Chapter 19: The Battery God and the Troubles of the

The earth-shattering "skyrocket monkey" at the provincial capital exhibition.

... No, wait, the "Haoyu Precision Projection System Prototype No. 1" demonstration.

The aftermath brought was far more persistent and intense than Feng Yan had imagined.

Back in Yunchuan City for several days, Feng Yan felt like he was still floating when he walked.

Not from exhaustion, but from excitement.

Now, when Section Chief Wang saw him, his smile was so kind it could melt the Arctic ice.

The frequency with which he patted his shoulder made Feng Yan wonder if he was about to be patted into the ground to be used as a pile.

"Little Feng! Well done! You've brought glory to our bureau and our city!" Section Chief Wang was glowing.

As if he wasn't the one who had originally said, "This thing is too sci-fi."

"National Rapid Incubation Channel! What kind of concept is that?"

"This is a zero-to-one breakthrough in the history of Yunchuan City's industrial development! You have made a great contribution!"

Feng Yan was humble on the surface: "It's all thanks to the Section Chief's leadership and the team's effort."

But the little person in his heart was standing with hands on hips, laughing wildly: Haha, Old Wang, oh Old Wang.

Now you know the gold content of our "sci-fi movie"!

The atmosphere in the office also changed overnight.

Sister Liu, who used to treat him like a "workhorse," now brought him water with a hint of caution.

The newcomer, Xiao Zhang, who used to play mobile games every day across from him.

Looked at him with a longing for "Big Bro, please take me with you."

Even when going to the cafeteria for food, the auntie serving the food would give him an extra scoop of meat and wink:

"Little Feng, I heard you're going to the capital for a big project?"

"Don't forget Auntie's braised pork when you make it big in the future!"

Feng Yan: "..." This news spread too fast!"

"And Auntie, is there any necessary connection between me going to the capital and remembering your braised pork?"

However, this ecstasy and floating feeling.

Was kicked back to the ground by reality the moment Feng Yan stepped into the "Tie Lang Gong Fang" again.

In the warehouse, the atmosphere was a bit wilted.

Li Yang was staring blankly at the majestic "Tie Lang" exoskeleton.

Holding a multimeter, his brow furrowed enough to crush a fly.

Chen Guang was hugging his laptop, sighing at the dense data curves on the screen.

Even the usually optimistic Wang Hao was squatting next to his "armory box."

Pressing a calculator with a clatter, muttering to himself, his expression bitter and deep.

"What's going on?" Feng Yan's heart skipped a beat, "Did the 'national channel' adrenaline wear off so quickly?

Everyone is dejected; we are now quasi-'national team' members.

Can't you guys stand tall?"

Li Yang looked up, his eyes filled with the despair unique to tech geeks facing an insurmountable technical gap: "Brother Feng, we're out of power."

Feng Yan was stunned: "What's out of power?"

Chen Guang pushed up his glasses, his tone heavy:

"It's not that we're out of power, it's the energy system; it's reached its limit."

He pointed at the computer screen, "Look, this is the real-time power consumption curve of 'Tie Lang' during the exhibition demonstration."

"In full-power operation, the existing battery pack can only support less than fifteen minutes."

"If we add my laser system at full blast, or Wang Hao's thruster igniting continuously, this time will be cut in half."

Wang Hao also leaned over, shoving the calculator screen in front of Feng Yan:

"Brother Feng, look, I've calculated it."

"According to the demonstration plan we envisioned for the next report, we need more complex maneuvers, more persistent laser illumination, and continuous testing of my 'mini-missile'..."

"What can this little bit of power do? It's not even enough to fill the gaps in our teeth!"

"If we run out of power halfway through, or the laser goes out halfway, that would be a huge joke!"

"We can't exactly tell the national-level experts, 'Sorry, please wait a moment, we need to charge first,' right?"

Feng Yan looked at the glaring numbers.

And then looked at the shabby-looking second-hand lithium battery pack assembled by Li Yang in the corner.

He felt a basin of ice water pour from his head to his feet.

That's right, he was so happy about the "national level" title.

How could he have forgotten this most basic, most fatal problem!

This is like finally getting a supercar engine with explosive performance.

