196: Chapter 196 Internal Meeting

Meanwhile, on the other side, the military's evaluation team was assessing all the information regarding the prosthetic limb project.

A dozen or so personnel in military uniforms sat in an office at a long table. The table was covered with stacks of paper documents, which were, quite clearly, the evaluation reports for the prosthetic experiments.

"Hmm, the connection stability frequency is actually quite good. The link between biological and mechanical systems is a subject that the whole world places great importance on, with billions of dollars spent every year. Not to mention those cowardly oligarchs who have set up laboratories in Africa behind closed doors—tsk, tsk, they don't treat people like human beings at all."

"That person named Chen Youhua, right? I heard he had a very impressive project before that was personally reviewed by the higher-ups. His activities have been quite frequent over the past few years."

"I've heard that too. I don't know what the project is, but there has been a lot of activity in the Northwest recently. I wonder if it's related to that project."

At this moment, an older man knocked on the table, interrupting the conversation, and said.

"Alright, we are here to evaluate the prosthetic limb project, so let's set aside those side topics. Everyone has read the documents; what do you think?"

A middle-aged officer stood up to speak first.

"Let me start by sharing my opinion. I believe this project is viable, or rather, it is exactly the kind of project the military should take over. Prosthetic limbs should fundamentally serve as a form of human enhancement technology. Although, as it stands now, they can only replace limb functions, the future development of bio-mechanical linking technology will undoubtedly increase our individual soldier capabilities and boost our overall military strength."

An older officer sitting across from him coughed.

"I think we should wait and see. This technology is acceptable, but it should only be used for disabled retired soldiers. Using it as an enhancement mechanism for active-duty soldiers is a bit too radical."

The two soon engaged in a series of intense discussions surrounding the prosthetic limb project.

Many of the officers present gradually began to split into two factions.

One faction was for full acceptance; not only did they want to accept it, but they also wanted to deepen cooperation, showing a momentum as if they were ready to initiate mechanical ascension early in the 21st century.

After all, judging from the data, this technology was already quite mature. If it could be taken a step further, it would tremendously enhance the individual capabilities of the top-tier elite soldiers in the military.

If an elite soldier capable of running dozens of meters in a second were to appear on the battlefield, anyone who saw it would be stunned for a few seconds.

If Chen Youhua were to see this, he would also be stunned. He had only thought that prosthetic limbs could help disabled people regain the motivation to live, never imagining that the military was already thinking about how to forge this technology into a top-tier humanoid weapon of war.

The other faction was for temporary acceptance but insisted on a gradual approach, starting with disabled non-commissioned officers and implementing the technology step by step. Logically speaking, this was the normal pace of development.

The old man sitting at the head of the table swept his gaze over everyone present and finally landed on the thick evaluation report in his hand.

On the cover, the line of text "Bio-Mechanical Integrated Prosthetic System Based on Advanced Neural Interfaces" appeared particularly striking under the lights.

His voice was not loud, but it carried a composure characteristic of someone who had long held a position of authority.

"Little Zhao, you start by speaking from a technical perspective."

The person called upon was a civilian officer in his early forties wearing gold-rimmed glasses.

He adjusted his glasses and opened the documents in front of him.

"Yes. The technical evaluation team has thoroughly reviewed all experimental data and process flows, and the conclusions are as follows."

The conference room quieted down, with only the soft sound of pages turning remaining.

"First, neural signal acquisition and decoding accuracy." Technical Officer Zhao spoke at a steady pace.

"The semi-autonomous specific membrane protein anchoring method adopted by the project team achieved a motor intent decoding accuracy rate of 97.3% and a tactile perception feedback reconstruction accuracy rate of 91.8% in rhesus monkey models. In terms of this data, there is basically no technology globally at this current stage that can be compared horizontally."

"What about the cost?" A senior colonel with two bars and four stars on his shoulder insignia nodded slightly.

"The material and manufacturing cost for a single prototype is currently estimated at about 870,000 RMB." Technical Officer Zhao paused. "However, the project team clearly stated in the report that if large-scale production can be achieved and process optimization is implemented, the cost is expected to drop below 300,000 within three years."

"Reliability?" another expert with graying hair pressed further.

"Continuous load-bearing tests exceeded two million cycles, with signal attenuation of less than 5%. Extreme temperature testing is being supplemented, but extrapolating from existing data, the functional retention rate is expected to be above 85% within the range of minus 30 degrees to plus 70 degrees Celsius."

