Technology

Dutch gave instructions regarding Mr. Milton's task of establishing an intelligence organization and then completely dismissed it from his mind.

He always had this one flaw: he trusted people's loyalty too much.

He always believed that his good treatment and sincerity towards others would earn him loyalty.

This kind of thinking could be said to be extremely naive, completely unbecoming of a leader.

However, on this point, Researcher Van der Linde and Mr. Marko, who had almost exhausted their minds, raised strong objections.

In order to repay Dutch's recognition and extreme trust, the Van der Linde Research Institute worked day and night to produce various inventions.

As the research institute most valued by Van der Linde, the security system in this place was simply insane.

From the inside out, two kilometers away from the research institute, it was densely surrounded by bunkers on all sides, and a three-meter-high wall was even erected, connecting the bunkers to form a protective net.

A watchtower was also uniformly equipped next to the bunkers, allowing the soldiers on guard to have a wider field of vision.

Thanks to the fact that this place was a flat plain, entirely covered in grass, even within the walls, soldiers on the watchtowers could see clearly, greatly increasing the difficulty of infiltration.

Even if someone truly crossed the first line of defense, it didn't matter.

Because after another kilometer, there would be another high wall, watchtowers, and bunkers forming a second line of defense.

And within this high wall, for the last kilometer, eight patrol teams continuously walked back and forth, inspecting all areas in a crisscross manner.

If someone could still enter under such security, they would truly be no different from Superman.

At this moment, inside Vulture Ranch.

Mr. Marko, who had not appeared for a long time, sat in a strange-looking vehicle, directing the surrounding staff to walk towards the laboratory.

The vehicle he was in looked peculiar; it had an internal combustion engine as the front part but pulled an iron carriage.

This was the first generation of the truck he had researched, and because it used a Tank engine, it had sufficient power and had always been used as a transport vehicle for the experimental base.

And this time, what he was transporting was not anything else, but the complete research content of the Wright Brothers.

Aircraft!

Aircraft technology should have made groundbreaking progress in this era, and with the ample funding from Mr. Van der Linde, the Wright Brothers' research reached an even higher level.

The two brothers used abundant materials to build a wind tunnel and conducted hundreds of attempts and experiments with it, and they improved the engine more than a dozen times.

Now, they have finally created the complete aircraft.

Of course, it was the complete version in their understanding, and it had not yet been verified by experiments.

But according to their experimental data, this aircraft research should be foolproof!

"Marko, will Dutch come over?" Looking at Mr. Marko, who drove his cargo truck over, the older Wright brother quickly stepped forward and asked nervously.

He was too nervous; he was too excited.

If the reason he invented the aircraft before was his dream and his desire to make a name for himself in history, then now their purpose for inventing the aircraft had completely become for Dutch.

Dutch Van der Linde, the man who trusted them the most when they were down and out, his trust and support for them reached an insane degree, and this level of kindness made the three siblings happy yet uneasy; they were afraid of failing and disappointing Mr. Dutch Van der Linde.

"Sure, Wilbur! You know, Dutch has always valued you very much. I believe he will definitely come over after seeing the letter, even if he has to put down everything he's doing!" Marko, wearing his small glasses, got out of his truck and patted Wilbur's shoulder reassuringly.

"Moreover, this time, it's not just the aircraft that needs Dutch's inspection. In addition, we also have: farming vehicles, trucks, cars, and flat-fire howitzers, Venetian cannons, unmanned cars, and a series of other achievements that need him to verify!"

"Thank you, Sir!" Wilbur let out a long breath, feeling even more nervous.

Mr. Dutch is really coming over!

Then, can their aircraft truly achieve sustained flight?

He looked at his younger brother and some of the researchers who had been recruited during this period, and then firmed his resolve.

They will definitely succeed!

The rapid progress of the aircraft did not solely rely on the two brothers; in fact, some of the calculation processes and improvement processes were aided by the researchers recruited by Mr. Van der Linde.

