by <unknown>
"Click!"
In an instant, he heard a click produced by the mechanism locking together. The bulky, black-colored armguard shrunk instantly and wrapped itself around Chen Chen's arm!
There was a sound of a buzzer ringing at the same time. Following a familiar flash of blue light, it rapidly crept toward the region around Chen Chen's shoulder.
This blue light was known as plasma. It was a byproduct of the low-temperature plasma effect caused by the restructuring of the nanometal.
Instead of resisting it, Chen Chen took interest in the experience. He had to admit that the plasma produced during the reconstruction of the PK Armor was considerably hot. It was worth noting that it did not completely attach itself to the wearer during the reconstruction as it constantly shifted around. Therefore, the wearer only experienced heat up to sixty or seventy Celsius even though the process involved could reach a temperature up to several hundred Celsius. All things considered, it was a tolerable temperature for a regular person.
As the low-temperature plasma continued to spread across Chen Chen's body, the PK Armor eventually wrapped itself around his body. By the end of the process, a mask still radiating heat covered Chen Chen's face.
Chen Chen's vision turned pitch-black before light was reintroduced again momentarily after. However, his vision field was no longer that of a regular human's. Instead, it took on the form of an infrared thermal imaging vision field.
It was distinctly different from regular thermal imaging wherein heat signals were displayed in chunky blocks. Chen Chen could tell that he was able to see in far greater detail and clarity than the human eye could offer. Information such as radiation value, temperature value, shape, weight, and other such data of any object was transmitted into the wearer's mind.
Simply put, this was an enhanced version of a regular human's vision system.
"Hupp!"
Chen Chen tried to take a breath. Though he was not sure where the circulation of the armor was located, it was clear that the armor did not hinder his breathing in any form.
After that, just by invoking a thought, six laser sights were activated and propped up from the back of the armor. Without having to turn around, the laser sights began scanning the surroundings for signs of potential threat. In addition, it displayed the result of the scan in a window which appeared before Chen Chen's eye.
Simply by invoking a thought, the six laser sights along with the two shoulder guns provided immediate response without the slightest hint of delay.
Chen Chen was immensely satisfied with this.
If his hunch was correct, this should be a form of mind manipulation technology in its matured development stage. The armor was even able to accelerate his thought process.
Take what happened when playing a battle royale game on a foreign server for instance. Players playing from Mainland China usually required a software known as a "booster". Without the assistance of such software, it was very likely the player would lose connection in the middle of the game or play with high ping.
Drawing parallels between playing battle royale games and operating the PK Armor, the wearer could be portrayed as the player. The neuron waves transmitted from the wearer were the internet infrastructure and the shoulder canons along with other systems were the battle royale game.
In usual cases, there would always be a delay when operating the shoulder cannons. No matter how quickly it synced to the user's thoughts, the user would still experience some sort of buffer. This was where the acceleration device of the PK Armor came in. It was able to completely calibrate itself along the user's neuron waves, serving as the "booster" used in the game. It was able to provide a far fluid experience than the user would have to control his own body.
Upon considering this factor, Chen Chen suddenly raised his head and identified a distant abandoned hut as his target. The two shoulder cannons immediately turned toward that direction when he did so. A window simultaneously appeared in Chen Chen's vision field which provided three options for Chen Chen to choose from.
When Chen Chen merely visualized the idea of selecting the first option, the cannon on his right fired a blast of blue beam immediately which seemed to vanish as soon as it appeared.
Chen Chen looked into the distance and saw a hole penetrating through the roof of the hut.
"Ultra high-field laser weaponry?"
Chen Chen evaluated before switching ammunition and selecting the second option.
Again, the cannon on his right shoulder fired. Only this time around, the projectile fired was a bright orb. The orb disappeared in the blink of an eye and detonated an explosion on the hut hundreds of meters away like someone had detonated a mine in the hut!
It was clear that this was what Utoni used to destroy the cellar.
"Probably a plasma cannon."
Chen Chen speculated before selecting the third option.
This time, it was the cannon on the left firing. There was no sound or any indication of firing, but the hut that was already turned into barren ruins as it exploded once again without signs of any projectile!
"It's a high-power microwave weapon!"
Chen Chen's eyes lit up. Compared to the previous two weapons, this form of microwave weaponry was the real killer.
The so-called microwave weapon was a subclass of electromagnetic waves. It was distinctly different from regular electromagnetic waves in the sense that it was a form of weaponry that utilizes high-power electromagnetic waves to obliterate its target. Apart from being able to destroy electronic devices, it was able to bypass defenses and armor via thermal energy, directly killing the operators on the interior.
On top of that, this sort of weapon was able to intelligently configure its output based on the selected target. Therefore, there would not be any form of excess waste when firing.
After Chen Chen was done experimenting with the weapons, he retracted the shoulder cannons and the laser sights. He then attempted to move his limbs around.
