Fleka didn't participate in the design of their flying car. He only answered some of Silin and Naimi's questions from time to time, and didn't offer any opinions on the design itself. He just wanted to see what kind of flying car these two kids could come up with on their own.
To be honest, Fleka had been looking forward to it for a long time. Sometimes, he would even think of Silin and Naimi's designs when he was modifying the racing cars that were delivered to him. But the moment he received the design first-hand, all his fantasies and expectations were silenced in an instant.
How should he put this? Based on Eplaika's understanding of Naimi, the final flying car should be a new design with the kid's input and suggestions, shouldn't it? After all, young people tended to prefer the most flamboyant style. They liked big tail fins, flying wings, fins and so on, and colorful ones at that. But the final design he received was far from what Fleka had imagined it to be.
This design would've been an oddity among flying cars on a normal day, but it was completely outdated in the "Winds of Freedom". As early as a few decades ago, someone had designed this type of flying car, and during that time, there were several competitions that used this type of car. However, the results of the subsequent competitions weren't very ideal.
This type of flying car won good results in the early days as well, but after its peak, all kinds of new and eye-catching flying cars appeared one after another, and this type of flying car became a nostalgic product in people's hearts. Many other styles were derived from this type of flying car, such as the crescent-shaped flying car, the knife-shaped flying car, and the bullet-shaped flying car. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Fleka wasn't disappointed that Silin and Naimi had come up with something like this after working day and night.
The 3D image of the design in his hand showed a disc-shaped object. It was the result of Silin and Naimi's days of tinkering. In the modern era, this disc-shaped object was nicknamed "Vege-Fritter" by many car lovers. If someone were to say that a car was the same as "Vege-Fritter", it would be an insult, a mockery, and a disdain to the extreme. It wasn't a good word at all.
The reason the "Winds of Freedom" was famous wasn't just because of its challenging and exciting racing process. There was another important reason, and that was because it was "conceptual".
What does it mean to be conceptual? It was a combination of vehicle manufacturing technology and technological development. Its design could be freed from the constraints of manufacturing technology, allowing drivers and designers to display their talents to their heart's content, almost exaggeratedly, so that the flying car they designed could display its unique and crazy charm. It was a kind of avant-garde "artwork" born at the intersection of the present and the future, dreams and reality.
At least based on the appearance, there would be more people selling this car when it was officially put into production in the future. This was one of the Sizer Family's viewpoints, but did Naimi not know about it even though he was born and raised in the same family? Impossible! Every time he saw those strange-looking and unconventional flying cars, he would get very excited.
Silin and Naimi seemed to have expected Fleka's strange expression from the start. Instead of worrying, they continued to smile at Fleka.
Fleka was about to say something when he saw the duo's reaction, but he swallowed his words and continued reading. After all, the first part of the book was just an introduction, and he hoped that there would be a surprise later on.
The latter part of the book gave Fleka a completely different feeling, but his surprise was far greater than his joy.
The more he read, the more serious Fleka's expression became. When he was finally done, Fleka let out a long sigh and looked at Silin and Naimi, "Are you really going to design something like this? The innovation of a racing car isn't for you to waste, take risks, and imagine things that are beyond the limits of the rules! "
"No, uncle fatty, this is the perfect flying car in my mind right now. I think that it can completely replace a spaceplane, or should I say that it's more like a combination of a triceratops and a small spaceplane. It has both the triceratops and the spaceplane's functions, and its speed is about the same as a spaceplane's except that it doesn't have warp speed. Of course, if we invest a lot of money into it, we can also give it warp speed …" Naimi grew more and more excited as he spoke.
"Stop! I don't care if your flying car has warp speed or not, or if it's as fast as a spaceplane. I'm just asking if you two can complete a project like this? I told you before that I won't interfere with your design. Are you trying to hire an academician from the RAS's engineering department?! If that's the case, this car will be nothing more than a money-burning failure that can't even compare to a normal spaceplane! "
Fleka's words were a little heavy. Normally, he wouldn't say the word "failure" in front of a racer or designer. However, he couldn't stop himself from saying the word "failure" when he looked at the design in his hands and the two people he had high hopes for.
"Also, you should know that every flying car that participates in the competition will have an introduction before the competition. In this introduction, there will be a rough report on the cost of the flying car. According to the rules, the cost can't exceed 100 million. The best range is between 10 million and 50 million. That way, there will be more investment value. But! " Fleka flipped over two of the blueprints and said, "I estimate that it will cost no less than two hundred million MB to complete these designs. Don't even think about lying, the organizing committee isn't an idiot. I've shamelessly helped you once already, and I won't allow you to make an exception this time! "
"Calm down, calm down, uncle fatty. Mind your emotions and take deep breaths …"
"Calm down my ass!"
