“Indeed, being superstitious about technology is just as foolish as being superstitious about metaphysics!” Yu Lian nodded, strongly agreeing with Autumn Mountain Yawata.
Autumn Mountain Yawata turned to look at Yu Lian, remained silent for nearly two seconds, then very thoughtfully stepped aside, leaving half of the center position for Yu Lian.
It wasn't until this moment that the man in the white suit and his two companions first became aware of Yu Lian's presence!
“You, who are you?! I haven't seen you before! Are you reinforcements invited by the Kuki-gumi?” Hereili shouted.
“...Well, you could say I'm a technical consultant who happened to stumble upon an injustice,” Yu Lian said with a shrug, his face still hidden in his hood.
“Anyway, let's get back to the main topic. Your so-called alliance's groundbreaking technology is nothing more than an experimental military application of nanomachines, creating optical camouflage with environmental mimicry. But with this experimental stage optical camouflage, I could smell its weaknesses with my eyes closed.”
The theory behind optical camouflage is actually very simple: using versatile nanomachines to simulate the surrounding environment, thereby creating a visually invisible effect.
In Yu Lian's hometown, this concept had already been proposed, but it hadn't been realized due to technical issues. However, in this world where everyone can cross the All-Galaxy, the technical problems have long been solved, but people have not been pursuing this direction.
After all, this is an era where people still install hand-cranked cannons on their cosmic battleships; it's an era where metaphysics and extraordinary powers run rampant. Intelligent people would rather use their ingenuity to delve into mysticism than to turn to the right path.
However, it must also be understood that the technical capabilities of this world truly far exceed those of Yu Lian's previous hometown. Once someone occasionally turns to the right path, the results created can indeed be quite science-fictional.
In Yu Lian's hometown, optical camouflage formed by nanomachines that could deflect vision and fool radar was already considered a success. But here, these more precise nanomachines can even successfully simulate kinetic energy, thermal energy, and even the slightest airflow fluctuations, truly achieving all-round invisibility.
However, even the most perfect invisibility still relies on nanomachines.
“Did you hear those gunshots? I've already moved all the automatic sentry guns to the door. When you give the order to attack, they will automatically fire first at your subordinates left at the main entrance! After all, you initiated the conflict, so we can't just stand by, can we? As for your subordinates who are trying to infiltrate and surround us, they should still be lingering outside the wall. You'd best tell them to retreat quickly, otherwise...” Yu Lian had just finished speaking when gunshots and scattered explosions rang out from the periphery again. But this time, they weren't concentrated at the main gate, but scattered around the walls.
Seeing that everyone looked confused, even Yawata's glasses hid a hint of doubt, Yu Lian decided to be a helpful person and patiently explained: “The electric fence around the plantation and factory area is Winter Company's warning electric fence, which uses wireless power transmission technology. If you modify the power transmission program and regulate it at high frequencies, it is actually possible to generate a magnetic storm effect.”
At this point, Yu Lian said to Autumn Mountain: “You have good taste! Winter Company is considered one of the more conscientious and technologically advanced industrial enterprises in our Commonwealth! It's just that their products aren't very durable; you'll probably have to replace the entire electric wall later.”
Autumn Mountain Yawata suddenly realized, but said expressionlessly: “Winter Power Company is my mother's family business.”
“I knew it. Security and gangsters have always been one family,” Yu Lian sneered.
In any case, we all know that magnetic storms will greatly interfere with the operation of nanomachines.
Ultimately, the optical camouflage technology just developed by the Alliance was still experimental. How the nanomachines should be configured for the best camouflage effect and most stable operation was still being tested by them.
In fact, truly mature military-grade nano-optical camouflage still required considerable testing and improvement, and the Alliance only officially announced this new equipment to the All-Galaxy four years later. Prior to that, they had already tested it several times in various secret operations both domestically and abroad.
The Alliance military constantly experimented with the lives of both enemies and their own people, continuously improving, and only then determined the final product.
However, even the most mature nano-optical camouflage always carries the risk of malfunctioning when encountering strong magnetic storms, electronic interference, EMPs, and so on.
This problem was only solved when the Konami people, the most skilled in biotechnology in the All-Galaxy, conducted reverse research on space amoebas. They ultimately did not achieve the goal of taming and raising amoebas, but through research into some biological characteristics of this cosmic creature, they successfully achieved the effect of biological environmental mimicry.
Then, their technological achievements became the result of “cooperation with the Alliance.”
And then, optical camouflage technology, combining biological mimicry with more advanced nanomachines, became standard equipment for Alliance elite special forces and agents, completely changing the mode of special warfare. Even super-spiritual energy users like Guerrillas and Administrative Bureau Executives eagerly sought out this “mortal equipment.”
I remember that the Konami people developed this technology more than ten years later, and I don't know what stage it's at now. If possible, I could try some small maneuvers first...
