The Mech Touch novel Chapter 6977

Was resorting to kill switches the right solution?

No.

Was there a better choice available?

Not really.

Kill switches therefore became the least-bad solution out of a long list of other awful choices.

Leaving it out was no solution. So was reducing the scope of the Arboreal Project.

Ves could not accept timidity from himself.

When anyone became a Senior Mech Designer, he or she became aware that they were effectively auditioning to become a Master Mech Designer.

This meant that if a Senior wanted to make progress, they could not rest on their laurels and be content with mechs that they could already design with a bit of effort.

They needed to look beyond their existing reach and embark on more ambitious projects that were much closer to the work undertaken by Master Mech Designers.

Even if most of the results ended up falling short, the gains were still considerable.

Not only did the Senior Mech Designer cultivate the right attitude towards mech design at a higher level, but he also accumulated a lot of scattered data that was relevant to his design philosophy. Who knew whether the mech designer could combine these results together and achieve a breakthrough?

Seniors who did not possess the courage to tackle greater challenges and fail usually failed to move forward.

Of course, just because they were willing to invest their time on big projects did not necessarily mean they were guaranteed to succeed.

An ambitious research project may end up eating a disproportionate amount of time and resources that could have been better spent on other pursuits.

If a Senior continued to hit his head against the wall without much to show for it, then he would eventually see his lifespan running out while failing to reach critical mass.

Therefore, one of the most important criteria that separated successful Seniors from failing ones was judgment.

Were they overreaching? Did it make sense for them to pursue a difficult objective? Were they neglecting their other commitments?

Senior Mech Designers needed to be able to navigate many difficult choices that could drastically change the course of their lives and careers.

Ves now felt that he had reached such a junction. His decision on how to approach the Arboreal Project could mean the difference between success and failure.

Whether he was overreaching by wildly expanding the scope of this mech design project remained unclear at this point.

However, Ves felt he had to prove his courage and determination by making a bold thrust in a project that possessed a lot of significance for his design philosophy.

Ves did not forget what his work was all about. Mutual Growth in Adversity. The new proposal that he had drafted and perfected with the help of Alexa exemplified this ideal.

He could already see his inner flame being stoked. No matter how difficult it was to realize this radical new idea, he felt it was more than worth it to do his best to turn it into a reality!

After he thanked Alexa for her advice and dismissed her from his design lab, he spent an hour writing up a detailed and structured proposal. He laid out his chains of logic and his speculations in a way that made this endeavor sound promising enough to explore.

While success was anything but guaranteed, the chance to mass produce artificial phase lords and mobilize them against the native aliens could be a gamechanger for the Terran Alliance and red humanity as a whole!

Once he became satisfied with his report, he encrypted it with Terran cyphers before transmitting it to Master Laila Rebecca Devos.

This was not the most secure means of data transmission at his disposal, but it was adequate enough for his purposes.

It took a few hours for the woman to respond to it by calling him directly.

The old Master Mech Designer did not waste any time. _{frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓}

"Ves. Your… creative suggestions have generated a considerable amount of interest… and controversy among the mech designers and researchers that are currently involved in the Arboreal Project. The promises contained within your proposal represent a significant paradigm shift in how we can wage war, but the added complexities and sharp increase in risk factors are highly detrimental. At best, the completion of the project will experience a delay of at least several months. At worst, the overreach in trying to explore how to turn a wooden mech into a phase lord may cause our progress to hit a bottleneck that cannot be overcome in several years."

Ves did not show any overt sign of doubt and hesitation. Even if he harbored his own misgivings, he could not afford to show a lack of confidence in his own ideas.

"I cannot predict how likely it is for us to produce a successful result. I admit that my proposal will turn the Arboreal Project from a somewhat reliable source of reinforcements into a fantastical if somewhat impractical wonder weapon. However, don't you think that this is exactly what the Terran Alliance needs?"

"What do you think our colonial superstate needs?" Master Laila Devos shot back a question herself.

This would most definitely cause the Terran scientific community to fall behind compared to the other major powers.

Ves still considered this to be a worthwhile risk, though. If the Terrans failed, then their precious colonial superstate was bound to collapse and lose the majority of its territories.

By that time, maintaining a technological lead over other human groups was not important anymore!

The Terrans most definitely understood this as well. The fact that Master Laila Devos mentioned this already signified that the Terrans were already preparing to enact desperate measures.

What Ves needed to do was to convince the Terrans that his proposal was promising enough to be added to the list of wonder weapon projects.

Only by getting on this exclusive list would the Arboreal Project be able to benefit from the greater might of the Terran scientific community!

The involvement of brilliant biotech researchers and so on would give their project a massive boost.

The Devos Ancient Clan may have to cede a lot of ground to the other Terrans because of this, but it was still worth it so long as the results were impressive enough!

"Do I need to do anything?" Ves simply asked.

Master Laila Devos looked at Ves for several seconds before she inclined her head.

"A Star Designer has been put in charge of deciding which projects merit greater support from our science and development infrastructure." The older woman eventually revealed. "If you are sincerely convinced that your proposal can not only succeed, but change the Terran Alliance for the better, then I can schedule a virtual meeting between you and the Grand Mander. Her Excellency may not specialize in biotechnology, but her core specialization is based on regenerating metal and repair systems, much of which is based on biological processes. She is most certainly knowledgeable enough to evaluate the viability and success rate of your proposal."

Ves looked surprised.

The Grand Mender!

Ves did not expect to get into contact with another Star Designer so soon!

This was a great opportunity! Even if the Grand Mender ended up rejecting his proposal, it was still worth it just to hold a serious discussion with one of the hundred humans that had reached the pinnacle of the mech designer profession!

"Please do so." Ves eagerly gave his assent. "I would love to present my case to an esteemed Star Designer."