Darkstone Code

After the exhibition ended, the sky had gradually turned dark. It was actually almost six o'clock by then. During daylight saving time, it gets dark later than usual. By six, the sun had set, but the sky was still bright, just not as bright as before.

"Wait a moment..." Lynch was just about to leave with the crowd when Mr. Truman didn't leave with them. Instead, he said, "If you feel bored, you can go outside and have a look. I want to talk to some of them."

Although today's exhibition of non-balloon flight machines mostly ended in failure, the development of fixed-wing aircraft showed significant progress compared to before. The president foresaw that if these people received more resources and funding, they would soon be able to produce a usable aircraft.

Perhaps it can't carry much now, but it at least meets the current needs of the military—to fly over the sea, scouting the assassins hidden beneath the surface.

As for the inventor known as the "egg that can't fly," he was also invited. In fact, he was one of the reasons Mr. Truman came to the exhibition today.

This vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, which does not require a runway, is ideal for current defense needs in the eyes of Mr. Truman and the Navy. It doesn't need a large area to take off and land and is more flexible than a hot air balloon.

Although today's test flight failed, Mr. Truman and the Ministry of Defense still believe that with enough funding, this design can fully become a reality.

So, Mr. Truman and the special envoy from the Ministry of Defense expressed that they could allocate funds to accelerate their research speed, but with some conditions.

Lynch shook his head and said, "It's okay." He didn't leave but stood next to Mr. Truman. It wasn't long before two inventors appeared before them.

"I watched your performance in its entirety. Honestly, I'm very disappointed. This is no joke. Every aircraft needs our excellent young men to fly them."

"I can accept their sacrifice on the front line during military confrontations with the enemy. Sacrificing for the country is the highest honor for soldiers, but I do not allow them to sacrifice due to the foolishness of their own people!"

The special envoy from the Ministry of Defense was also staring at the two, and everyone was watching them, creating a lot of pressure. The inventor of the rotor removed his glasses and said, "I'm sorry."

"No apology needed!" Mr. Truman displayed a kind of charisma. "What you need to do is to make your invention better..." It was evident that the two inventors wanted to say something, but Mr. Truman didn't give them the opportunity.

He raised his hand to stop the two. "Although you failed, I saw progress in you. So, after discussing with the envoy, we decided to allocate part of the military budget to further modify your existing designs."

Hearing this, the two inventors, who were previously in despair, were stunned. It took them a while to react. They swallowed nervously, eyes filled with cautious but greedy gleam looked at Mr. Truman, with one of them asking, "How much?"

"Twenty thousand each initially. If any of you achieve breakthrough progress first, we will add a second grant of no less than thirty thousand, but there is only one opportunity. We currently only need one type of aircraft."

"As for the specific terms, the envoy will discuss them with you!"

Mr. Truman looked at the two with eyes full of spirit. "Please remember, your inventions are related to those young people willing to fight for the country. I don't want them to lose their lives due to design flaws even before seeing the enemy."

"If you really do such a thing, I will have you tried in a military court!" he said, extending his hand in a way that allowed no refusal from the two. "Then, goodbye, gentlemen!"

After bidding farewell to the two, Lynch walked out of the exhibition area, recalling the helicopter control panel he had seen before. It was much more complex than what he saw today. He didn't believe that such a powerful weapon for inland warfare could be developed with the current technology.

But Mr. Truman is not a sentimental person, nor is he easily convinced or deceived. Lynch couldn't help but ask, "I'm curious, how did that inventor of the rotor persuade you, the one that can take off and land vertically?"

As the two just left the flight exhibition area, Truman didn't explain with words. He found a stall selling various flight model toys by the exhibition area and, after paying ten dollars, obtained a handcrafted wooden fixed-wing plane.

He forcefully pulled off the propeller, then clasped his hands over the small stick used to fix it, rubbing vigorously...

The propeller instantly flew up into the sky, so fast, so stable. Mr. Truman looked at Lynch, "That's how he persuaded me. I asked some physicists, and they believe that as long as sufficient force is applied, vertical takeoff and landing is entirely achievable."

