Chapter 100: Disagreements Before the Great Battle

"Hahaha, Little Zhou, we meet again."

Before the person was even seen, his voice arrived first. There was no mistaking that voice—it was Old Man Li Decai.

Sure enough, as Zhou Shu stood at the doorway clutching his sniper rifle and peering inside, he saw Old Man Li Decai and several other unfamiliar elders emerging from behind a large cabinet.

"Old man, don't tell me you were pulling strings behind the scenes to get me transferred here?" Zhou Shu said, cradling his rifle with a wry smile.

"Haha, you guess," Li Decai replied with a smug grin, then added, "Look at you, why bring a gun here? Someone, get him a wrench."

Zhou Shu: "..."

"Old Li, is this the Zhou Shu you were talking about?"

"He looks truly young."

"Indeed, he has the air of a brilliant young talent."

The other strangers commented.

"Yes, he is the genius I told you about, my student!" Old Man Li Decai said proudly.

Zhou Shu: "..."

"Hahahaha~"

Although the old man respected Zhou Shu's powered exoskeleton technology, as a professor decades his senior, having served as Zhou Shu's deputy for over a month still sat a bit uneasily with him. Thus, he was always keen on making Zhou Shu his student. Once he became a student, things would be simpler—if a teacher helps his student, what could be the problem? Furthermore, if Zhou Shu became his student, any future accomplishments of Zhou Shu would also reflect well on him.

As an established academician, Zhou Shu had certainly considered becoming his student. While his own knowledge of powered exoskeleton technology was formidable, an old academician’s influence extended far beyond mere technical expertise. If he could use Old Man Li’s status to enter the inner circles of the academy, that would be a significant advantage.

The virtual battlefield contained all sorts of "black technologies" covering every conceivable field. Once he acquired those technologies, backed by the academician's prestige and his own rising "nobility" status, he could assemble a national team in an instant and replicate those technologies in the shortest time possible. He wouldn't have to go through the process he did with the exoskeleton project again: first having a department director notify various units, then waiting for them to arrive, half-doubting, and finally fighting for meager resources to make improvements. It wasn't until they succeeded and happened to encounter an emergency that the higher-ups finally paid attention.

Look at this: after the state intervened, less than a week later, there were thirty "Super Vanguard" powered exoskeleton suits lined up here.

The only issue was that he hadn't even started university yet, and Old Man Li was already going around calling him his student, which always made Zhou Shu feel embarrassed. Besides, judging by the current situation across the country, this year's college entrance examination would likely be postponed.

Two days later, it would be June, yet he, a high school senior, was on the front lines preparing to fight monsters.

In the end, the sniper rifle in his hand was swapped for a wrench, and he began inspecting the powered exoskeletons alongside the technicians.

"This combat plan requires them. In truth, it's also a test. These thirty units aren't all of them; based on my understanding, there are at least a hundred in the country right now."

"The plateau environment is just one testing site; tests in other environments are also underway. What we built can only be considered a prototype; these thirty have been optimized for high-altitude and low-temperature conditions."

Li Decai explained to Zhou Shu while conducting the inspection. Zhou Shu nodded in understanding.

The "Super Vanguard" was technology that had passed through many hands. First, there was the powered exoskeleton armor from the *Edge of Tomorrow* world; then, Dr. Carter developed a new technology based on that armor; then, Zhou Shu modified the original "Vanguard" suit using Dr. Carter’s technology; and only then was the "Super Vanguard" born.

For an armor that had changed hands so many times, it was impressive enough that it functioned at all. Expecting it to handle every extreme condition was truly "making things difficult for the armor." Fortunately, the state had accumulated technical expertise in these fields and possessed formidable practical application capabilities, quickly churning out various versions.

Taking advantage of the inspection, Zhou Shu looked over the technology of these new versions. He discovered that while there were no major overhauls, there were small improvements one after another, and they were more than twice as refined as the prototype they had modified.

"Incredible."

A person's capabilities are ultimately limited. Dr. Carter’s exoskeleton technology could only ensure the armor was functional, but many small details went unnoticed. The modification team Zhou Shu was on didn't have many people, so they, too, could only focus on basic functionality. These "mass-produced" units were different; they condensed the essence of the country's work on powered exoskeletons, with even relevant private enterprises participating.

It was truly the collective strength of the nation!

Zhou Shu learned a lot of good things. Not only did his relevant technical knowledge become more comprehensive, but his proficiency in operating powered exoskeletons also increased by 3%.

After checking part of the exoskeletons, the others took a break, and Zhou Shu went over to the combat personnel. Although he would most likely be providing technical support with Old Man Li at the base, he was very interested in the Great Qin Kingdom's monster hunters. Up until now, he had only seen the ones from Dongyuan City and those who came from headquarters to provide support.

How could that be enough?

The Great Qin Kingdom was vast, covering 13.8 million square kilometers. With such huge differences between the east, west, north, and south, the abilities of the monster hunters must surely vary greatly as well.

The combatants were all at the training ground. Some of them had never been to the plateau before. Although their bodies were tough, they naturally had a higher demand for oxygen, so they needed to let their bodies adapt to the high-altitude environment before the battle began.

Zhou Shu walked out without wearing a cold-weather coat. He felt nothing; he had spent time in the Antarctic scenario of the virtual battlefield, where the altitude was not low and oxygen was scarce, so he had long since adapted. As for the cold? Ha, was the Kunlun Mountains any colder than the Antarctic? Besides, he would warm up once he moved around a bit.

Like the monster hunters at the scene, steam rose and swirled around their bodies; from a distance, they truly looked like "immortals."

Standing at the entrance, Zhou Shu noticed that the monster hunters had deliberately left the training facilities in the center vacant, occupying only the equipment on the sides instead.

What was this? Were they saving the convenient facilities in the middle for those who would arrive later? Were monster hunters all so noble and self-sacrificing?

"Hmph, another one here to freeload on military merit."

Just as Zhou Shu walked over, he heard this remark. He turned his head and saw a bald, muscular man in the right area. Despite the surrounding snow, he wore only a bodybuilding tank top, with steam also rising from his body.

However, the look he gave Zhou Shu was… unfriendly.

Zhou Shu didn't look around; his perception was keen, and with his mini-map, he knew there was no one else nearby. The muscular man was clearly talking about him.

So, he said, "What do you mean 'freeloading'? Are you talking to me?"

"Hmph."

Zhou Shu had engaged him, but the man said nothing more. With another huff, he returned to his workout, striking a steel pillar with a rhythmic *bang, bang, bang*.

Completely baffling.

Just then, two young men walked over from the other side, smiling at Zhou Shu. "Don't mind those bumpkins, brother. At their age, they're still at our level; their ceiling is set, so it's not worth getting angry at them."

"Exactly," the other said airily. "When we reach the pinnacle, they'll only be able to look up at us."

"How old are you this year, brother? You look very young. Are you even twenty yet?"

Hearing these words, Zhou Shu frowned.

What was the meaning of this? A battle destined to be recorded in history was about to begin, and the combatants actually had time for infighting?