Chapter 14

After watching Hu Wenhai's demonstration of the simulation machine, Colonel Gao Ying, who was eager to see it, personally arranged for the base canteen to prepare a special meal for him.

The Air Force canteen was already well-known throughout the military, and the special meal there was even more exceptional. Although there was no longer a risk of hunger after the 1980s, both Si Gu Xin and Director Wang still enjoyed their meal immensely. The socialist-style braised beef with potatoes, a whole boneless young chicken, and the tender lamb with bamboo shoots...

However, for Hu Wenhai, the absence of pork was a slight disappointment. Nevertheless, Major Latif from Pakistan was also highly impressed with the meal.

After the meal... Oh, no, Major Latif couldn't drink alcohol. The five of them finished the table of delicious food and then began reminiscing. The only two who had no old memories to share were Hu Wenhai and Major Latif.

"Major Latif, the simulation machine is an official project. I have another project in mind, and I hope to collaborate with you personally, or with other Pakistanis. Are you interested?"

"Oh, Comrade Hu, do you have any other surprising inventions?"

After the introduction, Latif, though skeptical, believed that the simulation machine was indeed invented by this student who hadn't even turned eighteen. With the simulation machine as a precedent, Latif didn't dare to underestimate the other inventions of this young man and listened with great interest.

"I must clarify that the technology used in this project belongs to me. Unlike the semi-official nature of the simulation machine, I hope to collaborate with Major Latif or other Pakistanis on a personal level."

"Oh, so you want to use your technology as capital to jointly develop a market for a certain product?" Although Latif was a military man, he was well-versed in market economics in Pakistan.

"Exactly. You can choose to buy the technology outright or let me invest it as a stake. However, if you choose the first option, you'll have to pay a high price."

"Alright." Latif, to be honest, felt a bit awkward about negotiating with a child so seriously: "Can you tell me about your invention?"

Hu Wenhai patted his pocket and pulled out a small paper box from his green military bag. He opened the box, revealing an item protected by foam.

"This is..."

"I call it a red dot sight, a sighting device for small arms. The principle should be familiar to you, Major Latif, as it is similar to the heads-up display (HUD) used in fighter jets."

As he spoke, Hu Wenhai turned on the red dot sight, and a red aiming point appeared on the square single-lens sight.

"HUD?" Latif tilted his head to look at the device in Hu Wenhai's hand. It had a base about ten centimeters long, with a glass lens on top. The entire device was encased in aluminum, giving it a good appearance. This wasn't intentional on Hu Wenhai's part; it was just that the quality of plastic parts in this era was unreliable, and aluminum was better for military use.

Latif took the sight in his hand and aimed it. As a pilot, he also had basic training in small arms, as he might need to run back if his plane landed in enemy territory.

Latif had used pistols, submachine guns, and rifles, and he knew the drawbacks of peep sights and aperture sights. These sights were commonly used on the AK47, G3 rifles, and MP5 submachine guns in Pakistan, and even on most light weapons worldwide. The mechanical sighting method, which relies on aligning three points, is difficult to master and severely obstructs the shooter's view.

In three-point sighting, the shooter must align the rear sight and the front sight. Not only is there a physiological error, but the biggest problem is that it fixes the shooter's head. To shoot, the shooter must expose their head to the enemy's gun, and aligning three points is much more difficult than aligning two. The red dot sight saves energy and reaction time, providing a significant advantage on the battlefield.

These obvious advantages were not difficult for Latif, who had used various light weapons, to understand.

The moment he saw the small sight, he realized it was an invention that could change the battlefield. As a military man, even an air force officer, he didn't lack this basic insight.

He continuously manipulated the red dot sight, observing the red dot from various angles. He quickly confirmed that no matter from which direction he looked, the red dot always pointed to the front of the sight.

As a fighter pilot, the principle of the sight was not hard to understand. The heads-up display (HUD) in fighter jets works similarly. No matter how he moved his head, the HUD information always pointed to the front of the aircraft. The principle involves a high-refractive transparent coating that projects the display image parallel to the pilot's eyes.

With this experience, Latif easily understood how the red dot sight worked.

"This is a good thing!" Latif, after playing with it for a while, nodded excitedly.

"I would like to use this sight technology as an investment and ask Major Latif to help me find a partner in Pakistan for joint production. What do you think?"

Latif was somewhat surprised and shook his head, "Please forgive me, but why does Comrade Hu trust me so easily? Your sight has a broad market potential. Aren't you afraid I might copy your idea and do this business alone?"

Hu Wenhai looked up, seriously, and shook his head, "Major Latif, you won't do that because you are a promising Pakistani Air Force officer."

Latif was taken aback, thought for a moment, and then nodded with a bitter smile.

Hu Wenhai's point was simple: because he was Chinese and Latif was a Pakistani officer. The reason Pakistan is called "Iron Pakistan" is because they value their relationship with China.

Not to mention the historical support China has given to Pakistan, the sentiment towards China within Pakistan. As a senior Air Force officer, if Latif, in a foreign context, stole Chinese technology, even though Hu Wenhai was collaborating with him personally, would this not have unpredictable effects on the relationship between the two countries? Even if it didn't affect the overall relationship, wouldn't it plant a thorn in the hearts of the Chinese?

Because of Latif's sensitive position, he wouldn't risk his future or even his personal freedom, nor would he risk Pakistan's national image.

Indeed, Hu Wenhai's red dot sight had no patent protection, and the technology wasn't particularly advanced. But if the right partner was found, his interests could still be protected.

"Let's talk about how we can collaborate," Latif now treated Hu Wenhai as an equal negotiating partner.

"As I said, Major Latif can choose to buy the technology outright or let me invest it as a stake."

Latif thought for a moment and decisively said, "If I buy the technology, how much do you want?"

Hu Wenhai paused, then held up one finger, "A fixed price, one million dollars."

Latif frowned and shook his head, "That's too high. The technology isn't that advanced. How can it be worth one million dollars?"

"The value of a technology isn't determined by its complexity but by its market potential. How many light weapons worldwide can be equipped with this sight? If it becomes standard equipment for a country, the profit potential is enormous, isn't it?"

"But one million dollars for a technology is really..."

In Latif's experience, only fighter jets were that expensive. Pakistan, being a poor and small country, naturally found it difficult to pay such a sum.

On Hu Wenhai's side, he didn't really want Latif to buy the technology outright. The future market for the red dot sight was vast, and no one understood it better than him. If not for concerns about the reliability of Pakistani partners and other uncontrollable factors, he wouldn't have offered this option.

"Or, we can do it this way. If Major Latif helps me register the patent worldwide and find a European or American company to collaborate with, I can give you 10% of the shares in the joint venture and authorize you to produce the red dot sight for the Pakistani military for free."

"Hmm, that's a good condition." For Latif, who wasn't well-off, Hu Wenhai's proposal was more practical.

This was also Hu Wenhai's last resort. Even if the simulation machine project went smoothly, the profits would go to Factory 501, not to him or Hu Jiefang. Moreover, China had no patent law at the time and hadn't joined the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property. The Hu family couldn't afford the cost of international patent registration or find a way to collaborate with a major company without risking their technology being taken.

So, among the options, Latif was the most trustworthy. As a Pakistani Air Force major, he had the social influence to handle such matters and the credibility to ensure Hu Wenhai's interests were protected. Although this plan still carried significant risks, if Hu Wenhai didn't want to hand over the technology to the state, his options were limited.