Chapter 279
Chapter 279
Professor Li desperately wanted to swear.
This brat had been the bane of his existence for ages. Why did every little issue mean sending him to see the little bastard?
If he remembered correctly, their last few meetings had practically left him steeped in tea!
But the orders had come from above, addressed directly to him.
He couldn’t afford to offend anyone involved!
“What brings you here?”
Zhang Bei looked at Professor Li’s sparse hair in puzzlement.
“There’s something I need to tell you in person.”
“All right. Go ahead.”
Professor Li watched the crowd move away, then lowered his voice.
“Someone wants to see you tonight. He’ll come to the amusement park. Remember to leave the gate open.”
“Is it important?”
“Not particularly. We originally intended to leave this matter to Secretary Meng, but this gentleman wants to meet you.”
Zhang Bei nodded. “Fine. I’ll wait at the amusement park tonight.”
Time flew. Reclining in his chair at the Amusement Park, Zhang Bei reviewed the Laboratory’s latest research progress.
The satellite powered by miniature Nuclear Fusion was nearly complete.
It would probably be ready for its first test flight in another two or three days.
That left the space-based weapons it would carry.
Heizi’s idea was simply to make a huge iron ball weighing a ton.
Drop that thing from space, and at least one city would vanish outright.
Zhang Bei had rejected the plan, though.
Even if they did develop space-based weapons, they would mostly be used for self-defense.
If he really destroyed a city, leaving aside the ensuing disasters, how many visitors would his Amusement Park lose?
That was all Emotional Value!
And for future attractions like survival on Mars and space voyages, those people were labor!
Huaxia wasn’t the only one pursuing peace. Zhang Bei had been maintaining a different kind of peace himself.
Otherwise, with the Island’s current technological lead, conquering Earth outright would hardly be a problem.
At the very least, they had already built a prototype of the mecha Heizi kept clamoring for.
All that remained were details involving joint movement and weapons configurations.
With the energy problem solved, many things they had never dared imagine could become reality.
Development of miniature Nuclear Fusion was entering its final stage.
Meanwhile, every vehicle Tianting was producing used the new electric power system.
By their estimates, a car could run for fifteen years without running short of power.
Beneath the night sky, several figures entered the amusement park.
Professor Li looked at Zhang Bei reclining in his chair and spoke cautiously.
“They’re here!”
Zhang Bei looked up, teacup in hand.
Pfft!
Once again, a mouthful of hot tea covered Professor Li’s face.
Professor Li silently took out a tissue and began wiping it off.
Fuck. He hadn’t dodged it. Damn it!
He’d fucking known it. This brat was his fucking nemesis!
After so many repetitions, the tea on his face had begun to feel oddly familiar.
Naturally, it was the visitors who had startled Zhang Bei so badly.
He knew the man in front: the elderly gentleman who had once chatted with him in a small courtyard in Dingyang City.
The man beside him, however, merely looked very familiar.
They had never met, but Zhang Bei was certain he wasn’t from Huaxia.
The old gentleman made himself quite at home, drawing the other man over to the chairs and sitting down.
He even poured himself a cup of tea.
“My young friend, we meet again!”
Zhang Bei nodded, his gaze fixed on the man beside him.
“Isn’t your country holding an election around now?”
The man smiled without speaking.
The old gentleman glanced at Professor Li nearby. “Wait outside for now.”
Professor Li paused in wiping his face, then silently turned and walked out.
Motherfucker!
At his age, why were they still ordering him around like a butler?
Only once no outsiders remained did the man speak.
“Yes. I’m one of the candidates.”
Zhang Bei’s eyes filled with confusion.
That country was forever claiming things from Huaxia as its own.
Even so, it hardly posed much of a problem to Huaxia as it was today.
There was no reason for this old gentleman to escort the man personally.
Seeing his puzzled look, the man explained.
“My surname is Jin. The Jin from the Hundred Family Surnames.”
Zhang Bei’s pupils contracted.
That brief sentence contained an extraordinary amount of information.
Even someone as unflappable as Zhang Bei could hardly believe they had simply revealed such a secret.
Beside him, the old gentleman took a sip of tea, highly satisfied with his expression.
“He’s here to ask for a discount on Nuclear Fusion. It would also help his election campaign.”
Zhang Bei gave a strained laugh. “Is it really all right to tell me a secret like this?”
“It’s fine. Even if you told anyone, they wouldn’t believe you.”
The man nodded. “Trace my family back three generations, and we’re entirely local.”
That caught Zhang Bei’s interest. “How did you manage that?”
The old gentleman smiled. “Can’t say. You’d figure a few things out if I did.”
Something flickered in Zhang Bei’s eyes. He had a vague inkling already.
“I’ll speak to Meng Chuan about the discount. Anything else you need?”
A plan of this scale, one that would dupe tens of millions of people, naturally fascinated Zhang Bei.
“It would be even better if Secretary Meng could visit.”
“No problem. I’ll have him make a special visit.”
Those two simple sentences settled the next addition to Meng Chuan’s itinerary.
After all, as far as Boss Zhang was concerned, weren’t secretaries there to work?
The three sat and drank two pots of tea.
The old gentleman also hinted at a few secrets ordinary people would never have access to.
Zhang Bei was very pleased with his homeland’s strength.
He was also willing to contribute whatever he could.
After they had chatted for a while, he suddenly remembered the mecha under development.
“Hold a military parade next year. I’ll send you a few presents.”
“What kind of presents?”
“Mecha. The kind that can fly.”
“Exoskeletons?”
Zhang Bei considered it carefully. “More like Transformers, I suppose. They could tear a tank apart with their bare hands.”
The old gentleman’s eyes lit up with an almost predatory gleam.
“How much do they cost? Is the technology mature? Can you mass-produce them?”
For someone who had lived through that era, the greatest fear was insufficient firepower.
Zhang Bei shook his head. “Forget it. Each one costs at least ten million. US dollars.”
There was simply no way to mass-produce them. Many crucial components had to be made by hand.
Regret filled the old gentleman’s eyes. “If only they could be mass-produced!”
“I’ll give you ten when they’re ready. Let you show off a little military muscle.”
“Then you have my thanks, young friend!”
“Oh, and I’m planning a satellite test flight from the Island in three days. Keep an eye out, and don’t shoot it down.”
“All right. I’ll make the arrangements when I get back.”
The three talked for a while longer before the old gentleman left the Amusement Park with the other man.