Chapter 173: Chapter 162: No. 4 Electromagnetic Cannon, World-Shaking Might

...

Celestial King Group, Manufacturing Room.

Gao Neng had already been here for a day and a half. During that time, he had been working almost nonstop, hurrying to manufacture the parts for the No. 4 Electromagnetic Cannon.

Perhaps because he was so completely immersed in his work, he didn’t feel particularly tired this time.

’Time’s running out. I still have 30 parts to make. I’ll just finish them all in one go!’ Gao Neng stuffed a piece of bread into his mouth and continued manufacturing.

Meanwhile, in the chairman’s office of the Celestial King Group.

Fang Yuan, however, had stopped paying attention to Gao Neng’s manufacturing process. He had done a rough calculation of the parts on the workbench and figured more than half were still missing.

It was impossible to finish.

Of course, he wasn’t too concerned. This was all within his expectations.

The manufacturing process for the No. 3 Electromagnetic Cannon was extremely complex, involving far too many parts. It was countless times more complicated than the Electric Saber or the Anti-Magnetic Battle Armor.

’To have gotten this far is already quite impressive. This kid’s potential is truly limitless.’ Fang Yuan stood up, checked the time, and prepared to go have a meal.

"Grandpa, the deadline is almost here! When are you going to talk to Gao Neng about the investment?" Fang Tangtang had been waiting off to the side for a while.

"I have to at least wait for him to come out, don’t I?" Fang Yuan sounded a little exasperated.

Over the past day and a half, Fang Tangtang had already urged him several times. Sometimes, he really wondered if this granddaughter of his was his own flesh and blood.

Even though the investment wasn’t a huge amount, it was still money, wasn’t it?

’Is she really in such a rush?’

"Alright, I’ll wait for Gao Neng to come out then." Fang Tangtang nodded, then moved her head closer to Fang Yuan, her gaze fixed on the screen.

"Tangtang, you haven’t fallen for this kid, have you?"

"Grandpa, what nonsense are you talking about... Huh? Gao Neng is starting to assemble the Electromagnetic Cannon!" Fang Tangtang pouted, a little displeased, but her eyes quickly widened.

"You’re too clever for your own good. You think a little trick like that can fool your grandpa?" Fang Yuan was skeptical. He had just confirmed that Gao Neng still had at least half the parts left to manufacture.

Starting the assembly now?

’Isn’t this just fooling around?’

"It’s true! He really is assembling it! Grandpa, look!"

"Stop messing around. Come eat with Grandpa..."

"Sir, it seems Gao Neng really is... starting the assembly?" Guan San, who had been silent until now, also had his eyes wide with shock.

"Hm?!"

If it were just Fang Tangtang, Fang Yuan might not have believed it.

But with Guan San speaking up...

Fang Yuan had no choice but to take it seriously. His gaze shifted to the screen, where he saw tiny parts flying through the air one by one.

Meanwhile, Gao Neng’s hands were constantly combining larger components. In just the blink of an eye, the basic form of an Electromagnetic Cannon began to emerge.

"What is this kid doing? The parts aren’t even all made yet. Why has he started assembling it?" A look of deep confusion crossed Fang Yuan’s face.

"Could it be that he wants to test the success rate of the parts first?" Guan San suggested.

"Test the success rate of the parts..." Fang Yuan’s eyes narrowed slightly. Then, a gleam flashed in them. "No, that’s not it. The cannon barrel this kid is assembling... there’s something wrong with it!"

"It’s much smaller!" Guan San had also noticed the issue. "Could it be that he’s trying to reduce the number of parts to build a smaller Electromagnetic Cannon?"

"Impossible. The No. 3 Electromagnetic Cannon is already the smallest possible size, unless..."

"It’s the No. 4 Electromagnetic Cannon!"

"Grandpa, what are you two talking about? What No. 4 Electromagnetic Cannon? Does our Celestial King Group have a No. 4? How come I’ve never heard of it?" Hearing Fang Yuan and Guan San’s conversation, Fang Tangtang’s face was also filled with confusion.

"..." Fang Yuan didn’t speak.

He was already certain that Gao Neng was indeed assembling the No. 4 Electromagnetic Cannon. In fact, one end of the barrel was already completely assembled.

Guan San was equally astounded.

’Gao Neng is actually building the No. 4 Electromagnetic Cannon? That’s not right. I clearly told him to build the No. 3. How could this kind of mistake happen?’

’Did he grab the wrong files from the data room?’

"Grandpa, what exactly is the No. 4 Electromagnetic Cannon?"

"Guan San, you can tell Tangtang."

"Of course. Tangtang, the No. 4 Electromagnetic Cannon was a project Celestial King Group researched two years ago. The core concept was to use the operator’s body as the ’frame’ for the cannon. To put it simply, it transfers some of the cannon’s functions to the person wielding it," Guan San explained.

"What’s the benefit of that?" Fang Tangtang blinked.

"There are certainly benefits. For one, the energy consumed by the wielder would be greatly reduced. The cannon’s size would also be less than half of the original. Most importantly, if this concept were successful, a Magnetic-Electric Protective Shield would appear around the user’s body whenever they fired the cannon."

