Chapter Ten: The Cyber Dragon

"168.6 tons!"

When the heavy truck transported the dragon across the border, it passed through a weigh station. At the strong urging of the research team, Guo Songmin approved a weigh-in for the dragon. The result was 168.6 tons.

"My goodness, that’s almost three times the weight of a typical dragon!" Researcher Ma exclaimed in awe. "Mr. Huang Ze's physical condition is extraordinary. If he could awaken the inherited magic of the dragon race, he'd undoubtedly be our most powerful weapon abroad!"

"Unfortunately, Mr. Huang Ze has said he hasn't inherited his predecessor's memories, nor has he awakened any inherited skills," Liu Weihan said regretfully. "His previous form was likely just a pseudo-dragon, lacking the recognition of the Dragon God and the favor of his ancestors."

"Still, he’s a black dragon. Even as a pseudo-dragon, his strength and defensive capabilities are formidable and will be of great help to us," Ma remarked, feeling fortunate. Black dragons are among the most powerful branches of the dragon race, naturally endowed with strong magic immunity and exceptional physical strength, easily overpowering other dragons—a true king among them, even without a crown.

"Chief Ma, you keep saying the black dragon's defense is strong, but how strong exactly?" Liu Weihan asked humbly. "Could you give me a specific description, so I have a clearer concept?"

"The black dragon's defense... let’s put it this way: if we’re abroad, with our current conventional technology, we simply can’t break through its defenses!" Ma explained. "The scales on a black dragon, though averaging less than five centimeters thick, rival the physical protection of a three-meter-thick alloy steel plate!"

"Black dragons can bathe in volcanic magma at will, which means their bodies can withstand temperatures of at least 1,500 degrees Celsius."

"Their resistance to impact is remarkable as well. With their dozens of tons, even if they fell from hundreds of meters in the air and crashed onto the ground, they’d remain unscathed."

"Their vitality and self-healing abilities are extraordinary. As long as the brain isn’t fatally damaged, even if severed in half, they can survive tenaciously. Once the lost limb is recovered, their bodies will heal in no time."

"..."

"This is... simply monstrous!" Liu Weihan marveled. He hadn’t expected the black dragon’s body to be so powerful; his previous impression of Huang Ze was just that of a 168.6-ton baby.

"Too bad Mr. Huang Ze hasn't awakened dragon speech magic."

Researcher Ma sighed, "Otherwise, his combat power would at least multiply several times over..."

"...He may not have magic, but we can tailor magic for him!" Liu Weihan’s eyes lit up with inspiration. "Since Mr. Huang Ze's body is so strong, we could equip him with several missiles for long-range attacks. That shouldn’t be a problem, right?"

"From a technical standpoint, that's definitely feasible!" Ma replied, his eyes shining as well. The black dragon's tough hide and immense strength meant mounting a few missiles on him posed no real technical challenge—it was highly practical!

Although the environment abroad greatly weakened the power of missiles, they were different from firearms. Their destructive force was immense; even if only a fraction of their power could be unleashed, their lethality would still be impressive, certainly not inferior to a third-tier spell in this world!

The New World is a fantastical realm inhabited by many intelligent races and a broad presence of magic. The Xia Kingdom had also classified magic according to its destructive power.

If the energy reaction was less than 420 KJ—the equivalent of 100 grams of TNT—such magic was classified as Tier One.

If the energy reaction exceeded 420 KJ but was less than 4,200 KJ—less than one kilogram of TNT—it was Tier Two.

If the energy reaction exceeded 4,200 KJ but was less than 42,000 KJ—less than ten kilograms of TNT—it was Tier Three.

...

And so on. Tier Four magic corresponded to 100 kilograms of TNT; Tier Five to 1,000 kilograms, or one ton; while Tier Six and above increased not tenfold but by a hundredfold—Tier Six matched 100 tons of TNT.

Tier Seven equaled ten thousand tons of TNT; Tier Eight, one million tons. Tier Nine was rarely cataloged, for energy responses above a million tons of TNT could no longer be called magic, but true divine arts.

In fact, in this world, magic above Tier Six was already considered forbidden. Magic at the 100-ton TNT level was not something to be casually unleashed, and even legendary sorcerers, without thorough preparation, would struggle to cast it instantly.

According to the Xia Kingdom’s researchers, most spellcasters in this world, during combat, generally used Tier One and Two spells, rarely resorting to Tier Three or higher.

This was not only because Tier Three spells had high thresholds, already considered intermediate level and mastered by only a few.

Beginning with Tier Three, the difficulty and chanting time for casting magic increased sharply, requiring at least a dozen seconds of incantation and guidance, otherwise they simply could not be released—impractical in fierce combat.

If the black dragon were equipped with a dozen missiles, it would be akin to giving him a dozen Tier Three spells, all instantly cast, maximizing his long-range attack capability. Combined with his formidable close combat abilities... he would be unstoppable!

"And not just missiles..."

Liu Weihan said excitedly, "Mr. Huang Ze mentioned his speed was too slow. We could add several jet engines and attach a tail flame propulsion system to dramatically enhance his flying ability!"

"We could install phased array radar to improve his enemy detection."

"Coat his body with stealth materials to strengthen his concealment."

"Equip him with an intelligent secondary brain to boost his information processing!"

"And..."

...

"I refuse to believe that, with our advanced technology, he’d be weaker than a true black dragon!"

"That sounds good," Ma acknowledged, though his enthusiasm was tempered by concern. "But would Mr. Huang Ze agree? You’re clearly turning his body into an intelligent machine, pushing him toward being a cybernetic dragon!"

"Exactly! A cybernetic dragon!" Liu Weihan grew more excited. "Just like a cyber dragon, we could even carry out deeper modifications for Mr. Huang Ze."

"For example, alter his power system by adding several nuclear-powered hearts, enhancing his strength and endurance."

"Replace his bones and flesh with vibranium-mithril, forging an indestructible body."

"Install a high-energy reactor in his chest—perhaps not enough to let him unleash atomic breath like Godzilla, but with particle beams instead of traditional flames, his breath’s power would be greatly enhanced."

"Modify his eyes to actively focus—capable of gazing at stars hundreds of light-years away or observing microscopic particles down to nanometers, while also emitting high-intensity lasers to strike distant foes..."

"...You’re getting more and more outrageous!" Researcher Ma couldn’t help but cover his forehead with his hand. "Lieutenant Colonel Liu, I never expected you, at your age, to still have such adolescent fantasies."