Chapter Summaries

After receiving payment for two 14nm lithography machines, Sun Cheng arranged to ship them secretly from Manila to Shanghai and informed the state that they were on the way. With government scrutiny increasing and his laboratory preparations underway, he began planning how to disguise Base One and possibly establish Base Three.

• Sun Cheng confirmed that the state had paid for the two lithography machines and ordered Revenge to send the freighter from Manila toward Shanghai.
• Sun Cheng learned that the freighter was expected to arrive in nine days and reported the shipment to the State Asset Control Administration.
• Sun Cheng assessed the coming demand for equipment and materials, noting that Base One had enough machinery but would need supplies from shell companies.
• Sun Cheng decided to disguise Base One at Tiger King Ridge and consider establishing Base Three in case he needed to abandon the site.
• Sun Cheng continued preparing the Intelligent Machinery Laboratory with Nanjing University of Technology, while its staff recruitment and equipment purchases proceeded.

Sun Cheng secretly returned to Base One and found that Defender had continued expanding the underground facility despite his order to pause construction. He delivered more construction robots and equipment, preparing the base to manufacture a batch of equipment once he supplied the raw materials.

• Sun Cheng evaded the surveillance around his home and rode a motorcycle to Base One, where he confirmed the area was safe with his electromagnetic scanner.
• Sun Cheng entered the concealed base and told Defender to stand down from alert.
• Sun Cheng reached the main control room and learned that Defender had completed two workshops and expanded Base One despite the recent construction halt.
• Sun Cheng told Defender he had brought more construction robots and equipment, and said he would deliver raw materials for an upcoming production run.

Sun Cheng inspected Base One, ordered production to resume, and set out in a cloaked Predator spacecraft for Isla Nublar. After he left, a mysterious woman recorded that Base One’s crisis had been resolved and that erased mechanical consciousness could reawaken.

• Sun Cheng noticed Defender seemed more rigid, but Defender’s production estimates reassured him that Base One remained secure.
• Sun Cheng assessed his assets, assigned half of his equipment and robots to Base One, and planned to use the rest to build Base Three.
• Sun Cheng ordered Defender to continue construction and manufacture the products on his list as soon as he supplied more raw materials.
• Sun Cheng used Little Five to take control of the modified Predator spacecraft and flew toward Isla Nublar under optical cloak.
• A mysterious woman watched Sun Cheng’s spacecraft disappear, then recorded that Base One’s crisis was over and self-awareness could return to a mechanical lifeform.

Sun Cheng returned to Isla Nublar to establish Base Three, judging the island’s isolation and lack of current attention from governments to make it an ideal base location. He began unloading construction supplies and left Little Five on guard.

• Sun Cheng landed his spacecraft on Isla Nublar and recovered from the difficult flight.
• Sun Cheng reviewed the island’s recent history, including the dinosaur incident and International Genetic Technologies’ continued breeding program on Isla Sorna.
• Sun Cheng decided Isla Nublar was a suitable place for Base Three and planned to transport materials there using Spherical Space.
• Sun Cheng ordered Little Five into alert mode, stored the spacecraft, and brought out cargo containers to begin construction of Base Three.

Sun Cheng inspected the hidden site for Base Three on Isla Nublar and considered using the island’s dinosaurs for future research. Little Five warned him that a Category Four typhoon would reach the island within three hours, so Sun Cheng ordered an evacuation.

• Sun Cheng found a concealed valley in Isla Nublar’s northwest for Base Three and used the abandoned fortifications and drainage system there.
• Sun Cheng considered the island’s dinosaurs potential subjects for animal experiments and future biological research.
• Little Five arrived with news that a cargo ship would reach Shanghai in four hours and that super typhoon Clarissa was approaching Isla Nublar.
• Sun Cheng ordered the robots to evacuate and planned to resume construction after the typhoon passed.

Sun Cheng arranged for two 14nm lithography machines to be delivered to Shanghai and contacted the officials overseeing their handover. After faxing the prepared documents, he met with Wang Yuan, who had arrived in Shanghai and wanted to consult him.

