The virtual empire starts from the game

Chapter 622 Bionic Prosthetic Body! Lifelike Robot! (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
"So... Paradise Princess and Zhihui Technology have achieved results?"

This was the first reaction from netizens.

Two months have passed since the humanoid robot competition ended.

At the normal pace of robot development, two months would pass in the blink of an eye, which is far from enough to complete a development cycle.

But when this matter is related to building dreams, people's concepts of time and output become somewhat detached from reality.

It's like any project that Zhuzhu Dream is involved in will be sped up 5x or even 10x!
In addition, Xu Meng has caused so much trouble in the past two months, making everyone feel that the humanoid robot competition was something from a long time ago.

It's time for a breakthrough!

As everyone watched with anticipation, the holographic landscape of the Bay of Benin gradually blurred until it vanished completely.

Instead, there is a small park that looks a bit like an old man taking a stroll in a nursing home.

However, upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that the majority of people here are young, with very few elderly people.

And these young people...

Something looks really wrong!

Xu Meng raised her hand and shouted at someone, "Pang Yun!"

A young man, his big tail swishing, came running over from not far away.

As he ran over, Xu Meng also took the time to explain to the audience: "The first new hardware I want to show you is: a controllable dragon tail."

After saying that, Pang Yun ran to Xu Meng's side.

The audience was able to clearly see that there was a thick, large green dragon tail behind this guy's butt!
The widest part of it is thicker than his waist!
The upper layer consists of delicate green dragon scales, while the lower layer consists of segments of light-colored muscle tissue.

He swung his arms freely as he spoke, quite restless, yet exuding a sense of agility and ease.

Just those few seconds of tail-wagging were enough to mesmerize netizens who work in engineering design and robotics development!

Pang Yun was completely unaware of this and greeted the three of them excitedly:
"Good morning, Mr. Xu."

"And Xiaomeng! Good morning!"

"And Keke! Good morning, good morning!"

Xu Meng nodded: "Good morning."

Keke followed the sound and nodded toward Pang Yun's location.

Xiao Meng waved her hand and pulled Ke Ke to touch Pang Yun's chubby dragon tail.

Pang Yun then controlled his tail to lift up, dodging left and right to avoid being caught by Xiao Meng. On the contrary, when Ke Ke came up to him, he would stop and let Ke Ke touch him as she pleased.

Xiao Meng angrily kicked his shin.

Xu Meng waited until the demonstration was almost over before explaining, "The tail on Pang Yun's body now is the dragon tail from the reconstruction reward [Dragon Wings and Dragon Tail]."

“I want everyone to realize that this is not just a decorative item like those on the market, but a real [bionic prosthetic body].

"Inside this dragon's tail is a complete bionic neural network and a distributed tactile generator, and the software uses a bioelectric-digital signal bidirectional translation protocol."

"That is to say..."

He turned to look at Keke's hand touching the dragon's tail. "Pang Yun can now not only control the tail with his own brain, but also truly feel the sensation of the tail being touched by someone."

Pang Yun nodded repeatedly.

Although it's a holographic image now and we can't feel Coco's touch, everyone in this sanatorium touches each other quite often every day.

—Of course, it's just touching bionic limbs like tails, wings, and ears.

They do have a basic sense of social etiquette.

"To avoid any misunderstanding, I need to clarify: this type of prosthetic limb with artificial nerves does not require brain-computer interface control," Xu Meng continued.

"The reason we had Pang Yun do the test was simply because he has a brain-computer interface, which makes it very convenient for him to collect data and assist in the regulation of neural sensitivity."

"In addition, the brain-computer interface postoperative rehabilitation center is well-equipped and has good medical conditions. We chose them to help us to ensure efficiency."

“That’s right, that’s right, thank you Mr. Xu for giving us this opportunity.” Pang Yun immediately pledged his loyalty.

They receive subsidies for assisting in the research and development and testing of equipment.

And Zhuzhu Dream is always generous with its funding!
The projects he has been involved in are not limited to [bionic prosthetics].

There are many people like him.

—Those who have undergone brain-computer interface surgery are perfectly suited to conduct research in brain science, neurology, and the intersection of these fields with digital information.

Each one is a treasure.

Now, almost all patients who have undergone brain-computer interface surgery, regardless of their previous profession, become scientific researchers after the surgery.

Although they were doing auxiliary work, they didn't even really understand what they were doing.

But their contributions and rewards are real!
Therefore, Pang Yun's gratitude to Xu Meng was not at all fake—before, Xu Meng was just a second parent, but now she is not only a second parent, but also a provider of food and clothing.

Then I must thank you twice over!
He was excited, but the audience was a little confused:
"Wait, wait a minute, what's the point of this thing?"

