27: The sea trial of the Wide Silence is imminent, and the arresting cable investigation has begun!

Santana? A high-priced, low-spec piece of junk!

"Uncle Ma, go buy a good car, something not less than one million."

"Uh, you want me to do this? If I really have to go, I'll only be able to bring back a heavy-duty truck!"

A heavy-duty truck for Director Zhou? That's quite an idea.

Lu Shenwei tried to persuade him, but Ma Quanlin just wouldn't go. He tried finding Wang Zizhong, but he was busy studying blueprints and debugging the agricultural vehicle production line.

Helpless, Lu Shenwei had to put on his coat and go buy it himself.

The auto mall was located in the western suburbs of Qinchuan. Lu Shenwei visited several shops and finally settled on Ford and Geely.

Not for any other reason, but just for good luck.

Unfortunately, there weren't many good options among Geely's models under a million, so he went to the Ford dealership instead.

But the senior sales staff at the Ford 4S dealership completely ignored him; only a young girl who had just started working there greeted him warmly.

"Do you have the high-spec Ford Raptor in stock?"

"Yes, sir, but the price is 820,000. What do you think?"

"820,000, that's not expensive."

Lu Shenwei muttered. The Ford Raptor was sturdy and durable, which fit the temperament of Julong Steel.

"Young people nowadays just like to brag. 820,000 isn't expensive? If you could even pull out 82,000 today, I'd consider you rich."

"Xiao Ling, don't waste your breath on him."

The two senior sales staff said rudely. Lu Shenwei couldn't be bothered to explain; he looked at the young girl's name tag.

"Ruan Ling."

Lu Shenwei took out his phone: "Finance Officer? Come to the Ford 4S dealership in the western suburbs now, bring cash, one million is enough."

"Don't forget to have the factory driver come too, to drive the car back."

The rude sales staff mocked, "Acting like a big shot at such a young age, do you even have the money? Anyone can make a phone call."

Lu Shenwei couldn't be bothered to acknowledge them and said to Ruan Ling, "One high-spec Raptor. The person paying will be here immediately. Can you issue a temporary license plate now?"

"Yes, sir, but there is a service fee for an expedited temporary license plate."

"Just issue it, I'm in a hurry to use the car."

Lu Shenwei paid a 10,000 deposit, and Ruan Ling's big eyes blinked in surprise.

The sales staff on the side got anxious when they saw this and crowded over: "Sir, actually, the Ford Raptor doesn't really suit your temperament. Would you like to take another look?"

"Pickups have a 15-year scrap mandate; it's not cost-effective to buy one."

"I'll scrap it after driving it once; there's nothing not cost-effective about it."

This statement completely stunned the two senior sales staff. Scrap it after driving once?

Snobbish people with poor judgment, daring to steal business right in front of someone else—they certainly had thick skin.

Lu Shenwei rolled his eyes at them: "I will only buy a car from her."

Before long, the Finance Officer arrived with the cash. Lu Shenwei instructed the driver: "Once the temporary plates are handled, drive the car to Director Zhou. You'll accompany him on a trip to Longxia Capital City."

"Huh?"

"What 'huh'? It counts as an official business trip, with a 500 daily travel allowance."

"Understood, Director Lu."

The driver happily followed the Finance Officer to handle the paperwork, while Lu Shenwei left the 4S dealership amidst the astonished gazes of the crowd.

At noon, Lu Shenwei dialed Zhou Wen's phone number.

"Director Zhou, the driver is already waiting for you downstairs."

"Doesn't your factory only have a Santana? I'd better just take the high-speed rail myself."

The high-speed rail is punctual and fast.

"It's a brand-new car I just picked up, please do me the honor."

Hearing Lu Shenwei say this, Zhou Wen had no choice but to agree.

But when he saw the Ford Raptor, his eyes went wide.

American V8, screw environmental protection!

Zhou Wen loved pickups, but unfortunately, his meager salary couldn't afford one.

"Did Director Lu buy this new?"