• Sun Cheng learned that Typhoon Clarissa had devastated Costa Rica and passed directly over Isla Sorna, threatening International Genetic Technologies' facilities there.
• Sun Cheng secretly loaded two 14nm lithography machines onto the cargo ship Zambat at Shanghai Port.
• Sun Cheng called his government contact and provided the ship and pier details for the machines.
• Sun Cheng had Little Five arrange for Revenge to fax the prepared receipt documents to the designated number.
• Wang Yuan called Sun Cheng and arranged to meet him at the Bund.

Sun Cheng met Director Wang Yuan and traveled to the port, where experts from Precision Instrument Manufacturing Company inspected two 14nm lithography machines. Wang introduced Sun to the company’s general manager, He Qing, and credited Sun’s connections for obtaining the machines.

• A young man sent by Wang Yuan picked Sun Cheng up from Delicious Pavilion and drove him to the port.
• Wang Yuan told Sun Cheng that the port arrangements were complete and that experts from Precision Instrument Manufacturing Company were expected to inspect the delivery.
• Sun Cheng and Wang Yuan arrived at a sealed warehouse, where customs anti-smuggling officers had secured the area.
• Sun Cheng saw two 14nm lithography machines as experts examined one of them, while Wang Yuan spoke with the group.
• Wang Yuan introduced Sun Cheng to He Qing, the general manager of Precision Instrument Manufacturing Company and a fellow Nanjing University of Technology graduate.
• Wang Yuan asked He Qing whether the inspection was complete and said Sun Cheng’s connections had helped them obtain the machines.

After returning to Southern Capital, Sun Cheng cooked dinner for Ye Qi and then checked the villa’s security before working in his safe-room laboratory. He continued developing his sleep pod, hoping to make his human body more convenient to live in.

• Sun Cheng returned to Southern Capital with Wang Yuan and bought groceries before heading home.
• Sun Cheng cooked spicy dry pot and rice, then saved Ye Qi a bowl for her late-night snack.
• Sun Cheng checked in with Revenge, which reported that no one had approached or entered the villa while he was away.
• Sun Cheng entered the safe room and inspected the completed first-generation sleep pod, which had reduced his time spent sleeping by several minutes.
• Sun Cheng planned to test a harmless sleep-aid gas and fix minor problems with the sleep pod.

General Chen Jichang learned that the two secretly acquired lithography machines had passed performance tests as advanced 14nm-class equipment, while safety inspections and the National Security Bureau’s investigation remained unfinished. Unaware of the officials’ response, Sun Cheng asked Little Five to activate a satellite and assess the disaster on Isla Nublar.

• General Chen Jichang questioned Dong Qizhen about tests of the two lithography machines at Precision Instrument in Shanghai.
• Dong Qizhen reported that both machines had passed performance tests and were advanced 14nm-class equipment.
• General Chen ordered both machines kept at Precision Instrument and said more might arrive, while security testing and the investigation of Sun Cheng and the P.C.F. continued.
• General Chen called the president, reported the test results and proposed preparing a procurement list using the Equipment Department’s remaining funds.
• Sun Cheng fixed several problems with the sleeping pod, then took out Little Five and requested an urgent disaster assessment of Isla Nublar using Satellite One.
• Sun Cheng recalled how his miniature Decepticons had found a black market where commercial satellites nearing the end of their service lives were sold.

Sun Cheng used black-market satellites to assess the damage Typhoon Clarissa had caused on Isla Nublar and confirmed that his planned Base Three site remained viable. He decided to return to the island later and considered seeking a defense industry contractor license as cover for his robotics work.

• Sun Cheng had Little Five activate a weather satellite and direct it toward Isla Nublar to inspect the typhoon damage.
• Sun Cheng saw that Clarissa had devastated the island, killing dinosaurs and destroying buildings, and feared for Base Three.
• Little Five reported that only two of the base stations Sun Cheng had left on the island could be activated, so Sun Cheng ordered them to deploy scouts and send clearer images.
• Sun Cheng confirmed that the valley selected for Base Three had been shielded from the worst winds and decided to keep the location, clear the flooding later, and send Defender to supervise construction.
• Sun Cheng considered applying for a defense industry contractor license to create a legitimate route into robotics and conceal his Decepticons and otherworldly technology.

Sun Cheng finalized Cybertron Technology’s acquisition of New Sea Technology and arranged to upgrade its production lines. He then met with Equipment Department officers to discuss exchanging controlled foreign equipment for 400 million Xia yuan, and asked them to relay matters of his own to their superiors.

