Steel torrents pioneering a different world.

Chapter 314 High-Quality, Affordable, Fully Protective Power Armor! A Powerful Pure Electric Electromagnetic Cannon! (Please Subscribe)

"Oh, I see. It seems there's still a lot of room for improvement~"

Chung Cheng-kuo:

'

"Am I right?"

Zhong Zhenguo, whose thinking was heavily influenced by science and engineering, glanced at Zhu Yungui, then at Su Mingjin who was watching the drama unfold, and finally nodded.

Seeing that the scientist had actually grasped the point, Zhu Yungui nodded without saying anything more!

He did have some regrets, such as the fact that the power armor couldn't have strong energy resistance and didn't have a shield.

However, the energy shield is extremely important; it's definitely a major system!

These things can't be resolved in a short time.

You have to eat one bite at a time, and walk one step at a time.

Take it one step at a time, no rush!

He patted off imaginary dust to calm himself down, then his gaze fell on the power armor that the soldiers had removed for testing.

"This power armor has a lot of firepower, but... when will it be able to release an energy shield?"

"Protect the soldiers' safety?" Zhu Yungui asked directly.

"Um—we can't give a definite answer right now!" a professor specializing in power armor research said awkwardly. "Our current focus is on enhancing its overall protection capabilities, increasing its special operations, high-speed combat capabilities, and immunity to energy particles. Its shockwave mitigation technology is still relatively weak!"

"I see!" Having failed to obtain a definitive clue, Zhu Yungui's face showed some regret. "So there's still a lot of room for improvement!"

"President Zhu, our technical staff are constantly making progress. Perhaps it won't be long before we can obtain the corresponding technology from our trade with the dwarves."

"Haha, hmm, Mr. Su's idea is excellent. By the way, cough cough—um—is it friendly to non-combatants?"

Zhong Zhenguo nodded, then suddenly noticed Zhu Yungui touching the powered armor with an expectant look on his face: "President Zhu, very friendly, very friendly! We considered the versatility of the pilots during the design process! However—you didn't have the neural interface installed, so only the basic functions can be compared!"

"Um, can I give it a try too?"

"That's right, Mr. Zhu. You're still going strong and have a lot of experience with equipment. You can experience it for yourself and feel the performance of the power armor!"

"Alright, in that case, I'll give it a try!"

A few minutes later————

"Holy crap!"

"Awesome!"

"Haha, scientists are awesome! Amazing!!!!"

Many researchers who participated in this test:

Zhong Zhenguo moved closer to Su Mingjin. Although he wasn't familiar with the old man in the equipment department, he was very familiar with Su Mingjin.

"Mr. Su, has Mr. Zhu always been like this?"

"I'm not entirely sure either, but decades ago, General Zhu transported supplies to the battlefield in some mountainous area in the south. He was young, yet he received several second-class merit awards!"

"I see!" Chung Cheng-kuo nodded.

After waiting a few minutes, Zhu Yungui, whose hair had turned quite gray but whose spirits were still high, finished the test: "Great equipment! Really great equipment!"

After he removed his power armor, Su Mingjin smiled and said, "President Zhu, once these equipment are used by the soldiers, their individual combat capabilities will be greatly enhanced. Even if they encounter the dwarven heavy armor cans, they can still launch a kiting attack!"

"Yes," Zhu Yungui said, recalling the battle reports he had seen earlier. He was wary of the heavy tankers' combat capabilities, which allowed them to launch attacks while enduring heavy machine gun fire. "Now, let's talk about procurement."

Zhu Yungui stretched out two fingers and twirled them, his movements as shrewd as an old man haggling at a market.

"President Su, and Professor Zhong, the soldiers need them, but the reclamation team's operations are quite large, and overall funding is tight! We'll need to make a series of adjustments later, because our brother units in the rear, especially those military industrial units, also need to recover their customized R&D funds, so—"

"Mr. Zhu, we understand!"

"Okay, that's good. So, how much does a set of these gold nuggets cost? Can we spend as much as we want?"

We've finally arrived at the crucial issue.

No matter how good something is, if it's too expensive to produce in large quantities, it can only be a showpiece displayed in an exhibition hall.

Upon hearing this, Professor Zhong Zhenguo's characteristic arrogance as a technician reappeared on his face. He did not answer directly, but instead gave a wink to a researcher next to him who was holding a data terminal.

