Counterfeit Hero

Adrian continuously wiped the sweat from his head with a handkerchief. This PhD of his was no better than a current graduate student. Twenty years of bureaucratic life had left him rarely thinking about his own expertise anymore. In today’s rapidly advancing Mecha development, sticking to old ways is a form of regression. Adrian was acutely aware of his own skill level, but when the Mythical Army extended an invitation, he still came. Becoming the head of the Mythical Army’s core laboratory was simply the pinnacle of his career! Although he was lacking in specialization, he had the vast intellectual resources of Tanville Military Academy at his disposal! He had the management skills needed for tackling a research project! Did he still need to personally handle the specific operations as the head of the lab?

However, Adrian hadn’t expected the core laboratory’s design to run into problems so quickly, and it had already been reported to Reinhardt without him catching any wind of it. What exactly were the hidden dangers? Was there anyone in the Gazalin Empire’s tech industry with higher standards than the personnel in the core laboratory? Even if there were, they were consultants and experts from the core laboratory! If they had any questions, they would surely raise them with him first, not directly with Reinhardt! Those peripheral labs, or those private Mecha companies?

Adrian let out a sigh of relief, finding himself suddenly much calmer. Those private Mecha companies actually dared to question the core laboratory’s design; they truly had no idea of their limits. Whatever hidden danger they spoke of, eighty percent of the time it was likely because these trash couldn’t understand Mecha design! They knew only some simple modifications! From the start, he hadn’t wanted these rubbish companies to participate in the menial work of Mecha design; in his view, even calling it menial work was giving them too much credit!

Adrian looked at the documents. He had reviewed this many times and found no issues! He raised his head, looked at Reinhardt, and said, "We are currently only in the initial design phase and have not found any hidden dangers in the current progress. I wonder who told you that our design has problems?"

Reinhardt looked seriously at Adrian, pointing to a set of data in the documents: "The peripheral lab found that the material strength of this single-arm suspension is insufficient and could potentially cause problems!"

Adrian felt relieved, simultaneously annoyed and amused. These people in the peripheral labs dared to find loopholes in materials science, the most complex specialty. Who did they think they were? Top professors of the academy? A bunch of guys who only knew how to do Mecha modifications, how could they possibly have any research on materials science! They only knew how to use ready-made things!

Adrian laughed heartily and said in a mocking tone, "I didn’t expect that these private Mecha companies really have some braggarts! General Reinhardt, all these materials have been reviewed by the expert team of the laboratory, and there are absolutely no problems! If there were minor issues elsewhere, I might believe it, but in the use of materials, which concerns the overall performance of the Mecha, we have not been negligent at all!" He waved the documents in his hand confidently and continued, "There are too many considerations in Mecha materials. From my professional perspective, the new RH24-105 alloy fully meets the Mecha design requirements. Look, this single-arm suspension was meticulously designed by us. To match the Mecha’s operational performance, we specifically reinforced it! Such an oversized-caliber single-arm suspension, in my opinion, is already a bit of overkill! I didn’t expect anyone to question this part. Maybe in their view, using the best alloy everywhere equates to good design!"

Adrian grew more and more pleased as he spoke, almost wanting to laugh out loud: "They are too naive. Design serves production and usage, and cost-effectiveness is the standard for judging whether a Mecha design is successful! For the Empire, any waste is a crime!"