Invasion of America

Chapter 52 Favor
As the first rays of morning light penetrated the mist outside Miami, the metal fence of Chris's farm glowed with a cold silver light in the backlight.

A dozen farm workers walked on the dew-covered grass, carrying rolls of barbed wire on their shoulders as they walked through the morning mist, making clanging sounds as they surrounded the test site.

Zhou Qingfeng stood in the monitoring room, his eyes sweeping across the monitoring wall composed of LCD screens - there were dozens of fixed cameras and six drone views that patrolled 24 hours a day.

The entire test flight farm will be under strict surveillance day and night.

When Congers reminded to strengthen security, he also realized that he had to provide a safe working environment for the 'electric flight' test team.

These people may be his strongest support in the future, and they must be cultivated and cared for well to build a closer relationship with them.

"Chen Rui, I'll give you half a year to teach the farm's testers how to use guns." Zhou Qingfeng patted the new security captain on the shoulder.

He had previously said he wanted to recruit some people with military experience, and now these people are being used as security guards on the farm. It took a lot of effort just to get them gun licenses.

As the head of security, Chen Rui is a big and strong man.

He is 1.9 meters tall, has served in the army, practiced martial arts, and is said to have been to Africa. He can speak English and French, and his physique is no worse than Congers.

There were a dozen or so security personnel, nominally considered "electric flying." With them around, Zhou Qingfeng felt his back straighten a little.

Luxor and Jaeger became more vigilant because of this. They clearly felt Zhou Qingfeng's small moves to try to regain his autonomy.

But Zhou Qingfeng did not completely break off relations with the two bodyguards, and even entrusted them with important tasks - he promoted them, and each of them brought five subordinates to be responsible for training new security guards such as Chen Rui.

Upon learning that one of the two bodyguards was from the CIA and the other from the Secret Service, Chen Rui and others were "in awe" and wanted to learn something from these "predecessors".

Even Congers is no exception. He also serves as a security instructor, specializing in teaching employees from the "University of the East" the skills needed for the daily duties of a sheriff in a small American town.

Some skills make the "newbies" exclaim "Isn't this too violent?!"

This way, Luxor and Jaeger couldn't stay by Zhou Qingfeng's side 24 hours a day. He had to keep two bodyguards around him, at least one of whom was a family member.

In addition to changing the personnel around him, Zhou Qingfeng applied to open a gun store and then stockpiled a batch of guns and bullets.

There was a small shooting range on the farm, and sporadic gunfire was heard early in the morning.

Every day, young guys from the testing team go out to play with guns, but after a few tries, they get bored.

Because the smell of gun smoke and gun oil was not very pleasant, shooting practice soon became a mandatory task.
-
In the hangar converted from a farm barn, five verification aircraft are neatly arranged, their silver-gray fuselages reflecting the cold light of the ceiling fluorescent lamps.

The air was filled with the smell of engine oil and metal, and occasionally the crisp sound of tools colliding could be heard.

A dozen dark-skinned South American workers were busy around the aircraft. They were wearing uniform work clothes and, with the assistance of an interpreter, they listened attentively to the testers' explanations and learned how to become ground staff.

Zhou Qingfeng came to stroll in the hangar, and a Mexican mechanic walked towards him.

The mechanic was old, and years of sun exposure had made his face as dark as bronze. His forehead was covered with deep wrinkles, his palms were as rough as tree bark, and his knuckles were thick from years of hard work.

He walked a few steps away, took off his hat, bowed slightly, and said slowly in his broken English, "Boss, good morning."

He spoke with some difficulty, but his tone was sincere and respectful.

Zhou Qingfeng couldn't ignore him, so he walked over and shook his hand. His hand was rough and strong from years of hard work.

"Boss, my name is Juan, and I want to thank you." The old mechanic's voice was deep. He waved behind him, and several young workers came over and stood neatly behind him.

"These are my grandchildren," the old mechanic introduced. "Thank you for giving them an easy job so they don't have to suffer in the fields. Thank you also for... avenging them."

Zhou Qingfeng was stunned. Before he could react, the young laborers came forward one by one, knelt on the ground, and bowed their heads to kiss the ground under his feet.

This sudden action caught him off guard. He subconsciously took a half step back, frowning slightly, and asked in surprise, "Revenge? What do you mean?"

"Yes, revenge." Juan's voice remained calm, but a strong pain flashed in his turbid eyes.