Everyone worked together to completely realize the aircraft research in such a short time, and according to the calculation results, the aircraft's flight altitude would even far exceed the results they had designed themselves before.

According to the Wright Brothers' idea, the aircraft must be light, so their aircraft initially used a wooden structure and canvas to form the frame and gliders that carried the aircraft.

This also meant their aircraft could not fly fast or high. At the same time, its carrying capacity was very small.

However, Mr. Van der Linde recruited a large number of scientific researchers, and the scientific researchers of this era were all truly capable and had their own ideas.

Regarding their aircraft structure, someone raised doubts.

Because the carrying capacity of this aircraft was too light, it could not meet Mr. Van der Linde's requirement for installing weapons at all.

Moreover, due to the poor carrying capacity and self-weight, this aircraft could not fly long distances at all, could not carry too many bombs, and could not even fly at high altitudes, fearing it would fall apart after flying for a while.

To modify this series of drawbacks, this group of people sat together every day, pondering and discussing with each other.

Finally, through the calculations of mathematicians, physics mechanics researchers, air buoyancy researchers, and a series of other scholars, a professional result was finally obtained.

That is, they can completely increase the aircraft's power and design the extent of its wing expansion to increase the aircraft's air lift, thereby achieving the result of transporting a heavier aircraft into the sky.

After this, there were hundreds of wind tunnel simulation experiments, model construction and correction, and the gradual improvement of relevant theories.

Most scientific progress is a result of long-term accumulation, because once the main theory is produced and perfected, the rest is experimentation and physical construction.

With the perfected theory of the aircraft, the related engine modifications also came naturally.

Thus, the Wright Brothers and the twelve researchers involved in the aircraft research jointly developed the brand-new 'Flyer Fifty-Eight' aircraft.

Unlike previous aircraft with wooden and canvas structures, this time, to ensure the plane could withstand high-altitude air resistance and excessive flight speeds, it had to use aluminum and steel as its main framework and outer casing.

Using the newly constructed aircraft framework provides better internal stability, while the external aluminum casing offers superior external pressure resistance, meeting the demands of high-altitude wind resistance while also effectively reducing the aircraft's weight.

In reality, World War II aircraft were largely made of duralumin, but duralumin was only developed in 1906, so at this time, only aluminum and steel could be used.

There's no other way; breakthroughs in scientific research are often directly related to advancements in material mechanics.

For example, if a room-temperature superconducting material were truly found, the world's technological level could instantly rise to another tier.

However, a steel-framed, aluminum-skinned structure could also be used.

According to the calculated results from the research, the improved aircraft's flight speed will reach an unimaginable degree, and its flight altitude will be ridiculously high; if not ten thousand meters, at least the theoretical flight altitude can reach five thousand meters or more.

But what kind of performance it will actually achieve still depends on this aircraft test.

Wilbur trembled with excitement, looking at the brand-new aircraft being hooked up and prepared for transport to the testing ground, feeling an itch in his heart.

With him looking like that, no one else was much better.

His brother followed closely beside the plane, not moving an inch, excitedly turning his head back occasionally, wanting to see Mr. Van der Linde's figure.

The rest of the aircraft researchers were even redder with excitement.

Everyone knew that as long as this thing was successfully developed, Mr. Van der Linde would certainly not treat them shabbily!

Among other things, Mr. Marko receives a one-dollar commission for every Marko semi-automatic rifle sold, and a one-thousand-dollar commission for every Tank sold. Mr. Marko has now become a truly wealthy man, with the dollars distributed to him reaching a hundred thousand! And it will continue to be distributed to his descendants endlessly!

If the research and sale of the aircraft could give each of them a hundred-dollar commission, they would also instantly become tycoons! And tycoons with an endless supply of money!

Who wouldn't feel surprised and excited by this?

Thanks to Mr. Van der Linde's terrifying reward system, during this period, not only did they achieve research results, but other various research groups also obtained their respective research outcomes.

For instance, a group of Italian firearms researchers developed the Venice Giant Cannon with a terrifying caliber of four hundred millimeters!

