High Above

As soon as the seriously injured genius Bai Zhimin was discharged from the hospital, he went directly into his own research room and refused all outsiders to conduct closed research. This is an interesting anecdote for those who follow Ian.

They were a little unclear about Ian's research direction at first, but soon they became happy when they learned that the young man was now concentrating on studying various special medicines, and even cooperated with the Firestone Group to start researching armors.

——Obviously, after just being affected by the aftermath of King Tianhong, he decided to give himself a set of equipment with strong defensive power, right?

To be honest, it was a bit of an overreaction.

After all, how can armor stop the aftermath of the fourth energy level?

But everyone understands that people who have just recovered from a serious illness and have narrowly escaped death are already in a mentally sensitive moment. It is really normal for Ian to vent his uneasiness through research.

Moreover, this kind of reaction also makes Ian's image more real... They are willing to believe the reality they see and see a flawed person.

However, anyone who has actually seen Ian's research process and witnessed the armor gradually taking shape will understand.

This is not a vent or an overreaction at all.

Ian is serious.

October 5, 773 Terra.

Half a month after Ian returned from Avak Territory, the Spiral Spire District.

The Spiral Spire District is the lower city of the imperial capital managed by the Ledelia family. This area is divided into upper and lower floors. The upper floor is a normal residential area. There are gourmet restaurants from all over the empire, and one that is said to be the best in the empire. ice cream shop.

The boss is said to be a Butterfly from Icewind Dale, and his family's maple honey ice cream and hazelnut vanilla ice cream are very popular.

The underground is the heavy industrial park of the Imperial Capital. Together with the Double Ring Area, it is the industrial pillar of the Imperial Capital. It has complete manufacturing production lines for alchemy vehicles, armored vehicles and complex psychic equipment. Most of the Imperial Capital's armors are also produced here. In addition, most of the industrial machine tools and alloy production and processing are done here, and there is a defense layer that can resist the attacks of the fourth-level powerhouses.

certainly.

There will also be an armored experimental base here.

In the suburbs, the experimental park has consistent lighting.

The empty flat ground was covered with gravel and large rocks that should be used as targets. In the distance, you could also see several long straight lines caused by acceleration and deceleration.

The towering sand dunes were deliberately piled aside. They should be targets for testing some powerful weapons. Occasionally, you can see some traces of melt, frost, or electric shock.

An old man with gray hair but extremely strong lines was sitting on the observation tower in the center of the experimental park, observing the entire park with a telescope.

Anna Tecumseh, the lucky person who experienced the Battle of Leap and the Battle of Blood Desert but came back alive.

This is a bit untrue. After all, not everyone can survive the empire's two major battles against Junling Castle and Flying Flame Land - that definitely requires not only luck, but also extraordinary skills. .

Especially as a marine armored pilot, Anna spent most of his combat career amidst the enemy's artillery fire and the roar of the enemy's armored engines. His driving skills, combat skills, and most importantly, his luck were all commendable. It's extremely excellent.

It is precisely because of this that he gained second-level strength with the support of the military. His military rank when he retired was Lieutenant Colonel of the Empire's Second Armored Force, and he found a job at the Armored Experimental Base after retirement. Carry out suggestions, guidance and casual work to assist observation.

Casual is true, but too casual.

Compared with the wartime and post-war period when all kinds of new armors emerged one after another, in today's peaceful era, all kinds of research funds are tilted towards aerospace armors. Even if land warfare armors are occasionally updated, there is nothing too new.

Every day's work is either reading newspapers or drinking tea, which really makes this veteran feel bored.

But now, with the publicity in recent years, Anna also keenly feels that war is coming...

Prince Mikael's declaration of war preparations a few weeks ago has already affected the army. From soldiers to officers, and even the top brass of the army can smell the smell of blood and military exploits.

There has been no information coming in or out of the Archduke Thorin for more than two weeks, which is exactly the same as the Avak Territory. The changes in the Castle in the north make people understand that as long as the empire and the Flying Flame officially start a war, these people who left independently back then will This guy will take action without hesitation and take a piece of flesh from the empire.

But no one is afraid of this.

The soldiers were preparing their weapons and equipment. The armored drivers patiently inspected every part of their vehicles. The drunken officers also began to rearrange their appearance. The Northern Legion, which was almost in decay, also began to reaffirm military discipline again and again. importance.

