Black Bat
The day of the Golden Finger Cup had arrived in the blink of an eye. The number of people on the small planet had suddenly skyrocketed. Crowds were everywhere one went. It should be mentioned that this was only the preliminaries. There would be thousands of spectators when the real competition began.
The first round of the elimination competition was held in different assessment centers. The goal of the test was to test the theoretical knowledge of a machinist. The AI machines would come up with questions according to the different subjects. Most of the questions were about a damaged machine and asking the contestants to repair or modify it with a limited number of spare parts.
The assessment center that Xia Fei was in could accommodate around twenty thousand contestants. Xia Fei was asked to modify the signal of a Tristan-class frigate. The warp engine would release a huge amount of heat when it was activated, and the surging flames would distort the surrounding environment. If the enemy had an advanced detection system, they would easily find traces of the warp engine being activated. The question asked the contestants to reduce the signal produced by the engine as much as possible, and the score would be based on the final value.
Xia Fei thought about it for a moment before he calmly swiped his finger across the screen. The signal produced by the warp engine could only be divided into two parts: heat and spatial distortion. Most people would usually reduce the intensity of the signal by reducing the power of the engine, but Xia Fei did not do so. Instead, he dispersed the jet system of the warp engine evenly across the surrounding space.
This was like the relationship between a point and a surface. If a 100 kilogram steel ball was placed on a table, only a single point would bear the force, and the table would easily feel the pressure. However, if a 100 kilogram cotton was placed flat on the table, then the entire table would bear the force, and the force would not be obvious, so it was easy to create an illusion on the table. By doing this, not only could the signal strength be reduced, but there would also be no loss of engine power.
Xia Fei tapped on the screen and ended his answer. He looked up and saw a man in white striding out of the assessment center. Xia Fei recognized the man; it was Li Mo, Bai Ye's cousin.
There were gasps all around. After all, it had only been five minutes since the start of the assessment, yet Li Mo had actually managed to complete it in five minutes. The time he used was even shorter than Xia Fei, which went to show just how solid his foundation was.
Xia Fei pouted. He checked his answer and made sure that he did not make any mistakes before he stood up and left.
At that moment, Li Mo happened to pass by the detector at the entrance. When the contestants entered and left the venue, they would pass through a modified electronic door. It was used to check if the contestants had brought any illegal items with them, as well as the serial number of their participant card.
When leaving, a light screen beside the door would also give out the score on the spot, which was very convenient and fast.
The detector quickly began to operate, checking Li Mo's body from head to toe and confirming his identity at the same time.
Ding dong!
A crisp voice rang out, and a line of text appeared on the screen.
"Li Mo, participant number 3566912. The topic of the assessment is the precise deployment of a fire control system. Score: 20. Difficulty coefficient: 6.375. Total score: 127.5."
The maximum score for each question was 20, and then multiplied by the difficulty of the question, the final score of the contestant would be the final score. Because it was an Alliance-wide competition, the lowest difficulty of the question was 5 times, and the highest difficulty was 7 times.
The crowd was in an uproar. Not only did he finish the question in five minutes, but he also got a high score of 127.5 points! This was truly unimaginable!
Li Mo had a pleased smile on his face. He was just about to leave when he saw Xia Fei right behind him. He suddenly changed his mind and stood to the side, waiting for Xia Fei's score.
Ding dong!
The detector automatically gave out the score after receiving Xia Fei's identity information. "Xia Fei, participant number 1022516. The topic of the assessment is the dispersion of the warp engine's signal. Score: 20. Difficulty coefficient: 6.375. Perfect solution, special score: 10. Total score: 137.5!"
“137.5！” A few of the contestants who were still in the middle of the assessment could not help but yell. After all, this score was far more shocking than Li Mo's 127.5. However, if they yelled out, it would be considered a violation, and they would immediately be kicked out of the venue. From a certain point of view, Xia Fei had unintentionally caused these contestants with poor mental fortitude to lose their chance to compete.
The reason why they were so shocked was not because of the extra ten points, but because Xia Fei had given them the perfect solution!
There was more than one answer to every question. As the saying went, all roads lead to Rome, but there would always be the shortest and flattest shortcut. Xia Fei had found such a shortcut, reducing the signal strength without losing the warp engine's power. His method was exemplary.
Once he passed through this electronic door, he would no longer be bound by the rules of the examination hall. Xia Fei lit a cigarette and took a drag, appearing very calm. He was only trying his best to solve the problems he had learned, and whether the answer was perfect or not was not his concern.
"Not bad. I just want to leave this boring preliminaries as soon as possible, so I don't really care if the answer is perfect or not," Li Mo said to Xia Fei with a smile.
Ding dong!
At this time, something unexpected happened again. The score on the hologram changed again!
It was ten points more than before!
On the screen, there was an additional line on top of the original text. "Special bonus points from the organizing committee, 10!"
Special bonus from the tournament committee! In other words, Xia Fei's answer had been recognized by the committee immediately, and there was a high chance that it would be promoted in the future!
