Invasion of America

Chapter 90 Senator

Zhou Qingfeng actually doesn’t care how far “electric flight” can develop, but for the members of the “Eastern University Issues Group” of the U.S. Congress, this is a focus that cannot be ignored.

At the questioning session that just ended, Senator Harrison from Oregon was clearly well prepared.

He carefully prepared more than a dozen sharp questions, intending to give Marco a good "knock-on" when he was summoned to the scene.

The development of the matter was completely beyond the expectations of everyone present.

"The vice president of 'Electric Flight' was very clear-headed. He didn't try to evade or quibble, but instead spoke the truth directly."

Several members of Congress who participated in the questioning made such comments afterwards.

If Marco knew that his "toughness and perseverance" was interpreted in this way, he would probably be in tears and laughter.

But it is undeniable that his performance did leave a deep impression on those congressional elders who are usually high and mighty.

The U.S. Congress holds various hearings every few days, and business executives in particular are often questioned by members of Congress until they are sweating profusely and humbled.

After all, no one can afford to offend these powerful lawmakers - a ban they pass is enough to plunge a company, an industry, or even a country into severe turmoil.

As the saying goes, "We are not afraid of no good things, we are just afraid of no good people."

For "electric flight", the situation is completely different.

The company's account in the United States was blocked, its market was banned, and even the president was wanted. It has reached a point of no return.

If that's the case, what's there to worry about? Just fight back.

The media naturally hyped this up, but there was another mystery behind the incident.

On Senator Harrison's desk, piled with documents, lay a handwritten personal note.

The paper of the note was a little rough, and the handwriting was sloppy but clear. There was only a short paragraph on it, which roughly said:

"The president of 'Holy Light' is preparing to provide financial support to several well-known American charitable foundations in order to seek suitable exchange partners."

The senator's gaze lingered on this sentence for a moment, and the corners of his mouth raised slightly, revealing a sarcastic sneer.

"What a cunning fellow, one thing on the surface, another behind the scenes. He must have been instructed by someone, prepared for both scenarios, and he's quite good at it."

The note came from a lobbying firm based in Washington, D.C.

These companies are usually founded by former senior government officials or congressional politicians, and specialize in using their connections and influence in political circles to seek benefits for their clients.

As long as the money is in place, these lobbying companies can do almost anything - whether it is smoothing relationships, settling problems, or even some seemingly absurd requests, they can do it well.

The senior members of Congress are no longer surprised by these operations of lobbying firms.

They never complain about the outrageous demands made by these companies because they know in their hearts that one day they may be sitting in the same position and doing the same thing.

The note also mentioned that 'Holy Light' was willing to pay a high guilty plea fine to reach a "judicial settlement."

This practice is not uncommon in the U.S. business and judicial circles: companies avoid admitting guilt by paying fines, and judicial institutions can save manpower and resources and quickly resolve cases.

Both parties get what they need and everyone is happy.

The reason why "Holy Light" has this confidence is simple - it does not rely on the US market.

Even if it doesn't make money in the US, it can still thrive in other parts of the world. This independence gives it the initiative in this game.
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On Senator Harrison's desk, in addition to a pile of documents and memoranda, there was also a newly delivered investigation report.

The cover reads "Dynamic Analysis of Chinese Enterprises' Investment in Africa", with the bold font standing out particularly.

This report comes from Zambia in Africa and details the latest progress of Chinese companies in local mining development.

The report begins by mentioning that last month, one hundred transport aircraft called "Warthogs" arrived in Zambia by air and were quickly put into use.

No roads or runways are needed, just an open field. Even if the field is bumpy or uneven, the Warthog can still land.

"If a hundred trucks entered the mine, no one would probably give it a second glance," the report reads. "But the presence of a hundred Warthogs is enough to alert any observer."

These "Warthogs" aren't just for hauling minerals.

