Humans Shrunk 100 Times

Chapter 194: Means of Transportation

As the speed of the piston movement increased, the rotating wheel driven by the connecting rod also accelerated, eventually reaching a stunning rotation speed.

"Isn't this exaggerating?"

"I've seen an experiment where someone used a cup of hot water to operate a simple Stirling engine for an hour, and the rotation speed reached 1000 revolutions per minute."

"Moreover, I didn't expect this thing to be so quiet."

"...Because with reduced friction, the noise naturally decreases. On the other hand, the hot air engine doesn't have the power of internal combustion engines, no need for combustion explosions or intermittent combustion. Additionally, it is not affected by atmospheric pressure and can operate in a closed environment. Currently, the most significant application is in submarines."

"We don't need submarines right now, but with this thing, building a car shouldn't be a problem, right?"

"In the true sense, we are still far from a proper car. Besides, this type of engine is too large and powerful for use in cars and ships. However, at our current scale, building a functioning four-wheeled vehicle shouldn't be difficult."

"Then let's give it a try? Do we need manpower?" Wei Dalei asked.

"It's not necessary to go through all that trouble. Don't we have a ready-made car?" Tang Jing smiled.

"What do you mean?"

Chen Mu's gaze turned to the large container truck parked against the wall. "That big guy?"

"Yes," Tang Jing said with a smile, "ausing's simulation toy cars are known for their intricate details. This vehicle, apart from the engine and battery, has a fully realistic connection between the tires and the steering wheel. Of course, there is no electronic assist."

"Install the engine on that car?"

"That's a great idea!" Wei Dalei laughed heartily.

Boys are naturally fond of cars. Haven't you seen little boys who have just learned to walk stare at excavators all day without making a fuss?

Since they got that truck, although it couldn't be driven, Old Wei, Zhu Hao, and the others occasionally climbed on it to indulge their interest. Now that they heard it could actually be driven, they naturally supported the idea wholeheartedly.

"But some modifications will be necessary."

Tang Jing led everyone to the side of the truck and explained, "Firstly, the engine doesn't use fuel and must change the heat source every dozen hours or so. So the position might need to be moved to a more easily accessible place. Secondly, these tires may not be suitable for the current terrain."

"Too rough?"

"Yes, I suggest changing them to tracks."

"That shouldn't be difficult," Chen Mu, who had previous experience building engines, said confidently.

"Wouldn't that be like a tank? Can it drive on grass?" Wei Dalei asked.

"No, the weight and size of the car itself aren't enough. It might barely pass on smoother, muddy terrains, but it won't work if there are too many plants."

"So, its usability is still limited?" Chen Mu sighed. He had thought that with this tracked truck, they could expand their range of movement, but it seems that the requirements for the road surface were still quite high.

"For now, the function of vehicles is merely to replace walking, saving physical effort and time. To truly achieve widespread use, we still have a long way to go."

"But without vehicles, how can we go to more distant places in the future? We can't just walk everywhere."

"There are two solutions for popularizing means of transportation," Tang Jing explained, "First, build roads. The current road surfaces won't meet the requirements, but if we want to popularize cars, we need to build new, well-maintained roads so that they can be driven everywhere."

"Wow, this seems even more challenging than building cars."

"Now it's difficult, but in the future, with more people, it might still be possible. Besides, it's not like I'm asking you to finish it in one day. Our country's road network, for example, was built in just a few decades, right?"

"A few decades? Let's forget about that, it sounds hopeless."

"In that case, we can only go with the second plan."

"What plan?"

"Switch to a different means of transportation," Tang Jing said.

"Like what?"

"For example, mobile suits," Tang Jing smiled.

"This..."

"Actually, it's not that far-fetched. We discussed before that it's not possible to build humanoid mechas in reality due to material limitations. However, now that problem no longer exists, and in complex terrains, the bipedal walking mode is far more convenient than any wheels or tracks."

"Of course, when I say humanoid mechas, I don't mean those machines you see in cartoons that can synchronize movements with humans. That's still too far off. But if we can achieve walking using a few specific movements, it's worth considering."

Chen Mu felt a bit dizzy and sighed, "This still sounds very distant, and the operational requirements are too high. Not to mention mechas, do any of us here know how to drive?"

"You can get a driver's license at 18, right?"

"I can," Wei Dalei grinned, "I often drive my dad's car, but I only dare to do it in his company's yard."

Wei Dalei's father is in construction and also runs a building materials factory. Due to his busy work, he doesn't have much time to discipline Old Wei, so he basically just gives him pocket money. This resulted in Old Wei being quite wild from a young age. He started secretly driving at the age of twelve or thirteen and got scolded by his family when they found out. However, he didn't change his ways, and Old Wei had no choice but to formally teach him how to drive when he turned sixteen. Of course, he strictly forbade him from driving outside and could only play with the car in their own yard.

Although Chen Mu often hangs out with Wei Dalei, it's mostly limited to school, so he really didn't know that Wei Dalei could drive.

But then Dong Junwei said, "I can too... because getting a driver's license doesn't require going to driving school anymore. So last summer vacation, my family had someone teach me, but I haven't officially driven on the road yet."

He Ying followed, "Me too."

Tang Jing had a slight smile on her face, and it was self-explanatory.

Chen Mu was taken aback. Among the five members of the decision-making group, am I the only one who can't drive?

Alright, you guys are all experienced drivers!

Chen Mu grumbled inwardly, feeling a bit left out.

"But driving a car and piloting a mech are two different things, right?"

"In that case, let's just go all out," Tang Jing said.

"What do you mean?"

"Since surface transportation has too many limitations, how about considering flying to overcome these troubles?" Tang Jing shrugged.

"Building aircraft?"

Chen Mu held his chest, trying hard to stay calm.

We've only just built an engine today, and tomorrow you want to build an aircraft. This is moving too fast, isn't it?

"An aircraft is a bit far off," Tang Jing chuckled. "But a flying machine doesn't necessarily have to be an airplane."

"Are you suggesting... a hot air balloon?"

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