He raised his arm and pointed to an orchard in the distance of the farm. It was lush and green, with sunlight shining through the treetops, making it look particularly peaceful.

"My two sons died there." The old mechanic's tone was calm, but every word was filled with grief and indignation.

“The Chris family hired them and worked for six months, but before paying them, they notified the immigration department in an attempt to deport them.

Their families were waiting for their money, and they had no choice but to resist and try to get their wages back, but they were buried alive.”

The young man behind the old mechanic lowered his head, his shoulders trembling slightly, and tears silently rolled down his cheeks.

Zhou Qingfeng was speechless for a moment. He opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say. He could only whisper, "Have you found the body...?"

"No." Juan shook his head, his calloused hands tightly gripping his hat. "I went to identify the bodies, and they were not among the thirty-seven people who were dug out.

I also tried to look in the orchard, but the area was so large that no one knew where they were buried under the tree.”

He paused, then smiled and said, “But it doesn’t matter, the Chris family is all dead, and you have avenged them, and that’s enough.

For this, we who were once in despair...are very grateful.”

The old mechanic's voice gradually deepened, finally becoming a whisper. Then, he slowly knelt down, bowed his head, and kissed the ground beneath Zhou Qingfeng's feet, his movements reverent and solemn.

"May the Virgin Mary bless you. My family and I are willing to do anything for you if you need us to."

The voice echoed in the empty hangar, as if carrying some kind of divine power, or a unilateral contract.
-
Old Juan took his grandson to work without making any further requests.

When Zhou Qingfeng came out of the hangar, he felt that his spirit had been sublimated. He felt so awesome that he even walked with a lightness of voice.

After coming into contact with South American workers around the farm, he keenly realized that the needs and feedback of these potential customers were crucial to the improvement of the aircraft.

Although these workers do not have high educational qualifications, they have strong hands-on skills.

Especially some Mexicans, they are honest and hardworking and will not be lazy. As long as they are given the opportunity, they are really willing to catch it and can catch it.

Many people, in their thirties and forties, are still eager to learn. The older ones, however, have some unique skills and can make practical instruments using simple tools and materials.

Whenever the aircraft took off, they would stand aside, staring at the sky intently, their eyes full of anticipation and longing, showing great interest in the aircraft.

Zhou Qingfeng specially hired farm workers to serve as ground staff and even allowed them to participate in test flights.

This not only reduces the workload of our own testing team, but also provides valuable feedback for the improvement of the aircraft.

In order to motivate these workers to actively participate, Zhou Qingfeng also made a promise: after the five aircraft on the farm complete the testing work, they can be given away for free to the best-performing workers.

In the face of necessary reward and punishment mechanisms, we hope that they will fully cooperate during the testing period.
-
"Victor, it seems like you've finally done something serious." Jeff Connolly's voice came from behind Zhou Qingfeng, with a hint of sarcasm.

He stood at the test farm's landing pad, his eyes fixed on the demonstrator being towed onto the open field—a group of Dongda employees and Mexicans working together, a rare sight. "This aircraft is so ugly! Who did you find to design the exterior?" He circled the demonstrator, commenting on its sharp, angular fuselage.

"You know what the recent news in Miami said about 'electric flight'? The ugly 'Dongda' aircraft is trying to enter the US market."

Hahahaha Jeff Connery thought he was very funny and kept clicking his tongue and shaking his head, laughing.

"It's hard to impress investors with a product like this, and even harder to tell a compelling story. This is clearly an advanced vehicle that could impact the future economy, but it looks like a tractor."

The 'low-altitude economy' is booming, and there are many startups working on it in Florida. 'Electric flight' is by no means unique.

But in terms of the aircraft's appearance, the "electric flight" verification aircraft is too recognizable - ugly, like a shoddy product produced by a township enterprise.

"None of your business. I ordered it to be made like this. I don't need any investors. The simple appearance means low cost."

Even though the other party's two daughters were by his side, Zhou Qingfeng did not hesitate to confront his "future father-in-law".

Jeff was wearing a dark gray custom-made suit, his tie hanging loosely around his neck, and holding a thick document in his hand.

"I read Kelly's report," Jeff raised the document in his hand, with a hint of emotion in his tone.

"She praised the manufacturing industry in Dongda highly and used more than ten pages to describe those small factories.

She said that some small factories look ordinary, even a little messy, but the things they produce are amazing - high precision, good quality, and most importantly, the cost is ridiculously low.

He walked to Zhou Qingfeng's side, stood shoulder to shoulder, and followed the aircraft as it slowly took off vertically.

