However, when Qiao Ze saw Lu Zhongguo again, he clearly noticed that the middle-aged man had severe dark circles under his eyes, causing both eyes to appear slightly sunken, and he looked significantly thinner than the last time they met.
But this middle-aged man showed no signs of fatigue upon seeing him. On the contrary, he was visibly still very excited.
The most obvious sign was that he talked much more, starting to speak nonstop as soon as they met.
"Qiao, you're here. Let me tell you, you're definitely going to be satisfied with this prototype. Really, it's absolutely the most advanced product the group has ever created. Its performance indicators have surpassed our era, and of course, that's also thanks to the materials you provided. Oh right, there's also its system..."
Throughout the journey, Lu Zhongguo just wouldn't stop "blabbering" endlessly, but Qiao Ze, unusually, did not show any impatience; although he said very little, he was indeed listening attentively.
Well, not that attentively.
Dou Dou's performance indicators had already been predicted, and he had seen the reports, so he was roughly aware of the data.
And the engineering prototype wasn't fully formed yet.
Because the system being used was still a testing system, and there was no control port open for Dou Dou yet. Or to put it another way, the parts of Dou Dou responsible for sensing and humanization had not been integrated into the prototype yet.
But Qiao Ze did not interrupt Lu Zhongguo's enthusiasm.
It could be seen as respect and appreciation for the frontline engineer.
And after Lu Zhongguo finally finished speaking, Qiao Ze awkwardly showed his concern, "Still, make sure you get some rest. I will ask Fan Jiasheng to give you a week off to get some good sleep."
"Huh?" Lu Zhongguo was momentarily stunned, both surprised and touched.
What Qiao was most concerned about wasn't the performance of the engineering machine, but his health.
And to think the internet said Qiao was difficult to deal with...
Indeed, there isn't a single truth online; it's all just damned rumors.
"Qiao, I'm fine. I actually manage to get enough sleep every day, it's just not on a regular schedule, as I have to get up whenever something arises. Uh... let's look at the prototype first."
They had just arrived at the testing area, and the completed engineering machine appeared before Qiao Ze.
From the outside, Dou Dou's body was quite beautiful.
The rectangular screen on top not only could play with expressions and be adorable, but it could also intuitively display various data. The body, gleaming with a metallic sheen, had a unique beauty that belonged solely to technology.
The track design, which was detachable and installable, allowed the machine to navigate almost any complex terrain on Earth.
Most importantly, its back structure.
In "The Wandering Earth," the cumbersome walker was just a cargo container that could be carried as a whole. But Dou Dou's body was more advanced. Although it looked the same, in actuality, the detachable dumper was composed of four parts, serving not only to transport items but also to switch to combat mode. When flipped, it became an extremely strong shell that could wrap up the power battery and chip compartment situated in the abdomen.
Thanks to the multi-joint design of its legs, this robot could move more deftly than typical crawler-type machines.
It also had an additional six mechanical arms, which could not only automatically arrange items in the back compartment but also flexibly manipulate various tools.
Having seen the tests with his own eyes, Qiao Ze felt that it had basically met his requirements.
As for Su Mucheng, her exclamations of wonder never ceased throughout the test site: "Wow, so pretty, it's so cool! Look, Ying, it can even transform! Doesn't it resemble a Transformer?"
So much so that after the test, Su Mucheng simply couldn't move on, and she approached Qiao Ze, gazing up at him with her big, watery eyes, pleadingly.
"I'm taking this prototype with me," Qiao Ze told Lu Zhongguo.
"Ah?" Lu Zhongguo was momentarily taken aback, remembering this was the engineering prototype, but recalling the young man's decisiveness, he subconsciously nodded and replied, "Alright, but the charger is still quite rudimentary..."
"No problem," said Qiao Ze, indifferent to whether the thing looked good or not.
"That's awesome!" Su Mucheng immediately hugged Qiao Ze and kissed him.
Standing beside them, Liu Ying watched Su Mucheng with admiration.
Not that she envied Su Mucheng's opportunity to kiss someone...
It was that robotic dog; it really did look like a lot of fun. If she could have one of her own to bring back to her team, that would be so impressive.
Qiao Ze didn't pay attention to the feelings of those around him.
But to take the robot home, he had to open a port for Dou Dou right there on the spot.
Although the original system could move and handle the tests here, it would be troublesome to use once taken back.
Essentially, every so-called intelligent robot at the moment, whether with a physical body or not, appeared incredibly dumb to Qiao Ze unless it was operated by a human in the background.
Dou Dou was perhaps the only exception.
After all, he was self-developed...
Soon, Qiao Ze completed the handover procedures with Lu Zhongguo, and a forklift sent Dou Dou's body onto the truck.
Luckily, with three people traveling each time, and in order to make Qiao feel compensated, Liu Ying, or rather, Liu Ying's department, had specially arranged for a spacious and comfortable large business van. Not only was there plenty of space inside, but there was also ample room for luggage.
They could fit Dou Dou's new body, which when folded was nearly one meter in length and half a meter in height.
However, with Dou Dou in tow, Qiao Ze no longer wanted to return to the hotel, and he made arrangements on the spot.
"First, let's check out of the hotel, then we're going home."