In the apocalypse, I hoarded goods and handed over my storage space to the government.

Kunlun Base, attached test range.

As soon as Su Ran jumped out of the car, she saw Lu Yuan pacing back and forth restlessly, holding a strangely shaped instrument.

The main body of the instrument remains the same, but a signal amplifier with a diameter of half a meter, resembling a small pot lid, has been added to the back.

"Commander Su!"

When Lu Yuan saw Su Ran approaching, he hurriedly tried to hand her the item.

"I've been taken by Academician Wei to develop the 'Crystal Core Radar' these past few days, and the modification of the 'Bio-Energy Rank Frequency Identifier' has been delayed for several days."

"Alright, no need to explain to me."

Su Ran waved her hand, her sharp gaze sweeping over the device, a hint of anticipation in her eyes.

"Start the test now."

"yes!"

Lu Yuan took a deep breath and skillfully turned on the instrument.

"Sizzle!"

A faint blue arc of electricity lit up on the dish antenna, and the screen on the side also lit up.

The outer testing ground is extremely large, with various obstacles and targets placed at the far end to simulate a complex battlefield environment.

"Target, target area number one, approximately 2000 meters away."

Lu Yuan pointed the instrument at the distance.

The waveform on the screen jumped wildly a few times.

"drop!"

A crisp confirmation sound.

The data on the screen froze instantly.

[Energy source signal detected]

[Distance: 2158 meters]

Signal strength: Strong

Number of first-order targets: 1

"good."

Su Ran nodded. Compared to the hard target of one thousand meters, the machine that Lu Yuan has improved at this stage can be described as very perfect.

"This, this is nothing."

Lu Yuan wiped his sweat. Although the data was perfect, he still carefully added to it.

"This was just a fixed target test. On the battlefield, targets move, and energy signals can be obstructed and interfered with by various objects..."

He issued instructions to the range control center via the terminal.

"Activate target region two and deliver the mixed sample."

"yes!"

From behind the alloy wall in the distance, came the sound of mechanical transmission.

Several mobile target vehicles loaded with crystal cores sped out from behind the bunker, racing wildly around the field in an irregular "S" shape.

"Lock them down!" Su Ran commanded.

"yes!"

Lu Yuan gripped the instrument firmly with both hands, aiming the "pot lid" at the chaotic target area.

The waveform on the screen changed rapidly, and the red warning light flashed wildly.

"The algorithm is filtering out noise! ​​A model is being built!"

Lu Yuan muttered something to himself.

Only one second passed.

"drop!"

The data on the screen refreshed again.

[Multiple targets successfully locked]

Number of first-order targets: 5

Number of second-order objectives: 1

A simplified radar dot map is generated, showing five red dots moving at high speed.

Among them, a striking blue dot of light is firmly enclosed by a special locking frame.

"good!"

Su Ran couldn't help but praise it, then asked the crucial question, "Approximately what is the maximum distance it can reach?"

"Reporting to Commander Su, with this gain array added, the physical limit is 2,500 meters."

Lu Yuan answered honestly, "Any further away, the signal attenuation will be too severe, and it will be easy to misjudge."

"That's enough for the early stages."

Su Ran nodded, a glint of light flashing in his eyes. "Two thousand five hundred meters is enough for our frontline troops to react."

With this thing, we don't have to indiscriminately spray ammunition like it's free.

It can also give the logistics team a break.

Is there still room for improvement in the later stages?

Su Ran thought for a moment and then asked.

"Yes! It definitely exists!"

Lu Yuan's eyes lit up whenever technology was mentioned.

"If we could use military-grade phased array technology, along with a higher-order crystal core..."

"Okay, I understand."

Su Ran interrupted him directly and immediately made the decision, "Old Li said before that the first batch would be one hundred units. Now we're doubling it to two hundred units!"

The remaining one hundred Tier 2 crystal cores will be handled by our Awakened Headquarters. Finished products will be prioritized for allocation to frontline heavy infantry!

