Chapter 142: The Eye of

The third day of the Dragon Chant Research Institute entering "Fortress State".

At seven in the morning, Wang Hao wandered into the cafeteria, eyes half-open, and felt his way to the food window: "Auntie, give me two meat buns, a bowl of soy milk... oh right, add a fried dough stick..."

"Little Haozi, you're up early today." Auntie Zhang from the cafeteria smiled as she picked up buns for him.

Just as he turned around with his tray, he saw Chen Guang already sitting at a table in the corner.

In front of him were a bowl of white porridge and a few small dishes, and he was staring at the data stream on his tablet while eating.

"Yo, Guangzi, working so early?" Wang Hao sat down next to him. "'Torch Dragon' doesn't need to sleep?"

"It doesn't, but I need to set new monitoring parameters for it." Chen Guang didn't look up.

"'Silent Wall' officially went online at 3:00 AM last night and has already intercepted seventeen penetration attempts, nine of which were from overseas IPs."

Wang Hao took a bite of a bun and said vaguely: "Only seventeen times? These people are no good. Back when I was a hacker—"

"You were stealing game accounts." Chen Guang interrupted him calmly. "And your IP was banned after three times."

"That's called a strategic retreat!" Wang Hao glared. "Besides, I was testing network security vulnerabilities, paving the way for those who came after!"

As the two were bickering, Li Yang walked over with his tray, dark circles under his eyes, but his spirit was high.

"Brother Li, you... pulled an all-nighter?" Wang Hao looked him up and down.

"Pretty much." Li Yang sat down and took a sip of soy milk.

"Debugging the new body for the 'Insect Legion' with Chen Guang, worked until four in the morning."

"But the effect is good, the 'Hunting Bee's' hover time has been increased to forty-five minutes."

"'Hunting Bee'?" Wang Hao blinked. "That mechanical dragonfly you guys made? Can it fly that long?"

"Newly designed bionic wing structure and energy management algorithm." Chen Guang took over.

"'Torch Dragon' optimized the model of the relationship between flapping frequency and airflow, reducing energy consumption by twenty-two percent."

Wang Hao gave a thumbs up: "Awesome. Can I play with it myself at the demo later?"

"No." Li Yang and Chen Guang said in unison.

"Stingy..."

At nine in the morning, the multi-functional demonstration hall on the third underground floor of the Dragon Chant Command Center.

This place was usually used for internal technical exchanges and military observation, but today it was full of core members of the research institute.

Feng Yan stood by the main control console in front, Zhao Gong, Zhao Kaiyuan, Li Kui, and others sat in the front row, and behind them were the key members of each research group.

In the center of the hall was a circular demonstration area with a diameter of fifteen meters, the ground and surrounding walls covered with a special coating that could project holographic images and conduct live machine demonstrations.

"Everyone is here." Feng Yan looked around. "No nonsense, let's start directly. Chen Guang, you go first."

Chen Guang walked to the main control console and pushed up his glasses.

The control interface in front of him was simple to the point of being plain, with only a few knobs and a touch screen — but everyone knew this thing was connected to the core of "Torch Dragon".

"Over the past seventy-two hours, 'Torch Dragon's' active defense network has completed its first large-scale upgrade." Chen Guang's voice spread throughout the hall via microphone.

"Now demonstrating three main functional modules."

He tapped lightly, and a detailed 3D model of the Dragon Chant Research Institute rose in the center of the demonstration area, with buildings, roads, pipelines, and even vegetation clearly visible.

"Module One: 'Silent Wall'."

Following his words, a faint, almost transparent blue halo appeared around the model, like an inverted bowl, shrouding the entire research institute.

"This is not a physical shield," Chen Guang explained.

"But an all-band electromagnetic situational awareness and active interference field."

"It continuously monitors all electromagnetic frequency bands from long-wave radio to millimeter-wave radar, and once it detects an unauthorized active detection signal—"

He signaled.

Several red dots suddenly lit up outside the model, simulating signals emitted by external reconnaissance equipment.

The next second, blue rays of reverse tracking appeared around those red dots, precisely "pinning" them to the signal source.

At the same time, the red dots themselves began to flicker, becoming unstable, and finally extinguished.

"—the system will perform triple countermeasures." Chen Guang continued.

"First, reverse locate the signal source; second, inject high-intensity noise interference to block the opponent's reception; third, simulate false signal feedback to mislead the opponent's judgment."

