by <unknown>
Um…
In that case, what should he "extract" next?
There was a faint dark glimmer in Chen Chen's pupils.
At the moment, he would have no use for technological artifacts. Chen Chen had recently contacted the head office, asking Little X to send the design plan of the company's second product, the "simultaneous translator", to Xia Yin. Then, she was supposed to launch this product.
Ever since they signed an astronomical 4-billion contract with Facebook, the name, Blacklight Biotechnology, was known to countless people in the industry, exposing the company to the eye of the storm.
Moreover, once the simultaneous translator appeared on the market, it would immediately affect the interests of several industries, just like a shocking tsunami. In the death throes of the affected industries, few companies would be able to escape unscathed.
As for whether Xia Yin could keep this product going and whether this tsunami-like wave was going to happen, it depended on her ability.
If Xia Yin truly had extraordinary capabilities, Chen Chen was prepared to hand over full authority in managing all of the head office's public dealings. In the future, her position as the CEO of a certain Blacklight Biotechnology Group in Mainland China would be assured.
However, if Xia Yin could not keep this product going, naturally, she would not have a future here. Chen Chen would disband the company and turn fully to the dark side. He would begin to truly hide in the shadows.
As for the profits that this product would bring, Chen Chen did not care much about all that.
Even so, as Chen Chen's influence expanded and started encroaching upon the interests of others, the unseen risks of inadequate personal safety were brought to light.
One example was the assassination attempt by the Rainbow Nation.
He had no other option but to risk his own life at that point. After all, if Chen Chen had not used himself as bait to lure out the sniper, it would be difficult to find out who the traitor was.
If he did not sniff out the traitor, then even if he had escaped this time, there would be another attack.
After all, who could keep up a perfect defense forever?
Therefore, for the next item that he had acquired, the primary consideration should be his personal safety.
Of course, the German military strategist Clausewitz had a famous saying in On War which was known throughout the world: "The best defense is a good offense". There was an ancient motto in China too: "A prolonged defense leads to defeat."
In other words, pure defense was not desirable. The most important strategy was to take initiative.
Therefore, to Chen Chen, the best defense would be to enhance his strength. The best source of strength would naturally be superpowers.
Having thought of this, Chen Chen started downloading three movies on his computer.
Chronicle, My Super Ex-Girlfriend, and Psychokinesis.
The latter two were movies that Chen Chen found after watching Chronicle, both of which had characters obtaining superpowers through an external force. After all, the Crystalline in Chronicle was too large. It would be better if he could settle on the next best thing.
However, as far as Chen Chen knew, My Super Ex-Girlfriend was not necessarily a science-fiction film but a romantic comedy.
The female lead in the film touched a meteor that fell from the sky when she was young, thus obtaining super abilities such as flight, super-strength, and supersonic speed, which were almost comparable to Superman.
The same applied to Psychokinesis as well. This was a new work by the director of the South Korean film, Train to Busan. The protagonist drank an extraterrestrial liquid at a mountain spring. After that, he gained superpowers similar to those in Chronicle.
Nonetheless, unlike Chronicle, his superpowers here did not strengthen progressively nor did he pay any sort of price. Even the logic of the plot was quite lacking.
Even Douban, a platform with a majority of foreigners, who liked to "balance the score" for domestic works, did not rate this "Oppa movie" favorably, giving it only a low score of 5.6.
Therefore, Chen Chen was not expecting too much.
Sure enough, when the three movies were downloaded, Chen Chen tried Psychokinesis first, but was greeted with that long-lost "ding".
The USB drive felt that this movie suffered from a severe lack of logic and heartlessly denied Chen Chen's request.
After that, Chen Chen tried My Super Ex-Girlfriend…
"Ding!"
Hmm, the world of the movie was too outrageous and the USB drive rejected it again.
Chen Chen swiftly deleted these two movies with [ctrl+d], then turned and looked at the remaining movie.
Chronicle.
A complicated look flashed in his eyes. This was the ability he had wanted to acquire but after he learned more about it, he had some reservations.
When Chronicle was released twelve years ago, it earned a hundred million at the box office with a budget of ten million. It was an unprecedented success and was widely known to many netizens.
However, as the release of the sequel was continually delayed, it incurred the wrath of many netizens.
Following that, the supposed plot of the sequel began circulating the internet.
One of the first theories surfaced in 2012, stating that there was an alien lifeform in the crystal. The three protagonists died that day and everything after that was just their clones.
Another theory appeared in 2016, claiming that Andrew (the protagonist) did not die. Although he was pierced by a stone spear, he was eventually rescued by the government who began studying his body.
However, after searching the Internet, Chen Chen discovered that the original screenwriter, Max Landis, said in an interview:
"I really like Andrew. I understand his behavior and how he felt, but the apocalyptic destruction he caused was also unforgivable. So, I let him die in the end but in Chronicle 2, I brought him back from hell."
However, in July 2013, as the second script he wrote was too dark, the producer kicked him off the crew and he was no longer involved in Chronicle 2.
The first plot circulating online was in conflict with what Max Landis had said in his interview.
