Chapter Thirty-Seven: Master Craftsman of a Great Nation! The Energy Converter Is Complete!

"Everything is in your hands now! The fate of the Nine Provinces rests upon you!"

Ren Boyuan nodded, understanding the weight of this embrace and the immense responsibility now placed upon his shoulders.

"I will not let the Nine Provinces down!"

Each word rang out with unwavering conviction.

Chu Xiao released Ren Boyuan. "If you need any assistants, go straight to the armory and choose them; the same goes for materials. If you require anything for your experiments in the coming days, let me know in advance—I’ll have people collect it for you. We must save as much time as possible!"

"Alright! As for materials, I just need all minerals; no need to search further," Ren Boyuan replied truthfully.

"…"

Chu Xiao sought out Wang Zhi.

"Give Ren Boyuan whatever he needs, spare no effort. If we don’t have it, call me and I’ll find it myself," Chu Xiao instructed.

Wang Zhi nodded solemnly. "Rest assured! I’ll take care of everything!"

"Good!" Chu Xiao knew there were countless matters awaiting him; he couldn't afford to spend all his time here.

Chu Xiao’s first task was to travel between three locations, inspecting their progress.

He began with Mingzhu City.

One after another, scaffolds were being erected high in the air, crowded with people, and a steady stream of materials was being transported up. Some, seeking to save time, even ate atop the platforms.

Thankfully, modern technology had produced the Blue Garment.

The Blue Garment was crafted using nano-insulation and temperature control technology, allowing users to freely switch modes—be it for warmth or heat resistance, and adjust the temperature to the most comfortable setting. The garments also featured an automatic cleaning mode, eliminating the need for washing. Additionally, they could change color and style at will; any design imaginable was possible.

Of course, these clothes were controlled by intelligent systems. Although each was set independently, once exposed to contact with the Underworld King’s forces, they could be easily infiltrated and sabotaged.

These days, almost everyone owned one, simply for convenience.

This presented Chu Xiao with a dilemma.

He now had two options: either produce and distribute ordinary clothing, or disable the intelligent systems in all garments before the Underworld King’s invasion.

Given the springtime temperatures two months from now—between 10 and 25 degrees Celsius—even without intelligent control, the clothes would simply lose their ability to change style and color, and their temperature regulation might be somewhat inferior. Yet, no one would freeze or overheat; they would just be less comfortable.

With this in mind, Chu Xiao decided to instruct everyone to disable the Blue Garment’s intelligent system two days before the Underworld King’s awakening.

Yet, the fortress’s progress was far faster than he had anticipated.

It already appeared to be twenty meters tall! The planned height was one hundred meters, and at this rate, construction would finish before the Underworld King revived—provided nothing went awry.

Nanjing City and Xishan Province were progressing similarly.

The above-ground and underground bases in Xishan Province were also coming along well. There were now over ten thousand granaries in Xishan Province, each storing an average of ten tons of grain. The underground bases were nearly one-third complete, marking significant achievement.

Such extraordinary results could only be attributed to everyone's collective effort.

Yet, this was still far from enough; much more was needed.

Five days later, Chu Xiao arrived at the armory—silence reigned, broken only by the hum of machines.

Chu Xiao quietly withdrew, not wishing to disturb their progress.

Eight days passed, and Chu Xiao returned to the armory.

As soon as he entered, he heard a chorus of cheers.

"Fantastic! It's done!"

"Finally finished!"

Seeing the jubilant crowd, Chu Xiao felt reassured and hurried to the laboratory door.

Before him stood several black cylindrical objects, each about half a meter tall and twenty centimeters in diameter.

Their size was nearly three-quarters smaller than before, reaching the ideal Chu Xiao had envisioned.

Ren Boyuan, exhilarated, spotted Chu Xiao and rushed over, eyes ablaze with fervor.

"Look! Just look! I did it! I really did it! I’ve finally accomplished the dream I’ve pursued for half my life! At last!"

He raised his arms in triumph.

He was elated—not only had he fulfilled his lifelong dream at this critical moment, but he had contributed to his country.

His assistants wept with joy as well.

They had toiled for eight days and nights, sleeping only four to six hours each day, all for this outcome.

Others had also been preparing for this.

Eight days and nights of effort, combined with Ren Boyuan’s thirty years of dedication, had led to today’s achievement.

"I’ll show you how it works!" Ren Boyuan approached the energy converter, picked up a blade of green grass, and placed it into the rear of the device. Then he instructed an assistant, clad in protective gear, to hold a sheet of paper at the front.

Chu Xiao watched, both expectant and doubtful—he wondered what power could possibly burst forth from such a humble blade of grass.

Ren Boyuan flipped the switch. A faint green beam shot out, instantly burning a hole through the paper and slightly scorching the assistant’s protective suit.

It was astonishing.

A simple blade of grass, possessing such destructive force!

Ordinarily, its energy could never ignite paper, but now it pierced through and even scorched protective clothing.

It was terrifying.

"Could you explain the principle?" Chu Xiao asked, curious to know how this device worked, as it had far exceeded his expectations.

"Certainly!" Ren Boyuan replied without hesitation. "The principle is simple! Any object you put in can have its energy condensed and fused, then fired out through this barrel."

"So the most important part of the energy converter is the rear section, so I placed the self-destruct device there."

"The password input method you suggested won’t work—the Underworld King could easily invade and alter the password!"

"But I set a password anyway."

Chu Xiao was startled, wondering why Ren Boyuan would knowingly risk danger.

Ren Boyuan quickly explained.

"Whether you enter the wrong password, someone tries to invade and change it, or any other intrusion is detected, it will self-destruct! This program cannot be altered!"

Chu Xiao suddenly understood—the wisdom of age indeed prevails.

No matter how advanced a machine’s intelligence, it cannot possess a human brain or emotions, nor can it surpass humanity.

This is a law eternal and unchanging.

Chu Xiao believed that, in the end, humanity would triumph over the Underworld King.