"Just picked it up, the protective film hasn't even been torn off yet."

"Can I drive it myself? Just to get a kick out of it."

This put the driver in a difficult spot; Director Lu had clearly told me to drive Director Zhou.

Now, instead, Director Zhou wants to be my driver.

"Don't worry, I won't tell Director Lu. In fact, I'll even praise you in front of him. How about that?"

Zhou Wen was full of excitement, and the driver had no choice but to agree, though he sent a message to Lu Shenwei behind his back.

Lu Shenwei chuckled: "I didn't expect Director Zhou to have this hobby, I couldn't tell."

"Director Zhou was a motor transport soldier before he was demobilized, didn't you know?" Ma Quanlin said.

Lu Shenwei shook his head and said: "When he gets back from Longxia Capital City, just give him the car."

"Director Zhou definitely won't accept it. By the way, have you heard that Liu Jiujian was arrested?"

"That old guy is ruthless, evading over 300 million in taxes. If you include the penalty interest, he'll have to pay at least 500 million to avoid prison."

"Impossible. Even if they sold Green View Real Estate, they wouldn't be able to come up with 500 million."

"He who commits many injustices is doomed to self-destruction. Let's not talk about them anymore. How have the drone sales been these past two days?"

He had poured too much energy into the drones; it wouldn't do if they didn't make a name for themselves.

"We are still in the eye of the public opinion storm these two days, and the official website is selling about a dozen units a day."

A dozen sales a day? It won't even cover the sales costs.

"It seems the domestic market needs to be developed slowly. What about Desert Camel? Any reply from them yet?"

"Desert Camel Company is very strange; we haven't been able to reach them lately, but they did accept the Longying Drone we gifted them."

Lu Shenwei pondered: "The Desert Camel region is in constant war, so it's normal for them to be slow in replying."

How could Lu Shenwei and Ma Quanlin know that not every country is as peaceful and prosperous as Dragon Xia?

People only need to worry about making money, with absolutely no concerns about safety or survival.

"Send a few more emails to ask about the situation; maybe the drones we produce don't meet the needs of the Desert Camel region."

When products don't sell well, Lu Shenwei immediately looks for the cause in his own products, unlike some companies that claim they need to strengthen consumer education.

It's absolutely absurd—like absurdity opening the door for absurdity; it's the peak of absurdity!

Educate consumers? I'll educate your mother!

The next day, Longxia Capital City, National Bureau of Industry and Commerce.

Zhou Wen drove like a madman the whole way, arriving at his destination in 12 hours.

When Li Fohai heard that Zhou Wen had personally escorted the steel pipes, he was overjoyed and hosted a banquet to entertain him, but Zhou Wen just expressed his thanks.

During the banquet, the two drank and toasted each other. Li Fohai got drunk and let slip that this batch of steel pipes was specifically requested by the Army.

Zhou Wen suddenly realized why Li Fohai dared to point at the nose of the Audit Bureau and curse; it turned out there was a real power supporting him behind the scenes.

"You kid better keep your mouth shut; you absolutely cannot tell Julong Steel."

"Don't worry, my mouth is tight."

"There is one more thing I need your help to keep an eye on. The Dragon Xia Navy has recently hit a snag in their research on arresting gear. Help me ask around and see which state-owned enterprise's steel cables can meet the quality of aircraft carrier arresting gear."

"Aircraft carrier arresting gear? Is the guangyu silent about to be launched?"

"It's not about to be launched; it has already been launched, but the quality of the aircraft carrier's arresting gear is too poor, which is affecting the sea trials."

Without arresting gear, the landing safety of heavy fighter jets cannot be guaranteed, and therefore the aircraft carrier cannot achieve combat capability.

"Qinchuan is a major steel city; I'll investigate as soon as I get back."

Zhou Wen patted his chest to guarantee it. The next day, upon returning to Qinchuan, he immediately began visiting all the major state-owned steel enterprises in the city, leaving out only Julong Steel.

Just because Julong Steel had been restructured and now belonged to a private enterprise.