White armor

Chapter 731 Taoism and Technology
As the saying goes, a man is a boy until he dies.

"Hey, Chen Yong, I'm coming right now, don't rush me."

“Wait at the deserted hospital, Mr. Ye will come to pick you up,” Chen Yong said.

"Huh? Aren't you guys at the station? What are you doing here picking me up?" Luo Hao asked, puzzled.

"No, just wait. I'll give you a good thrashing when I get here," Chen Yong said happily, his voice sounding as if he had found a great toy.

uh~
Luo Hao recalled the way Chen Yong dialed 120 for emergency medical assistance after finishing his meal.

That incident was probably the first time Chen Yong had ever done it. After raising his own questions, Chen Yong realized something was wrong and his previous arrogance disappeared.

Now, Chen Yong seems to have regained that arrogant and domineering spirit, and he's almost gone completely off the rails.

Luo Hao had a vague feeling that Chen Yong, that bastard, might be in trouble.

Well, Luo Hao didn't know what had happened either. At most, Chen Yong had just made some new gadgets using the exoskeleton from the institute.

How fresh can it be? Under the premise of full battlefield awareness, everything is garbage.

Luo Hao wandered around the deserted hospital with his hands behind his back.

There are AI robots cleaning, but they are just putting on a show; it's a performance without any physical objects.

The actual cleaning, sanitation, and disinfection work was already completed when Luo Hao took "Xiao Meng" to Peking Union Medical College Hospital for a consultation.

This is popularity, which Luo Hao considers very important.

It's a little wasteful, though.

But since AI robots are meant to serve humans, they should ultimately be like humans.

Besides, the waste is just a little bit of electricity cost; the unmanned hospital is equipped with solar photovoltaic panels, so the electricity is sufficient.

Half an hour later, President Ye called. He was also somewhat excited, though he was suppressing it deeply, Luo Hao could sense it.

"Mr. Ye, what are you doing?"

Luo Hao asked as soon as he got in the car.

"Originally, we wanted to use an exoskeleton to help Mr. Lou's little brother walk, but as we were talking, the conversation turned to the topic of exoskeleton loading. Dr. Chen even tried carrying a flying sword, and the flying sword really could explode!"

Mr. Ye's somewhat chubby face displayed an extremely complex expression.

Chen Yong, that bastard, has really come up with something new. Luo Hao sighed inwardly.

"Mr. Ye, I'm not trying to be mean, but all sorts of humanoid robots are more for show than practical use. Exoskeletons are just a transitional product," Luo Hao said confidently.

"Oh, Professor Luo, what are you saying?"

"It's true. Dinosaurs ruled the world for thousands of years and were the undisputed overlords. Their powerful genes have many functions that amaze our scientists. For example, birds have some dinosaur genes."

"Let's not even talk about their hollow yet hard bones. You know that birds can maintain their peak physical condition until one or two years before they die of old age, right?"

Mr. Ye was taken aback. Birds have such strong abilities?

"The project I'm working on with the Academy of Military Sciences is similar to... well, that project is still ongoing, so I won't go into details."

"It's one of those insects with exceptionally strong vitality, I've heard of it." President Ye smiled slightly.

"Yes." Luo Hao looked ahead, his lips slightly pursed, but he didn't continue.

"A senior student studying in the United States said that the United States has discovered the secret to birds' ability to maintain their physical peak until they rapidly decline in the years before death, and is now synthesizing artificial humans."

Mr. Ye wasn't surprised. He smiled and said, "We're taking two different paths. Professor Luo, what would you like to drink?"

He opened the refrigerator and took out a small bottle of whiskey for himself.

"Mr. Ye, you could say you're addicted to alcohol."

"Just a casual sip, it doesn't count as being addicted to alcohol," Mr. Ye gestured.

"Water, thank you."

Luo Haomin took a sip of water, leaned back on the leather sofa in the car, and felt that the vehicle was driving very smoothly, without any bumps or vibrations.

“The Americans and we are taking two different technological routes,” General Manager Ye said. “They are really using people as guinea pigs, while we are taking the route of mechanical advancement. If we were to use the language of online novels, the Americans are modifying themselves, while we have external support, which makes it seem like we are on a crooked path.”

