Chapter 306

Chapter 306: The Helmet’s Potential

Lin Mo fully immersed himself in a specialized technician’s state. He removed his watch from his left wrist, pulled out the USB interface, and handed it to the surprised Qiu. “Give this a try. After all, I’m a pilot. Although you didn’t provide complete programming interfaces for each operational module, I developed a whole system based on the actual device identifiers and functions. I’ve already tested it successfully on the virtual platform you provided.”

“Are you serious? You’re not joking, are you?” Qiu and several other engineers looked incredulous as they hesitantly accepted the watch from Lin Mo. They thought it was just a prank, but here was this aviation instructor with a finished product in hand.

In this world, there were many kinds of intelligent digital devices, and fully functional computer watches weren’t unheard of. They didn’t doubt that what Lin Mo handed them was actually a human-made item; it seemed more like a metallic entity from another world.

“Do I seem like someone who would joke about this?” Lin Mo pointed to his face, which looked as expressionless as a star soldier, his eyes glowing a menacing blue, rendering that sentence nearly pointless.

“Oh my gosh! Don’t fool me! Otherwise, I might just flip on you. Don’t think engineers can’t get angry; even I would be scared!” Qiu stammered, passing Lin Mo’s watch to another technician. “Go, connect the input device, refresh the firmware for Aircraft Two next door, and run through the thirty-four basic tests. I want a report, ASAP.”

Turning back to Lin Mo, Qiu warned, “You must understand, even though I gave you partial interfaces, the entire ‘Dark Sabre’ system was developed by a specialized team of over ten people at our software engineering department. It took us three years to complete, and we spent over a year just debugging it. You think you can do this in just a few days? You didn’t lift that source code from somewhere else and modify it, did you? If so, our software engineering team has wasted their time!”

“Whether it’s a mule or a horse, let’s see it trot! Real gold doesn’t fear fire, so let’s test it! I spent an entire week getting skilled with ‘Dark Sabre.’ Don’t worry, stuff developed by a professional enthusiast is definitely suited for professionals. If you doubt it, just ask all our aviation crew trainees and instructors for a comparison test. We can negotiate terms; outsourcing work to me is not out of the question, ha ha. Anyway, we all eat from the same system.”

Lin Mo rested his chin on his hand, surveying around as if checking the fire control system. “This thing is pretty good! It must be the beta version. I’ll have to apply for one myself; it’s just too useful! This isn’t something you at Shenyang designed and gave to someone else to develop, is it?”

“No, of course not! You think we can produce anything we want? This was developed by a specialized manufacturer in the country. We put in the requests; they handle the customization. It’s from ‘Henghai Defense,’ which you should know about; they specifically work on digitalized soldier equipment. A few years back, they tried to impress foreigners with ‘Dragon Guard’ or something. They’re the only ones with production licenses in the country. The owner is a descendant of the Red Army, and the government supports them with funding and personnel. They say it’s a joint venture, but actually, ninety-nine percent of the shares belong to the state.”

“Qiu, it really fits! My goodness! It’s even smaller than what we developed ourselves, saving more than a hundred megabytes," exclaimed a technician working next door while updating the operating system firmware for another ‘Dark Sabre.’

“Got it, let’s install it first. If there are any issues, we’ll directly consult this ‘Instructor Lin.’ He’s right here; he won’t escape.”

“Okay, I’m installing it now. It’ll be ready in an hour.”

“It can actually be installed? Seems like you’ve really developed something. Since we have time, let’s test it out! Let’s see how this helmet performs. If there’s a problem, we can return it directly before the supply ship leaves.”

Qiu nodded knowingly, looking at Lin Mo as if he were a gourmet spotting a delicious meal, eagerly licking his lips.

Where else could they find such a specialized tester, especially one who was a true ACE in aerial combat?

“No problem, sounds perfect! Let’s try it!” Lin Mo climbed into the cockpit.

“I’ll start the ignition. Huh, it even requires a startup password? How is this thing tied to the aircraft’s ignition module?”

“Hold on, we need to record your voice print first for security reasons. What if some spy or agent hijacks the fighter? It’s the same principle as a gun lock with identity recognition—later, there’ll be a data package binding pilots to their aircraft. One aircraft can bind up to 100 people.”

