Chapter 391

Chapter 391: Testing the "Monstrous"

It seemed Lin Mo needed to confirm something. The personnel from the safety department helped him reassemble the robot’s body. Fortunately, Gold Coin’s separation had turned into a relay presence, guiding Lin Mo through the assembly via a soul contract, making it impossible to make mistakes.

The only thing that baffled the safety department and the computer center was that the operating drive system stored in this robot’s memory was merely a decoy created by Gold Coin. It likely contained some special encryption package that left the programmers responsible for upgrading and improving the intelligent systems in the base completely puzzled.

Though it was a decoy, it was still a serious high-quality imitation. Gold Coin simply lacked the time to create an entire robot control system. Motion control was child’s play compared to the various logical judgment and response processing that had to be considered, far more complex than the operational drive system of a fighter jet.

The unconventional coding style left the technical officers in the base with headaches. It was purely personal adaptive coding and function libraries, a crude imitation that could surprisingly drive the system. After making backup copies, they had to reprogram the application interface and implant a dedicated logging program for "Night," taking an entire week to finally get it approved.

The computer center staff handed Lin Mo a chip the size of a mung bean, identifying this robot and defining its activity area. It wouldn’t be able to access many places like Lin Mo, facilitating management and monitoring.

After all, this was an auxiliary combat mechanical robot assembled for Lin Mo and to maintain fighter jets, counted as one of the automated mechanical devices.

Upon leaving the dedicated isolation room, Gold Coin, both in its body and separated form, sighed in relief at the same time as Lin Mo. They had finally passed this first hurdle without danger, but the complexity had exceeded their expectations.

Gold Coin had never allowed the separated robot to speak, fearing it might let something slip and trigger another round of terrifying disassembly.

From a technical perspective, the base had recognized this robot’s existence. Whether mid-level and lower-level personnel accepted it was another matter.

It was unclear if this was all a mistake or mere coincidence, but Gold Coin’s separated robot was modeled after Lin Mo’s "Dragon General" tactical armor, making it appear at first glance like a human wearing tactical gear.

Recently, "Night" had just distributed a batch of individual tactical armors to five combat squadrons. The soldiers, fully equipped in their armor from head to toe, looked nearly identical to Gold Coin’s separated robot; blending in among them would have made it even harder to distinguish.

The newly allocated individual tactical armor was the Henghai Defense’s just-developed digital armor, "Dragon Guard." This was not the silly gear from a few years ago that featured a keyboard strapped on the arm and a small computer on the back. Its tested performance compared to America’s "Future Warrior." China had fully absorbed the American technology and repurposed it into a mature product tailored to Chinese physiques.

The unified "Kua Fu" armor for squad leaders and squadron leaders had been swapped for the land combat "Dragon General." Lin Mo’s air-land adaptable "Dragon General" was unique within the base.

Of course, the cost of individual tactical armor remained exorbitant; otherwise, once issued to every soldier in China, there would be no need for warfare—only one nation would remain on Earth.

No military could afford an enemy capable of being invulnerable while swiftly forming combat teams. The fully armed tactical armor of Chinese soldiers, maximizing both individual qualities and team coordination, would send shivers down the spine of any army.

In the face of absolute power, continual proclamations of not seeking dominance would carry no weight.

Gold Coin’s separated robot stirred up only a small commotion within the Aircrew Group.

Having grown accustomed to robotic arms and industrial robots, the sudden appearance of a bipedal robot became merely an amusing novelty. Their curiosity would fade, as humanity’s world had never lacked humanoid robots.

From the moment it was revealed to everyone, Gold Coin’s robot had never spoken, and this distinction was significant. Both Gold Coin and Lin Mo understood very well the implications of this.

Details determine success or failure. This meant whether Gold Coin could smoothly integrate into human society. Failure would spell endless turmoil.

Humans tend to harbor substantial hostility and vigilance towards outsiders who can blend in among them, as echoed in many Hollywood blockbusters. Lin Mo remained composed, but after facing numerous hardships, Gold Coin had grown more cautious.

However, the gold giant dragon could not endure being a turtle forever; this risk had to be taken.

If the robot remained silent, it meant a simple voice control command system was in place. They believed even civilian computer systems could manage that.

Even the combat mechanical soldiers hidden within the base were merely terminal nodes of the intelligent system operating on a mainframe computer platform. They were just remote-controlled combat puppets, with core operations lying with the computer center, not embedded in the mechanical soldiers themselves.

