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

Jinlong piloted the mecha and then performed complex tactical maneuvers such as side-sliding and leaping.

Finally, after testing the limits of their defensive capabilities.

"Warning! Pilot's heart rate exceeds 180!"

"The nerve compression index has reached the critical value!"

The researcher's stern shout interrupted this mechanical feast.

"stop!"

Lu Yuan roared and slammed his hand on the emergency brake button.

The mecha abruptly stopped, collapsing heavily to its knees with a screeching sound.

The cockpit door opens, and the gel is automatically recovered.

Jinlong crawled out of the mecha, his face pale and his steps even a little unsteady.

"vomit!"

He gagged, and the medical team, who had been waiting, quickly stepped forward, using various scanning instruments to check his vital signs.

"Captain Kim, how are you feeling?"

Lu Yuan rushed over and asked about his physical condition.

A few seconds later, Jinlong's breathing became heavy:

"Mr. Lu, I'm fine. It's just that I felt a tightness in my chest after the defense test."

"Report."

The medical team leader looked at the data on the panel and reported loudly.

"The driver experienced mild internal organ concussion, an elevated heart rate, and signs of mild tearing in the back muscles. There were no other safety concerns."

Lu Yuan stepped down from the main control console, walked up to several senior academicians, and spread his hands.

"This is also the issue I must address today."

He pulled up a diagram and projected it into the air.

"The protective system of 'Chengying' is extremely excellent, with aerospace-grade gel offsetting more than 90% of the vibration transmission."

But it was, after all, a six-meter-tall, tens-of-tons-weight steel behemoth.

Lu Yuan pointed to the mech that had just been tested for its maximum defensive capabilities.

"Just now, test driver Jinlong withstood a 20-ton impact. Even if less than 10% of the recoil force was transmitted into the cockpit, it was still a huge load."

Wei Jianguo's joy faded. "Ordinary people can't open this kind of thing?"

"It's not that it can't be opened."

Lu Yuan said seriously, "However, the pilots of the 'Cheng Ying' tactical mechs have certain physical requirements."

Its design was specifically intended for close-quarters combat, taking into full account the driver's physical strength.

"Could we add radar early warning devices to avoid close combat at its source?" Wei Jianguo suggested.

"Then why not invest resources directly in upgrading the crystal core exoskeleton?"

Lu Yuan stated bluntly, "'Cheng Ying' tactical mech is not a larger version of the crystal core exoskeleton armor."

Wu Jiayong adjusted his reading glasses and asked, puzzled,

"Then how about increasing the thickness of the gel buffer layer? Adding a few more layers should be fine, right?"

"no."

Lu Yuan flatly refused, "Increasing the thickness will compress the internal mechanical skeleton space, causing the mecha to become bulky and lose its flexibility."

In the future, when facing even higher-level mutated beasts, a lack of agility will make you a sitting duck.

"Then reduce the engine power?" another person asked.

"That won't do either."

Lu Yuan pushed up his glasses. "Reducing power is like cutting off your own limbs. This is only the first generation 'Cheng Ying' equipped with a second-order crystal core."

According to the plan, the second-generation mechs will use third-tier crystal cores, doubling their power output, and will also carry more heavy armor and weapons.

"When the third and fourth generation mechs are developed, the overload generated by acceleration and the reaction force from close combat will be too much for the average human body to withstand, even with the most advanced cushioning technology."

The moment those words were spoken, the atmosphere on the observation deck plummeted to freezing point.

The product of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, representing the ultimate weapon of human wisdom, is now hampered by the physiological limitations of humankind itself.

They created an unparalleled weapon, only to discover that ordinary people weren't even qualified to hold its hilt.

This is an extremely absurd technological gap.

"Mr. Lu, what are your thoughts?" Wei Jianguo asked Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuan raised his head, his gaze sweeping over the quietly standing steel behemoth before finally settling on a certain data item on the control panel.

He swiped his finger to project a comparison document onto the large screen.

The data on the left side shows Jinlong's physiological limits.

On the right is the physical test data of Ye Xiao and others that he obtained from the Awakened Headquarters.

"The human body has its limits."

Lu Yuan pointed to the ridiculously high numbers on the right, his tone flat.

"But some people have already broken this limit."

After seeing the data, Wei Jianguo raised an eyebrow. "You mean...?"

"The mech upgrade must continue! The monsters of the apocalypse will never stop; we can't afford to wait while we slowly upgrade our buffer materials."

Lu Yuan braced his hands on the control panel.

"Since physical cushioning can't provide 100% protection, let's find someone who can withstand that damage to drive it."

"When the mechs evolved to the third and fourth generations, who in this world could withstand that terrifying load and truly control these steel monsters...?"

Lu Yuan paused, speaking slowly and deliberately.

"Only the awakened remain."

silence.

A deathly silence.

All the researchers stood frozen in place.

Ultimately, the ultimate creations of technology require the extraordinary power of individuals to drive them.

What an ironic and cruel closed loop this is.

"What about the combat test between the 'Shadowbringer' mecha and the Awakened Ones, which was personally requested by the Commander?"

Wu Jiayong spoke in surprise and doubt.

This is so darkly humorous!

The most suitable pilot for the mecha is an Awakened One, but the leader specifically requested that an Awakened One stand on the opposite side of the mecha.

Let the pinnacle of industry clash with the power of the individual.

"Tomorrow's live-fire combat test will proceed as scheduled."

Lu Yuan turned to look at Chief Engineer Wu.

"I will package all the test data from today, encrypt it, and upload it to the highest command."

After saying this, he turned and left the testing site.

Walking down the cold metal corridor, Lu Yuan took a deep breath, his gaze hardening once more.

"Commander Su, did you anticipate this?"

He took off his glasses and rubbed his temples.

"Technology and mutation are never two parallel tracks. They will eventually converge."

Lu Yuan turned his head and looked at the steel behemoth kneeling quietly in the pit.

It's too powerful.

It was so powerful that the force it generated was enough to "shake the driver inside to death."

This is the deadlock between technology and the physical body.

……

Su Ran opened the message, which contained only one sentence, but it made his breath catch in his throat.

The prototype of the "Cheng Ying" tactical mech has completed final assembly. Its first live-fire test will take place at the Kunlun Base at 3 PM tomorrow.

The commander specifically requested that the Awakened Headquarters send a representative to participate in a real-world combat exercise to verify the results.

"The commander personally called the roll?"

Su Ran's heart skipped a beat, and her gaze instantly deepened.

He knew that shrewd old man all too well.

The leader has always been very supportive of the Awakened Headquarters, and has even handed this sharp weapon directly into his hands.

Unexpectedly, the leader personally intervened in this matter this time.

"Is the old man trying to put pressure on the Awakened Ones on my behalf?"

Su Ran's mind raced with thoughts as she turned off the screen and glanced at everyone.

"The real pressure, isn't it, coming right now?"

"What's wrong?"

Bai Lu keenly sensed the change in Su Ran's aura.

"The 'Cheng Ying' is the first truly crystal-powered tactical mech in the Great Xia Dynasty, and its final assembly has been completed."

Su Ran stood up, her gaze sweeping over Bai Lu, Ye Xiao, and the others with an almost tangible intensity.

"The leader personally requested that our Awakened Headquarters send a representative to participate in actual combat testing."

They wanted to see whether the pinnacle of industrial civilization was more powerful, or whether we, the "awakened," were stronger.