Chapter 125

The success of Operation "Swarm Requiem" was like a giant boulder thrown into the pond of international public opinion, the ripples it stirred far exceeding the imagination of the Longyin team.

First came the overwhelming praise.

The front pages and headlines of global mainstream tech media and aerospace professional forums were almost entirely occupied by terms like "Longguo Dragon Chant," "Intelligent Swarm," and "Elegant Space Solution."

The slightly mysterious gates of the Longyin Research Institute seemed to have become a "holy land" in the eyes of global aerospace fans and media overnight.

Wang Hao had been walking with a swagger these past few days, and his "Qingyun Express" T-shirt orders had skyrocketed.

He even received several inexplicable commercial endorsement inquiries, which he laughed off, refusing them on the grounds that "Brother is into scientific research, I'm not short of that bit of money."

Although he didn't hold back from showing off to Li Yang in private.

"See that? Brother Li! This is what you call international influence!" Wang Hao pointed to the cover of an internationally renowned tech magazine on his tablet.

On it was an artistically processed rendering of "Heavenly Patrol" satellites surrounding "Wanderer-7," with the headline "New Era: Intelligent Swarms Redefine Space Security."

"Your buddy here is now someone who's made international headlines!"

Li Yang helplessly pushed away the head he leaned in: "Alright, I know you're amazing."

"Hurry up and finish verifying the payload interface parameters for 'Qingyun-3'; Chief Engineer Qi is urging for them."

Those truly pushed to the forefront were Feng Yan and Chen Guang.

As the head of the research institute, Feng Yan accepted an exclusive interview with the national television station, steadily expounding on Longyin's philosophy of "open cooperation and responsible use of space."

And because of his key role in the operation, Chen Guang was invited by a top international academic journal to give an online technical lecture on "Distributed AI System On-Orbit Coordinated Control."

Although his expression didn't change throughout the entire process and his speaking speed was as steady as if he were reading an instruction manual.

The technical details and forward-looking concepts he revealed still caused a huge sensation in the industry.

"Guangzi, you're something!" Wang Hao patted Chen Guang's shoulder hard, looking at the soaring view counts and the comments section filled with "Master" and "Please share the code" (though it was impossible to give) after the lecture ended.

"Your expressionless science popularization is more lethal than my loud-mouthed one!"

Chen Guang adjusted his glasses and silently pulled up an internal monitoring interface.

It showed that the number of scanning attack attempts on the research institute's external network nodes had increased by five hundred percent recently.

"Increased visibility is accompanied by an exponential increase in security risk," he stated the fact calmly.

Sure enough, behind the praise, undercurrents immediately began to surge.

First, some mainstream Western media began to "objectively" analyze, their tone gradually becoming subtle.

"Is Longyin's leapfrog technological development derived from unconventional technology acquisition?"

"Where is the boundary for the military application of intelligent swarm technology?"

"Does Longguo's growing influence in the space field break the existing strategic balance?"

Immediately following, aerospace agencies and military personnel from certain countries began to "express concern."

At a multilateral space security video conference, a representative from a major power publicly declared that the technology displayed by Longyin was "too aggressive."

It might "undermine space strategic stability," and they called for the establishment of an "international code of conduct for new types of space equipment," the target of which was self-evident.

"Bullshit!" Wang Hao almost jumped up when he saw the news briefing.

"So it's fine when their satellites crash, but when we clean up the danger, we're the ones destroying stability? What kind of logic is that!"

"Typical double standards," Zhao Kaiyuan snorted coldly, "They just can't stand to see others doing well."

In an internal high-level meeting, Feng Yan solemnly reminded everyone:

"A tall tree catches the wind. The current praise and questioning are all within expectations."

"We must remain clear-headed and not get carried away."

"Technological superiority is temporary; only by continuous innovation can we maintain the lead."

"At the same time, security work must be raised to the highest level, especially for 'Torch Dragon' core data and the key technologies of 'Heavenly Clerk' and 'Heavenly Patrol'."

