Ironclad: How can hand-crafted knight belts not be considered genius?

"Section Chief Jiang Ning?!"

The eyes of everyone around were filled with unbelievable shock.

"It really is Section Chief Jiang Ning... I'm not seeing things, am I?"

"Swallowed by a cosmic rift for half a year, and still managed to come back alive? This completely defies the common sense of interstellar travel!"

"Miss Estelle was saddened for a long time back then, and the entire site had already assumed that you were already..."

Quiet exclamations and whispers rose and fell, echoing through the long corridor.

Jiang Ning walked slowly forward, a calm smile on his face, and nodded slightly to the dumbfounded staff members on both sides.

If it were six months ago, in this space station that gathers the world's top scientific research talents, he would inevitably feel restrained, as well as a sense of urgency and a feeling of not being able to catch up.

After years of arduous training in the River of Oblivion, traversing the void and death, and touching the truth of the universe, Jiang Ning now feels only peace when he looks at the familiar equipment and people before him.

"Mr. Jiang Ning!"

The sound of hurried, light footsteps came from the end of the corridor.

With her long pink hair flying and swaying, Estelle completely disregarded her aristocratic demeanor and ran to him, her eyes sparkling with joy and lingering fear.

She carefully looked Jiang Ning up and down, confirming that he was safe and sound and unharmed. The huge weight that had been hanging over her heart for half a year finally fell to the ground.

"You're finally back!"

Six months ago, a sudden rift accident occurred, and the spacecraft's signal instantly dropped to zero, leaving not a single piece of debris behind.

Everyone thought that Jiang Ning had long since perished in the chaotic sea of ​​stars. No one could have predicted that he would escape death and return to the space station.

Pepe, who was in Aista's arms, couldn't wait any longer and jumped into Jiang Ning's arms, her pink little tongue rubbing against his cheeks in an intimate and passionate way.

"Woof woof!"

"Okay, Peipei, I know you miss me."

Jiang Ning smiled and gently patted the little guy's head, a tender reassurance in response to his enthusiasm.

"I have important things to take care of, I'll play with you later."

As soon as he finished speaking, he looked up at Estádio in front of him.

"Is Lady Black Tower here?"

I have something important to discuss with her.

Estelle nodded quickly, her tone both eager and joyful.

"Here I am!

As soon as Ms. Black Tower heard you were back at the space station, she immediately sent me to tell you to come to her office!

"Thanks a lot."

Jiang Ning chuckled, gently returned Peipei's affectionate embrace, and turned to walk towards the Black Tower office.

In the long, narrow research corridor, countless staff members still lingered at the laboratory entrance, quietly watching his back, their chatter lingering for a long time.

Amazement, curiosity, awe, doubt... countless eyes followed, but Jiang Ning paid no attention to them.

All the way to the deepest part of the space station, the heavy alloy hatch slowly slid open to both sides.

The top-floor office was spacious and quiet.

In the simulated Milky Way using virtual projection technology, the vast galaxy flows slowly, and fragments of light permeate the room.

The hatch closed, completely isolating the cabin from all outside noise.

Hei Ta leaned on his desk with one hand, his violet eyes filled with a playful smile as he quietly watched Jiang Ning enter the room.

She was the only person in the entire large office.

"Long time no see, Ms. Black Tower."

Jiang Ning raised his hand to greet him calmly, his expression relaxed and natural.

Hei Ta paused slightly, his curiosity growing stronger, and his gaze toward Jiang Ning became more inquisitive.

"It seems you've had quite a remarkable adventure in the past six months."

In the past, Jiang Ning would always avoid her at all costs, fearing that she would capture him and exploit him as experimental material.

But now, his eyes are clear and firm, he looks at people calmly without flinching or avoiding them, and his aura has been completely transformed.

Jiang Ning scratched his head helplessly upon hearing this, recalling the troublesome Demon Master in "Wangchuan," and said with a wry smile.

"It wasn't exactly a serendipitous encounter; I'd just say that I never want to experience that period again."

He suppressed his smile and became serious.

"But I'm sure I didn't just come back alive. I brought back something important, something that will definitely interest you, Ms. Black Tower."

Daheita raised an eyebrow, curiously waiting for Jiang Ning to continue.

"I'm contacting you this time hoping to get your support."

Hei Ta rested his chin on his hand, leaning lazily against the edge of the table, his gaze scrutinizing him with a detached air.

"Oh? You actually came to me for help?"

Tell me, what makes you think I'd help you?

She is proud and picky, and never does anything without a profit.

Jiang Ning had anticipated this. Upon hearing this, he flicked his wrist, and the "Boundless Hand Box" flashed with a faint light, slowly revealing the pure white and warm rabbit mask in his palm.