Not only that but Chen Chen also found it difficult to believe that the script of a movie could be leaked even before shooting began.
As for the online rumors that the sequel had already been filmed, Chen Chen had also verified that these were just rumors. The sequel had been shelved indefinitely by the production company.
Nevertheless, after he read all these rumors, Chen Chen still had some doubts.
What if the rumors were true?
Chen Chen was not afraid of being deceived because being the cautious person that he was, he would never extract the Crystalline and irradiate himself immediately. First, he must make preparations —
For instance, setting up a laboratory, using lead glass to block off the radiation, then slowly researching the composition and characteristics of the crystal.
Before ensuring that the crystal would not cause irreversible harm to the human body, Chen Chen would never expose himself to its radiation.
Furthermore, if the crystal contained an extraterrestrial lifeform as rumored, naturally, he would not be able to extract it from the USB drive.
What Chen Chen was afraid of was after going to such lengths to accumulate enough energy, the Crystalline that he subsequently extracted would be harmful to the human body and thus unusable. That would be f*cking embarrassing…
Chen Chen clicked on [Chronicle.mp4] on the screen and pressed [ctrl+c].
The energy in the USB drive at this time was still insufficient to extract the Crystalline. Chen Chen had downloaded it along with the rest because he wanted to see if the movie could be accommodated by the USB drive.
If Chronicle could not be accommodated, that would put a stop to all his considerations. Chen Chen would not consider superpowers again in the future.
W
ith this in mind, Chen Chen opened the USB drive's file and pressed [ctrl+v]…
Chapter 80: Only Kids Have to Choose |
Chen Chen pressed [ctrl+v].
As the progress bar flashed, a file named [2011 Newest Chronicle (Director's Cut Extended Edition) 1280p.BD with Chinese and English subtitles.mp4] appeared in the USB drive.
Seeing that the movie Chronicle had appeared successfully in the USB drive, Chen Chen sighed in relief.
Fortunately, the USB drive could accommodate the movie.
Although the energy in the USB drive was still not enough to extract that crystal, at least he had a subsequent goal.
As he thought of this, Chen Chen stopped worrying about superpowers and instead thought about what he wanted to obtain next.
Since he could not acquire superpowers for now, he could only go for the next best thing. He would look for some defensive technological equipment to improve his chances of survival in the face of danger.
In that case, this piece of equipment would need to fulfill the following requirements:
It must have a certain defensive ability, bulletproof at least. Plus, it must be portable and suitable for daily use.
Its portability meant that he could carry this equipment with him anywhere he went, without having to worry about not having it at a critical moment.
As for its suitability for daily use, it meant that Chen Chen should still be able to move swiftly and it should be lightweight as well.
According to these criteria, the one which best fulfilled Chen Chen's desires was naturally Tony Stark's Mark V that could be folded into a suitcase.
Mark V: 10 points for defense, 10 points for combat power, 10 points for endurance, 10 points for portability, and 10 points for daily use.
This was the score that Chen Chen had assigned. If the USB drive could take in Marvel movies such as Iron Man, not only would the equipment issue be resolved but also the energy issue would be settled.
After all, if Chen Chen could extract the ARC fusion reactor from the movie, he would be set for life.
Too bad this USB drive was like a stubborn blockhead. Chen Chen had tried to sneak Avengers into the USB drive but it could not be copied in. Even the other movies like Iron Man, X-Men, Captain America, Black Panther, and so on could not be placed inside the USB drive.
It looked like the USB drive did not just reject Avengers but the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe…
The same happened with the DC Universe.
Since that was the case, Chen Chen could only give up and go for the next option.
With this in mind, Chen Chen picked up a pen from the table and wrote a row of alternatives on a piece of paper —
Accelerator Suit, ExoSuit, the nerve exoskeleton, Predator Killer, and Gantz Suit.
The Accelerator Suit from the 2009 movie, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, weighed about 50kg. It would withstand the collision of bullets and cars without being damaged.
At the same time, the armor could be equipped with kinetic energy weapons on the wrist and the back of the hands could be fitted with micro missiles. Upon wearing it, one could move at a speed of 65 kilometers per hour. The kinetic energy it had when running could easily penetrate a wall.
Taking Iron Man's armor as the standard, the Accelerator Suit was roughly rated as: 5 points for defense, 3 points for combat power, 3 points for endurance, 1 point for portability, and 1 point for daily use.
To put it simply, the defensive power of this Accelerator Suit had met Chen Chen's needs and Chen Chen did not require high combat power. The only issue was its portability and suitability for daily use.
It was lacking in portability and even more so in terms of daily use. Chen Chen could not possibly swagger around wearing this every day.
Although it was decent in terms of its personal arsenal, it did not fulfill Chen Chen's requirements.
Pass!
The ExoSuit came from the 2016 movie, Edge of Tomorrow, starring Tom Cruise. The ExoSuit was a standard exoskeleton mecha in the movie.
This mecha was large and clunky but possessed astonishing mobility such as strength enhancement and powered jumps. The weapon system was similar to the Accelerator Suit — with a machine gun and micro missiles.
