Chapter 177

Chen Guang looked at him expressionlessly: "I can add it, but on the condition that you go record this voice."

"Record it then! Brother Hao's voice is so magnetic, it will definitely increase the positive review rate!"

The two walked away noisily.

Feng Yan returned to his office and opened the test interface for the "Torch Dragon" civilian monitoring center.

On the large screen, a map of Longguo lit up; currently, there were only a few scattered light points, which were still prototypes undergoing testing.

But one could imagine that in a few months, this map would be covered by thousands upon thousands of light points.

Whether from city to countryside, or from the coast to the plateau.

A knock on the door sounded; it was Li Yang.

"Brother Feng, the demonstration venue for the prototypes is ready," he said.

"At 3:00 PM, at the Institute's Number Three Test Field, over a dozen media outlets are coming to film."

"What's the demonstration content?"

"As planned: Category I exoskeletons helping the elderly go up and down stairs and carry heavy objects; Category II engineering mechs building a simple house on-site," Li Yang paused.

"We also prepared a little Easter egg."

"What Easter egg?"

Li Yang smiled rarely: "Let the mech cook a meal."

Feng Yan raised an eyebrow: "Cook?"

"Yes. Use the mechanical hand to chop vegetables, toss the wok, and plate the food," Li Yang pulled up the demonstration script.

"I want to convey a concept: mechs aren't just for doing rough work; they can also do delicate, warm things."

Time came to the afternoon, inside the Number Three Test Field.

Dozens of media outlets had their long guns and short cannons set up, and drones hovered in the air.

On one side of the test field, a temporary simulated elderly apartment scene was set up.

A flight of stairs, a room piled with clutter.

On the other side was a construction site simulation area, piled with cement, bricks, and steel bars.

On the sidelines, six mechs stood quietly.

Three Category I exoskeletons, painted in a warm light blue, with rounded lines, completely lacking the sharpness of military equipment.

Three Category II engineering mechs, painted in engineering yellow, smaller in size than the "Iron Wolf," but with thicker joints, and the front of the mechanical arm was a replaceable tool interface.

Wang Hao was wearing a lab coat, doing final checks; although he was usually sloppy, for such a formal occasion, a professional image was still necessary.

"Battery fully charged, safety locks all in place, remote control test complete..." he muttered while operating.

Chen Guang was in the monitoring vehicle, staring at the data streams on over a dozen screens.

Li Yang stood on the sidelines, explaining precautions to several members of the "Dragon Cavalry" guard.

Today's operators were all active-duty mech pilots, to ensure the demonstration was foolproof.

Feng Yan stood behind the media area, not coming forward.

He knew that today's protagonist was technology, people, and those ordinary people whose lives were about to be changed by technology.

At 3:00 sharp, the demonstration began.

First segment: Elderly assistance.

A seventy-year-old man with mobility issues sat in a wheelchair and was pushed to the stairs.

An operator wearing light blue work clothes stood behind the old man and put on a lightweight control bracelet.

"Grandpa, let's try this new gadget," the operator said.

The Category I exoskeleton started from standby mode, emitting a slight hum.

It walked behind the wheelchair, and the mechanical arms gently supported the old man's back and legs.

"Up."

The old man was lifted steadily, and the exoskeleton took steps—one, two, three... walking steadily up twelve steps.

Throughout the process, the expression on the old man's face changed from tension to surprise, and finally to a smile.

After reaching the platform, the exoskeleton gently placed the old man on the prepared chair and thoughtfully adjusted the backrest angle.

Applause broke out, and shutter sounds connected into one.

Second segment: Carrying.

In the simulated room, there were dozens of boxes of books, each weighing twenty kilograms.

Two young people tried to carry them by hand, and after moving three boxes, they were already panting.

At this time, the second Category I exoskeleton entered the field.

It walked to the book pile, and the mechanical arm clamped four boxes at once—eighty kilograms—as easily as picking up four books.

Then it turned around, walked steadily to the bookshelf on the other side of the room, and stacked the book boxes neatly.

One trip, two trips, three trips... in five minutes, all the book boxes were moved.

