Steel torrents pioneering a different world

Chapter 213 Dragon Knight's Mark? An Otherworldly Themed Animal Paradise! (Please Subscribe)
If you were given the opportunity to enhance yourself, would you choose genetic enhancement or mechanical enhancement?

For Westerners, mechanical cybernetic technology and genetic enhancement should be different.

But in the East, perhaps most people prefer gene enhancement.

From the traditional martial arts world's internal energy strengthening the individual, enabling them to leap across rooftops, crush gold and jade with their bare hands, kill one person in ten steps, and leave no trace for a thousand miles, to the fantasy world of immortals and heroes where they become sword lights, traversing thousands of miles.

Most Easterners seek to surpass and strengthen themselves.

This is why, even in the modern era of rapid technological advancement, pioneering troops are far more enthusiastic about physical enhancement than about cyber enhancement.

Of course, those who are rational still hope for more progress, starting with cyberpunk and mechanical elements, and then gradually improving.

As exploration of other worlds increases, many projects that were stuck in the human world have experienced a leap forward due to the emergence of new materials.

The implantation of bionic nerves for brain-computer interfaces was directly solved because new materials were discovered in another world.

Although research has not yet reached the point of a completely virtual world, the University of Tokyo is currently re-pairing military personnel with disabilities caused by injuries to help them return to normal life.

In the Western world, they would probably invest in the private sector, seek out large-scale clinical trials, and then engage in financial games, taking it step by step.

But the East is different.

Dongfang started with the soldiers. Although they enjoyed preferential treatment, the problems arose because they had dedicated themselves to the country.

Moreover, these kinds of biological experiments are quite dangerous, and even though the soldiers knew this, they were still willing to participate.

Dedication is everywhere; it permeates our very being.

That's too far!
Let's get back to the main topic.

Cyberpunk technology is advancing rapidly due to new materials from another world.

Energy particles, which produce all sorts of amazing reactions with traditional particles and even involve the fields of dark matter and antimatter, have become another research direction for scientists due to their many possibilities.

It is comparable to a panacea, not only can it produce amazing reactions with all kinds of materials, but it can also be absorbed by humans and positively transform human body cells.

Several months of human observation and testing, along with the appearance of the little dragon, all indicate that energy particles have special and magical effects on the human body.

Of course, there are also many dangers involved.

But you can't refrain from clapping just because clapping for love might cause a stroke, right?
We shouldn't refrain from researching these issues just because gasoline-powered cars and electric cars can cause accidents and spontaneous combustion.

Now, the buses, shared bicycles, and all kinds of cars at Southeast University are dominated by new energy vehicles.

Technology changes lives, but convenience and danger are two sides of the same coin. We cannot give up developing technology because of the danger.

Energy particles belong to the same category.

The University of Tokyo has been quietly making progress in its research on the enhancement of humans by energy particles.

At this very moment, in the Human Evolution and Extraordinary Power Research Lab.

The atmosphere was so tense it was almost palpable.

Several top biological and energy scientists and specially appointed consultants dispatched from Southeast University were all holding their breath, staring intently at the multiple screens displayed on the monitoring wall.

At the center of the image is Wang Ye's face.

He was shirtless, his body covered with tiny silver sensors the size of beans.

Dark red lines extended from his heart onto his skin, spreading throughout his limbs and bones, gleaming strangely in the bright light.

He was in a room that had been completely renovated.

The walls, floor, and even the ceiling of the room were covered with layers of dark gold metal sheets that mimicked the magnified structure of dragon scales.

It is etched with a dense array of lines.

"The Dragon Nest energy field has been activated, at 70% power."

"The concentration of free energy particles is increasing, and injection begins."

As the cold, electronic synthesized sound rang out, the dark golden dragon scale patterns in the room instantly lit up, with streaks of light flowing along the etched lines, making the entire room seem to come alive and begin to breathe on its own.

Invisible energy particles were captured, gathered, and then slowly flowed into Wang Ye's body.

On the monitoring screen, the various data representing Wang Ye's vital signs began to fluctuate.

The green traffic light flashed silently.

A young researcher, sweat beading on his forehead, hovered his finger over the emergency stop button, his voice strained: "Professor Deng, the heart rate is rising so fast, it's almost at the 150 threshold! Should we...?"

"Need not."