As he held out his hand and attempted to form a fist, he was taken by a strange sensation. He felt as if there was a slight period of delay between moving his hand and feeling the actual movement on his skin.
Chen Chen was certain that there was a layer of a metallic surface on his palm.
It was apparent that this was an extremely advanced form of sensor-based technology.
Chen Chen gave it another shot. The suit of armor was able to vastly improve the physical capabilities of the human body in terms of strength, speed, and reaction speed. It was even more lethal than the Iron Man armor. The only aspects in which it was inferior to the Iron Man armor was the power issue and the absence of flight capabilities.
Apart from that, the suit of armor also came with a set of control systems. However, the control system seemed to be engineered around the language system from Predator. According to Chen Chen's understanding, he was looking at a form of phonography.
The existing writing system in human civilization was divided into three types namely phenotype, ideogram, and phonetic. Phenotype writing system referred to early forms of language developed by early civilizations, some examples included Oracle and Cuneiform.
Ideograph referred to the current writing system adopted by Mainland China in the present age, which was a character system represented by Chinese characters as we knew it. It was an extension of phonograph.
Phonetic, on the other hand, were texts taking the form of English alphabets.
Chen Chen figured that if he was able to fully comprehend the language used in Predator, he may be able to achieve further understanding of the Predator technology.
This was not something that could simply be accomplished in a day. Though Chen Chen was perfectly capable of mastering a language in a day, there was no form of traditional learning material for the Predator language. Was it possible to gain complete mastery of it just by using brief references from the movie?
Chen Chen was not going to accomplish it only with the help of NZT-48, h
e was going to have to resort to the CPH4.
The Earth Federation would not be able to fully comprehend this form of technology even if given a hundred years.
Chen Chen sighed silently. To put it in perspective, the Earth Federation Chen Chen currently resided in was equivalent to the era where the applications of steam engines were in its infancy. The current era was still in the medieval stages of the first industrial revolution. In this case, the suit of armor could be represented as a smartphone.
Around three industrial revolutions separated the eras in which the two respective technologies came from.
Chapter 84: Nuclear Power Plant Agreement |
Upon concluding the PK Armor experiment, Chen Chen made a trip downstairs again. He returned to the rooftop afterward with a black leather suit in hand.
This leather suit consisted of four parts - a jacket, pants, gloves, and boots.
The trousers were designed like a jumpsuit and the top was like a turtleneck. Both the upper and lower parts need to be joined together with each other to completely wrap the suit around the body.
The same applied to the gloves and boots. The button-like zipper had to be linked to the cuffs to completely merge with the suit.
The leather suit had a matte design so it would not reflect light when placed in a dark area. Its material may seem like leather but they were far more resilient than leather. Even the sharpest knives would not be able to make a dent in it.
This leather suit was another equipment originating from a movie that Chen Chen had planned to acquire - the Gantz Suit.
Chen Chen chose the combat suit worn by the protagonist of the movie, Kei Kurono, since they were around the same height at around 175 centimeters. However, upon putting on the combat suit on the rooftop…
Uhmmm…
Chen Chen gave it a test. Apart from keeping him slightly warmer, there seemed to be zero influence in terms of jumping ability, running ability or strength.
"As I thought, this thing requires biometric authentication."
Still frowning, Chen Chen took off the jacket and found a large number of bio-electrode patches on the inside of the suit, just as he had suspected. It would seem like the combat suit used these bio-electrode patches to monitor the body's nerve conduction to read the intentions of the user.
Naturally, if the wearer was not the owner then the patches would not be activated. All it was good for was a bullet-proof vest.
Chen Chen figured he might as well just keep it on and figure out what to do when he returned to Windhoek. He put the jacket back on.
…
The next day, Chen Chen and his group returned to Windhoek.
Before even entering the embassy, Chen Chen saw dozens of people standing by the entrance of the embassy. Qian Wenhuan, Anthony, and the others were here to welcome him.
"Boss." Qian Wenhuan was the first to come up to him. "I have good news for you."
"The negotiations for the agreement and treaty are complete?" Chen Chen continued moving forward while greeting them.
"Yes, the negotiations have been concluded earlier this morning." Wang Liang interrupted. "We were just about to inform you when you suddenly returned."
Chen Chen nodded before expressing to Anthony and the rest who were put in charge of the business negotiations. "Thank you for your hard work."
"These are part of our duties," Anthony, Jennifer, and the other flattered members responded abruptly.
"I'm going to head back to my room for a shower. Bring the finalized agreement to my room in half an hour."
Chen Chen further instructed, "Oh, right. Wenhuan, head to the industrial zone and get me the most advanced material laboratory you can find. Make sure the facilities are complete, sort out the details with the rates, and whatnot. It's a plus if they have several experts in material science on site."
"No problem!"
"Understood!"
Anthony and Qian Wenhuan accepted their tasks.
"Cao, why don't you take your brothers and get a good rest," Chen Chen told Cheng Cao, "they must be exhausted after the past few days. Bring them to the city to wind down a little. Bill all of the expenses to the company. No need to keep sticking by my side the next few days."