The report details a surprising scenario: Chinese companies used these aircraft to transport large quantities of photovoltaic panels to more than a dozen remote villages near the Pim mining area.

These villages have long been almost isolated from the outside world, with villagers living in simple thatched huts and lacking food and clean drinking water.

The villagers are unable to carry out even the most basic agricultural production and their livelihoods are completely dependent on relief from the United Nations and other international organizations.

"At first, the village just had some lights for night lighting,"

The report continued, "Apart from attracting children running excitedly around the lights and moths fluttering around all night long, not much seems to have changed."

However, changes soon followed. Chinese companies not only sent photovoltaic panels, but also built communication base stations for these villages and donated a large number of cheap mobile phones.

These devices are low-cost, but for local people, they are an unprecedented luxury.

"For the villagers, the 'Warthog' not only provides electricity, but also an opportunity to change their destiny,"

The report concludes, “With electricity and communications, they are finally able to connect with the outside world, obtain information, and even begin to experiment with small-scale agricultural production.

The arrival of these modern industrial products not only changed the living conditions of the local people, but also changed the political landscape.”

The report in the senator's hands did not come from official channels, but was provided by local African media and some so-called "public welfare" organizations.

The content of the report was detailed and vivid, like a picture scroll depicting life in Africa, slowly unfolding before the senator's eyes.

These "warthogs" are like a group of industrious worker bees, shuttling between the blue sky and the wilderness, scattering fragments of modern civilization to the forgotten land of Africa.

For example, data records that the unmanned "Warthog" flew more than a dozen sorties tirelessly in one day, delivering more than four tons of supplies to extremely poor villages.

“Most of these supplies are second-hand goods,” the report reads, “including old clothes, obsolete home appliances, expired medicines, and even photovoltaic panels refurbished from recycling stations.” Despite this, these items are priceless treasures for local people.

The villagers wore school uniforms with the words "Todai" printed on them, recycled sneakers on their feet, and held long-obsolete bar-screen mobile phones in their hands, but their faces were filled with satisfied smiles.

The villagers had no resistance to these industrial products. They quickly became dependent on the donors sent by Chinese companies and were even willing to obey orders in order to continue to receive supplies.

This sense of dependence quickly took root in the soil of poverty and became an invisible controlling force that even the local government could not get rid of.

“If the same amount of supplies were delivered by truck,” the reporter continued, “it would take at least a week to arrive, and would require two local drivers and four volunteers.

However, drivers are a scarce and high-end profession in the local area. They are difficult to hire and are unwilling to take the risk of traveling to remote areas.

In contrast, the Warthogs are incredibly efficient. They don't need to rest, don't need wages, and don't need to worry about the dangers of the road.

The report also mentioned that if a photovoltaic power station could be built in the Pim area, the Warthogs could use it as a base to extend their flight range to more distant areas.

"For Chinese companies operating in the area, this is just a trivial investment, but it can buy them a solid security barrier, isolate them from the dangers of unrest, and earn them higher profits."

The senator put down the report, his brow furrowed.

This report not only reveals the influence of Chinese companies in Africa, but also makes people realize that technological tools such as "Warthog" are changing the world in an unprecedented way.

"These aircraft are more than just means of transportation," he murmured to himself. "They are a force for change, a bridge connecting the world. And we seem to have fallen behind."

After seeing the report, the senator's mood suddenly became heavy.

He had asked his assistants to investigate the prices of similar products in the United States a long time ago, and the results were disappointing - compared with the "Warthog", the prices of American products were almost an order of magnitude higher.

This gap is not just in numbers, but also a fatal blow to market competitiveness.

What makes him even more worried is that the United States lacks large-scale mining investment in Zambia and even in Asia, Africa and Latin America, which means there is a lack of application scenarios.

This is precisely the strong point of the University of Tokyo.

If we insist on sending similar products to Africa, it would be purely "charity" and would not only fail to bring any practical benefits, but would also make taxpayers question the rationality of this expenditure.