Lynch didn't expect that a "bamboo dragonfly" had convinced Truman and the military to allocate funds for something so baseless. But it also showed why the fever of invention and creation continued to burn in the Federation.

He couldn't help but think of the previous advertisements plastered all over the streets, "Airei's Generation, a trace of Aniu's substitute!"

Perhaps it is the easily deceived investors that make the entire invention creation market so hot. Lynch smiled and shook his head, not continuing the topic. Instead, he and Mr. Truman headed to the planned next booth—the harpoon.

The harpoon is something commonly used by fishermen by the sea, and some lazy people also like to use it.

Compared to the slow rhythm of fishing, some people prefer to throw bait in places where fish schools gather, then wait with a harpoon, pull the trigger, and catch a big fish.

In terms of sensory experience, this is much more thrilling than fishing and saves time.

What they were about to see was not just the harpoon, or the harpoon arrow that would be fired, which was the real focus of Mr. Truman's attention.

This time, not only military personnel but also representatives from Vipai Industries and several other military enterprises were present. They would make comprehensive evaluations and then decide.

This inventor was evidently different from the previous ones. He had already enjoyed the dividends of the invention era, having received checks from the Ministry of Defense or military enterprises more than once. Even a technology from this inventor was being used in a torpedo provided by Vipai Industries to the Navy.

This is a typical representative of a successful person. Success allowed him to have more funds to complete his creative ideas, reaping a lot of money without having to work, while also satisfying his hobbies. This is also the reason why many people are engaged in this field.

If nothing unexpected happens, after his inspiration runs dry, he might gradually go bankrupt. He only sells ideas but can't operate, which is the saddest part for these folk inventors. In the face of capital, they don't even have the right to kneel.

The inventor of the harpoon was showcasing his invention in front of a gigantic glass water tank. The exhibition had rounds after rounds of people, except for "one-off" displays like aircraft, everything else was repeatedly showcased.

The inventor was a very lean man with a full beard, wearing high-waisted rubber suspenders that southern farmers and fishermen love because it's waterproof.

But wearing it in the summer was quite torturous because no matter how it defended against external water, the sweat inside would drench them.

As he wiped his sweat, he demonstrated his newly invented harpoon.

"...Did you see, everyone? This process can be very quick, not everyone can notice, so I used special methods to capture some special images..."

"...When our harpoon arrow fires, the gas cartridge inside will eject and rupture, allowing compressed air to burst out of the air hole in front of the harpoon just before it enters the water, creating some bubbles."

"This will significantly increase the initial speed of the harpoon entering the water..."

Mr. Truman, the Ministry of Defense personnel, and representatives from various military industries watched with a serious interest. Lynch didn't quite understand, but judging from their focused and serious expressions, it seemed to be an important invention.

Lynch wasn't very interested in this. After greeting Mr. Truman, he wandered around on his own.

To his surprise, he initially thought radio technology at this time should be sophisticated, but he found himself wrong.

Radio technology had already passed its initial period of mystery. Sometimes, you have to admire these folk scientists and inventors, who always give people a sense of era confusion.

In the most crowded place, Lynch saw a middle-aged man dressed in very avant-garde attire, wearing a helmet modified from a motorcycle helmet, with two spiral coils on it, and seemingly some electric sparks inside the coils.

He was actively introducing his product to others—according to him, just by wearing this helmet and undergoing some quiet meditation for a while, one could discover others' brainwaves without instruments and understand others' inner thoughts.

Two young and attractive girls seemingly didn't believe any of this was real. They wrote something on a piece of paper behind the inventor in advance, and the inventor easily read out what they had written.

More and more people gathered around. Many were eager for the inventor to access their inner thoughts, and no matter what, the inventor could always accurately state the inner thoughts of every person he chose...

A classic scammer, yet people believed it, just like they believe in a profession called Spirit Mediums that can communicate with the deceased, just like they believe in a profession called Divination Masters who can easily grasp others' destinies...

This is an era of rapid scientific and technological advancement, and also an era rampant with fraud. Here, scammers and masters perform on the same stage. Years later, will people look back on this scene and find it comical?

Or will they consider it a precious memory?