419: Chapter 418 General Zheng's Minor Shock

Watching Wang Shuo's earnest expression, the Middle-aged man felt moved.

He liked young man more the longer he looked at him; he had a straightforward personality, no ulterior motives, and considerable ability, having already built a foundation at such a young age.

Most importantly: he listened to reason. This alone made him far better than his own stubborn son.

The Middle-aged man quietly turned to glance at the expressionless Zheng Yi beside him and shook his head slightly.

What a pity. He was perfect in every way, but he was a bit young—only eighteen, a full eight years younger than his daughter.

Otherwise, they might have made a good match.

Zheng Yi, who was sipping tea, clearly noticed her father's subtle movements; her mouth twitched slightly, and she remained impassive.

Wang Shuo, however, was oblivious. While his sensory acuity had improved, he lacked the practical application skills of veterans like Zheng Yi who had truly been on the battlefield.

"Ahem, Wang Shuo."

Seeing that their conversation was drawing to a close, the Middle-aged man coughed. "I came here today not just to deliver gifts, but to confirm one other matter with you."

This was the primary reason for his visit.

Wang Shuo nodded naturally. "I know, Uncle Zheng."

He wasn't a fool.

Based on their conversation, the Middle-aged man had already revealed a significant amount of information. Most daunting of all was the fact that he could influence decisions in Beijing—his status was clearly even higher than Wang Shuo had imagined.

The question then arose: what could possibly compel such a high-ranking figure—likely a major leader—to show him favor and bestow such generous gifts?

After much thought, Wang Shuo could only come up with one possibility.

Standing up, Wang Shuo said, "Uncle Zheng, follow me."

A glint flashed in the Middle-aged man's eyes. He nodded firmly and followed Wang Shuo toward the back of the factory.

As they walked, every mechanical arm they encountered moved aside to make way for them, as if it were alive. Several Machining Centers were positioned throughout, humming as they worked. The most striking feature in the rear section was the electromagnetic furnace, standing over four meters tall. At that moment, two massive mechanical arms were lifting its crucible, pouring molten metal into pre-prepared molds.

The factory was completely devoid of people, yet it felt as if people were everywhere.

This was also Zheng Yi's first time witnessing such a scene. During her previous visits, these machines had been stationary, or if they were operating, it was only a few units with minimal movement.

The Middle-aged man watched in silence as they walked, not saying a word.

After a few steps, they reached a rectangular metal crate, and Wang Shuo finally came to a halt.

"Uncle Zheng, the thing you want to see is inside."

This crate was the service module for Night Crow.

Wang Shuo had originally moved the original service module to the training grounds for Instructor Duan Chengwu's use. This particular service module had been hastily manufactured by Zero specifically to repair Night Crow after it had sustained damage; it looked quite crude and hadn't even been painted.

The crate before them was nearly two meters tall, requiring even the 1.86-meter-tall Middle-aged man to tilt his head back slightly to take it all in.

"May I take a look?"

The Middle-aged man said in a low voice.

Wang Shuo nodded and instructed Zero to open the crate.

As the crate opened, a suit of pitch-black armor was revealed. Its mechanical design, the red and green lights flickering softly on the chest panel, and the cables running from the service module to various parts of the armor all left the Middle-aged man deeply stunned.

Even Zheng Yi, who had seen it before, found herself holding her breath as she looked at it again.

"This is..."

The Middle-aged man was uncharacteristically flustered.

"Uncle Zheng."

Wang Shuo smiled. "This is Night Crow."

The Middle-aged man stared at the armor before him.

It felt completely different from the video. Just standing before it, he could sense the chilling aura of the steel. Recalling the terrifying capabilities Night Crow had displayed in the video, he instinctively felt an extreme sense of danger.

Zheng Yi had witnessed its power firsthand, and her assessment was that it would likely revolutionize human infantry; it was the future king of individual combat.

He had always trusted his daughter's judgment, but this time, rather than accepting it entirely, he had decided to come and verify the accuracy of that assessment for himself.

Now, he was fifty percent convinced; the rest would require real-world testing.

"Wang Shuo."

The Middle-aged man's voice unconsciously carried a hint of authority. "Can it move?"

"It should... be able to?"

Seeing their gazes fixed on him, Wang Shuo said awkwardly, "Let me check."

With that, Wang Shuo snapped his fingers. "Zero, what is the status of Night Crow's repairs?"

"Sir, Night Crow has been fully repaired. However, as the main frame was not completely replaced, please use it with caution."

Receiving a confirmation, Wang Shuo breathed a sigh of relief and turned to the Middle-aged man with certainty. "It's repaired."

The Middle-aged man: "..."

Truly... an eye-opener.

He couldn't think of any other words to describe his current state of mind.

He felt as if he had traveled through time, right here at Wang Shuo's place.

Seeing the Middle-aged man remain silent, Wang Shuo assumed he hadn't explained clearly and said, slightly embarrassed, "This Night Crow sustained heavy damage during previous testing. I had Zero repair it; it must have only just finished today..."

The Middle-aged man nodded slightly. "Since it's repaired, may I try it on?"

"Of course."

Wang Shuo gave the command directly. "Zero, disengage Night Crow's storage mode."

"Understood, sir."

Zero's gentle voice responded, "Sir, shall I have the mechanical arms remove the diagnostic and charging cables from Night Crow?"

"I'll do it myself."

Wang Shuo felt a bit awkward. For such advanced equipment, having to manually unplug the cables was truly a bit underwhelming.

Future designs would definitely need to integrate the cables and switch to an automatic ejection system.

He swore to himself, though his hands moved quickly, efficiently unplugging all the cables. Wang Shuo commanded again, "Zero, put Night Crow into pre-wear mode."

"Understood, sir. Expansion mode enabled."

As Zero's voice faded, Night Crow suddenly shifted. The entire suit of armor opened gently, clearly revealing the various fastening rings.

The Middle-aged man's eyes lit up slightly; this method of donning the armor seemed very practical for the battlefield.

"Uncle Zheng, the chest control module is a single unit and cannot be adjusted. You'll need to step in from underneath, place your arms and legs into the fastening rings, and once you're ready, call Zero to complete the donning process."

Wang Shuo explained.

The Middle-aged man nodded slightly, stepped forward, and squeezed himself into Night Crow as instructed.

"Zero."

It was his first time addressing an Artificial Intelligence, and the Middle-aged man felt a bit strange. "I'm ready."

He immediately realized that might not be right; the Artificial Intelligence might not understand those words, and he would end up making a fool of himself in front of the younger generation.

Just as he was about to correct himself, the Middle-aged man felt his entire body tighten slightly, followed by a sensation of being securely encased.

Startled, the Middle-aged man instinctively took a step forward.

"Crack."

The sound of something shattering echoed through the air.

"Uncle Zheng."

Wang Shuo said helplessly, "It's in power-assisted mode now. You need to hold back your strength a bit, otherwise the sensors and Zero might misinterpret your intended actions."

The Middle-aged man finally understood what had happened. He stepped back and looked down at the floor, where a tile had been shattered by his step.

Was this... his doing?

The Middle-aged man was bewildered. He had clearly done nothing; he had simply taken a step forward.

Wait...

The Middle-aged man suddenly recalled that he had stepped out with his left foot.

Years of military life had made him accustomed to stomping his left foot hard against the ground when walking or running. Could that be the reason?