Chapter 262: Access Permission – Technology Special Zone Established

The flame in Zhao Xing's palm gradually faded, the last halo of light dispersing into the air. The Special Forces Captain stood still, the instrument in his hand already folded away. He glanced at Zhao Xing, then looked toward Zhao Jianguo standing at the courtyard gate.

Zhao Jianguo walked over, his steps unhurried but each foot firmly placed. He knew this hurdle couldn't be avoided; the fire earlier was neither an illusion nor the children's play. He stood by the stone table, looking at the Special Forces Captain: "Anything?"

The Special Forces Captain said nothing, first taking off his hat, then his sunglasses. His face looked a bit older than before, with several deep lines at the corners of his eyes. He tucked the hat under his arm, his tone no longer as cold as before: "It's been approved."

"Approved what?"

"Your family's courtyard, from today, is designated as the 'Frontier Technology Observation Test Zone.'" He paused after speaking, "Short for… Technology Special Zone."

The courtyard fell silent at once. Zhao Chen was the first to react, leaping up and shouting: "Really? We can now work openly?"

Zhao Yang grabbed his arm: "Don't be noisy, listen to Uncle."

The Special Forces Captain nodded: "It's an official approval, not a temporary permission. You may access future technology and conduct experiments, but there's one condition—only twelve hours per week."

"Only twelve hours?" Zhao Chen's voice rose.

"That's the whole weekly allotment," the Special Forces Captain repeated, "You arrange how to use it; we only record data, we don't interfere with the process."

Zhao Xing lowered his head to glance at the printing pen in his hand, then looked up at Zhao Jianguo. Zhao Jianguo didn't rush to reply, merely asked: "Does this mean that from now on we're not considered in violation?"

"No, it doesn't." the Special Forces Captain said, "As long as it's within the time limit, anything you do isn't crossing the line."

Zhao Jianguo exhaled. He hadn't expected this day to arrive so quickly, nor in this manner. He had thought it would take several more months, perhaps even be monitored for a lifetime. But now, the other side had taken a step back voluntarily.

The triplets gathered around Zhao Jianguo. Zhao Chen had already started counting on his fingers: "Two hours a day, we can get a lot done."

Zhao Yang shook his head: "We can't split it evenly; we must use it in blocks. For example, in an emergency, we'd use the full twelve hours at once."

Zhao Xing remained silent, but drew a chart on the ground, labeling "Monday to Sunday," then marking several slots. "Research goes here, testing here, and this is reserved for emergencies."

Zhao Jianguo watched the children's discussion, feeling a bit relieved. Though young, their minds were remarkably clear. He knew this time wouldn't be wasted.

Just then, a prompt tone rang in his mind.

"Temporal-Spatial Management Bureau official certification detected, meeting 【Compliance Development】 criteria, unlocking 【Limited Freedom Development Mode】."

A translucent interface materialized before his eyes, like a sheet of paper stuck in the air. Several lines of text were displayed:

【Weekly Usage Slots Can Be Pre‑Set】

【Automatic Blocking of Technology Activation Outside Permitted Times】

【Supports Independent Permission Allocation for Three Users】

Zhao Jianguo blinked; the interface remained. He tried to tap "Settings" mentally. A time grid popped up instantly, arranging seven days, with a maximum of two hours per day, never exceeding twelve hours in total.

He glanced back at the Laboratory door. He had personally renovated that room; the walls now had more outlets, the wiring was concealed, and a backup power source was hidden beneath the desk. Previously, every time he used equipment he had to be furtive, fearing discovery. Now he no longer needed to hide it.

"The system can also remind?" he asked.

"It will notify the remaining time ten minutes in advance." The voice sounded directly in his mind, "If overtime occurs, the energy link will be cut automatically."

Zhao Jianguo smiled slightly. The feature was quite practical.

The triplets also heard the prompt tone, their eyes lighting up. Zhao Chen clapped his hands: "Great! From now on I won't have to time my circuits with a stopwatch!"

Zhao Yang was already planning the curriculum: "I can organize cross‑civilization knowledge into modules, advancing a segment each week."

Zhao Xing was the most pragmatic: "The material repository can be re‑cataloged. We didn't dare to connect to the network before; now we should be able to plug in and see if there are new resources."

Listening to them, Zhao Jianguo suddenly felt the weight on his shoulders lighten a bit. Not entirely gone, but someone else was sharing the load.

The Special Forces Captain remained standing at the side, unmoving. When the children had finished speaking, he spoke: "The document is here." He pulled a sheet of paper from his bag and handed it over, "'Technology Special Zone Management Rules', six articles in total, take a look."

