At the same time.
The green jeep sped down the road. The atmosphere inside the car, however, was in stark contrast to the external clamor, filled with barely suppressed excitement.
Lin Feng held the box tightly in his arms.
"Old Lin, do you think... this time it's reliable?" asked another Military Affairs Department representative from the passenger seat, looking through the rearview mirror.
"I don't know," Lin Feng shook his head, but his eyes burned with a blazing fire.
"But I have a strong premonition that we might have truly struck gold today! A huge treasure capable of changing the landscape of our country's individual protective equipment!"
"Three thousand yuan each... this price is like a dream," Lin Feng muttered, looking at the rapidly receding scenery outside the window.
"If the performance is truly as he said, even if it's only two-thirds of what's required on the list... no, even if it's only half, it will be a revolutionary breakthrough!"
"Stop guessing!" Lin Feng took a deep breath and said decisively.
"Accelerate! Head to the Liaoning Province Military Equipment Research Institute at the fastest speed!"
"I want to personally witness the test results! Immediately notify all relevant experts at the institute to drop everything and prepare for the highest priority equipment evaluation!"
"Yes!"
The driver floored the accelerator, and the jeep's engine roared.
It sped off even faster, towards the place that would determine the future of countless soldiers.
Everyone carried several hard-shell engineering plastic boxes.
They entered a heavily guarded Military Special Materials and Equipment Research Institute in Liaoning Province.
The air was filled with a rigorous atmosphere.
This was one of Dragon Country's top individual equipment research and development centers.
Researchers hurried about, their faces etched with fatigue and excitement.
Lin Feng's appearance immediately drew everyone's attention.
"Xiao Lin, you're finally here!" An energetic old man with white hair and thick black-rimmed glasses hurried forward to greet him.
His name was Zhang Chengde, the chief engineer of the institute and the overall head of this test.
Old Zhang had dedicated over forty years to the field of protective materials.
The equipment he had tested and the substandard items he had discarded could fill a warehouse.
"Old Zhang, I've troubled you," Lin Feng skipped the pleasantries. He handed the box to Zhang Chengde.
"I've brought the items. I've already briefly reported the situation to you over the phone."
"The instructions from above are to spare no expense, no cost, and to test it thoroughly with the highest specifications and the most stringent standards!"
"Click."
The lid opened, and the tactical helmet lay quietly nestled in shock-absorbing foam. Its design was extremely streamlined. It abandoned the bulkiness of traditional helmets. The lines were rigid yet fluid, and the surface was covered with an extremely fine honeycomb texture.
"Huo, this appearance... it's really not bad," a young researcher named Li Hao couldn't help but lean closer, exclaiming in wonder.
"It looks more sci-fi than our 'Dragon Scale Generation Four' that we're currently working on. Team Leader Lin, was this really... bought from a Hardware Store?"
His question voiced the thoughts of everyone present.
The surrounding researchers gathered around, their eyes filled with scrutiny and curiosity.
And even a hint of... disdain.
A Hardware Store? What kind of international joke was that?
These doctors and professors, using national resources and years of painstaking effort.
Had only barely achieved a small breakthrough in materials science.
What could a Hardware Store possibly come up with?
Could it have been hammered out with wrenches and screwdrivers?
Professor Zhang Chengde did not speak.
He put on a pair of white gloves and gently picked up the helmet.
"Light!"
This was the first word that escaped his lips.
As an old expert who had dealt with protective equipment his entire life. He could roughly estimate the weight with just a touch.
"The total weight, including the liner and suspension system, will not exceed 1.2 kilograms," Old Zhang's voice rang out again.
"That's at least fifteen percent lighter than our lightest active special forces helmet! This is almost impossible while ensuring the same level of protection."
Lightweight is the ultimate goal pursued by all individual equipment.
On the battlefield, one gram lighter means a soldier has more stamina, more mobility, and more hope of survival.
"Don't jump to conclusions yet." He then handed the helmet to Li Hao.
"Xiao Li, follow the procedure. First, conduct a comprehensive non-destructive inspection and preliminary material composition analysis."
"Yes!"
Li Hao took the order.
He immediately placed the helmet into a device resembling a CT machine next to them.
Soon, the computer began to display complex internal structure scans and spectral analysis data.
"Oh my god..." Li Hao's mouth opened wider and wider as he looked at the data on the screen.
"Old Zhang, come and see! This... this is impossible!" Everyone immediately gathered around.
The screen showed that the helmet's main body was not any kind of Kevlar or ceramic composite material they were familiar with.
Spectral analysis revealed a never-before-seen mixture of complex polymers and amorphous alloys.
Its internal structure was not traditional multi-layer stacking and compression.
Instead, it resembled the 3D lattice structure of biological bones, dense and orderly.
"Biomimetic design? Or some kind of additive manufacturing technology we haven't mastered yet?" Professor Zhang Chengde adjusted his glasses.
"This kind of structure could theoretically disperse impact force evenly across the entire helmet at an extremely fast speed..."
"The person who designed this helmet is a genius!"
"Genius or not, we'll know if it's a mule or a horse once we take it out for a spin!" Lin Feng said in a deep voice from the side.
"Old Zhang, let's get straight to the main course! I need the most intuitive and powerful data!"
"Alright!" A determined glint flashed in Zhang Chengde's eyes.
"All personnel, enter Bulletproof Test Field Number One! Initiate the highest specification test protocol!"
...Bulletproof Test Field Number One was a cold, vast space.
The heavy blast-proof walls were covered with various sensors and high-speed cameras.
In the center of the room was a standard human dummy target.
Its head was firmly fixed.
It wore the mysterious helmet from Old Lu Hardware Store.
Inside the helmet, there were also miniature sensors used to detect shockwaves and deformation data.
"First round, conventional pistol bullet test," Zhang Chengde issued instructions through the intercom.
"9mm Parabellum Round, firing distance 15 meters, direct front shot. Prepare!"
In the control room, everyone held their breath.
Although this was the most basic test, it was also a touchstone.
"Fire!"
"Bang!"
A crisp gunshot accurately hit the center of the helmet.
The high-speed cameras on the firing range recorded the entire process at 100,000 frames per second.
In the playback on the large screen, everyone could clearly see.
The moment the bullet touched the helmet's surface, it was like hitting an invisible wall.
The bullet deformed and shattered rapidly, turning into a shower of lead fragments that splattered in all directions.
The helmet, which had been struck, merely trembled slightly.
It didn't even show a significant wobble.
"Check for damage!" Zhang Chengde commanded.
A staff member in protective clothing carefully walked forward.
He examined the impact point with a high-magnification magnifying glass.
"Report! The impact point... only has a white spot less than 0.1 millimeters deep! No indentation, no cracks, no delamination!"
"Hiss—" A collective gasp of cold air echoed in the control room.
"This... this defense is too abnormal, isn't it?" Li Hao murmured.
"Our 'Dragon Scale Generation Three' wouldn't be penetrated by a 9mm round."
"But it would at least leave a noticeable dent, and there would be some internal protrusion and deformation."
"This... it's like just tickling it!"