444: Chapter 444

The cold light of the assembly area still hummed overhead; the welding arms had returned to their positions, the conveyor belts had stopped, and the scorched smell of burnt metal lingered in the air.

Chen Wuwang stood before the main console, his fingertips still resting on the edge of the light screen, motionless.

Aelia hadn't left either.

Her wings were slightly retracted, and the hem of her Feather Robe swayed gently, as if a breeze had drifted up from underground to brush against it.

She stared at the Seventh-Generation Prototype, her gaze sliding from the rune plates on its shoulders to the inscriptions on its back, finally settling on Chen Wuwang's face.

"To live is to lose no more," she whispered to herself. She looked up. "Do you really not care who carved that?"

"I can't control it." Chen Wuwang withdrew his hand, his Mechanical Prosthetic Eye contracting slightly as it adjusted back to normal focus. "The fact that someone is willing to bet their life on those words is worth more than anything."

Aelia fell silent for a few breaths, then suddenly took half a step forward.

"Head of the Chen Family."

Her voice wasn't loud, but it was steady.

"I wish to purchase this Psionic Navigation System."

Chen Wuwang didn't even lift his eyelids, but his fingers tapped on the console—once, twice, thrice—not fast, but rhythmic.

Only then did he look up, his pupils glinting with cold light beneath his silver hair, the claw scar on his right cheek casting a shadow as the corner of his mouth quirked up.

"We can talk," he said, his tone as casual as if he were discussing what to have for dinner. "But this System is precious; the price won't be low."

"I know." Aelia didn't back down. "I've seen the combat Systems of seventeen Star Domains, and I've never seen something that can cram 'judgment' into a mecha's brain. This isn't an upgrade; it's a generational leap."

"Then what do you intend to trade for it?" Chen Wuwang leaned against the edge of the console, one leg slightly bent against the corner. "Not Spirit Mines, not Warships, and certainly not those gold-plated trade permits from your Angel Race."

Aelia's brow twitched. "What do you want?"

"First, tell me what you can offer." Chen Wuwang raised his right hand, and his Mechanical Prosthetic Eye flashed, projecting an encrypted waveform diagram that hung between them. "What I want is... a value that matches this System."

Aelia stared at the waveform for two seconds, then suddenly laughed. "You really... refuse to take even the slightest loss."

"I did enough of that thirty years ago," Chen Wuwang said flatly. "The day I took over the Chen Family, the entire territory was smoldering. Half the clansmen were dead, and two-thirds of the buildings had collapsed. From that moment on, I knew: either stand tall and set a high price, or lie down and be torn apart."

Aelia didn't respond, but instead slowly raised her hand, her fingertips tracing the edge of the waveform diagram.

"I can mobilize the priority supply lines of three merchant fleets," she said. "They cover the three main routes of the Eastern Desolation, the Northern Slope, and the Western Desert. Within ten years, I can bring your Materials transport costs down to forty percent of the market price."

Chen Wuwang shook his head. "Not enough."

"Plus the technical blueprints for two medium-sized Psionic Refineries," Aelia said, her pace quickening. "Fully automated processes that can be integrated directly into your existing Furnace Systems."

"Still not enough." Chen Wuwang raised a hand to interrupt. "You know this System allows mechas to correct their own errors, adapt on their own, and kill enemies on their own. It's not just a tool; it's a seed. Once planted, what grows will be a new set of rules for war."

Aelia gritted her teeth, her wings snapping once, causing a corner of her Feather Robe to flip up.

"How much do you want?" she finally asked.

Chen Wuwang raised his left hand and tapped three times in the air.

The light screen switched, and three entries popped up:

[Transit rights for one entire Star Domain]

[50,000 units of high-purity source crystal]

[A core energy technology sharing agreement with the Angel Race]

Aelia's pupils shrank. "You're trying to gut half my net worth!"

"You think it's expensive?" Chen Wuwang sneered. "Then turn around and leave now. I'll still proceed with the maiden flight tomorrow."

In sixty-seven hours, the seventh-generation mecha will take to the skies. Its first stop will be the Northern Border Insect Tide front.

Once we use this System to carve out a name for ourselves, if you want to buy it then, the price will be tenfold."

Aelia didn't move, nor did she speak.

She looked down at the three conditions, her fingers unconsciously stroking the patterns on her Feather Robe. After a long while, she took a deep breath, her shoulders sagging slightly.