"You can't say that," Luo Hao waved his hand. "There are still many things we haven't figured out yet. For example, lightning-struck wood. I'm very curious about why Chen Yong could make lightning-struck wood fly."

“Metaphysics actually makes sense; the higher people climb in society, the more they believe in these things. That guy from Men’ao, he extended his life by 10 years by relying on metaphysics and science.”

“I know about this, and I’ve researched the scientific aspects as well, and it seems to be true. By the way, Mr. Ye, I haven’t heard of anyone in America getting their life extended. Do you have any gossip to share?” Luo Hao asked.

"I don't know much either. Some of the news is similar to the 'Deadly Town' thing, like the possession in our novels. There's nothing new about it. So many smart people in this world have already thought of everything they could think of. The only question is whether it can be realized."

The two chatted casually. President Ye was very knowledgeable and could talk about any topic in detail.

He could keep up with what Luo Hao said. The two chatted without any awkwardness, and didn't need to force any topics.

The car stopped, and Luo Hao got out and looked around. He saw what appeared to be a shooting range in the suburbs.

In the distance, Chen Yong was sitting cross-legged, circulating his qi, but no one knew what he was up to.

"Chen Yong!" Luo Hao raised his hand and called out loudly.

"You're here!" Chen Yong waved and shouted, signaling Luo Hao to come over.

Walking up to Chen Yong, Luo Hao looked him up and down. The bastard had a rosy glow on his face, as if he'd advanced another level.

Her overall demeanor has also changed significantly.

"You?" Luo Hao frowned slightly, looking at Chen Yong and sizing him up.

"I'm just happy, so I'm showing you something fun." Chen Yong laughed and snapped his fingers.

Sparks flew between his fingers.

"Is this magic? Or a spell?" Luo Hao asked curiously.

"I guess you could call it magic," Chen Yong said. "I made some improvements to the magic I learned at the academy, but it's nothing serious. Why are you so concerned about that?"

"You didn't do it on purpose?"

"No, there's something interesting today. Come on, I'll take you to see it."

Chen Yong strode towards a prefabricated house next to him.

The prefabricated houses were clearly brought in recently and were completely out of place with the entire firing range.

Inside, staff were repairing a mechanical exoskeleton. Well, it wasn't really repairing; Luo Hao felt like they were installing something on the exoskeleton.

"Is this lightning-struck wood that was installed?" Luo Hao asked.

"Well, I've figured out how to use lightning-struck wood." Chen Yong said proudly. "It's not that others don't know how to use it, it's just that the quantity is too small, so they're reluctant to use it. Artificial lightning-struck wood has only appeared in the last ten years or so. That's why we still need to develop industry; mechanical advancement is the right way."

Luo Hao paused slightly, looking Chen Yong up and down. How come this guy's words were related to a certain topic that he and President Ye had discussed in the car?

But Chen Yong didn't notice Luo Hao's actions; his eyes were gleaming as he watched the staff install things onto the mechanical exoskeleton.

"This is?"

"I'll show you in a bit. I just tested a few rounds. I'll have to find an AI robot to do it later; I can't handle it all by myself," Chen Yong said smugly.

"What are you doing?" Luo Hao had a very bad feeling.

"Don't tell you!"

“Let me tell you, Chen Yong, if it’s explosives, whether it’s Taoist magic or magic, it’s all contraband. If anything really happens, I’ll have to come all the way to the capital to sort things out for you, and it might even require the police station to intervene to protect you.”

"I asked my master, and he said it was possible. Luo Hao, are your connections as extensive as my master's? Let me tell you, the nails used to protect the country under the square were all driven in after my master calculated them," Chen Yong said nonchalantly.

"!!!" Luo Hao was stunned. Old Master Qiu had this ability?
“My master is very interested in this research. He said it is a puppetry technique from many years ago, but it is better than the ancient puppetry techniques. It is an advanced version. He is still researching the most advanced version.”

This can be updated and iterated? Luo Hao has learned something new again.

"Where is he?" Luo Hao asked.

"Go to the mountains in western Hunan to find an old friend. He says he needs something, and I'll also show off my improved puppetry techniques. Let me tell you, Luo Hao, AI robots are absolutely crushing when used in magic!"

