Chapter 7 of 10

Chapter 7

15 min read3,754 words

"Li Yi, did you really come up with this?" After finishing reading through the thick stack of documents, Old Mr. Zhao asked excitedly.

Li Yi nodded. Old Mr. Zhao looked at his watch; it was already midnight. The old man was wide awake, so he took out his phone and dialed a number.

"Qin Xu? This is Zhao Kaishan. Get Qin Yunbao and come to my place."

"Yes! Right now! Even if you have to roll over, you two must come over immediately!"

Soon, the brothers Qin Xu and Qin Yunbao arrived at Old Mr. Zhao's house, still half-asleep. Qin Xu was a burly man, a former deputy factory manager at the machinery plant before it went bankrupt. Qin Yunbao, his brother, was a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Nanjing University and had once been the head of the technical team at the factory. He wore thick glasses and was much more reserved than his brother.

After the machinery plant went bankrupt, Qin Xu became an auto mechanic, while Qin Yunbao worked as a technician at another textile factory. With their skills, they lived better than most of the laid-off workers from the factory, but it was still a tight squeeze.

Li Yi grew up in the machinery plant and was familiar with everyone. The four of them sat together without any awkwardness.

The anti-gravity shoe documents were handed to Qin Yunbao, who read them for two hours, his eyes growing increasingly excited. After finishing, he patted Li Yi's shoulder and said excitedly, "Li Yi, your design is a treasure! It's a real anti-gravity device!"

Old Mr. Zhao asked eagerly, "So, this thing is feasible?"

"Absolutely!" Qin Yunbao adjusted his glasses and patted the design drawings. "My university professor was obsessed with researching anti-gravity devices, and I naturally picked up a lot from him. To be honest, this design is far more advanced than anything my teacher ever came up with!"

"The most important thing is its practicality! It's not some unfinished research in a lab, but a real, production-ready technology! It uses electricity to activate and regulate the anti-gravity magnetic field, and the structure of the three Kievan alloy plates is extremely stable."

"Such technology, even if you ask for an astronomical price, companies will still fight to get it! After all, this is an era where technology reigns supreme! Practicality is king! The advanced technology from those alien spaceships isn't bad, but much of it can't be produced with Earth's current technology level. I've never seen such a high-level technology simplified to this extent. Li Yi, you're a genius!"

Hearing this, Qin Xu was overjoyed. "Ha, Li Yi, if you get rich, don't forget to treat Uncle Qin to a good drink!"

Li Yi nodded slightly and smiled. "Actually, I don't plan to sell this technology. If the factory can produce it, we can do it ourselves. After all, the factory is idle, and it would be a waste not to use it."

Li Yi's words were light, but the three men present understood the weight of his words. If the machinery plant were to produce this anti-gravity device, it would mean new jobs for hundreds of people!

After the factory went bankrupt, the laid-off workers received only 400 yuan in unemployment benefits per month. Li Yi, living alone, found 600 yuan insufficient, and the situation for those with families was even more dire.

"Li Yi, are you serious!?" Old Mr. Zhao grabbed Li Yi's hands and asked with wide eyes.

"Serious. I've done the calculations. Some of the old machinery in the factory can still be used. Although the workers are laid off, they haven't lost their skills. They can get back to work immediately. We just need to invest in some new automated machine tools."

"As for the finished product, we can outsource it. After all, everyone has their specialty. The machinery plant's strength is in mechanical processing, not shoe manufacturing. So, we'll outsource the finished shoes to a professional shoe factory and only produce the hidden anti-gravity mechanism in the soles."

"When the time comes, we'll provide the shoe factory with the number of anti-gravity mechanisms, and they'll produce the corresponding number of finished shoes. The technology, brand, and channels will remain in our hands, and the shoe factory will only take a processing fee."

Li Yi spoke confidently, and Zhao Kaishan and the others listened intently, their admiration for Li Yi growing. They had thought it was just a spur-of-the-moment design, but Li Yi had already planned out production, sales, and promotion.

Especially the plan to outsource the finished shoes to a professional shoe factory. The old men at the machinery plant were experts in metal, and designing and manufacturing shoes would be too much for them. Even if they could make them, the appearance would likely suffer.

If they outsourced the shoe production to a professional shoe factory, it would be different. They specialized in this, and even if it meant sacrificing some of the factory's profit, it would be worth it. After all, in this era, things not only need to be practical but also aesthetically pleasing.

However, when it came to the initial investment, everyone fell silent. The workers at the machinery plant were too poor, and who could come up with such a large sum of money?

Old Mr. Zhao pondered for a while and said, "There is a sum of money."

Qin Xu frowned. "You mean the money set aside to demolish the factory and build a building? That was pooled from everyone. Your family contributed 3,000 yuan, mine 2,000 yuan, and many of the older workers even put in their life savings. We'll need to discuss this with them."

"Then let's discuss it with them." Old Mr. Zhao passed around cigarettes and, almost by instinct, gave one to Li Yi.

As an elder, he shouldn't have encouraged Li Yi to smoke at such a young age, but Li Yi's mature demeanor had truly impressed Old Mr. Zhao. In his heart, Li Yi was no longer a naive youth but a trustworthy partner.

"Even if we demolish the factory and build a building, that money is dead. This land is the factory's lifeline. If we sell it, it's gone. Tell them that if they invest this money, they can become shareholders. The factory will provide them with jobs, and they will receive annual dividends!" Old Mr. Zhao said, lighting his cigarette.

Qin Yunbao nodded excitedly. "Great! I'll go to Nanjing today and have my teacher review it one last time to see if there's anything else we need to consider."

...

Li Yi's proposal to have the machinery plant produce the core components of the new anti-gravity shoes excited Old Mr. Zhao and the Qin brothers, keeping them up all night.

The next morning, Old Mr. Zhao and the Qin brothers acted according to the plan they had discussed the previous night, while Li Yi went to school. After all, he was now a prospective warrior, and his training couldn't be interrupted.

"Master, I've detected that your Force index is fluctuating between 0.95 and 0.97. If everything goes as planned, you will reach the standard of a初级 warrior after today's training," Kele said to Li Yi.

"Really? That's great news!" Li Yi said excitedly.

"According to the information I found on the Star Network, the difference between an ordinary person and a Force warrior is significant. I've prepared a training plan for you today. Don't engage in too much physical training; save your energy for the training room. This will reduce the pain when you break through," Kele explained.

Li Yi nodded slightly. Kele, the Star Network—these were truly his treasures. Kele had even prepared a way to reduce the pain of breaking through. Where could he find such a considerate little robot?

At the Ninth Advanced Tactical Academy, Li Yi followed Kele's advice and did not engage in too much physical training. He only jogged to warm up and then practiced flexibility. He even skipped the afternoon cooperative training, feeling no guilt as a perennial underachiever.

Not only did he skip class, but Li Yi also splurged, spending 10 yuan on a sauna. He stayed in the steam room for three hours until he felt his bones were almost melting.

"Kele, is this really okay? I feel completely drained after being in the steam room for so long," Li Yi asked, a bit worried.

Kele was unconcerned. "Your main task today is to break through smoothly, not to exhaust all your energy on training. Approach the storm of Force release in the most relaxed state possible. That's the best way, as the Star Network's training information suggests."

"Trust me, it will work!"

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