Chapter 170: A Rare Moment of Leisure

Bai Kou steered the boat, bringing Xiao Kaitian back to Cologne City. The photyc crystal was extremely unstable, but fortunately, Xiao Kaitian managed to constrain it with his divine source, barely maintaining its form and preventing it from dissolving.

Upon returning to Cologne City, the situation he witnessed was entirely different. This time, many martial cultivators had come to Cologne City to participate in the scramble for the newly emerged spirit crystal. The elites among them had all thrown themselves into the battle for possession, but now, they had been completely wiped out.

No accurate reports regarding the frontline situation had been fed back. The remaining martial cultivators were merely accompanying disciples who served as reserve forces. Now that all the leading figures had lost contact, it caused massive chaos.

Martial cultivators were bustling in and out of every street and alley, and familiar sects exchanged information frequently, but all of it was useless intelligence.

The matter even drew the attention of the state of Ceylon, and the military presence on the streets increased significantly, creating an extremely tense atmosphere.

After bringing Xiao Kaitian back to the hotel, Bai Kou rapidly sealed off all channels of information.

As the only two survivors of this spirit crystal scramble, it was inevitable that they would be investigated and interrogated by the martial arts world in the future. However, since Xiao Kaitian was currently injured, buying time was the best approach.

Moreover, how were they supposed to answer if questioned? Were they supposed to say that out of nowhere, a wandering ninja from the island nation showed up, killed everyone, leaving just the two of them alive, and even brought back a spirit crystal?

A fabricated charge is easily made. No matter how they explained it, the two of them would find it impossible to clear their names. This was Bai Kou's greatest worry, but Xiao Kaitian remained unconcerned—matters that could not be explained simply did not need explaining.

Besides, his relationship with the martial arts world was already poor. While it might not be described as irreconcilable, intimacy was out of the question. Furthermore, after the new year, he would begin tinkering with mechas, which was practically going head-to-head with the entire martial arts world.

Once mechas made their debut, the pressure he would face would undoubtedly come from the martial arts world of the entire globe. Bai Kou was unaware of this, but Xiao Kaitian knew it well.

Fortunately, Bai Kou was also someone who feared nothing. Her minor worries paled in comparison to Xiao Kaitian's injuries; if this fellow were to die, she and Xiao Qi would face even more trouble.

Xiao Kaitian spent a whole night recuperating before he managed to recover slightly. His injuries this time could certainly be considered severe. The backlash from executing a mental attack despite insufficient strength, lightning strikes, falling from a high altitude, and so on—surviving it all was entirely due to the support of his formidable divine source.

Next was the handling of the photyc crystal. Xiao Kaitian currently had no way to transfer it into his own divine source. Fortunately, there was a small lead box inside Bai Kou's equipment case, which had originally been used for storing radioactive materials. Using it to hold the photyc crystal was passable.

However, relying solely on a lead box was not enough to ensure the photyc crystal's stability. Xiao Kaitian condensed a portion of his divine source and left it inside the lead box, which temporarily kept the crystal stable. The only trouble was that it needed to be replenished every few days.

This was a ticking time bomb, and once it erupted, it would be an insoluble disaster for anyone. Bai Kou looked at it with a face full of apprehension.

After hastily handling the emergency, taking advantage of the chaos in Cologne City, the two of them seized the opportunity to leave Ceylon and returned to the country.

By this time, the country was nearing the Lunar New Year. For the people of Han and Tang, the New Year was the most important event of the year, and virtually all enterprises and projects entered their wrap-up phases.

The agreement between Xiao Kaitian and the military was no exception. During this period, the custom-ordered production equipment had arrived and was being installed successively. All of this was carried out in secret; employees of Qing Tang Tian Xia only knew that heavy transport vehicles were driving in and out every day, yet none of them clearly understood what the high-tech park was preparing to do.

According to the agreement between the two parties, military personnel actively participated. Personnel from the Thirteenth Field Army tightly sealed off the perimeter of the high-tech park, making it impossible even for a mosquito to fly in.

Furthermore, within the entire Future Century project zone, the latest surveillance systems were deployed everywhere, bolstered by the presence of Xie Yuan and others. Therefore, during Xiao Kaitian's absence, things could be described as calm and tranquil.

Leaving the photyc crystal at home was inappropriate. After much consideration, Xiao Kaitian placed the photyc crystal inside the vault of the high-tech park. However, if this thing were to erupt, the high-tech park would be reduced to ashes.

Four-dimensional power could not be fully controlled by the three-dimensional world. The only people who knew this secret were Xiao Kaitian and Bai Kou.

As the end of the year approached, the installation of the production equipment was declared complete. After conducting an on-site inspection, Xiao Kaitian shook hands with the military representative, and both sides wore satisfied smiles.

Jameson's team was also involved, but they were independently segregated and stationed in a specific area of the high-tech park, dedicated exclusively to the custom production of smart artificial organs.

The craftsmanship and technologies utilized were one-of-a-kind. They also needed to perform intelligent analysis based on the patient's physiological signs, load them into an artificial self-learning program for deduction, and ultimately create the master control program.

According to Jameson's report, there were already several orders from Europe and North America. Leaving aside the exorbitant customization costs that ordinary people could not afford, the products had not yet officially entered market evaluation, and most people were still in a wait-and-see state.

Xiao Kaitian was not in a rush. This was the first step. Ultimately, he hoped that the medical artificial intelligence program specially designed for this purpose, after analyzing a sufficient amount of data, could produce mass-market general versions. Only then could the product price be lowered to allow more people to afford it.

The other part of this project, the customization of external body limbs, appeared somewhat rudimentary. Nanobots controlled by built-in artificial intelligence chips to simulate neurons successfully achieved interfacing with human nerves. Coupled with the fact that there was already a baseline foundation in this field of research, after Xiao Kaitian made minor improvements, it immediately stood out from similar products.

Moreover, the results were immediately visible to the naked eye. Therefore, the rather expensive fees did not scare people away, and the company received numerous orders from disabled individuals.

Meanwhile, the filming of Chen Jingming's movie was also progressing smoothly. The online flame wars from a period ago and the abusive rants from people who looked down on Chen Jingming had fueled his competitive drive, leading him to schedule the shooting pace very tightly.

Eager to stage a comeback, aside from the few days of the New Year, the crew practically took no rest. He even called Xiao Kaitian like a child showing off his toys, "sincerely" inviting the big boss to come for an inspection.

Xiao Kaitian had no interest in this. Judging from Guo Lei's private reports, many crew members secretly complained that Chen Jingming was extremely stingy and skimped on welfare. The two of them had vastly different values regarding money; if he were to go inspect and start throwing money around, the two of them would likely end up at odds again.

However, judging from Chen Jingming's enthusiasm and confidence, the movie's results likely wouldn't be bad.

Various preparatory projects ahead of the New Year were now on track. Finally, he had a discussion with Jameson. The liquid metal technology held in Jameson's company's hands was the target he desired.

After establishing a rough replacement framework, Jameson returned to the United States with the proposal, and Xiao Kaitian awaited good news.

In the blink of an eye, the New Year holiday arrived, and the people of Qing Tang Tian Xia successively returned home. After a busy year, Xiao Kaitian finally found rare leisure and time to relax.