Deng Dakang's eyes were fixed on the constantly refreshing data stream on the main screen, like an eagle's. His voice was not loud, but it carried an undeniable calmness.

The consultant Chen beside him frowned, looking at Wang Ye's heart, which looked like a small sun in the thermal imaging, and said in a deep voice, "Professor Deng, I'm afraid Wang Ye's body can't take it! This is too risky. He fainted at this stage last time."

Deng Dakang didn't speak, but simply pointed to another screen: "Look at the absorption efficiency."

All eyes immediately turned to that direction.

On the screen, the curve representing the energy particle absorption efficiency, after experiencing a period of violent oscillation, not only did not collapse, but instead slowly climbed upwards at a small but steady angle.

Wang Ye is using technology to absorb energy particles into his body, silently strengthening it.

at the same time……

"Wang Ye's heart rate has started to drop! 145...138...125!"

"It's stable!"

"Haha, Wang Ye is indeed amazing. He deserves to be the most skilled special experimenter in the laboratory."

"This time, Wang Ye deserves an extra chicken leg!"

"Add some steak!"

"Are you out of your mind? Even the King doesn't eat beef!"

"Professor Deng, the absorption efficiency has increased by five percent compared to the peak value in the last test!"

A cheerful chatter filled the control room.

Then came suppressed gasps and heavy breathing.

It worked!
Deng Dakang's tense lips finally relaxed slightly. He patted Consultant Chen on the shoulder, unable to hide the excitement in his eyes: "I told you so! After working with Boss Ke's repair medicine to stabilize and repair his body, the energy particles are indeed transforming Wang Ye's cells, making his body more able to absorb this energy!"

Consultant Chen let out a long sigh of relief, his clenched fists loosened, and his palms were covered in sweat.

Looking at Wang Ye on the screen, who was trembling all over but still gritting his teeth and persevering, he exclaimed, "My disciple! The disciple of the Wudang Research Institute! Hehe..."

Deng Dakang smiled and nodded, his eyes gleaming with an almost fanatical light.

"Brother Chen, we are catching up with the extraordinary beings from other worlds. Perhaps soon, we will be able to apply what we have learned from the dragons to the bodies of our warriors!"

Deng Dakang said happily.

The test of extraordinary power is never a dinner party; every step is accompanied by unknown risks.

During this period, research into special supernatural powers has been progressing steadily.

In addition to exceptionally talented top-tier combatants like Wang Ye serving as benchmarks for scientific research, dozens of highly sensitive warriors selected from across the military participated in this great evolutionary experiment in batches.

However, the results of various tests varied greatly.

Some people only try it briefly and stop, resulting in a slight improvement in their physical fitness.

Some people experience varying degrees of damage to their bodies after excessively absorbing energy particles.

In mild cases, large areas of capillaries rupture, resulting in bruises all over the body as if one has been severely beaten. In severe cases, brain cells are damaged, and minor damage occurs to the internal organs, requiring a long period of recuperation.

Fortunately, so much research allowed Deng Dakang's research team to explore a relatively safe absorption range through a long series of controlled experiments.

The significance of Wang Ye's experiment is to break through the previous safe zone and explore the limits of human beings' ability to absorb energy particles.

Inside the artificial dragon's nest, as time went on, Wang Ye's physical data began to issue warnings.

Blood flow accelerated, and tiny beads of blood seeped out from under the skin.

A sharp, needle-like pain began to emanate from all five internal organs.

His brow was furrowed, but he persevered.

"Professor Deng, isn't that enough?" Consultant Chen's voice was filled with barely suppressed anxiety.

Lying in the room was his most prized apprentice.

Deng Dakang's gaze, however, was fixed on the data stream like a nail, without turning his head: "He didn't send a stop signal!"

Consultant Chen stomped his foot in frustration!

He knew that every minute he stayed in the artificial dragon's nest would bring him more physical benefits, but the pain and recovery time he would have to endure afterward would also increase exponentially.

Another few minutes passed.

On the surveillance footage, Wang Ye's brows were tightly furrowed, and his muscles trembled involuntarily.

"Warning! Heart rate 152! 160! Breaking the previous peak!"

The young researchers' voices all changed.

"Slowly reduce the energy particle injection rate, gradient five percent," Deng Dakang finally gave the order, his voice still calm and steady.

"Yes!"