The researcher immediately stepped forward, stood at attention, and reported: "Reporting to Director Zhu! The success rate of the new, complete version of the power armor has been greatly increased, and the material costs have also been significantly reduced, thanks to the absorption of some of the dwarves' energy absorption and manufacturing processes during the material upgrade process—"

The researcher quickly recounted everything.

Previously, human-made exoskeletons were very expensive because the core skeleton, servo motors, and various armor components were all quite costly.

However, they absorbed the captured dwarven rune metal technology, and of course, the most crucial thing was something new that appeared during the period of celestial convergence—a special superconducting material from the lava world.

No life forms have been found in the newly appeared celestial confluence rift yet, but the resources contained within are simply enviable.

Well—I obtained materials from another world without leaving home.

This is the precious resource brought about by the spacetime rift that appeared when the celestial bodies intersected.

Humans have extracted large quantities of rare metals and superconducting materials from the magma flowing from that fissure.

Some materials can even replace rare metallic elements such as refined gold.

The interaction and complementarity of these resources have significantly reduced manufacturing costs for humans.

The mining sites there are now producing 100 tons of superconducting materials per month.

A single suit of power armor requires only a few kilograms of superconducting material to boost performance by 50 percent or more with almost no changes to the design.

This is the powerful advantage brought about by breakthroughs in materials.

The high cost of manufacturing basic exoskeletons in the past was due to issues with internal materials.

Both adamantite and mithril are colored precious metals for humans, and because they are produced in other worlds, their supply is unstable and their prices are extremely high.

"—Therefore, after comprehensive calculations, the cost of a single set of fully protected power armor has now been reduced to 1.53 million!"

"How many?"

"One million five hundred and thirty thousand!"

Zhu Yungui picked at his ear, wondering if he had misheard.

One million five hundred and thirty thousand?

A series of numbers flashed through his mind. The previous generation of exoskeletons was the kind that simply had some steel plates inserted, providing only 60-70% protection for vital organs. Without the refined metal skeleton and accessories, the cost of just enhancing load-bearing capacity and mobility was as high as 900,000, while the cost of using enhanced key components reached 4.5 million.

With the addition of armor plates and other protective measures, the cost soared to 5.5 million.

Now, the upgraded power armor is even more powerful, but it only costs 1.53 million.

This steel monster in front of us, capable of tearing tanks apart like cans, is actually only slightly more expensive than a military Mengshi off-road vehicle when you do the math.

This is dirt cheap!

"What about costs and scale?"

"The manufacturing pressure is completely controllable!" the researcher exclaimed excitedly. "As long as there are enough raw materials, we can mass-produce them."

Su Mingjin laughed: "It seems we don't lack raw materials for the time being!"

Humans previously captured a large number of dwarven armors, which contained plenty of materials. If logistical resources keep up, they should be able to supply them easily.

"How long would it take to produce 50,000 sets?"

"Right now we only have one experimental production line. After adjustments, we can complete the first batch of 2,000 units within a month! However, if we deploy them on a large scale, we can increase our monthly production capacity to 20,000. But—"

Zhu Yungui felt as if his heart had been violently struck.

Happiness came so suddenly that he was a little dizzy.

He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, and stared intently at Zhong Zhenguo: "What did you just say, 'But—we can't produce for the time being'?"

Professor Zhong Zhenguo adjusted his glasses and slowly began, "It's not that we can't produce them!"

"The reason we can only keep costs this low right now is because we're relying on spoils from the dwarves. The tens of thousands of sets of standard dwarven armor are our best raw material. But once those stocks are depleted—"

He paused for a moment, then held up three fingers.

"Until we find a stable alternative mineral source and establish a complete smelting system, the cost of synthesizing materials from scratch will at least double."

A set costs nearly three million!

Zhu Yungui quickly made a mental calculation.

Three million for a set is already quite good!

They had previously been breached by a single-soldier exoskeleton costing five million.

This time, the production cost has been greatly reduced, the capabilities have been greatly enhanced, and it can also bring revolutionary combat power. This is the ultimate weapon for individual tactics!

A super soldier who can run at 60 kilometers per hour, fight continuously for 16 hours, and whose fists can split mountains and shatter rocks.

Let alone three million, I bet even ten million would be enough to attract someone!

"What about the future?" Zhu Yungui pressed. "The cost is still too high. Once the technology matures and the scale increases, will the cost be able to come down?"