Luo Hao felt that the style was a bit off. It was already outrageous that Chen Yong had created a fortune-telling game called Fangcun Mountain, but now he was even bringing up puppetry.

If things continue like this, with domestic industry as a backdrop, Luo Hao really can't think of anything that could stump Chen Yong for the time being.

"I've discussed with Lao Liu the method of raising the Gu King, but it seems we still need an anesthetist."

Chen Yong spoke incoherently, and before he knew it, the topic had turned back to the Gu King.

"Old Liu has studied extracorporeal circulation?"

“She studied it for a year before, but because there are fewer and fewer extracorporeal circulation surgeries at our First Affiliated Hospital of Medical University, she switched to becoming an anesthesiologist,” Chen Yong said. “Old Liu said that if we go down the extracorporeal circulation route, blood products won’t be a problem. We can even make them from rice. I’ve read the papers.”

Luo Hao let out a soft sigh.

He was genuinely afraid that Chen Yong would go astray, but he himself had opened this door for him, and heaven knows what Chen Yong's final destination would be.

Not to mention Chen Yong, he himself didn't know what his final destination would be.

Watching quietly as the staff installed the attachments on the exoskeleton, Luo Hao could tell that it belonged to the mecha category.

He looked down on mechs, thinking they were all just for show.

On the battlefield, mechs are just sitting ducks; it's all nonsense. It's all because of doujinshi (Japanese comics), turning them into the deepest obsession in the hearts of countless men.

Why is Chen Yong acting like a child, actually believing in this stuff?

The staff installed it quickly. When Chen Yong saw that the installation was almost complete, he opened a box and took out a... headgear.

There were raised "bumps" on the outside of the hood. When Chen Yong put on the hood, he looked somewhat ridiculous.

Luo Hao expressed his regret that Chen Yong, who always cared about his appearance, would end up like this.

Then Chen Yong put on the helmet, shook his neck, and his cervical spine made a cracking sound.

"Is this equipment from Northwestern Polytechnical University? Or did you make it yourself?" Luo Hao asked.

"Well, the brainwave-controlled drone equipment that Northwestern Polytechnical University customized for me is still a bit unfamiliar to me at first, but I'll get used to it. But the biggest drawback of this thing is that it requires mental energy. Do you know what mental energy is?" Chen Yong asked.

Luo Hao glanced at the system panel in the upper right corner of his career page and shook his head.

“Old Meng is the kind of person with extremely high mental strength,” Chen Yong said. “He’s an ordinary person, but his mental strength is even comparable to mine, a cultivator. Would you say Old Meng is exceptionally talented?”

"I think Lao Meng is like the Great Demon King Zhang Yining. He can go without sleep, and his mental strength is incredibly strong. When you see Zhang Yining playing, her expression never changes. I reckon that if it could be digitized, Zhang Yining's mental strength would be extremely high," Luo Hao added.

"That's roughly the idea. Try it when you have time, but don't try to do too much. Right now, I can only control a maximum of one hundred drones with my brainwaves. Any more than that, and I won't be able to handle it."

"?!" Luo Hao knew the weight of Chen Yong's words; this bastard was something else.

After putting on the helmet, Chen Yong began to put on the mechanical exoskeleton.

Once assembled, Chen Yong's mecha looked like the kind Luo Hao despised the most, and it was incomplete and extremely rudimentary.

In an animated film, he'd be nothing more than a roadside thug. If it weren't for the accessories he was wearing, Luo Hao would have thought Chen Yong was going to a construction site to carry bricks.

"Click~"

Chen Yong moved his arms, and the mechanical exoskeleton made a crisp sound.

"Is this all you're showing me? It's all fighting and killing; that's not allowed in China."

“My master found the fusion of Taoist practices and technology interesting and wanted me to take charge of it,” Chen Yong said.

Luo Hao frowned. It seemed that Chen Yong was also going to join Institute 209, and he seemed to enjoy it immensely.

But Luo Hao didn't say anything. This was a matter between Chen Yong and his master, Mr. Qiu. As an "outsider," he didn't need to ask.

"Chen Yong, I have something to tell you." Luo Hao looked at Chen Yong, who was wearing armor, and said softly.

