Chapter 59: You Call This a Model?
“Manufacturing and assembly took one hour.” After an hour, when the last machine tool ceased operation, the produced hull section was delivered to the assembly area, and everyone grew eager with anticipation.
“So, how is it? Why is it still covered?” The spectators craned their necks, desperate to see what lay behind the curtain.
He Xingzhou emerged from the assembly area and announced loudly, “Ladies and gentlemen, after an hour of parts manufacturing and assembly, we have completed the aerospace mothership model!”
“Next, it will meet you all!”
“Three, two, one, unveil!” With those words, the curtain slowly drew back, revealing the aerospace mothership model hidden behind.
“A model?” Kengo Nomura’s eyes widened in astonishment, and he couldn’t help but exclaim.
“Did they really make this?” A German expert nearly stood up in disbelief.
“No, no, no, it’s just an exquisite shell, it must be!” Experts from the Lighthouse Nation and Gaul declared, unwilling to believe what they saw matched the grand claims.
Meanwhile, the audience collectively erupted with excitement.
“Wow, that’s so cool!”
“So imposing! Truly amazing—they actually built it!”
“Incredible, absolutely incredible!”
“They call it a model, but I feel like I could sit inside and pilot it!”
“My goodness, this is more thrilling than watching a blockbuster—it looks like something straight out of a sci-fi movie!”
Some spectators screamed in excitement, countless cameras focused on the object, snapping photos and recording videos nonstop.
Online viewers saw this technological marvel simultaneously.
Before their eyes was a “Great Eagle” painted in azure blue, its size comparable to a heavy-duty truck, massive and imposing.
Its shape resembled a soaring eagle, with twin wings and a tail wing, and a bulky central hull. Through the transparent canopy, one could see an array of intricate parts and structures inside.
Since it was a model, its internal structure wasn’t strictly rigid; the shell could be opened externally to observe the interior.
On one side of the aerospace mothership model, several armor plates were deliberately left open, exposing various compartments and component modules.
At first glance, the audience was dazzled; the complex structure gave them an inexplicable sense of awe.
Then the camera began zooming in.
“Everyone, please look at the big screen—it shows an enlarged view of the internal structure,” He Xingzhou said.
The image on the screen continuously magnified.
At ten times zoom, the compartments became clearly visible; the machine tools had processed without a single error!
At twenty times zoom, the audience could already discern the texture of the parts.
At one hundred times zoom, no flaws could be found even at this extreme magnification!
In fact, at a hundredfold magnification, the model appeared as if it were real. If not for the camera’s scale indicator, viewers might have thought it was the actual aerospace mothership!
“My goodness, the detail is incredible! At a hundred times zoom, it looks even more impressive!” the crowd exclaimed.
“Not to exaggerate, this model is more remarkable than cars I’ve bought for millions!”
“I’ve studied it carefully for a while and can only say two words: perfect! Flawless!”
“Ahhh! I want one so badly!”
“Can you actually sit inside this model?”
He Xingzhou continued, “The machining precision of this model is exactly the same as demonstrated by our machine tools earlier. All critical components can operate normally.”
“For instance, now, let’s start it up!”
He Xingzhou shouted, “Aerospace mothership, activate!”
Equipped with an intelligent controller, the model recognized He Xingzhou’s voice command, emitting a roar as the magnetic levitation motors began to operate!
Under the incredulous eyes of the audience, this colossal object, comparable to a heavy-duty truck, actually “flew”!
Controlled by He Xingzhou, it even levitated magnetically and flew around the exhibition hall!
“Ladies and gentlemen, its current weight exceeds one hundred tons,” He Xingzhou added.
“One hundred tons?” Hearing this, the foreign experts and entrepreneurs were stunned!
They had witnessed with their own eyes that all parts were manufactured on-site; the assembly area was initially empty, and there were no mechanisms backstage to bring parts in from elsewhere.
This meant every component was produced by the machine tools themselves. A magnetic levitation motor unit capable of supporting over a hundred tons was manufactured right here!
Not a single screw or bearing was bought externally!
Now that this aerospace mothership model could “take off,” no further tests were needed to confirm the machine tool’s processing technology was flawless!
“They really made it!” Kengo Nomura’s heart raced with shock—China had truly attained such an advanced level of industrial manufacturing!
“Just the magnetic levitation motor unit alone proves the machine tools are flawless,” a German expert said with a face full of dread. “If the other functional components are equally sound, that’s terrifying—they have mastered most cutting-edge industrial machine tools!”
“Is this really just a model?” a Lighthouse Nation expert asked himself as the aerospace mothership slowly hovered before him.
“This thing, with a few modifications, could become a heavy armored weapon capable of magnetic levitation flight! This is terrifying and must be reported to headquarters immediately!”
He was not only an expert but also a member of the Lighthouse Nation’s intelligence agency.
“How could this be? They actually made it? Who exactly is He Xingzhou?” other international visitors remained stunned.
The crowd enthusiastically took photos, applauded, and cheered.
Viewers in the live broadcast room flooded the chat with messages, shares, and virtual gifts; the stream’s popularity soared. Several streaming platforms, unprepared for such an audience for a model reveal, crashed repeatedly.
Among the on-site spectators, when the aerospace mothership model floated before Liang An, he could no longer contain his excitement and stood up, tears streaming down his face.
Seeing this, a nearby reporter immediately sensed a newsworthy story.
He quickly handed over a microphone and asked, “Sir, I’m a reporter from Tech Frontier. May I ask why you are so moved?”
At that moment, the director switched the camera to focus on Liang An, and the live audience grew curious.
Young people screaming with excitement was one thing, but this elderly gentleman appeared composed, so why was he moved to tears?
Liang An had much to say; he stood and accepted the interview.
He Xingzhou remained silent, listening intently.
“The reason I am crying is that I see a new hope for our nation’s machine tools and industry—a hope unseen for decades!” Liang An said. “I am the factory director of Qinzhou Machine Tool Plant, Liang An.”
“Do you know the current state of our country’s machine tool enterprises? In 2008, two of the world’s top ten machine tool factories were from China! The others were from Germany, Sakura Nation, and the United States.”
“But over the years, German, Sakura Nation, and U.S. enterprises’ revenues have soared, and now there is no Chinese machine tool factory in the top ten.”
“Our four major domestic machine tool factories are struggling: Fengtian Machine Tool is deeply in the red; Liaodong Machine Tool has gone bankrupt; Chuncheng Machine Tool has delisted. Only Qinzhou Machine Tool Plant is still holding on!”
“Today, our country’s machine tool market accounts for one-third of the global scale, yet we cannot produce a single enterprise ranking in the global top ten?”
“That’s because we lack ultra-precision machining machine tools! This has been our nightmare for decades! Like a specter haunting my heart!”
“Until today, when I see the exhibition hall here, see Longteng Machine Tools, and the aerospace mothership model they produced!”
“I know the moment China’s machine tools surpass the world has come! One day we will finally gain mastery over ultra-precision industrial manufacturing; from now on, we will no longer be constrained! I have waited so long for this day, and I weep tears of joy!”
His voice grew more impassioned and stirring as he spoke.