’But why didn’t the receptionist mention No. 4 to me?’

’Could it be that the No. 4 Electromagnetic Cannon involves some kind of secret that isn’t meant for outsiders? Or maybe it’s still incomplete?’

Gao Neng carefully weighed his two options.

The No. 3 Electromagnetic Cannon had a complex manufacturing process with 200 pages of blueprints, but it came with no secrets or other risks. The No. 4, on the other hand, was a simpler model with only 100 pages of blueprints, but it potentially involved secrets and risks.

’By conventional logic, choosing the No. 3 would be the safer bet, wouldn’t it?’

’But I’m not ordinary!’

’Whether I’m making the No. 3 or the No. 4, it’s my first time for either one, so there’s no difference in proficiency. As for the risk...’

’With a 100% success rate, what risk is there?’

’My biggest problem right now is time!’

’Two days is just too tight!’

If he had ten days or half a month, he could whip up not just the No. 3 or No. 4, but even the Special No. 1 Electromagnetic Cannon.

’So, the only remaining question is whether the No. 4 involves any secrets. If it does, it wouldn’t be right for me to just take the blueprints.’

Just as he was thinking this, the receptionist finished her phone call and walked over.

"Mr. Gao, I’m so sorry to have kept you waiting." The receptionist apologized before continuing, "According to the reply from my superiors, all of the Celestial King Group’s Electromagnetic Cannon blueprints, with the exception of Special No. 1 through Special No. 3, can be made available to you. You are free to look at any of them, Mr. Gao."

"So, aside from Special No. 1 through Special No. 3, all the other Electromagnetic Cannon blueprints are available to me?" Gao Neng asked, a flicker of interest in his eyes as he sought confirmation.

"Yes, Mr. Gao. Would you like to look through them yourself, or would you prefer me to explain them to you?" The receptionist looked eager to help.

Gao Neng immediately sensed the enthusiasm in her eyes.

But he was used to this sort of thing. Being handsome made you popular wherever you went—and he was what you’d call impossibly handsome.

’Should I let her explain?’

Gao Neng didn’t mind listening, but if he really let her explain, it could take the entire afternoon, and she might not even be done by then.

It would be a relaxing way to spend the time, but it was too much of a waste.

He wasn’t one to indulge in fleeting pleasures. Even though the receptionist was gorgeous, his heart was like a stone, completely unmoved.

"I’ll look by myself," Gao Neng declined.

"O-Okay. In that case, can I get you a cup of coffee, Mr. Gao?" A flash of disappointment crossed her eyes, but she quickly composed herself.

"Yes, thank you." Gao Neng didn’t refuse this time.

"What kind would you like, Mr. Gao?"

"Caramel macchiato."

"Of course. Please wait a moment, Mr. Gao." The receptionist smiled, but inwardly her heart soared. ’His taste is the same as mine? It must be fate!’

The receptionist left.

Gao Neng turned his attention back to the files on the No. 4 Electromagnetic Cannon.

’The blueprints for all Electromagnetic Cannons except Special No. 1 through 3 are available to me, which means the No. 4 is included, right?’

’Which one should I choose?’

Gao Neng didn’t make a decision right away. Instead, he settled down, found a spot, and carefully spread out the blueprints for both models to study them.

A short while later, the receptionist returned with his coffee. Seeing that Gao Neng was engrossed in the blueprints, she didn’t disturb him and quickly left. As she walked away, she thought to herself...

’So handsome and so focused...’

’He’s a total dreamboat!’

...

「An hour passed quickly.」

Guan San had no intention of rushing Gao Neng. He had already received a report that Gao Neng was inside, studying the manufacturing blueprints for several Electromagnetic Cannons.

This actually pleased him somewhat.

As Fang Yuan’s butler, he had seen countless genius Manufacturing Masters over the years.

Some had succeeded, while others had failed.

The reason for their success or failure came down to one thing: dedicated research.

He knew full well that what defined a true Manufacturing Master wasn’t their current level of skill, but their persistence in their research.

And Gao Neng clearly possessed this trait.

Only someone with a fanatical passion for unknown technology, someone who doesn’t just stick to the established routine, can truly innovate and discover even more profound technologies.

’Gao Neng, just how far will you go?’ At that moment, Guan San suddenly felt a sense of anticipation.

Back in the research center, Gao Neng hadn’t noticed how quickly time was passing.

He was completely immersed in a sea of blueprints for all kinds of Electromagnetic Cannons.

In front of him now lay not only the blueprints for the No. 3 and No. 4 models, but also those for No. 1 and No. 2. If it weren’t for the restrictions on Special No. 1 through Special No. 3, he would have gathered the blueprints for every single cannon to study them.

By comparing the blueprints, he discovered a pattern.

The No. 1 Electromagnetic Cannon had a very large caliber, making it suitable for large-scale warfare, and it couldn’t be operated by a single person. The No. 2 was used in smaller-scale conflicts and likewise required several people to operate.

As for the No. 3, it was an Electromagnetic Cannon designed for personal use.

This was the model Fang Tangtang used.

