Chapter 28: Ordinary Relic

“Young man, you should know that curiosity killed the cat. As a seasoned commercial spy, asking this question makes you seem quite unprofessional.”

“Mr. Walkerson, I just want to have an overall understanding of the situation. In our line of work, if the target object is of extremely high value and attracts attention, there could be potential competitors. I assume you wouldn’t want this item to end up in someone else’s hands, right?”

“Don’t worry, this item is just an ordinary relic that I am procuring at the request of an archaeologist friend, to fulfill one of his wishes. There will be no competitors fighting you for it!”

[[Ordinary relic? I don’t believe you for a second…]] Frank thought to himself skeptically.

“Alright then. Do you want to retrieve it legally or… otherwise?” Frank’s voice trailed off significantly towards the end.

Walkerson smiled and said, “I simply wish for you to find this object at the lowest cost possible.”

“Understood. I accept this business deal. I hope to receive the notification of the advance payment being credited before I depart.”

Frank stood up while talking, pocketed the items on the table into his suit’s inner pocket, and turned to leave.

Walkerson picked up his coffee and started drinking.

A tall black man came over and sat opposite Walkerson.

“Captain, why are you hiring a commercial spy to go to Tang Country instead of letting my people continue?”

“Lead Wolf, your people have alarmed the security personnel of Tang Country and are no longer suited for the job. Using a commercial spy is our best method. Frank has never failed in his missions in Tang Country before.”

“What about Big Stick and the Chameleon?”

“Don’t worry, they are Americans. I will ask the leader to use his political friends to inquire about their situation.”

Walkerson finished his coffee, stood up, and walked out at a leisurely pace.

Stepping out of the café, Walkerson glanced up at the sunlight casting down from the high-rise buildings and felt a tinge of oppression in his heart.

The concrete jungles of humanity caused the planet to suffer inexpressible anguish, just like the damned people of Dongying who killed whales without any remorse.

The old man’s eyes briefly flashed with determination, and he walked towards a black sedan parked nearby.

The passenger-side door opened and a blonde beauty emerged, quickly opening the rear door. Once Walkerson was inside the car, she closed the door with efficiency and returned to the passenger seat.

The black sedan immediately started and merged into the flow of traffic on the street.

Inside the car, Walkerson looked at the blonde beauty and suddenly asked, “Imanka, I remember you did a year of exchange studies in Magic City’s university in Tang Country during your college years, right?”

The blonde beauty, Imanka, turned to him and replied, “Yes, sir.”

“Hmm, prepare yourself. I plan to send you on a business trip to Magic City shortly.”

Imanka nodded and responded, “Understood, sir.”

That night, Du Qiu still did not enter any dream state.

Du Qiu held the crystal pillow, gently caressing it, feeling very disappointed.

There is an old saying in Tang Country: “Things don’t come in threes.”

After being unable to enter the dream state for three consecutive nights, Du Qiu felt he should be ready to give up completely.

It’s a pity that although there are quite a few things in his memory, many are only vague, which at best could give him some directional cues. There are too few things that could be directly developed successfully in reality.

This meant he would need to invest more time and money into research and development.

Fortunately, the arrival of the super machine’s intelligent core had given him the ability for high-speed programming. Now that he had his first pot of gold, it was time to get on with company registration as soon as possible.

Early in the morning, Li Qiang came knocking.

Not only did he bring the electronic watches and components that Du Qiu asked for last night, but he also brought a bunch of alarm network accessories.

“I’m telling you, I’ve signed a contract with Boss Xu and sold him the paparazzi countermeasure system.”

“A paparazzi countermeasure system? He’s not a celebrity, is he?”

“He’s not a celebrity, but he’s a godfather to female celebrities!”

“Oh.” Du Qiu nodded with deeper implications.

Li Qiang touched his bald head, a bit smugly, and asked, “You know how much I sold it for?”

“The cost is only about 100,000; at most, you sold it for 200,000.” Du Qiu was dismissive.

Li Qiang extended three fingers. “You’re underestimating your brother too much.”

