Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

Seven days later, the last miniature heat sink was embedded in the base, and he pressed the encapsulation button, and the machine stopped humming.

Holding the matte gray short tube in his palm, Xiao Yao asked in a low voice, "Can this thing really make your knees buckle and you lose your balance?"

"Try it in the glass over there." The system's voice was lazy, with a hint of anticipation.

"Alright, let's start with this one."

He raised his hand, aimed it at the water glass on the table, and pressed the launch button with his thumb—

"Bang!"

With a crisp crack, the water glass was slapped away as if by an invisible giant hand, crashing into the corner of the wall and shattering with a deafening roar, shards of glass scattering everywhere.

Xiao Yao stared at the mess on the ground, his Adam's apple bobbing. "System...didn't you say it would only cause dizziness? If this hit someone's chest, their ribs would probably break!"

"Take care of yourself first."

Before the words were even finished, the rapid thud of leather boots hitting the ground reached outside the door—

Seven or eight fully armed uniformed guards burst through the door, their tactical flashlight beams slicing through the darkness like knives, their gun barrels locking down every corner of the room. The muffled, thunderous explosion that had just pierced the silence of the entire building had come from this laboratory.

Looking around, Xiao Yao stood there, stunned, staring blankly, clutching a strangely shaped object in his hand—definitely no ordinary firearm.

Laboratories have always been vital research sites, and even the slightest unusual sound is like an alarm bell that must be rung, requiring an immediate response—this is an instinct ingrained in the personnel guarding these facilities. Protecting researchers is protecting the lifeline of the nation.

No sooner had that muffled thud been heard than the soldier on duty outside rushed into the corridor like an arrow. Without stopping, he had already smashed open the laboratory door, his gun barrels slightly lowered and his body tense, ready to deal with any sudden danger.

Xiao Yao subconsciously raised both hands, speaking quickly and softly: "I really didn't do anything, I didn't do anything."

After all—that noise was indeed made by him.

Professor Xu was sitting in the lounge, slowly sipping a cup of tea. This was an unwavering habit: half a cup of Longjing tea after lunch to refresh the mind and soothe the muscles. Hearing the noise, he put down the celadon cup, hurried across the corridor, and pushed open the door to enter.

Upon entering, he saw Xiao Yao frozen in the center, her hand still raised. He frowned and asked Captain Wang, who was wearing a military uniform, "Xiao Wang, what happened? Xiao Yao is my assistant, not an outsider."

The soldier surnamed Wang stood at attention and replied, "Report! We only heard an unusual noise and came in to investigate. We didn't ask him to raise his hand—he raised it himself."

Professor Xu turned to Xiao Yao, his tone puzzled: "Xiao Yao? Why did you raise your hand?"

"I had just finished an experiment when there was a 'bang,' and they rushed in," Xiao Yao replied honestly, his eyes open and undisguised.

Professor Song had already noticed the strangely shaped object in his hand. Looking down, he saw shards of glass scattered on the ground, reflecting a cold light.

"Have you been working too hard lately?" Professor Xu asked tentatively, his brows furrowing even more. "Did the experiment not go well, and you took it out on the water glass?"

Xiao Yao panicked upon hearing this, shaking his head vigorously: "Professor, really! I just tried something new!"

He picked up the infrasound generator in his hand, its metal casing gleaming with a matte finish: "Don't believe me? I'll demonstrate right here."

Before the words were even finished, a fingertip pressed the side switch—

"Snap!"

The glass on the next table suddenly shattered, with shards of glass carrying water droplets flying out, and the bottom of the glass even bounced half a foot high from the impact.

Several soldiers at the door instinctively reached for their waists, their knuckles turning white as they gripped their rifle handles, waiting for their captain's order.

Captain Wang remained unmoved. He had heard of Xiao Yao before—a renowned young genius in the scientific research circle, someone personally handpicked by his former superior. If he truly harbored ill intentions, why would he be standing here speaking? He knew in his heart: this kid had probably come up with something extraordinary again.

"Seal off the entire laboratory!" Captain Wang's voice was calm and steady, each word carrying weight. "Everyone stay put, no one is allowed to enter or leave, and no one is allowed to communicate with the outside world—anyone who disobeys will be dealt with according to wartime regulations."

Professor Xu strode forward and took the device from Xiao Yao's hand, his hand trembling slightly. He examined it closely, turning it over and over, but found no magazine, no powder magazine, only a precision diaphragm and a tuning knob. A few seconds later, he suddenly looked up, his eyes blazing with fury: "Xiao Yao... is this really an infrasound attack device?!"

"What shattered the cup just now was pure sound waves," Xiao Yao nodded.

Without a word, Professor Xu picked up the last glass on the table, aimed it, and pressed the switch—

"Bang!"

The cup shattered, sending fragments flying and water splashing everywhere.

His throat tightened, his eyes suddenly welled up with tears, and his fingers gently stroked the cool fuselage as if caressing a national treasure that had been lost and found again.

"Professor, are you... alright?" Xiao Yao asked softly.

Professor Xu suddenly burst out laughing, raised his hand and patted him hard on the shoulder. His hearty laughter made the window frame hum softly: "Hahaha! Good! Excellent! You truly deserve to be the brightest star in our scientific research community—your brain is just born for this!"

Xiao Yao stood there, stunned, looking completely bewildered.