"Okay." Cheng Cao agreed.
Chen Chen finally was able to relax when he returned to the room. First things first, he did a sweep of the room to make sure nothing had happened when he was not around. After that, he took a shower.
Had to admit, the embassy was well facilitated. Even though it was just a regular standard room, electricity and hot water were readily available and amenities such as Wi-Fi and air conditioning were provided as well.
Chen Chen would much rather have the basic amenities over basking in the local experience. He did not care much for the local-style hotels which barely provided basic needs such as water and electricity.
If it was not for trying to make a living out here, Chen Chen would much rather laze around in his room. He would boot up Steam first thing in the morning, eat instant noodles and drink coke, pick several games, and screw around for the entire day.
Shut-ins like Chen Chen could never relate to the people who would just go on trips on a whim, especially those who liked to travel or a more appropriate term would be to suffer in barren places like Tibet or Africa. Were games not appealing enough?
When Chen Chen had finished up and walked out of the bathroom, it just happened to be half an hour later.
"Knock, knock, knock."
Anthony was a textbook Swiss. The moment the clock hit the half an hour mark, he immediately knocked on Chen Chen's door. Right on the dot.
"Come in." Chen Chen wrapped a bath towel around his waist and sat on the sofa. "Sit down first."
"Thank you, Boss." Anthony and Jennifer came in together.
Anthony was not too fazed by what he saw, only slightly startled. Jennifer, on the other hand, lit up like a lamp when she came in.
Chen Chen usually wore long trousers and sleeves and appeared to be on the thinner side. She did not expect that after he took off his clothes, his well-proportioned and fit body immediately became prominent.
The outlines of his muscles were not as dramatic as the bodybuilders out there, instead, they were more well-defined and subtle.
Chen Chen paid no mind to their reactions, he only continued gulping down water. The amino acids in NZT effectively supplied nutrients to the brain but they did not provide hydro elements.
At any given moment, the human brain was carrying out tens of thousands of chemical reactions. Drinking more water can serve to boost the transferring of the brain's bioelectricity and chemical substances. Therefore, Chen Chen had always emphasized a healthy amount of water supplementation.
"Boss, here are the agreed-upon terms, please have a look." After the two of them took their seats, Anthony presented a stack of A4 papers measuring almost two fingers thick in front of Chen Chen.
Chen Chen hid his frown when he saw the densely-packed words of at most four-point font size on the sheets of agreement. It was a large project of more than two billion after all. Chen Chen picked it up and went through it quickly.
"Boss, do you need us to provide a brief overview?" When Jennifer saw that Chen Chen did not have an appointed professional to help him review it, she worried that he would not understand the details.
"No need, it won't take long."
Chen Chen quickly flipped through the pages without so much as looking up. Since these were not educational resources that he had to memorize, it only took him several seconds to scan through a page. It only took him a little over ten minutes to go through the three hundred pages agreement.
"Phew!"
Chen Chen breathed out before nodding. "The agreed terms seem very good, I don't see any significant loopholes. The only thing I'm not satisfied with is the mission statement."
As Chen Chen spoke, he pointed to a specific page. "It says that if the completed nuclear power plant is rated at a million kil
owatts, then I am to provide high-quality power supply for six hundred thousand Namibians. A million Namibians if rated at two million kilowatts. I can't accept these terms."
"Uh, you're saying?" Anthony asked cautiously.
"If the nuclear power plant is rated at a million kilowatts, I agree to supply for four hundred thousand Namibians. If rated at two million kilowatts, then seven hundred thousand."
"This…" Anthony did his best to hide his bitter smile. "With these numbers, we might be challenging their bottom line."
"It's alright, we can make some compromises with the electricity bills."
Chen Chen pulled out the agreements detailing the electricity bills as if he already knew what Anthony was going to say. "According to these prices, we can lower the electricity cost for the civilians by ten percent."
"In that case, we'll discuss this with them tomorrow." Anthony silently heaved a sigh of relief.
Before taking their leave, Jennifer suddenly turned around to reconfirm. "Are you sure you don't want to put together a review team to review it again?"
Chapter 85: Material Laboratory |
Several hours after Chen Chen had finished the meeting with Anthony, Qian Wenhuan phoned him.
"Boss, I found a Material Analysis Laboratory on the more advanced side, it's right in the industrial area."
Qian Wenhuan sounded overjoyed. "I took a look inside. X-ray diffractometer, metallographic microscope, high-resolution transmission electron microscope, electron probe microanalyzer, and various other equipment. It's well-equipped. There are also three expert personnel that should be available for hire."
"Alright, send the address to Cheng Cao. I'll be there in an hour or two," Chen Chen replied.
After hanging up the call, Chen Chen booted up the computer again and began searching for a movie online.
Unlike the previous movies he had put into the USB drive, this time, he planned to use a comedy – Men in Black: International.
