OBS Chapter 704 Coal Briquettes Are Lively
Chapter 704 Coal Briquettes Are Lively
Inside his office at Helmingan Palace, John was engrossed in reviewing a thick stack of reports. These were detailed reports compiled by Stephen over several days, detailing the damage and malfunctions of all tanks involved in the previous operation to eliminate the Apostles.
The report paper spread out on the table had slightly curled edges, and it was covered with neat handwriting by Stephen. Each line clearly marked the number of each steam tank, the duration of combat, the point at which the malfunction occurred, and the specific symptoms of the malfunction.
John's gaze swept over the words, and his brows furrowed involuntarily.
The report clearly states that during this operation to suppress the apostles, not a single steam tank was directly destroyed by the apostles' attacks.
This result should have been gratifying, after all, the destructive power of the apostles far exceeds that of ordinary humans. Being able to preserve the main structure of all the tanks under such a ferocious offensive can already be considered a tactical victory.
But the subsequent failure statistics instantly sank John's spirits.
Due to defects in the materials themselves, five out of the twenty steam tanks that participated in the battle experienced sudden track breakage during the intense fighting. This caused the steel behemoths that were rampaging across the battlefield to instantly lose their mobility and become stationary turrets, relying on their main guns for limited counterattacks.
In addition, the steam engines of two tanks suffered irreparable malfunctions during continuous high-load operation, causing a sharp drop in cylinder output power and completely paralyzing the entire power system. In the end, they could only be towed back to the rear base by wheeled steam tanks after the war.
John paused, holding his pen. He did a rough mental calculation: out of twenty tanks, seven had serious malfunctions, a failure rate of 35%.
He leaned back in his chair. The testing environment in the laboratory was always meticulously arranged: a flat floor, a constant temperature, no violent vibrations from the roaring and charging of the apostles, no high-temperature conduction from continuous firing of the cannon barrel, and no wear and tear on mechanical parts from the ubiquitous dust and debris on the battlefield.
Materials that were deemed "up to standard" in the laboratory revealed their fatal flaws on the real battlefield.
It was only then that he truly realized that the testing of weapons and equipment could never be confined to the experimental site.
Laboratory data can only serve as a reference; only through the baptism of war can the fatal problems hidden behind the sophisticated design be exposed.
The battlefield shows no mercy to weapons; every tiny defect can become the last straw that breaks the camel's back at a critical moment.
John continued flipping through the report, where Stephen highlighted the core cause of the malfunction in bold font in the latter half of the report—the metal material.
The report clearly states that the actual heat resistance and structural strength of the metal used to manufacture tank tracks and steam engine cylinders on the battlefield were far lower than the test values in the laboratory.
During combat, the continuous firing of the tank's main gun will cause the barrel temperature to rise sharply. The high temperature will be conducted along the gun mount to the vehicle body, causing continuous thermal stress impact on the surrounding metal parts. The impact and crushing by the apostles will cause the tracks and vehicle body to withstand impact forces far exceeding the design expectations.
Under this dual pressure, those seemingly sturdy metal materials either break or deform, making it impossible for the tank to complete long-term combat missions.
In his report, Stephen suggested that a new research project on synthetic metallic materials must be launched immediately, the alloy ratios must be readjusted, and even some material processes that have never been tried before should be considered in order to solve this fundamental problem.
John closed the report and sighed heavily. Research on synthetic metallic materials cannot be completed overnight. From formula debugging to sample manufacturing, and then to field testing and battlefield verification, every step requires time and a lot of manpower and resources.
The problem is, what they lack most right now is time.
He has always firmly believed that science and technology can serve as a shield to protect Heldland.
He invested a great deal of resources in the research and development of steam machinery and weapons, hoping to use these steel creations to resist the invasion of the apostles.
But now, the report in front of him felt like a bucket of cold water had been poured over his head.
The path of science seems to be getting narrower and narrower.
With only a few years left, and science unreliable, we're left with only metaphysics.
John put down the documents in his hand and rubbed his throbbing temples.
He looked up and immediately saw the figure of the coal ball in his line of sight.
Or rather, it is the soul of the coal briquette.
The coal ball was floating lightly around him, sometimes slowly swaying to the left side of the desk, sometimes drifting to his shoulder, like a weightless balloon.
John still remembers the day Coalball left. He never expected that as soon as he buried its grave, the little duck's ghostly body would float out of the grave and follow him all the way back to Helmingen Palace. From then on, it stayed by his side and never left again.
He was filled with doubt at the time, so he went to Flora to ask why the soul of the soot ball could leave the body and travel such a long distance from the grave.
Flora did not give an answer immediately, but pondered for a long time before finally coming up with an explanation.
It's possible that too many people recognize coal balls.
Because Coalball was very popular in Helderland, after its death, many people across the country developed various emotions towards it, and their thoughts about Coalball eventually merged with its ghostly form.
It was these thoughts from countless people that sustained the coal ball's ghostly body, preventing it from dissipating into the air like an ordinary soul, or being drawn back to the ghostly realm by its power.
Thus, nourished by the thoughts of countless people, it transformed into a special creature of the Netherworld, no longer bound by the physical body or restricted by space.
What's even more unusual is that ordinary creatures from the Netherworld, once separated from their physical bodies, are quickly drawn back by the laws of the Netherworld and are forced to return.
But the coal ball was different; it could move freely among humans and even stay by John's side for extended periods. Flora said this was probably because the strong desire of the people of Helderland for the coal ball transformed into a continuous source of energy, sustaining its ghostly form and allowing it to maintain its shape among humans.
John watched the coal balls drifting around in front of him, a faint smile unconsciously appearing on his lips.
The coal ball remained the same, except that its body had become semi-transparent, allowing a clear view of the books and walls behind it. Otherwise, it was exactly the same as when it was alive.
It's still round and chubby, still likes to drift aimlessly, and still... dazed.
Sometimes it would float to John's teacup, staring curiously at the tea inside, unaware that its hand would pass right through the cup; sometimes it would try to brush against John's cheek, but could only glide lightly across his face, without making a dent.
However, after becoming a creature of the Netherworld, Coal Ball did not remain unchanged. The most obvious change was that it could now completely understand John's commands.
"Come on, briquette, give me a job."
As soon as John finished speaking, the coal ball floating in the air reacted immediately.
The translucent little sphere paused for a moment, as if confirming John's instructions.
Immediately afterwards, its body suddenly dipped slightly in the air, and then leaped upwards.
In that brief moment of airborne flight, Coal Ball's body executed a beautiful backflip in an extremely agile manner.
Its short legs curled up in the air, its round body drew a smooth arc in the air, and its translucent fur fluttered gently in the air, like a wisp of light black mist.
After it finished flipping, it hovered steadily in the air for a moment before slowly floating down and stopping in front of John.
John couldn't help but laugh out loud, reaching out to pat Coalball's head.
Just then, a clear knock on the door broke the silence in the office.
John's smile faded, he sat up straight, and called out towards the door, "Come in."
The office door was gently pushed open, and Stephen appeared in the doorway.
He walked in with a thin document in his hand, his steps steady, and then stopped in front of John's desk.
Stephen's face showed an undisguised excitement. He looked up at John, his tone filled with barely suppressed joy, and immediately reported:
"Your Majesty, the Netherworld portal you requested to be built has been tested by Ms. Flora and is now ready to be activated."