Everyone is preparing for war.

Peace has been going on for too long. The Ascended Group supported by the empire urgently needs a victory to gain further credit for itself. The people need a victory in a foreign war to satisfy their pride and accumulated anger. The top brass also need a victory. War to unify internal thoughts.

Everyone realizes that war is bound to begin, and very soon.

It is precisely because of this that many new armors are gradually being tested at the experimental base, and Anna is finally not bored anymore.

It just has to be said that as an elite soldier who has experienced two major battles, Anna is not impressed by the many experimental armors currently being tested - they are nothing more than adding a few more armor plates and changing the power pack. , or some new weapons have been added.

This cannot be said to be bad, but it is easy to see through it at a glance and lose the freshness.

Just like the fiery red armor being tested next to it, veterans can see its specific data at a glance - 4.6 meters high and 3.5 meters wide. It is an improvement on the classic fifth-generation bipedal humanoid land combat armor. Model, weighing eleven tons, the armor should be made of Scarlet Kite alloy, which has strong impact resistance and high heat absorption capabilities, and the leg structure has been greatly changed.

Its main weapons are an 88mm rapid-fire cannon and two 20mm cannons. It uses an Avalanche III alchemical furnace with a maximum speed of more than 150 kilometers per hour. It can continue to fight for four times when fully loaded with element crystals. hours, if extra fuel tank life can be increased by two-thirds.

Compared with the fourth-generation armor, the revolutionary difference between the fifth-generation armor and the fourth-generation armor lies in the operating system.

In addition to the Xunbone control system, the fourth-generation armor also requires manual assistance to operate some more delicate movements. The driver cannot even fully accept the signals from the body's sensors and cameras, and needs to use his eyes to see the screen and index meter.

The fifth-generation armored bone interaction system allows people to fully coordinate with the body. They can directly receive information with their brains without looking. As long as they are trained, even ordinary people can control it as if they were their own bodies. Armoured.

As for the sixth-generation armor, which is currently only used by the most elite troops, in addition to improvements in mobility and armor, it also has an information network system. It is said that the Patrol Knights are the trial point of this technology, and their standard armors are With this system loaded, the feedback is quite good, and it is expected to be promoted to the entire army in the future.

"The modification is pretty good."

Anna sat on the observation platform and looked at the fiery red armor from a distance. It should be an improved model developed by a certain workshop based on the fifth generation armor. If nothing else, it was an experiment of the Southwest Army. The machine is specially prepared for the newly equipped melta warheads of the Feiyan Land Army.

If the actual combat effect is good, it is time to prepare to develop a sixth-generation aircraft of this model.

The fiery red armor moves dexterously in the sandy environment. Its special leg structure can be folded, allowing it to transform into a humanoid tracked tank that moves at high speed, making surprise attacks on enemy positions behind the enemy lines. It can also transform when needed. He takes human form and uses a heated ax for close combat.

This deformable structure is obviously also a reserve experiment for sixth-generation machine technology.

In addition to this deformable crimson armor, there are actually many other armors being tested in other areas of the experimental base, but there is nothing new.

"It seems there are no other new items today."

Anna commented in his mind that he was lucky to be able to see the transformation system being tested. There were not many workshops that mastered this technology.

At this moment, he received an application, and he couldn't help but chuckle in his heart: "Ellen family? Platinum workshop? Private armor? Wait, I remember they are not experts in biological alchemy and breeding equipment? Why are they here? this?"

"And the private armor...what new thing did they develop themselves?"

Feeling a little puzzled, Anna approved the application.

This is the first time he has seen such a thing as personal armor in the past month.

He wanted to see what surprises the Ellen family could come up with.

But the result may be a bit too surprising.

Along with a low rumble, Anna saw a huge and weird heavy armor striding towards the experimental area with a momentum like a road roller.

It looks extremely ferocious, with only a single red electronic eye on its head as an observation device. On its burly body, the cold electronic eyes are rotating left and right, observing this strange park with a scornful aura.