Zhao Kaiyuan nodded: "Equivalent to putting an 'electromagnetic invisibility cloak' on the base, and being able to backhand slap the peeper."

"Pretty much." Chen Guang smiled rarely. "And 'Silent Wall's' monitoring is two-way. It not only defends externally but also monitors internally."

On the model, several green dots representing internal equipment began to move.

One of the green dots suddenly deviated from its daily action trajectory and entered a restricted area.

"Abnormal behavior detected." Chen Guang's tone remained calm.

"The system will mark the equipment and analyze its behavior pattern. If it's an accidental entry, it will issue a warning; if it's malicious penetration—"

A red circle suddenly appeared around the green dot, and at the same time, the icons of several cameras and sensors nearby lit up, all turning toward the green dot.

"—it will call upon the nearest monitoring resources for real-time tracking and recording."

Wang Hao whistled: "Good heavens, this is much more powerful than the head teacher checking the dorms."

"Module Two: 'Behavioral Prophecy'." Chen Guang switched the interface.

The model in the demonstration area shrank, replaced by a complex data network diagram.

Countless lines connected nodes representing personnel, equipment, and materials, with data streams flowing through them like blood.

"This is a normal behavior model built based on all legal activity data of the research institute over the past six months," Chen Guang said.

"Including 3,700 dimensions such as personnel movement, material flow, network access, and equipment usage."

He zoomed in on one of the areas, and several nodes were highlighted.

"The system will continuously compare real-time data with the model."

"When a significant deviation appears in a node — for example, a researcher accesses a sensitive database they never touch during non-working hours;"

"or, a batch of materials has an abnormal flow outside the process — 'Torch Dragon' will issue a warning and give a deviation score."

A list popped up on the screen with over a dozen warning items, each followed by a percentage number.

"If the score exceeds seventy percent, the system will automatically notify the security department;"

"If it exceeds ninety percent, it will initiate temporary restrictive measures, such as temporarily freezing account permissions or locking access control in relevant areas."

Li Kui couldn't help but ask: "What if someone just suddenly wants to work overtime to learn some new knowledge?"

"The system will make a comprehensive judgment." Chen Guang pulled up a case.

"For example, if this person has had similar learning behavior records before, or if the reason for access they applied for is related to recent work content."

"'Torch Dragon' is not a mechanical rule executor; it has learning ability and will continuously optimize its judgment model."

Zhao Gong stroked his chin: "In other words, the more it's used, the smarter it gets?"

"Theoretically, yes."

"Module Three: 'Digital Maze'." Chen Guang performed the final demonstration.

The model changed again, this time showing a virtual data center architecture.

Several databases were marked as "core sensitive data".

"For the most important data, we no longer rely solely on firewalls and encryption," Chen Guang said.

"We have arranged multiple layers of virtual copies and access traps around the real data."

He simulated an external penetration attempt.

A red arrow broke through the outer defense, entered the data center, and then... got lost.

The arrow wandered between one seemingly identical database after another, and every time it chose a target, that target would "melt" upon contact.

It turned into a pile of meaningless garbled code, and at the same time, a clear warning mark would be left in the system log.

"These virtual copies look exactly the same as the real ones, and even have seemingly reasonable access records and update logs," Chen Guang said.

"But once someone tries to extract or tamper with them, it will trigger an alarm. More importantly—"

The red arrow finally found a database that looked correct and started downloading data.

"—it will get a carefully forged 'core data' file." Chen Guang's mouth curled up slightly.

"In this data, ninety percent of the content is real but outdated technical data;"

"five percent is harmless but seemingly powerful misleading information; and five percent is 'tracking bait' with special marks."

"Tracking bait?" Feng Yan asked.

"For example, adding a laboratory-specific isotope tracer that is extremely stable under normal conditions to the material formula."

"Once this data is taken out of the research institute and comes into contact with a specific environment, the tracer will begin to decay slowly, releasing a unique radiation signal." Chen Guang looked at Zhao Gong.

"This idea was provided by Old Zhao."

Zhao Gong nodded: "Fishing, you have to hide a hook in the bait."

The three demonstrations ended, and a low discussion broke out in the hall.

Many people had expressions of both shock and relief — with such a defense system, the research institute's security level had indeed been raised to a new height.

"Alright, electronic defense is done." Feng Yan clapped his hands. "Next, let's look at physical defense. Li Yang, it's your turn."