If they could achieve smooth human-machine dialogue, the nature of interaction would entirely change. This would signify that conventional program-controlled robots could start advancing toward intelligence.

With more fluent conversations, not only would program complexity increase, but hardware demands for the computer system would also rise. Until now, the human world had not publicly introduced a robot capable of open and smooth dialogue.

Japan, which had a relatively high level of research into robots and led the world, had published models like the HRP-4 robot that could walk, retrieve items, recognize humans, and even engage in simple conversations, primarily relying on pre-set programs for basic tasks. Yet, it too could not conduct very fluent dialogues.

The technology involved in Gold Coin’s separated robot had reached the pinnacle of global standards, particularly the astonishing mechanical structure. During the safety inspection, "Night" would not let this go unnoticed, quickly reporting the scanning data.

It likely meant another research unit would take advantage of Lin Mo. Regardless, whatever benefit they gained from it would essentially come out of their own colleagues’ pot, leaving Lin Mo to see how much he could gain.

Lin Mo need not worry about this; there were professionals planning for him. In fact, Lin Mo had repeatedly accumulated extra gains thanks to this, as opportunities to reap benefits drew in people to partake in the profit sharing, with most of the earnings going to Lin Mo. No one dared to encroach upon this manner of approach, for Lin Mo’s department was a powerful force focused on killing. Hence, rather than provoking them, no one dared to even bully them.

If it were to be revealed that this robot possessed the capability for fluent dialogue, that would certainly stir excitement.

The patience of the giant dragon was already limited. If forced to face disassembly yet again, it would likely erupt in fury.

In fact, Lin Mo worried about this, especially instructing Gold Coin not to reveal any signs of intelligence, even while disguised as a robot. In essence, should intelligent robots progress further, they could be termed as wise robots, nearly on par with humans.

While ordinary citizens could accept intelligent robots into their lives as assistants, they would never easily allow wise robots to call them brothers, as that would severely threaten human pride and status as the favored children of heaven, the spirits of all things.

“Data check normal, self-check commencing.” Lin Mo settled into the unfinished cockpit of the "Monstrous" super fighter and called out to the robot alongside him, operating various instruments.

The robot was named "Gold Coin," and within just a few days, everyone in the Aircrew Group had come to like this slightly clumsy robot. Although its movements were somewhat awkward, they were undeniably precise. Whether running or jumping, it could gracefully maintain its center of gravity and balance—a performance exceptional among bipedal robots.

“Normal! Time required, 60 seconds. Starting countdown now.”

A very mechanical male electronic voice emanated from the robot’s head. Aside from the control core, all functionality modules were genuine. Even with a suitable system, it could operate smoothly without Gold Coin’s control, having all necessary features intact. This meticulous design allowed them to slip through the joint inspection by the safety department and the computer center.

If one were to imitate, they should strive for perfection, and Gold Coin’s elaborate efforts indeed bore significant rewards.

Boom!

The two engines at the tail of the "Monstrous" emitted twin streams of blue flame. Since the tests occurred in the hangar, the aircraft was firmly secured to the platform. The thrust wouldn’t be excessive; it served merely to test ignition and control, as well as the compatibility of the various modules.

Only five minutes’ worth of fuel, sufficient for consumption during testing, was injected into the fuel tank made of Kevlar and composite fire-resistant materials. The F119-PW-100 vector thrust engine, manufactured by American military contractors, produced an exceptionally smooth output—the sound was even more pleasant than the Russian-made AL-31FN engine used in the J-10, and significantly outperformed the domestically-produced WS-15X engine on the J-18.

Based on the vibrations feedback transmitted to the body, these two engines not only had been stored under excellent conditions but also had already completed their break-in before leaving the factory. Each component was in optimal condition; this level of meticulous craftsmanship justified the retail price of the F-22 "Raptor," which utilized the same engine.

Let’s offer a moment of silence for the exaggerated costs incurred in introducing the F-22 "Raptor" for the Japanese.

“Next, I will perform maneuverability tests: triple strike! Gold Coin, help me record!”

The driving system of the "Monstrous" also included a virtual testing system. Lin Mo executed a series of extreme overload maneuvers based on the tactical movements he could utilize. The aircraft’s responsiveness was highly satisfying, and even the variable wing mechanisms could perfectly fold and deflect.