A few minutes later, as the energy breathing of the artificial dragon nest gradually subsided, the test finally came to an end.

Before the hatch was fully open, Advisor Chen and the other special advisors rushed inside like the wind.

"Junior brother! Don't scare your senior brother!" Zhou Qi shouted in a gruff voice.

Without saying a word, Advisor Chen took out a half-foot-long whisk from his pocket and symbolically swept it over Wang Ye's head, as if to drive away something bad.

Then, others began to feel Wang Ye's pulse and carefully sense it.

Inside the control room, Deng Dakang looked at the final data report generated on the screen, his face beaming with joy.

Wang Ye has once again pushed his limits, but this time the degree of physical damage is lower than the last time, while energy absorption has increased by eight percent.

"The high-concentration repair fluid made from K's body, combined with the accelerated absorption of magical particles, has resulted in a body enhancement effect far exceeding expectations—it's simply a miracle!" Deng Dakang grinned excitedly. "It seems we can expand the scale of the experiment further and gather more data to build a human enhancement model."

He was preparing to plan his next research direction when a figure rushed in.

"Professor Deng... Professor Deng!"

The person who came was Ming Yufei, who was in charge of feeding the little dragon. At this moment, his face was pale, he was out of breath, and he almost tripped over the threshold.

Deng Dakang frowned, looked at Wang Hu, who was in charge of security, and waved his hand impatiently.

"Wang Hu, give him some water to drink until he's breathing steadily and his tongue is straight before we talk."

Wang Hu nodded and was about to step forward with his water cup in hand.

Ming Yufei suddenly gasped for breath and shouted it out with all his might.

"The dragon! The dragon...it vomited!"

"You threw up?" Deng Dakang was taken aback. "Did you eat something bad?"

"No!" Ming Yufei slapped his mouth hard. "No, actually, it just breathed on me a few times! And then I felt it, felt something in my heart, and I established a special connection with Tie Touwa."

Deng Dakang: "???"

……

More than ten minutes later, at the entrance of the feeding room.

Deng Dakang led a group of researchers to the scene in a flurry of activity, and immediately spotted the little dragon curled up on the magic ore, fast asleep.

Without saying a word, he took a strangely shaped detector from his assistant and scanned the entire breeding room.

On the instrument screen, a string of numbers jumped rapidly before finally settling.

"The concentration of environmental energy particles has decreased by twelve percent compared to the baseline value." Deng Dakang's tone was unreadable. He looked up at Ming Yufei standing to the side. "No wonder he was sleeping like a log. He's been consuming too much energy."

He put away the instrument and turned it towards Ming Yufei, who still looked nervous.

"drop."

The screen displays: Energy particle activity increased by 1.0 point.

Deng Dakang raised an eyebrow almost imperceptibly and then pointed the instrument at Jiang Ruixuan next to him.

"drop."

It's the same as adding 1.0 point.

He looked at his reflection one last time and the reading was 0.5.

“It’s all within the normal fluctuation range.” Deng Dakang turned off the instrument and looked sharply at Ming Yufei. “You just said that you established a special connection with it?”

Could this kid be hallucinating because of the stress of his experiments lately?

The energy increase from a single point is roughly equivalent to taking a couple more breaths of highly concentrated air outside an artificial dragon's nest. What kind of connection can that establish?
"Professor, it's true!" Ming Yufei exclaimed anxiously, pointing to his head. "I can feel it, it's like... like there's something in my head, flashing, just like Xiaolong's heartbeat!"

Seeing him gesturing wildly, Jiang Ruixuan, worried that he might wake the little one inside, quickly made a shushing gesture, indicating that everyone should go outside to talk.

The group retreated to the observation room outside.

Jiang Ruixuan gestured as he recounted the events in detail: "...At the time, we noticed that the little dragon's temperature was rising, and it was almost too hot to touch. Ming Yufei got a little anxious and went over to check on him, but the little guy just... breathed on him."

"No, they ate it right too!" Ming Yufei quickly added, "Two bites! One bite each, perfectly even!"

Deng Dakang's lips twitched, too lazy to pay attention to him, and gestured for Jiang Ruixuan to continue. "When that breath came out, we both broke out in a sweat at the same time, and then... then it felt different." Jiang Ruixuan tried to find the right words, "We could vaguely sense the little dragon's emotions, very faint, like a kind of... echo in the soul."

