Chapter 146: How Many Scientists Do You Need?

Perhaps due to the intensified mental resonance, the cellular efficiency and coordination of the Fountain's Might were also increasing.

That previous blow was more than enough to test the current passive performance of the Fountain Armor.

The physiological structure of a vampire differs vastly from that of a human, but the abdomen remains one of the weak points lacking skeletal protection. Striking someone in the abdomen gives an intuitive look at the armor's defense; well, striking a vampire is no different.

The attachment of active metal is relatively simple, so Wu You did not plan to immediately install defensive outer exoskeletons on the Fountain Armor.

Now is the time to resolve some technical hurdles that are minor issues for alchemical creatures, but major problems for ordinary users.

For instance, the integration of small mechanical devices, transparent eye protection, and ideally, some data display functionality.

Ah, it would be even better if there were custom-designed weapon attachments specifically tailored for the armor.

In fact, as a biological armor that possesses active sentience and can communicate mentally with the user, certain information can be completely conveyed through telepathic communication.

For example, the Fountain Armor can directly inform the user in their mind of the remaining biological energy stored within the Fountain cells; it can directly tell the user the ambient temperature, humidity, and toxin levels; it can also let the user understand how high they will be able to jump and how fast they will move through mutual influence and mental synchronization.

Even further, it can grant the user a sixth biological sense, functioning like a powerful organic radar.

And the wondrous part is that all of this is communicated through thought and consciousness.

Often, the user simply knows this information quite naturally.

Upon arriving at a new environment, the composition of the gases and the temperature naturally register in the mind; upon seeing a cluster of boulders and a small cliff, one naturally understands that they can leap up there.

Moreover, it can sense cells of the same kind—namely, the cells of the Fountain's Might—allowing you to know where your companions are.

A creature's energy utilization rate is far superior to that of machinery.

One hundred grams of sugar can sustain a human-sized creature's movement and vitality for a long time, but if you replace it with a machine of the same size, sorry, a kilogram of gasoline wouldn't even last it a dozen minutes of squandering.

Meanwhile, the energy utilization rate of the Fountain's Might cells is astonishingly high; indeed, the energy utilization rates of all alchemical creatures are quite formidable.

The Fountain cells can also absorb and replenish their own energy through ambient thermal energy, water vapor, and the surface of contact with the earth, though it is naturally better if the user stops and "feeds" it something.

Therefore, theoretically, the Fountain's Might possesses an extremely long operational duration. Due to its high efficiency in engulfing and replenishing, as long as the combat intensity is not so high that it never stops,

otherwise, as long as the user is given a moment to catch their breath, the Fountain will be a terrifying existence akin to a perpetual motion machine.

The premise is that the user can withstand their own physical hunger and mental fatigue.

However, incorporating some technological elements should be extremely cool, and it would make it easier to form systematic units to interface with other equipment.

At the end of the day, things like GPS positioning and remote communication would be immensely useful, and without the need to hang batteries or anything similar, the Fountain cells can completely react to generate bio-electricity.

Using it for discharge attacks might be unreliable, but it is more than enough to power these small devices.

While Wu You was lost in thought, the vampire stood quietly to the side, attempting to communicate with the Fountain Armor using mental waves.

Such moments gave Karl an extraordinary sense of honor.

Because of the special nature of the Fountain's Might, Karl was allowed to participate in the master's gradual testing and refinement process.

In its perception, what the Fountain's Might could achieve would undoubtedly be groundbreaking, and it was participating in a tiny link of that process.

So far, none of the other alchemical creatures had been granted this distinction.

Vampire Karl desperately hoped that the master would strike it a few more punches or conduct other extreme tests.

If it were to "unfortunately" die during the testing, that truly would be the perfection of existence!

Unfortunately, Wu You was merely standing aside in thought, seemingly with no intention of delivering a few more blows.

Karl let out an internal sigh.

Wu You had long understood that alchemical creatures held a mindset of looking up to him as their supreme master, but had he known what Vampire Karl was thinking at this moment, he would realize that such sentiment sometimes reached an utterly appalling degree.

A peculiar mental fluctuation emanated from the vampire.

Wu You had never experienced mental fluctuations that could carry such a high degree of "viscosity."

The vampire, of course, felt it just as well. It had been continuously conducting conscious communication with the Fountain Armor, and at this exact instant, the communication suddenly flowed unimpeded.

It gave Karl a strange sense of mental synchronization with the armor on its body, making the armor feel like an extension of its own flesh.

Karl could feel what it felt, which struck the vampire as exceptionally novel.

"Master, I feel like it has truly come alive; it can perceive my bodily information."

Wu You immediately dropped his train of thought.

"Do you feel like it conserves effort now?"

The vampire leaped in place a few times and punched into the empty air.

The wind whipped up by its movement was clearly audible from the side.

"It's amazing. Even if I don't exert my own strength, as long as I genuinely think about throwing a punch, it accurately follows the trajectory in my mind and drives my right fist out."

Wu You took out his notebook and recorded the information along with the previous defense test data.

"How great is the strength?"

"Without factoring in my own deliberate exertion of strength, it should be close to eighty percent of my full-strength strike."

After sensing it, Karl reported a precise figure.

Eighty percent? Wu You frowned slightly.

Vampires are not strength-type creatures; eighty percent of their punching strength would merely be around the intermediate Bronze tier.

This is certainly a remarkable level of strength, though slightly lower than what he had anticipated.

"Wait, Master! I want to try again."

Karl suddenly spoke up, stopping Wu You from continuing his notes.

It leaned its body slightly backward and clenched its fists tightly.

Wu You could see the muscle fibers on the surface of the Fountain Armor working in unison, twisting together like steel cables.

Karl took aim at the remaining stump of the Chinese fir tree that had just snapped.

The vampire's arm struck out in an instant amidst a faint, tearing sound of the air: "Hisss..."

"Bang..."

The ground trembled slightly, and the fir stump was tilted by nearly ninety degrees, almost collapsing onto the ground.

Several thick primary roots were exposed above the ground, having been uprooted or snapped.

A large swath of soil was overturned, and a gaping hole appeared at the root area.

Karl looked at Wu You through the exposed eyes of the Fountain Armor, astonishment written all over its face.

"Master, when I also use my full strength, the power is at least three times my original output!"

A smile appeared on Wu You's face.

"Not bad. Try it again without exerting your own power."

A few minutes later, Wu You jotted down the final set of data in his notebook.

In its bare form, the first-generation unevolved Fountain Armor possesses physical strength at the intermediate Bronze tier.

Depending on the user's own strength and the mental synchronization rate with the armor, the power will see a significant enhancement.

He tapped the notebook a few times.

Wu You mused that the subsequent refinement of equipment and weaponry would require more specialized professionals.

Ah, it seems he needs to capture a few scientists; they will be useful both now and in the future. The approach taken by the vampires is truly worth referencing.

However, which would be more beneficial for scientific research: directly alchemizing scientists or preserving their human identities?

Sometimes science requires a touch of madness, but alchemical creatures are far too calm most of the time...

The alchemical creatures on hand also needed to be cultivated and upgraded a notch, and there were several wild hypotheses waiting to be realized—the train of thought simply could not be stopped.

Perhaps he should just wrap up one wave and take a rest...