They traveled through time at the same time, but the villainous scientist

Chapter 311 Re-engineering Plan

Lighthouse, navigation control room

This is the control center of Lighthouse, this aerial city.

Countless screens displayed data like a deep blue waterfall, while the server emitted a low hum, like the unchanging heartbeat of this lonely city in the sky.

Jingnan stood with his back to Zhang Qi, arms crossed, his upright posture exuding an aloof and unapproachable air.

She didn't speak, but her tense back conveyed a heavier weight than any question.

The silence that followed the journey from the hangar arena to here had brought the atmosphere to a breaking point.

"I need an explanation."

"When did you decide to go down to the ground? Why didn't I know anything about it?"

Finally, Jingnan turned around, his voice completely flat, as if he were reading an official report, devoid of any personal emotion.

"To test something."

"Something that gives us more confidence to return to the ground."

Zhang Qi's response was equally calm; he had anticipated this conversation.

He took a small metal data disk from his pocket, twirled it between his fingers, and then handed it over.

Jingnan's gaze fell on the data disk; its silver metallic casing gleamed coldly in the dim blue light.
"Oh?"

She hesitated for a moment, but finally reached out and took it with two fingers.

Then I went straight to the main console and inserted the data disk into the interface.

After a crisp "beep" sound, a huge holographic projection screen was instantly filled with a complex blue structural diagram.

Light and shadow flowed, and a three-dimensional model slowly rotated in the air.

It was a 3D machine, but it was completely different from any she knew.

As one of the Lighthouse's top technical officers, he almost instinctively saw the key to it.

Her gaze was fixed on the core area of ​​the structural diagram, where there was a module marked with a special highlighted line, next to which was a clear annotation: [Ark] Miniaturized Fusion Reactor.

Fusion reactor? Miniaturization?
Her breath hitched for a moment. The lighthouse's main power source was the fusion battery, and she knew better than anyone how enormous and complex it was.

And this thing in front of us is only the size of a palm? How could it be stuffed into the chest cavity of a heavy three-dimensional machine?

Her gaze moved uncontrollably downwards along the energy circuit.

Connected to the reactor are several arrayed high-energy-density solid-state battery packs, forming a perfect hybrid energy supply system.

Based on these parameters, the energy density of this battery system far exceeds that of the existing battery packs in the lighthouse.

The combination of the two can theoretically achieve semi-perpetual operation of the complex three-dimensional structure...

Is this technology really feasible?
Or did Zhang Qi recreate it by disassembling and reproducing items from the old world?

Moving the gaze further down, the drawings depict a completely new electric propulsion system.

The original bulky, inefficient chemical engines, which required a lot of fuel storage space, were completely replaced.

The new design not only significantly reduces the weight of the aircraft, but also improves its battery life and burst power by several orders of magnitude.

According to the data above, it is even possible to allow a heavy object weighing several tons to soar freely within the atmosphere.

Next is the brand-new outer armor material, with its performance data clearly marked: 200% increase in strength and 33% reduction in weight.

Jingnan's fingers tapped unconsciously on the control panel, and he could no longer maintain his composure.

"These...are all real?!"

After a long while, Jingnan finally recovered from the suffocating shock. She turned her head with difficulty to look at Zhang Qi.

Her voice trembled slightly, a hint of excitement she herself was unaware of.

The old world had a high level of technology, but most of it has been lost.

But now, Zhang Qi has produced so many as if by magic...

"Really. I've been thinking about it for a long time."

"After all, courage alone is not enough to get back to the ground."

Force is a necessity for survival.

Zhang Qi's eyes were incredibly serious, without the slightest hint of falsehood.

He wasn't exactly lying. Ever since he came to this world and gained the ability, he had been asking Mark to bring back various materials and items from the old world from the surface.

The goal, of course, is to extract relevant technologies from these relics of the old world and then feed them back to the hunter team.

Gradually, this created a virtuous cycle. The hunters, with their improved equipment, gained stronger survival abilities and were therefore more willing to search for more "research materials" for him in addition to searching for living supplies. But this time, the technical solution he presented came from several other worlds.

