Chapter 54: Opening thunderclap! The battery... exploded?

Inside the core testing field of the "Dragon Chant" R&D Center.

Unlike the usual bustling scenes of debugging.

Today, the testing field is filled with a quiet and orderly tension.

This tension does not stem from anxiety, but rather the eve of a great battle.

It is the solemnity of a moment where all links have been repeatedly rehearsed, awaiting only the final inspection.

On one side of the massive testing field, personally tuned by Zhao Gong.

The "Iron Wolf Type II" exoskeleton, integrating all the latest upgrades, stands quietly on its dedicated rack.

Its matte black armor flows with a cold, stern luster under the overhead lighting.

Not far away, Chen Guang's laser interception system, Wang Hao's "Verification Missile" launcher.

And the dedicated launch nest for the "Insect Reconnaissance Squad" are all in position.

Like actors about to go on stage, waiting for the curtain to rise.

Li Yang is performing the final self-check of the exoskeleton.

Through the open helmet, one can see his gaze, focused to the extreme.

Chen Guang is at the laser console, performing optical path calibration before firing.

Data streams cascade down the screen like a waterfall.

Wang Hao has uncharacteristically put away his playful grin, carefully mounting a sleek,

"Verification Missile - Prototype No. 1" labeled miniature missile onto the launch rail.

He is muttering to himself:

"Baby, you have to do your daddy proud today. If you can't draw a circle, at least give me the coolest S-curve..."

Feng Yan stands in the control area at the center of the testing field.

Looking around at this achievement, which condensed the team's countless efforts and instant noodles, his heart is a mix of pride and responsibility.

To ensure this test goes off without a hitch, he even contacted junior fellow apprentice Zhao Kaiyuan several days in advance.

To remotely monitor the energy data during this test.

Feng Yan takes a deep breath and picks up the internal communicator.

His tone is steady: "All units, final status check."

"Iron Wolf system, self-check passed, energy core 'Xuanwu Type II' online, output stable."

Li Yang's voice comes through the exoskeleton's built-in communication.

It carries a hint of metallic friction.

"Laser interception system, calibration complete, optical path clean, 'Tengshe' fast-charge module on standby." Chen Guang's report is concise and precise.

"Haoyu precision delivery system, ammunition loaded, navigation system initialization complete..."

"Wait, why is the indicator light on this backup battery module flashing?"

The first half of Wang Hao's voice was quite normal, but the second half suddenly carries a hint of confusion.

Feng Yan frowns slightly and looks toward Wang Hao's direction.

He sees Wang Hao squatting beside the launcher, fiddling with a module taken from the backup energy box.

It is a palm-sized "Xuanwu" solid-state battery module.

The status indicator light on the side of the module is flashing with a deep blue light at an unusual frequency.

"Haozi, what's the situation?" Feng Yan asks.

"Nothing major," Wang Hao says without looking up, holding the dedicated interface cable.

"Probably just a poor connection, I'll re-plug it..."

Just as his voice trails off, at the edge of the multi-functional tactical tablet screen on Feng Yan's wrist.

A special communication icon representing Zhao Kaiyuan suddenly flashes rapidly.

And it automatically connects to the highest priority communication channel.

Feng Yan's heart skips a beat; he immediately operates the tablet to project Zhao Kaiyuan's video communication interface onto the main control screen.

The screen lights up instantly, showing Zhao Kaiyuan's face, which carries the focus typical of a tech otaku, but is now slightly furrowed.

His background appears to be the core laboratory of "Kaiyuan Energy."

Various complex energy monitoring devices are flickering with faint light.

"Brother Feng!" Zhao Kaiyuan's voice comes through the speaker, clear and rapid:

"I just remotely monitored a real-time data stream anomaly in one of your 'Xuanwu Type II' backup modules in the testing field!"

"The internal stress reading spiked abnormally within seconds! Who is touching it?"

Feng Yan's heart sinks, and he immediately points toward Wang Hao:

"It's Haozi! He's handling the backup energy interface!"

Zhao Kaiyuan's expression on the screen changes, and he speaks even faster:

"Haozi! Stop immediately! Don't touch that module!"

However, his warning is a step too late.

Wang Hao, following the simple electronic equipment repair philosophy that "restarting solves 90% of problems."

Forcefully pushes the energy interface cable, which looks a bit tight, into the battery module slot.

Because the angle is slightly off, and he uses extra force out of concern for a poor connection.

The interface emits a slight, abnormal "click" sound the moment it is inserted.

Immediately following—

"Beep—beep—beep—!!!"

A harsh, shrill alarm sound erupts from inside the small battery module!

At the same time, the indicator light on the side of the module, which was flashing deep blue, instantly turns into a heart-palpitating red flash!

Even more hair-raising is that at the seams of the module's metal casing.

Wisps of white smoke with a burnt smell actually begin to emerge!

