CH 140

Zhang Lei leaned over to seek advice with an open mind, "I'm aware of this problem too, but I can't find a better solution. This mecha has very high requirements for the sturdiness of the material, as well as flexibility. "

You have a very common misconception about materials. It is not only strong materials that can guarantee a high level of defense," Ren Bo shook his head and stated solemnly, "for mechas, flexibility and strength are not in conflict. The reason why you have such a misconception is because that is how the mainstream mecha market is now, and it's not really your fault. "

Zhang Lei listened with an open mind, nodding his head from time to time in the process to express his agreement."

If I were to complete the design of this mecha, I would choose a material that looks soft but is actually tough. That way, it can take in flexibility as well as a high defense, " Ren Bo's fingertips traced the design drawing, and he looked up at Zhang Lei, "Do you remember the mecha model that Gu's mech manufacturing factory launched two years ago?"

Zhang Lei's gaze flickered slightly: "Of course I remember. That model was very popular when it was first launched because it was very flexible and easy to control, and there was almost no dead space. " 

Zhang Lei's tone had a touch of regret: "But its material was very expensive, and the mecha itself had no other advantages aside from flexibility. So it was soon eliminated from the market."

Zhang Lei was aware of this case, but he had not thought of it because this case was counted as a clear failure in the industry.

"No, it's not that it doesn't have other advantages, but the advantages don’t work when put on a mecha model," Ren Bo shook his head and corrected, "As far as I know, that mecha model was only considered a test run."

The Gu's original intention was to launch a real mecha made of the same material. But the cost of such a mecha was too expensive, so this proposal was greatly divided when it was discussed within the company. The solution was to launch a mecha model to first test the market sentiment, and then apply this material to a real mecha if the sales were good enough."

Zhang Lei suddenly realized, "So that's how it is! It seems that the sales of the mecha models did not meet the expectations, and that's why they later faded into obscurity. " 

Ren Bo narrowed his eyes slightly and said, "But from my personal point of view, the Gu family made a very obvious mistake."

Zhang Lei sat upright and sought advice, "What mistake is senior Ren talking about?"

"They overlooked the fundamental difference between a mecha model and a real mecha," Ren Bo's fingertips tapped lightly on the tabletop. His tone was slow and low, "No matter how realistic a mecha model is, in the end, it is just a toy. How can a toy be compared to a real mecha? So their own focus was completely different; a mecha model only imitates the real mecha’s appearance. The most crucial parts lay in its appearance and entertainment. That's why the appearance of the mecha model is changed frequently with all kinds of fancy settings."

Zhang Lei listened on one side and couldn't help but nod along, obviously agreeing strongly.

"But if you think about real mechas, apart from some private customization, most of them are pretty much the same in appearance. But can you say that the mecha industry has stagnated? " Ren Bo gave a rhetorical question and then stated the answer himself. "Of course not!  Mechas are developing much faster than mecha models; it's just that the development of mechs is mainly in its internal performance rather than something that exists on the surface."

Zhang Lei nodded and agreed, "That is indeed true."

"So in my opinion, the Gu's original attempt was not wrong. The fault lies in the fact that they put materials that should have been used on real mechas onto the mecha models. So the final result was naturally worlds apart. " Ren Bo's tone also sounded a bit regretful. "After that case emerged, I studied the material used by the Gu at that time. It is very flexible and not as soft as it appears, or should I say, its softness is for the inner part of the material. If consistent, it can provide defensive performance no worse than the mainstream materials used nowadays. "

Speaking of this, Ren Bo sighed softly, "It's just that this cannot be reflected when placed in a mecha model. After all, no one would take a mecha model into a rigorous battle. " 

And at this time, Zhang Lei was finally enlightened, "I see!"

When most people hear the word "soft," they immediately think of softness, but this was not always the case. Ren Bo nodded. "It's good that you understand." His eyes fell on the design once again, pointing out another point, "And for the weapon design of this mecha, it makes sense for you to use the back of the white tiger as the access port for firing the energy cannon, but don't you think that this design is too monotonous?" 