"what?"

"Musk's thirteenth child was genetically edited."

"What?!" Chen Yong was stunned.

"There's some data about gene editing, but it's highly classified, so I can't tell you. So, you need to know who you're facing when you're wearing the armor. Just imagine your opponent as Superman, something like that."

"Luo Hao, are you out of your mind?" Chen Yong scolded. "You'll find out soon enough that this isn't something a carbon-based life form could pull off. Spider-Man and the like are all trash."

"But the armor is also filled with carbon-based life forms."

Chen Yong sneered, completely ignoring Luo Hao's words. He stretched out his hands and, finding no obstacles, walked out of the temporary housing.

Looking at Chen Yong fully armed from behind, Luo Hao found it quite interesting.

The earliest footage shows soldiers marching using mechanical exoskeletons, capable of carrying over 100 kilograms of supplies.

Now that Chen Yong was also wearing it, Luo Hao never expected that he would appear in his world so quickly.

The staff outside had finished changing the targets. Luo Hao stared intently at them. Boss Lou moved closer to Luo Hao, but he didn't say anything; he just watched quietly.

"Boss Lou, this place has a certain level of security, right?" Luo Hao asked with a smile.

"No, really no, how could I dare to get involved in confidential matters? I just run a small business, Professor Luo, believe me, I have my bottom line."

Luo Hao stared at Chen Yong, who was covered in armor. In Luo Hao's eyes, Chen Yong was not a mecha at all; he preferred to think of it as armor, as Chen Yong was fully armored.

Meanwhile, Boss Lou was talking about what bottom line he was talking about.

The next second, countless buzzing sounds came from all directions.

Uh~~~
Right under Luo Hao's feet, a beetle about 5cm long broke out of the ground from among the pebbles.

Holy crap! This is an unmanned machine! Luo Hao suddenly understood what Chen Yong meant.

After the beetle broke through the soil, it stretched out its wings and took flight.

It didn't fly away immediately, but circled Luo Hao twice, as if Chen Yong was showing off something to Luo Hao.

It's estimated that these are mechanical insects controlled by Chen Yong's mind.

This is so damn similar to StarCraft, except it's a new race formed by the fusion of the Protoss and Zerg.

Luo Hao subconsciously activated [Calm and Frenzy], because he was genuinely afraid that Chen Yong had gone too far.

After activating [Calm Berserk], Luo Hao saw something under the beetle, probably C4 explosives, Luo Hao guessed.

But Chen Yong was still aware that the beetle was just showing off to Luo Hao and didn't even intend to scare him before flying away.

All of this was controlled by Chen Yong using brainwaves, a technology developed by Northwestern Polytechnical University.

Luo Hao squinted and watched quietly.

More than a hundred unmanned devices appeared above Chen Yong, and at the same time, Chen Yong gave a soft shout, and a flying sword suddenly appeared.

"..."

Luo Hao was speechless.

A perfectly good sci-fi scene becomes so out of place and utterly incongruous with the appearance of a flying sword.

What does this have to do with anything?

Although Luo Hao knew that the flying sword was actually a drone shaped like a flying sword, it still felt a bit out of place.

The flying sword landed at Chen Yong's feet, and he immediately lifted his foot and stood on the flying sword.

Wearing a mechanical exoskeleton, she stood gracefully on the flying sword.

"!!!"

"Professor Luo, my blood pressure spiked when I first saw the Chen family's young man do that," Boss Lou murmured to himself.

He seemed to be talking to Luo Hao, but it also seemed like he was talking to himself.

Indeed, not only Boss Lou, but even Luo Hao's blood pressure was a bit high.

"Om~~~"

Behind Chen Yong, dense black dots appeared, resembling the black wind stirred up by flying swords.

Chen Yong was like a monster from Black Wind Ridge.

"Go!" Chen Yong made a sword gesture with his hands, pointing to a target.

"Whoosh~~~"

A flying sword shot out from the attachment of the powered exoskeleton at an extremely high speed; even with [Calm and Frenzy] activated, Luo Hao almost missed the details.

Boss Lou should only be able to see a faint afterimage.

"Boom~~~"

The target was blown to pieces.

