Chapter 3

In the following days.

The main battlefield for the exchange between Feng Yan and Li Yang shifted from the chat to WeChat.

The conversation between the two basically followed a certain minimalist protocol.

Most of the time, Feng Yan initiated questions, targeting a certain technical difficulty or architectural idea.

Li Yang's replies were usually pitifully short, "Yeah," "Not it," "Data is wrong," "I'll try again."

Occasionally, he would throw over a few blurry photos of parts or a screenshot of code.

But Feng Yan could feel that the barrier was slowly melting.

At least, now when he asked "What scheme are you considering for the energy system?".

Li Yang would reply "Self-assembled lithium battery, barely usable," instead of ignoring it directly.

That night, Feng Yan was still miserably working overtime on an urgent document.

He was the only one left in the office, and it was so quiet he could hear the buzzing of the computer case fan.

His stomach was growling with hunger, and he habitually fished out a cup of braised beef noodles from the bottom drawer.

When tearing the seasoning packet, he accidentally splashed some oil on the keyboard and scrambled to wipe it with a tissue for a long time.

When the noodles were soaking, the phone screen lit up.

It was a message from Li Yang, a picture.

Clicking it open, it was a metal structural part that looked like it had just been processed, with distinct edges and corners, exuding a cold light.

The most interesting thing was that beside the part, there was a noodle bowl of the same style but a different color.

There was half a bowl of noodles left in it, and the fork was resting on the edge of the bowl.

Below the picture was a line of text:

"New joint part, strength test passed. It's just that the processing fee hurts."

Feng Yan looked at that familiar noodle bowl and couldn't help but laugh, his fingers tapping on the screen:

"Understand. We're also relying on this to save our lives tonight. 【Noodle picture】"

He took a picture of the steaming cup of noodles on his desk and sent it over.

After the message was sent, Feng Yan lifted the lid of the noodles.

A familiar and slightly greasy aroma rushed out.

He slurped a big mouthful, feeling that his stomach was a bit more settled.

Who would have thought that the "big boss" on the other side of the screen who could tinker with mech joints.

In reality, might be just like him, a young man worried about processing fees and living on instant noodles.

After a while, Li Yang replied, this time with a few more words:

"Your taste is bad. Spicy beef is the king."

Feng Yan was amused, still holding noodles in his mouth, and typed vaguely in reply:

"Defend braised beef! This is a matter of faith, no room for negotiation."

After a brief episode unrelated to technology, the topic between the two returned to the right track.

Feng Yan asked about the balance algorithm problem Li Yang was tackling.

Li Yang rarely typed a few more lines this time, describing the bottleneck he encountered:

"The delay after sensor data fusion causes action commands to always be half a beat slow, especially obvious during rapid movement."

"The performance of the existing IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) has hit the ceiling, and I can't afford better ones." The helplessness was evident between the lines.

Feng Yan looked at the screen, finished the last mouthful of noodle soup, and a few names and faces flashed through his mind.

He still remembered a roommate in college who later specialized in MEMS sensors for his postgraduate studies.

Now he seems to be at a relevant research institute...

He didn't say too much, and replied:

"I've noted the IMU problem, I'll try to see if I can find some public test data or cost-effective alternative schemes for reference."

Li Yang replied: "Thanks."

Across the screen, Feng Yan seemed to be able to feel a hint of expectation wrapped in those simple words.

This feeling of being needed, especially by a genius he recognized, was good.

Better than finishing ten reports that satisfied the leaders.

He threw the noodle cup into the trash can by his feet, leaned back in his chair, and let out a sigh of relief.

Outside the window, the city lights were already on.

The cubicles in the office building in the distance were still lit sporadically, and he didn't know which unlucky person was also working overtime.

Saturday afternoon, the sun was a bit scorching.

Feng Yan followed the address given by Li Yang, rode the shared bike that was squeaking with its brakes, and turned into the old factory area of Wu Tong Li.

The road was not easy to walk, full of potholes, and almost shook him off.

