Invasion of America

Chapter 53 Business
At the southernmost tip of Florida, a string of pearl-like islands and reefs dot the turquoise Caribbean Sea.

Among them, Key West Island is like a shining pearl, lying quietly on the blue sea.

This is the southernmost city in the continental United States, about 240 kilometers from downtown Miami and connected by the famous Highway 1.

This small island is not only a tourist destination with an international airport and luxury cruise terminal, but also an important hub connecting the mainland of the United States and the Caribbean.

Today, Key West will welcome a special guest - a test flight from Electric Flight.

The test verification aircraft will take off from Boca Raton in downtown Miami and fly 100 kilometers to Homestead on the outskirts of the city.

After landing and changing the battery, the aircraft took off again, arrived at Key West, 150 kilometers away, and flew back. The whole journey took about two hours.

Driving along National Highway 1 would take seven hours, while taking a helicopter would be faster but more expensive.

The morning mist had not yet dissipated, and five verification aircraft were already ready to go in an open space in Boca Raton.

Reporters' cameras were already trained on the makeshift helipad and dirt runway, and the headline of the live broadcast read: "The ugly 'Warthog' lands on Miami Beach."

"Warthog" isn't a nickname, it's the official name of the demonstrator. To make manufacturing easier and keep costs down, it's definitely ugly.

It is very different in configuration from the currently popular multi-rotor aircraft.

Multicopters are more like oversized drones, while the Warthog is a regular airplane that uses electric motors to turn propellers.

The Warthog has abandoned its previous 32 small electric motors and instead uses eight medium-sized electric motors, with two in the front and six in the rear, to provide power to the aircraft.

Its landing gear is high and its propeller is moderate, so it can take off and land vertically as well as perform short-distance takeoff and landing.

Vertical take-off and landing ensures its deployment capability in harsh and remote areas.

Short-distance takeoff allows it to achieve a longer range and cargo capacity with the same energy consumption in areas with better conditions.

Precisely because it is so ugly, its unique appearance has attracted the attention of many media outlets.

"Dear viewers, we are now broadcasting live to you from the Boca Raton Airport." A female reporter said excitedly to the camera, "Today, 'electric flight' will conduct its first public test.

These five verification aircraft will demonstrate their unique vertical take-off and landing and short-distance take-off capabilities in three modes: empty, fully loaded, and unmanned.

At nine o'clock in the morning, the weather was fine. With a command, the first empty verification aircraft started up. The eight electric motors made a low hum and the propellers stirred the morning air.

It first rose vertically to a height of about 50 meters, then turned to level flight and flew towards "Holmester" 100 kilometers away.

The second verification aircraft was also lightly loaded and demonstrated a short rolling takeoff, gliding about fifty meters on the runway before lightly leaping into the air.

There was warm applause at the scene, but there were more whispers - this seemingly clumsy aircraft can actually fly!

An "electric flight" engineer also came out to be interviewed by local media, explaining that electric motors can withstand short-term overloads, which is particularly suitable for the power burst during takeoff.

Next, two fully loaded verification aircraft took off. What was special was that they would transport some cargo to their destination - Key West is a resort island with more than 26,000 people living there all year round.

A large amount of daily necessities are consumed on the island every day.

Currently, transport by ship and truck is more convenient and cheaper. Using aircraft for freight transport is good enough if it can break even, but if you want to make a profit, you must enter the passenger transport market.

Finally, the unmanned 'Warthog' takes off empty, and it will fly directly to its destination without changing the battery midway.

William Congers, the CEO of Shengguang Logistics, who recently made a splash, told reporters at the scene,
“As long as the test is successful, we will soon obtain the aircraft’s airworthiness certificate, and then we will first open a regular cargo route from Miami to Key West.

In the future, our goal is to cover the entire state of Florida and provide fast and convenient logistics services to tens of millions of residents and customers."
-
On the outskirts of the bustling crowd at the test site, Jeff Connelly leaned against his luxury car, his hands in the pockets of his custom-made suit, a smug look on his face.

There were several investors standing next to him, some in suits and ties, some in casual attire. Each of them looked exceptionally impressive and confident.

As the five verification aircraft took off one after another, emitting a low humming sound, Jeff noticed that the white-haired old man beside him frowned slightly.

The veteran investor from Wall Street adjusted his glasses and asked in a low voice, "Jeff, I believe this thing is cheap to build and I also believe its operating costs are low.

After all, electric motors are low-maintenance and electricity is much cheaper than jet fuel. But.”

The old investor paused, his eyes following the departing verification machine, and asked, "Have you considered the production capacity issue?