Only to pair it with a toy car battery; forget about racing on the track, it's a question of whether it can even drive out of the garage.

"Our 'national team' can't be the 'charge for two hours, talk for five minutes' version, right?"

Feng Yan rubbed his temples, feeling the dark circles he had just gotten rid of showing signs of resurgence.

Li Yang added gloomily:

"Safety is also a problem. The power density and thermal management of the existing battery pack can't keep up."

"It overheats severely under high load, posing a risk."

Wang Hao slapped his thigh: "Exactly! I don't even dare to imagine, what if it goes 'bang' during the demonstration"

"... Then we wouldn't be 'handing it over to the country,' we'd be handing it directly to the Heavens (meaning the King of Hell)!"

Feng Yan was left scalp-numb by the two of them singing in harmony.

He slumped on an empty ammunition box nearby (brought by Wang Hao, supposedly used by his father to pack fireworks).

Looking at these "quasi-national-level experts" in the warehouse and their pile of "power-hungry" equipment, he fell into deep thought.

A clever woman can't cook without rice, and even a Bole can't find a horse without electricity!

He had previously relied on Professor Han and various alumni relationships.

To get special materials, high-precision devices, and even testing equipment, but energy.

Had always been something Li Yang cobbled together, or bought from high-end civilian goods available on the market.

But at the "national level," the opponents are potential "peers" or even potential adversaries.

Your endurance and stability are the fatal flaws among fatal flaws.

"We must solve the energy problem!" Feng Yan stood up abruptly, his eyes becoming sharp again.

"And it must be a leap-forward solution! Not just patching things up!"

He paced twice in the warehouse, his brain quickly filtering every name in his address book.

Materials, mechanics, optics, control... he had contacts for all of them.

Only energy had always been a relatively weak link.

Suddenly, a name flashed like lightning in the dark, illuminating a corner of his memory.

Zhao Kaiyuan!

How could I have forgotten him!

That direct junior of his who was known as the "Battery Demon" when he was at Dragon City University!

Back in the lab, this kid dared to take the electrolyte he mixed and find people everywhere to test it.

Almost blew up the lab, but because of that, he tinkered with a prototype battery with amazing performance.

After graduation, I heard he pulled a few seniors and juniors to found "Kaiyuan Energy."

Focusing on the R&D of new battery technology, and in recent years, he had become famous in the industry, with the wind in his sails.

It is said that even relevant national ministries have paid attention to their technology.

Feng Yan remembered meeting Zhao Kaiyuan at the school anniversary last year, and they added each other on WeChat, but hadn't been in deep contact since.

After all, one was following the routine in the system, and the other was making waves in the business sea; their circles were different.

But now, the situation was different!

Feng Yan immediately took out his phone, his fingers sliding quickly across the screen.

Found the WeChat account noted as "Junior Kaiyuan."

He clicked on the chat box; the last chat record was still stuck at wishing each other a Happy New Year.

After all, when he was in school, he had taken good care of Zhao Kaiyuan, and their relationship had always been quite good.

This time, he didn't choose to cut into the technical problem cautiously like he did with Li Yang and the others.

Instead, he chose a more direct way that fit his current status and situation. After weighing his words, Feng Yan began to type:

"Kaiyuan, how have you been? Sorry to bother you."

"I've recently been leading a small team, working on individual soldier equipment and special robots..."

"We were lucky enough to get some attention from the higher-ups. Now the biggest bottleneck we've encountered in project advancement is the energy system."

"But the existing solutions, whether in energy density, power output, or safety, are severely restricting the performance of the equipment."

"I've long heard that your 'Kaiyuan Energy' is leading the technology in the field of new batteries. I wonder if there's a chance to learn from you, the energy master."

"Or discuss the possibility of cooperation? (Attached a 【fist-bump】 emoji)"

He didn't immediately flash the "National Channel" sign.

That would look too deliberate, and it would be easy for the other party to think he was coming to "beg for favors."

Instead, he first pointed out the nature of the project and the real dilemma they were facing.

Expressing his recognition of the other party's technology and his sincerity for cooperation.

After the message was sent, Feng Yan took a deep breath, feeling his heartbeat accelerate a bit.

