Invasion of America

Chapter 50 The goods are about to be shipped
Following Zhou Qingfeng's instructions, Kelly's top priority after acquiring Electric Flight was to rapidly expand the R&D and testing teams, with plans to double the size of the workforce.

After paying suppliers and foundries, she requested that production be accelerated to deliver ten sets of aircraft components as soon as possible to allow for rapid iteration and optimization.

Kelly originally estimated that the work would take at least one or two months to complete.

After all, in the United States, it is not easy to recruit dozens of science and engineering talents with good physical fitness, strong professional skills and clean backgrounds.

However, at the University of Tokyo, she fully felt that this country was like a precisely constructed machine, operating extremely efficiently - from an outsider's perspective, it would be inexplicably terrifying.

First, Kelly’s recruitment needs were met in just one day.

Within half an hour, the headhunting company provided her with three times the resumes she needed to screen, and even her requirement that "the proportion of women in the employees must reach one-third" was easily achieved.

It is rare in the United States to find women who study science and engineering and work in manufacturing.

The reason behind all this going smoothly is simple.

Electric Flight offers a very competitive basic monthly salary: 15,000 yuan for undergraduates, 24,000 yuan for masters, and doctoral students can be paid based on their abilities.

Although these figures are not that high, when even the cleaning lady can get a monthly salary of 8,000 yuan, the morale of the entire company is instantly boosted.

Kelly was surprised by the sudden burst of enthusiasm within the company. She had been in the financial industry for too long, and this was her first time delving into the manufacturing industry. Every day brought her new experiences.

When she is willing to spend money, suppliers are eager to throw themselves at her. In order to obtain orders, they are even willing to actively connect their own R&D systems with "electric flight".

For example, the current verification aircraft uses thirty-six small motor fans as power, which has the problem of low thrust-to-weight ratio.

The best solution is to replace the fan with a larger one, which can reduce the dead weight while allowing the power to tilt like an Osprey, so as to quickly and safely switch between vertical takeoff and landing and high-speed flight.

This idea is easier said than done.

But when Kelly expressed her intention to provide hundreds of millions of dollars in investment for research and development, scientific research institutes in Shanghai immediately took the initiative to cooperate.

A demand raised in the morning can be responded to in the afternoon - in comparison, the US manufacturing industry is efficient and fast, as it can respond within a week.

It is normal to have no response for a month - an employee in a key position is on vacation, and his work will be stuck.

As for Kelly's business management skills, which she was originally proud of, they were completely surpassed by the efficiency and execution of domestic employees.

Marco commented on this: "As long as the money is in place, you can find the world's top talent, the best supply chain, and the best products at Dongda."

Kelly could only smile wryly in response, "You do have a lot of talented people who are willing to work hard, which is really rare in the United States."

In her heart, Kelly would silently think, "Those members of Congress may be useless, but they're really doing the right thing in curbing 'Eastern University'. They're growing too fast."

The reason for this judgment is that she found that the company's R&D personnel were willing to work late into the night in order to get double overtime pay.

To do this, she had to establish new rules limiting employees' overtime to no more than ten hours per week.

If the work progress is affected as a result, she would rather choose to continue expanding enrollment.

"No wonder the yellow-haired president keeps shouting 'China' 'China' all day long. If I were the president, I would also be afraid of the work efficiency of this country," Kelly sighed.

"Dongda's products are flooding the market. Aside from erecting trade barriers, what other options do other countries have?"

She looked at the rough schedule provided by Zhou Qingfeng and realized that the expansion of the "Electric Flight" team was far from over, this was just the beginning.

According to Zhou Qingfeng's idea, before the end of the world, the company needs to spend as much money as possible so that domestic employees can save more money to cope with the difficult times in the future.

Therefore, "Electric Flight" will continue to expand in the next six months, from dozens of people to hundreds of people, then to several thousand people, and finally to thousands of people.

As for product orders, 100 aircraft are just the beginning. Once a mature product is finalized, orders will jump directly to 1,000.

The key is that the unit price is cheap enough, the operation is easy, and the maintenance is simple.

Low-altitude aircraft are not only in huge demand in the end times, but even in peacetime, many underdeveloped areas of the world with underdeveloped transportation, such as South America and Africa, will become potential markets.

Anyway, we have to spend the money. The more than one billion dollars cannot be lost to the Americans, and cannot be left in the bank as a number - spend it as much as possible.
-
At night, Kelly signed a recruitment order to recruit one hundred "hardworking and professionally skilled" employees from the "University of the East" to go to Miami.