These damned foreigners are still in a blind pursuit of bigness, a huge madness. In their minds, bigness represents power.

The reason this Venice Giant Cannon was designed is precisely this. This group of Italian scientists attempted to create a powerful and terrifying extinction weapon by increasing its caliber.

To this end, after specifically asking the Wright Brothers' group about their aircraft's carrying capacity, they even wanted to create a huge bomb to serve as the aircraft's payload, aiming to achieve the possibility of a single bomb destroying a small town.

One can only say their idea was very good, and Mr. Van der Linde liked their idea very much.

The giant cannon and giant bomb they developed could be sold as specialized weapons to warmongers, allowing Mr. Van der Linde to extensively harvest economy and resources.

As the aircraft was being pulled by a vehicle towards the testing ground, in another warehouse, a huge artillery barrel was also being pulled by two other transport vehicles towards the testing ground.

This massive barrel was exceptionally long and huge; it required two vehicles pulling it in tandem, one in front and one behind, for synchronized transport. The entire barrel's length almost reached twenty meters. According to the calculations of the Italian researcher who invented this thing, its effective range could even reach twenty kilometers.

The destructive power is so immense, it's simply unimaginable in this era!

If this thing were used to strike the dilapidated gun tower in Chapter Five of the game or the warships in Cuba, just one shot would be enough to sink both.

If not for the different firing methods, this thing could even be considered a short-range missile!

This is the Venice Giant Cannon, this is the intertwining of immensity and madness!

Everyone knows that Mr. Van der Linde is an out-and-out warmonger. Under his financial encouragement, this group of researchers has almost entered the level of mad research seen during World War II and the Cold War ahead of time.

If they were truly allowed to research like this for ten years, perhaps the world's technology, originating from Mr. Van der Linde, would truly enter its most advanced stage.

The aircraft was pulled onto the testing field. Both the Venice Giant Cannon and the flat-trajectory howitzer were undergoing final assembly and debugging.

The Wright Brothers stood nervously beside the aircraft, stroking their greatest research achievement, their eyes constantly looking back, wanting to see the figure that haunted their dreams.

Besides them, the other researchers also had excited expressions.

Who says scientists don't like money?

Nonsense! Their main reason for joining the scientific research industry was to have good treatment, preferably the kind where they wouldn't have to worry about food and drink for the rest of their lives.

From this perspective, they also developed from a pragmatic stage, so no one dislikes money!

And now, it's their moment of validation.

As long as their achievements are validated, then according to Mr. Van der Linde's generosity, what awaits them will be endless wealth and prosperity for their families.

Everyone was looking forward to it, everyone was paying attention to what was behind them, eager to see the figure that haunted their dreams.

Everyone held their breath, accumulating a surge of spirit.

This validation was not only an opportunity to change their class but also the greatest affirmation for their half-lifetime of research!

Finally.

Their expectations were not in vain!

"Hya!"

Along with the neighing of horses, a familiar shout echoed in the distance.

"Hya!"

A white horse, exceptionally agile, galloped towards their testing ground.

The sun of the American West was sitting directly above the horse's back!

The entire testing ground was silent for a moment, and then.

"Roar, roar, roar, roar!!!!"

Extremely enthusiastic applause suddenly resounded throughout the testing ground, accompanied by the cheers of the researchers.

"Van der Linde!"

"Van der Linde!"

"Van der Linde!"

This group of researchers, including the Wright Brothers, were all mad with excitement. They raised their hands, clapping continuously, and fanatically shouted Dutch's name.

It was as if the research results were not due to their efforts, but Dutch's.

"Clap, clap, clap..."

The applause was like thunder, expressing the joy and reverence in the hearts of these scientists.

And Dutch did not disappoint everyone's expectations!

With a wave of his hand, the scene immediately fell silent.

"Ladies and gentlemen! I am Dutch Van der Linde!"

Dutch was radiant on his horse, and Arthur and John behind him were also inexplicably excited.

