391: Chapter 390 4A

Defective products are defined by comparison.

No matter how good a product is, if you place it next to something better, it becomes defective.

By the same logic, Hongshu's products were very good, and their performance had once satisfied General Zheng greatly, but when placed before Yunsheng's products, they were likewise defective.

At thirty meters, it didn't penetrate after being hit by 7.62 caliber rifle bullets.

What does that even mean?

General Zheng, who had once crawled through the mud on the front lines, knew very well.

Sometimes, this is one life, or even two, or three lives.

Fang Xiaoyun wanted evidence; what he held in his hands was evidence, undeniable.

Looking at the bulletproof vest in his hands, Fang Xiaoyun's lips trembled for a long time, and finally, he found a reason to exonerate himself: "I... when I presided over the bidding, Yunsheng didn't participate... I didn't know..."

"If that weren't the case, I would have already handed you over to the military tribunal by now."

General Zheng looked at him indifferently and said: "As for your other violations, I will write a letter of recommendation to your Board of Directors. I will not interfere with how they handle it."

"Now, I will make it clear to you."

General Zheng pointed at the bulletproof vest in Fang Xiaoyun's hands and said: "Go and put the bulletproof vest on."

Fang Xiaoyun didn't speak, and with a somewhat dazed expression, he handed the bulletproof vest to the tester who stepped forward.

He knew that he was finished.

With General Zheng's status, as soon as this letter reached the hands of the group's president, all that awaited him would be severe punishment.

There was just one thing he couldn't understand: his dealings with Hongshu were hidden so secretly, so how did General Zheng know about them?

The bulletproof vest was put back on the mannequin.

"Aim, ready."

"Fire!"

A bullet suddenly streaked out of the barrel, carrying brilliant sparks as it lunged toward the bulletproof vest.

The tester reported: "No penetration!"

"Bang!" Another gunshot rang out. "No penetration!"

With every bullet fired, Fang Xiaoyun's complexion grew a shade uglier.

As the bullets continued to fire, Fang Xiaoyun's face gradually turned the color of liver.

Finally, after six bullets, the tester finally shouted the words everyone had been waiting for: "One hit... penetration!"

The voice was slightly excited, and the bulletproof vest was quickly brought before General Zheng.

General Zheng just glanced at it, then threw the vest directly to Fang Xiaoyun and said indifferently: "Look, this is your so-called 'I didn't know'."

Fang Xiaoyun took the bulletproof vest, and after just one look, his liver-colored face quickly faded, turning as pale as death.

On the bulletproof vest, the five spots that were hit were exceptionally clear, all distributed on the front of the vest, which was the position of the human chest.

And the reason the bulletproof vest was penetrated was that two of the impact points had overlapped; the originally damaged fibers could not withstand the continuous ravaging and simply snapped.

"Chief, although this bulletproof vest was penetrated, eighty percent of the bullet's kinetic energy had already been consumed. Only the bullet head was embedded in the mannequin's gel. If it were human tissue, it would not have been able to pierce the skin."

The tester reported truthfully.

General Zheng nodded slightly and turned to look at Fang Xiaoyun.

"Do you have anything else to say? Speak up; don't say I didn't give you a chance."

Fang Xiaoyun put down the bulletproof vest and said dejectedly: "No, it was indeed my negligence."

A bulletproof vest that could continuously withstand six rifle rounds at a distance of thirty meters had actually been let through by him so easily; this in itself was a serious dereliction of duty.

Originally, just being negligent wouldn't have been a big deal. After all, it hadn't caused too much loss, and it wouldn't have left him helpless—finding some people and thinking of some ways would have let it pass. But now, for some unknown reason, General Zheng had suddenly decided to step in. Although General Zheng said he wouldn't interfere, writing a letter personally was in itself a stance.

Would the Board of Directors consider the stance of an active-duty general who held real power?

Between protecting himself and offending General Zheng, who should they choose?

The answer was almost self-evident.

Therefore, Fang Xiaoyun knew his good days were over.

Now he only hoped that General Zheng would let bygones be bygones and only punish him for his abuse of power, without pursuing the matter of bribery. Otherwise, as large as the group was, there would truly be no place for him to stay.

His mind was in chaos, and Fang Xiaoyun's expression shifted constantly.

