin!"