As a matter of fact, apart from selecting the best mechanic, the Golden Finger Cup also had the purpose of promoting the development of technology. In the past, there would always be special contestants who had found extraordinary solutions and made a name for themselves. These people would either be hired by the top design companies in the Alliance or sell their inventions in exchange for money that would allow them to live a carefree life for the rest of their lives.
No one had expected that a perfect answer would appear in the first round of the preliminaries and that the organizing committee would give them extra points. After all, the organizing committee was made up of the most outstanding Mechanics in the Alliance. Be it experience or skill, they were impeccable. It was extremely difficult to get their approval!
Li Mo's mouth was slightly open. He found it hard to believe that the committee had given him a special bonus. The fact that the committee had given him a score so quickly could only mean one thing: Xia Fei had already caught the attention of the committee when he was answering the questions, so the committee immediately recognized his answer as soon as the answer was announced.
Li Mo realized that he had lost his composure, so he smiled again and said, "Well done. Congratulations."
"Thanks, but what's with the committee giving me a special bonus?" Xia Fei asked curiously.
"You don't even know about the committee?"
"Not at all." Xia Fei shrugged.
…
Li Mo gave Xia Fei a very simple introduction of the committee. These were the most brilliant machinists in the Alliance, and they were all very strong in their respective fields. Some specialized in electrical systems, while others specialized in energy systems. Every time the Association of Machinists held a Golden Finger Tournament, these people would gather together and serve as the executors of the committee.
Li Mo was very unhappy. It was obviously Xia Fei's first time participating in the Golden Finger Cup, and from the looks of it, he had never done any in-depth research on the competition. Li Mo felt that it was a great humiliation to lose to such a half-hearted fellow.
It was not that Xia Fei did not know anything. He was just looking for a chance to observe Li Mo's character. Although he was not sure what role Li Mo would play in the relationship between him and Avrils, the meticulous Xia Fei would never let go of any details about his enemy.
The two of them left the examination center one after the other. Li Mo walked alone on a secluded path. With a light wave of his hand, a man dressed in the same white robe as him charged out from the side.
"Go and find out more about that Xia Fei. Bai Ye might have told me a few things about him, but I'm still a little worried."
The man in white touched his mustache and said softly, "Don't worry, young master. I promise I'll dig out all his ancestors."
Li Mo nodded. The man in white clothes disappeared into the thicket again.
…
Xia Fei dialed Earth's number and contacted Porter, who was in the middle of an emergency.
On the screen, Porter was busy working in a factory. He was wearing simple work clothes with a row of tools hanging on his waist, looking no different from usual.
The two greeted each other, and Porter even asked about Xia Fei's progress in the preliminaries. Old Porter was not too surprised when he learned that Xia Fei had received extra points from the organizing committee in the first round. He softly said, "You should know that the highest score given by the organizing committee and the perfect solution is fifty points, but you only got ten points. This means that while your solution can perfectly solve the problem of the warp engine's signal, it's far from reality and won't be easy to achieve. If your solution is cheap and can solve the problem, you'll definitely get more points.
"You don't have to worry about the special score given by the organizing committee. Giving you ten points means that they're satisfied with your idea, so they want to encourage you to come up with even better designs. You'll know once the first round is over. Actually, many people can get the perfect score from the organizing committee, so there's no need to be too proud.
"Besides, the first two rounds of the preliminaries won't count toward the overall score. Participants with true strength won't attract attention too early. After all, this is a big event, and showing your edge too early will only make you an enemy."
Xia Fei nodded. "I understand, Uncle Porter. I'll deliberately hold back some of my strength in the second round. Actually, I didn't plan on pushing the distribution system to the limit today. There's still a lot of room for improvement."
Porter laughed heartily. "Very good. The preliminaries are just a warm-up. Just do it. Your score in the first round is already high enough. I think you should just give up on the second round. You can still advance to the finals even if you don't participate."
Xia Fei felt that Porter's words made sense. It was fine as long as he passed the preliminaries. It would not be too late to show off his strength in the finals.
"Uncle, how long do you think it will take to finish the blueprint I gave you?" Xia Fei asked.
He was referring to the blueprint of his radar, which he had finalized after discussing it with Harris for three days and three nights. However, the current design was still not perfect, and there were still some problems with the production. An AI machine needed three days to complete the production of the radar system, which was extremely inefficient.
Porter furrowed his eyebrows and pointed at the machine beside him. "Your design is too complicated. This machine has been running since yesterday, and this is already the fourth time it's been in maintenance. If you want to mass produce it, you'll need a more streamlined design. I'll be keeping an eye on it. Give me another day, and I promise to give you a feasible plan. Though it won't increase the efficiency, it'll at least be able to produce it."
Xia Fei earnestly said, "Uncle Porter, I'll leave everything to you. You must figure out how to debug the machine. Though I'm not planning on using the directional meson radar system to amaze the world, I should at least be prepared."
Porter gulped down the water his assistant handed him. It was obvious that the long hours of work had left him in a state of extreme fatigue.
"Directional meson radar? This name sounds pretty good, but it's a bit of a mouthful. If you put it in Charlot or Gennadese, it'll have a very bad connotation. I think you should give this radar system a new name."