"The first item: I can give you three years of temporary transit rights, not permanent."

"The second item: 30,000 source crystal, paid in three installments, with the first batch arriving within three months."

"The third item... technology sharing is out, but I can open a Level 1 maintenance interface, allowing you to reverse-engineer the fault modules."

Chen Wuwang narrowed his eyes. "The interface permissions are too narrow. I want the underlying logic."

"I can't give you the underlying logic!" Aelia's voice suddenly rose. "That's a Family Restriction; if I touch it, I'll be exiled! Do you think I want to sell? I've realized—this stuff of yours will crush the old order sooner or later. If I don't get on board, I'll be crushed by the wheels!"

Chen Wuwang stared at her for a full five seconds.

Then, he laughed.

It wasn't a manic laugh, but a low, raspy one that tasted of rust.

"Fine," he said. "Half the deal is struck. But there's a prerequisite."

"Name it."

"Let's talk somewhere else." Chen Wuwang straightened up and patted the console. "This is a workshop; there are ears everywhere. Let's go to the Guest Cabin, pull up the contract template, and go through it point by point."

Aelia nodded, her gaze becoming sharp again. "Are you afraid of leaks?"

"No," Chen Wuwang said as he walked toward the entrance of the dispatch corridor. "I'm afraid of you backing out. Once we sit down, the light screen activates, and the credit credentials light up, it's no longer just business—it's a matter of life and death."

The two walked side-by-side through the corridor.

Psionic Conduits were embedded in the walls on both sides, their blue light flickering with their steps. The vibration of distant furnaces pulsed through the metal plates beneath their feet, like the earth breathing.

The Guest Cabin door slid open silently.

In the center of the room was an alloy table, its surface etched with micro-arrays to prevent eavesdropping and mental probing. Light screens rose from the surrounding walls, automatically projecting a blank contract framework.

Chen Wuwang sat on one side and tapped the tabletop, popping up an encrypted quote.

Aelia stood opposite him, not sitting down immediately. She took out a crystal and pressed it against the verification zone at the corner of the table. A blue light swept over it, and her personal credit credentials slowly rose, hovering in mid-air with the numbers clearly visible—a 30,000 Source Crystal limit locked and ready for transfer.

"You're certainly straightforward," Chen Wuwang glanced at it.

"The longer we delay, the greater the risk." Aelia finally sat down, her wings folded behind her like a pair of closed blades. "I know what you're waiting for."

"Waiting for you to grit your teeth."

"I have," she said, looking him in the eye. "Now it's your turn—can this System actually be used? I don't want to pay and then find out it's a half-finished product."

"Half-finished?" Chen Wuwang sneered. "You saw the test flight trajectory just now—zero yaw, precise hovering, even the sampling frequency adjusts adaptively. And you call it a half-finished product?"

"But I haven't seen it in actual combat," Aelia countered without backing down. "No matter how perfect the test, it can't withstand the reality of a real fight."

Chen Wuwang fell silent for a moment, then suddenly reached out and swiped twice on the quote.

A new clause appeared:

[Within seventy-two hours of a successful maiden flight, a complete trial version of the navigation core will be provided, limited to one mecha for a ten-day trial period. If performance meets standards, the formal transaction begins; if it fails, the advance payment will be refunded in full.]

Aelia stared at those words, her eyes fluctuating wildly.

A ten-day trial meant she had to immediately allocate resources and refit her flagship mecha. Once it failed, she would not only lose the advance payment but also expose her strategic intentions.

But she also knew—this was her only chance for verification.

"You dare to give a trial version?" she asked.

"Not only do I dare to give it," Chen Wuwang leaned back in his chair, his Mechanical Prosthetic Eye glowing red, "but I also guarantee that after you use it, you'll come back and beg me to sell you the remaining nine sets."

Aelia stared at him, then suddenly laughed.

"Chen Wuwang, you really are a madman."

"Only madmen survive this long," he grinned. "The normal ones are all dead."

Aelia said no more. She summoned a Crystal Pen and drew the first confirmation rune on the draft contract.

The light screen flickered, and a countdown began: "71:58:23"

Seventy-one hours, fifty-eight minutes, and twenty-three seconds remained until the maiden flight.

She looked up, her voice as cold as ice. "Now, let's talk—when will this trial version be delivered?"