Chapter 268: The Birth of the Mark-1 Drone

The two new drone models underwent multiple tests in front of Chen Chen.

The two speckless gray drones patrolled in the air like two UFOs. They constantly twisted and turned, appearing even more nimble than birds.

“The new drone models are implanted with a facial recognition system and mounted with 12K high-definition zoom cameras. At its limit, it can verify the identity of a person from five-hundred meters away, it can also switch to night-mode at night which grants indistinguishable daytime vision.

“With that said, we’re still not entirely sure about the general programming sequence. All of this is accomplished with the motherboard chipset you provided...”

Mark explained while he conducted the tests, “The noise generated by the drone during flight is 20 decibels, which is the rough equivalent of the brushing of windblown tree leaves. As for mobility, its cruising speed can reach 80 kilometers per hour, which is more than enough for general patrolling.”

Mark thought for a brief moment before adding. “To be clear, this isn’t the maximum speed allowed. With some more time to further modify the ion pulse thrusters, we think it’s likely that we can raise the speed to 120 kilometers per hour in the future. Is there... Anything else you would like to modify?”

Chen Chen nodded. “Of course, there can never be too many additions when it comes to a piece of technology like this. What about its flaws?”

“In terms of flaws, I’d say it’s probably that its weight capacity is too low.”

Mark expressed regretfully, “Although we’ve done all we can to reduce the weight of the drone, the two high-definition cameras mounted alone weigh up to three kilograms. With the addition of various other devices, its weight quickly exceeded ten kilograms. For every additional kilogram of weight added, the efficiency of the drone decreases exponentially. It’ll be difficult to maintain its current flight efficiency if it exceeds three kilograms.”

Chen Chen nodded in response. “Which means that it won’t be able to carry weapons?”

“Yes.”

Mark answered, “There’s no chance of it being able to sustain the weight of our newly manufactured electromagnetic rifles. Even if it could afford to mount them, there’s the recoil of the electromagnetic rifles to put into consideration. The drone cannot sustain an impact force exceeding 3N, otherwise, it loses control easily.”

“Why must we mount it with the electromagnetic rifle?”

Chen Chen suddenly asked, “I see that the drone is fitted with ceramic armor. What if we remove the ceramic armor and try to install weapons such as pistols?”

“But, without the armor, won’t the sustainability of the drone be...”

Mark was caught off guard by this. “Besides, the effective range of pistol-styled weapons barely exceeds fifty meters. For the drone to engage its enemies, it’ll have to close the distance. Without its armor, there’s no chance of the drone maximizing its potential.”

Chen Chen smiled at the notion. “You don’t have to worry about this, you only need to produce a prototype according to my specifications.”

“If you insist.”

Mark nodded reluctantly, a small part of him feeling like Chen Chen the outsider was trying to claim superiority over the experts of the subject.

Noting this, Chen Chen decided to stop beating around the bush. He took out a metal ball about three centimeters in diameter and showed it to Mark. “The new drone models will need a designated slot for fitting this ball.”

“This is...” Mark paused for a moment. Upon noting Chen Chen’s gesture, he slowly reached out for the metal ball in Chen Chen’s hand.

The metal ball suddenly produced a brief “ding” when Mark noticed a sudden flash before his very eyes. His hand had completely vanished!

Astonished, Mark looked down and to his horror, he noticed that his body had disappeared as well. No, not disappear because Mark could still vividly feel his body. Additionally, he could see faint glimmers of light in the surrounding bending according to his movement.

The other scientists present at the scene were all wowed by this demonstration. From their perspective, Mark had only taken hold of the metal ball when he suddenly vanished right before their very eyes following a clear ring produced by the metal ball!

“Thwack!”

While Mark was still caught by surprise, his finger suddenly slipped and dropped the metal ball onto the ground. It was then when Mark realized his body had reverted to normal.

“This is...”

Mark promptly picked the tiny metal ball up and expressed his amusement of it, “This ball can turn someone invisible?”

“Yes, this metal ball generates an electromagnetic field of a set frequency which distorts light in its surroundings.”

Chen Chen replied, “If we can install this into the drone, do we still need armor at all?”

“If we can truly make it turn invisible, then we certainly won’t need armor...”

Mark nodded with mild excitement before he suddenly raised another concern. “Since it simulates invisibility by distorting light, then going by that logic, it shouldn’t be possible to receive light from the surrounding as well. While turning invisible, the user should be rendered blind as well, but why was it that my eye was still able to receive light from my surroundings after turning invisible?”

