Chapter 290: Chapter 231: The Shadow Project Launches, Harassment from the Old-timers
Problem after problem was raised, as one domain expert after another "humbly requested his guidance."
They coordinated seamlessly, using the most professional terminology and cutting-edge theories to construct an impenetrable wall of knowledge.
They intended to use this most "dignified" method to tell Han Feng a simple truth: this was a temple of science, not a place for a martial brute to run wild.
Chen Kai sat in the corner, watching Han Feng being "besieged" by the crowd, the smile on his lips growing wider.
He could already imagine how utterly mortified this youth, who had once thoroughly humiliated him, was about to become.
However, Han Feng’s reaction completely defied everyone’s expectations.
Faced with a mountain of data and one tricky problem after another, his face showed not the slightest hint of panic or anger.
He simply picked up the data terminal on the table and weighed it in his hand.
"Thank you. I’ve received the materials. I’ll review them."
His voice was calm, as if he had just received an ordinary welcome pamphlet.
Then, he scanned the crowd and said something that instantly silenced the entire conference room.
"We’re skipping the meeting."
Everyone was stunned.
’Skipping the meeting? What is this kid trying to pull?’
Han Feng’s gaze landed on Wu Zhen, his tone leaving no room for argument.
"Take me to the hangar. I want to see the prototype."
The entire conference room was dead silent.
Everyone was completely thrown off by Han Feng’s unorthodox move.
’We prepared the perfect ambush, with everything planned from the appetizers to the main course and dessert. But now the guest of honor says he isn’t eating and wants to go inspect the ingredients in the kitchen instead?’
For the first time, Wu Zhen’s expression darkened.
He maintained his superficial composure and said,
"Advisor Han, inspecting the prototype is no problem, of course.
However, according to procedure, we should first..."
"We’re going now."
Han Feng cut him off.
"I am the Chief Technical Advisor. My first directive is to inspect the project’s core asset.
"Any problem with that?"
He heavily stressed the words "Chief Technical Advisor," his gaze calmly meeting Wu Zhen’s.
The atmosphere immediately grew tense.
An invisible pressure crackled in the air between them.
The experts in the room didn’t dare to breathe.
They hadn’t expected this young-looking man to be so forceful.
Wu Zhen’s face went pale, then red.
He desperately wanted to lash out, but the thought of the Tier Four Grandmaster backing Han Feng made him swallow his anger.
Just as the standoff reached a stalemate, Li Mo, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up.
"Elder Wu, I think Advisor Han has a point."
Li Mo’s voice was gentle, carrying a tone of rational persuasion.
"’Knowledge from books is ultimately shallow; true understanding comes only from practice.’
"Looking at the physical prototype first, then combining that knowledge with the technical documents, might help Advisor Han get up to speed faster."
These words, which showed he was considering the bigger picture, gave Wu Zhen the perfect excuse to back down gracefully.
A sharp glint flashed through Wu Zhen’s murky eyes, and he took the opportunity to nod.
"Yes, Engineer Li is right. That was an oversight on our part."
He looked at Han Feng, forcing a smile back onto his face.
"Then as Advisor Han wishes, we’ll proceed to Hangar 0 now."
Though he said as much, he was sneering inwardly.
’Fine, let’s go!
’That X-01 Prototype is nothing but a bare frame right now; it doesn’t even have an engine installed.
’What can a layman like you possibly figure out from that?
’This is the perfect chance to let you see for yourself just how complex this project is. Maybe then you’ll know your place and back off!’
Each with their own agenda, the group left the conference room and took a dedicated hovercar to Hangar 0, located underground beneath the research institute.
Hangar 0 was Celestial Craft Group’s highest-level classified facility. The alloy blast door at the entrance alone was five meters thick, enough to withstand a full-power strike from a Tier Four Grandmaster.
After passing through layers of identity verification, the massive blast door slid open without a sound.
An incredibly vast and empty space appeared before them.
And in the very center of the hangar, the frame of a strangely shaped Flying Device lay silently on a massive fixture.
This was the "Ghost" X-01 Prototype.
Its frame was a deep, solid black. The material was neither metal nor stone, and it reflected the lights with an eerie gleam.
Its fluid yet powerful lines resembled a dormant prehistoric Fierce Beast. Even as a bare frame, it emanated a stunningly oppressive presence.