Zhao Jianguo took it, scanning quickly. Article One: time limit; Article Two: prohibition on disseminating technical principles externally; Article Three: all experiments must retain documented records; Article Four: must not affect the normal lives of nearby residents; Article Five: emergent situations must be reported immediately; Article Six read: if abnormal energy fluctuations are detected, the Permission will be frozen instantly.

Not exactly lenient, but not overly harsh either.

"We can accept that clause," Zhao Jianguo folded the paper and slipped it into his clothing pocket, "When does it take effect?"

"Now," the Special Forces Captain said, "Counting from the moment you received the notice."

He put on his sunglasses, turned toward the courtyard gate. Halfway there he stopped: "One more thing—up there it says you're not enemies. As long as you follow the rules, no one will keep watching you work."

Having said that, he walked away, his back straight, his steps steady.

Only Zhao Jianguo and the triplets remained in the courtyard.

Zhao Chen plopped onto the stone bench: "Finally we don't have to be sneaky anymore."

Zhao Yang stared at the Laboratory window: "I want to start organizing the data tonight."

Zhao Xing crouched on the ground, continuing to draw the schedule with his finger. He circled "Wednesday night" and wrote two characters: breakthrough.

Zhao Jianguo stood in the middle, watching the three children. He knew twelve hours wasn't much, but it was sufficient. As long as they used it wisely, it would be enough for them to take the first step.

The system interface still floated before his eyes. He opened "Permission Allocation," assigning Zhao Xing four hours, mainly for technology development; Zhao Chen three hours, responsible for equipment construction and safety protection; Zhao Yang five hours, focusing on theoretical construction and knowledge integration.

After allocation, the interface popped up a confirmation box: 【Submit?】

He clicked Confirm.

【Limited Freedom Development Mode】 officially activated.

The timer began counting down: remaining usable time this week — 12 hours 00 minutes.

Zhao Xing stood up, reaching for the Laboratory door handle. Zhao Chen fished a small key from his pocket, the spare lock core previously assigned. Zhao Yang already moved toward the corner's main unit, ready to power up.

Zhao Jianguo didn't stop them. He knew he had waited a long time for this moment.

"Go in," he said.

The three pushed the door open, and the lights came on.

The main unit's startup sound rang out, the screens lighting up one by one. The wall‑mounted displays flickered a few times, presenting a login interface. Zhao Yang entered the password, the view switching to a resource map. Zhao Chen opened the tool cabinet, beginning to inventory components. Zhao Xing walked to the Main Control Console and pressed the start button.

System loading completed, the homepage popped up a new notice: 【Welcome to the Technology Special Zone development environment. For first‑time use, please select an initial project type.】

There are three options:

【Basic Science】

【Applied Technology】

【Theoretical Exploration】

Zhao Xing glanced at Zhao Chen and Zhao Yang. Both nodded simultaneously.

He moves the cursor and clicks the second option.

The screen refreshes, popping up a submenu:

【Energy Regulation】

【Material Synthesis】

【Information Transmission】

【Intelligent Assistance】

Zhao Xing's finger hovers over "Energy Regulation".

Zhao Chen leans in: "Shall we make a voltage stabilizer first? Last time the current was unstable and almost burned the interface."

Zhao Yang points at "Information Transmission": "How about opening the local network first? Now we have to shout even for internal communication."

Zhao Xing thinks for a moment, moves the cursor away, and clicks "Intelligent Assistance".

A new page unfolds:

【Can Generate Simple AI Assistant】

【Supports Voice Interaction】

【Maximum Runtime Memory: 2GB】

【Suggested Uses: Task Reminders, Data Archiving, Risk Alerts】

"Let's get a helper first," he says, "There will be many tasks later; we can't rely on people to remember everything."

System Prompt: 【Create AI Assistant?】

Zhao Xing clicks "Yes".

The progress bar starts moving: ten percent, twenty, thirty…

Suddenly, a line of text pops up on the screen:

【External signal detected, source unknown. Allow connection?】

Zhao Jianguo walks in and stands behind Zhao Xing. He stares at the line of text without speaking.

Zhao Xing also remains still, his finger paused on the mouse.

Zhao Chen whispers, "Don't connect; we shouldn't tamper with something of unknown origin."

Zhao Yang frowns, "Could it be the system's built‑in update channel?"

Zhao Xing turns to look at Zhao Jianguo. Zhao Jianguo watches the screen and slowly shakes his head.

System Prompt again: 【Signal continues requesting access, persisted for seventeen seconds. Reject?】

Zhao Xing lifts his hand, ready to click "No".

At that moment, a speaker in the Laboratory corner emits a short, sharp beep.

A voice comes from within, not loud but clearly audible.

"Your time is running out."