The roar of the rotors echoed in the air, bringing a breeze that ruffled a few strands of silver hair on Jeff's forehead.

"Kelly said that when she calculated the cost of her products, she always wondered if she had missed a zero. The cost of labor, materials, and logistics were all very low."

Jeff shook his head and sighed, "Those products that seem to us to cost millions of dollars actually have incredibly low factory costs."

Zhou Qingfeng didn't respond, but just watched the aircraft take off quietly. However, Jeff seemed to open up and continued:
"Your country's progress in electrification is destroying the European and American auto industries. Now, you're going after the flying car industry. What should we do?"

Zhou Qingfeng responded with a sarcastic smile, "If you had lived through the era when hundreds of millions of shirts were exchanged for a Boeing passenger plane, you wouldn't have this kind of distress."

Jeff didn't seem to fully understand the meaning of this sentence, but he didn't delve into it. His eyes returned to the aircraft hovering in the air.

Today's test mission is to simulate the avoidance of multiple aircraft during takeoff and landing.

The testing team built a simple simulated air traffic control system on the ground. Five aircraft took off and landed in sequence, and the scene was orderly.

Jeff watched intently, pulling out his phone from time to time to calculate the flight time, and even ran to the side of the test field to carefully observe the energy consumption and charging speed of each takeoff and landing.

"This thing's battery life and energy consumption are much lower than I thought," Jeff said as he recorded the data. "If the cost can be reduced enough, it will definitely be competitive in the market."

"so.?"

"So you don't mind if I invite some investors over for a visit?"

“But I’m not short of funds now.”

“Yes, I know, you personally invested $50 million and Jennifer provided $20 million.

Your 'electric flight' operating and R&D costs are very low, and you have plenty of funds. But you need loans even more."

Zhou Qingfeng looked at his cheap "father-in-law" with an almost scrutinizing gaze - not because he thought there was anything strange about the other party, but the scene in front of him really made him feel a bit absurd.

Industry rumors say that Jeff Connolly, chairman of Pioneer Holdings, is an extremely difficult person to deal with.

Anyone who wants to get investment from him must go through ruthless torture and humiliation.

He was sharp-tongued and arrogant, as if he was born with a sense of superiority. This was actually because he controlled tens of billions of dollars in capital.

However, the U.S. capital market is like a vast ocean, with countless hot money surging in it, eager for new growth points.

The essence of finance is flow. Once funds stagnate, they lose their meaning, and even interest can become the last straw that breaks the camel's back.

For every financial tycoon, finding new growth points is not only their responsibility, but also the only way for them to maintain power and wealth.

"What do you want to do?" Zhou Qingfeng asked directly.

Jeff shrugged casually. "Didn't I just tell you? I brought a few investors here to visit. If you can satisfy them, they can give you hundreds of millions of dollars in investment."

Seeing that Zhou Qingfeng still had no expression on his face, Jeff had to restrain himself a little and soften his tone.

"Well, I know you're rich. You have hundreds of millions of dollars to spend anytime you want.

But, young man, you have to understand that in this world, it is always better to make more friends than more enemies.

If you can bring wealth to others, you will have power."

Zhou Qingfeng was silent for a moment. "Okay, whoever can help me get the FAA airworthiness certification as soon as possible will be allowed to invest."

Jeff seemed to have heard some great news. He clapped his hands violently, his face full of smiles.

"Airworthiness certification? It's a deal! As long as you agree to invest, I promise to help you get the airworthiness certification."

"You're just an ordinary low-altitude aircraft, not a large passenger plane, so the airworthiness requirements aren't that strict."

"Even though I don't know anyone directly at the FAA, I have enough friends that someone can do it."

He paused, then lowered his voice, “In a couple of days, I’ll bring some friends from the financial circle to visit.

If you give them a good show, I guarantee you'll get what you want in the shortest possible time.

They will even give you money, just asking you to help them grow their wealth.”

Zhou Qingfeng built the aircraft for his own convenience in the future, and he would accept any offer of money from others.

The so-called "friends" were just another group of greedy capital hunters. But right now, he really needed FAA airworthiness certification, and Jeff's proposal was undoubtedly a shortcut.

"Okay." Zhou Qingfeng nodded, "But I have one condition - don't even think about coveting my controlling stake."

Jeff's expression froze for a moment, but he quickly returned to normal. He held out his hand and said confidently, "Boy, wait for the money to be squandered."

(End of this chapter)