"Is the plan feasible?" the old man asked.

"The theory is complete, and the path is clear." Technical Officer Zhao affirmed. "From the perspective of technical risk assessment, the project has passed the highest risk period and is currently in the engineering optimization and reliability sprint phase."

"Good." The old man signaled for him to sit down and turned his gaze toward the older officer who held the conservative view.

"Old Qin, I understand your concerns. But times are changing, and technology is changing too. If we hold back just because it's radical, the price on the next battlefield might be more young men coming back missing arms and legs."

The officer surnamed Qin frowned tightly. "Minister, I am not against technological progress. But the concept of enhancing soldiers is a sensitive red line internationally. Once we publicly equip them, the public opinion pressure, ethical accusations, and the potential arms race that might be triggered..."

"That is why we must evaluate cautiously and proceed step by step." The old man interrupted him. "First, we will initiate the project under the name of a rehabilitation and medical project for disabled soldiers, apply it low-key, and accumulate data and cases. At the same time, we will launch adaptive training and tactical matching research, exploring the possibility of exoskeleton collaborative operation for healthy soldiers on a small scale. These two lines—one public and one covert, one slow and one fast."

He leaned forward, pressing both hands on the table. "Comrades, everyone is clear that the form of modern warfare is undergoing profound changes. Unmanned and intelligent systems are the trend, but the human-in-the-loop remains the core. On the future battlefield, soldiers will not only be operators but more likely decision nodes and information hubs. Their reaction speed, load-bearing capacity, and environmental adaptability will directly determine the effectiveness of small-unit operations."

No one in the conference room retorted; there was only the sound of heavy breathing.

"This project, on the surface, is about prosthetic limbs, but at its core, it is a primary form of human-machine integration." The old man continued. "It solves not only the quality of life issues for disabled soldiers but also the fundamental question of how future individual soldier systems can seamlessly integrate with the human body and how to enhance survival and combat capabilities. From a strategic perspective, it is more important than one or two new types of weapons."

The political officer who had been silent up until now spoke up. "Minister, on the political and public opinion front, we do indeed need a contingency plan. If foreign media hypes up that China is creating biochemical soldiers..."

"That is why we need the ability to tell a story." The old man looked at him. "Focus on highlighting medical rehabilitation, humanitarian care, and how technology benefits people's livelihoods. Publicize more about how soldiers disabled by injuries regain their ability to live and return to society. As for the application research for healthy soldiers, keep it strictly confidential and classify it as top secret."

He sat up straight again and scanned the room. "Let's vote now. Those who agree to provide deep military-backed support and cooperation for this project and to proceed in stages with both the medical and exploration paths, please raise your hands."

After a moment of silence, one hand, two hands... eventually, except for the officer surnamed Qin who remained frowning and did not raise his hand, everyone else expressed their attitude.

"Seven votes in favor, one abstention." The old man announced. "The resolution is passed. Subsequent matters will be led by the Equipment Development Department, with the Logistics Support Department and the Political Work Department cooperating. Note," he emphasized, "the coordination with the project team, especially with Chen Youhua himself, must be handled with the proper methods. This is scientific cooperation, not an administrative order. We must respect the laws of scientific research and protect the enthusiasm of the research personnel."

"Understood." everyone replied.

"Before we adjourn, there is one more thing." The old man pulled a thin, unmarked black-covered document from the bottom of his folder and placed it gently on the table.

"Regarding another achievement by Comrade Chen Youhua, several of you present are aware of it. I will only emphasize one point here: all evaluations, decisions, and contacts related to it are directly commanded by the highest level. No unit or individual may interfere or inquire without authorization. This is an iron law."

His gaze swept slowly across the room, and those who met his eyes couldn't help but straighten their backs.

The old man closed the folder, his voice low. "Do what we are supposed to do, stay vigilant, and stay patient. Meeting adjourned."

Everyone stood up, gathered their materials, and left one after another.

Only the old man and Technical Officer Zhao remained in the conference room.

"Minister," Technical Officer Zhao asked in a low voice, "does Chen Youhua need special attention?"

The old man looked out at the deep night sky outside the window and said, "Just follow the normal scientific research cooperation procedures. No need to treat him specially; that is the best protection. He is a smart man and knows where the boundaries lie."

"Yes."