"I know this tail is awesome, but besides looking awesome, does it have any other use?"

"Besides cosplaying at anime conventions, what other use is this reward?"

"A dragon girl fanatic's ecstasy?"

"Even if you have a third hand?"

……

Most netizens are ordinary people, and they can only see a flexible tail in this demonstration.

They had no concept of what Xu Meng meant by "bionic neural network," so they naturally didn't feel the awe that professionals would feel.

Xu Meng had anticipated this, so she quickly explained to the audience:
"This dragon tail was just a simple technical experiment."

"Now that the technology is basically mature, we can do many more things, such as—"

He waved his hand, and the surrounding holographic environment instantly changed.

Pang Yun disappeared, and a young man with broad dragon wings appeared.

With another wave, she transforms into a girl with cat ears, holding a tablet in her hands, and a bag of potato chips wrapped around her cat tail.

When the girl saw the three of them, she immediately stretched out her tail and handed the potato chips to Xiaomeng and Keke.

Then they realized they couldn't get any, and laughed a little awkwardly.

Xu Meng waved again, and the scene changed to an indoor training ground.

This time, it was a group of seemingly ordinary middle-aged people who were jogging, playing ball, and stretching under the doctor's observation.

Xu Meng stopped what she was doing: "As you can see now."

"Bionic nerves have many applications, such as making dragon tails and cat ears. It's just a matter of habit for DreamWorks as a game company."

"Its true potential lies in creating perfect prosthetics for people with physical disabilities!"

"However, this matter is not very interesting, so I won't go into details about it. Just keep it to yourself."

"Let's talk about the fun parts."

As they spoke, the scene returned to the press conference venue.

"After the press conference, we will release a batch of bionic prosthetic merchandise, including 1000 dragon tails, 1000 cat tails, 1000 fox tails, 1000 succubus tails, and 1000 pairs of cat ears, fox ears, and elf ears..."

There have been many female characters of various races in "Frost and Snow Project", so it's not a big problem to insist that this is merchandise.

As he spoke, these products, such as dragon tails and cat ears, were displayed one by one in the form of holographic images.

“Also, um…” Xu Meng hesitated, which was unusual for her.

But in the end, he still said it: "There are also 1000 pairs of Luna's bionic breasts."

After saying that, he immediately explained, "This has nothing to do with me!"

"This was strongly requested by Mei Dingnian, the mastermind behind the 'Frost and Snow Project'! She said she wanted to benefit flat-chested female investigators and those who like cross-dressing... well, that's all, it's just about benefiting female investigators."

"She's been a founding member of the Dream Building team since before the release of 'Frost and Snow Project,' so it's really hard for me to refuse her request."

"So, this was entirely her request! Please don't misunderstand me."

The live stream chat erupted in laughter.

Luna is also a character in "Frost Project".

After Xu Meng proposed the idea of ​​"integrating animal personalities and characteristics into character design," Ding Nian and Ya Ya quickly created the character.

Luna, the Cow Girl.

The main features are...

White, and large.

It's very large. Xu Meng could actually understand why Ding Nian would make such a request.

Unlike the characters she created, whose ambitions grew ever grander and whose combat power expanded to the point of being out of control, to the point that the modeling department had to repeatedly dissuade them in public meetings and private communications, Ding Nian's own figure was somewhat unsatisfactory.

Now that I've seen Xu Meng create a prosthetic body with a bionic neural network and highly sensitive tactile feedback, I want to enhance myself and immerse myself in the lives of the characters...

Xu Meng felt that it was completely understandable.

Players can understand:

"Hahaha, Ding Zhumei! You're getting too attached to appearances!"

"They're so cute even when they're small, hahaha..."

"Mr. Xu didn't finish his sentence because he wanted to benefit cross-dressing effeminate men, right? Hahaha, genius!"

"I hereby declare: The arms race in the cosplay community has begun!!"

……

Xu Meng dared not let these people continue talking, otherwise Ding Nian might come to his office.

He raised his voice, drowning out the laughter from the audience:

"Starting today, bionic prosthetics will be included in the honor player protection system."

"In the unfortunate event that a player needs brain-computer interface surgery or prosthetic limbs, Dream will provide these services free of charge without any conditions."

There are only about 30 honorary players worldwide right now, so there's no need to elaborate on this topic.

Xu Meng briefly touched on one product and quickly moved on to the next—

"That concludes the section on bionic prosthetics. Next up is what everyone's been waiting for: lifelike robots!"

The laughter quickly subsided.

Everyone stared at Xu Meng with shining eyes.

Xu Meng didn't keep them in suspense and said directly, "Next, let's turn off the holographic device."

Before the words had even finished, the various "prosthetic peripherals" suspended in the air vanished instantly.