According to the movie data, it weighed 40kg and might reach up to 60kg after the weapons were installed.
The rating Chen Chen gave it was: 2 points for defense, 3 points for combat effectiveness, 3 points for endurance, 1 point for portability, and 1 point for daily use.
Erm…
It was not even as good as the Accelerator Suit.
Pass!
The nerve exoskeleton from the 2013 movie, Elysium, consisted of leg and back supports. Motors were installed at the knees and the hips, so it had full mobility.
However, the exoskeleton in the movie was not simply a mechanical structure but a set of mechanisms controlled by the brain. By implanting biochips into the brain, the movement of the mechanical exoskeleton was controlled by nerve conductors.
In simple terms, once this equipment was put on, it was difficult to take off. Although it was more hidden, it was still inadequate.
There was no need to rate this one. Pass, right away.
Predator Killer came from the movie, The Predator (2018). This armor appeared at the end of the movie, kept in the escape pod by the Fugitive Predator. The human doctor in the story said that this was a weapon the Fugitive Predator gave to humans.
Nonetheless, some interpreted that this armor was originally used by the Fugitive Predator itself, only its ship was destroyed and fell to Earth.
Still, the name Predator Killer gave a clear indication of its function, which seemed to fit the first interpretation.
This suit of armor was usually just a glossy, black armguard but once activated, it would quickly cover the user's body just like Iron Man's Mark V, becoming a fully protective defensive armor.
Although the audience only got a glimpse of it in the movie, anyone could sense the massive destructive power of this suit.
Chen Chen considered all this and wrote below Predator Killer: defense unknown, combat power unknown, endurance unknown, 10 points for portability, and 10 points for daily use.
Whether in terms of portability or daily use, it got full marks.
Very good. This could be a possible alternative.
Chen Chen nodded and looked at the last option.
Gantz Suit was from the 2011 Japanese movie, Gantz, a combat suit worn by the movie's characters. However, unlike the other armors, it was one without any metal structures at all.
To Chen Chen's understanding, the operating principle of Gantz Suit was likely similar to the "shear thickening fluid" in bulletproof vests.
This shear thickening fluid was a nanoparticle solvent in a solid-liquid mixed state. It was usually in liquid form but upon any form of impact, it would quickly become incomparably solid.
To put it simply, the shear thickening fluid was usually in a state where the particles did not interfere with each other. However, once it was impacted, it would cause the particles to collide violently and become solid for a short time. Furthermore, it was able to spread the impact force to its surroundings and reduce the damage to the lowest point.
After Gantz Suit suffered a blow that exceeded its limit, a lot of liquid would flow out. This undoubtedly mirrored the characteristics of "shear thickening fluid". Even so, the liquid in Gantz Suit was much more advanced than shear thickening fluid.
This was because Gantz Suit not only provided resistance to attacks but they also increased the physical fitness of the wearer.
3 points for defense, 2 points for combat power, 10 points for endurance, 10 points for portability, and 10 points for daily use.
After thinking about it, Chen Chen added another sentence at the end - PS: 10 points for concealment, could be worn at any time, regardless of time and place.
This final point was the most vital.
However, Chen Chen seemed to recall th
at the combat suit in Gantz could only be worn by a specific individual. He did not know how that worked or whether it could be bypassed.
The above items were all protective armors that Chen Chen had estimated to be below 100kg in weight. Of course, others were over 100kg such as the AMP Suit in Avatar, the Jaeger in Pacific Rim plus District 9, Real Steel, and so on.
However, all these either had energy limits or were too large, so they did not meet Chen Chen's requirements.
Having considered all this, Chen Chen could not help making a thoughtful expression:
Predator Killer and Gantz Suit — which one should he choose?
Chapter 81: Adults Get to Have It All! |
After struggling with the decision for a long time, Chen Chen did not make a final choice.
After all, the performance of the Gantz Suit was superior. After wearing it, one's entire body, except for the head, would gain an extra bulletproof layer. Moreover, it could be worn under one's clothes, making it visually inconspicuous.
Its disadvantage was that it could probably only be used by a specific character.
Although the Predator Killer seemed very powerful, its energy problem was a hidden risk.
After all, there was no such thing as a perpetual motion machine. This armor seemed so extravagant that the energy it consumed must be extravagant also.
Furthermore, the Predator Killer was stored in the escape pod of the Fugitive Predator. This meant that the Predator Killer was likely to be integrated with the pod, which might act as a charging device for the suit.
In other words, if Chen Chen wished to use the Predator Killer without any worries, he would have to extract the escape pod too, which was as tall as a person.
In short, these two pieces of equipment had their advantages as well as their shortcomings.
Chen Chen drew in a deep breath.
In that case, it was better to extract everything.
After all, one Gantz Suit weighed ten kilograms at most while the Predator Killer weighed thirty kilograms at most. This was, by far, less than the energy stored in the USB drive.
As for the energy source of the Predator Killer — well, rules were fixed but humans could adapt. He could extract the armguard this time and leave the escape pod for another time.