Chapter 191: Reward Increased! Establishing the

The remaining 150 contestants formed teams of three freely, simulating the completion of a comprehensive mission:

"Urban Rescue"—needing to simultaneously complete obstacle demolition, casualty transfer, and fire extinguishing sub-missions.

This round tested not only individual technique but also team coordination.

Most eye-catching was that Zhou Ming, Li Xiaolong, and Liu Fang, the top three on the leaderboard, spontaneously formed a team.

Three people from different industries and different styles could actually cooperate seamlessly.

The mission began, in front of the simulated "collapsed building."

Liu Fang operated the mech to step forward, switched the mechanical arm to demolition mode, and cleared the passage in a few quick strokes.

Her movements weren't fast, but every strike hit the weak points of the structure, with extremely high efficiency.

Zhou Ming followed closely behind, with the "casualty" (dummy) on the mech's back, moving at high speed through the ruins, his movements as flexible as parkour.

Li Xiaolong was responsible for extinguishing the fire source; he used a simple "water cannon" modified from the mech's palm, spraying not water, but foam, because foam covered a wider area.

Others were spraying wildly at the fire source, but he sprayed an isolation belt first to prevent the fire from spreading, then concentrated on extinguishing it.

"These three... are truly a perfect match," Wang Hao marveled on the commentary stage.

"One is as steady as an old dog, one is as fast as lightning, and one is as skillful as a craftsman."

Mission completion time: four minutes and fifty-two seconds, refreshing all preliminary records.

After three rounds, the top ten on the overall leaderboard were born.

Zhou Ming, Li Xiaolong, and Liu Fang still occupied the top three spots.

At the award ceremony, Feng Yan personally presented the awards.

"First of all, congratulations to all the winning contestants," he took the microphone. "But today, I want to say a few extra words."

The whole venue was quiet.

"This competition was originally planned to select some potential operators to supplement the Longyin testing team," Feng Yan paused.

"But after watching this competition, I changed my mind."

He looked at the contestants offstage: "Many of you have ways of operating mechs that even we, the designers, have never thought of."

"You are not just using tools; you are creating new ways of using them."

"So, I announce two things."

"First, the top ten in this competition, in addition to the prize money and prizes, all receive the Longyin Research Institute 'Special Technical Advisor' qualification."

"Note, this is no longer an intern, but an advisor."

"There is a monthly allowance, project commissions, and the authority to participate in core R&D meetings."

Exclamations erupted offstage.

"Second, Longyin will establish a 'Folk Technology Exchange Center,' with today's top ten serving as the first batch of committee members."

"What needs to be done is also very simple: collect folk mech usage techniques, modification schemes, and maintenance experience, organize them into books, and open them to all civilian mech users."

"What we need to do is not just give you the technology, but work with you to make technology easier to use, more grounded, and better at solving practical problems."

The scene applauded thunderously.

After the award ceremony, Feng Yan met Zhou Ming, Li Xiaolong, and Liu Fang backstage.

Zhou Ming was still a bit nervous: "President Feng, those methods of mine... can they really be used?"

"Why can't they?" Feng Yan asked back.

"Your cornering technique has already been analyzed by 'Torch Dragon,' and theoretically, it can improve mech mobility in urban environments by over twenty percent."

"We will standardize it and write it into the next version of the operation manual."

Li Xiaolong cared about another thing: "President Feng, those folk methods of mine for modifying sensors... can they also be made public?"

"Not only can they be made public, we will also apply for patents for you," Feng Yan said.

"Using a cost of fifty yuan to achieve eighty percent of the functionality of a five-thousand-yuan module—this value is more important than many seemingly high-end technologies."

Liu Fang was the most practical: "President Feng, that advisor... do I have to work in the office? My work at the construction site isn't finished yet."

"No need to work in the office," Feng Yan smiled.

"You do what you need to do; when there's a project that needs you, we'll contact you. Usually, you are the eyes and ears of the Folk Technology Exchange Center."

The three of them were finally relieved.

In the evening, the competition dispersed.

Feng Yan stood on the observation deck of the test field, watching the crowd gradually disperse in the sunset.

Li Yang walked over: "Today's data, 'Torch Dragon' has already organized it."

"According to the operation modes of the folk experts, thirty-seven standardizable techniques were discovered and have been added to the training system."

"Efficiency improvement?"

"Average fifteen percent, highest forty percent," Li Yang paused.

