The alloy floor of the demonstration field was plated with a cold hue by the morning light. Nine silver-gray Mechanical Exoskeletons were neatly arranged, their shoulder armor tactical lights flashing rhythmically in standby mode, like dormant steel beasts.
As Colonel Liu and his entourage entered the field, Zhāng Lěi was kneeling on one knee, checking the equipment clasps. The Exoskeleton's hydraulic device emitted a faint hum with his movements, and the metal joints produced a dull echo against the ground.
"Colonel Liu, the basic tactical demonstration will now begin," Chén Yǔ raised his hand to signal. The electronic screen at the side of the field instantly lit up, displaying the benchmark data for standard military training programs.
Zhāng Lěi suddenly stood up, and the auxiliary power unit on the Exoskeleton's back suddenly activated. He first completed a 100-meter sprint, with the timer stopping at 11.03 seconds. This was nearly 2 seconds faster than the excellent standard for Army Special Forces, and he was still carrying a 30-kilogram simulated ammunition box.
Next was the 400-meter obstacle run. When he used the Exoskeleton's jumping module to leap over a 2.5-meter high wall, Major Li's pen almost slipped from his hand: "Even with help from a booster, an ordinary soldier might not be able to clear this. What is he...?"
"The Exoskeleton's ankle joints are equipped with micro-ejection devices that can provide a transient thrust of 1.2 tons," Chén Yǔ's voice sounded at the right moment, and the screen simultaneously played a slow-motion analysis. "Combined with the posture sensors in the waist, it can automatically correct the center of gravity shift in mid-air."
Even more impressive was the shooting segment. Zhāng Lěi, wearing the Exoskeleton, lay down, and the robotic arm steadily held the simulated rifle. All 10 consecutive shots hit the bullseye 100 meters away. After removing the equipment, there was no indentation on his shoulder socket: "The Exoskeleton's shock absorption system can absorb 80% of the recoil. Even with 100 consecutive shots, the aiming accuracy is not affected."
Colonel Liu tapped his fingertips on his knees. It was only when he saw Zhāng Lěi march five kilometers carrying a 150-kilogram heavy mortar with one hand, his heart rate stable at 120 beats per minute throughout the entire process, that he quietly said to his aide: "Record these figures and compare them with our mountain brigade's training syllabus."
The basic demonstration concluded, and everyone moved to a three-story simulated building constructed from modular building materials. This was a hostage rescue scenario designed by Xiè Qīngyuàn based on the structure of a typical urban residential building. The 12 red dots represented the perpetrators, and the 8 green dots represented the hostages being held, distributed in different rooms.
"Next, we will demonstrate tactical coordination." Chén Yǔ pressed the remote control. Zhāng Lěi led 8 security team members forward quickly. The Exoskeleton's Helmet Display instantly connected to the server at the side of the field. "They are using civilian-grade Drones and FPV drones, but through our data link system, they can achieve response speeds equivalent to military standards."
At Zhāng Lěi's command, 9 quadcopter Drones suddenly took off. Three of them quickly ascended to an altitude of 50 meters, and their infrared scanners performed a three-dimensional model of the entire building. In less than 10 seconds, a precise centimeter-level 3D map was generated on the team members' Helmet Displays, with the positions of hostages and perpetrators updated in real-time. The other 6 flew low, accompanying them like a swarm of metallic bees circling the team members.
"Team A assaults the first floor, Team B rappels from the rooftop."
Zhāng Lěi's commands were transmitted through bone conduction headphones, and the Exoskeleton's communication system automatically encrypted the frequency band. As he led his team members to break down the anti-theft door, the accompanying FPV drones rushed into the room first. The high-definition cameras instantly captured the positions of two perpetrators, and the AI System identified the simulated AK-47s in their hands within 0.3 seconds, marking the predicted trajectory on the Helmet Display.
"Perpetrator on the left locked, hostage on the right is safe."
The Mechanical Exoskeleton's tactical computer automatically assigned tasks. Zhāng Lěi's robotic arm deployed a simulated tranquilizer dart launcher, while the team member in the adjacent room simultaneously received the pincer attack order. The entire process was seamless. Just as the perpetrators raised their guns, they were blinded by the strong light projected by the FPV drones and then subdued by precisely hit tranquilizer darts in their shoulder sockets.
The rescue on the third floor was a textbook demonstration. Two perpetrators were hiding behind hostages. The FPV drone suddenly drilled in through a ventilation duct and projected a holographic jamming round—this was a civilian special effects module specially developed by Xīngchén Company, capable of simulating the effect of a flashbang. The moment the perpetrators closed their eyes, Zhāng Lěi's Exoskeleton suddenly activated, pouncing like a tiger descending from a mountain. The simulated stun baton of the robotic arm accurately touched the perpetrator's wrist, and the simulated AK-47 was instantly dropped.
From entry to clearing all targets, the entire process took only 7 minutes and 19 seconds. When the last hostage was escorted out, the security team members playing the simulated perpetrators were still lying on the ground, their Helmet Displays showing their "counter-attack effectiveness rate" as zero.
Colonel Liu stood up, and applause echoed in the empty demonstration field. He walked up to Zhāng Lěi and reached out to touch the Exoskeleton's armor plate: "Can this thing be used in plateau mountainous terrain? In an environment of minus forty degrees Celsius, how long can the battery life be guaranteed?"
"We conducted extreme tests at Kunlun Pass. In an environment of -45℃, the battery life retention rate is 75%. With added insulation modules, it can reach 90%," Zhāng Lěi replied standing at attention. "Furthermore, for the hypoxic environment of high altitudes, the Exoskeleton's oxygen supply system is compatible with individual soldier carrying equipment."
Colonel Liu turned to Chén Yǔ, his eyes showing undisguised admiration: "Director Chen, we'll take 6,000 sets of the basic model." He paused and added, "Also, regarding the Joint Laboratory matter, I have instructed the logistics department to draft the contract, and it can be signed tomorrow. The practical combat parameters you need will be fully supported by the Army Special Operations Brigade."
As Xiè Qīngyuàn handed over the prepared agreement, a segment from the movie "Border Rescue" was playing on the electronic screen, showing special forces members rescuing hostages. Reality and the movie scenes overlapped at this moment. Colonel Liu looked at the words "Xīngchén-Army Joint R&D Center" on the agreement and suddenly smiled: "So, things from the movies can really become reality."
Chén Yǔ looked at the team members unloading their equipment in the demonstration field, and the "Emotional Value +" prompts on the system panel kept popping up.