Gollum~
Luo Hao heard Boss Lou swallowing.

Indeed, Luo Hao also found it fun. Boss Lou was envious, and so was Luo Hao. Although he looked down on mechs, it was from a practical point of view; what man wouldn't like such a thing?

What is a succubus?

The kind of plump buttocks that are covered by only a piece of cloth, barely enough to cover the sensitive spots?

Impossible. The exoskeleton mech in front of us, combined with the brainwave-controlled drone, is what men see as a succubus.

If it were a commercial pilot project, Luo Hao was afraid the business premises would be trampled to pieces.

As Chen Yong continued to strike the targets with his sword gestures, one target after another was blasted away.

The explosion had considerable energy, similar to that of an RPG rocket launcher.

One of the targets was a bunker-like structure. After Chen Yong destroyed all the other targets, before the smoke had even cleared, he made a very cool move in mid-air.

In Luo Hao's eyes, the actions were useless; their only purpose was to show off.

More than a hundred drones, as if united, converged in mid-air to form a black greatsword, which pierced straight towards the bunker.

The speed was too fast; even with Luo Hao's physical attributes digitally enhanced and the added boost of [Calm and Frenzy], he could only barely see it.

Luo Hao immediately activated the [Flow] Apocalypse mode, going into overdrive and watching the scene unfold before him frame by frame.

The black shadow split into three parts: one part was above the bunker, and the other part went directly into the bunker.

The drones entered the bunker one after another, and the first one to go in was met with a roaring sound.

At the same time, a second drone also slipped in at an odd angle.

The roar continued, and thick black smoke billowed out.

Some of the mechanical beetles landed, crawled on the ground, and braved the powerful explosion to crawl into the bunker.

This is the unmanned machine that Luo Hao imagined. The others in the sky remained still, while only two groups of unmanned machines launched their attacks.

The booming sounds continued, and billowing smoke enveloped the bunker.

"Wait! Chen Yong, come down!" President Ye suddenly put his hand to his ear and called to Chen Yong.

Chen Yong looked down at President Ye and asked, "What's wrong? Wasn't it supposed to be able to explode?"

"I told you to blow up the bunker, why the hell did you blow up the pipes inside?!" President Ye was furious.

"The pipes are also part of the bunker."

"Get down! Stop blowing it up! I know it's okay, test passed!" Boss Ye roared.

Chen Yong shrugged, and Luo Hao vaguely heard the sound of the exoskeleton.

He landed slowly, his flying sword departing with a loud boom. Luo Hao knew Chen Yong was doing it on purpose; after all, he hadn't had enough fun yet, and was using his exoskeleton to slam the ground as a final gesture of displeasure.

"You're something else, Chen Yong," Luo Hao said.

"Right? I told you I was pretty good." Chen Yong chuckled and whispered in Luo Hao's ear, "There are ventilation holes inside, simulating a real bunker. Small insects can crawl right in. Now, the entire underground base can be blown up with just a thought from me."

"!!!"

"!!!"

"Reconstruction will take a long time!" President Ye said angrily.

“I know, I know. Didn’t you think I couldn’t do it? Now you know.” Chen Yong shook his hand and began to remove the exoskeleton.

"..."

Although President Ye looked annoyed, Luo Hao knew that he was actually very excited inside.

"Mr. Ye, is it also a video call? An internal one?" Luo Hao asked.

"Yes, but it's classified, so we can't see it right now."

Luo Hao expressed his regret, but Chen Yong had already told him what he had done, so Luo Hao wasn't really interested in seeing it.

"Well, that's roughly the idea." Chen Yong removed his exoskeleton and said, "You can't use flying swords for attachments; your stuff is too heavy and might have some issues. But unmanned equipment is really amazing; it just requires brains."

"How many brains do you need?" Boss Lou asked a strange question.

"The patient's IQ isn't very high, and he doesn't seem very smart. Let's give it a try. I estimate he can only operate about 10 unmanned devices at most."

"However, we can have a frontline control center to transfer the data and use AI assistance; mental strength isn't that important," Chen Yong concluded.

Luo Hao sighed slightly. No matter what they talked about, it always came down to AI in the end.

(End of this chapter)