A reporter whispered to a colleague: "If you drive this to deliver takeout, wouldn't you be able to deliver a thousand orders a day?"

Third segment: Construction.

This was the highlight of this demonstration.

Three Category II engineering mechs started simultaneously and walked into the construction site simulation area.

The first one walked to the cement pile, the tool head at the front of the mechanical arm switched to a mixing paddle, and it began to mix cement.

The second one used a vacuum suction cup to pick up ten bricks at once and transported them precisely to the construction point.

The third one took the bricks, the plasterer at the end of the mechanical arm applied cement evenly, and then, like playing with building blocks, it laid the bricks one by one.

Its movements were precise to the millimeter, and the position of each brick was calibrated with laser guide lines.

In ten minutes, a brick wall two meters high and three meters wide was built.

The verticality error was less than one-thousandth, and the brick joints were as even as if measured by a ruler.

But the most shocking part was yet to come.

After the wall was finished, the mechanical arm of the third mech suddenly switched tools, changing into a... wok?

The operator pushed over a food cart from the side, which had washed vegetables, sliced meat, and seasoning bottles.

The mech used its mechanical hand to grab the wok and place it on a temporary stove.

Turn on the fire, pour oil, add vegetables—toss the wok!

The vegetables in the wok drew a perfect arc in the air and fell back into the wok.

Add seasoning, stir-fry, and serve.

The whole process was smooth and flowing; if they hadn't seen that yellow engineering mech doing this with their own eyes, everyone would have thought it was an old chef doing the cooking.

Finally, the mech used its mechanical fingers to pinch a small pinch of chopped green onions and sprinkle them on the dish.

Plating, complete.

The whole scene was silent for three seconds, and then more enthusiastic applause erupted.

A female reporter laughed while filming: "This mech... cooks better than my husband!"

In the interview session after the demonstration, media questions came one after another.

Feng Yan walked to the front this time.

"Mr. Feng, when can civilian mechs be bought? What is the price?"

"The first batch of certified products is expected to be on the market in three months. The subsidized price for the basic version of the Category I exoskeleton is expected to be between 30,000 and 50,000 yuan, and the Category II engineering mech will be between 300,000 and 500,000 yuan."

"What about operator training?"

"Forty-three 'Mech Driver's License Examination Centers' will be established nationwide, with a one-month cycle of theory plus practical training. After passing the exam, you will obtain the corresponding level of operating qualifications."

"What if many people still can't afford this price?"

"We have launched a rental model. For example, logistics companies can rent exoskeletons for riders, and construction companies can rent engineering mechs by the project. The monthly rent ranges from one thousand to ten thousand yuan."

"Will it lead to unemployment?"

"It will lead to transformation, not unemployment. We are working with platform companies to launch a 'Mech Operator' training program to help traditional manual laborers change jobs."

"There are subsidies during the training period, and after obtaining the certificate, the salary can generally increase by more than 30%."

Feng Yan answered methodically, with clear data.

On the screen behind him, real-time online public opinion monitoring was displayed:

#CivilianMechsAreHere# Number one on the hot search, 800 million views.

#MechCooking# Number three on the hot search, 500 million views.

#ThisTechnologyIsTooGentle# Number five on the hot search.

The comment section was boiling:

"I cried the moment I saw the old man being carried up the stairs. My grandpa hasn't been downstairs in five years because he couldn't climb the stairs."

"Gospel for construction workers! My dad has worked on construction sites for thirty years, and his back is bent. Now he can retire."

"Takeout riders are ecstatic! Delivering a hundred orders a day is no longer a dream!"

"Am I the only one thinking, will men be required to have a mech driver's license to get married in the future?"

Of course, there were also doubts and worries:

"With such high technology, what about maintenance? If it breaks, can it only be returned to the factory?"

"What about privacy? Mechs upload data in real-time, do we still have privacy in front of them?"

"Will the wealth gap become larger? Rich people buy mechs to work more easily, what about the poor?"

Feng Yan also responded to these questions one by one in subsequent interviews.

Maintenance: Establish a national authorized maintenance network; basic faults can be repaired at roadside shops, and core modules support quick replacement.

Privacy: All data is encrypted and stored; users have the right to choose to turn off non-essential data uploads, and the law will follow up to protect it.