He knew that Zhao Kaiyuan was no longer who he used to be.

He was a CEO who truly held hardcore technology and had been tempered in the business world; his time was precious, and his vision was high.

Whether the face of this "senior in the system" was still worth anything was really hard to say.

The time waiting for a reply felt exceptionally long.

In the warehouse, Li Yang started silently checking the exoskeleton's wiring again.

Chen Guang was staring blankly at the computer screen, and Wang Hao was boredly fiddling with his micro-thruster.

A kind of anxiety called "waiting for electricity" filled the air.

Feng Yan could even hear his wallet aching faintly.

If he bought batteries from Zhao Kaiyuan, the price... he estimated he would have to sacrifice his milk tea and instant noodle budget for the next year.

Just as Feng Yan was thinking about whether to send another message or just make a call—

The phone screen lit up.

Zhao Kaiyuan replied!

And it wasn't text, it was a voice message.

Feng Yan clicked it open, and a calm, young male voice with a hint of surprise came out:

"Brother Feng? Rare guest! (With a smile) You calling me 'energy master' almost made me not dare to recognize it."

"I just got lucky and made some progress in my research; I wouldn't dare call myself a master."

"Individual soldier equipment and special robots? Not bad, Brother Feng, you've really played out some flowers in the system?"

"Energy problem... what are the specific requirements? Energy density, peak power, cycle life, safety standards, is there a rough range?"

"If it's convenient, you can send some non-core technical parameters for me to see."

"We just happened to be testing a new solid-state battery prototype recently, the performance is decent, maybe it can match your needs."

The tone was relaxed, familiar, without the airs of a business tycoon.

Instead, it had the eagerness of a tech person encountering an interesting project.

There's a chance!

Feng Yan's spirit lifted, and he immediately replied:

"That's great, Kaiyuan! Thanks! I'll organize the technical parameters and send them to you right away."

"However... there's one situation I need to tell you," he paused, deciding to show half his cards.

"Our small team was just recommended by the Provincial Academy of Sciences and is currently going through the project establishment process for the 'National Frontier Technology Rapid Incubation Channel'."

"So subsequent cooperation might have some requirements regarding compliance and confidentiality."

This time, Zhao Kaiyuan's reply was faster, still a voice message, but the tone was significantly more solemn:

"National channel? (Slightly surprised) Brother Feng, what you're playing isn't 'flowers,' it's strategic level! (Laughter) Understood."

"In that case, you send me the rough requirements first. If the technical route matches, I need to report it to the higher-ups according to the procedure."

"Don't worry, I understand the rules of the process; I also have support here now."

"As long as the technology matches, I'll handle the compliance process!"

Listening to Zhao Kaiyuan's calm and powerful voice, the heart that Feng Yan had been hanging finally fell back into his stomach.

He looked up at the three pairs of eyes in the warehouse filled with inquiry and expectation, grinned, and shook his phone:

"Brothers, it's stable! Our 'national team' exclusive power bank"

"... Uh, I mean energy strategic partner, it's looking good!"

Wang Hao was the first to jump up: "Holy crap! Brother Feng is awesome! I knew you had connections!"

Chen Guang also let out a sigh of relief, pushing up his glasses:

"If it's a solid-state battery... then the energy density and safety can indeed solve big problems."

Even in Li Yang's eyes, the light unique to tech geeks seeing a new toy reignited.

Feng Yan watched the team become active again, feeling his drive return.

While quickly organizing the energy demand parameters provided by Li Yang and the others on the computer, he calculated happily in his heart:

"Energy is solved too; for the next report demonstration, we'll let those national-level experts see what 'endurance' is, what 'sturdiness' is!"

He seemed to have already seen the "Tie Lang" exoskeleton driven by sufficient power galloping freely.

The laser system hitting wherever it pointed, Wang Hao's "mini-missile" flying like it didn't cost money.

... Uh, that still costs money, the scene of them flying all over the sky.

Well, I just don't know how "decent" that "decent performance" solid-state battery prototype of Kaiyuan's is.

I hope it's not ridiculously expensive, making me have to quit milk tea for a year. ===== CHAPTER 20 =====

I hope it isn't ridiculously expensive, or he'll really have to give up milk tea for a year.