"More importantly, these techniques are optimized based on actual work scenarios, and their practicality is stronger than what we designed in the lab."

Wang Hao also leaned over: "Brother Feng, I've really opened my eyes today!"

"That action of Zhou Ming crossing the log bridge, I'm going to study it carefully when I get back, maybe it can provide inspiration for the balance system of 'Bi'an-Type 3'!"

Chen Guang pushed his glasses: "Online public opinion monitoring shows that the reading volume of topics related to the 'Longteng Cup' has broken ten billion in twenty-four hours."

"Mech operator has also become one of the most desired professions for young people now, and the consultation volume for related vocational training institutions has also skyrocketed by three hundred percent."

"This is a good thing," Feng Yan said.

"Technological popularization needs talent, and talent cultivation needs incentives."

"Competitions, prize money, opportunities... these are all incentives."

He looked at the city lights in the distance and said softly: "And today, we found another path."

"What path?" Li Yang asked.

"The path of technological development is not just R&D-promotion from top to bottom, but can also be application-feedback from bottom to top," Feng Yan turned to look at them.

"Folk wisdom is sometimes closer to the essence of the problem than the laboratory."

"Because they deal with problems every day."

Night fell.

Zhou Ming returned to his rented room in the urban village, opened his phone, and the bank text message showed the prize money had arrived: 500,000.

He looked at it for a long time, then called home: "Mom, I won the competition, I have money."

"Your leg isn't good, I'll take you to see the best doctor next week."

Li Xiaolong was in the auto repair shop, staring blankly at the old engine he used for practice.

The shop owner patted him on the shoulder: "Xiaolong, you're going to Longyin, you're a big shot now."

"I'm not going," Li Xiaolong said.

"I'll stay here, President Feng said that being an advisor doesn't require working in the office."

"Then your skills..."

"President Feng said he's going to open a 'Folk Technology Exchange Center,' I'm going to be the first to sign up as a lecturer, and teach more people how to modify good things out of junk in the future," Li Xiaolong grinned.

Liu Fang returned to the construction site dormitory, and the coworkers surrounded her: "Sister Fang, did you really win?"

"Won," Liu Fang took out the prize, a delicate mech model.

"Besides this, there's a quota for a personalized mech, but I haven't thought about what kind I want yet."

"Get one that can carry cement! Carry ten bags at once!"

"Get one that can climb high! No need to build scaffolding for curtain walls in the future!"

"Get one that can cook! The construction site canteen is too bad!"

The dormitory erupted in laughter.

It was late at night.

Inside the Longyin Research Institute, Feng Yan was still in his office.

He opened the preparatory plan for the "Folk Technology Exchange Center" and added a line under the first tenet:

"Technology, born from the folk, used for the folk, returning to the folk."

Then saved and sent.

Outside the window, in the night sky of the city, the lights of patrolling mechs occasionally swept by.

White urban management mechs, red fire-fighting mechs, deep blue police mechs.

They quietly guarded this city.

And in the city, there were thousands of people like Zhou Ming, Li Xiaolong, and Liu Fang.

They wore mechs, delivering food, repairing cars, moving bricks, fighting fires, enforcing the law...

Using the most simple ways, pushing this era forward.

Little by little, step by step.

And what Feng Yan had to do was give them a stage, give them opportunities, give them the respect and rewards they deserved.

Then, watch them push this era to a height no one could predict.

Just like today, those three hundred ordinary people standing on the competition field.

Any one of them might not have thought three years ago that one day they would wear a mech and compete on a national-level field.

Just like three years ago, Feng Yan wouldn't have thought that he would find the inspiration to change the technological route in a scrapyard.

This is the era.

Always full of surprises, always full of possibilities.

And they are standing at the center of this possibility.

The phone vibrated; it was a message from Lao Wu: "President Feng, I have a new idea for the 'Harvest-Type 2' irrigation module you mentioned last time."

"If we use the water pump from an old sprinkler truck, the cost can be cut in half again, the blueprint has been sent to your mailbox."

Feng Yan smiled and replied: "Received, let's discuss it at the meeting tomorrow."

Putting down his phone, he took one last look at the night outside the window.

Tomorrow is a new day.

New blueprints, new data, new ideas, new people.

And all of this will converge into a torrent.

Pushing technology, pushing the era, pushing this country.

Forward.

Always forward. ===== CHAPTER 192 =====