However, if no action is taken, the influence that the United States has built in Africa through "aid" over the years will face a collapse.

After all, in an environment of poverty and scarcity, "whoever gives you milk is your mother" is the most realistic rule of survival.

The report also mentioned that in order to promote the Warthog, "Electric Flight" adopted an extremely attractive business model - leasing service.

Customers do not need to purchase expensive equipment or set up a complex operation and maintenance team. They only need to purchase flight services on demand.

Although this model greatly increases the sales cost of "electric flight", it significantly lowers the usage threshold for customers.

This “pay-as-you-go” approach is undoubtedly a boon for African mining companies, local governments and even international organizations.

"Once used, this rental service becomes addictive," the report states. "Customers gradually become dependent on the efficiency and convenience of the Warthog, eventually forming a dependency that is difficult to break away from."
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The united front value of some people lies in their ability to disrupt the situation; the value of some others rises as the chips in their hands increase.

As for Zhou Qingfeng, when he acquired Electric Flight, he never thought of using this company to increase his own value.

However, when the "Warthog" came out, the company and its controller became a presence that could not be ignored.

Because he can now disrupt the situation and has a lot of chips in his hands.

Unlike most entrepreneurs, Zhou Qingfeng's business philosophy is particularly different - he never thinks about how to make money, but instead racks his brains to think about how to spend the money.

In the eyes of outsiders, this almost "crazy" strategy should be to use financial and technological advantages to seize the market, which is understandable.

But this move has allowed "electric flight" to grow and develop at an astonishing rate.

This development, in turn, further boosted Zhou Qingfeng's status, and even made people gradually ignore some of his "possible" illegal behaviors and deep-seated harms.

After carefully reading the report on "electric flight", Senator Harrison finally made up his mind and accepted the lobbying company's arrangement to have a private contact with the people of this company.

After all, some things cannot be said in public.

Although Marcos' tough stance at the congressional hearing appeared uncompromising on the surface, there may be other hidden motives behind it.

Senator Harrison believes that it is necessary to listen to the other party's "truth", and as for the possible transfer of benefits from the other party, this is secondary.

Because the report also mentioned that capital in the US financial sector has long been eager to invest in "electric flight".

Some adventurous investors have even provided financial support to the company through roundabout means.

What is even more disturbing is that the annual production plan of "Electric Flight" at "Tokyo University" has been quietly increased from the originally expected annual production of 10,000 aircraft to 20,000 aircraft.

Moreover, the factory is expected to be completed and put into production in just ten months.

"How can we bear this?" Senator Harrison muttered to himself, "What if one day the production capacity of low-altitude aircraft of the 'Eastern University' becomes as large as its production capacity of automobiles?
Even if it were only one-tenth of that, a production of three million a year would be enough to make the world's scalp tingle."

Just imagining the scene—thousands of Warthogs darting through the air, covering the sky like a swarm of bees—made Senator Harrison uneasy.

He knew very well that once this technology, which originally existed only in science fiction works, became widely popular, it would completely change the world.

"This is just like the steel industry," he said to his assistant with a wry smile. "Even if the whole world were put together, it wouldn't be a match for the University of Tokyo. We can't do anything about it."

Before the contact, the senator had a problem. He found that he had almost no cards to play.

The United States' technological advantages pale in comparison to the Warthog, and the market rules have been completely overturned by the "electric flight" leasing model.

"We need to think of other ways," he thought to himself, "perhaps we can start with international rules, or environmental protection, or labor rights.

If necessary, we should unite with other countries to put pressure on 'electric flight'. In short, we cannot sit idly by."
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Compared to the senator who was feeling very difficult, Zhou Qingfeng didn't think much about their contact. He just wanted to find a way to kill Diaz.

Also in Washington, D.C., Diaz saw a lot of media coverage about Marcos and "electric flight" and had a premonition that his opponent was not going to play by the rules.

(End of this chapter)