179: Chapter 179 You're using this kind of high-tech for filming? Old Wu laughed in exasperation.

"Phantom Soldier." When those three words fell, a chill inexplicably crept up her back.

Elder Wu, however, was no longer looking at the spatial projection; he turned around directly and said in a deep voice to the people beside him, "Call Lu Li."

The call connected quickly.

As the video lit up, Lu Li's lazy face appeared on the screen.

Judging by the background, he was still at home.

There was even a glass of water beside him, as if he didn't consider this to be any sort of big deal at all.

Elder Wu stared at him on the screen, his first sentence laced with irritation.

"You brat, you had something like this and actually hid it?"

"You didn't send this kind of gadget to the military first, but took it for commercial use?"

Lu Li leaned back in his chair, his tone very calm.

"We can talk about the military version later."

"For this version, it's for civilian use first."

Elder Wu was so amused by him that he laughed.

"Civilian use first?"

"Do you know what this thing can do on the battlefield?"

Lu Li's expression didn't change, and he replied indifferently, "I know."

"That's why I'm not using it for war first."

"I'm using it so people can meet first."

When these words fell, Elder Wu noticeably paused.

Even the people beside him, who had been staring at the equipment non-stop, were stunned as well.

The conference room fell silent for half a second.

Elder Wu frowned.

"Explain clearly."

"What exactly do you want to do?"

Only then did Lu Li put down his cup and sit up a little straighter.

"This aerial imaging device will be unveiled at the September launch event."

"But for the first public video, I don't want to find celebrities, influencers, or tech bloggers."

"I want to find frontline border soldiers and their families to film a sample video."

Elder Wu stared at him on the screen.

"Why?"

Lu Li looked at him, his voice not loud, but very steady.

"Because National Day is almost here."

"Some gifts shouldn't be given first to people who only know how to say pretty words."

"They should be given first to those who block the wind and snow for others."

The conference room suddenly went quiet.

For a few seconds, no one spoke.

The expression on Elder Wu's face didn't change, but those eyes, originally as sharp as an eagle's, sank imperceptibly.

Lu Li continued, "They can't go home."

"Then I will make it so they can go back anytime in the future."

"At the station, use the Virtual Helmet to connect to a real family modeling space."

"At home, use aerial imaging to bring the person into the living room."

"It's not a substitute for a reunion."

"It's just to make the absence a little less regrettable."

At this, Elder Wu completely understood.

The judgment, calculations, and strategic deductions belonging to a soldier that were in his eyes just now suddenly receded a bit.

In their place was a deeper, more complex emotion.

The middle-aged man beside him who looked like a frontline cadre had his Adam's apple move slightly.

Clearly, he understood better than anyone what the four words "can't go home" meant.

Elder Wu was silent for a few seconds before finally speaking again.

"I'll give you the list."

"I'll arrange the people for you too."

"But there's one thing."

He stared at Lu Li, his voice low and powerful.

"Don't make it into a staged, propaganda-style film for me."

"You want people, not slogans."

Lu Li nodded silently.

"I know."

Elder Wu turned to look at the few people beside him and made the final decision immediately.

"Filter the list."

"We need frontline stations where they can't go home for a long time."

"They should have wives, daughters, or elderly parents at home, with genuine relationships—don't pick those that look like they were arranged."

"Prioritize those with the most recent timeframes."

The people beside him immediately responded and began organizing the materials.

Their movements were astonishingly fast.

Retrieving data, verifying backgrounds, checking contactability, and security clearance levels—one by one, they pulled them out.

Not long after, a preliminary list was submitted.

Elder Wu lowered his head and flipped through a few pages, his finger suddenly stopping on one line.

"This one."

He pushed the document toward Chen Shuyu.

"Northern frontier border station, has been stationed there for over two consecutive years."

"Has a wife and a daughter at home."

"August 27th is the child's 10th birthday."

"He can't go back."

"According to the original plan, he can only continue to be absent for this trip this year."

Chen Shuyu looked down.

The file wasn't thick, but the information was straightforward enough.

Her heart tightened slightly.

This timing seemed almost naturally prepared for that video.

After Elder Wu finalized the list, he glanced at the prototype still standing quietly on the side and couldn't help but curse, "You brat, you really have good stuff and still hide it."

"Looking at this thing, I want to take it to the exercise field to test it first."

"Yet you, you're taking it to hold a commercial launch event first."

Lu Li's tone over there remained unhurried.

"Build up the hype first."

"You can decide on the military version later."

"But I must be the one to film this video first."

Elder Wu snorted.

"Fine."

"If you don't film it well, I'll be the first to hold you accountable."

Lu Li chuckled.

"That won't happen."

The video call ended.

The conference room was silent for a few seconds.

Next came a series of arrangements with astonishing efficiency.

List confirmation.

Station contact.

Family communication.

Spatial modeling access activation.

Dynamic capture, synchronization links, filming processes, confidentiality agreements—one by one, they were quickly pushed down.

The whole process was as fast as a preheated machine; once started, there was no hesitation or delay.

Chen Shuyu stood on the side, watching everything be quickly finalized in a short time, yet the tingling feeling in her heart never dissipated.

For someone of Elder Wu's level, the first reaction upon seeing the equipment was battlefield camouflage, decoy targets, psychological warfare, a new branch of the military, a "Phantom Soldier."

This was already exaggerated enough.

But what really calmed her down wasn't those things.

It was that lightweight sentence from Lu Li—use it so people can meet first.

Suddenly, for the first time, she truly understood.

This thing wasn't just for crushing Google AR glasses.

It wasn't just for showing off skills at the launch event.

And it certainly wasn't to slap anyone in the face.

Lu Li intended to use the strongest technology to film the softest video.

In a way that others hadn't even thought of yet, he would make the entire venue go quiet first, and then make everyone understand what the future truly is.

By the time all the processes were finalized and Chen Shuyu led her people out of the restricted area, it was nearly noon.

The sunlight fell down, a bit dazzling.

She raised her hand to block the light, but her mind was still replaying the scene in the conference room just now.

Phantom Soldier.

Meeting.

National Day.

Frontier soldiers.

These words swirled in her mind, and in the end, only one increasingly clear feeling remained.

This time, Lu Li wasn't preparing to win based on specifications.

He was preparing to make the entire audience cry first, and then make them understand what the future truly is.

And time, indeed, passed very quickly.

After that sample video was filmed on August 27th, September arrived in the blink of an eye.

On the day of the launch event, the inside and outside of the Guanghui Technology venue were already packed tightly early on.