More direct pressure came from the commercial level.

Several international commercial aerospace companies that had previously shown keen interest in "Qingyun" rockets and "Heavenly Patrol" satellites.

Suddenly suspended cooperation negotiations on the grounds of "needing further evaluation of international regulatory compliance."

"It seems someone doesn't want us to open up the international market smoothly," Feng Yan said, his eyes turning cold as he looked at the situation reported by Secretary Lin.

However, the rise of Longyin was already unstoppable.

Domestic orders poured in; not only in the aerospace field, but even maritime, geological, and meteorological departments came knocking, hoping to customize dedicated monitoring satellites based on "Heavenly Patrol" technology.

The research institute's schedule was packed, and Wang Hao finally had no time to brag, spending his days between the workshop and the launch site.

He was clamoring to open a third production line for "Qingyun Rockets."

Amidst this busyness and clamor, a piece of intelligence with a very high encryption level was delivered directly to Feng Yan's desk.

The intelligence indicated that a certain country, which had long been coveting Longyin's technology.

Had significantly accelerated the deployment progress of its exoskeleton troops codenamed "Mountain Hound" after the "Swarm Requiem" operation.

Multiple bases located across our border had recently received a large amount of this equipment.

And they were conducting large-scale, highly aggressive tactical live-fire exercises.

The exercise area was in close proximity to our sensitive border zones.

At the same time, the intelligence mentioned that the other side frequently conducted electronic reconnaissance and signal simulation jamming during the exercises, with extremely strong targeting.

Feng Yan immediately convened Li Yang, Wang Hao, Chen Guang, and Brigade Commander Gao (via encrypted video).

"It seems," Feng Yan projected the intelligence summary, his tone heavy.

"The contest in space has come to a temporary end, and someone wants to pull the battlefield back to the ground."

"They want to use the 'knock-offs' they made by imitating our 'Mountain Bearing' exoskeletons to test their mettle at our doorstep."

Brigade Commander Gao, on the other side of the screen, had a livid face, his fists clenching with a rattling sound: "Damn it, those bastards!"

"Holding things they got by copying our homework, and they dare to show off in front of us?"

"President Feng, are your 'Dragon Cavalry' and 'Iron Wolf' ready?"

"It's time to bring them out and let them see what the real deal is, and who the ancestors are!"

Wang Hao rubbed his hands, his eyes shining: "Brigade Commander Gao, just you wait and see!"

"Our 'Bi'an' is just worried it hasn't had a chance to get its hands dirty! I guarantee I'll turn that so-called 'Mountain Hound' into a 'Mountain Dead Dog'!"

Li Yang was more focused on technical details: "We need to acquire more real-world performance data on the 'Mountain Hound,' especially the defects and shortcomings that might exist after they imitated the 'Mountain Bearing'."

"Guangzi, can our 'Insect' reconnaissance units be deployed to the front lines?"

Chen Guang nodded: "Yes. The upgraded 'Mechanical Moths' have better stealth and endurance; they can infiltrate the opponent's exercise area for covert reconnaissance and data collection."

Feng Yan's gaze swept over everyone, finally settling on the determined face of Brigade Commander Gao on the screen.

"The mountain rain is coming," he said softly, his tone immediately turning resolute.

"Since someone wants to test us, we will accompany them to the end! 'Dragon Cavalry' Guard, enter Level One combat readiness immediately!"

"We will use an overwhelming victory to tell everyone that whether in space or on the ground, we in Longguo are not afraid of challenges!"

The meeting ended, and everyone left quickly, throwing themselves into tense combat preparations.

Feng Yan stood alone in front of his office window, looking at the faint outlines of the mountains in the distance.

The applause from space had not yet subsided, and the smoke of gunpowder on the ground seemed already faintly audible.

He picked up the internal communicator and ordered in a deep voice: "Notify the 'Dragon Tooth' task force command group to assemble in the combat conference room in one hour."