by <unknown>
From where Chen Chen was, the clone was almost like a rapidly fermenting steamed bun constantly growing in size. It soon reached a height of two meters. Its body intertwined in nerves and muscles like a tyrant of a smaller size.
This was the first time both Chen Chen and Little X had encountered such a situation.
However, the clone still ended up dying in the end. His body was ultimately unable to handle the modification of the T-virus. Still, him surviving eight hours was a notable achievement on its own.
Chen Chen saw a glimpse of hope from this extended time of sustenance.
Chen Chen evaluated intently when he saw the clone which ultimately became zombified anyway. "Despite the result, this was a very productive and meaningful experiment."
"Yes, there's no problem with the direction we're taking."
Little X commented while controlling the Black Knights to collect DNA samples from the clone, "Sirolimus can effectively limit the body's adverse reaction to the T-virus. In usual cases, this method of inhibiting the immune system should be lethal as the average human body doesn't have the immunity to combat the T-virus. Inhibiting the immune system may only hasten the death of the host.
"However, the results are completely different if the T-virus is compatible with the DNA of the host."
With that, Little X compared the DNA between Chen Chen's tyrant clone and the DNA of the latest zombified clone. "Look, we're getting closer to the answer. However, we only have one last matured clone left. The next batch of new clones will need another six months before reaching maturity."
Little X began sounding frustrated. "The closer the modified T-virus inches toward the formula, the slower the progress will be."
"That's normal."
Chen Chen nodded7. "It's just like a game. When you fix a bug, it'll inevitably generate a new bug. Although the code can be continuously revisited to bring the game closer to perfection, as the game becomes more polished, the difficulty of fixing bugs should increase invariably as well. These are all interconnected factors…"
"Which means that at the end of the day, it's still a matter of luck?"
Little X asked.
Chen Chen nodded before sighing. "It's just like when we initially modified the Progenitor virus into a perfected T-virus, there's the luck factor at play one way or another. In the case of many specialized drugs in the world, they weren't specifically developed to treat a specific disease but instead were essentially a product of chance.
"You could argue to a certain extent that… Luck is inherently a part of scientific research, this is completely inevitable. However, the effort and proficiency of the personnel involved may lower the margin.
"Besides, luck may not be on our side forever, but with great effort and skill…"
Chen Chen thought about it for a moment before fixing his statement. "Of course, money works too."
Little X, "…"
Chapter 267: Unmanned Drone |
The project of customizing a T-virus perfectly adapted for Chen Chen's genes was certainly not a mission that could be accomplished in the span of just a few days.
With good fortune, Little X may complete the development of the T-virus by the very next day. Otherwise, it may take a couple of hundreds of failures and years of work and there would still be no results to show for it.
Still, Chen Chen could afford to wait. With the help of an artificial intelligence the caliber of Little X and unlimited funds, a T-virus adapted for his genes would be produced one way or another.
Chen Chen was certain of this.
Very soon, after Chen Chen's parents had toured Namibia for half a month, they took a plane back to the Mainland.
After getting a taste of the heavenly dew that was the Medpod3000, Chen Chen's parents agreed with his suggestion. They would be returning to Namibia biannually to receive special treatment, essentially having their bodies repaired by the Medpod3000 once every six months.
Several days later, Chen Chen suddenly received news from the research department in the industrial park that was responsible for the "UAV spy drone" reverse-engineering project.
"Is this true?"
Chen Chen looked up at the display on the computer. "You're saying the UAV spy drone has been successfully replicated?"
"Yes, with the high-precision machine tools helping us manufacture some parts, the UAV spy drone prototype is complete."
Little X answered, "The research team is asking for your inspection."
"Let's go take a look."
Chen Chen immediately got up and went for the door.
By the time Chen Chen got to the ground floor, Cheng Cao already had the Wrangler parked by the building entrance.
"To the industrial park."
Chen Chen sat in the back seat and shut his eyes to get some rest.
With the experienced driver Cheng Cao at the helm, Chen Chen very quickly arrived at the rear section of the industrial park. This section was separated from the ten-thousand-workforce factory out in front. Any unauthorized personnel mixed in here would be immediately escorted out of here by the security forces, solely comprised of B.S.S. members.
Upon arriving at the mechanical processing factory responsible for drone manufacturing, several professors were already waiting by the entrance. These were the members Chen Chen had handpicked from all across the world.
With the supreme medical standards of the Eco Science City and lucrative salaries to boot, it was as easy as flipping a palm for Chen Chen to recruit experts from various sectors. He no longer had to resort to blackmailing and bullying tactics as he did in the past.
"Welcome, Mr. Chen."
A middle-aged man with black-rimmed glasses and a big beard greeted him. There was a host of researchers standing behind him.
"You guys are?" Chen Chen flicked an eyebrow.
"We're the research staff of the pneumatics department. I'm Mark Dawson but you can just call me Mark for short."
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Mark." Chen Chen extended his hand for a handshake.