"Holy crap!" Wang Hao is scared out of his wits, his hand jerking back as if burned by a soldering iron.

His face turns pale, and he freezes, staring at the smoking module.

Only one thought remains in his mind: "It's over! I blew up junior fellow apprentice Kaiyuan's precious battery!"

"I caused such a huge mess before the test even started!"

This sudden turn of events causes the entire testing field to freeze instantly!

Li Yang suddenly lifts his head from the exoskeleton.

Chen Guang stops his calibration, pushes up his glasses, and casts a sharp gaze toward the source of the smoke.

Even Zhao Gong, who was wiping tools in the distance, stops and looks over, frowning.

The tense atmosphere presses down on Wang Hao like a physical weight.

"Don't panic!" Zhao Kaiyuan's calm voice rings out with penetrating power.

Instantly echoing through the entire field via the speaker, "Haozi! Look at the indicator light on the side of the module!"

"It's the third-sequence overload protection starting, not thermal runaway!"

"The internal pressure relief valve and chemical inerting device have been activated! Press and hold the only black reset button on its side!"

"Yes, press it hard, hold for three seconds!"

Wang Hao is awakened from his system-crash state by these clear, direct instructions.

Almost instinctively, he scrambles to find that inconspicuous black button.

With all the focus he can muster, he presses down hard!

One, two, three...

The moment he counts to three in his heart and lifts his finger, the harsh alarm stops abruptly!

The flashing red light goes out, and the white smoke emerging from the seams fades and disappears at a visible speed.

The whole world seems to have been pressed on mute, leaving only Wang Hao's heavy breathing.

"A false alarm." Zhao Kaiyuan's voice sounds again, carrying the composure of a technical master.

"I designed seventeen layers of multi-composite safety protocols for this set."

"From power surges and physical short circuits to internal dendrite piercing, I've considered it all; it's not that easy to actually explode."

"The module itself just triggered the highest level of physical isolation and internal pressure relief, sacrificing itself to preserve the system. But Haozi..."

His tone shifts, carrying a hint of wry amusement:

"The instantaneous peak current caused by your operation error just now almost measured the limit design value I simulated in my lab."

"Send me the data packet later; this is precious 'violence test' data."

"Phew—" Feng Yan lets out a long breath, feeling his shirt soaked with cold sweat on his back.

His mind is frantically scrolling: 'Good grief! The test hasn't even started, and we've already had a warning shot at our fuses and heart endurance!'

'Kaiyuan's battery, the safety redundancy is truly damn perverted!'

'It's lucky he was online, otherwise this silly kid Haozi would have definitely thrown this thing out like a bomb!'

Wang Hao, having survived the ordeal, feels his legs go weak and almost sits on the ground.

He scratches his head and gives a silly grin toward the camera.

That smile is uglier than crying: "Kai-Kaiyuan brother, you scared the hell out of me..."

"I'll treat you to a year of meals later! No, a lifetime!"

Li Yang silently looks away and continues his final check.

Only his tense jawline relaxes slightly.

Chen Guang pushes up his glasses and records in his notebook:

"'Xuanwu Type II' battery module, safety protocol response efficiency under extreme abnormal operation... verification passed."

Zhao Gong also lowers his head again and continues wiping his tools.

As if it were just a minor interlude, though the corner of his mouth seems to twitch imperceptibly.

Feng Yan walks to Wang Hao's side, picks up the battery module that has returned to calm.

But clearly needs to be sent back to the factory for repairs, and weighs it.

He smiles at Wang Hao: "Alright, stop grinning like an idiot."

"Looks like next time you plug this thing in, I'll have to give you pre-job training first."

He looks up again at Zhao Kaiyuan on the big screen:

"Kaiyuan, thanks! At the critical moment, we still have to rely on your 'reassurance pill'."

Zhao Kaiyuan smiles on the other side of the screen and gives an "OK" gesture:

"Brother Feng, you're too kind, you guys continue. I'll stay online here."

"Providing data support at any time. Wishing the 'Dragon Chant Initial Test' a flying start!"

The communication screen shrinks to a corner of the tactical tablet, remaining online.

After such an opening thunderclap, the atmosphere in the testing field has strangely become even more cohesive.

The small accident not only verified the reassuring reliability of the energy system.

But also highlighted the seamless collaboration within and outside the team.

Wang Hao pats his chest, takes a few deep breaths, and forcibly pushes his still-pounding heart back into place.

He stands back in front of the launcher, his eyes showing a bit more composure.

Feng Yan looks around the field, his gaze sweeping over the ready-to-go "Iron Wolf Type II" again.

The calm laser system, and those micro-robots carrying the dreams of the "Insect Legion."

He takes a deep breath, his voice steady and powerful, spreading through the communicator across the entire testing field:

"All units pay attention, 'Dragon Chant Initial Test'... now officially begins!" ===== CHAPTER 55 =====