King Of War: Starting with Arms Dealer

Within one to two years, the current Talus armor can be made practical.

If you're interested in investing in mass production, the cost will certainly drop significantly."

Joe Ga has no desire to invest in mass production; all he wants is an intelligent frontline command terminal that meets his needs, along with the helmet's built-in Intelligent Assistance System. He can handle the rest himself.

You're kidding yourself. With so many P.B. soldiers, even if the cost drops to $500,000 per set, Joe couldn't afford it.

To be fair, the technology in that helmet is absolutely sufficient, but it's not exactly one-of-a-kind.

The joint helmet of the F-22 fighter has similar functionality. Its appearance has made controlling the aircraft significantly simpler for pilots.

'Cobra' once said to Joe Ga that the more advanced the fighter, the simpler it becomes to operate.

The purpose of the Intelligent Assistance System is to make everything idiot-proof!

For Joe, what's truly valuable in this system is the software. He can handle the hardware himself.

Because external scanning can record and copy the software together, but the Talus system itself is still incomplete. The stuff these scientists have cobbled together can't fully meet P.B.'s needs, so the software still needs upgrades and modifications.

Johnny Payne, seeing Joe wasn't refuting him, excitedly picked up the Flex Armor and said, "Sir, please try this on. It's the core of the future Talus armor..."

Joe Ga, curious about Johnny Payne's demeanor, took the Flex Armor and felt it for a moment before putting it on like a wetsuit.

As Johnny Payne helped zip it up from the back, Joe instantly felt the Flex Armor tightening.

It stopped contracting only when it snugly adhered to his muscles, leaving Joe with a sensation of complete stiffness.

This feeling wasn't particularly pleasant—excessive tightness left his muscles in a prolonged state of tension, which would lead to quick fatigue.

Joe took a few uneasy steps, shook his head, and said, "This thing is uncomfortable to wear. Beyond being bulletproof, what else does it do...?"

Johnny Payne stepped in front of Joe, pulled out a patch from the sleeve of the Flex Armor, and adhered it to Joe's hand.

Then, he led Joe to a crate, retrieved a silver toolbox from within, opened it, and revealed a mechanical arm inside.

Fiddling with the power connection for the mechanical arm, he turned to Joe and said, "Sir, you can try moving the arm..."

Joe instantly realized something. Curious, he extended his arm and clenched his fist, and then something magical happened...

The mechanical arm mimicked Joe's movements precisely, without a trace of delay.

Compared to the motion-capture systems used in movies, this was lighter and displayed an unprecedented level of detail in sensing capabilities.

Seeing Joe enthusiastically experiment with the arm's movements, Johnny Payne coughed lightly and said, "Sir, the Flex Armor you're wearing contains embedded sensing chips. It can..."

"It cannot..."

Joe decisively interrupted, shaking his head. "Don't tell me you want to develop Iron Man suits from the movies, or those oversized robots that should only exist in cartoons.

Without reliable power sources, even if you make this thing, it'll just be a glorified toy.

I've seen Raytheon Company's mechanical exoskeleton—it's ridiculously cool, but in real combat? It wouldn't last twenty minutes before running out of power."

Johnny Payne, realizing Joe was too rational to be fooled, sighed helplessly, picked up the Digital Googles accessory for the Flex Armor, and said, "Sir, maybe Iron Man suits aren't achievable in the short term, but that doesn't mean we should give up, right?

Actually, the energy problem isn't hard to solve. For now, we don't need to focus on miniaturizing the powered exoskeleton. We can develop an unmanned combat support platform.

For example, an unmanned armored vehicle—its technology is already mature. With simple software modifications, we can use this sensing armor for remote control.

In future collaboration between armored infantry, vehicles won't even need drivers; they can operate or attack based on infantry needs."

Johnny Payne looked sincerely at Joe and said, "Sir, if you give me one billion US dollars, I can refine this sensing armor. Its application range is incredibly broad; it doesn't have to be limited to weaponry.

Exploration robots, engineering robots—anything requiring meticulous mechanical control can utilize sensing armor for remote operation.

Sir, if you're willing to invest, I'm willing to sell you 60% of the company shares."

Joe Ga knew that the so-called 'unmanned armored support platform' was just a ploy to get him to invest. Such things wouldn't require sensors this complicated.

Looking at Johnny Payne, he remarked with awe, "Buddy, I'm extremely impressed by your imagination—alongside your ability to ask for money."

As he glanced at the Talus armor and then at the sensing armor he was wearing, Joe finally understood where the previous two billion dollars had gone.

Exoskeleton armor wouldn't cost that much. He had thought Johnny Payne suffered from the American research institutions' typical habit of overspending, but now he realized that a significant portion of that money had been spent on the sensing armor he wore.

More sensitive, lighter, new materials—a breakthrough indeed, but practical implementation would take many more years.

Joe trusted Johnny Payne's claim about the sensing armor's intelligent remote-control capabilities, but in his view, the best use of such technology was for controlling robots in combat.

Just imagine—if robots could fully replicate human movements, perhaps one day gamers equipped with omnidirectional wheels could command robots to fight wars thousands of kilometers away.

Watching Johnny Payne's eager expression, Joe decisively took off the sensing armor. Dressing himself, he said, "I need to see some project progress before deciding whether to invest in the sensing armor project.

You've taken an important first step, but you haven't attracted investments from major players like Raytheon Company, which means your product still has flaws.

I have the money, but I need to see something that truly moves me..."

Johnny Payne, hearing this, excitedly said, "Sir, I can assemble a team to head to Central Africa to upgrade the frontline command terminal. I'll also bring a few robots over to refine the sensing armor's control system.

We've conducted numerous experiments, and with the current system, it's fully capable of controlling robots within signal range to perform identical tactical maneuvers.

Although there are still many issues to resolve, at this stage, utilizing helmets to access the robot's perspective enables effective robotic combat control.

I can refine the intelligent system and first give you an auxiliary robot for trial.

Sir, combat isn't everything in this world!

There are countless places humans can't reach—robots will be the key to exploration.

Sensing armor is the best tool for controlling robots. We'll be rich!"