Having resolved the "eyes" issue, he changed the subject.

"The recognition device has solved the problem of 'distinguishing,' so how is the progress of 'Xingtian'?"

When Lu Yuan mentioned the "Xingtian" exoskeleton powered by crystal cores, his eyes lit up with even more fervor.

"He's already offline! Commander Su, come with me!"

……

Twenty minutes later, in the final assembly workshop.

The once empty workshop has now been transformed into a steel jungle.

Rows of brand-new powered exoskeletons stand quietly on the mounting frame.

It is entirely matte black, with an exposed metal frame, and slots for crystal core energy cards are reserved on the chest and back.

"Commander Su, the first batch of one thousand 'Xingtian-1' powered exoskeletons has been fully assembled and tested!"

Lu Yuan stood in front of an exoskeleton and introduced it,

"There are a total of ten first-order crystal core slots on the chest and back, which is the maximum load that the current materials and energy circuits can withstand."

He pointed to the slot and said, "According to simulation data from the Academy of Sciences, a highly capable special forces soldier, fully equipped with the 'Xingtian' armor, could theoretically single-handedly slaughter a small horde of zombies!"

Su Ran stepped forward and tapped her knuckles on the thick leg armor, producing a dull "thump-thump" sound.

nice one.

This is the key to survival in the apocalypse.

"Can we use a second-order crystal core?" Su Ran asked.

"Not for now, because this requires mass production, and we must reduce production costs as much as possible."

Lu Yuan shook his head and said, "The Xingtian-2 type is expected to be compatible with second-order crystal cores, and it is already being tested, but there are still some issues with the materials."

Just then, a steady footstep sound came from behind.

"Consultant Su! Engineer Lu!"

Jinlong strode over and gave a standard military salute. He had come to serve as a tester for the powered exoskeleton.

"Captain Jin, why don't you try it on?" Su Ran gestured.

"yes!"

A look of eager anticipation gleamed in Jinlong's eyes.

He walked up to an exoskeleton and, under Lu Yuan's guidance, skillfully put it on.

"Click! Click! Click!"

With a series of soft mechanical clicks, the various parts of the exoskeleton adhered to Jinlong's limbs and torso.

"System self-check complete, neural connection synchronization rate 98%, energy output normal."

Lu Yuan looked at the tablet in his hand and spoke.

"Buzz!"

The ten crystal cores on Jinlong's chest suddenly lit up, and the miniature turbine motor emitted a low buzzing sound.

Jinlong tentatively raised his hand.

"Sizzle!"

The hydraulic rods on the arm extend and retract, driving the robotic arm without any delay.

"How are you feeling?" Su Ran asked.

"Report! Consultant Su, I feel full of energy!"

Jinlong's voice was filled with barely suppressed excitement.

Su Ran pointed to the weapon rack next to her.

There was a 12.7mm heavy machine gun there, along with its ammunition box, weighing 120 kilograms.

For the average person, it would be difficult to even lift it, let alone use it.

But in the next second, to everyone's astonishment, Jinlong lifted the heavy machine gun with one hand without any apparent effort.

The gun barrel rotates.

Jinlong held one arm out horizontally, while his other hand steadily supported the gun.

Jinlong himself was stunned. He looked at the Vulcan cannon in his hand, feeling the slight weight coming from his arm, his eyes filled with disbelief.

This represents a significant performance improvement over previous exoskeleton equipment.

"That's what you call individual heavy firepower."

Su Ran was very satisfied with this scene.

If every soldier in an army of several million could hold down a heavy machine gun with one hand, they could flatten even a mountain of corpses and a sea of ​​beasts!

but……

Su Ran withdrew her gaze and looked at the fanatical Jinlong, suddenly throwing out an even more pointed question.

"Captain Jin, if I asked you to wear this powered exoskeleton, wield a melee weapon, and engage in close combat with a Tier 2 mutated beast, what do you think...?"

He stared at the soldier encased in steel and spoke.

What are your chances of winning?