Chapter 148: Driving the Rival to Cough Blood

Besides eco-friendly waste disposal equipment, Dream Technology’s most popular product is undoubtedly the Xiaobai domestic robot, which has now completely entered ordinary households.

Because it is priced at 8,998 yuan, about the same as a high-end smartphone, the price shocked the entire world when it was first announced!

Of course, the price is a bit higher overseas, at 1,599 US dollars.

Either of these prices, no matter which one you look at, have completely overturned the traditional pricing principles of a cutting-edge technological product.

Everyone believed that Dream Technology was only able to sell this high-tech new product at such a low price because of sanctions imposed by the United States.

In many first-tier cities within the country, there are numerous nanny services priced over 8,998 yuan per month.

Now, a household robot capable of working 24 hours a day only costs the equivalent of a high-end nanny’s monthly wage.

Many families did not hesitate to purchase and try it out.

Following that, countless positive reviews exploded in the domestic robot market, yet all imitators failed one after another.

Highly realistic robots aren’t so easy to counterfeit, even if Tang Country is known for its knockoffs.

As a result, Dream Technology was the sole provider in this suddenly booming market.

What kind of business is the most profitable in the world? Naturally, a monopoly!

Without competition, the orders Dream Technology received ended up consuming its entire production capacity, and delivery dates for orders have been scheduled all the way to 2022.

This is still in spite of the sanctions led by the United States on the international market; otherwise, they would have been busy counting money until their hands cramped.

Dream Technology’s pricing has caused some in the United States to be gritting their teeth in frustration and hatred.

Even if their Boston Dynamics could launch a similar product, setting aside the inferior performance, they couldn’t compete on price.

This group became the staunchest promoters of punitive action against Du Qiu and the Tang Country.

What they didn’t know is that this pricing was deliberate by Du Qiu. Previously in the United States, they tried to hijack a Xiaobai robot sample through GIA, only to be thwarted by Star Ocean, who removed all the software programs.

Leaving them with a bunch of hardware accomplishing nothing.

Carbon fiber shell – This type of carbon fiber is already in mass supply around the world by Tang Country.

Synthetic skin – They also have a similar type of high-polymer synthetic skin.

Chips – Huawei’s smart chips were no more advanced than theirs.

Miniature servo motors – They also didn’t have anything superior in this aspect.

Sensors – They might have gained some insights in this area, but without the software, they didn’t even understand the function of some of the special sensors.

…

Going through the list, they hadn’t gained any significant benefits.

However, their actions led Star Ocean to keep tabs on them, ultimately uncovering that this very faction was the key force behind the decision to sanction Du Qiu and Dream Technology.

After all, as Du Qiu considered before leaving the country, Dream Technology had not had any prior conflicts of interest with any American consortia or family powers.

He even had an arrangement with the governor of California and clearly, a satisfactory cooperation was going to be reached.

Previously, the only ones who saw Dream Technology as a formidable opponent were the carbon fiber titans of Japan and those in the high-end machine tool industry.

Star Ocean found out that standing behind this faction was none other than the Boston Financial Consortium, a traditional consortium ranked among the top ten in the United States.

After World War II, relying on the rise of MIT, it quickly transitioned to the high-tech field.

This time, it was precisely because of Du Qiu’s Xiaobai robot, which was set to seize the commercial robot market they were nurturing, that the GIA-proposed sanctions received approval from the Department of Commerce.

Regrettably, they didn’t anticipate that despite the US sanctions on Dream Technology and Du Qiu being pursued by the GIA and disappearing, the Xiaobai robot still hit the market and sold well.

To make matters worse, their own research and development of robots, even if just about satisfactory in performance, couldn’t match Dream Technology in price.

The Boston Consortium’s core company in the high-tech field is Bell Helicopter, which lost to Tang Country’s Dajiang in the commercial drone market due to cost issues.

Losing twice in a row, the current head of the Boston Consortium, Lawrence, was literally driven to cough blood in frustration.

Among Du Qiu’s adversaries, Lawrence was not the only one enraged to such an extent. Several heads of Japanese enterprises felt the same.

Since the establishment of the major aerospace group, Xingguang Precision’s production capacity increased sharply, instantly dominating the high-end machine tool market in Tang Country.