Because this new radar used directional meson as the energy carrier, and it used the power amplification technology of the Titan-class radar, as well as the directional transmission technology of the nether bell, Xia Fei directly gave it the name Directional Meson Radar.
This name was based on the characteristics of the radar system, and there was nothing wrong with it, but the knowledgeable Old Porter could still see the drawbacks. No matter what, the radar system was still a commodity. If the name was not auspicious enough, it would naturally affect the willingness of potential buyers.
Xia Fei thought for a while and said, "Uncle Porter, why don't you give this radar system a name?"
Porter nodded. "All radar systems in the world originated from the sonar technology of bats. Though radar systems are no longer what they used to be after so many years of evolution, being far different from sonar in both function and structure, we should never forget the origin of radar systems. Why don't we call it a bat-type radar, Black Bat? This name won't cause any bad associations and will even give people a sense of mystery."
"Alright! Black Bat Radar System. That's a pretty good name. It's decided, "Xia Fei excitedly said.
Porter waved his hand. "Hurry up and get back to work. I'm going to get to work, too. Remember to find a machine of the same model. The technical requirements for producing the Black Bat Radar are very high, and the slightest mistake will ruin everything. This is the first time I've ever done something so complicated."
Turning off the screen, Xia Fei immediately searched the interplanetary internet for nearby factories and equipment of the same model. Since a one-way trip from Earth to the capital ring would take around a month, it would take a long time for the samples to be sent here, and he would not be able to make it in time for the last round of the competition. That was why Xia Fei could only settle for the next best thing. He had Porter test the machine first, and Xia Fei would then find a machine of the same model to produce it locally.
Who would have thought that it would be so difficult to find a machine of the same model in the bustling capital ring? After all, this was the most developed place in the Alliance. Quantum Holdings did not use the most advanced models to save costs, and such machines had long been obsolete in the capital ring.
The search system worked for over half an hour before it finally found a factory that was on the verge of bankruptcy 1,700 lightyears away from the capital ring. After a phone call, the owner of the factory agreed to let Xia Fei rent a machine for ten thousand star coins per week, and he was allowed to modify it as he pleased. After all, the old equipment was ready to be sold as scrap metal, so Xia Fei did not mind modifying it a little.
When Avril learned that Xia Fei was going to be away for a few days, she convinced her father and grandfather to go with him. Xia Fei had been busy with work for the past few days, and he felt a little bad for not being able to fulfill his promise to go shopping with Avril. Since they were only going to be in the vicinity of the capital ring, there was no danger, so he did not reject her.
The group arrived in Xia Fei's Vampire. Xia Fei knew that there was another group of people from Starlink Corporation following closely behind them, but they did not show themselves because they were afraid that Avril would get angry.
The abandoned factory was much bigger than Xia Fei had imagined, covering an area of tens of thousands of hectares. There were thousands of the same model of AI machines, and most of them looked to be at least eighty percent new.
Xia Fei asked around and found out that the reason the factory closed down was not because of poor management but because the owner of the factory had found a mistress who was fifty years younger than him. The two divorced after his first wife found out about it. The owner gave his first wife a large sum of money to keep the peace, but not long after, his mistress hooked up with his secretary, and the two of them took away all the liquid assets of the factory and disappeared without a trace.
This was what it meant to lose one's wife and one's soldiers, and this was the so-called femme fatale.
Xia Fei suddenly had an idea. Although the factory looked rundown, the machines inside were quite good. If he could put them in the new workshop of Quantum Holdings on Earth, he would definitely save a lot of money.
Xia Fei found the owner of the factory and briefly explained his intentions. This man was already on the verge of committing suicide because of the bank, and since these machines were not new models, they could only be recycled as scrap metal. The two of them hit it off right away. Xia Fei bought all ten thousand or so old machine tools at a price ten percent higher than scrap metal, spending only a tenth of the cost of buying new machine tools. Even with the shipping, he could save at least eighty percent. Furthermore, the owner of the factory even gave Xia Fei an entire warehouse of spare parts for maintenance.
He immediately contacted Sarah and told her to send Quantum Holdings's transport fleet over in batches. These machine tools were not too big, so it would only take four months for them to arrive, so it would not affect the company's daily transportation business.
In any case, Quantum Holdings' new factories were being built one after another, so these machine tools would come in handy sooner or later.
After this incident, Xia Fei suddenly realized that the capital ring actually contained a huge business opportunity, so after discussing it with Charlie, they sent Sonny over to the busiest areas to purchase the mechanical products that the company used daily.
Xia Fei was sweating profusely in the workshop. The video communication system was always on, so he could easily communicate with Old Porters on Earth.
Avril was running around excitedly, helping Xia Fei with tea one moment and helping him look for tools the next. When had this poor young lady ever done such a job? However, because Xia Fei was by her side, Avril did not really care.
Thus, a strange scene took place in the workshop. A bunch of bodyguards and servants were busy taking care of Avril, while Avril was single-mindedly taking care of Xia Fei, leaving everyone unsure whether to laugh or cry.
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