It had been a long time since they had heard Dutch's speech, and they were the ones who missed it the most.

"Clap, clap, clap..."

Dutch had only said one sentence, and the atmosphere on the scene immediately reached a boiling point.

"I know that everyone values their research and inventions very much, wanting to bring glory to their ancestors and live a life of abundance!

And I, Dutch Van der Linde, have always held researchers and research results in the highest regard!

So, once the research results of this research team are confirmed as successful, I will give the successful research team a ten-thousand-dollar bonus and profit sharing!

Gentlemen, ladies, your efforts will bring you the most beautiful future, this is the result I promise you!"

As long as a research outcome is achieved, there will be a minimum of ten thousand dollars in bonuses?

Sh*t!, no incentive is as important as money.

After hearing Dutch's extremely generous reward, all the research teams on site cheered wildly.

Those with research results were ecstatic, those without were incredibly frustrated, but the competitive spirit in their hearts intensified to the extreme.

Sh*t!, this reward is too generous!

At the same time, the American inventor Edison, who established a research institute, not only gave the researchers inside meager compensation, but even the inventions themselves did not belong to these researchers.

The most typical example is Nikola Tesla, who is, of course, now Mr. Marko.

Mr. Marko also had such an experience in the game; the reason he appeared by the lake in Saint Denis to promote his wireless remote control technology was because he had been scammed before.

It gave Mr. Marko a thorough understanding of American humor: the essence of a bandit.

Of course, this does not negate Edison's contributions, but it also highlights the generosity and nobility of Mr. Dutch Van der Linde.

Mr. Van der Linde would not take possession of these researchers' inventions; he would even name these inventions after them. In addition, he would not only give them high bonuses but also a share of the profits.

This is already the best reward in world history!

Who else could have such courage as Dutch Van der Linde?

Among other things, if Marko had developed a semi-automatic rifle for other gun companies, he would at most have received a few thousand dollars in bonuses. Here, Mr. Van der Linde gave him a solid one dollar per rifle commission!

He only needed to invent it from beginning to end; Mr. Van der Linde would solve all subsequent problems for him and give him unlimited rebates!

Currently, the total sales of the Marko semi-automatic rifle alone have already brought Marko almost one hundred thousand dollars!

Therefore, everyone's frenzy was well-founded.

Mr. Van der Linde's speech brought the atmosphere on site to a climax.

And the official experimental testing began.

The first to appear were the Wright Brothers and their newly developed high-altitude aircraft, also known as an airplane.

"Dutch, oh, Dutch, we won't let you down! Dutch!" Wilbur said, deeply moved, clutching Dutch's hands.

"Hahaha, it's alright, child, take your time. If it doesn't work once, there's a second time, and if it doesn't work twice, there's a third. Having a dream and working for it is already a success!

I never care whether you can truly invent the weapon I imagine, but maintaining this spirit of struggle is the true meaning of life!

I don't think one's life should be judged by a single accomplishment, just as our greatest hope for you three siblings is not so-called fame and fortune, but that you all can have a happy and healthy life!

Be a kind person, be a person with your own thoughts, be able to live well when you are poor, and be able to make others live better when you are rich.

For 'people,' that is already enough!"

Dutch was like a kind old father; he patted the shoulders of the three siblings with both hands and spoke earnestly.

Oh my goodness, such sh*t! words, such sh*t! reverse comfort, it was simply impossible to resist their charm.

Even Arthur and John, standing behind Dutch, were incredibly moved.

This was their old father!

Not to mention the Wright siblings, who were encouraged by these words!

In just a few short sentences, the relationship between the two parties transformed from an employment system to a family bond. The pressure and excitement brought about by this shift in thinking could drive people completely insane!

The Wright siblings were moved to tears, and they could no longer control themselves as they stepped forward and tightly hugged Dutch.

"Oh, Mr. Van der Linde!"

Marko stood by, a smile on his face. He shook his head, pulled a cigar box from Arthur's pocket, lit a cigar for himself, and chuckled, "These young people are just easily moved."