"Good to meet you, good to meet you!" Mark immediately felt honored by the gesture. Despite the green age of the young man before him, nobody present at the scene would dare underestimate this man. Leaving the subject of the chip implanted at the back of their necks aside, just the wealth and influence this man possessed was enough to earn their full respect.
Chen Chen did not put on an attitude just because these people were his employees. He shook the hands of the people who came to greet him before finally asking, "Time is of the essence, let's go right in and see your reverse-engineered drones."
"Certainly, this way please."
Mark led the way for Chen Chen and explained while they walked, "The samples you've provided us certainly was amusing. Not only was the device known as the UAV spy drone built with extremely sturdy and yet lightweight engineered plastic shells, but the technology on its inside was also at least several decades ahead of our current generation. The first time we dismantled it, we had a hard time believing that this was a scientific creation of the current era at all."
"So, which part of its components displayed the most advanced technological prowess?" Chen Chen asked with intrigue.
"The most advanced has got to be the four sets of 'ion pulse vector propulsion units'."
Mark elaborated, "Usually, it's very difficult to transmute electricity into an ion pulse and generate an object propelling force from it. However, the sample you've provided perfectly addresses this problem. You could even say that this thruster device is much more advanced than the lifting fans on an F35B fighter.
"Good thing you assigned two ultra-high precision machine tools to us along with the group of experienced operators. This way, we were able to procure fanning gears with an error margin of less than 1 nanometer, otherwise it should take at least three years to make any progress."
The operators that Mark was referring to was the group of dozens of Black Knights. Despite their lack of innovational abilities, th
ey could be relied on for their endurance and extreme precision.
As they continued their conversation, they eventually made it to the inner section of the factory. Upon passing through the entrance, Chen Chen saw several drone assembly lines. In truth, these assembly lines only served as a façade for the various valuable ultra-high precision machine tools further inside.
They continued heading inside, hardly paying any attention to the assembly lines. After passing through a piece of curtain, Chen Chen finally saw two disk-shaped machines about one meter in length and 20 centimeters in height in an assembly workshop.
It appeared that these two devices were not fitted with a shell yet, the majority of the wiring and internal structure was exposed.
"These two are the prototypes we've created."
Mark stepped forward and explained, "Take a look, is it almost completely identical to the samples?"
"Where's the sample?" Chen Chen asked as he looked around.
"It's this pile of parts over here."
Mark pointed at a pile of parts scattered in the corner. "To help us research this drone, we've dismantled it into the smallest units possible. On top of that, we've cycled through several solutions including cutting it, soaking it in chemical solutions, and various other methods to explore the nature of its base components. The sample is completely decommissioned at this point."
Chen Chen nodded at his mention and reverted his attention to the two newly manufactured prototype drones.
Mark quickly took the hint as he instructed the people behind him, "You guys, operate these two drones and give us a flight demonstration."
Two members immediately stepped forward and turned on the switch on the drone. At the same time, they presented a device resembling a controller and gently tapped it.
Immediately after that, Chen Chen saw the two drones silently taking flight.
"This is the advantage of the ion pulse vector propulsion unit, it's extremely silent. If you stand slightly farther, you could barely hear anything. This is the primary reason it's called a spy drone."
"How about battery life and flight speed?" Chen Chen asked, "does it manage to reach the level of the original version?"
"Unfortunately, it's slightly inferior to the original version."
Mark answered somewhat awkwardly upon noting the inquiry, "The original drone can reach up to 120 kilometers per hour with a total travel distance of 2,000 kilometers. This is due to the original version containing an extremely advanced nuclear fuel cell. If we were to mass-produce this device, we can only use a slightly inferior hydrogen fuel cell, therefore both its power and battery life won't be able to reach the level of the original version."
Chapter 268: The Birth of the Mark-1 Drone |
The two new drone models underwent multiple tests in front of Chen Chen.
The two speckless gray drones patrolled in the air like two UFOs. They constantly twisted and turned, appearing even more nimble than birds.
"The new drone models are implanted with a facial recognition system and mounted with 12K high-definition zoom cameras. At its limit, it can verify the identity of a person from five-hundred meters away, it can also switch to night-mode at night which grants indistinguishable daytime vision.
"With that said, we're still not entirely sure about the general programming sequence. All of this is accomplished with the motherboard chipset you provided…"
Mark explained while he conducted the tests, "The noise generated by the drone during flight is 20 decibels, which is the rough equivalent of the brushing of windblown tree leaves. As for mobility, its cruising speed can reach 80 kilometers per hour, which is more than enough for general patrolling."
Mark thought for a brief moment before adding. "To be clear, this isn't the maximum speed allowed. With some more time to further modify the ion pulse thrusters, we think it's likely that we can raise the speed to 120 kilometers per hour in the future. Is there… Anything else you would like to modify?"
Chen Chen nodded. "Of course, there can never be too many additions when it comes to a piece of technology like this. What about its flaws?"