“?”

‘If I had the answer, what do I need you guys for?’

Instead of answering the question, Chen Chen shifted the topic. “Alright, the samples are provided, I hope you guys can modify the drone as soon as possible. At the very least, give the drone some light combat capabilities instead of just being a glorified security camera.”

“Yes, certainly. We can manufacture a new variant of the drone in just three days!”

The rest of them nodded in agreement.

With that, Chen Chen turned around and took his leave.

Chen Chen was well aware that compared to the UAV spy drone as seen in the Elysium universe, the creation of Mark and the other host of experts should be greatly inferior.

For starters, the original model used an engineered plastic, a form of armor with strong compressive deformation ability. Its weight was almost identical to regular plastic but its bulletproofing qualities trumped that of steel.

On top of that, the nuclear fuel cell of the original drone model could sustain the drone for more than a month. The current drone only managed to last 24 hours airborne with the battery technology currently implemented by Chen Chen.

Due to the significant technological gap, Chen Chen had yet to completely figure out the technology behind the hydrogen fuel cell from the Terminator universe, let alone the nuclear fuel cell technology of the Elysium universe.

Considering the gap in energy generation technology, it was no surprise that the drone’s performance was no match for its counterpart in the movie.

With that said, there was hardly any worry regarding the intelligence system of the drones since there was Little X. The moment these drones take flight, they essentially became extensions of Little X’s eyes. In combination with the wide-ranging presence of surveillance cameras across Eco Science City, no longer would there be a blind spot in the city.

This was Chen Chen’s goal. As Blacklight Biotechnology continued to spearhead cutting-edge advancements in the medical sector, Eco Science City had become a battlefield among the major forces with spies lurking around every corner.

To deal with this, Chen Chen had the B.S.S. force expanded twice and enlisted hundreds of foreign mercenaries. Despite the expert mercenary company, the elite spies dispatched by each major force were no pushovers either. After several exchanges, the B.S.S. force endured significant losses as well.

What was worth noting was that mobilizing the Black Knights would be as good as setting himself up.

It was a given that the Black Knights could promptly and efficiently squash a majority of the spies lying in Eco Science City, the odds were in their favor in the event of a clash as well. However, if Chen Chen were to commit to such a move, would it not be the equivalent of announcing to the Federation that he had a battalion capable of vanquishing the world?

Once information regarding the Black Knights got out, the incoming public scrutiny alone could squash Blacklight Biotechnology, not to mention the sanctions to be imposed by the Earth Federation.

In that sense, the Black Knights could only serve as an emergency measure. It may very well work wonders in a crucial moment, but playing the card right away was a suicidal venture.

...

Three days later, Chen Chen went to the research workshop led by Mark Dawson again while Mark presented the newly modified drone before Chen Chen. They conducted a simulated flight test in the wind tunnel.

The results proved to be rather delightful.

The new addition for the drone was a small electromagnetic gun which was the same model as the electromagnetic pistol to be fitted into the Black Knights arsenal. It used a 4×15 millimeter hollow-point bullet and due to weight concerns, it was only loaded with thirty rounds, its effective range was a hundred meter.

Needless to be said, the reason Chen Chen had it mounted with a weapon was to use the drone to carry out assassination tasks in certain special situations. It was not going to be used in direct confrontational missions such as militant suppression as Chen Chen did not intend to expose this assassination agent just yet.

Additionally, the removal of the outer shell armor effectively decreased the total weight of the drone to just eight kilograms. Although the weight reduction did not improve its speed substantially, its battery life was extended by another four hours.

Finally, with the cloaking device installed, the drone was transformed into an ever-present ghost. Its superior elusiveness should be a cause for concern for even the most elite of spies.

“Excellent.”

Chen Chen nodded in approval upon noting the drone’s outstanding performance in the wind tunnel and commended, “As expected of the most elite team in the world. Professor Mark, you and your team have done exemplary work worthy of your reputation.”

“We don’t deserve such high praises, Mr. Chen.”

Mr. Mark laughed heartily. “The only reason we could accomplish all this is because of the generous budget you’ve allocated us. There’s also the top-notch equipment supplied to us, otherwise, we wouldn’t have been able to create these drone prototypes in such a timely manner.”

“So, factoring the battery, lens, and all the accompanying costs, approximately how much U.S. dollars will it cost to manufacture each drone?”