Li Yang had been waiting on the side, and upon hearing this, he immediately walked up, eyes shining: "Everyone, what's being demonstrated next is the first generation of combat units of the 'Insect Legion'!"

Several hidden hatches opened on the ground of the demonstration area, and over a dozen mechanical bodies of various sizes and shapes were sent up by lifting platforms.

Most eye-catching were six "Lurker" mechanical spiders, all black and eight-legged.

They were less than half a meter long, but their leg joints were flexible, their bodies were low, and their surfaces were covered with a matte coating that barely reflected light under the demonstration area's lights.

"This is the 'Lurker'." Li Yang walked up to one and patted its back armor lightly.

"Driven by silent motors, with a top speed of fifteen kilometers per hour, it can carry twenty kilograms. The key is its camouflage capability—"

He pressed a remote control button.

The coating on the mechanical spider's surface began to slowly change color and texture.

A few seconds later, it actually blended almost perfectly with the ground of the demonstration area, and one could only find its outline by looking closely from a short distance.

"Active optical camouflage, combined with thermal signal shielding coating." Li Yang introduced.

"It can achieve visual invisibility in most environments, used for fixed-point surveillance or infiltration reconnaissance."

Then, he pointed to four "Hunting Bee" mechanical dragonflies nearby, which were smaller and had transparent wings.

"This is an aerial unit. Hybrid power of four rotors and bionic flapping wings, balancing hover stability and high-speed maneuverability."

"Hover time is forty-five minutes, maximum flight altitude is three hundred meters, built-in high-definition camera and infrared sensor."

Chen Guang added: "We developed a dedicated weapon module for the 'Hunting Bee' — the 'Bee Sting' micro-laser blinder."

A small hatch opened under the abdomen of a "Hunting Bee", revealing a launcher the thickness of a pencil.

"Low-power pulsed laser, effective range of thirty meters, can instantly blind human eyes or the photosensitive elements of optical sensors without causing permanent damage." Chen Guang pulled up a test video.

"Non-lethal, but extremely effective."

In the video, a "Hunting Bee" swept over the test field, and the image of a camera on the ground suddenly turned into a screen of static.

Wang Hao rubbed his hands: "This is good, this is good! In the future, whoever tries to sneak a photo of me, I'll send bees to zap their lens!"

"And this." Li Yang also demonstrated several smaller units.

Mechanical beetles the size of a fist that could climb walls, drill through cracks, and carry micro-vibration sensors and acoustic detectors;

And a "Gecko" style crawling robot that could stick to walls or ceilings, equipped with a pinhole camera.

"These 'insects' do not fight independently." Chen Guang returned to the main control console.

"They are all uniformly scheduled by 'Torch Dragon'. 'Torch Dragon' allocates reconnaissance areas based on the global situation, directing them to deploy, track, and warn."

He started a simulation demonstration.

In the holographic projection, a simulated "intruder" red dot tried to sneak into the research institute.

Just as it crossed the wall, "Silent Wall" detected an abnormal movement signal and immediately mobilized three "Lurkers" and two "Hunting Bees" nearby to check.

Mechanical spiders approached silently from the shadows to confirm the target;

"Hunting Bees" circled in the air, providing an overhead perspective.

When the "intruder" entered a ventilation duct, a mechanical beetle was already waiting at the corner, transmitting real-time footage back.

Finally, when the "intruder" thought it was safe and climbed to an inspection platform, the ventilation duct above its head suddenly opened, and a micro-electric shock net descended from the sky...

Throughout the process, "Torch Dragon's" scheduling was as smooth as an experienced commander, every instruction was just right, and every type of "insect" played its maximum role.

The demonstration ended, and the hall was silent for a few seconds before erupting into warm applause.

"Too awesome!" a young researcher said excitedly. "This is simply bringing sci-fi movies into reality!"

"With this, our research institute has really become an iron bucket." Another researcher sighed. "Electronic defense has 'Torch Dragon', physical defense has 'Insects', who would dare to come and make trouble?"

Feng Yan looked at those mechanical units waiting quietly in the demonstration area, a satisfied look on his face.

But he noticed that Zhao Gong had been frowning since just now.

"Old Zhao, do you think there's a problem?" Feng Yan asked.

Zhao Gong stood up, walked slowly to a "Lurker", squatted down to carefully check its joint parts, and touched the shell coating with his fingers.

"The body design of these 'bugs' is very exquisite, and the AI scheduling is also very powerful." Zhao Gong spoke slowly. "But... the materials are problematic."

