Chapter 681: Preparations for the No. 3 Avatar
Zhang Xianzhong let out a miserable shriek: “You monster... you fiend...”
As he opened his mouth to curse, Li Daoxuan extended his left hand, clamping Zhang Xianzhong's mouth shut.
Zhang Xianzhong bit down fiercely, attempting to injure him.
Instead, a searing pain shot through his teeth, as if he'd gnawed on a piece of iron, several of his teeth nearly shattered.
With Li Daoxuan's hand clamped in his mouth, he couldn't close his jaws at all.
Then, he watched as the knife in Li Daoxuan's right hand slowly entered his mouth and severed his tongue with a single stroke.
“Mmph... mmph...” Now, he couldn't even curse.
Only then did Li Daoxuan seize him by the collar and drag him out of the woods.
Outside, the battle was already winding down. Zhang Xianzhong's subordinates, their morale shattered by the flintlock rifles, were scurrying around like headless flies, fleeing in disarray.
But the militia's numbers were few. With only five hundred men present, it was hardly feasible to actively chase down ten thousand bandits; repelling them was achievement enough.
So the militia merely unleashed a volley of flintlock fire at the fleeing rebels' backs, killing whoever they could.
As Li Daoxuan emerged from the woods, Chen Yuanbo rushed forward to meet him, carrying a large cloak. He swiftly draped it around Li Daoxuan, concealing the damaged silicone outer layer.
Li Daoxuan was quite pleased with his cloaked appearance. Dragging Zhang Xianzhong, he continued his walk back and soon encountered Fan Shangzheng face-to-face.
Fan Shangzheng's face was alight with ecstasy. “Hero Xiao! I never imagined, truly never imagined, we would win, and so easily at that... Huh? You... why are you wearing such a large cloak?”
Li Daoxuan tilted his head back, gazing at the sky at a 45-degree angle. “A lone shadow on a cold river, a familiar face in the martial world; why must we have known each other to meet again?... Is my cloak dashing?”
Fan Shangzheng was speechless.
Chen Yuanbo leaned in from behind and whispered into Fan Shangzheng's ear: “Hero Xiao sustained a slight injury. He doesn't wish for His Excellency to worry, nor for the common folk in the city to be alarmed by his wounds, which is why he wrapped himself up.”
Fan Shangzheng suddenly understood. “Ah, Hero Xiao, your attire truly is magnificent!”
Li Daoxuan tossed Zhang Xianzhong at Fan Shangzheng's feet. “This man, I leave to the imperial court to deal with.”
Fan Shangzheng was overjoyed. “He actually captured Zhang Xianzhong alive!”
Li Daoxuan said, “I originally intended to finish him with a single stroke, but on second thought, such a man shouldn't die so easily. The common people ought to witness him endure a thousand cuts; only then can their hearts be appeased.”
Fan Shangzheng exclaimed, “You are right! Absolutely right. Such a scoundrel deserves to be sent to the capital and publicly endure the Death by a Thousand Cuts!”
The aftermath consisted of various mop-up operations and clearing the battlefield. Li Daoxuan no longer involved himself, and cloaked in his garment, he slipped into a brightly colored tent.
Fan Shangzheng assumed he was going to treat his wounds, and thus didn't wish to disturb him. He quickly ordered his household guards to drag Zhang Xianzhong over, bind him securely, and hold him for transport to the capital.
With this battle concluded, Wenshui County's crisis was temporarily averted.
Early the next morning, Fan Shangzheng went to see Li Daoxuan, only to find the tent empty, Hero Xiao already gone.
Fan Shangzheng couldn't help but sigh in admiration: “To accomplish the deed and then calmly depart, concealing one's achievements and renown—Hero Xiao is truly an extraordinary man.”
The No. 2 Heavenly Lord Avatar suffered extensive damage, with its silicone outer layer completely ruined. It was simply not suitable to be seen in public, so it was swiftly returned to the ship and then transported all the way back to the Gao Family Village Advanced Vocational Technical School.
Meanwhile, Gao Yiye, who had just returned from Xi'an, also arrived at the school.
Song Yingxing, Young Master Bai, Wang Hui, Gao Yiyi, Li Da, a large group of graduate students, and a multitude of senior technical engineers gathered around a table, filling the room to capacity.
Gao Yiye said, “Reattaching the silicone outer layer to the No. 2 Avatar is a minor matter. My main purpose in convening you all today is to outline the design requirements for the No. 3 Avatar.”
The group responded, “We are all ears.”
Gao Yiye said, “The Heavenly Lord himself has outlined the following requirements for the No. 3 Avatar. Firstly, both arms are to be equipped with cannons.”
“Uh!” Song Yingxing felt the immense pressure.
Gao Yiye continued, “Next, its feet are to be fitted with wheels, so the Heavenly Lord can enjoy roller skating.”
“Uh!” Wang Hui, too, felt the immense pressure.
Gao Yiye explained, “The above two points are merely requirements put forth by the Heavenly Lord. However, after observing the damage sustained by the No. 2 Avatar this time, I feel it is highly necessary for us to add more meaningful functions to the Heavenly Lord's avatar. We must thoroughly enhance the Heavenly Lord's combat capabilities to prevent his avatar from suffering such severe injuries again. It's... so severely damaged, it's truly disheartening to see.”
Young Master Bai raised his hand. “I agree! The Heavenly Lord is a playful deity who enjoys experiencing the mortal world. If we create a body with more features and greater enjoyment for him, he will surely be delighted.”
Li Da raised his hand. “If it makes the Heavenly Lord happy, I'd wake up smiling even from death.”
That statement was beyond reproach!
Everyone present had received immense grace from the Heavenly Lord, and felt they could never repay him. They all longed to do more for the Heavenly Lord.
Young Master Bai explained, “Creating various functions for the Heavenly Lord's body is actually easier than building cars, because cars require a massive steam engine to run, but the Heavenly Lord's body requires no power source; once the frame is assembled, the Heavenly Lord can move it himself. Therefore... many functions I previously envisioned can actually be incorporated.”
Everyone was greatly surprised. “For example?”
Young Master Bai hummed thoughtfully. “For instance, I once considered mounting cannons on cars, but gave up due to insufficient power. However, equipping the Heavenly Lord's body with cannons presents no problem, and he himself requested that both arms be fitted with cannon barrels. We could even refine it further and install several small flintlock rifles on the Heavenly Lord's body, with their muzzles opening at the elbows, shoulders, and other positions.”
Gao Yiyi raised his hand. “What if we replaced all the ribs with blades? When necessary, all the ribs in the body could flip outwards. Wow, just thinking about it sounds formidable!”
The others exclaimed, “Wow, a genius!”
Wang Hui suggested, “While roller skating is excellent, standing upright creates significant wind resistance and makes balance difficult, so it's not easy to go fast. Instead, why don't we conceal two tires within the Heavenly Lord's waist? Attached to extendable frames, when needed, the Heavenly Lord could lie prone and transform into a four-wheeled glider, which would allow for much greater speed.”
The others exclaimed, “Wow, a genius!”
Everyone brainstormed vigorously, and indeed came up with a host of bizarre ideas, whether useful or not remained to be seen.
However, the scientists of Gao Family Village had long since embraced enlightened thinking. They weren't afraid to try new things; whether something was useful or not could only be known after testing it.
As for failure?
Hey, what was there to fear in failure!
After ten thousand failures, there was bound to be one success.
Be bold, move forward, and get it done.
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