Rebirth: Starting from Lighting Up the Tech Tree

Chapter 134 First Flight Anniversary

Shen Yiming invited Zuo Cheng to the drone base.

This is a site rented specifically by 402 in the suburbs of Hangzhou. It has a helipad of several hundred square meters and a two-story maintenance building. Zuo Cheng last came here last month. At that time, the system had just completed the update of the rain perception module and ran a batch of test data under complex weather conditions in the south.

Today is different. Only one drone is parked on the tarmac. The fuselage is a bit old, the paint has a slight yellowish tinge in the sunlight, and there are minor wear marks on a few corners. This is the first model to be put into commercial operation by Tongshun Express, serial number 01.

Shen Yiming stood to the side, his expression carrying a hint of unusual emotion.

"Mr. Zuo, today marks the one-year anniversary of our first drone completing its maiden commercial flight."

Zuo Cheng stood beside the plane, silent for a few seconds.

One year. From obtaining the license to the first flight in the mountains, to five city partners, to a hundred drones shuttling through the air, time passed faster and more steadily than he expected.

"Has the data come out yet?"

"The data for the whole year is all compiled; I'll send it to you to take a look."

---

The annual data report was sent to the internal group, and Zuo Cheng returned to the meeting room, sat down, and went through it.

The aircraft covered 500,000 kilometers throughout the year, completed 100,000 delivery missions, covered eight cities, and had zero major accidents and zero passenger injuries. The flight time has been increased from the initial 30 minutes to 90 minutes, the maximum payload has been expanded from 5 kg to 15 kg, the wind resistance level has been improved from level 5 to level 7, and the path planning algorithm has undergone three major version updates, now covering 27 complex weather scenarios.

Behind each set of data lies the result of repeated iterations by Shen Yiming and his team.

Chen Hao had specifically attached a screenshot from the live video of the maiden flight. Zuo Cheng opened it and glanced at it. The No. 01 drone was flying over the mountainous area. The image quality was a bit grainy, as it was recorded on a mobile phone. He remembered that He Qiang standing outside the fence that day, his hands in his pockets, his eyes filled with the distrust typical of a veteran logistics professional.

A year has passed, and those eyes now look at the 402 drone differently.

Zuo Cheng read the last page, which contained a note appended by Shen Yiming:

"A year ago, our algorithm almost crashed in the mountainous air currents. Now, No. 01 has flown 32,000 kilometers, which is more than many experienced drivers have covered."

Zuo Cheng's lips twitched slightly upwards.

At that moment, he thought of the system and casually brought up the panel to take a look.

On the tech tree interface, the area of ​​the unmanned system branch has changed. Five of the eight leaves now have bright outlines, while the other three remain gray. The system displays a message: "Unmanned System Branch, current leaf unlock progress is 5:8. Three more leaves are needed to activate the branch."

Zuo Cheng made a mental note of it and closed the panel.

Three more are needed. No rush, the market will naturally provide the trigger.

---

The new model launch event is scheduled for one week from now.

402 has released its second-generation commercial drone, equipped with a new generation battery management system, which increases the flight range by 60% compared to the previous generation, increases the maximum single payload to 20 kilograms, achieves wind resistance level 8, and reduces the overall cost by 40%.

The press conference venue was small, with about 300 people. Half of them were media reporters, and the other half were representatives from companies in several industries such as logistics, agriculture, and surveying, as well as several government officials from Hangzhou and surrounding cities.

Zuo Cheng walked onto the stage and, without using any grand words to begin, only said one sentence.

"We have only one standard when it comes to drones: they must fly stably, without accidents, and ensure that our customers' goods are delivered safely."

Some people in the audience chuckled, but their attention was quickly drawn to the data on the screen.

Extending the battery life from 90 minutes to 140 minutes means that some mountain routes can be completed without turning back; a payload of 20 kilograms means that it basically covers most scenarios of regular e-commerce parcels and agricultural supplies; and a 40% reduction in costs is the most direct figure, with many company representatives immediately starting to do the math in their notebooks.

After explaining the product highlights, a reporter from a financial media outlet raised his hand.

"Mr. Zuo, over the past year, the speed of 402's technological iteration has been recognized in the industry as far exceeding that of traditional drone manufacturers. How often do you typically complete a major version update?"

Zuo Cheng thought for a moment but did not give a number.

"Our iterations are customer-driven, not internally scheduled. Whenever a customer gives feedback that we haven't done a good enough job in a certain scenario, the team starts reviewing it that same day. So I can't say there's a fixed cycle, but I can say that no customer feedback has ever been shelved for more than two weeks."

The reporter looked down and jotted something down, then looked up again.

"So what's your next goal?"

"Let drones fly in more places." Zuo Cheng paused for a moment, "Agriculture, emergency response, maritime monitoring—we are evaluating these scenarios, and there will be implementations this year."

Several representatives from agricultural companies in the audience began to whisper among themselves.

Another reporter stood up, speaking a little louder.

"Did the price war at Huafeng Technology affect your market expansion?"

Zuo Cheng didn't give a direct evaluation of his competitor; he only said one sentence.

"I think our clients understand better than any of us what they need and what the cost will be."

The room was quiet for a moment, then a few scattered claps broke out.

---

After the press conference, two new logistics companies expressed their intention to cooperate on the spot, and a representative from an agricultural company from Mincheng approached Han Lu, saying that they had a large planting base and had been looking for a suitable plant protection drone solution because traditional manual spraying was too costly and inefficient.

Han Lu put the business card away and told Zuo Cheng about it that very night.

"I've been looking into agriculture for a while now. What are your thoughts on this area?" She placed the business card on the table.

Zuo Cheng stood by the window. The building lights outside were already on, and the night was clear. He took the business card and flipped through it.

Mincheng, a planting base, needs plant protection.

He recalled the system notification: three more leaves were needed. The field of agricultural plant protection aligns perfectly with the environmental perception integration and intelligent path planning inherent in unmanned systems. Doing this wouldn't just be about securing a contract; it would be about unlocking the natural pathways for leaf extraction.

"Invite this agricultural company over next week, and I'd like to listen in. If it's interesting, we can do a pilot program."

He put the business card back on the table, his gaze falling on the lights outside the window.

Five to eight, three leaves are still needed.

Agriculture is a good direction.