Chapter 4: A New Endeavor

Two sample firearms were left with Li Dawei for continued military testing to assess the full value of the "Ripper." Meanwhile, Jiang Chen returned to the Mingyue Community, advancing his plans step by step, immersing himself within the library provided by the system, absorbing advanced knowledge at a frantic pace.

Time passed.

After a night of transformation in the detention center, Luo Feng awakened his psychic power, causing his strength to surge dramatically and making him a key talent fostered by the Limit Martial Arts Hall.

Though the military, influenced by Jiang Chen’s connection, increased their efforts to recruit Luo Feng, the unparalleled freedom offered by the Limit Martial Arts Hall was what Luo Feng truly valued.

Just as in the original story, Luo Feng joined the "Hammerfire Squad."

Before venturing into the wilderness for training, he sought out Jiang Chen to reminisce.

“My strength should be catching up to yours, don’t you think?” Luo Feng, newly awakened to psychic power, spoke with notable confidence.

Jiang Chen did not answer directly but smiled, saying, “If you want to challenge me, you’re welcome to try.”

Though he had not followed the traditional martial artist’s path, with each level gained through the system’s evaluation, Jiang Chen’s physical prowess experienced a tremendous leap. The increase in his attributes was not simply proportional; the higher the attribute value, the greater the boost with each incremental point. The difference in strength between moving from ten to eleven and from thirty to thirty-one was worlds apart.

Even without considering the psychic abilities akin to a spiritualist brought by his "Telekinesis" specialty, Jiang Chen’s basic strength and speed were already approaching the level of a warlord, far surpassing Luo Feng, a newbie who had only just awakened.

If psychic power was included, the gulf between them was even greater.

Luo Feng might be formidable in the future, but for now, he was still a fledgling just beginning his journey as a martial artist.

Luo Feng was clearly tempted, but seeing Jiang Chen’s mischievous smile, he abandoned the idea and shook his head. “Forget it. I’d better not try. I’m heading into the wilderness tomorrow, and I need to stay in top condition.”

Having known Jiang Chen for many years, Luo Feng understood him all too well. Whenever Jiang Chen wore that expression, it usually meant someone was about to have a hard time. Luo Feng certainly didn’t want that someone to be himself.

Putting aside any thoughts of challenging Jiang Chen, Luo Feng said, “This trip into the wilderness—who knows how long it will take. I’m worried that Zhang Haobai might give my family trouble while I’m away. If anything happens, I hope you can keep an eye on them for me.”

Jiang Chen’s identity was a high-level military secret, but he had never kept it from those close to him, so Luo Feng knew a little. Entrusting his family’s safety to Jiang Chen, Luo Feng felt reassured.

“No problem. Leave it to me,” Jiang Chen agreed without hesitation. Someone like Zhang Haobai was hardly worth his notice.

“By the way, you’re already a formal martial artist,” Luo Feng asked in puzzlement, “Aren’t you going to train in the wilderness?”

He knew full well that Jiang Chen had become a martial artist more than two years before him. Yet Jiang Chen had never entered the wilderness to hunt monsters like other martial artists.

“I’m taking a different path from yours,” Jiang Chen replied, shaking his head without further explanation.

Honing oneself through hunting monsters would undoubtedly help Jiang Chen’s growth. At present, he was someone with impressive "stats" but virtually no combat experience, entirely clueless about how to fully utilize his abilities in battle. In a life-or-death fight, an experienced junior warrior might well be his undoing.

But, at least for now, Jiang Chen preferred to rapidly improve his "panel stats" rather than spending time on combat training. Lacking practical experience and unable to fully wield his power? No matter—he could simply rely on overwhelming levels.

More importantly, as one of the military’s most valued partners, there was almost never any real danger requiring him to act personally. If even the War God Lu Gang couldn’t protect him, Jiang Chen didn’t believe his own strength would make any difference.

Acquiring more knowledge, developing powerful new weapons, and leveling up through the system to enhance his physical attributes—this was the best path forward.

Of course, there was no need to elaborate on this to Luo Feng. Sensing Jiang Chen’s reticence, Luo Feng tactfully refrained from further inquiry. After a brief chat, he hurried off to join his Hammerfire Squad teammates.

This small episode did nothing to disrupt Jiang Chen’s plans. While negotiating profit sharing for the "Ripper" rifle with the military, Jiang Chen launched two new projects.

The first: "Jarvis," an auxiliary artificial intelligence. The second: the "Boxer" land combat power armor.

The former was to assist with his research and work. As Jiang Chen mastered ever more advanced knowledge, his designs became increasingly complex, and he was finding it difficult to manage everything alone. An artificial intelligence absolutely loyal to him was, at this stage, the ideal assistant.

The latter was the true means to unlock the full potential of the "Ripper" rifle. In one particular world, the Terran Federation, which dominated the entire galaxy, relied heavily on the "Boxer" power armor—equipped en masse with the "Ripper" rifle—as one of its primary forces on planetary surfaces.

However, both these projects were far more challenging than the "Ripper" rifle. Jiang Chen’s own knowledge base was still insufficient to meet the demands of the blueprints. Moreover, even with the blueprints, manufacturing them in reality—let alone mass production—presented numerous hurdles to overcome.

With the system’s aid, the timeline could be greatly shortened, but it could not be eliminated entirely.

Additionally, while advancing these projects, Jiang Chen needed to assist the military by providing enough technical support to complete the transition of the "Ripper" rifle to mass production.

Producing "experimental models" in the lab and realizing large-scale manufacturing with modern industrial might were two entirely different matters.

Fortunately, the blueprints provided by the system were for highly mature products, already designed for mass production. Although the "Ripper" rifle’s technical threshold was not low, the technological gap with Earth’s current level was not insurmountable. Achieving mass production would not be too difficult—just a bit tedious.

Not long after Luo Feng ventured into the wilderness, Jiang Chen and the military’s delegation finally concluded their protracted negotiations.

With immense interests at stake, even with Jiang Chen’s importance, the military could not avoid fighting for their share. Nonetheless, after much wrangling, both parties finally reached an agreement.