"Mirage" Prototype Debuts

Time slipped by as Shaye immersed himself in research and refinement, neglecting food and sleep. When the final miniature sealing component used to stabilize energy output was carved and passed rigorous testing, the workshop fell silent for a moment.

Shaye straightened up, his gaze sweeping over the neatly sorted components beside the workbench. The streamlined matte-gray platform shell, the magnetic levitation array base plates inlaid with precise runes, the intricately structured vector-thrust nozzles, the sensor modules integrated with reconnaissance lenses, the compact weapon mount points, the emergency survival pack compartment, and even a pair of foldable puppet limb grappling arms... every component of the "Mirage" prototype had been completed.

They lay quietly there like the bones of a sleeping beast, waiting for the moment they would be given life.

Just then, his father, Shaliu, returned home after a brief period of rest. When he saw the mountain of strange, unprecedented components in his son's workshop, he was startled at first. Then, under Shaye's excited yet clear explanation, he came to understand what these objects represented.

"Th-this... you made all of this by yourself?" Shaliu's voice carried stunned disbelief. He knew his son was extraordinarily gifted in Puppet Technique, but he had never imagined Shaye had reached the point where he could independently design and create something so complex, something so far beyond traditional concepts.

"Yeah. I completed both the blueprints and the components myself." Shaye nodded hard, his eyes shining with longing. "Father, I need your help with the final assembly."

Without the slightest hesitation, Shaliu rolled up his sleeves. "Alright! Tell me what to do!"

The father and son immediately threw themselves into the tense but orderly assembly work. The workshop felt a little cramped, but the atmosphere was exceptionally fervent. Shaye gave precise instructions, explaining the functions and