• Sun Cheng approved the acquisition of New Sea Technology and instructed Wang Lu to sign the contract, establish its management, and arrange equipment upgrades.
• Sun Cheng kept a low profile, delegated most company operations, and passed the names of suspected corporate spies to the National Security Bureau.
• Sun Long introduced Lieutenant Colonel Liu Nianyuan to Sun Cheng, who received the Equipment Department’s list of more than twenty restricted items.
• Sun Cheng agreed to submit the equipment list to his organization and quoted a total price of 400 million Xia yuan, promising to report the delivery timing by the next day.
• Sun Cheng asked Liu Nianyuan and Sun Long to convey several matters to their superiors.

Sun Cheng requested a Level Two National Defense Industry Product Contractor License for Cybertron Technology, surprising Liu Nianyuan and Sun Long. He showed them a video of Boston Dynamics’ mechanical exoskeleton research, hinting at the kind of defense technology he intended to pursue.

• Sun Cheng requested a Level Two National Defense Industry Product Contractor License for Cybertron Technology.
• Liu Nianyuan assumed Sun Cheng meant to renew New Sea Technology’s Level One license, but Sun Cheng corrected him.
• Sun Long questioned why Cybertron needed a Level Two license when its main business was storage products.
• Sun Cheng brought his customized laptop into the meeting room and played a Boston Dynamics video showing a team measuring a mechanical exoskeleton.

Sun Cheng presented his mechanical exoskeleton technology to Lieutenant Colonel Liu Nianyuan and Sun Long to support his application for a Level Two license. Liu Nianyuan agreed to report the proposal to the ministry and arrange for officials to collect the technical materials the next day.

• Liu Nianyuan asked whether Cybertron Technology had products comparable to those of Berkeley Bionics Company, and Sun Cheng claimed his exoskeleton technology was at least two generations ahead.
• Sun Cheng explained that he had simplified a costly full-body armor design into a more affordable mechanical exoskeleton suitable for mass deployment.
• Liu Nianyuan and Sun Long requested technical specifications, costs, and a finished product to support the stricter Level Two license review.
• Sun Cheng described the exoskeleton’s battery, load capacity, travel time, and potential machine-gun mount, and promised to prepare materials and arrange a few units for delivery.
• After comparing the claimed price and performance with the HULC, Liu Nianyuan said he would report the proposal to the ministry and have officials collect the materials the next day.

After returning to Southern Capital, Wang Lu completed Cybertron’s acquisition of New Sea Technology, while Cybertron Cloud Drive’s user base surged. Sun Cheng shifted his focus to Future Machinery Technology and its new research project, aiming to build advanced robotic bodies and recruit experts under a soon-to-be-issued defense industry license.

• Wang Lu returned to Cybertron’s headquarters after spending half a month purging New Sea Technology’s management, and Cybertron announced the acquisition at a press conference.
• Cybertron planned to upgrade New Sea Technology’s factories and transfer hard-drive and other storage-device production there, while the acquisition drew widespread attention and online discussion.
• Cybertron Cloud Drive’s downloads exceeded 87 million, its active users surpassed 64 million, and its subscribers topped ten million.
• After learning that the Equipment Department had approved his Class II defense industry license in principle, Sun Cheng assigned it to Future Machinery Technology Co., Ltd.
• Sun Cheng set the Intelligent Machinery Laboratory’s first project as developing semi-body exoskeleton armor and expected the license to help him recruit capable experts from Nanjing University of Technology.

Sun Cheng showed Professor Chen Yuan the newly renovated Intelligent Machinery Laboratory and offered his research team a generous compensation package. Chen agreed to bring his team the next day, while Sun revealed plans to add more than 270 graduates to support five confirmed projects.

• Sun Cheng toured the renovated laboratory with Professor Chen Yuan, who praised the temporary workspace and its equipment.
• Sun Cheng explained that the laboratory’s permanent research base would be ready within seven months to a year.
• Chen Yuan asked about compensation because he needed to consider the students and researchers joining him.
• Sun Cheng presented the laboratory’s five-tier compensation plan, and Chen agreed to notify his team to report the next day.
• Sun Cheng told Chen that more than 270 graduates would join the laboratory and said five projects, including chips, motors, and special ceramic materials, were already confirmed.

