Chapter Seventy-Nine: The Quantum Research Team

"So much time!"

"What did you expect? Each suit of armor is designed almost entirely from scratch. The technology used varies, and each suit is developed by a different team."

"The cost and difficulty of manufacturing these are on par with yours, if not greater. Especially Wang Lei's suit—its material costs alone are more than double yours, all to guarantee overwhelming firepower and defense." As Jiang Ning spoke, she brought up a dossier on the armor.

Through the holographic projection, Wang Jing saw Wang Lei’s armor, which was significantly larger than his own.

Side by side, the difference was even more pronounced.

Wang Jing’s suit already gave a sense of formidable thickness, and indeed, if the armor's defense was converted to homogeneous steel plating, Wang Lei’s suit surpassed the frontal armor of a main battle tank.

The weaponry was equally massive, nearly the size of Wang Jing himself—a triple-barreled 20mm electromagnetic rotary cannon, its long ammunition belt feeding into a rather modest ammo box on the back.

"This is a heavy electromagnetic machine gun, specifically designed for suppressive fire. The immense recoil is transferred to the ground via stabilizers in the armor’s legs.

"In addition to the heavy electromagnetic gun, there are twin quad-missile launchers mounted on the shoulders and an electromagnetic grenade generator on the left arm.

"And as for the head, it’s almost like a turtle retracting into its shell—just half the head protruding, the rest buried deep within the thick armor."

"With all that weaponry and such heavy armor, can it even fly?" Wang Jing pointed at the ion thruster beneath the ammo box.

"Of course it can, but only for short distances. The flight range is limited, mainly for quick maneuvers, evasions, or crossing complicated terrain," Jiang Ning explained patiently.

Wang Jing nodded. "What about the others’ suits?"

"I’ve sent you the detailed specs for the other suits. I still have work to do." Jiang Ning tapped a few times in the air, sending a folder to Wang Jing’s inbox.

"Another new project? Why so slow?" Wang Jing asked after confirming receipt of the files.

"Yes, they want us to design a nuclear-powered airborne carrier, and it must be capable of crossing dimensions. Everything else is manageable, but making it portable enough for you to take to another dimension—that requirement is nearly impossible.

"Right now, your maximum teleportation mass is around 400 tons. That isn't nearly enough for an airborne carrier. I can’t count how many brain cells I’ve lost over this," Jiang Ning sighed, exhausted.

"You could design the carrier in modular segments, then teleport them separately," Wang Jing suggested.

Jiang Ning shook her head with a sigh. "I’ve thought of that. But if we go fully modular, the structural integrity of the body would be severely compromised—eventually, it might not even be able to take off."

"If that won’t work, the only solution is to increase my teleportation capacity."

Suddenly, Wang Jing remembered the research group composed of the world’s top quantum physicists. Looking at Jiang Ning, he asked, "By the way, what’s the progress on that quantum research group that gave me a check-up? It’s been almost a year. Do they have any results?"

Jiang Ning thought for a moment. "I’m not sure. If you want to know, you should visit the Quantum Research Institute—they conduct most of their experiments there."

Wang Jing nodded. "Alright, I’ll go see them now." With that, he climbed into his suit, which opened at the back, exited the lab, and soared toward the Quantum Research Institute.

After a long journey, Wang Jing arrived at the Quantum Laboratory located on the outskirts of the city. As he landed in front of the laboratory building, he immediately became the center of attention. His dramatic entrance, especially clad in that spectacular black armor, was impossible to ignore.

After landing, Wang Jing stepped out of his suit and spoke to Moos, the AI within. "Wait here for me."

"Yes, sir," Moos replied.

When those nearby saw Wang Jing emerge from the suit—the very person they saw flying in the sky every day—they flocked to him.

"Wow! It really is Wang Jing! He looks just like he does in the projections!" a starry-eyed girl closest to him exclaimed.

Her words set the gathered crowd abuzz.

"Director Wang Jing, do you know how Transformers reproduce?" a young man in glasses, probably in his early twenties, asked.

The corner of Wang Jing’s mouth twitched at the bizarre question.

"Director Wang Jing, when will the medical pods be available for us to use?" another young woman with a face full of freckles asked. Wang Jing guessed she was hoping to use one for cosmetic surgery.

"Sorry, I don’t know. Please refer to the bulletins issued by the United Government," Wang Jing replied with a smile.

Then, a cute girl squeezed through the crowd, waving some documents and asking for his autograph. Her expression was that of a fan meeting her idol—a little starstruck.

But Wang Jing politely refused. Who knew what those documents contained? If he signed one, the rest would surely follow, and he’d never get anything done.

Still, it seemed he couldn’t leave any time soon. Fortunately, most of those present were well-educated, and with the security guards organizing the crowd, order was soon restored, though many still filmed him with their phones.

It was Wang Jing’s first experience being swarmed by enthusiastic fans like a celebrity, and he was momentarily at a loss for how to react.

For someone accustomed to traveling between dimensions, life had simply grown more interesting—and a touch more perilous. As for his public image in the main dimension, he’d never cared; after all, he’d never paid attention to such things.

Once the crowd dispersed under the guidance of security, Wang Jing turned to a security guard, who was smiling at him. "Excuse me, could you tell me where the director’s office is? I’d like to speak with him."

"The director is probably conducting an experiment right now. If you don’t mind waiting, I’ll give him a call," the guard replied.

"That’s fine, I’ll wait here," Wang Jing replied with a nod.