"Marko, I remember you were jumping around excitedly back then too, weren't you? Oh, sh*t!, make sure your hand isn't trembling before you say that!" Arthur snatched his cigar box back from Marko's hand and then sarcastically retorted.

"But you seemed very moved just now, Arthur; I've never seen that expression on you in all these years." John, standing by, took out his camera and held the film up to the sun in front of Arthur's eyes.

"Sh*t! Marston, why do you always like to interrupt now? Sh*t!, I'm already starting to miss the old you!"

Arthur angrily rebuked Marston, then reached out to grab the film.

They were bickering over here, while the Wright Brothers had completely reached their peak.

The two brothers ran incredibly fast, scrambling and tumbling towards the airplane.

The people who research airplanes are the most familiar with airplanes, so the first batch of pilots were, without a doubt, the two of them.

To prevent accidents at high altitudes, this airplane could also manually open its top panel, allowing the two individuals to jump out of their seats and escape using parachutes.

It is worth noting that the research and invention of parachutes predated airplanes by a significant margin.

Parachutes were invented at the end of the eighteenth century. To be used with airplanes, they specifically enlarged the size of the parachutes and increased the quality of the canopy.

It can be said that the preparations were foolproof.

The aircraft experiment could be considered the most important experiment in the entire research base.

Whether it was Dutch, who had been following this experiment, or the researchers at the research base, everyone had an intense interest in flight from beginning to end.

Flight, in this era, was still an unimaginable thing. Even though the Berlin airship and hot air balloons already existed, no one believed that anything could allow people to fly quickly in the sky.

This was evident during the Wright Brothers' first aircraft experiment, which was reported by American newspapers as 'attention-grabbing clowns'.

But as scientific scholars, even if they weren't all on the same project, they had more or less some relevant understanding, and they believed that flight might indeed be possible.

Therefore, this aircraft experiment garnered widespread anticipation.

Fortunately, Vulture Ranch itself was large, so building a runway specifically for aircraft experiments there was easy.

Amidst the cheers and applause of the crowd, the Wright Brothers boarded the aircraft parked on the runway.

"Mr. Van der Linde, we will not disappoint you!"

Wilbur, sitting in the first seat, waved his hands at Dutch, excitedly stood up, and pulled the glass canopy over his head shut.

His younger brother, Orville, then took the aircraft's glass canopy that his brother had pulled over, pulled it all the way back, and secured it with the designed latch.

That's right, the aircraft's glass canopy was still manually operated at this time.

Their initial aircraft design was single-person controlled, aiming to reduce weight, but after much thought, this aircraft was changed to two-person controlled.

Because Van der Linde wanted the aircraft to be able to launch attacks in the sky, they would definitely need to add machine guns and bomb deployment, which would make single-person operation a bit stretched.

This led to the design of another pilot seat.

Dutch stood with a group of researchers in an open space not far away, his eyes fixed on the slowly starting aircraft, his emotions stirring uncontrollably.

An aircraft, another divine artifact of his, Dutch Van der Linde.

Only with air superiority could he truly be fearless of any threat.

As long as the aircraft experiment succeeded, then he could openly challenge on the international stage. Previously, he had to guard against the East discovering the changes in their area, but once the aircraft research succeeded, the offensive between the two sides would directly reverse.

At that time, those capitalists in the East would have to be careful if aircraft would fly over their heads and drop bombs!

Force, force, and more force! Only with sufficient force could he, Dutch Van der Linde, stand up and speak!

Finally, at the moment Dutch was most obsessed with force, and the crowd was most anticipating the aircraft.

The Wright Brothers started the aircraft's engine, causing the aircraft to slowly move down the runway.

"It's running, it's running! It's starting to move!"

"Oh, sh*t!, why is it so fast?"

The modified engine had exceptionally ample horsepower. Dutch's Tank engine was only five hundred horsepower, while this aircraft's engine had already reached over a thousand.

Of course, this was necessary, otherwise the aircraft would lack maneuverability.