"Yes, that's possible," Zhong Zhenguo nodded, "but we need to be able to bring this technology down to the civilian sector and use the huge civilian market to offset the costs. But as you know, the confidentiality requirements for this thing are too high—currently we are only calculating its ex-factory price based on future orders of 30,000 units, so its price advantage is not obvious at the moment."

Zhu Yungui nodded.

"I understand!" Zhu Yungui made a quick decision, waving his hand. "President Su, how many do we need?"

"We'll build at least a thousand sets to meet the needs of the elite troops."

"Please rest assured, Mr. Zhu, we will speed up production."

"Can we stop using those exoskeleton devices now?"

"It can be paused, but the top priority is to conduct the most intense extreme tests on these new equipment! It must complete operation in all extreme environments and ensure that all problems are resolved before the previous generation can be stopped."

'

Zhong Zhenguo nodded emphatically: "Yes, Mr. Zhu, please trust our professionalism!"

Zhu Yungui grinned, revealing a set of white teeth, and laughed happily.

Su Mingjin stood beside him and vaguely saw what appeared to be tears in the corners of his eyes.

"General Manager Zhu, now that we've finished looking at the individual soldier equipment, do you have time to take a look at the other equipment?" A young researcher quickly caught up, his face beaming with barely suppressed excitement. "Our electromagnetic railgun, a true all-electric electromagnetic railgun, has made good progress recently! You can take a look and offer your feedback!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhu Yungui turned his face, which was grinning so wide it almost reached his ears.

Electromagnetic railguns, a concept that only exists in science fiction movies and cutting-edge laboratories in another world, are actually going to come to fruition here?

"Okay! Sure!"

Before we could fully digest the surprises brought by the power armor, new surprises were already knocking on the door.

He now felt like Grandma Liu entering the Grand View Garden, finding everything amazing and marveling at it all.

Zhu Yungui had always stayed in the equipment department and remembered very clearly that the reclamation team had previously worked on electrothermal chemical cannons.

On Earth, Eagle, Little Days, and even Young Master Ou have all worked on electromagnetic guns, electrothermal-chemical guns, electromagnetic coil guns, and explored almost every technological route.

However, the two major challenges of high-energy batteries and gun barrel materials, as well as superconducting materials, weighed heavily on the project.

Progress on Earth is slow, and the costs are astronomical.

Almost everyone gave up.

Although the pioneering team did not give up, their progress was repeatedly stalled.

Six months ago, with the support of new materials, Professor Ma, the Electromagnetic Manifestation True Lord, made a number of breakthroughs, but only carried out small-batch production and testing.

And that was it!

Because things have been progressing so rapidly lately.

The new materials that Professor Ma received were being added almost daily.

We were just about to do some engineering design work and compromise on material performance when a new solution came out.

In any case, researchers experience both pain and pleasure!

Even with later technological breakthroughs, only a few electrothermal-chemical cannons were produced in small batches.

Because of its large caliber and lack of powerful mobile power supply, it can only be stationed in the Time Gate Base as a fixed defensive turret.

Well, because humans are so powerful, they haven't even managed to hit a live target who dares to attack them yet.

"President Zhu, let's go!" Su Mingjin said with a smile.

"Okay, let's go!"

Zhu Yungui happily boarded the sightseeing bus, which then sped off ahead.

Led by the researcher, the group walked through several streets and arrived at the new-style gun and cannon laboratory.

The laboratory has a huge interior space, with an area of ​​over a thousand square meters divided into several sections. Various machine tools, testing equipment, and semi-finished parts are neatly arranged, exuding a sense of industrial power.

Zhu Yungui's gaze was instantly drawn to the massive, already-formed structure in the center of the field.

It was a small-caliber cannon mounted on a six-wheeled armored chassis.

The turret has a low profile and smooth lines, and it also integrates a small phased array radar.

The most striking feature is the unusually thick cannon barrel, which is wrapped with a visible raised structure from the base of the turret to the muzzle, and is covered with thick heat sinks and armor.

"This thing is an electromagnetic railgun, right? It looks so—sturdy!" Zhu Yungui couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

The electromagnetic cannon in front of us is a metallic silver-gray color, similar to the power armor, and is obviously made of similar metal materials and technology as the previous power armor.

