The base's security team promptly began an inspection, only to discover that the entire lighting system—including the emergency backup lights—had completely failed.
What's more, Professor Ma, attempting to trigger the alarm to prevent any accidents, found that the alarm system itself was unresponsive.
"How could this happen?!"
"What's going on?"
"Why haven't I received any calls yet?"
"There's no power outage; all machinery is operating normally—only the lighting system has collapsed!"
"Someone has hacked into our lighting system!" The technical staff quickly identified the issue and rushed to carry out emergency repairs.
At that moment, a figure appeared before Professor Ma.
"Y-you are?"
The professor's voice trembled slightly as he gazed upon the gleaming silver armor.
"As you see," came the mechanical voice from behind the mask, fueling Professor Ma's excitement further. "W-what brings you here?"
"This is what you need."
With that, Su Xun handed over the carefully compiled dossier containing the precise technical parameters of the Ark Reactor's cold fusion core.
Professor Ma flipped through the documents, puzzled at first, then his pupils contracted sharply; his mouth fell open in stunned awe as he stared blankly at the pages.
"This is the core technology of the Ark Reactor!"
His voice rang out with fervent excitement, and at that moment, the surrounding lights flickered back to life. He glanced toward where Iron Man had appeared, only to find the space empty.
"Professor Ma, what's wrong?"
"Professor Ma?"
"Old Ma, are you alright?"
Curious colleagues gathered around him.
Professor Ma muttered, "Iron Man... Iron Man was here just now!"
"Iron Man?!"
"Why did Iron Man come?"
"Did he cause the blackout?"
"Definitely!"
"What is Iron Man's purpose here?"
All eyes fixated on Professor Ma, who held the documents aloft and proclaimed, "He's delivered the core technology of the Ark Reactor's energy source!"
"Heavens!"
"This is incredible!"
"This changes everything!"
Cheers erupted among the crowd.
Wang Xin's eyes shimmered with awe as he whispered softly, "Iron Man, what kind of existence are you truly?"
Su Xun returned to his room and carefully removed the Iron Man armor.
Having already upgraded the armor's power system and resolved the high-altitude icing issue, the suit now qualified as a third-generation model.
"System, display the upgrade schematics for the MK-IV armor."
[Redemption requires 100 virtual credits.]
"Redeem."
[Redemption complete.]
The upgrade schematics materialized before Su Xun. He examined the plans closely. "The main focus is on enhancing the filtration system and improving the flexibility of the armor's joints."
Pocketing the schematics, Su Xun then picked up the plasma cannon design.
"When I return, I'll submit an application for a plasma weapons project. I can request all the necessary materials at once—this way, it won't draw undue attention."
At present, the materials required for the armor's upgrade did not warrant invoking the special authorization Chen Jin had provided him.
With design plans for both a plasma rifle and plasma cannon in hand, he was confident the Hualing Research Institute would approve his proposal to initiate a project of his own.
Su Xun rose, walked to the bedside, took a sip of water, and then lay down, deciding to forego hunting for the day. He resolved to rest early and file the application first thing in the morning.
At dawn the next day, Su Xun prepared a simple meal at home and transferred the Iron Man armor into his vehicle.
The current state of Z City was rather chaotic. With the armor secured in the car, Su Xun felt assured that if anything went awry, Nikola could swiftly deliver it to him.
Soon after, he made his way to the research institute.
Upon arrival, Su Xun headed directly to Professor Zhang Lin's office. To apply for a project, signatures from associate professor level or above were mandatory.
The core issues of the Iron Man armor had been resolved, and Professor Zhang Lin had been reinstated. Upon hearing Su Xun's intention to submit a project proposal, Zhang hesitated slightly.
After all, Su Xun had only been here a few days and was already aiming to spearhead his own project. Unless it was an exceptional proposal, approval would be difficult to obtain.
"Su Xun, we mustn't rush for quick success. Progress must be steady and grounded before one can aspire to reach the stars."
Hearing Zhang's well-meaning advice, a faint smile flickered across Su Xun's face. "Wouldn't you like to ask what project I intend to apply for?"
Zhang blinked, slightly taken aback. "What project do you have in mind?"
"A plasma weapons program."
"Weapons, huh? There are plenty of those proposals, usually they... Wait, what kind of weapons?"
"Plasma weapons."
Zhang's eyes widened, his speech faltering. "Do you have a viable plan?"
"Indeed," Su Xun handed over the conceptual diagrams he had developed for a plasma rifle and plasma cannon.
Zhang eagerly accepted the schematics, studying the designs with amazement. "Y-you came up with all this yourself?"
"Yes, and moreover, this project dovetails perfectly with our previous work. Plasma weapons can utilize plasma batteries as their energy core."
"Excellent, excellent!"
Professor Zhang was at a loss for words to express his excitement. "Go wait in the lab. I'll file the application immediately!"
"Don't I have to go?"
"No need. Just wait—rest assured, you remain the project lead. I'll do the legwork for you!"
With a hearty laugh, Zhang dashed out.
Watching his retreating figure, Su Xun mused, "At his age, to still move so swiftly—Professor Zhang's health is remarkable!"
He then proceeded to the laboratory.
It was the first day of the new term, and most had returned early. Having just completed a project, aside from a few reassigned to other tasks, the rest found themselves with little to do and relatively free time.
"Su Engineer is here?"
"Good morning, Su Engineer."
"Morning!"
Though young, Su Xun had earned the respect and even admiration of his colleagues over the past weeks. They greeted him warmly, no longer aloof as before.
Just then, Liu Yu came running over, excitedly shouting, "Big news! Big news!"
Liu Yu, a plasma battery research team member, had just returned from submitting a test report to the director's office.
"Liu Yu, what's all the fuss?"
"Haha, did a beautiful woman arrive at the institute?"
Liu Yu waved off the notion. "No beauties, but I've got something weighty!"
He scanned the room, and upon spotting Su Xun, his expression grew a bit sheepish. "Su Engineer's here."
Su Xun nodded at him.
Clearing his throat, Liu Yu announced, "Don't you all know? Su Engineer has submitted a research proposal for plasma weapons!"
"Plasma weapons?!"
"What?! Plasma weapons? That means our button-sized plasma batteries will finally see real use!"
"How do you know? Su Engineer never mentioned it!"
Liu Yu grinned slyly. "Professor Zhang personally delivered the materials, and I happened to run into him! If you don't believe me, you can ask Su Engineer yourself!"
All eyes turned to Su Xun, their gazes burning with anticipation. He smiled lightly, "Indeed, I have submitted the proposal."
His words sent ripples through the crowd, and they immediately surged forward.
"Su Engineer, I want to join this project!"
"Su Engineer, look at me—I'm a professional evaluator. Let me handle the assessments!"
"Su Engineer, me too! Me too!"
Everyone eagerly put themselves forward, vying for a place on the plasma weapons development team.