Zhang Lei, who had just been enlightened a moment ago, had another flash of bewilderment on his face on hearing this question, "I've tried to increase the attack methods of this mecha as much as possible, but it is different from an ordinary humanoid mecha after all. It has no way to hold a weapon. "

It's true that this mecha can't do handheld weapons, but you should know that its prototype is a white tiger. A white tiger is not a species that completely loses its offensive power just because it can't hold a weapon," Ren Bo looked up at Zhang Lei and corrected him, "A white tiger can't hold a weapon, but it does have incredibly sharp teeth and sharp tiger claws that can shred enemies. Since this is a beast-type mecha, we should not treat it as an ordinary mecha. It should have its own unique characteristics. "

Ren Bo gave Zhang Lei another critical look as he said these words.

Zhang Lei lowered his head in shame. Although he did not dare to boast of his high level before he came into contact with Zhang Lei, he was at least an experienced mecha designer, and he had a broader vision.

However, after discussing it with Senior Ren Bo, Zhang Lei became deeply aware of how limited his thinking was and how narrow his horizons were.

He had worked on this design overnight, and had looked up a lot of information in the process, racking his brain to achieve this level. However, he did not expect that the information he had looked up and the methods he had come up with would be easily pointed out by Senior Ren Bo, who had only seen the design once.

And these were not ordinary minor problems; they were all very fatal and critical.

Zhang Lei could not help but feel ashamed. If this time the client had not gotten senior Ren Bo to be the mecha builder of this mech, then the fatal mistakes he made would have appeared on the final product, which would be a huge mistake that could not be undone!

So then again, Elder Ren Bo had rarely taken orders in recent years, especially orders from the unknown. So how on earth had his client managed to convince Elder Ren Bo so easily?

But this curiosity was only a flash before it was drowned by a strong sense of self-blame.

Ren Bo knew what this junior was thinking, and he changed his tone to one of encouragement: "It is very rare that you can complete such a design in such a short period of time at your age. Moreover, it's not terrible to make mistakes; everyone makes them. I made many mistakes when I was young. Perhaps it was because of these mistakes that I accumulated more experience and went to a higher position. " 

Zhang Lei quickly regained his spirit at his senior’s encouragement: "Thank you, senior, I will work hard!"

An Yan, who had been sitting quietly on the side and had absorbed a lot of knowledge from the conversation between the two, also took the initiative to comfort him, "I also think that designer Zhang is very good."

Next, the three discussed the specifics of the design proposal even further.  Of course, An Yan was only in a state of listening throughout the whole process. The two would only pull him in when they came across something concerned with the design.

In this way, three hours passed silently.

After finalizing the last issue, Ren Bo and Zhang Lei finally stopped their discussion.

The former had put more thought into it because it was rare to receive such a novel and interesting order, while the latter was more interested in communicating with a powerful senior like Ren Bo, so he had shown great interest from the beginning to the end.

Although An Yan listened to their discussion with little understanding, it was his custom-made mecha, so he was also full of interest.

An Yan looked at the time and took the initiative to speak, "It's already late. If the two don't mind, let's have lunch together."

Ren Bo did not plan to eat out, but thinking of his granddaughter's repeated instructions before he left home, he still nodded, "Alright then."

Since Ren Bo had agreed, there was even less reason for Zhang Lei to disagree.

So the three of them moved to a nearby restaurant to have their lunch.

The three didn't talk about mecha during their meal, but instead ate while gossiping aimlessly.

The small talk was An Yan and Zhang Lei's, and the anxiety was Ren Bo's alone. His nature was not conducive to taking the initiative to find topics, especially when it came to small talk. In addition, wouldn't it be too unimpressive if he acted too proactively due to the age difference here?

But if he didn't ask, he would definitely be surrounded by his granddaughter’s complaining when he got home.

Ren Bo sighed as he ate his meal. He was feeling torn when he heard Zhang Lei hesitantly ask, after a pause, "We shall have many more opportunities to communicate later. I wonder what I should call you?"

An Yan had never revealed his name during their interactions. Although he thought it was nothing at first, there would always be some inconvenience after more exchanges.

As soon as Ren Bo heard this, his eyes lit up. If An Yan directly said his name at this point, wouldn't he be able to ask one more question along the way?

And maybe he didn't even need to ask as Zhang Lei might ask it for him?