"Negligence?" General Zheng snorted, but he didn't pursue it further. With his status, it wasn't worth it to make things difficult for a small fry. He turned his gaze to Ji Hang, who was standing to the side.

"Manager Ji, what do you think of this bulletproof vest?"

Ji Hang said: "It's very good."

"Hmm." General Zheng nodded and asked again: "If I recall correctly, your company's quote to us was 5000 huaxia currency per helmet and about 18000 huaxia currency per bulletproof vest. Manager Ji, what do you think... the price of this bulletproof vest should be?"

Ji Hang's face twitched slightly. This General Zheng was truly as the rumors said: not only did he have a big temper, but he was also very vengeful.

If it wasn't to intentionally disgust him, who would ask like that? How was this any different from slapping his own face?

Taking a deep breath, Ji Hang said: "I don't know."

"Heh." General Zheng laughed. He stopped paying attention to Ji Hang and threw the bulletproof vest back to the tester, saying indifferently: "Record it down. Hongshu Company's bulletproof vest rating is Level 4, while this bulletproof vest's rating is Level 4A."

The tester was stunned, seemingly doubting himself. After a long while, he said: "General, which standard should we use to classify it?"

"Nonsense." General Zheng glared at him and said: "Of course it's the Huaxia standard. Could it possibly be the United States' standard?"

"But..." The tester was even more confused: "The standard issued by our country only goes up to Level 4, and below that are Level 3A, Level 3, Level 2A, Level 2, and Level 1. There is no Level 4A."

General Zheng laughed and looked calmly at the ugly-faced Fang Xiaoyun and the slightly gloomy-faced Ji Hang. He felt very comfortable and said: "Now there is."

The tester: "..."

How willful. This is a national standard, and he just adds it as he pleases.

The tester muttered to himself. He wanted to classify this bulletproof vest as Level 4, but seeing the vest's previous performance, he suddenly felt uncomfortable.

The gap was too big.

If it could only stop one or two shots, it would be fine, but this was a full six shots; it could no longer be evaluated in the same category at all.

However, if just like that one could raise the protection level of this bulletproof vest by one level—and a creative upgrade at that—it seemed a bit far-fetched.

"Chief." The tester thought it over and made up his mind. "Should we test at ten meters?"

Whether it was tested, how it was tested, and what the results were, Fang Xiaoyun and Ji Hang were completely unaware.

For the subsequent tests, General Zheng didn't let them participate at all.

Of course, there was no talk of signing a contract either.

The evaluation meeting concluded right there.

Ji Hang walked out of the shooting range with a gloomy face, and the Middle-aged man who had been waiting outside the range hurried forward.

"Manager Ji."

Ji Hang waved his hand and said: "Don't say anything. There are too many eyes and ears here. Let's talk when we get back."

The Middle-aged man nodded slightly and opened the car door.

Just as Ji Hang was getting into the car and the door was about to close, a hand blocked the door, and Fang Xiaoyun appeared in front of Ji Hang.

Ji Hang frowned slightly.

"Manager Ji." Fang Xiaoyun's eyes were red, and he gritted his teeth: "You told me that your company's products were absolutely fine. I believed in you, which is why I gave you the opportunity. And now? Why can't you even outperform a factory that we eliminated?"

"That question should be asked of you." Ji Hang looked at him coldly: "An eliminated factory? If this factory is a factory that can be eliminated, then eighty percent of the factories in your Northern Industries Group should close down!"

"You!" Fang Xiaoyun's eyes were bloodshot with rage.

"Also." Ji Hang's expression was cold: "General Zheng's attitude toward you and me today was very abnormal. I advise you to think carefully about what you have missed. Once you have thought it through, tell me everything in detail, otherwise..."

A cold glint flashed in Ji Hang's eyes: "You will bear the consequences!"

The cold voice made Fang Xiaoyun subconsciously let go of the car door.

The car door closed, the window rolled down, and Ji Hang's face reappeared before Fang Xiaoyun.

"You only have three days."

After Ji Hang finished speaking, the window slowly closed, and the business van started and drove away.

It wasn't until the business van had driven tens of meters away that Fang Xiaoyun finally came to his senses and cursed: "Ji Hang, you bastard! If you have the ability, don't let me live! Otherwise, I won't let you off easily!"