Additionally, according to unofficial rumors in later generations, the reason the Alliance had such a groundbreaking idea to develop this epoch-making personal stealth and special warfare equipment was precisely to counter the Demon Child drone warning system—it was said that because the Iron People sold many Demon Children to terrorists and local rebels within the Alliance nations, Alliance agents had suffered several losses.
Thinking about it this way, there was indeed a reason why the Iron People's United Kingdom met such a tragic end in later generations.
This was also why Yu Lian immediately guessed that optical camouflage might appear when she saw those Demon Child drones.
As she knew, the All-Unification Church had an unclear and complicated relationship with some behind-the-scenes forces of the Alliance. It was understandable that the Norman Gang could get some military prototypes.
Using various peripheral and black-gloved organizations to test new weapons was also a consistent practice of the Alliance military.
...Of course, it wouldn't matter if it didn't appear; at most, an electric grid would be damaged. Anyway, Autumn Mountain Yawata would reimburse it. It was also a good opportunity to test if her improvised, civilian-to-military conversion skills had gotten rusty.
Fortunately, Yu Lian's skills had not gotten rusty, and her efforts were not in vain. The sudden magnetic storm cycles through the electric grid made the infiltrators wearing optical camouflage armor unable to hide. They were dumbfounded, trying to contact Hereili but couldn't, and for a moment, they didn't know whether to force an attack or retreat.
These people were all top enforcers of the Norman Gang, but even the most elite were still just gangster thugs by standard, completely lacking the calmness and decisiveness of true military elites. Just as they hesitated, the Demon Child drones, under Yu Lian's remote control, swooped towards the four sides of the wall.
The sparrow-sized drones didn't carry many weapons, but their original purpose was just to delay the enemy and guide the automatic sentry guns to arrive. This task was more than enough for them.
The twelve Norman Gang top enforcers, carrying invaluable optical camouflage and heavy weapons, mostly died in a confused manner under the combined air and ground strike. A few more alert ones, upon discovering that the supposedly miraculous optical camouflage wouldn't activate and hearing gunshots in the distance, realized the situation was dire. They decisively plunged into the nearby woods and disappeared without a trace.
“Your subordinates outside should all be dead!” Autumn Mountain Yawata said to Hereili. “Surrender now, and I can give you a way out.”
Everyone from the Kuki-gumi, including Uncle Six, was still in a daze. They had been struggling to follow the conversation since earlier, only seeing Yawata and Yu Lian chatting and laughing about things they completely didn't understand, and couldn't help but sigh that educated people were indeed different.
...Anyway, from what they're saying, we've won? Is that right?
The first to react was surprisingly Hereili, the enemy. He gnashed his teeth, staring at Yu Lian, then retreated into the car again, slamming the door shut with a “bang,” actually leaving his two companions outside.
This was a luxury car fitted with military armor and shields. If he were to focus solely on accelerating out, everyone probably wouldn't be able to stop him.
However, just as everyone thought he would do so, he shouted from inside the car: “Two Masters! I'll leave it to you! Take down Autumn Mountain Yawata! The Autumn Mountain family only has this one heir left! Take him down, and our situation will still have a chance!”
The two burly men nodded, looking at the Kuki-gumi's armed men with contempt, as if sizing up a group of lower beings. Then they swaggered towards everyone.
Everyone in the Kuki-gumi couldn't help but be amused. These two men in tight combat suits looked very capable of fighting, but they were still just two people. Yet there were fifty or sixty people here, all fully armed, blood-stained gangster elites, even with power exoskeletons and heavy firepower. Did they really think the Kuki-gumi men were made of paper?
“Take them down!” Uncle Six shouted.
Several people in the front row raised their guns and opened fire. A hail of bullets whistled towards them, threatening to tear the men to shreds at any moment. But just then, one of the men spread his hands, unfurling a translucent light barrier, as if pulling open armor, blocking all the bullets outside, sending sparks flying.
The other man, meanwhile, accelerated again, his entire body suddenly transforming into an invisible storm, instantly sweeping past everyone. In just two or three seconds, he had already covered a distance of nearly a hundred meters, heading straight for Autumn Mountain Yawata behind the crowd. The armed Kuki-gumi elite thugs Present were completely unable to stop him.
Indeed, they didn't know how to intercept the wind.
However, just before that storm was about to engulf Autumn Mountain Yawata, a hand abruptly reached out, directly plunging into the swirling wind.
Then, as if by magic, that hand miraculously held down the violent currents of air. The formless, intangible storm, under the restraint of that hand, found itself unable to break free.
Then, immediately after, that hand suddenly exerted force, slamming the entire mass of air to the ground. With a “boom,” the airflow re-condensed into a human body, restoring the original burly man in the tight combat suit.
His back of the head was held by a hand, and his face was pressed directly onto the ground. His limbs twitched, unable to move, still like a frog with its head cut off.
“Elementalization of the body? The biggest problem with you nouveau riche spiritual energy users is that you like to show off your power! But, you idiot, that's not how spiritual energy users fight!”
Yu Lian, the owner of the hand, said in a flat, uninteresting tone.