Many of the decorations on the podium—including the carpet under Xu Meng's feet—also disappeared.

The lights slowly came on, illuminating the entire hall.

The audience didn't realize anything was wrong at first.

Until someone suddenly shouted out—

"Xiao Meng!!"

Everyone then realized that Xiaomeng and Keke had not disappeared!

Even under the bright, almost blinding lights, they were still clearly standing next to Xu Meng!
As if a bomb had been dropped, the entire hall froze for a moment.

The next second, this place transformed into a bustling morning market, filled with the cacophony of voices!

Amidst the excited and noisy chatter of the crowd, Keke tiptoed to the front of the stage, lifted her skirt, and bowed to the audience below the stage and in front of the camera.

"Hello everyone, I'm Keke."

The audience erupted in excitement as they watched the various close-up details of Coco on the big screen:
"Are Xiaomeng and Keke both lifelike robots?"

"From the start of the press conference until now, not a single person has been spotted?!"

"I knew it! Why would Xu Meng need guests for a press conference! They didn't do any guest work, they just played around the whole time. So they were waiting for us here?!"

"Is this really not a hologram? This is... way too real!!"

"This...this...it's so realistic, how can I afford it??"

"This is clearly not a product meant to be sold in large quantities..."

"The skin is so realistic, the movements are so fluid, the expressions are so delicate... I really want it! Can I pay in installments, Mr. Xu?"

……

Shocked, unbelievable, I want it!

At least tens of millions of players quickly went through the above thought process and started to consider the issue of their wallets:
"Mr. Xu, how much is it? How do I buy it?"

"Name your price and I'll give up!"

"I won't give up! I'll sell my blood to buy it!"

"Can I buy Xiaomeng too?"

……

When Xu Meng heard that loud voice, the smile on her face froze instantly.

“Xiao Meng is different.”

"Don't even think about taking advantage of Xiaomeng; that falls under the category of human trafficking."

In fact, even disregarding Xiaomeng's special characteristics, the two lifelike robots in front of her are worlds apart in value.

Although the two robots look similar, Coco is even much bigger than Xiaomeng.

But in reality, the two are not even in the same league.

Xiao Meng's body is still in an unfinished stage, yet it has already cost more than ten times the money of a regular realistic robot—both the material costs and the research and development costs are frighteningly high.

But in Xu Meng's heart, Xiao Meng was absolutely not for sale—who would sell their own child?
Therefore, there's no need to discuss cost issues in detail.

Xu Meng's reaction did not surprise netizens at all.

It would be strange if he were really willing to sell!

After this little incident, Xu Meng began to introduce the lifelike robot: "Thanks to Zhihui Technology and Jileji!"

"With the full collaboration of both engineering teams, and with the help of the neuroroaming engineering team and myself, the development of realistic robotics technology is progressing by leaps and bounds!"

"At this point, it can fully meet the commercial needs of [companion robots]."

"However, before everyone places an order, I must first pour some cold water on things."

The phrase "pouring cold water" calmed everyone down considerably.

The whispers from the audience finally disappeared completely.

"A lifelike robot is a very expensive gadget."

"While achieving a high degree of anthropomorphism, a corresponding price was also paid—"

"On a technical level, they can completely help you with laundry, cooking, housework, childcare, and receiving deliveries."

"If you're comfortable with that, you can even input the map information and try having her pick you up from get off work."

"But the problem is: their skin is too delicate and easily injured and worn out; their fingers are not as dexterous as humans', nor as strong."

“If we really make her do the work, it will probably cost a lot of money in maintenance and repair.”

"Therefore, I suggest that everyone calm down and not make impulsive purchases."

The audience was speechless after hearing these words.

We watched you lift the basin, all ready to fill it with cold water, but you ended up pouring a basin of warm water down on us.
How is this a defect?

That's amazing!

"We bought a wife, not a nanny! Who wants her to do chores?!"

"Stop talking nonsense! Send me the link, Mr. Xu!"

"Shut up, and take my wallet!"

……

Seeing that everyone didn't mind at all, Xu Meng stopped talking nonsense:

"After the press conference, the three lifelike robots [Keke], [Heyin] and [Huohuo] will be available for purchase simultaneously, with 2000 units of each character in stock, priced between 40 and 60 yuan."

As soon as the prices and inventory were announced, gasps of surprise filled the air.

Some people think it's more expensive than expected, while others think it's ridiculously cheap.

Instead of urging everyone to buy, Xu Meng started discouraging customers from buying on the spot:

"We plan to gradually reduce costs and selling prices to one-third of what they are now within the next year."

Therefore, we advise ordinary users not to purchase this product!

"Waiting for products with better cost performance in the future."

"I assure you, it will definitely happen!"

(End of this chapter)