Fleka really regretted allowing these two kids to participate in the race this time. Wasn't this just asking for trouble?!
After taking a deep breath, Fleka put a hand to his forehead. He didn't know whether he should say that these two kids were arrogant or ignorant. He raised a hand to suppress his irritation and continued, "Alright, let's not talk about the construction cost for now. You don't care about money anyway, so let's talk about this technical problem first. Even the designers and builders of the Sizer Family aren't completely confident that they can complete this design in a short time, let alone me. Maybe you should ask the legendary Black Viper or an expert from the RAS to guide you. Even if they're willing to guide you, it's not like you can complete it in ten days, is it? There are only fifteen days left until the race, and you need to familiarize yourself with the car, the environment, and the terrain in the last five days. You don't have the time to build more! "
"Er …" Naimi scratched his head, "Silin said that we should be able to complete it in ten days."
"Silin!" Fleka looked at Silin.
Silin nodded, "If we have all the materials, ten days should be enough."
Fleka's eyes twitched again and again. He took another deep breath. He didn't know what to say about Silin. Silin's assembly skills were undeniable, and it was the most efficient assembly technique Fleka had ever seen in his life.
After thinking for a moment, Fleka said, "I will get the materials for you as soon as possible. Make a list of the materials you need, and all of them must be delivered to you through my hands. I will estimate the price of these materials according to the lowest price in the empire, and I will ask you to forfeit the race if the total price exceeds the stipulated price."
This was Fleka's final concession. Both Silin and Naimi were aware of it, and they had no objections at all.
"I will provide you with the assembly space. During this time, you are not allowed to leave the place until the assembly is complete. Let me know if you have any additional requests. I don't have the time to keep an eye on you all the time, so be on your own. This is what I ask of you."
"Ah? Confinement? Can't we even have visitors from the outside? "Naimi complained.
"No!" Fleka's attitude was very firm. The people he set up outside wouldn't bring these two kids anything illegal.
"Fine, we won't have time to wander around once the assembly is complete anyway." Naimi said.
"What about Silin?" Fleka looked at Silin. If Silin had any objections, he would never allow Silin to participate in the race.
"I'm fine with it." Silin didn't have any objections.
"Alright, I'll take you to the assembly space."
The assembly space was Fleka's personal. After he cleaned up some of the junk inside, he temporarily gave it to Silin and Naimi.
The factory's lounge and workshop were separated, and there were some sports equipment and first aid equipment. All in all, it was a standard Fleka factory.
Fleka accepted Cillin's list of materials and said, "From now on, you two will stay here until you've assembled the entire car. You're not allowed to leave until you're done."
"Alright, we will definitely abide by your rules." Silin and Fleka promised.
After Fleka left, Silin checked the tools inside the factory. They were all relatively advanced and practical, and they were all well-equipped. At the very least, all the tools Silin needed were here.
"Are you done checking?" Naimi asked Silin after he was done walking around the factory.
"Yes, I have everything I need. It's very complete."
"Of course, don't you know whose factory this is? Uncle Pang's territory isn't something an ordinary person can own. Moreover, no matter where the factory is, as long as it belongs to Uncle Pang, it's not something an ordinary person can enter. Including this time, I've only been inside the factory three times since I was young. The first two times were when I was still a kid. "
Fleka took the list of materials Cillin had given him and quickly went to gather the materials. Even Fleka didn't know what most of the materials Cillin had listed were for, but since Cillin had listed them out, Fleka had to do his best to gather them.
Many of the parts were not the most high-end models, but Freka could tell that these parts were the most suitable when they were assembled. Although he didn't know what some of the parts were for, it wasn't his place to ask Silin right now. Never mind, I'll wait until these two kids are done assembling the car. If they don't succeed, there's no need to ask.
It didn't take long for Fleka to deliver more than ninety percent of the materials Silin had listed. The rest of the materials would take a day or two, but Fleka was able to get his hands on some of the rarer materials.
Fleka did a rough estimate of the materials and estimated that they would cost around fifty million at the lowest price. Of course, it would be a different story if Silin wanted to add some of the materials.
After Fleka had delivered the materials into the factory, Silin started assembling the car. The first thing he did was something Fleka had never seen before. He didn't understand what Silin was doing, and he didn't have the time to keep an eye on him.
Naimi wasn't very good at assembling, and Silin didn't need his help during the assembly. That was why Naimi moved a chair over and watched Silin assemble the car even though he didn't understand a thing. He was responsible for running errands and handing over the tools Silin asked for. But Naimi was enjoying himself because watching Silin assemble the car was a very enjoyable process. Silin's hands could always bring a person into a wonderful state where they could forget everything in the outside world and enter a state of emptiness.