"And then it fell asleep?" Deng Dakang pressed.

"Yes, after it breathed on it, it seemed to immediately wilted, lay down, and fell asleep."

Deng Dakang's eyes lit up. He quickly walked to a wall and took out a handheld red probe from a metal box.

"After it exhaled, did you notice its body temperature drop?"

"Uh... I was too busy being curious to notice."

Deng Dakang asked no more questions, picked up the highly sensitive temperature detector, and tiptoed back into the enclosure. He carefully extended the probe above the little dragon's back and hovered it for a few seconds.

On the instrument screen, bright red numbers were clearly displayed.

"52℃"

He stepped back and showed the readings on the instrument to everyone.

"Fifty-two degrees?" Jiang Ruixuan exclaimed in surprise. "When we measured it just now, the peak value was already fifty-nine degrees! This is a drop of seven degrees!"

"Cool down..." Deng Dakang's breathing suddenly quickened. He turned around abruptly and shouted at the control panel, "Wang Hu! Bring up the monitoring and energy absorption curves inside the breeding room! Start the time from half an hour ago!"

Soon, several large screens lit up simultaneously, and the data stream and monitoring footage were played back at lightning speed.

All eyes were focused on one ever-rising curve.

"Professor, look!" a researcher pointed at the screen, "After it sprayed energy at Ming Yufei and the others, its rate of absorbing energy particles not only did not decrease, but instead experienced a brief burst of growth!"

On the screen, the curve of the little dragon absorbing energy suddenly spiked before slowly dropping back down, while its body temperature curve plummeted at the same time.

Deng Dakang stared intently at the two intersecting curves, his expression shifting from seriousness to shock, and finally to an uncontrollable surge of ecstasy.

"After it breathed on the two of you, its rate of absorbing magical particles did not decrease but increased, but its body experienced phenomena such as cooling down."

"It seems that the concentration of magic should affect the temperature of the dragon. This is consistent with what the elves said: as the dragon grows larger, its destructive power and the temperature of its dragon fire also increase!"

Based on information gathered from the captured elves, humans have determined that the dragon will grow to be enormous.

Dragons are also one of the ultimate weapons of war in this world.

Newborn dragons are very fragile, and their only abilities are flight and breathing fire.

Once it grows to a certain size, the dragon's scales become almost indestructible, and its enormous size allows it to easily burn stone and melt steel with its dragon flames, transforming it into a truly destructive creature.

This is not the most powerful thing.

The dragon's unique physical structure allows it to generate a special magical energy field on its surface as it grows into adulthood.

Within this magical energy field, a special energy shield will form on the dragon's body, which will enhance the dragon's defense.

Only weapons specifically designed to pierce the armor of dragons can penetrate their scales.

Do you think that's all?
Dragons also possess a powerful ability: their unique body structure and the fact that their droppings contain a large amount of magic stones.

This also means that whoever controls the dragon controls a magic gold mine!
Of course, if a dragon dies, its scales, bones, and tendons are all very powerful spellcasting materials.

In any case, dragons are extremely valuable and have a strong deterrent effect in this world.

"Professor Deng, what should we do?"

"Let's just leave it be!" Deng Dakang looked at the little dragon curled up asleep. "Your task is to raise the dragon well, to make it grow up healthy, and then... do you remember the dragon knight mentioned in the elves' testimony?"

"Uh? You mean?" Ming Yufei swallowed hard, unable to contain himself.

Jiang Ruixuan, standing next to him, blinked rapidly, his saliva almost dripping from his mouth as well.

"I don't think that's just breathing on you! It's a mark! A form of recognition!"

"The dragon used a special energy transfer and information marking technique on you!"

Deng Dakang's voice was trembling.

"The elves said that only dragonborn can tame dragons, but they didn't say that dragons might also choose humans!"

"It is an incredibly intelligent dragon! It purified and compressed certain of its own energy in a way we cannot understand, and then bestowed it upon the two of you!"

"A gift?" Ming Yufei was stunned. "But our tests only showed an increase of one point in magical energy."

"Fools sometimes have their own kind of luck!" Deng Dakang laughed and cursed. "That single point was just the residue of dissipated energy! The real gift was that spiritual connection! It used a portion of its primal power, which we haven't yet deciphered, to leave an imprint on your spiritual world!"