"A Magnetic-Electric Protective Shield? Doesn’t that mean it could block close-range attacks?" Hearing this, Fang Tangtang’s eyes lit up completely.

"Yes, but that was just the concept. The company invested a lot into this project—over five billion in funds, all told. It also took five years, but in the end, it was shelved..." As Guan San finished, his expression grew dim.

"Shelved? Why would you shelve such an amazing weapon?" Fang Tangtang didn’t quite understand. A cannon like that would be a revolutionary leap forward.

If it were successfully manufactured, it would be a massive contribution to both the Celestial King Group and the Human Alliance, and it could significantly reduce casualties.

"Because it’s just a theory. A well-developed theory, yes, but extremely difficult to put into practice. To be blunt... the theory has a fatal flaw."

"What flaw?"

"People!"

"People?!"

"That’s right. The theory is built around the human body, but everyone’s body is different. Whether it’s their natural talent or their muscle structure, no two people are exactly the same. If that problem can’t be solved, then this theory... will only ever be a theory!" Guan San said with regret.

"So that’s how it is..." Having grown up in the Celestial King Group, Fang Tangtang naturally understood some of the problems in manufacturing. After hearing Guan San’s explanation, her eyes dimmed. "Then the No. 4 Electromagnetic Cannon that Gao Neng is making now..."

"It can only be a model. A model that can never succeed," Guan San stated with certainty.

"It seems this bet ends here. The kid actually grabbed the wrong schematics... Alright, let’s go to the manufacturing room and see it with our own eyes," Fang Yuan sighed at that moment.

"Sir, are you going personally? I can go and bring Gao Neng over."

"No need. The No. 4 Electromagnetic Cannon is, after all, something we failed to develop after five years of research. Even if it’s just a model, I want to see it with my own eyes..."

"Understood..."

...

Inside the manufacturing room.

Gao Neng had no idea that Fang Yuan, Guan San, Fang Tangtang, and Uncle Bai were all heading his way. He was completely absorbed in assembling the No. 4 Electromagnetic Cannon.

The front section of the cannon barrel was already mostly assembled.

The middle section was also more than halfway done.

Gao Neng was very patient. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

He followed the schematic in his mind, continuously assembling the parts. He combined them one by one in his hands, his speed reaching its absolute limit.

’Just a little more.’

’Another fifteen minutes is all I need to finish.’

After finishing the middle section of the barrel, Gao Neng sealed it shut with the outer alloy casing, then continued to assemble the final section.

He was in the middle of assembling it when he noticed that the schematic in his mind seemed to have changed slightly.

’What’s going on?’

’It feels like some kind of component has been added.’

As he was thinking this, he was surprised to find that he seemed to have forgotten to make a few parts.

’What the hell!’

’How could I, Gao Neng, a top student, make such a mistake?’

"Oh well, I’ll just make a few more parts." Gao Neng stopped, resumed manufacturing, and finished the new parts in no time.

Just then, the door to the manufacturing room was pushed open.

Fang Yuan, Fang Tangtang, and the others walked in.

However, none of them spoke. They just walked quietly to the workbench and looked at the nearly complete No. 4 Electromagnetic Cannon in front of Gao Neng.

"Is time up?" Gao Neng looked up at the wall clock. "There are still three hours until the deadline, right?"

"Mm, just wanted to get a closer look. You can continue." Fang Yuan gave a small smile and ran his hand over the assembled front half, a rare look of fascination in his eyes.

It was like an old man discovering a ray of light in the twilight.

’Grandpa Fang’s expression is a little strange.’ Gao Neng glanced at the No. 4 Electromagnetic Cannon and seemed to understand something. But since Fang Yuan didn’t stop him, he decided to continue.

Fifteen minutes later.

The final section was at last assembled.

"Gao Neng, is that the No. 4 Electromagnetic Cannon you’re building?" Fang Tangtang asked, her large eyes sparkling as she saw him stop working.

"Huh? You figured it out? I thought I hid it pretty well..." Gao Neng gave an embarrassed laugh and explained, "I took a look at the schematics for the No. 3 Electromagnetic Cannon and found them a bit too complicated. This No. 4 is simpler, so I could just barely finish it in time."

"Mm, you did indeed finish it," Fang Yuan nodded lightly.

"Does that mean I’ve fulfilled our bet?" Gao Neng’s eyes lit up when he heard that.

"You can consider the bet fulfilled," Fang Yuan nodded again.

"Thank you, Grandpa Fang! The No. 4 Electromagnetic Cannon is incredibly powerful. It’s not just compact; its energy consumption is much lower too. If Fang Tangtang uses it, she won’t be limited to just one shot... Oh, I mean, she can conserve a lot more energy, and it can also generate a Magnetic-Electric Protective Shield," Gao Neng said gratefully.

"Yes, on the condition that... it can actually be successfully manufactured." Fang Yuan gave a bitter smile, then pulled his hand back and prepared to turn and leave.

"Successfully manufactured? Grandpa Fang, this Electromagnetic Cannon... aren’t you going to test it?" Gao Neng’s eyes narrowed. He quickly understood the meaning behind Fang Yuan’s words. After all, he wasn’t an idiot.