"I really didn't expect it to arrive so quickly."
The weaponry had reached the laboratory earlier than Lu Ze had anticipated.
He had originally planned to wait until next Monday, when he would gain another copy attempt, then use the opportunity to duplicate two high-tech items at once.
"Yes, this batch of equipment arrived this morning." Lucy nodded, never stopping as she continued eating another blueberry cupcake.
Lu Ze's eyelids twitched at the sight. Luckily, every time he treated Lucy, they ate at the laboratory's free cafeteria. Otherwise, his meager government-funded overseas student allowance probably would not have held up.
Lucy finished the last pastry in her hand in one bite, then gently dabbed at the corner of her mouth like a lady. "The Defense Department brings over a batch of weaponry every so often. This cycle just happened to be today."
Although LLNL was not some logistics base, as a national laboratory, its research capabilities still stood above the rest of Eagle Sauce, and it was also a major developer of defense technology.
That was why the Defense Department regularly delivered batches of weaponry for maintenance, upgrades, and other procedures, or for testing to refine future improvement plans.
Then I really came to the right place! Lu Ze was overjoyed. He had indeed not come to the wrong place. If batches of weaponry were delivered regularly, he would have plenty of chances to make copies in the future.
Keeping his expression under control, he asked impassively, "When are we going over?"
"Let's go this afternoon. We'll make it—"
Before Lucy could finish, Lu Ze decisively answered, "Two in the afternoon!"
The two exchanged a smile.
Two o'clock in the afternoon was precisely when the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory started work, and today happened to be Friday.
In this lifetime, neither of them would arrive at the laboratory even one second early, and overtime was something they would never work in this lifetime either.
In the afternoon, the blazing sun hung high in the sky.
Lu Ze arrived outside the laboratory entrance right on time. "Isn't this too sunny? Why is it even hotter than southern Great Xia?"
It was not even May yet, but after standing outside for just a few minutes, he felt as if he were about to dry out completely.
Although California's latitude was roughly comparable to several southern provinces in Great Xia, Lu Ze always felt that Eagle Sauce was more scorching, with a higher apparent temperature.
Lucy walked over and handed him an ice-cold Coke. "That's normal. In most parts of Great Xia, ultraviolet radiation is below 400. In the southernmost provinces, it's around 800."
"But California's ultraviolet radiation exceeds 2,000. At its hottest, the Bay Area can even reach 3,000."
"And in Great Xia, only plateau regions five or six thousand meters above sea level can have ultraviolet radiation above 2,000."
What was more, Great Xia was mostly cloudy, while Eagle Sauce was almost always blessed with cloudless blue skies.
Of course it was scorching.
Even Lucy herself had to wear a hat and sun-protective clothing when she went out.
Lu Ze took the iced Coke and drained it in one gulp. "So that's why. No wonder it's so hot."
He really had not paid attention to this before. No wonder the locals in Eagle Sauce loved applying sunscreen whenever summer approached. Otherwise, they would not even dare go outside. The ultraviolet rays here were just too vicious.
If you stayed outdoors for several dozen minutes without any sun protection, you could get visibly darker all over. As for those people who claimed they loved sunbathing, that was complete nonsense. Who here would dare sit in the sun without protection? They would probably get skin cancer in no time.
Lucy led Lu Ze forward at a brisk pace. "I'll take you to the maintenance management center. The weaponry is being stored there for now."
With this awful weather, she really did not want to stay outside for long.
The main LLNL facility was divided into several areas. The dozens of buildings nearest the entrance mostly served as offices for personnel managing various subordinate research departments or independent R&D project groups.
Farther in were the primary research sites and scientific equipment. The maintenance center, meanwhile, was at the very back of the laboratory grounds, in the most desolate area, covering more than a thousand acres.
They passed through two rounds of encrypted identity verification along the way, mainly to keep strangers from the nearby town from entering. But that posed no difficulty for Lucy; she simply swiped her card and passed through.
After twenty minutes, the two finally reached their destination.
The entire maintenance center was quiet at the moment. Even though working hours had already begun, there was not a single person in sight.
"This is only the storage area for weaponry. The actual maintenance, testing, and upgrade work is done elsewhere." Lucy chuckled, seemingly noticing his confusion.
Before them—
The vast hangar was packed with all kinds of items. Everything from aircraft and artillery to ordinary firearms was arranged in neat order. Lu Ze's eyes could barely take it all in; he did not even know where to look first.
"M1A2 SEP main battle tank!"
"F-16 fighter jet!"
"M142 self-propelled howitzer!"
And that was not all. The entire hangar contained equipment from nearly every branch of the army, navy, and air force, and even many civilian technological items were stored here.
The military equipment included bomber series such as the B-1B and B-52, as well as the F-15E, F-117, and even the F-20, the fighter jet project that had died halfway through development.
Even his old friend, the F-22 fighter jet, sat in an especially conspicuous spot, quietly awaiting a new round of maintenance and testing.
Which one should I choose?
Lu Ze wandered about, stopping now and then as though he wanted to carefully appraise every piece of equipment. He only had one copy attempt, so he had to choose with care.
One saying perfectly described how he felt: "I only regret not having enough copy attempts."
He wanted nothing more than to pack up every good thing here and take it away. After all, it seemed like nobody wanted this technology just sitting here.
Finders keepers!
After quite a while, Lu Ze was still pacing in circles.
"Which high-tech weapon or piece of equipment do you want to examine?"
Seemingly worried that Lu Ze did not understand, Lucy added, "Some equipment can't be entered and inspected closely, while some can."
The internal avionics and fire-control systems of things like the F-22 were relatively classified. Even she did not have the authority to open the canopy and enter for a detailed inspection; she could only touch the exterior.
Others were not so strictly controlled. Lu Ze could even enter and start the engine if he wanted.
However, Lu Ze shook his head. "I haven't decided yet."
"Lucy, didn't you say there was a B-2 bomber? Why haven't I seen it anywhere?"
He had nearly circled the entire hangar. With the B-2 bomber's distinctive shape, there was no way he could have missed it.
The first choice for the high-tech item he wanted to copy this time was the B-2 Spirit bomber.
Lucy walked over to him and said apologetically, "Sorry, Lu Ze. It seems that B-2 bomber went off on an emergency mission."
"I only got the news at noon. This maintenance and upgrade assignment was canceled and postponed until after the mission is completed."
"It's fine. I'm already satisfied just being able to come here." Lu Ze smiled.
Though he was somewhat disappointed inside. After all, he had gotten all worked up, and now she was telling him the B-2 bomber was not here?
Still, Lucy had already done him a huge favor by bringing him to the maintenance center. What was there to blame her for?
He could just choose another high-tech item to duplicate this time. It was not as though he would never have another chance to copy the B-2 bomber.
Then should I copy that F-22 this time?
Or maybe the B-2 bomber's substitute, that B-1B bomber?
Lu Ze looked around but did not spot anything especially valuable.
Just then—
Lu Ze suddenly noticed a massive object in the distance that caught his attention.
This one seemed pretty good?
Before you continue