I don’t want to repeat the same mistake I made with Tesla. They had tons of orders, but they couldn’t make a profit due to insufficient production capacity, leaving us waiting impatiently.”

Jeff laughed heartily upon hearing this. His laughter was particularly eye-catching amid the clamor of the test site, and several reporters who were taking pictures couldn't help but turn their heads to look over.

"My old friend," Jeff patted the old investor on the shoulder, "You can question my taste in restaurants and my golf skills. But..."

His smile faded, his gaze sharpening. "The production capacity of 'electric flight'? This might be the least of your worries."

The old investor shook his head. "No, I'm worried. I know Dongda has strong production capacity, but what if the US government bans its import one day?"
Just like the current "Tokyo" auto industry has difficulty entering the US market. If "electric flight" really becomes popular, it will definitely be sanctioned, and our investment will be meaningless.

The other investors nodded, completely lacking the expected enthusiasm and excitement. They knew that investing in 'electric flight' would definitely be profitable, yet they were still full of doubts.
Jeff frowned and asked, "Are you hiding something from me?"

The veteran investor said gravely, "It's not really a cover-up. There's more than one company in Florida developing low-altitude aircraft, and competitors won't sit idly by and watch the expansion of 'electric flight.'"

Unless Electric Flight becomes a US company, builds factories in the US, and manufactures everything entirely in the US, then its cost won't be that low."

This was indeed a problem that Jeff ignored, and his face instantly became very ugly.
-
Two hours later, the five aircraft returned safely one after another under the scorching midday sun and landed steadily on the runway.

The roar of the propellers gradually subsided, and the fuselage was still covered with dust from the long flight, but they perfectly demonstrated their safety and reliability.

Zhou Qingfeng stood beside the runway, patted the test team leader on the shoulder, and laughed, "Well done! Thank you all for your hard work. Three days of paid leave. Have a good time in Miami."

The testers cheered, and some began discussing whether to go to South Beach to bask in the sun or to Little Havana to experience the Cuban culture.

Zhou Qingfeng looked at their excited expressions and thought to himself: Let these people get familiar with the environment in Miami, maybe they will be useful someday.

At this moment, Jeff Connolly came over with a frustrated look on his face. He was thinking about how to tactfully tell Zhou Qingfeng that investors were not very optimistic about the "Warthog" project.

However, before he could open his mouth, Zhou Qingfeng excitedly shouted at him, "Hey, Jeff! I have good news for you. I just received an order for one hundred Warthogs!"

"What?" Jeff was stunned for three seconds before he realized what was happening. "Order? Who would place an order if you don't even have an airworthiness certificate?"

Zhou Qingfeng smiled mysteriously and pointed somewhere not far away.

Two dark-skinned South Americans were talking to the testers, holding a "Warthog" brochure in their hands.

"Those two just came up to me and asked how we could trade. I told them the Warthog didn't have its airworthiness certificate, but they didn't care. All they wanted was for them to join the testing and confirm the aircraft could fly. They asked for the price and asked if I'd be willing to barter."

"Barter?!" Jeff's face instantly turned green. "Victor, are you crazy? You can't do business that doesn't make money!"

Zhou Qingfeng shrugged nonchalantly, "I've already agreed."

Jeff was so angry that he almost jumped up. "You agreed? What did they give you in exchange? Bananas? Cocoa? Or something weird?"

"Lobster, sugar, cigars, nickel ore, coffee, there are quite a lot of varieties." Zhou Qingfeng smiled like a child who had found a treasure. "I think lobster and nickel ore are good. The domestic market can definitely absorb them."

When Jeff heard about these products and looked carefully at the two businessmen, he immediately understood their origins.

"They are Cubans! Cuba has always been short of cash and loves barter transactions." As he spoke, he actually laughed out of anger.

"Victor, do you know that Cuba has always been under US sanctions? If you do business with Cuba, the US government will sanction you too!"

"Ah..." Zhou Qingfeng showed an expression of sudden enlightenment, but soon returned to his optimistic look.

"It's okay. I'll ask later. There's always a way. We can't just sit back and do nothing because the US government imposes sanctions on this and that.

Besides, isn't that what the lawyer I hired for $5 million a year does? We must dare to fight and dare to break through!"

Jeff was completely speechless, thinking to himself, "Who said 'we'? You're looking for death, and I don't want to be buried with you."

He was originally thinking about how to subtly remind them that "electric flight" might be targeted by their US counterparts and even face the risk of sanctions.

Now, this kid is not only not afraid, but also jumps into the fire pit on his own initiative.

