Chapter 157: "Clockwork"

Chapter 157: "Clockwork"

"Of course, forget about it. I said it from the beginning. Although abilities defy common sense, they still have their own internal rules. As long as we continue to summarize, one day, we can use abilities to rebuild our world, just like we used physics and chemistry in the past."

Tang Jing's words always carried some ambiguity.

Of course, even in the apocalypse, the hypnotic brainwashing of positive energy still had a certain positive meaning.

At least at this moment, everyone was full of hope for the future.

Apart from foam plastics, Chen Mu was most interested in that mouse.

To be honest, this mouse didn't quite fit the style of the other items, and it seemed to be broken and discarded in a box, treated as spare parts.

However, the boys were interested in the mouse purely because it brought back memories of computer games. In reality, there was nothing particularly novel about it from a material standpoint.

Instead, Tang Jing was quite interested in the two measuring tapes.Ñøv€lRapture marked the initial hosting of this chapter on Ñôv€lß¡n.

Flat square plastic casing, with a steel tape measure inside that could be pulled out and automatically retracted. It was estimated that all the boys had played with this thing as a weapon.

Many of them probably even cut their hands with it.

"What special function does this have?"

Chen Mu saw Tang Jing staring at the large measuring tape and asked curiously.

"In terms of craftsmanship, we are already relatively mature, but in the industrialization process, there is still a crucial element missing."

"What is it?"

"Energy."

"Ah."

Although this statement was true, Chen Mu didn't understand how looking at a measuring tape made her think of energy.

"Such as oil and natural gas?"

"Close, but we can't use those things for the time being."

"What does this have to do with the measuring tape?" Chen Mu was puzzled.

"The function of energy is nothing more than providing heat and power, especially the latter. That's why the invention of the steam engine was able to greatly propel the industrial revolution."

Tang Jing sighed, "Unfortunately, we don't have abilities in this aspect for now."

"Providing energy and power?"

"Yes."

"The material of a steel measuring tape is similar to that of a clockwork, which is why I had this idea."

"Then let's start working on it right away."

"Don't rush. While it's a good idea in theory, there are still many challenges in implementing it."

Tang Jing explained, "If it's just a child's clockwork toy car, it wouldn't matter much. What we need is a steady and continuous power output, but the force of a clockwork is strongest at the beginning and gradually diminishes. Therefore, we have to continuously adjust the torque lever, just like the internal structure of a mechanical watch."

"That sounds complicated." Chen Mu, who was a part-processing worker, felt a bit hesitant.

"It is indeed challenging. Just the gears, big and small, will keep you busy for a while. Moreover, the precision requirements for these parts are extremely high. If there's a slight deviation, the entire device will become useless."

...

With the idea of making it as soon as possible to use it as soon as possible, Chen Mu began working on making the clockwork that afternoon.

First, he collaborated with Wei Dalei to take a measuring tape down from the shelf and then disassembled it to retrieve the steel tape inside.

After he finished making it.

The next day, Tang Jing brought a piece of paper with a mechanical blueprint of a clockwork device drawn on it, clearly marked with all the dimensions of the various small parts.

This blueprint almost filled the entire notebook, densely packed with all the dimensions of the tiny components.

It was hard to imagine that this was the result of just one day's work.

With the blueprint in hand, Tang Jing no longer needed to draw on the ground or walls to communicate with Chen Mu.

After completing the first, simplest, and experimental clockwork device, everyone rushed over to try it out. It was a very basic clockwork spring, encased in a simple plastic shell, but it was quite large, almost as tall as two humans combined.

It had a hole for winding and was equipped with a butterfly-shaped handle.

Everyone took turns trying it out.

The unexpected result was that out of the seventeen people in the Awakening Squad, apart from Wei Dalei, not a single person could wind it.

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