At a warehouse door with a crooked handwritten sign "Tie Lang Gong Fang".

And an abstract wolf head painted in red spray paint on the side, he stopped.

The iron gate was rusty and looked heavy.

Pushing hard, the door hinge made a groaning sound as if it were about to fall apart.

The scene inside the door was much more shocking than what he saw on the phone screen.

The warehouse was really big, and the ceiling was high, but it was really messy.

All kinds of machines, parts, tools, and cables that he couldn't name were piled everywhere, almost nowhere to step.

There was a faint smell of machine oil and metal in the air.

In the center was the exoskeleton frame he had seen countless times in the video, just standing there.

The sunset slanted in from the high windows.

Plating it with a gold edge, the metal surface exuding a cold and hard luster.

It was taller than he imagined, and also... rougher and more real.

Exposed wires crawled over the frame like vines, and a few disassembled parts were scattered at his feet.

Li Yang was still in the same dark work clothes stained with oil, squatting on the ground.

Struggling with a transmission part with a complex structure, his forehead was shiny with sweat.

Hearing the movement, he looked up and saw it was Feng Yan.

He just raised the wrench in his hand as a greeting, and his gaze immediately returned to the part in front of him.

"Your place... is quite impactful."

Feng Yan looked around and couldn't help but say.

This place was messy with style, a style belonging to a tech otaku, with its own order in chaos.

"Yeah." Li Yang responded dully without raising his head, his work in his hands didn't stop.

Feng Yan didn't care, carefully bypassed the "traps" on the ground, and walked to the exoskeleton.

He carefully looked at those hand-polished connecting parts, those control boards he soldered himself.

"This thing," Feng Yan gently patted the cold metal frame, his tone full of sincere admiration.

"Just standing here, it feels cool as hell."

Li Yang's movements paused, he looked up and glanced at Feng Yan.

This was the first time Feng Yan clearly saw his face.

Very young, with clear brow contours and a straight nose bridge.

It was the kind of handsome with a bit of toughness, just that its radiance was slightly covered by oil and fatigue at the moment.

His eyes were very bright, revealing focus and a hint of imperceptible... glimmer after being recognized.

He didn't speak, but the corners of his mouth seemed to twitch upward extremely slightly.

"Can it move?" Feng Yan asked.

"Can walk, not stable." Li Yang was concise.

He put down the tools, stood up, stretched his numb legs and feet, and walked to the frame.

"Mainly the contradiction between weight and power, can't afford good materials."

"And this hydraulic system, the control precision is not enough, rapid movements are prone to problems."

He patted the metal thigh, his tone a bit unwilling: "Want to make it more flexible, more like... in the movies."

Feng Yan understood.

Not for any high-sounding reason.

Just the purest, most primitive idea—wanting to build a mech that is cool enough, can move, and can be worn.

This reason is enough for a young man in his early twenties.

Even more powerful than any grand slogan.

"Already awesome," Feng Yan said sincerely, "One person can make this."

Li Yang wiped the oil off his hands and didn't take the conversation, but the sense of recognition in his eyes increased by a point.

The tour was about over.

Feng Yan had a more intuitive understanding of Li Yang's technical strength and the practical difficulties he faced.

This is a true genius, but also a genius trapped by resources and environment.

When leaving the warehouse, the two exchanged phone numbers.

"If you need help in the future, or encounter technical hurdles you can't get around, call me anytime."

Feng Yan said sincerely, "My hands-on ability is definitely not as good as yours, but I know some people."

"Think of a way, get some scraps or find some information, maybe I can help."

Li Yang looked at him and nodded, the scrutiny in his eyes lessened, as if there was a bit more meaning of fighting side by side:

"Okay."

On the way back, still riding that somewhat dilapidated shared bike, blowing the evening breeze, it was quite comfortable.

Feng Yan pedaled the bike, his mind no longer filled with those boring reports and data.

But the silent steel frame in the warehouse.

And the light that flashed in Li Yang's eyes when he mentioned "like in the movies."

For the dream, charge!