King Of War: Starting with Arms Dealer

Johnny Payne is the quintessential research-oriented CEO...

He's got plenty of business savvy, but his scientific yearning always seems to take the lead.

Such people often veer off course in their research, but this kind of 'misstep' is sometimes the very reason great ideas are born.

Because science is inherently uncertain—sometimes a flash of inspiration combined with good fortune creates something truly extraordinary.

This Talus Flex Armor is one such invention!

It's made of a new material Joe Ga had never seen before. To call it miraculous would be an exaggeration, but once impacted forcefully, the material hardens locally, enough to deflect a handgun bullet.

The most intriguing part is that this armor, which looks like a wetsuit, has an inner lining of thin patches that emulate an exoskeleton structure.

When Johnny Payne roughly explained the origins and purpose of the armor, Joe Ga unhesitatingly stripped down to his underwear and, with Johnny Payne and another lab-coated assistant helping him, began fitting the flexible patches inside the armor.

Truth be told, Joe Ga wasn't particularly interested in the Flex Armor itself. Since it only guarded against handgun bullets, it seemed a bit redundant to him—after all, his suits provided the same capability, with even better performance.

What really piqued Joe Ga's interest was the thin, flexible exoskeletal patches. At just 8 millimeters thick, these patches had incredibly strong adhesive properties.

Much like the ankle wraps and knee tapes athletes use, the moment these patches adhered, Joe Ga immediately felt his joints were better protected, with plenty of elasticity to boot.

After fastening the patches to the outside of his body and at joint areas, Joe Ga bounced a few times in place, and with a slightly disappointed shake of his head...

"What's the point of this? You spent all that money just to invent high-tech athletic tape?"

Johnny Payne chuckled bitterly, walked up to Joe Ga, and said, "Sir, you should really try carrying a load. This flexible exoskeleton can distribute around 30% of external weight without affecting mobility in the slightest. Most importantly, it reduces impact and protects the body's joints.

Paired with the bullet-resisting Flex Armor and the smart helmet, it's theoretically the best combat suit."

Joe Ga didn't rush to try the so-called Flex Armor. Instead, he stepped over to a front-line terminal, bent down, and hefted the device.

As soon as he felt the weight on his body, Joe Ga noticeably experienced the flexible exoskeleton distributing a portion of the load, effectively alleviating pressure on his knees and lower back.

A front-line terminal weighing over 40 kilograms no longer felt quite so heavy.

Joe Ga put the terminal down and reached to pinch a spot where the exoskeleton connected at his waist and thighs. He noticed there seemed to be several special fibers inside.

This thing appeared capable of hardening in response to pressure transmitted from other areas. Its unique directional structure ensured it wouldn't hinder Joe Ga's movements.

At this point, Joe Ga caught onto something. He dashed forward a few steps, then leaped forcefully. When he landed, he clearly felt that while the exoskeleton didn't significantly aid running or jumping, it did excel at dissipating external impacts.

Take, for example, landing from a height—the flexible exoskeleton could effectively reduce the stress on his knees and other joints from the impact.

Structurally, it wasn't fundamentally different from ordinary exoskeletons, but its lightweight and agile design, combined with added load-bearing capability and enhanced shock resistance, made Mr. Joe delight in it.

Johnny Payne watched Mr. Joe, clad only in underwear, repeatedly testing various movements with seeming relish. He chuckled nervously and said, "Sir, you should really give the Flex Armor a try—being adequately protected is crucial, right?"

Joe Ga stopped moving upon hearing this, nodded with a smile, and said, "Alright, let's give it a shot...

Relax, man. You've got the funding now.

As long as you don't waste the money, your Talus Armor project can keep going.

I'm very interested in equipping my soldiers, but I need you to simplify the helmet's features for me—make them more user-friendly and modularized so I can configure them according to different troop types.

We both know that what you really need to focus on next is software optimization. My suggestion? Build a lab in Central Africa. If you can find enough engineers, there are plenty of soldiers there to help you complete the software refinement and testing.

Digitization and intelligence are the future trends. I've got unmanned drones as front-line terminals, and if you can develop a functional smart front-line terminal system compatible with the drones, I'd be more than willing to fund it."

As Joe Ga spoke, he watched Johnny Payne's growing excitement and said with a smile, "Don't get too excited just yet. Since this involves software upgrades, you can't expect me to put up too much cash, can you?"

Johnny Payne responded with an immediate nod, saying, "Sir, I've heard about your unmanned drones and know that Cubic Corporation helped upgrade their data links, control systems, and sensors...

I'm good friends with the vice president of Cubic Corporation, and he's the one who recommended you to me.

Everything you're asking for is doable. With $50 million to $80 million US Dollars, I can arrange for engineers to head to Central Africa to conduct intelligent system debugging and integration."