Chen Chen had finally arrived at the most crucial question.

“Excluding research costs, each one of these drones should cost somewhere around three million U.S. dollars.”

Mark pondered for a moment before providing a sure answer. “If an assembly line is developed for mass production, we can cut the total cost by about 30%.”

“Not bad at all.”

Chen Chen nodded. Despite the noteworthy price tag attached, it was something that Chen Chen had a good use for. At the very least, it was far better than directly instantiating a UAV spy drone using the USB drive.

Each UAV spy drone weighed slightly above ten kilograms, which meant the nuclear power plant could only barely generate enough power to instantiate a hundred such drones each month. Unless Chen Chen had lost his mind, he would not dedicate his efforts to extracting such a gadget.

“Mr. Chen, now that all the statistical tests conducted have returned a passing score, isn’t it high time to name the drone?”

Mark raised the question, the excitement showing in his eyes.

Chen Chen glanced at Mark upon noting this. “Sure, your team shall have the privilege to name the aircraft.”

“Greatly appreciated, Mr. Chen.”

Mark was overjoyed upon hearing this. “Actually, I’ve already come up with a name, how does Mark-1 model sound? Simplified as the M-1 spy drone.”

“M-1?”

Chen Chen nodded somewhat dryly. “In that case, the bonus for your team will be transferred to each member’s account very soon. I’ll also be promoting your position in God’s Forbidden Zone. As for the blueprint for the drone, you guys can just hand it over to the department in charge of production, someone else will take care of the production.”

“Understood.”

Mark nodded. “I assume our next step is to improve the drone based on the Mark-1 drone model?”

“Yes. For example, you may design a smaller variant of the spy drone with emphasis on speed and overall flight duration.”

Chen Chen answered, “Alternatively, design a large variant combat drone with a designated platform for mounting weapons. I’ll have good uses for different drones suited for different purposes.”

Mark was caught by surprise. He seemed to faintly understand where Chen Chen was going with this but also appeared slightly troubled. “It won’t be a problem to continue research and development, the problem lies in the facilities. You see, to accommodate your specifications, we may need a larger wind tunnel.”

“Wind tunnel?”

Chen Chen turned around to face the small wind tunnel behind him, he immediately understood Mark’s implications.

This facility known as a wind tunnel was certainly vital to the research and development of aircraft, this rule was no exception to the most basic small drone models.

The so-called wind tunnel was a large-scale test facility that artificially generates airflow to simulate the flow of air around an aircraft or entity.

The complexity and cost involved in constructing such structures were greater than that of constructing tunnel bores. This was justified as the features of a wind tunnel were essential to the manufacturing process of an aircraft.

Now that the subject of a wind tunnel was brought up, an idea suddenly occurred to Chen Chen.

After all, Chen Chen has had his eyes on the “Bugatti-Folge Spaceship” from the Elysium universe for some time now.

Under certain circumstances, a regular spaceship the size of a common vehicle could transport Chen Chen across the Pacific overnight, from one end of the earth to the other.

However, according to the statistics Chen Chen collected, the “Bugatti” which was arguably one of the smallest aircraft available weighed 2.4 tons. Chen Chen would have to save up two months’ worth of power for it.

Considering that these aircraft were only seldomly used, Chen Chen concluded that his best bet was to construct aircraft by himself.

The construction of a wind tunnel was inevitable if he planned to build his aircraft by himself.

With this, Chen Chen made up his mind. He raised his head and turned to Mark. “In that case, Mark, are you confident that you can man another task while handling the development of the drones at the same time?”

“I’m all ears.”

Mark became intrigued when he saw Chen Chen switching to a serious tone. “If it’s not too daunting, I believe I can give it a shot.”

Chen Chen explained, “If I gave you the sample of an aircraft similar to the drone that can carry passengers, are you confident that you can replicate a prototype of it as well?”

“This...”

Mark became silent for a brief moment before continuing with a hint of hesitation. “Although the core principle of a manned aircraft and a drone is very similar, the complexity of the process is day and night. Besides, the small-scale wind tunnel used for the drone isn’t applicable for the development of a manned-aircraft...”

“You won’t have to worry about the wind tunnel.”

Chen Chen made a waving gesture. “I plan to invest 3 billion U.S. dollars to set up a large-scale specialized wind tunnel here.”

Mark was immediately fascinated by the suggestion. “In that case, I’m willing to give it a shot.”