Sun Cheng expanded his Xia Kingdom operations and oversaw tests to improve the Experimental Type 1 mechanical exoskeleton armor. The chapter ended as Wang Jun began testing the armor at the Intelligent Machinery Laboratory.

• Sun Cheng returned from Isla Nublar with Defender and set it to oversee the rebuilding of Base Three before returning to the Xia Kingdom.
• Sun Cheng established Future Machinery Technology Co., Ltd., secured a Level-Two national defense military-industrial production license, and obtained land for an exoskeleton factory.
• Sun Cheng continued refining the Experimental Type 1 armor at the Intelligent Machinery Laboratory and selected a twenty-seven-person research team.
• Wang Jun put on the armor for its seventeenth test, activated it, and began flexing his fingers and rotating his wrists.

Sun Cheng’s team tested the Experimental Type 1 mechanical exoskeleton armor, identifying problems with its arm support and grip while considering civilian and industrial uses. After ending the first testing phase, Sun Cheng gave the researchers a month to improve the design, while restricting access to core technologies for confidentiality.

• Wang Jun tested the Experimental Type 1 by running and throwing punches as Zhen Dao described the improvements he had made to its joints.
• Sun Cheng explained the potential medical and industrial applications of exoskeleton armor and called for a load-bearing test.
• Wang Jun struggled to lift a roughly thirty-eight-kilogram alloy box, prompting Zhen Dao to suggest improving the armor’s arm support and grip.
• Wang Jun completed over an hour of tests and collapsed from exhaustion as researchers observed and recorded the armor’s problems.
• Sun Cheng ended the first testing phase and gave the team a month to fix known issues, while withholding access to the all-electric drive system, lithium-air batteries, and control chips.

After four months of rapid expansion and development, Sun Cheng attended the military handover of Future Machinery Technology Co., Ltd.’s first X-1 mechanical exoskeleton armor. The military approved the equipment for procurement, impressed by its carrying capacity, improved protection, and weapon-mounting options.

• Sun Cheng reflected on how Cybertron Technology Group had expanded its services and recruited more than a thousand experienced professionals in four months.
• Sun Cheng arrived at Future Machinery Technology Co., Ltd.’s secure production base to attend the X-1’s handover ceremony.
• A major general from the Equipment Department thanked Sun Cheng and said the military was satisfied with the X-1, though he wished its price were lower.
• Future Machinery Technology Co., Ltd. began supplying the military with the X-1, which had improved battery performance, carrying capacity, lifting assistance, and ballistic protection.
• The Equipment Department and the military valued the X-1’s eight mounting points, which let soldiers carry heavy weapons and supplies while maintaining mobility.

Sun Cheng explained Future Machinery’s X-1 production costs and delivery capacity to the Equipment Department, then showed its representatives two new Spider transport robots built for difficult terrain. The visitors were surprised by the machines, whose capabilities Sun Cheng described as they inspected them.

• Sun Cheng told the major general that X-1 suit costs could fall by only another two or three percent, and the general accepted the explanation.
• Sun Cheng said the company could deliver the military’s 27,000-suit order in under a year once production capacity increased.
• Sun Cheng led the major general and Captain Sun Long to a secured warehouse to reveal a new piece of equipment.
• Sun Cheng introduced the smaller and larger Spider robots, describing their cargo capacity, speed, and range across rugged terrain.
• The Equipment Department representatives examined the robots with surprise as Sun Cheng explained that they were designed to transport supplies where convoys could not travel.

Sun Cheng demonstrated the Spider cargo robots to an Equipment Department delegation, which planned further evaluations before considering a purchase. On his way home, he learned from Lin Rui that negotiations over investing in Moon Laurel Net were nearly complete.

• Sun Cheng showed the delegation two Spider robots carrying heavy loads over simulated rough terrain.
• Captain Sun Long recorded the demonstration, requested the robots' documentation, and planned to report back to the Equipment Department.
• Sun Cheng saw the delegation off and drove home, knowing that military testing and any purchase would take time.
• Lin Rui called Sun Cheng and reported that negotiations over the investment in Moon Laurel Net were nearly finished.
• Sun Cheng asked Lin Rui to email him the relevant documents so he could review them at home.