These individuals will be responsible for the early testing of the aircraft and the building of commercial scenarios.

Before coming to the University of the East, Kelly believed that the preliminary work alone would take at least two years and cost $300 to $400 million.

Now it seems that half a year is definitely enough.

Because Zhou Qingfeng's "ambition" is very small, he only wants to build a logistics network around Miami, and his service targets are wealthy people living in remote areas.

It's hard for outsiders to imagine that there are tens of thousands of high-end vacation villas on a string of islands south of Miami, connected to Miami only by a single, hundreds-kilometer-long highway.

Just meeting the needs of these wealthy families will keep Holy Light busy for a while.

"Victor does have some business talent, especially since he ordered the price of the aircraft to be lowered, which was a crucial decision."

Consider that a purely domestically produced aircraft costs US$2.4 million, and then look at how Electric Flight is preparing to control the cost of its own products within one million RMB.

This completely subverts the business logic of the low-altitude economy. Even Kelly feels that the United States cannot develop this industry on its own.

"The employees at 'Dongda' are more reliable. The cost-effectiveness is really great. Recruiting the same staff in the United States would cost at least three times more, and they are still unwilling to work hard."

Just as Kelly was considering whether to package "electric flight" and send it to the Nasdaq in the United States to raise money, her assistant knocked on the door and said that Director Xiao from the Provincial Department of Science and Technology was here to visit.

Kelly had never met mainland Chinese officials before. When she heard that a "director" had arrived, she formally invited him to the reception room. She straightened her manners briefly before heading to the meeting.

"Hello, Ms. Kelly." Xiao Jinlang can speak fluent English and took the initiative to stand up and shake hands with Kelly.

After the greetings, the two sides exchanged views on the operation and technological development of the "Electric Flight" company.

In the past few days, quite a few people from government departments have come to visit "Electric Flight", and they said that they will improve the business environment and welcome foreign investment.

Director Xiao went around in circles before vaguely talking about the recent biochemical pharmaceutical cooperation between Shengguang and domestic universities.

"Biochemical pharmaceuticals?" Kelly shook her head. "Victor was involved in this. He was once interested in a pharmaceutical company called 'Apocalypse Biotechnology'."

When discussing Apocalypse Biology, we need to start from the beginning. From Zhou Qingfeng's study abroad, winning the lottery, overthrowing the Chris family, being banned from acquiring Apocalypse Biology, to the recent cruise ship terrorist attack.

Kelly didn't know the details of many things, but she understood the general trend. But when she talked about Zhou Qingfeng's series of legends, Xiao Jinlang couldn't keep up with his notes.

Director Xiao was taking notes while cursing in his heart, "Fuck, is this a troublemaker? Wherever he goes, disaster strikes.

Eighteen? He'll be nineteen after the Chinese New Year. How can he be so bold at this age?
Since he couldn't develop biopharmaceuticals in the United States, he planned to find a partner in China? He even randomly found a research team and sent all the money and information to them.

"Do you know where the information he provided came from?" Xiao Jinlang asked.

"Of course, it comes from a secret research institute of the US military." Kelly said easily.

Xiao Jinlang pressed on, "Do you know that this is top secret information?"

"Of course." Kelly immediately understood the identity and background of this director of the Provincial Department of Science and Technology. She smiled nonchalantly and said,

“Victor now has connections with government departments such as the Department of Homeland Security, and his bodyguards are from the CIA and the Secret Service.

There is no doubt that he is caught in a vortex. In my opinion, this is his self-rescue and also a business behavior.

If the provided Project X can produce certain results, he will naturally be able to obtain huge funds and power, and enhance his status and voice.

If you are willing to use him as an additional channel of communication with certain powerful agencies in the United States, it will also enhance his importance.

This is a very smart choice, isn't it? As for whether it is top secret or not, it is the capital he uses to save his life."

Kelly had seen a lot of intrigue and deception in the major US investment banks. Many so-called "confidential information" were simply bargaining chips and the power to divide the spoils in the hands of the parties involved.

Ordinary people will go to jail if they leak secrets, but for bigwigs, leaking secrets is a means of survival and a way to demonstrate their own value.

Director Xiao, a professional himself, was slightly surprised, but not surprised. He had come to have a good chat with Kelly, and her honesty was the greatest reward.

Kelly continued: "Victor's personal freedom is restricted to a certain extent. He is currently unable to leave the United States, or to take his money with him.