Jeff could only shake his head helplessly, thinking, "This kid is really stubborn. He's in America, but he doesn't even care about American sanctions."
-
Ever since the news of Electric Flight accepting barter trade spread like wildfire, Zhou Qingfeng's office has become a South American specialty expo.

Florida already has a large South American population, and these people will do anything to make money.

For example, the Cuban businessmen who vowed to purchase 100 "Warthogs" a few days ago were actually two scammers. Their purpose was to infiltrate the test team and try to fly two aircraft and escape.

But Zhou Qingfeng did not refuse the transaction, nor did he resist barter trade.

Every day, all kinds of people come to the door, trying to sell specialties from various South American countries.

Beef from Argentina, sugar from Brazil, bananas from Ecuador, squid from Peru, and even wine from Chile and coffee beans from Colombia.

Some businessmen in suits and ties took out a bottle of olive oil during the meeting, while others took out their mobile phones to show off their vineyards.

These merchants generally have weak payment capabilities, only purchasing one or two aircraft, and lack cash.

As a secretary, Jennifer was very troubled by having to deal with the endless stream of real and fake businessmen every day, and even went on strike.

But Zhou Qingfeng sat behind his desk with various samples and quotations piled in front of him, feeling both excited and troubled.

The exciting thing is that South America has rich resources and a huge population, and the market demand for "Warthogs" far exceeds expectations.

The trouble was that the complexity of barter trade caught him, a business novice, off guard. He couldn't trade without the existing financial and logistical systems.

But Zhou Qingfeng was not discouraged at all.

Because when his office was about to be turned into a grocery store, a Chinese expatriate living in Brazil walked in and hoped that "Electric Flying" could invest in his logistics company.

"What do you mean I should invest in your company?" Previously, others wanted to invest in Electric Flight, and now it's someone else's turn to hope that Zhou Qingfeng would invest money.

Things are changing really fast.

The overseas Chinese who came to the door was obviously a well-traveled person. After sitting down, he started to talk freely, "I am engaged in freight transportation in Brazil, I have my own fleet, and I have some connections and outlets in cities like Sao Paulo.

I also do some import and export business and often come across barter transactions. Although the business is not big, I can still make some money.

In Brazil, the big tycoons monopolize the main market, but the needs of small farmers and businesses are ignored. I've been making some money over the years by trading in these 'scraps'."

The overseas Chinese spoke sincerely and provided many photos of his business in Brazil and his contacts with the local chamber of commerce, but he could not produce much business proof.

The photo shows a simple storage yard and four or five freight trucks. Due to the poor conditions of the local roads, the trucks are often scratched and bumped.

He said that he had come to Miami to discuss business, and accidentally heard the news of "electric flight", so he came to visit.

Zhou Qingfeng noticed that some of the trucks in the photos still had bullet holes on their bodies, which showed that they were transporting goods in areas that were not very peaceful.

The overseas Chinese laughed at this and said, "These are nothing. The security in Brazil's big cities is okay, but in small places there are always all kinds of local tyrants.

I hired a local as a driver, but to deal with these local tyrants, I had to pay them money, which cost several times more than the freight.

But if we have vertical take-off and landing aircraft, we can avoid these dangerous areas and fly directly to remote towns to expand our business.

This can save a lot of money on tolls and not be so frightening. Your aircraft is truly a good thing tailor-made for poor places.

I just don't have much capital and lack working capital. Mr. Zhou, would you like to invest in my company? I guarantee an annual profit of no less than 30%.

Or, could you rent me a plane first? Let me test the waters."

Zhou Qingfeng immediately thought of the Chinese business community - the domestic economy is too competitive, and Chinese people have actually been traveling around the world and doing business everywhere.

Mining in Africa, trading in Southeast Asia, and opening restaurants in Latin America: while their businesses may not be large, Chinese people are present all over the world and are well-versed in local markets.

In terms of transportation costs, air transport > road transport > rail transport > sea transport.

Air freight is three to five times more expensive than road transport, but this is based on a comparison of fuel engines.

If electric motors are used, the operating and maintenance costs will be low, the air freight costs can be at least halved, and the gap with road transportation will be significantly reduced.

Taking timeliness and convenience into consideration, the cost-effectiveness gap between the two is even smaller.

If we can make use of the Chinese businessmen and overseas Chinese all over the world, as well as the various state-owned enterprises that are engaged in construction everywhere, it seems that it will not be difficult to sell "electric flight" products to the world.

"Anyway, I'm not here to make money, I'm here to spend money!"

(End of this chapter)