Of course, the core technology in models No. 1 through No. 3 was all the same. Only the No. 4 Electromagnetic Cannon featured an innovation in its core technology.

This innovation came from the "mount."

To put it simply, models No. 1 through No. 3 worked by directly injecting energy into the cannon, which then converted that energy into magnetism and electricity.

In a sense, the user only needed to provide the energy.

But the No. 4 Electromagnetic Cannon was different.

It was constructed to use the human body as its mounting point.

According to the design philosophy in the No. 4’s blueprints, the human body itself possesses the properties of "magnetism" and "electricity." The core problem was figuring out how to transform the human body into an "electromagnetic field" in a short amount of time.

Beyond that, there was also the issue of the human body’s physical tolerance.

This, however, was not a limiting factor.

In theory, once the user’s body and the Electromagnetic Cannon merged, the resulting electromagnetism wouldn’t cause any harm. Instead, it would form a protective electromagnetic shield.

’This is good stuff!’ After reading the theory, Gao Neng knew with certainty that the No. 4 Electromagnetic Cannon was an absolutely incredible piece of technology.

’What’s the biggest fear of a ranged attacker?’

’Close-quarters combat!’

The No. 4 Electromagnetic Cannon successfully solved this problem. Not only was it less than half the size, making it easier to carry and move with, but it could also generate a protective electromagnetic shield.

’It’s practically perfect.’

Most importantly, by making the user the mounting point, the cannon’s power wasn’t reduced at all, yet its energy consumption was cut by more than half.

In other words, if Fang Tangtang had a No. 4 Electromagnetic Cannon, she could successfully level up from "Fang Yipao" (Fang One-Shot) to "Fang Erpao" (Fang Two-Shot), or even "Fang Sanpao" (Fang Three-Shot)!

An epic leap forward.

Gao Neng was now completely captivated by the design philosophy of the No. 4 Electromagnetic Cannon. He constantly cross-referenced and compared it to the others, and the more he read, the more he felt that every other model was just junk.

"Simple structure, same power output, and it even creates a protective shield... This is amazing!" Gao Neng was so excited his face was slightly flushed.

But he quickly calmed down again.

’Why didn’t the receptionist mention the No. 4 to me?’

After finishing his review of the blueprints,

he returned to that same question.

But his perspective on it had subtly shifted. If he guessed correctly, this Electromagnetic Cannon had probably never been successfully built.

It was, after all, a revolutionary product.

So, the question was...

’Which one should I choose?’

Gao Neng rapidly calculated the pros and cons. If he failed, his biggest loss would be his inability to fulfill the agreement to manufacture the Electromagnetic Cannon.

As for the mission itself...

’It wouldn’t necessarily be a complete failure.’

He could already tell that Fang Yuan was interested in investing in him. Even if he failed to build the cannon, as long as he was shameless enough to ask, he still had a hope of getting the investment.

’Besides, and most importantly, I have a 100% success rate. It’s not like I can’t succeed, right?’

’And what if I succeed?’

’Then things would get epic!’

’I’d be absolutely irreplaceable.’

’The number one Electromagnetic Cannon expert in the Celestial King Group—who would dare claim to be better than me? I’d be the one mastering the core technology of the No. 4, contributing to technological advancement.’

’Maybe I could even get it named after me.’

’In the future, people on the battlefield would pull out their cannons and shout, "Behold my Gao Neng model Electromagnetic Cannon! One shot, one punk..."’

Just as he was getting excited, the receptionist appeared once more.

"Have you finished looking, Mr. Gao?"

"Huh? How long have I been here?" Gao Neng looked up. He didn’t think the receptionist would disturb him intentionally unless he had been here for a very long time.

"It is now 5:13 p.m. You’ve been here for a total of three hours and nine minutes. President Guan has already prepared dinner for you. If you’d like to continue reviewing them, you may take these documents with you and simply return them when you leave," the receptionist answered fluently.

"Over three hours?! I..." Gao Neng bit back the curse, but his expression had already shifted.

Another few hours had just vanished!

In other words, he now had only a day and a half left.

A day and a half?

’According to the blueprints for the No. 3 Electromagnetic Cannon, there are way more than just a few hundred parts. A day and a half... I might really not be able to finish it!’

In truth, after looking through the blueprints for the No. 3, Gao Neng already had a rough idea. He was faster than a normal Manufacturing Master.

But there was a limit to how much faster he could be.

Within the Celestial King Group, it took three senior Manufacturing Masters about ten days to build one Electromagnetic Cannon, and for good reason.

Gao Neng made a quick estimate.

If he were to build the No. 3 by himself, he estimated it would take him three days at the absolute fastest—and that was assuming he didn’t sleep.

To put it bluntly, he was ten times faster than a senior Manufacturing Master.

That was already an insane speed.

But in terms of his deadline, he no longer had three days.

’I have to take the gamble!’

’The theory behind the No. 4 is solid. It’s worth a shot!’

Gao Neng gritted his teeth and finally made his decision. There wasn’t enough time to build the No. 3. His only hope now was to gamble on successfully creating the No. 4.