If someone asked Naimi how Silin assembled the car, he would definitely answer blankly, "I don't know." It was because he couldn't recall the details of Silin's assembly. He thought that the process was supposed to be like that, but when he tried to recall it, he realized that every detail was blurry.
While Silin was assembling the car, on the other side of the planet, at the third place of the last "Winds of Freedom" racing competition.
When Tobia drove the car back that day, she told him that she had checked it at a repair station, but she didn't take it to heart when she saw that the value of the coefficient never went below nine.
Today, Tobia rested for the whole day. She was very tired both physically and mentally after a few days of test flying. Tobia's flying car was also undergoing routine maintenance. It was a rule of the racing team that a full overhaul had to be done every few days, even if the car's self-inspection number didn't go below nine.
Tobia was sleeping soundly in the lounge when her brother suddenly nudged her awake.
Tobia was very angry that her sleep was disturbed. She didn't even open her eyes as she skillfully grabbed a lunchbox on the table next to her and threw it at the person who disturbed her sleep.
"Tobia, wake up, I have something to ask you!"
"..." She ignored her.
"Be a good girl, Tobia. I have something important to ask you!"
"What? You can't take away my normal rest time even if you're the current captain of the racing team!" She still didn't open her eyes. It would be very difficult to sleep again if she did.
"It's about your beloved flying car!"
Tobia's eyes shot open when she heard her brother mention her beloved flying car. "What happened to my car?!"
"Come here … put on your jacket first!"
After Tobia put on her jacket, her brother, who was also the current captain of the Spearhead racing team, quickly dragged Tobia to the repair shop.
When Tobia arrived at the repair shop of the racing team's base, her navigator, Qiu Xu, was also there. The other people in the repair shop were gathered around the back of her car, looking at something and discussing animatedly.
"What's going on?" Tobia asked Qiu Xu.
Qiu Xu shook her head. "I don't know the specifics. They seemed to have found something wrong during the maintenance and asked me about the maintenance at the public repair point. I told them the truth, but they didn't believe me, so they called you over."
When the person in charge of the repair shop saw Tobia, he asked her about the maintenance and even asked her about some specific details. It was just as Qiu Xu had said.
"What's wrong? Is there something wrong with my car? I knew that guy was messing with me! Just tell me if there's a problem, and I'll go find him. He was wearing a work uniform and a cap at the time, but I remember his voice. I'm sure we can find him if we look one by one, not to mention that every repair point has surveillance records. If we can't find him, we can apply to check the surveillance records at the time. I refuse to believe that we can't find him! "Tobia said angrily.
The repairman looked at Tobia with a strange look in his eyes. The person in charge coughed and interrupted Tobia's complaints. "Actually, contrary to what you think, the person who repaired your flying car did a great job. At the very least, you won't have to repair that part of your car for a while. But according to our estimates, it's very believable that he was able to find the reason why your flying car's self-detection coefficient was so low and fix everything in such a short time. If what you say is true, then it can only mean that you've run into an expert. The Sizer Family really is full of talented people! "
Tobia frowned. "He's not as good as you say, is he? I saw him doing it quite casually. "
"That's a real expert!" a repair worker beside her said excitedly.
The person in charge nodded in agreement. He pointed at the surface parts below the outer shell and said, "We didn't dare to touch these parts because we were afraid that we wouldn't be able to restore them if we did. This kind of skill is beyond our reach."
An expert could see the workmanship of an assembler even if it was just two simple parts being assembled. Right now, the parts that had been assembled on this flying car were almost perfect. Not even a machine could guarantee that it would be perfect, let alone a person.
"Tobia, Qiu Xu, take me to that person. I have some questions I'd like to ask him," the person in charge said.
"You want to ask him? That guy looks like a brat! "Tobia disagreed with the person in charge's words.
"You don't understand. Even if my overall skills are higher than his, I'm still far behind him when it comes to assembly."
"I'm coming too!"
"Wait for me too!"
"My car has a small problem too. Let's let that person try it out."
"..."
Besides the person in charge, the other drivers and repair workers were also very curious about the mysterious person. They really wanted to witness the person's repair process with their own eyes.
However, when the group arrived, they discovered that the person in charge was already gone. Fleka's subordinates wouldn't leak any information about Silin either, so the group could only return empty-handed.
On the ninth day after Silin and Naimi entered the factory, a disc-shaped thing that looked similar to the one on the blueprints was floating inside the factory.
Naimi waved at it.
"Hey, Vege-Fritter, welcome to this world!"
"Thank you!" A smiley face appeared on the disc-shaped outer shell.
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