"This mark should be the reason why the concentration of energy particles in the little dragon's own body suddenly dropped by 12 percent."

He stared intently at Ming Yufei and Jiang Ruixuan, his gaze as intense as if Columbus had discovered a new continent.

"From now on, you two, in addition to taking good care of that little lazy dragon, you also need to help me with some scientific analysis and research."

"Ah, absolutely cooperative?" Although Ming Yufei and Jiang Ruixuan admired scientists, scientific experiments and research were always very troublesome.

They don't like trouble.

"Yes! You have to cooperate. Of course, you can choose not to cooperate... but perhaps by the time it grows up, you'll never be able to ride it and soar through the skies!"

The two were very tempted by what they heard.

Deng Dakang patted the two on the shoulders: "Keep up the good work! I have a new theory about what the Demon Dragon can do!"

"A new theory? What theory?"

Deng Dakang shook his head: "Let's go back and verify it first, and see if it works."

Watching Deng Dakang leave, Ming Yufei and Jiang Ruixuan looked at each other.

"Hey, squad leader, I used to drive special vehicles and engineering vehicles! If I ever get the chance, I'd like to become a dragon knight."

Ming Yufei replied firmly, "Xiao Jiang! You mentioned before that you have a fear of heights, right? Dragon Knights need to fly high! I think it's more suitable for me to take on this responsibility first!"
-

Command Center in another world.

Su Mingjin looked at the automatically popped-up annotations on the electronic calendar, her fingers unconsciously tapping lightly on the table.

"Peace and tranquility, day three."

This excessive quiet actually makes it impossible for people to calm down.

She picked up the warm jasmine tea and took a sip, unable to help but laugh at herself inwardly, wondering if she was just being stubborn and getting used to hearing about all sorts of unexpected situations all the time.

I've been having a lot of free time these past few days, and I'm actually finding it a bit hard to adjust.

However, Commander Man and his men were finally able to get a good night's sleep, although those guys would still work like crazy to mess with their soldiers after they woke up, never having a moment's rest.

Land reclamation is not a simple matter of inviting someone over for a meal; it is an extremely complex and dangerous systemic project.

The visible enemies are the elves of the south and the undead Scourge of the north. With each encounter, the troops have become increasingly adept at responding.

But the unseen enemies in the natural world are often more deadly than people think.

Non-combat casualty report: The losses caused by various creatures such as the red poison ants from the other world are very large.

It's so small, yet its venom is terrifyingly potent; a bite from it can cause excruciating pain.

If not treated quickly, the toxin will spread rapidly.

In severe cases, amputation may be necessary.

This thing caused far more casualties to the pioneering teams in the southern forests than the forbidden magic "Nightmare of the Ruins," which had extremely high attack power among the elves!
Besides poisonous insects, there are also various plants that disguise themselves and look ordinary.

The report records that a squad of soldiers took a short rest in the dense forest. Feeling suffocated, they once again removed their masks and rested near a seemingly harmless large tree.

Within minutes, he became completely paralyzed and unable to move.

If their vital signs hadn't become abnormal, prompting other friendly patrols to inquire and arrive in time, they would probably have already become natural fertilizer in the forest.

With more time spent clearing land, there were more and more strange and unusual non-combat wounded, and everyone developed a psychological aversion to the forest.

Because of the large number of non-combat casualties, Su Mingjin and the others believed that the humans in the south were no longer coming to the northern forest elf kingdom because they were scared by these things.

However, the poisonous insects and ferocious beasts in this other world are just too outrageous.

They were in the far north, which, according to latitude and longitude, would be in the northeast of the earth, or even further.

But poisonous insects, mosquitoes, ants, and wild beasts were all included.

Fortunately, as more and more elf prisoners were captured, some of the less determined elves, under the special magical intimidation of the little dragon, revealed a lot of useful biological information.

This information is also rapidly filling in the gaps in human understanding of the world.

Su Mingjin rubbed her throbbing temples, filed the report, and then picked up the next document.

Her movements paused slightly as her gaze swept over the headline.

Feasibility Study Report on Using Undead Skeletons for Mill Production

Looking at the photo, those rows of undead with their heads fixed in place and their bones strung together with charcoal fiber, their eyes glowing with an icy blue light, stared blankly at the rabbit in front of them, moving forward numbly.