"In terms of flaws, I'd say it's probably that its weight capacity is too low."
Mark expressed regretfully, "Although we've done all we can to reduce the weight of the drone, the two high-definition cameras mounted alone weigh up to three kilograms. With the addition of various other devices, its weight quickly exceeded ten kilograms. For every additional kilogram of weight added, the efficiency of the drone decreases exponentially. It'll be difficult to maintain its current flight efficiency if it exceeds three kilograms."
Chen Chen nodded in response. "Which means that it won't be able to carry weapons?"
"Yes."
Mark answered, "There's no chance of it being able to sustain the weight of our newly manufactured electromagnetic rifles. Even if it could afford to mount them, there's the recoil of the electromagnetic rifles to put into consideration. The drone cannot sustain an impact force exceeding 3N, otherwise, it loses control easily."
"Why must we mount it with the electromagnetic rifle?"
Chen Chen suddenly asked, "I see that the drone is fitted with ceramic armor. What if we remove the ceramic armor and try to install weapons such as pistols?"
"But, without the armor, won't the sustainability of the drone be…"
Mark was caught off guard by this. "Besides, the effective range of pistol-styled weapons barely exceeds fifty meters. For the drone to engage its enemies, it'll have to close the distance. Without its armor, there's no chance of the drone maximizing its potential."
Chen Chen smiled at the notion. "You don't have to worry about this, you only need to produce a prototype according to my specifications."
"If you insist."
Mark nodded reluctantly, a small part of him feeling like Chen Chen the outsider was trying to claim superiority over the experts of the subject.
Noting this, Chen Chen decided to stop beating around the bush. He took out a metal ball about three centimeters in diameter and showed it to Mark. "The new drone models will need a designated slot for fitting this ball."
"This is…" Mark paused for a moment. Upon noting Chen Chen's gesture, he slowly reached out for the metal ball in Chen Chen's hand.
The metal ball suddenly produced a brief "ding" when Mark noticed a sudden flash before his very eyes. His hand had completely vanished!
Astonished, Mark looked down and to his horror, he noticed that his body had disappeared as well. No, not disappear because Mark could still vividly feel his body. Additionally, he could see faint glimmers of light in the surrounding bending according to his movement.
The other scientists present at the scene were all wowed by this demonstration. From their perspective, Mark had only taken hold of the metal ball when he suddenly vanished right before their very eyes following a clear ring produced by the metal ball!
"Thwack!"
While Mark was still caught by surprise, his finger suddenly slipped and dropped the metal ball onto the ground. It was then when Mark realized his body had reverted to normal.
"This is…"
Mark promptly picked the tiny metal ball up and expressed his amusement of it, "This ball can turn someone invisible?"
"Yes, this metal ball generates an electromagnetic field of a set frequency which distorts light in its surroundings."
Chen Chen replied, "If we can install this into the drone, do we still need armor at all?"
"If we can truly make it turn invisible, then we certainly won't need armor…"
Mark nodded with mild excitement before he suddenly raised another concern. "Since it simulates invisibility by distorting light, then going by that logic, it shouldn't be possible to receive light from the surrounding as well. While turning invisible, the user should be rendered blind as well, but why was it that my eye was still able to receive light from my surroundings after turning invisible?"
"?"
'If I had the answ
er, what do I need you guys for?'
Instead of answering the question, Chen Chen shifted the topic. "Alright, the samples are provided, I hope you guys can modify the drone as soon as possible. At the very least, give the drone some light combat capabilities instead of just being a glorified security camera."
"Yes, certainly. We can manufacture a new variant of the drone in just three days!"
The rest of them nodded in agreement.
With that, Chen Chen turned around and took his leave.
Chen Chen was well aware that compared to the UAV spy drone as seen in the Elysium universe, the creation of Mark and the other host of experts should be greatly inferior.
For starters, the original model used an engineered plastic, a form of armor with strong compressive deformation ability. Its weight was almost identical to regular plastic but its bulletproofing qualities trumped that of steel.
On top of that, the nuclear fuel cell of the original drone model could sustain the drone for more than a month. The current drone only managed to last 24 hours airborne with the battery technology currently implemented by Chen Chen.
Due to the significant technological gap, Chen Chen had yet to completely figure out the technology behind the hydrogen fuel cell from the Terminator universe, let alone the nuclear fuel cell technology of the Elysium universe.
Considering the gap in energy generation technology, it was no surprise that the drone's performance was no match for its counterpart in the movie.
With that said, there was hardly any worry regarding the intelligence system of the drones since there was Little X. The moment these drones take flight, they essentially became extensions of Little X's eyes. In combination with the wide-ranging presence of surveillance cameras across Eco Science City, no longer would there be a blind spot in the city.
This was Chen Chen's goal. As Blacklight Biotechnology continued to spearhead cutting-edge advancements in the medical sector, Eco Science City had become a battlefield among the major forces with spies lurking around every corner.