Fairness: State subsidies, rental models, and public welfare projects ensure that technology benefits everyone.

At 6:00 PM, the demonstration and interviews were all over.

The media left one after another, and the test field quieted down.

The setting sun stretched the shadows of the mechs very long.

Wang Hao slumped on the steps and loosened his tie: "Oh my god... I've been smiling all afternoon, my face is stiff."

Li Yang walked over and handed him a bottle of water: "The demonstration was very successful. The peak number of viewers for the online live broadcast exceeded 20 million."

Chen Guang came out of the monitoring vehicle, holding a tablet: "The positive ratio of public opinion is 87%, exceeding expectations."

"The main negative voices are concentrated on 'technological monopoly' and 'data security,' all within a controllable range."

Feng Yan looked at the mechs standing quietly on the sidelines and suddenly asked: "What do you think these guys will look like in ten years?"

Wang Hao didn't even think: "Definitely cheaper, lighter, and smarter! Maybe they can become wearable, like clothes you wear on your body!"

Li Yang pondered: "They might be more specialized. Construction mechs, medical mechs, educational mechs... deeply customized for each industry."

Chen Guang pushed up his glasses: "They will be deeply integrated with AI. Maybe they won't need human operation; just give a command, and they can complete the task themselves."

Feng Yan nodded, then shook his head.

"All correct," he said.

"But most importantly, they will become a part of ordinary people's lives. Like mobile phones, like cars, like water, electricity, and gas, so common that no one will pay special attention to them."

"And by then, we might have already built a base on the moon."

Everyone was silent, watching the sunset.

Yes, today is just the beginning.

The beginning of an era.

At 8:00 PM, Feng Yan returned to his office.

On the screen of the "Torch Dragon" monitoring center, the light points representing certification applications had increased to 329.

On the map, the scattered light spread from the eastern coast to the western inland.

He pulled up the backend data stream:

Applicant company types: logistics 32%, construction 28%, rescue 12%, medical 9%, agriculture 7%, others 12%.

Regional distribution: various provinces are also following up quickly.

What surprised him most was that the names of several remote counties appeared in the application list.

A bus company in a small county applied for a Category I exoskeleton, wanting to use it to help disabled people get on and off the bus.

Feng Yan looked at the application, smiled, and clicked "Priority Review."

At this moment, the encrypted communicator vibrated.

Lei Jindong sent a message: "The higher-ups are very satisfied with today's demonstration."

"But they remind us that the promotion of civilian use must be steady, and there must be no safety accidents. The impact of the first accident will offset one hundred successful demonstrations."

Feng Yan replied: "Understood. Safety is the red line."

Another message, sent by Zhou Mingyuan: "Diplomatic channels have received inquiries from seventeen countries regarding technical cooperation and the introduction of standards. What do you think?"

Feng Yan thought for a moment and replied: "We can talk. But we must use our standards and our certification system. This is the bottom line."

Turning off the communicator, he walked to the window.

The lights of the research institute connected into one in the night, and in the distance on the test field, some people were still doing night debugging.

In the direction of the city further away, ten thousand lights were lit.

In those lights, how many people were discussing mechs today?

How many elderly people were looking forward to being able to go up and down stairs easily?

How many workers were hoping to say goodbye to lumbar muscle strain?

He didn't know.

But he knew that from today on, some things were truly different.

The internal phone on the desk rang; it was the guard: "President Feng, there is an old man at the door who says he wants to thank us."

"Old man?"

"He said he watched the live broadcast. His wife has been paralyzed for ten years, and he has been carrying her up and down the stairs. Today, seeing that mechs can help the elderly go upstairs, he was so excited that he cried and insisted on coming to deliver a silk banner."

Feng Yan was silent for two seconds: "Please let the old man in, I'll go down to meet him."

Hanging up the phone, he tidied his clothes and walked out of the office.

The lights in the corridor were very bright, making everything clearly visible.

Just like the era that is coming.

Clear, bright, and full of hope.

And all they have to do is take every step steadily.

Because the tide has already come.

The real transformation has only just begun.

The era of universal mechs is coming!