Not only that, some market shares that belonged to Japan internationally were snatched away by Xingguang Precision’s lower-precision processing centers.

Of course, the Japanese owner of Lock Company, who once kicked them when they were down, lost the entire Tang Country market and parts of the international market in 2020.

This happened because a subsidiary of Dream Technology launched a new type of self-tightening nut that swept this niche market with higher cost-effectiveness.

“Your company is thriving now. If you can act on your own, what are you still worried about?”

As for the global manhunt by the United States, as long as Du Qiu returns to his home country, it’s nothing but a waste of paper.

Ning Shuangshuang sighed inwardly, her gaze resting on the several Dream Technology storefronts across the street, which had been transformed into “Xiaobai” robot specialty flagship stores.

Even though it wasn’t the weekend, the area was still bustling with people.

Many people come here not necessarily to buy a Xiaobai robot but to watch its performance live; of course, if they can interact with Xiaobai, it’s even better.

The Xiaobai robot has now updated its software version, no longer limited to just cleaning, but also capable of cooking, caring, and other tasks.

As Tang Country enters an aging society, the burden of caring for sick elderly has troubled countless children.

Especially for families where both spouses are only children, facing the need to care for four elders, if all fall ill and the family’s financial situation is average, that couple would probably collapse.

Now, the Xiaobai robot has become a series of products; users can buy a single-function robot, which is the cheapest, or they can buy a multifunctional one.

The affordable pricing allows Tang Country’s families to buy it without worry and free themselves from the burden of household chores.

“Miss Ning, you have some free time today?” A sweet voice called out.

Ning Shuangshuang came back to her senses and saw a professional beauty emerging from behind a car.

Ning Shuangshuang recognized her; this was Du Qiu’s former assistant, Wen Siqing. After Du Qiu disappeared, she became Liu Yaofeng’s assistant.

“Assistant Wen, off work already?”

“Yes, the boss is on a business trip, so I can go home early today.”

“Is Liu Yaofeng still that busy? Where has he flown off to now?”

Ning Shuangshuang knew that Liu Yaofeng had been working hard over the past year; he didn’t have experience managing a company, so naturally, he exerted more effort.

Moreover, the company was in a difficult period. If not for the excellent products, Liu Yaofeng definitely wouldn’t have been able to handle it.

“He went to inspect Shenqi Technology. Last week he was at their European headquarters and East European factory; he should be at their African factory now. He’s trying to get them to subcontract in order to increase Xiaobai robot production.”

Wen Siqing knew that this Miss Ning was the great love of the company’s big boss, so naturally, she didn’t hide anything from her.

In addition, she knew Ning Shuangshuang’s profession, so it wouldn’t have remained a secret anyway.

“Liu Yaofeng is in Africa?”

Ning Shuangshuang was slightly surprised; she had met with Rheinso and talked with them before and hadn’t paid much attention to Shenqi Technology since.

She faintly remembered hearing that Shenqi Technology’s factory in Magic City was subcontracting for Hupu computers and Intel motherboards, taking the business from Fushikang.

This caused Fushikang to shut down a factory in Annan.

“Yes, he arrived yesterday. I heard that Shenqi Technology’s African factory is their largest worldwide.”

While they were talking, a car horn sounded, and an Audi Q7 stopped in front of Ning Shuangshuang’s car.

Wen Siqing immediately apologized, “Miss Ning, I’m sorry, my boyfriend came to pick me up. I must go now.”

“Sure, goodbye.”

Ning Shuangshuang watched Wen Siqing get into the Q7 in front and then sighed softly to herself as she started her car, preparing to leave.

“In an instant, a million possibilities…”

The ringtone on Ning Shuangshuang’s phone rang just in time. Ever since confirming that Du Qiu couldn’t return for the time being, Ning Shuangshuang had unconsciously changed her ringtone to the one Du Qiu had used.

Of course, this was because she held out hope for the possibility of Du Qiu also being able to return to Tang Country.

“Shuangshuang, hurry over to my place. I just received a message from your father. The medical team your mother is with was hijacked by an armed group!”

Thanks to “Haven’t Found Yet” for the tip of 100 coins!