But its form is completely different from those old-fashioned things he remembered that needed to be towed by a hundred-ton heavy truck and had to have hydraulic outriggers lowered to fix them in place before firing.

The power module for this electromagnetic railgun has been shrunk from a separate, massive truck to being integrated into the chassis of an armored vehicle.

Zhu Yungui leaned over to watch, while the people next to him laughed and told him the story.

"General Manager Zhu, we've adopted a new energy hybrid electric system." The researcher adjusted his glasses, his tone full of pride. "The main gun is mounted on this light armored vehicle, which can be paired with one or more accompanying power vehicles. The entire system is now fully capable of field maneuvering in harsh terrain."

He walked to the turret and gently patted the thick cannon barrel.

"With a 30mm caliber and using tungsten alloy stabilized discarding sabot armor-piercing projectiles, the muzzle velocity can reach Mach 7.3, and the muzzle energy exceeds 30 megajoules. The effective kill range is 100 kilometers, and the accuracy range is 60 kilometers! It can engage both aerial and surface targets!"

Zhu Yungui gasped.

A 30mm caliber can actually reach a range of 100 kilometers?!

What does this mean?

This means that artillery positions can conduct surgical precision strikes on the front lines from an absolutely safe rear!

"Its power is sufficient to easily penetrate the vast majority of heavily armored units in the world at conventional combat ranges. Converted to familiar data, that's equivalent to penetrating 120mm of homogeneous steel armor at 1000 meters—more powerful than the 105mm gun of our main tanks! Moreover, its recoil is only 5 kilonewtons, one-third the recoil of traditional artillery! If necessary, soldiers wearing power armor can even manually operate it for fine-tuning!"

Zhu Yungui's fingers traced the raised, ring-shaped structures in the middle of the cannon barrel: "These must be superconducting coils, right?"

"Yes, Mr. Zhu." The researcher's eyes shone brightly. "This is our 8-stage segmented pulse coil, with each stage powered independently to achieve progressive acceleration of the projectile. We use superconducting copper wire wrapped with boron nitride insulation, and the guide rails are made of chromium-plated niobium-zirconium superconducting alloy, which can withstand temperatures exceeding 3,000 degrees Celsius and has excellent heat dissipation and stability."

"Theoretically, this tank's built-in power source can fire 3,000 rounds. With a dedicated accompanying power module, the ammunition capacity can easily exceed 45,000 rounds!"

Zhu Yungui was deeply moved, and a bold idea popped into his mind.

"Amazing! Absolutely amazing!" He rubbed his hands together, asking eagerly, "When will this thing be completely miniaturized? For example, turned into individual soldier equipment? So that each of our power armor-clad warriors could have one!"

The researcher's excitement faltered slightly, replaced by a wry smile.

"This—Mr. Zhu, is theoretically possible, but in reality—it's very difficult."

He sighed. "The problem still lies with the battery. Our latest high-energy battery only has an energy density of 1000 g/g, which was already top-tier in the old world. But in this world where all sorts of monsters and demons roam, the power of a single-soldier electromagnetic weapon powered by this amount of energy is probably—not even enough for a security weapon."

Zhu Yungui: "————"

The excitement on his face cooled down a bit, but it quickly reignited.

Just because it can't be used as a personal weapon doesn't mean it's useless.

On the contrary, this vehicle-mounted version is practically tailor-made for future large-scale warfare and combined arms operations!

He took a deep breath, looked away from the cold cannon barrel, turned to the researcher beside him, and asked the most crucial question.

"I understand. Putting aside the hurdles of individual weapons, what about the cost of this behemoth in front of us?" Zhu Yungui rubbed his fingers together, his expression turning serious. "Could it be another money-devouring behemoth that only knows how to swallow money but doesn't lay eggs?"

'

After all, no matter how good a weapon is, if it is so expensive that it can only be kept as a treasure in a laboratory, then it is of little significance to the overall war situation.

Upon hearing this, the researcher's fervent, typical of a tech geek, faded slightly, replaced by a strange expression, as if he wanted to laugh but was trying hard to hold it in.

"Well, Mr. Zhu, it's really not that expensive."

"Oh?" Zhu Yungui saw the deeper meaning in his expression and his heart skipped a beat. He prepared himself to hear an astronomical figure. "Tell me, so my old heart can be prepared."

