After gaining Zhou Yi's approval, 703 started to recommend [Breathing] to the mechanical staff and introduced its features and drawbacks.

The Program Department tried it, except for Sai Nuojie from the Traffic Light System who refused, while other programmers chose to install it for a trial.

The vast majority of the Mechanical bulls from the Tamed Bull Tribe showed great interest and joined.

Only Da Vinci from the hospital chose to try it.

Red Kestrel also participated.

Other employees, whether the Agricultural Machinery Brothers, Yanmar, Leiwo Team, or Air Purification Max, as well as the old-school teacher Diamond, all explicitly refused the project.

Zhou Yi noticed that acceptance of new things and willingness to take risks were highly related to one's profession.

Da Vinci is a doctor, belonging to the radicals inclined to perform high-risk surgeries.

Red Kestrel, being a rescue machine, would try any opportunity available.

The rest are mainly new mechanical lives that have evolved from semi-civilized entities.

These younger generations of mechanical life are active and highly interested in new things, showing distinct advantages in adventurous spirit and innovation compared to the older generation of mechanical life.

However, whether the[Breathing]program is useful and could gain acceptance still requires time for verification.

...

Breathing program internal testing was a minor episode during the Winter War.

Zhou Yi's primary focus remained on monitoring the movements of the Mechanical and Electrical City Group and the Combined Guard.

After the destruction of Chuneng City, the fleeing residents appealed in various cities, demanding compensation for their war losses through the existing social security system.

Saint Mountain, Mirror City, and Snow County, the final backers of the security system, have not yet officially responded.

Red Kestrel said: "Because the data center and dispatch center were completely destroyed when sealed, causing a massive loss of data that cannot be verified. Therefore, verifying data will be very difficult, only electronic accounts could be confirmed."

"However, the damage to existing equipment and facilities is genuine. A large number of mechanical professionals within the original city have been made unemployed due to this, making their placement a challenging issue."

"This matter is very difficult to handle."

"Highly skilled professionals naturally remain unaffected, but the most numerous ordinary mechanical lives are not welcomed by the cities as they would increase public expenditures and necessitate solving their employment issues, as employment rates affect the overall stability and rating of a city."

"With such a situation being unprecedented, every step in the process is even slower."

If the problem can't be solved there, it just gets dragged on.

On the other side, Recursive City, after Zhou Yi acquired shares, cleared external debts and officially announced its withdrawal from the General Agreement System, becoming an independent city.

The investment from Wasteland Development Company also made the sea lord who was originally planning to take action finally cease his moves.

Zhou Yi did not interfere with the internal affairs of Recursive City, keeping it independently operated.

Then another major event occurred.

The Department of Foreign Affairs of Heavenly Kingdom officially made its stance.

— The Black Emperor is extremely concerned about the current wars happening everywhere, urging all parties to stop violent conflicts and settle differences and contradictions through negotiation and cooperation. Do not further divide and antagonize, creating more conflicts and hatred.

— Heavenly Kingdom regrets and is saddened by the casualties caused by wars. For cities wanting to escape the war, whether they are Human Cities, Guangna Cities, or Mechanical Cities, Heavenly Kingdom embraces them with a welcoming attitude, inviting all cities to join Heavenly Kingdom and embrace peace and stability.

Two days after the peace proposal was issued, Mechanical Cities "Coral Port" and "Steam Port" announced their withdrawal from the General Agreement System and formally joined Heavenly Kingdom under the rule of the Black Emperor.

This immense empire, now also started to pick benefits.

It's not a bad thing for now.

At least it presses the Mechanical and Electrical City Group.

With this move by Heavenly Kingdom, it had an immediate significant impact, causing the previously continuous attacks and breakthroughs by the Combined Guard to begin gradually scaling back and withdrawing troops.

The vigorous foreign war, due to the entry of Heavenly Kingdom, quickly entered a Cold War phase.

Everyone is cautious, afraid that any slip-up could become a boon for other powers.

Zhou Yi did not expect that Coral Port would quietly switch allegiances to Heavenly Kingdom.

It seems that internal divisions are severe within the Mechanical City, and quick external military actions failed to resolve contradictions but instead instigated internal splits, causing several cities to exit and pledge allegiance to various parties.

However, currently, it's mostly medium and small-sized cities that are fleeing.

Large cities with highly intertwined interests rely more on the General Agreement.

In this swiftly changing external environment, Floating Heart manufacturing achieved a critical breakthrough.

Yin Shang, Shenwei, and Railway, three major companies, integrated specific component production to assemble the first batch of 10 Floating Hearts.

This batch of hearts all passed the final quality inspection by Liu Chen, confirming they met the safety standards.

Mass production thus officially commenced.

By relying on the advanced Floating Heart Technology and manufacturing foundation, these three companies are now frequent news features. Also, for this reason, many mechanical lives have gradually joined these three organizations.

Little is known that the final assembly of Floating Hearts, however, is completed at Sand Port.

Initially, Zhou Yi refused.

"We are just a small place here; you can find a third party for assembly."

His idea was to let the three companies attract attention and technical sharing to the forefront, allowing Sand Port to quietly prosper and continue its stable development.

However, the problem is that the three companies couldn't find a suitable third party.

Another factual reason is that, after assembly, the quality inspection phase currently can only rely on Liu Fusheng and Chen Ruixiang to judge based on their experience, perform on-site testing and comparison.

A large accumulated experience is needed to generate reliable, usable standardized data.