“Oh, 300,000? Not bad!” Du Qiu was slightly surprised.

“You really underestimate the big shots in the entertainment industry. Add another zero behind it!”

“Damn, you sold it for 3 million?!”

Du Qiu suddenly exclaimed, “You butchered that deal! Aren’t you hoping he’d recommend more clients? You didn’t even demo the system, and he agreed to sign a contract?”

“This is high-tech, you get it? Of course, I have to shoot for the moon. Who knew Boss Xu wouldn’t bargain?”

“How is it possible he didn’t bargain?” Du Qiu certainly didn’t believe it.

Li Qiang chuckled, “Well, I never demonstrated it, but he added a clause in the contract stating that if the system fails to detect the paparazzi, resulting in a scandal, I have to compensate in full!”

“You agreed?” Du Qiu asked, palm to his forehead.

“I had to agree. Otherwise, wouldn’t that be admitting our product doesn’t work? How can a man say it doesn’t work?”

“I really admire your nerve. What if the scandal comes from a leak from his end?”

“Don’t worry about that.” Li Qiang said confidently, “The contract stipulates that only if the scandal photos or videos were shot within the system’s range and it’s our fault.”

“Quit joking. Won’t the paparazzi use telephoto lenses? The angle might not match exactly the system’s coverage area; how can you tell then?”

“The size of the view angle can be determined! Moreover, I’ve also stipulated that only photos or videos that can be mathematically traced back to a shooting location within the system’s range, and can reproduce the same effects, count as our responsibility.”

“Not bad. You’ve thought this through.” Du Qiu patted Li Qiang’s shoulder, then said, “Since there’s such a rich profit, this system has to be patented!”

“Right, yeah. It would be a pity if such a high-value system was pirated without a patent.” Li Qiang agreed.

“I’ll write the patent documents as soon as possible; you find a professional to apply promptly.”

“Rest assured, I’ll take care of it perfectly.” Li Qiang thumped his chest, then grumbled for compliments, “I did a good job selling this system, didn’t I? You should praise me more!”

Du Qiu laughed, “Since we landed a big deal, you deserve credit. I’ll buy you a drink at lunch!”

“No rush for drinks; let’s get to work. Boss Xu is anxious; he’s already transferred half of the payment. Once I report taxes, I’ll transfer the funds to you.”

“That’s great. Also, I’m registering a company too. Do you have anyone who can help me complete the registration quickly?”

“Oh, you’re starting a business? What’s the field? Autonomous driving?”

“Not that, smart machinery. Starting with the control systems for the machining centers in manufacturing.”

“That’s pretty high-end. Most of it is dominated by imported systems; you think you can compete? Even the domestic ones have Central Data.”

“Underestimating me, huh? Let me tell you, my system is the ‘Excalibur’ in this field. You know what I mean?”

“Ha, you mean, ‘with Excalibur, who can compete?’ Alright, I wish your software a huge success!”

“Give me something practical. Can anyone help with the registration?”

Although the procedures for registering a company were much simplified compared to before, he didn’t want to run around himself and asked Li Qiang if he knew someone well-connected who could handle the registration smoothly.

“Sure, the part-time accountant I hired for my small company can help. Just give them a part-time salary.”

As they were talking, Du Qiu began assembling the alarm network components. After watching once, Li Qiang knew how to do it and quickly joined in.

They had cooperated before, and their collaboration was still perfectly in sync. By lunchtime, all the components were assembled.

“Brother Strong, you prepared too many parts. How big of a warning area does Boss Xu want to set up?”

“He has three villas and six cars that need our system. Do you still think it’s too many? How else could I ask for 3 million?”

“Quite the father figure.”

“Why don’t you come with me to set it up? I’m not entirely confident.” Li Qiang said.

Du Qiu patted Li Qiang’s shoulder and said, “Brother Strong, a man cannot say he cannot do it. This kind of task is a piece of cake for you.

Also, don’t set it up too quickly; that will make it look like the 3 million was too easy to earn.”

“My god, you’ve got the makings of a scheming businessman!”