This was the war machine forged from the spinal bone alloy of a Tier Four Demon Emperor.
Seeing the glint of light in Han Feng’s eyes, the sneers on the experts’ faces grew more pronounced.
Amateurs admire the spectacle, but experts see the inner workings.
In their eyes, this was merely a half-finished product, riddled with flaws and problems.
And Han Feng, they assumed, was simply in awe of its form.
Han Feng paid no mind to the people behind him. He walked directly beneath the fixture, reached out, and gently touched the cold frame.
The moment he touched the frame, a frantic stream of light-blue data flooded his retinas.
[Item: ’Ghost’ X-01 Prototype (Frame)]
[Materials: Tier Four Demon Emperor ’Shadow Dragon Lizard’ Spinal Alloy (73%), Deep Sea Sinking Silver (18%), Void Crystal Stone Powder (3%)...]
[Status: Core structure integrity at 91%. 37 design flaws exist in the reserved channels for internal Energy pathways. Uneven material stress distribution in some areas results in a 3.7% probability of structural disintegration during high-G maneuvers...]
[System Assessment: Repairable and upgradeable ’Spiritual Artifact’-grade Flying Sword Embryo. Devising repair plan...]
Simultaneously, he activated his Spiritual Vision.
In Han Feng’s eyes, the frame was no longer a physical object but had transformed into a three-dimensional diagram composed of countless black and white lines.
The internal structure of every strut, the flow of Energy in every piece of the alloy—it was all perfectly clear.
The tiny flaws—some deliberately hidden on the design schematics, others unnoticed even by the designers themselves—were now as obvious as fireflies in the night, with nowhere to hide.
Han Feng circled the frame, occasionally tapping gently on certain nodes with his finger.
He was so focused that the experts behind him began to grow impatient.
"Just for show."
Li Zhen muttered to Chen Kai, who was beside him.
Chen Kai nodded in deep agreement.
About ten minutes later, Han Feng stopped.
"I’ve seen enough."
He turned and said to the group.
Wu Zhen asked with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes,
"So, Advisor Han, any insights?"
"I have a few ideas," Han Feng answered ambiguously.
"Oh? Then by all means, share them, so us old-timers can learn a thing or two," Wu Zhen pressed.
But Han Feng just shook his head.
"It’s too early to say. Take me back to my office."
With that, he walked straight toward the exit, leaving a group of dumbfounded experts staring at each other.
Wu Zhen and the others exchanged glances, completely baffled as to what Han Feng was up to.
"Let him be," Wu Zhen snorted. "I’d like to see what tricks he can pull."
The group exchanged glances and left the hangar, a tacit understanding passing between them.
Back in the private, top-floor office prepared specially for him, the first thing Han Feng did was shut the door and activate the highest level of anti-eavesdropping security.
He sat behind the large desk and connected the data terminal, which contained three terabytes of data, to his personal Light Computer.
He gazed at the screen, at a list of files so dense it would make even a top scholar’s head spin. Yet, a strange smile played on Han Feng’s lips.
He closed his eyes, and his terrifying 2025-hertz Spiritual Power instantly transformed into invisible tentacles that reached into the data terminal.
The next second, the data floodgates burst open!
The data that the experts believed would take a team months to review was now being "downloaded" into Han Feng’s brain at a fanatical pace that defied all logic.
Complex Energy matrix models, tedious material test reports, profound theories on Rune harmonics...
His Divine Sense scanned, instantly parsing, absorbing, categorizing, and organizing everything.
Time ticked by, minute by minute, from nine in the morning until dusk.
A brand new, completely optimized—even revolutionary—design blueprint for the "Ghost" fighter was slowly taking shape within his Sea of Consciousness.
Han Feng remained in that position, completely motionless.
When the last sliver of light vanished from the sky, he finally, slowly opened his eyes.
Within them, it was as if countless stars swirled, were born, and then extinguished.
"Hah..."
Han Feng let out a long breath.
At this moment, the entire "Ghost" project had been laid bare in his mind—from the grandest design concepts to the most minute atomic structures of the materials, including every wrong turn the experts had taken and every mistake they had made.
He now understood the fighter jet known as "Ghost" better than anyone else on the project team.
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