If you want to contact him, you have to find a way. He definitely won't want to meet you with bodyguards."

Xiao Jinlang thought to himself, "This contact isn't something I can decide. I have to report it. But that guy is quite capable. He's been so aggressive and he hasn't capsized yet."

Only at the end of the conversation did he mention the issue of the 'chip ban' transaction.

Kelly was unaware of this and suggested that it would be better to send someone from China to make direct contact.
-
After the meeting, Xiao Jinlang stayed up late to organize a report and sent it to his superiors. In recent years, there have been great changes in the United States, which have indeed created many opportunities for infiltration into the country.

Even the most closed and conservative U.S. military has been affected by the successive political turmoil - the fact that low-level soldiers "pay their own way" to join the army has created too many loopholes.

The US military is also facing the threat of budget cuts, with President Donald Trump demanding an 8 percent annual reduction. Senior military officials are complaining, and it would be surprising if no action is taken.

Xiao Jinlang was still waiting for a reply from his superiors, but Marcoshi became anxious and called to ask, "President Zhou is here to ask, the goods are ready for shipment.

The logistics company he found was about to leave and couldn't wait, so he asked us if we really wanted the goods. He was in a hurry.

But Xiao Jinlang had no other choice. How could he rush something like this? He had to wait for approval from his superiors. They would also have to hold a meeting to discuss the matter, so there might not be any news for ten days or half a month.

"Let President Zhou wait a little longer. The leadership is currently investigating this matter."

"He said he couldn't wait because the cargo was being loaded."
-
Naval Base San Diego, California.

The CVN-76 USS Ronald Reagan prepares to depart.

It belongs to the US Pacific Fleet and is preparing to cross the ocean to Southeast Asia to conduct a military exercise code-named "Golden Cobra" with a number of "allies" including Thailand.

In the aircraft carrier formation, a roll-on/roll-off transport ship, the USS Watson, was being loaded. Among the military vehicles participating in the exercise, there were also ten inconspicuous heavy trucks.

The naval sergeant in charge of cabin arrangements was holding a tablet and confirming the vehicle list one by one. When he counted these ten heavy trucks, he couldn't find where they came from?
"Wait, were these cars shipped to the wrong place?" The naval sergeant walked out of the cabin and found the lieutenant who came to the dock to take over.

The people who came to deliver the goods were several soldiers in plain clothes.

This is not surprising. The US military often uses private companies to provide logistics services for itself, which is simple, efficient and inexpensive. Many soldiers also join private companies after leaving the military.

"That's right." A soldier in plain clothes stepped forward. "This is General Smith's specific request. You can confirm with your superior."

The naval sergeant was surprised, but said nothing. He just quietly returned to the cabin and asked the officer on duty what to do.

The officer on duty asked, "Did anyone ask you anything?"

"No, sir," the sergeant replied, "I just didn't see those ten on the shipping list."

"Then shut up and do your job." The officer on duty scolded him rudely, "You'll get a share of the benefits later."

The naval sergeant immediately understood what was going on and said nothing more - the military has a strict hierarchy and whatever the superiors say is the final word.

It is very common for the US Navy to travel around the world and engage in smuggling and other activities.

Ordinary judicial personnel are not qualified to be in charge of military affairs at all, which leads to the fact that from generals to soldiers, everyone has their own agenda.

However, it is still quite surprising that they have ten heavy trucks at once.

As Lieutenant Lula, acting as a "plainclothes soldier" at the dock, watched the heavy trucks complete their loading, his heart pounding. He glanced around, desperately hoping someone would intervene.

For example, the FBI can swoop in from the sky in a helicopter, or Homeland Security agents can drive into the Navy Yard.

It would be best if someone from the government's efficiency department could bring in the president's order, directly dispatch a large army, take over the entire dock, and thoroughly investigate the masterminds behind the illegal smuggling.

But until the heavy trucks were loaded and the vehicle transport ship "Watson" retracted its roll-on/roll-off ramp, everything on the dock remained the same.

Several colleagues were joking with each other and discussing where to go for fun. After all, this time they were on a business trip from Miami to California, and their superiors had approved three days of leave, so they could have fun as they pleased.

Lula had to put on a smile to avoid being exposed as a loner, but he was extremely angry in his heart - those parasites were smuggling America's most advanced products.

A total of one hundred NVL72 cabinets, worth more than US$ million, are key equipment for AI technology.

This is an enemy, a naked enemy, an unforgivable enemy!
(End of this chapter)