The Arc Reactor is a simplified version of Tony Stark's creation in the Marvel universe, incorporating the productivity of his current world, the Beacon.

After all, they don't have high-tech industrial production lines here, so they can only choose a simplified version.

The high-density batteries, electric propulsion system, lightweight high-strength armor, and even the related control system are almost entirely derived from the technology system of the Gundam SEED world.

In that world, the Coordinators were able to contend with a massive army of Naturals with a small population, thanks to humanoid mobile weapons called MS.

The existence of anti-neutron jammers has led to the banning of nuclear fission and the difficulty in miniaturizing fusion reactors. This predicament has ironically spurred the development of incredible super battery technology.

In that world, within a limited volume, the battery pack alone could power a mobile suit weighing tens of tons for tens of minutes, and its electric propulsion system allowed these steel giants to fly freely within the atmosphere.

Using it to move a heavy object weighing several tons is simply overkill...

"This……"

Jingnan's breathing became rapid. She looked at the blueprint again, feeling conflicted.

In the past, she would have supported Zhang Qi without hesitation.

But now, she can't.

But as one of the lighthouse's managers, she bears the responsibility for the lives of tens of thousands of people.

Such a groundbreaking and massive project, once launched, is a bottomless pit.

How many resources will be needed? How much time will it take? Will there be any insurmountable technical bottlenecks along the way? Will it ultimately be successful?
Everything is unknown.

Zhang Qi could see her struggle and pain.

"Ah……"

He chuckled softly, breaking the heavy silence, and stepped forward.

"So this time I don't plan to do it all at once. We'll take the first step and prioritize upgrading the energy and propulsion systems."

He reached out and swiped on the holographic screen, temporarily hiding the dazzling array of weapon modules and complex armor structure diagrams, leaving only the core power component, instantly making the blueprint simple and clear.

"The relevant fusion materials are readily available in Lighthouse's own main reactor. We only need to build a new production line for purification and modification. This will not take too much effort and will not excessively deplete Lighthouse's already strained strategic reserves."

"Is that so? That's acceptable..."

Upon hearing this, Jingnan breathed a sigh of relief. This plan sounded much more realistic and reliable.

But then, she turned her gaze back to Zhang Qi's face, the question circling back to its origin, her eyes sharpening once more.

"Even so, if it's just to record experimental data, you don't need to go to the ground yourself, do you?"

"If you want to study the ecology of mana, you can't just stay hidden in the sky forever."

“Jingnan, look at this lighthouse.”

"The three laws, the genetic hierarchy, the life formula... We live like a string of pre-programmed data, rather than as human beings."

Zhang Qi took a step forward, shortening the distance between the two.

He could understand the lighthouse's policy, but he couldn't accept it.

So even without the help of cheat codes, he didn't intend to sit idly by and wait for his doom...

Upon hearing this, Jingnan fell completely silent.

She looked at Zhang Qi in front of her, a figure that had been different from others since childhood, and it seemed to overlap with the boy in her memory who always secretly flipped through old world documents in the forbidden book area.

There was always something about him, a feeling that didn't belong to the lighthouse, like the difference between a caged bird and a free-flying eagle.

It wasn't a deliberate display of rebellion, but rather something as natural as breathing, something ingrained in one's very being.

It was precisely this quality that, like an invisible magnet, attracted her...

"You really haven't changed at all..."

Jingnan sighed softly, her tone tinged with helplessness, nostalgia, and a hint of relief that she herself was unaware of.

She knew she couldn't stop Zhang Qi...

Just like when they were children, Zhang Qi would go and read those taboo old-world books, and tell her those stories about "humanity" and "freedom" that the lighthouse had deliberately erased...

"Since you've decided to go to the surface, be careful."

"If you don't come back, I'm going to go to the Golden Hall with someone else."

"I hope that one day, none of us will have to go to that place anymore."

(End of this chapter)