War Saber, Flying Swords, Armor

Over the next few days, Wu Ming discussed the design specifications for the two weapons with Zhu Huazhi.

Zhu Huazhi did most of the questioning while Wu Ming answered, all concerning the design concepts behind the original drafts, such as the saber's length and weight. Wu Ming told him everything truthfully.

"Your one-arm strength is 2,500 kilograms? And the saber needs to weigh over 100 kilograms?"

Sure enough, Zhu Huazhi was startled when he heard that.

But he immediately realized he had overstepped and hurriedly said, "Sorry, I shouldn't have asked that."

"It's fine. The country should be announcing it soon anyway." Wu Ming shook his head. As his weapon designer, Zhu Huazhi naturally needed a sufficiently detailed understanding of him.

So, he revealed to Zhu Huazhi that the RR Virus could promote Gene Evolution. Only then did Zhu Huazhi understand. "I see."

With his doubts resolved, the two began an in-depth discussion of the saber's detailed specifications.

A moment later.

"I understand. I already have a rough idea of the saber's design. We can begin work at any time."

Zhu Huazhi closed the notebook in his hand, a confident expression appearing on his face. "I've turned down all other business. For this period, I'll concentrate the workshop's full resources on forging this weapon for you."

"If the materials arrive on time, it'll be finished within three days at the latest."

"Wait, Master Zhu." Wu Ming hurriedly said, "I'm not just making a saber. I also need Flying Swords."

"Flying Swords? Hmm... wait, did you say Flying Swords?"

Zhu Huazhi froze for a moment, nearly thinking he had misheard. Only after witnessing the power of Spiritual Force firsthand did his doubts vanish.

Once he came back to his senses, he sighed. "All right. So what they showed in the movies wasn't fake. Humans really can awaken such power."

"However, young friend, I've never worked with Flying Swords before. I can only hear your design ideas first, then help you identify and fill in any gaps."

"That's fine." Wu Ming shook his head and told him all of his ideas.

After hearing them, Zhu Huazhi first praised him. "Young friend, it's quite ingenious that you thought of removing the hilt and retaining only sharp blades at both ends."

"You flatter me, Master." Wu Ming humbly asked, "Is there still room to improve the Flying Sword's design?"

"There are indeed areas that can be improved."

As expected of a professional, Zhu Huazhi spotted the problem at once. "Young friend, your Flying Sword has sufficient killing power, but its main body is a flat, streamlined shape. That creates a hidden danger."

"When a Flying Sword pierces at high speed, the impact borne by its tip travels lengthwise through the entire blade. A flat structure also gives the blade extremely poor resistance to bending."

"Once it strikes something hard, there's a very high chance your Flying Sword will snap in the middle."

Wu Ming pondered this, images of various ancient sword designs surfacing in his mind. He suddenly said, "I understand. The Flying Sword's blade is fragile because it lacks a spine for support."

The sword spine was the raised longitudinal ridge running down the center of a blade. It turned the blade's cross-section from a flat plane into a ridged shape, greatly enhancing its resistance to bending.

"You're right. The sword spine is the sword's backbone." Zhu Huazhi nodded. "Without the support of a spine, no matter how good the forging material is, it's merely a castle in the air. It'll shatter at the slightest impact."

"And since you're designing a Flying Sword, its blade needs to be even lighter and thinner. Its natural strength is already lower than that of an ordinary sword. Adding a single spine may not be enough."

"I suggest shaving an additional sloped surface on each side of the spine, forming a six-sided structure. That way, the blade can remain light and thin while still possessing exceptional toughness and compressive strength."

He took out his notebook, swiftly sketched a Flying Sword design, then handed it over.

Wu Ming accepted the drawing and looked at it. It showed a brand-new three-view diagram of the Flying Sword, including the altered cross-section, which had changed from a quadrilateral to a hexagon. It was clear at a glance.

"I understand, Master." He looked up and asked again, "But with this design, won't the Flying Sword become much heavier?"

Lightness was the core principle behind Wu Ming's Psychic Weapons, so he did not want the Flying Swords to become too heavy and affect their speed and agility.

"Rest assured." Zhu Huazhi looked completely confident. "Although the six-sided structure will slightly increase the blade's thickness, it also removes material from both sides. Compared to the original design, the weight increase will only be around 10%."

"Your Flying Sword design is already compact and light. A 10% increase won't affect the bigger picture. Instead, it'll raise its overall performance by a great deal."

Upon hearing this, Wu Ming finally revealed a pleased expression. This master truly lived up to his reputation.

"Thank you for your guidance, Master." He stood and thanked him. "Let's proceed with this plan. As for the number of Flying Swords..."

He considered it briefly. Given the Flying Swords' strength, they should last him until at least the mid-Wargod Level. By then, his Force of Will Amplitude would be even higher, and ten Flying Swords might not be enough.

So he said, "Make eighteen. It would be best if they came with a matching Sword Case."

"Eighteen? That's fine." Zhu Huazhi nodded. "As soon as the materials arrive, I can begin immediately. The saber plus these Flying Swords will probably take..."

"Wait, Master, there's one more thing." Wu Ming opened another page of his notebook and handed it over.

"There's more?"

Zhu Huazhi's heart skipped a beat, thinking it might be another difficult problem. But when he took the notebook and looked at it, he immediately relaxed and laughed. "So it's full-body armor. That won't be difficult. The workshop already has a production line for it, so it won't take too much time."

"Since you want to pile on the materials, I suggest increasing the armor's thickness to eight millimeters. That's already four times the thickness of normal armor, and it's also the limit that won't affect bodily movement."

"Master, make it twenty millimeters." Wu Ming shook his head. "There's no need to consider flexibility. Even if my legs can't move, it's fine. I can use Spiritual Force to control the armor and move."

Zhu Huazhi was stunned, but quickly understood. "You want to arm yourself into a humanoid tank? If movement isn't a concern, that's indeed a good idea."

"All right, I agree. But twenty-millimeter armor will take some effort as well. Including the other two weapons, it'll take about seven to ten days."

"No problem." Wu Ming said, "The relevant materials will be delivered to the workshop as soon as possible. I'll have to trouble you for the next few days, Master Zhu."

"I should be the one thanking you. Thanks to the medicine you sent over in time, my daughter's symptoms have improved considerably. Otherwise..." Zhu Huazhi shook his head and did not continue.

"Your daughter is blessed. Even without me, I'm sure she would have turned disaster into fortune."

Wu Ming said politely, "Master Zhu, then I'll await your good news."

"Take care, young friend. I'll see you out."

After leaving Zhu Workshop, Wu Ming had accomplished all the goals of this trip. All that remained was to wait.

That wait lasted eight days, and in the blink of an eye, it was already the end of the month.

On the morning of January 31, Wu Ming finally received a call from Ruan Zaixing.

"Xiao Ming, come over right away. All your weapons have been forged!"