The researcher cleared his throat, then grinned: "Because we've completely mastered the mass production process of superconducting materials, many formulas that previously required rare and precious metals have been optimized and replaced. Therefore, this entire 30..."

"The cost of the millimeter-sized vehicle-mounted electromagnetic railgun, including the six-wheeled chassis you see and that small phased-array radar, is..."

He paused deliberately, held up two fingers, and then held up a palm.

"Twenty-five million!"

Su Mingjin, standing next to her, pursed her lips, then forced a smile.

Zhu Yungui's eyelids twitched, and he blurted out, "US dollars?"

"Red banknotes! They're red banknotes!" The researcher quickly waved his hand, afraid that his superiors would misunderstand.

"Twenty-five million—in red banknotes?"

Zhu Yungui immediately breathed a sigh of relief!

In an instant, the prices of countless weapons and equipment flashed through his mind. A main battle tank costs around twenty million. A third-generation single-engine fighter jet costs over one hundred million.

Not to mention those naval ships that cost billions of dollars.

A single Eagle shipborne Phalanx close-in weapon system costs over 100 million!

And that doesn't even include the fire control system integrated into the warship!

And this revolutionary electromagnetic railgun, a war machine whose performance is enough to crush all currently used artillery of the same caliber and whose range is comparable to that of a short-range missile, is only 25 million.

This price isn't expensive; it's so cheap it's unbelievable!

He subconsciously turned to look at his assistant, his eyes asking if he had misheard.

The assistant also looked like he'd seen a ghost, nodding blankly to indicate that you weren't hallucinating.

Zhu Yungui gasped, feeling his heart skip a beat.

He whirled around, grabbed the researcher's shoulder, and stared intently at him: "Are you sure you didn't make a mistake?"

"That's right! Absolutely true!" The researcher was startled by his appearance, but his tone was incredibly firm. "President Zhu, this price still takes into account the initial production line setup costs! Once large-scale assembly line production is achieved, this price can be reduced by at least 20%, no—around 35%!"

Can it go down any further?!

Zhu Yungui was completely speechless.

He released the researcher, slowly walked to the electromagnetic cannon that gleamed with a cold metallic light, and reached out, as if caressing a lover, to stroke the thick, sturdy barrel once more.

The cold touch from his fingertips ignited a fire within him.

Cheap!

That's fucking cheap!

This isn't a gold-devouring behemoth; it's clearly a hen that lays golden eggs!

Don't be fooled by the small size of the cannon; it's expensive to buy one.

This price is a great deal!

Because you have to understand that if you don't invest in military security, you'll be taken advantage of later!

Just like selling so much oil every year!

If people don't spend money to upgrade security, don't purge the moles, and don't solve internal problems, then in the end, the ringleaders will all be forcibly arrested.

While oil can breed mold, the money saved can breed deadly injuries and diseases!

"Great! This is good stuff!"

Zhu Yungui's voice trembled slightly, but every word was firm and resounding.

"Once this thing passes all the tests, we'll immediately arrange for small-batch production and give it to a few combined arms units, especially those near the sea. Oh, and the pioneering teams need it too, a lot of it! I want all the units in this other world to use these weapons."

His eyes gleamed.

Saving money is a way to make ends meet in peacetime, but in this world full of monsters and demons, and in the increasingly magical world on the other side of Earth, they need a lot of new equipment.

With this thing, the army's tactics will change again.

In the future, all heavy armored units and aerial threats will have to kneel down and sing "Conquer!"

This electromagnetic railgun, combined with the previously powerful armor, can easily cripple even the heaviest artillery pieces.

He shifted his gaze to the group of equally excited researchers, then asked, "Our weapon is quite good. What about the cost of the ammunition?"

"Mr. Zhu, don't worry, each shell only costs a little over seven hundred yuan! The shells for close-range use are almost no different from the previous ones! However, if you want to fire long-range shells that can travel 100 kilometers, you'll need special ammunition!"

Electromagnetic projectiles require special processing.

This means the military will need a separate production line. Therefore, the initial cost of artillery shells will definitely not be low.

However, Zhu Yungui understood.

As long as the price of ammunition isn't outrageous, then there are endless possibilities!

Overall, due to the high cost of ammunition, this electromagnetic railgun can currently only be installed in key locations for air defense, but it may be able to be installed on warships in the future.

However, if pushed to the limit, it's not impossible to use it as the main weapon for the pioneering team to attack!