"After the spaceship was swallowed by the rift, I accidentally entered a special crevice space."

There, I had the privilege of meeting a senior member of the "Genius Club" like you, and learned a great deal of knowledge that went beyond what I could have imagined.

Black Tower's gaze fell on the unfamiliar mask, his eyes darting around as he pondered the truthfulness of the man's words.

Just then, Jiang Ning slowly uttered four words, instantly shattering the silence of the office.

"Simulated Universe"...

In an instant, Black Tower's expression changed drastically, his heart tightened, and his lazy demeanor completely vanished.

For the first time, intense wariness and suspicion welled up in his usually calm and playful eyes.

"How did you know that...?"

"Simulated universe" is her core research project that she has been working on recently, and it is still in the top-secret experimental stage.

In order to explore the mysteries of the Star God and the origin of the universe, she has never disclosed anything to the outside world except for the few "geniuses" she actively sought to cooperate with.

There is absolutely no way a researcher from Jiangning who has been out of contact for half a year could have known about it on his own.

Sensing her sudden, sharp scrutinizing gaze, Jiang Ning remained calm, took out a detailed blueprint, and gently pushed it in front of her.

"My sources of information are not important."

Ms. Black Tower need not be wary. I have no intention of interfering in or hindering your research.

I'm here because I genuinely want to discuss cooperation.

Hei Ta suppressed his surprise and looked down at the blueprints on the table, his gaze instantly drawn to them.

Jiang Ning spoke calmly and clearly, each word resonating deeply.

The biggest bottleneck in "simulated universe" is not the modeling and deduction framework, but the endless consumption of computing power.

Surely a genius like you understands the reasoning behind this.

Even with massive resources, without sufficient computing power, projects can only remain at a superficial level of experimentation, unable to touch the true essence of the universe.

And what I brought—the satellite "Zea"—can perfectly fill all your gaps in your knowledge.

Hei Ta looked up, his eyes now showing genuine admiration.

"So, how do you plan to collaborate?"

Jiang Ning straightened up slightly, tapped his fingertips lightly on the table, and uttered the words he had already prepared.

"I provide the core technology, the complete architecture, and the advanced simulation system."

You will contribute space station resources and all scientific research personnel to promote the construction of "Zeya".

Once the satellite is completed and launched, it will permanently dock with the Black Tower Space Station, providing endless computing power for your "simulated universe".

"We each get what we need, and it's a win-win situation."

After speaking, Jiang Ning looked up at the Black Tower, smiled, and extended his hand, waiting for her reply.

Hei Ta gazed silently into his clear and resolute eyes, remained silent for a moment, and then slowly straightened up.

She crossed her arms over her chest, still maintaining that haughty and languid posture, but her eyes were now filled with approval and interest.

She didn't shake hands, but simply smiled slightly, her tone carrying the unique confidence of a genius.

"They're really starting to impress me more and more, my experimental subjects..."

This genius has invested in this project!

Black Tower's single sentence finalized the cooperation, essentially giving "Project Zeya" the highest level of authority on the entire site.

She lightly tapped the desktop, and a highest-priority command was instantly pushed to all terminals on the Black Tower Space Station.

[Site-wide Notice: Effective immediately, all Black Tower space station personnel are to suspend all secondary research projects. The major project—the construction of the [Zeya Global Satellite]—is to be initiated.]

Project leader: Jiang Ning.

Project Authorizer: Black Tower.

The short announcement instantly shattered the entire space station.

The hundreds of staff members who were calculating, experimenting, and debugging equipment at their respective posts were stunned. The entire research floor was silent for two seconds, and then it was completely boiling over.

"Stop all secondary projects?!"

"A top-tier project? What level of approval is this?!"

"Let the newly returned Section Chief Jiang Ning take full charge?!"

The news spread explosively, and doubts, confusion, and uproar instantly filled every research channel.

"Top-tier engineering project".

For the Black Tower space station, which is considered one of the most advanced in the entire universe, this means that the project has the potential to revolutionize the cosmic landscape.

In terms of experience, Jiang Ning is far from being qualified to independently lead a site-wide ultimate project.

Surprisingly, not a single person on the entire space station complained!

"Twelve years... Do you know how I've spent these twelve years?!"

I've finally waited for such a groundbreaking project!!!

"This is why I came to the Black Tower Space Station! Mom! Your son is about to do something big!"

As Jiang Ning looked at the enthusiastic and eager staff members on the screen, a smile involuntarily crept onto his face.

With the support of the entire Black Tower space station, it seems that the construction of "Zea" will be completed soon.

As his consciousness sank into his mind, the system interface appeared before Jiang Ning's eyes.

Jiang Ning glanced at the other two flashing prerequisite tasks, a determined look in his eyes.

Let's finish these three tasks as quickly as possible!