The huge steel monster skeleton is still the standard model of the fifth-generation land combat armor, but its armor has been extra thickened. There are high-strength plastic pipes on the inside leading to the cylindrical storage compartment on the back, as well as a small one on the shoulder. The heat dissipation holes on the caliber supercharged muzzle, arms and back are continuously emitting white steam, lingering around it.

"What's this?"

Anna took a deep breath. He stood up and observed carefully to make sure he saw it correctly: "Wait, this... isn't a combat armor?"

The gray-haired veteran was immediately shocked by the thick black armor and the walking momentum, but when he observed it carefully later, he discovered that this Cyclops-like armor was not equipped with any weapons.

To be precise, it is not equipped with any conventional weapons.

It is simply an extremely complex fusion monster: the pressurized cabin on the back is modified from the high-pressure water jet device of the Imperial Fire Armor, and the same is true for the pressurized water cannon muzzle on the shoulder, but it does After more complicated modifications, there is a strange prism focusing structure at the muzzle. I don't know what it is used for.

Its armor was also modified from the heavy armor of the Shield Guards of the Northern Legion. This five-layer composite armor could barely withstand the impact of the alchemy artillery, and could at least save the driver's life.

Its observation system should be a unique new technology. Anna has never seen such a flexible one-eyed observation device that can rotate and focus at will. He just had the illusion of being locked with that eye.

It might not even be an illusion.

Of course, the weirdest thing is the power system of this armor... Its power system should also be the Avalanche III alchemy furnace, but it has undergone an extremely special modification - its source power will follow the energy all over the body. Pipes, like blood vessels, spread throughout every corner of the body.

And this source material transmission channel all over the body seems to vaguely form a special inscription circuit... but it does not seem to be a defense, but to amplify something.

Anna didn't understand the significance of this modification at first. He just frowned and observed the one-eyed armor, which looked like a suture monster but seemed to have something new, undergoing maneuver testing in the experimental garden.

This aspect is very average.

The maneuverability of heavy armors is generally poor, but Anner can see that the driver is very experienced. It is obvious that a heavy heavy armor can perform precise operations that only light armors can perform. He has at least more than ten years of experience. Driving experience.

But the next scene made everyone in the entire experimental park, including Anna, stunned.

Bang - As the many jets on the one-eyed armor ejected white airflow, an obvious pumice reaction caused the armor to begin to float in the air, and then slowly rise to tens of meters under the action of the jet power system. low altitude.

——It can fly!

"Is it a pumice engine? No, it's just an auxiliary... but this thing can fly?!"

Anna opened her eyes wide. It was not news that armor could fly, but it was real news that a thing that was obviously a heavy armor for land warfare could fly smoothly!

The one-eyed armor performs somewhat rigid maneuvers in mid-air. Its power system is obviously not prepared for aerial combat. Even if it can fly, it can only perform simple ascent and translation.

But this is beyond everyone's common sense - why can it fly? !

"Wait, is that the new system?"

With the second energy level's keen sense of the source material, Anna noticed that on the armored body, the blood vessels and tubes that originally seemed a little unclear were now running the source material in a certain pattern... It was this source The quality, combined with the water source inside the armor, stimulates the pumice reaction and allows it to use jet maneuvers!

The alchemy furnace core and the driver resonate in harmony, achieving an efficiency far beyond that of a single armor paired with a driver!

"Yes, it is to increase the driver's ability! Borrowing the power of the alchemy furnace heart to increase the driver, or allowing the driver to increase the armor - this technology has been around for a long time, but it has not been taken seriously due to efficiency reasons!"

"But the new system loaded into this armor can efficiently increase some of the driver's special abilities from the very beginning of its design!"

Although each ability needs to set the corresponding pipeline route in advance, which is a bit cumbersome, but compared to the effect, it is not a problem at all.

This is an extremely special new system. Although it is very simple, it makes Anna excited.

The veteran's eyes were all wet. He could now clearly see that the blood-vessel-like source pipes on this one-eyed armor were distributed to imitate some sublimation ability of the driver. In this way, In a short period of time, this armor can increase the driver's certain abilities several times!

What was increased just now was obviously the flying ability of the fairy bloodline!

At this moment, Anna saw that the signal light beside him flashed red three times.

It's about to start weapons testing.

