206: There are too many fools, not enough liars!

"Director Ma, do you have to be so cutting?"

"Uncle Ma, has no one ever mentioned to you that your words can be quite hurtful?" Zhou Cun said with a bitter face.

Ma Quanlin replied candidly, "Really? No one has ever mentioned it to me."

"Who would dare? You're the factory director," Zhou Cun said with a bitter face.

Ma Quanlin said offhandedly, "Forget it, I won't get any answers from you either. I'll ask my brat later."

While Lu Shenwei was pondering what to wear to the Zhu Hai Airshow to watch the military hardware drama, Ma Quanlin and his wife were worrying about how to find a partner for him.

In the evening, after finishing his call with his wayward son, Ma Quanlin found his wife, Sun Ping, looking worried.

"Do you think Little Lu might like men?"

"What do you mean?"

"I asked our son. It seems it's called being gay, which means liking men."

"Gay? I'll look into it later."

"Old Ma, you need to take this seriously."

"Don't worry, I've got it under control."

Julong Steel, Chairman's office.

Poor Lu Shenwei had no idea he had been inexplicably labeled as gay, after which the number of pretty female employees outside the Chairman's office noticeably increased.

"President Wang, the powered armor has passed equipment testing. I estimate it will be delivered by the end of next month," Lu Shenwei said.

Wang Jiawei was overjoyed. Because the Double Bone Dragon unmanned transport aircraft had been delayed and favorable news had fallen through, many big-time speculative investors had packed up and left.

Nifeng Express's stock price had fallen by half from its peak. If it kept falling like this, President Wang would become 'Little Wang'.

"Really? That's great! Director Lu, don't be so meticulous with the testing. Just deliver a few units to us first to save face," Wang Jiawei said.

As long as Julong Steel followed the design, the powered armor would definitely crush Gou Dong Express's simple assisted equipment.

"That won't do. The testing process must be completed before delivery," Lu Shenwei insisted.

He wouldn't allow even a single screw to have the slightest flaw when it left the factory.

"I know you strive for perfection, Director Lu, so I won't push it. But could you send me a copy of the test video? We need it for publicity to boost the stock price," Wang Jiawei pleaded.

As long as they released a video, even if it was just a glimpse, the stock price would surely rise in response.

Lu Shenwei thought about it and said, "Alright then. But the video must be processed properly; it must not reveal the name of Julong Steel."

"Don't worry, I understand."

Wang Jiawei patted his chest to guarantee it. Half an hour later, Lu Shenwei sent a 30-second test video.

In the footage, two testers wearing cool-looking powered armor carried heavy loads and moved with swift strides.

They ran the whole way without even getting out of breath.

"What do you think of this video?" Wang Jiawei asked.

The assistant scratched his head. "Is... is this real?"

Nifeng Express also had assisted equipment, similar to Gou Dong Express, but compared to Julong Steel's equipment, it was worlds apart.

If Gou Dong Express's assisted equipment was a simple test version, then Julong Steel's powered armor was the MAX ultimate advanced version—the kind that left Gou Dong Express in the dust.

"You doubt its authenticity too?" Wang Jiawei said.

Assistant Chen waved his hand. "It's not that I don't believe in Julong Steel's technology, it's just that this powered armor feels a bit science-fiction."

"Director Lu wouldn't just film a video to fool us, but we need to see the parameters to reach a final conclusion," Wang Jiawei pondered.

"President, if what Director Lu delivers is as good as it looks, we'll be able to crush Gou Dong Express," Assistant Chen said.

Wang Jiawei nodded. "I hope so. Get the video processed and send it out first thing tomorrow morning."

The next day, before the A-share market opened, Nifeng Express announced that they had made staged progress in their research on assisted equipment, and the stock rose in response.

However, contrary to Wang Jiawei's expectations, the massive surge he imagined did not happen. By the midday close, the increase was only 2.4%.

[What is Nifeng Express doing? Could the powered armor test video be any faker?]

[@Nifeng Express, are you that poor now? Starting to film videos with a landline?]

[Calling it a landline is giving them too much credit. At best, it's door lock camera quality.]

[Bragging about carrying 80 jin with swift strides, do you know what that means? Even Northern Heavy Industries' exoskeleton mechs don't have that level of performance.]

[To boost the stock price, Nifeng Express is now resorting to any means necessary.]

[Shareholders aren't fools. This trick won't work to fleece us anymore.]

[Wang Jiawei is at the end of his rope; this is all the trickery he has.]

[Speaking of which, did anyone manage to snag the new creative merchandise released by Julong Steel? Why are the new items even more expensive?]

[It's just hunger marketing, but it has nothing to do with Julong Steel; it's Twilight Stationery messing around.]

[I knew it. Director Lu wouldn't care about that little bit of money.]

[There are already imitations from Huaqiang South. Except for slightly inferior workmanship, they are almost identical to the genuine products.]

"I don't care about that. The Zhu Hai Airshow is in a few days next month. Who's going? Let's meet up," Brother Qi asked.

[Forget meeting up. Recently, you can make big money by crossing the river in Yunnan. A good brother is asking me to go.]

[Are we talking about the same 'good friend'? I also have a friend asking me to go across the Muge border.]

"Beware of scams. Money is already easy enough to make domestically. Anyone talking about making big money abroad is 99% a scammer," Brother Qi warned.

His informant in Yunnan had sent a message before, saying that there were a lot of scammers right next to Yunnan.

Moreover, they relied on being in a chaotic region, lawless and unscrupulous, recklessly harming their fellow countrymen.

[I had a brother who was tricked into going over to be a 'piglet' (forced laborer). His family paid over 400,000 in ransom, but they only received an ear.]

[I've seen too many who were tortured to death. It's too tragic, really.]

[Doesn't the government know how to manage this? What's going on?]

[Are you trying to stir up trouble upstairs? How is the government not managing it? The Muge border crossing repeatedly warns about telecom fraud, and there is border control. Most of the 'piglets' who get tricked are people who think they can go over and make big money.]

[They can't even make it in the country, yet they dream of going to an unfamiliar place next door to make big money. I don't know what they are thinking.]

[Anyway, I don't care. Where is Ge Liang? We need Ge Liang to step in now and teach them a harsh lesson.]

"Everyone has been protected too well by the country. You haven't seen the people in the North digging out eyeballs or breaking legs, have you?" Brother Qi said.

[Stop dreaming about making big money. If you dare to go to the North, they'll tear up your passport first, then extort your family. Whether you have money or not, once you go, don't think about coming back.]

[If you have money, you pay ransom first. Once your friends and family's money is squeezed dry, they'll give you a kidney removal surgery. Just ask yourself if you want to die.]

[Critical hit to the kidneys? My stomach suddenly hurts!]

"Anyway, I'll give everyone one piece of advice: there's no such thing as a free lunch. Don't always think you're exceptionally gifted."

Brother Qi spoke earnestly, but the scammers had already infiltrated the Dragon Xia live-streaming circle.

[@Brother Qi, calling you out, are you jealous that people go to the North to make big money? The North is especially good to our countrymen; they even have support for startups.]

[The user above doesn't have their IP displayed. Everyone should know what kind of person that is, right?]

[Is telecom fraud this arrogant now? Coming to the domestic internet to promote themselves?]

[There are too many fools, and combined with the North's upgraded scam techniques, it's impossible to guard against.]