Researchers were already gathered at the laboratory entrance, but they were blocked by armed soldiers and couldn't even squeeze through the crack in the door—no one could take a step without Captain Wang's approval.

Before long, a dozen or so well-equipped soldiers filed in, quickly took over the infrasound generator, and swept away all the blueprints and data books that Xiao Yao had spread out on the table. They hurried away and disappeared at the end of the corridor.

……

Xiao Yao lowered her eyes and followed Professor Xu silently back to his office.

The other researchers, finally regaining their composure, gathered around, bombarding them with questions: "What happened?" "Who blew the cup?" "What was that sound?"

Professor Xu looked around at everyone, his tone solemn: "Xiao Yao, based on our existing research on acoustic waves, has independently completed a prototype of an offensive acoustic weapon. We're all in the same boat, and you have the right to know—but this matter is highly classified and limited to our team only. Anyone who leaks a word will have to consider the consequences."

Good heavens—the project has only just been launched, and even the basic waveforms are still being modeled. In the blink of an eye, the real thing is right in front of us?

This feeling is more dizzying than suddenly getting code to work after staying up all night to fix it, and more dazed than receiving an offer email at 3 a.m.

No one questioned it. Professor Xu had been consistent for decades, never exaggerating; and Xiao Yao was a recognized "prodigy" in the scientific research community—though not reported in the media, his name was universally acknowledged and praised in major research institutes and key laboratories. How could this newly established team not be thrilled to have made such a crucial leap?

Everyone quickly started discussing: How did Xiao Yao come up with the idea of ​​making something in the direction of weapons?

He scratched his head, a little embarrassed: "I just wanted to make something that could protect my friends."

Everyone was taken aback, then sighed in unison—how could someone's brain be so clever?

Professor Xu followed up by asking, "Besides infrasound, have you considered other applications for sound waves?"

Xiao Yao nodded and explained in detail:

High-powered sonic weapons—

It doesn't kill, but it intimidates. It first issues a clear voice warning, then increases the frequency and pressure, causing the approaching person to feel palpitations, tinnitus, and stagger. If they still stubbornly advance, it instantly releases high-intensity directional sound waves, causing them to lose their balance, become paralyzed, and lose their ability to move. It is often used for non-lethal security in core areas such as guard posts, nuclear facilities, and data centers.

Ultrasonic weapons—

It generates intense pressure waves in the air using high-frequency energy, causing dizziness, vomiting, eardrum pain, and even temporary blindness. Doors and windows cannot block it, nor can concrete walls—15 meters of reinforced concrete and 30 millimeters of tank armor are as thin as paper in its presence. In extreme cases, it can cause internal organ concussion and respiratory arrest.

Within the coverage area of ​​the directional sound waves, the system can accurately deliver clear warning instructions, tactical prompts, and key voice information. Utilizing multilingual voice broadcasts and highly directional alarm tones, this equipment can assist troops in real-time assessment of the intentions of approaching personnel—especially when friend or foe is difficult to distinguish and the situation is tense, providing a buffer window for peaceful confrontation and maximizing the safety of personnel at the sound wave transmitter and in the target area. Simultaneously, it has been successfully applied at dual-use military and civilian airports, effectively deterring flocks of birds and significantly reducing flight risks.

After hearing this, everyone looked at each other in disbelief, staring at Xiao Yao with surprise and doubt in their eyes: Is he really self-taught? How come he is more thorough than us professors who have been teaching for decades in terms of principle derivation, parameter setting, and practical adaptation?

After receiving Xiao Yao's hand-drawn ultrasonic cannon configuration diagram and technical specifications, Professor Xu drafted a project proposal that same day. The laboratory quickly formed a special task force, clearly designating Xiao Yao to lead the research and development of the ultrasonic weapon system.

The so-called "sonic cannon" is actually a new generation of non-contact acoustic combat equipment. Its appearance, structure and energy modulation method have overturned traditional perceptions and are not as bulky and crude as old-fashioned sonic devices.

The approval came very quickly, and the project was launched immediately. Under Xiao Yao's full leadership, the team worked day and night to tackle the challenges, making progress step by step from material selection and transducer array arrangement to pulse waveform optimization.

Two weeks later, the first prototype was completed. Escorted by the military, the entire R&D team moved into the uninhabited area of ​​Northwest China. The test target was a main battle tank stationary 1500 meters away, with two experimental monkeys placed inside the tank. Rodents were too small to meet the requirements for verifying physiological response thresholds, while monkeys' tissue structure and neural reflexes were highly similar to those of humans.

Everything was ready. Xiao Yao steadily pressed the launch button, and the piercing ultrasonic whine abruptly ceased, plunging the scene into a tense silence. The researchers held their breath, waiting for the results to be relayed by the scouts at the front.

Shortly after, confirmation came over the walkie-talkie: the two experimental monkeys inside the tank had no vital signs. In an instant, some people clenched their fists and roared to the sky, while others rushed forward and embraced tightly, tears streaming down their faces—this achievement not only marked the first domestic breakthrough but also possessed immediate combat capability, enabling zero-kill deterrence on the border in the future and completely avoiding the escalation risks caused by gunfire.

Professor Xu gazed at Xiao Yao's retreating figure for a long time, his heart churning with an indescribable shock: This child wasn't just clever, he was insightful; not just a flash of inspiration, but possessed logical consistency, rigorous deduction, and solid application. No wonder his former leader had personally called him "a prodigy."