The heavy armored alchemy furnace floating in mid-air was running at full speed, emitting a hum that could be vaguely heard even from a few kilometers away. Its body surface lit up with circles of obvious inscription circuits, and then moved towards the shoulder. The pressurized muzzles converged and came out.

The specially designed reaction device no longer simply attacks with water pressure as it did in the past.

The alchemy potions on the back of the armor fuse, intertwine, and then react... The ubiquitous sand solution, the flame potion, and the condensed light grass extract fully fuse under the ultra-high pressure reaction, releasing energy, and then releasing pure light and heat. , focused at the prism of the muzzle——

Zhi...

A straight beam of light shot out, and under everyone's stunned gaze, it instantly hit a sand dune in the distance.

collapse! ! !

With the release of ultra-high pressure, the scorching and dazzling light pillar disappeared after a rapid explosion. If you want to launch again, you need to wait for the charging of the pressurized cabin, which takes about two seconds... but no one pays attention to this.

"Have a bright future—"

Anna leaned forward. He stood on the observation tower and overlooked the sand dune in the distance. As the golden-red light beam flashed away, a lava area was silently melted on the hit hill. The magma Water waves spread and rippled on the hills, and the high-heat twisted air spread around.

A small half of the dune was melted.

If it hits an ordinary tank and armor, without mirror coating, the power of this blow is enough to kill it instantly!

But unlike the alchemy shells that also hit and kill, the hit rate of this supercharged beam cannon can almost be said to be a hit upon sight!

No wonder this armored observation device is a new type, originally designed to adapt to its weapon system!

Anna is now very annoyed by the rules and regulations of the experimental base - there is no video crystal board around him to capture all this!

On the other side, there was a distant call coming from the black-armored Scarlet Kite armor that had stopped testing to observe the sky.

[Do you think the Scarlet Kite alloy with heat-insulating coating can block such hot beams? 】

The experienced pilot was silent for a while, and then slowly said: "Well... there is a difficulty, unless there is a source of matter shield. This technology is very similar to the melta warheads over there in the Flying Flame, but it has no entity... … We probably need the mirror finish more than the material.”

[…Interesting, which workshop is this new to? If such a powerful beam of light is used on aerial armor...】

The conversation did not continue.

Because soon, this flying heavy armor began another shooting test.

This time, low-power continuous irradiation was tested. A simple description is that there is only 'zi', but there is no final explosion that releases the power of all the medicine in one breath.

But this continuous exposure can last for a long time.

The golden beam continued to shine for about ten seconds, carving out a standard circle on the sand. Although it didn't look as powerful as the previous attack, Anna felt terrified.

——Not to mention the driver's ridiculously accurate shooting accuracy and control... Even low-power irradiation has an almost instant-kill effect on unarmored and non-sublimated units!

Ten seconds of continuous irradiation is enough to cause considerable damage!

And that's not the end.

The signal crystal panel beside Anna lit up again. This one-eyed armor was applying for twenty moving targets. The veteran swallowed and chose to agree.

Bang bang bang—Twenty flying discs flew out from the target launch port, tracing different trajectories in mid-air.

In mid-air, the one-eyed armored eye accurately locked onto each flying disc, then fine-tuned the muzzle on the shoulder and began to perform multiple ultra-short irradiations.

Accompanied by a series of slight explosions, fifteen of the twenty flying discs melted on the spot, while the remaining five did not penetrate because the potion energy emitted in a single shot was not enough. black.

The hit rate is 100%.

"Auto-aim?! This is simply a fantasy!"

After Anna noticed this, he couldn't even describe his emotions with shock: "No, this is the driver's operation - how fast his eyesight and reaction speed are, and how precise the operation accuracy must be to perform it twenty times in an instant. Aimed shooting?!"

And now, he finally figured out the true nature of this weird armor...

——This is sniper armor!

It has heavy armor, can fly, can shoot continuously, and can carry out precise strikes on multiple targets... sniper armor!

What a sniper armor!

Inside the Cyclops armor, the white-haired pilot looked at the UFO target melting and dripping in mid-air, and smiled slightly.

"The Prometheus Prism is working well, and the power of the light prism is as expected."

He whispered to himself: "The operating rate of the Cyclops furnace is 89%, which is close to the limit... The power system still needs to be strengthened, but it is enough."

"Overall, perfect."