Aircraft have ample space for engines, so engines can be made much larger than those for a Tank, and because the operating environment is relatively clean, there's no need to spend more space and materials on anti-fouling designs.

Amidst the exclamations of the crowd, the Wright Brothers' aircraft ran faster and faster, the propellers on both sides whirring, making it impossible to even discern the direction of the fan blades' rotation.

As the aircraft gained speed, its nose began to tremble slightly.

Finally.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh..."

A burst of exclamations erupted in the crowd. Amidst these shouts, the aircraft, which had already sped away, quickly lifted its nose, then soared into the sky in a smooth curve!

"Oh, sh*t! Sh*t! Sh*t! Dutch, he really flew! Dutch, damn it, it flew! They flew!"

Arthur's squinted eyes widened. He was dumbfounded, letting out one gasp after another, staring open-mouthed at the aircraft that had already flown into the sky, flying higher and faster.

"Oh, good heavens (John's accent for 'Oh, my God')! Dutch, is this your plan? Is this your damn plan? Oh, sh*t! Your plan is too amazing! Dutch, it's insane!"

Dutch remained relatively calm.

Meanwhile, the surrounding scientific scholars, a group of them, were wildly shouting and cheering, celebrating this miracle unfolding before their eyes.

"Boom..."

After takeoff, the aircraft's speed increased, and at the same time, it produced increasingly loud noise.

This booming sound was like thunder, yet it made the researchers below even more frenzied.

"My heavens, what kind of monster is this! What kind of monster could make such a violent sound!"

"It's insane, it's so cool! Damn it, this is a real invention! Oh, sh*t! This is truly amazing!"

The aircraft flew higher and higher in the sky, even flying out of sight within a short while.

The atmosphere on site remained fervent, especially among the researchers who participated in the aircraft research, who were trembling with excitement.

Not only because of the success of their invention, but also because of the impending wealth and glory beckoning them.

Dutch was overjoyed, his eyes sweeping over the researchers who had participated in the aircraft project, saying: "Good, very good! Gentlemen, your invention has succeeded!

Damn it, you've given me a huge surprise!

I announce that from now on, every researcher involved in the aircraft project will receive a commission of one thousand dollars for each aircraft sold!"

With Dutch's command, the researchers present immediately erupted.

"Hooray, Mr. Van der Linde!"

"Hooray, Mr. Van der Linde!"

"Fantastic, Mr. Van der Linde, damn it, I'm going to be a rich man! Hahaha..."

Upon hearing Mr. Van der Linde's reward, those who researched the aircraft went crazy, and those who didn't participate in the aircraft research also went crazy.

Everyone was stunned by Mr. Van der Linde's generous reward!

Keep in mind that they didn't have to do anything to sell the aircraft! And they still got a thousand-dollar commission?

This was simply insane!

This was simply too generous!

Of course, it wasn't actually that generous, because Dutch's commission method was calculated based on the model of the things they researched.

For example, the Marko semi-automatic rifle currently gives Mr. Marko a one-dollar commission, and if a stronger rifle appears later, and the Marko rifle can no longer be sold, then there will naturally be no commission.

The same goes for this aircraft; the iteration of aircraft is not slow. This model of aircraft is estimated to sell a maximum of a few thousand units before it needs to be updated, and at that point, these people's commissions will naturally not be able to continue.

Therefore, for their continuous income, they still need to invest continuous energy in research and invention to ensure that their wealth continuously flows into their hands.

Of course, compared to other organizations or countries, Mr. Van der Linde is definitely the most generous.

As for a thousand dollars per person commission, is it too much for a single aircraft sold to generate over ten thousand dollars in distributed commission?

It's the same point: this money in their hands is no different from being in Mr. Van der Linde's hands.

Anyway, it can't leave; it can only be spent on Mr. Van der Linde's territory.

Moreover, the cost of manufacturing an aircraft is at most ten thousand dollars, and he is going to sell it for one hundred and fifty thousand dollars!

A ten thousand dollar share is not much, not at all!