Li Yang was stunned: "Materials? We use the latest engineering plastics and lightweight alloys, and the strength-to-weight ratio has been optimized—"

"It's not a strength problem." Zhao Gong shook his head. "It's an environmental adaptability and reliability problem."

He pointed to the joint seal of the mechanical spider: "This sealing material is fine in a laboratory environment."

"But if it works for a long time in extreme temperatures, high humidity, or corrosive gas environments, it will age and fail in at most seventy-two hours."

He touched the optical camouflage coating again: "And this optical camouflage coating has poor tolerance to dust and oil stains."

"In a real battlefield or industrial environment, it will be covered in stains in less than half a day, losing its camouflage effect."

Zhao Gong stood up and looked at Li Yang and Chen Guang: "You designed it very well, but you ignored the most important point."

"No matter how exquisite and excellent a machine is, it must be able to survive in the dirty, messy real world."

He paused, his tone serious: "If these 'insects' are to be truly put into actual combat, their joint seals and shell anti-corrosion materials must be upgraded."

"Otherwise, if they drop the chain at a critical moment, they won't be helpers, they'll be burdens."

Li Yang and Chen Guang looked at each other, seeing the sudden realization and gravity in each other's eyes.

"Old Zhao is right." Li Yang nodded. "We focused too much on performance and function, ignoring environmental adaptability."

"Need to re-evaluate all material plans." Chen Guang was already recording on his tablet, "Especially the joints and shell parts."

Feng Yan walked over and patted Zhao Gong on the shoulder: "Thanks to you for checking. If this problem isn't solved, the 'Insect Legion' is just a pretty flower stand."

He looked at everyone: "Today's demonstration was very successful, but the problem Old Zhao raised is more critical."

"For the next week, each group will focus on solving the material and environmental adaptability problems of the 'Insect' units."

"Li Kui, you cooperate with Old Zhao and use all the resources of the special materials laboratory."

Li Kui nodded: "Understood, we happen to have a few new polymer formulas on hand with very good anti-corrosion performance, we can try them."

The meeting ended in a more pragmatic atmosphere.

Everyone left the demonstration hall in twos and threes, discussing the technology they had just seen and the problems that needed to be solved.

Wang Hao hooked his arm around Li Yang's shoulder as they walked out: "Brother Li, don't be discouraged, Old Zhao just has high standards. Our 'bugs' are already awesome!"

"I know." Li Yang smiled. "But Old Zhao is right, we can't just make treasures in the laboratory, they have to be able to go to the real battlefield."

The two walked to the corner of the corridor and happened to meet Chen Guang telling something to a young technician.

The technician was holding a data board, his face a bit troubled.

"... But Director Chen, researcher Zhang Mingyuan applied for five more batches of Z-7 carbon fiber supplements yesterday, the reason is still coating process testing." The technician said in a low voice.

"According to regulations, his quota for this month has been used up, but he said it was an emergency experiment specially approved by Zhao Gong..."

Chen Guang pushed up his glasses: "Specially approved by Zhao Gong? Is there a signature?"

"There is an electronic signature, but I checked it, and the signing time shows 3:00 PM yesterday."

"But at 3:00 PM yesterday, Zhao Gong was in a material review meeting with us, and he didn't touch the terminal at all."

Chen Guang's eyes tightened slightly.

Wang Hao and Li Yang looked at each other and stopped.

"Send me the application records and detailed data of the electronic signature." Chen Guang said calmly.

"Also, don't release that batch of materials for now, just say... the inventory needs to be checked and verified."

The technician left in response.

Wang Hao leaned over and lowered his voice: "Guangzi, something's up?"

"Maybe." Chen Guang looked at the data stream on his tablet. "It could also be a system error. I need to confirm."

He said it lightly, but Li Yang noticed that the speed of Chen Guang's tapping on the virtual keyboard was at least thirty percent faster than usual.

And not far behind them, Zhao Gong and Li Kui were walking side by side toward the special materials laboratory building.

The two were talking in low voices, their expressions serious.

"Master Li Kui, we can start preparing our 'special samples'." Zhao Gong said.

Li Kui nodded: "The materials are ready. The humidity sensitivity of the memory alloy powder has also been adjusted, ensuring that as soon as the 'guest' gets their hands on it, they will leave an indelible mark."

The two walked into the elevator, and the metal doors slowly closed.