They proceeded with simulated operations. Having grown accustomed to the Light Mirror Technique and tactical armor, Lin Mo quickly adapted to this helmet. After testing it for just a few minutes, his proficiency soared as if he had been using it for a year or two, causing Engineer Qiu to continuously praise him, even calling Lin Mo the best test pilot in the country.

“Great, fantastic! Let’s switch to group combat mode: fifteen against one or one against fifteen, your choice. Let’s see where your limit lies. Don’t rely so much on the cannon—try using some missiles instead. Other people can’t shoot with that accuracy. Uh, the Rocket Pod is meant for ground targets, and you’re covering the enemy formations like that? Alright, I admit you’re impressive! This has to be considered an exception. I know you need to follow conventional combat methods; most people can’t perform like you.”

“Piece of cake! Bring in a few more!” Without experiencing actual overload, Lin Mo’s combat effectiveness stepped up again, as he didn’t need to focus on resisting g-forces. His fingers moved seamlessly over the simulated controls in the cockpit, as he had adapted to using gaze and voice to assist in combat.

Although the computer system’s virtual enemy aircraft reacted quickly, their tactical responses were rather rigid. The developers, being average operators themselves, didn’t possess true aerial combat mastery. Each maneuver seemed textbook-perfect, lacking flexibility.

In contrast, Lin Mo’s learning process involved not just pure fighter pilot training but also experience from another world’s aerial combat, making him much more mature and seasoned.

The ‘Kua Fu’ system Lin Mo had previously used was based on ground combat functions, lacking aerial and fighter-based application modules. Its defensive capabilities prioritized ground operations over air combat uses.

The aviation tactical helmet, specifically designed for air force pilots, allowed Lin Mo to thrive and increased his control efficiency significantly. It greatly freed up his hands, allowing operations like radar scanning, missile type selection, and target locking to be completely done via voice commands.

Most of Lin Mo’s actions involved gripping the control stick, executing various tactical maneuvers while letting the fire control system handle everything through the aviation helmet—all he had to do was talk.

“Oh wow! My instincts were right! Instructor Lin, you really are the perfect fit for testing this aviation helmet! The data you provided is 80% better than what we got from the colonel pilot we hired! My goodness, I had no idea this helmet had such potential. You truly are the ace among aces!”

“Protest! I’m not a hot dog!”

“Come on! The colonel pilot we hired is also an ace, but his data isn’t as terrifying as yours. If you two faced off in a single match, he’d definitely lose.”

“I just adapt well to this tactical helmet. When it comes to facing that colonel, it’s hard to say who would win. Data can’t prove everything; the real competition depends on flight time and combat experience. Skills and experience are key to deciding victory.”

Lin Mo gestured with his hand in the cockpit and continued, “I think we could add some more features. Some modules need adjustments; it can be set into four modes: a custom mode, with the other three being default to simple, elite, and ace modes.”

“That sounds reasonable; I’ll note that down! Can you create a prototype for the last three modes? I can provide you with the helmet interface programs if you need.”

As a developer tester, Engineer Qiu also had access to the control system development package for the aviation tactical helmet. When he saw Lin Mo preparing to present the operating drive system for ‘Dark Sabre,’ he took it seriously. Having such a powerful pilot and programming engineer during the testing work on the Shilang aircraft carrier training ship was simply the best fortune imaginable.

Not every programmer is an excellent pilot, nor is every pilot also an outstanding programmer. Furthermore, they must possess an in-depth understanding of aircraft performance and each device, with interlocking challenges and barriers that are not trivial.

“Of course, I’ll just copy it directly to my watch later; there’s plenty of space inside to store whatever.”

Lin Mo was more than happy. He might just custom-build the best aviation tactical armor for himself. It was like having someone offer him a pillow when he was sleep-deprived! Modifying standard equipment is incredibly difficult, and manufacturers and superiors won’t dedicate such extensive time and energy to accommodate requests.

Otherwise, Lin Mo wouldn’t be studying these things along with gold coins. Knowledge is power, a universal truth in any world.

“Instructor Lin! Instructor Lin! I’m Xiao Tao from the cafeteria! I need to find you! Has anyone seen Instructor Lin?”

Suddenly, a young man in a special white coat with a shaved head hurriedly rushed up from the lower deck, standing at the stairway and shouting toward the depths of the hangar.