Liu Fusheng and Chen Ruixiang also suggested together to Zhou Yi.

"Chairman, we need to strictly manage this. Because technology has originated from our company, if the Floating Heart itself causes numerous accidents, it would be detrimental to the company and the promotion and development of this technology."

"We are now strictly overseeing that they complete the final heart products in a specialized assembly workshop. This process is also about exchanging technological information and experience."

"Each production of parts will encounter specific difficulties and will also lead to new improvements and optimizations based on them."

"Sharing resources in the technology field is positive and progressive."

"Making Floating Hearts better is a common goal for all our four companies."

"And if everyone can come together and integrate each other's experience and technology, our various processes can be significantly shortened, allowing us to enter the mass production stage faster."

Zhou Yi followed the advice of the two senior engineers.

This task was assigned to the manufacturing department.

In a very short time, a special stone factory sprang up next to Jade Avenue in Sand Port. It is surrounded by red-painted iron fences and equipped with B-5 level signal jammers, making it impossible for satellites to observe the situation here.

Inside this secret workshop, four companies assembled and tested Floating Hearts, and conducted further optimization and development.

A large number of technicians gathered in Sand Port from various places.

Around the workshop, a ring of Mushroom Houses was also built, serving as residences for the workers.

In less than half a month.

The first Floating Heart production line was set up. According to the current situation, 20 quality-assured Floating Hearts could be manufactured daily.

After testing and quality inspection, these hearts were sent around the world.

...

The first month of winter ended like this.

Although undercurrents were surging externally, the flames of war reaching Sand Port were also extinguished, and Zhou Yi finally had time to enter the Dead Sea.

Under a Space Bubble, he found Haruk.

This Breaker still looked like a dark figure, stretching in the Dead Sea, which would appear terrifying to those unaware of the details.

Zhou Yi initiated a consciousness synchronization.

"Haruk, how are things on your side?"

"The usual, neither good nor bad. Our side changes very little, you know, everyone lives alone, digging their own holes, not as closely connected as here."

"And you?"

Hearing about the situation here, Haruk said, "It's really complicated... hard to understand."

"We don't have cities over here, nor so many situations. The pace of survival is too fast on your side. I thought living here would be a bit easier, but it seems that it is not."

Zhou Yi smiled and said, "Everyone has their own difficulties."

"Speaking of which, there's something from my side. Zhou Yi, do you remember the life that left a message in Firewood Mound? The one called... Yutu 2?"

"What happened?"

Haruk said, "I found another piece of its message. I'm sending it to you."

—#Yutu 2 Work Log# Completed energy collection, there are no stronger beings here than me.

—#Yutu 2 Work Log# Motherland, Yutu 2 has returned!

"...Just these two pieces, I found them in a remote ancient Firewood Mound, the messages were not damaged."

"That Yutu 2 must have transcended the Light Core Body and returned to this world."

"..."

Zhou Yi was shocked: "How is this possible? Isn't your side lacking Life Cores?"

"I don't know."

Haruk stated, "But the messages aren't false. Because information left by a Light Core Body can only be erased by another Light Core Body, I asked Jideet— the Second Life that taught me a lot of knowledge."

"Jideet said that Yutu was an ancient Light Core Body, existing in our world from an earlier era. But after its departure, it never returned, just like other Light Core Bodies."

Zhou Yi puzzled, "Light Core Bodies can't return?"

"Of course they can. It's just our world is too barren, lacking elements and materials necessary for further evolution. So, our side, once there is a Fourth Evolution Life, that is, a Light Core Body, it leaves for other richer worlds."

Haruk said, "Light Core Bodies mostly leave barren worlds and enter some resource-rich worlds."

Zhou Yi immediately contacted Sigma to track the whereabouts of Moon Rabbit.

"Chairman, Moon Rabbit 2 only has records from the ancient era in the database of Mechanical City, there are no records about its return."

"Such a Light Core Body, especially a mechanical life, if it returned to this world, there must be records. Mechanical life by its nature would surely contact other counterparts to gather information."

"Unfortunately, there are no related data records."

This was the response from Recursive City.

Zhou Yi pondered.

Since it didn't return to Earth, the only possibility for Moon Rabbit 2... it went to other worlds through a Space Bubble.

This indeed gave him an idea.

If Moon Rabbit 2 could evolve into the strongest life on the Moon... could other mechanical lives have a chance too?

To accomplish this, he would have to wait for Hei Fu to wake up, to attempt cross-dimensional transport.

While Zhou Yi and Haruk were chatting, Red Kestrel suddenly flew over.

"Zhou, a man named Zhang He is asking to see you."

"Does he bring inventions and technology to offer?"

"No."

Red Kestrel explained, "He says he's here for help, asked to come by someone named Tuo Zhu."

Tuo Zhu?

Zhou Yi frowned; wasn't this the designer recommended by Guste? It seemed there was trouble.

"He says Tuo Zhu has been captured by the Heavenly's Citizen Department."

"Citizen Department? Why?"

"Because he failed to fulfill the basic responsibility of producing at least one offspring, and has repeatedly refused fertility duties, resorting to feigning illness, excusing himself, and other tactics of passive resistance, even fleeing the country. This is a violation of Imperial law, and he has been legally arrested."

Red Kestrel stated, "He is a Panda Man from the Panda Autonomous Region, where each citizen enjoys substantial Imperial subsidies, but still must fulfill basic duties, hence Tuo Zhu was arrested."

Zhou Yi: "..."

So, this Tuo Zhu is a Panda.

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