The skeletons tried to kill the live rabbit, but their strength caused the millstone to turn.

The rotation of the millstone then drives the generator to rotate.

Then, it directly transforms into a scene similar to a donkey pulling a millstone in the modern world.

These images have an indescribable sense of absurdity.

"Did they really make them pull the millstone?"

Su Mingjin almost spat out her tea.

The scene from the silly cartoon she had seen over there immediately flashed into her mind: a skeleton soldier carrying a hoe, who, instead of digging up the ground, dug out his own leg bone, mistaking it for a radish, and then stood there blankly holding his bone, at a loss.

However, the silly animation doesn't fit the real-world scenario, and the undead captured by humans can't be commanded to carry hoes and farm.

These undead creatures neither eat nor drink, nor sleep nor rest; theoretically, they are perfect perpetual motion machines of labor. However, they lack intelligence and cannot be controlled by humans.

Her finger hovered over the two options at the end of the document: approval and rejection, but an idea uncontrollably popped into her mind.

Simply using it for grinding is such a waste, it's a complete waste of resources!

These are genuine undead, they shouldn't be treated like this!
Su Mingjin's eyes lit up instantly. She picked up a pen and wrote several large characters in a flamboyant style on the blank space of the report: Undead Catastrophe Theme Park.

How about turning the far north into a "Shennongjia Wild Skeleton Reserve"?
Tourists ride in specially designed heavy armored sightseeing vehicles, watching hundreds and thousands of wild skeletons roam "freely" and roar on the ice field. This is definitely a unique and top-notch experience in another world!

"Those undead skeletons can be resurrected at any time, the only drawback is that they need a necromancer to control them."

"Catching undead skeletons isn't as cost-effective as catching necromancers," Su Mingjin thought for a moment, then approved the continued attempt to capture necromancers.

Those necromancers are the real unique giant pandas.

These creatures can manipulate the weather and control undead skeletons. After fighting humans for a long time and realizing they couldn't defeat them, they simply fled in the wind and snow.

The key is that these things have the characteristics of undead creatures. They don't need to eat or drink, and can hide in some corner for eternity.

Magical instruments are not a panacea.

This has resulted in humans capturing many undead skeletons, but very few necromancers.

However, skeletons have high development value.

For example, we could deal with the aggressiveness of these skeletons.

For example, their sharp bone claws and teeth could be ground down, or replaced with harmless rubber products, using various technological creations to prevent them from spreading out sufficiently through magical means. Only stable individual skeletons could be allowed to move.

Then, within the safe zone, stage a large-scale, live-action "Undead Castle Battle Royale"!
Isn't this much more commercially valuable than using them as mules to grind grain?
With this in mind, Su Mingjin's thoughts suddenly opened up.

In addition to a theme park dedicated to the dead, a zoo is also planned.

They can just call it "The Otherworldly Magical Zoo".

Humans have now harvested a considerable number of dire wolves, moose, and other animals.

Later, we'll catch some flying snakes, griffins, unicorns, and all sorts of animals with magical attributes.

We'll catch them, raise them properly, and then turn them into tourist attractions.

The park's prized possession is undoubtedly that gluttonous little dragon who loves to eat and sleep in!

Whether it was telepathy or not, she was just thinking about these things when she suddenly saw a new message.

It was written by Professor Deng Dakang himself.

"The dragon released itself, possibly a mark of a dragon knight..."

Su Mingjin softly read out the keywords from the report, her eyes becoming exceptionally deep.

"Isn't it?"

"Could it be that all Easterners are descendants of dragons, and that they can become dragon knights simply by raising a magical dragon? The idea of ​​treating magical dragons like zoos has taken another step forward in terms of both imagination and feasibility!"

After reading what appeared to be the dragon's recognition and the dragon knight's mark, Su Mingjin rubbed her hands to relieve the pain in her mouse hand, her mind filled with thoughts of the dragon's future value.

Dragons can transform into magical war weapons that soar through the skies and scorch mountains and boil seas! They can also efficiently produce magic essence mines.

"He's a treasure trove from head to toe!"

Ming Yufei and Jiang Ruixuan... those two lads really hit the jackpot.

After reviewing the report, she began signing documents and processing relevant information.

Then, Ren Cai picked up the internal communicator on the table and connected with the logistics department.

(End of this chapter)