"Speak."
"Ahem, did you get the design blueprints from that person?"
Hong Fei nodded.
Chen Qi pursed his lips and tentatively asked, "Then... are you selling?"
Hong Fei nodded again.
Chen Qi grew excited. He gripped the edge of the table repeatedly, then finally said decisively, "That's truly great. How about this: you name a price. If it's reasonable, we can complete the transaction today. How does that sound?"
"Hmm..." Hong Fei fell into deep thought.
Chen Qi didn't dare to disturb him, intentionally lowering his breathing.
When I had given away the iron can and the Arc Reactor together, I hadn't been thinking about gaining economic benefits. Instead, I wanted to use them as a stepping stone to open a path toward the East. My idea was to leave myself a wide path for retreat; although it wasn't the same Universe, the fundamental culture was the same. Simply put, I wanted to use Tony's Mark I Armor to make a friend.
But, man proposes, God disposes; plans couldn't keep up with changes. Now, I was short on money.
Chen Qi's inquiry put the unprepared Hong Fei in a difficult spot. It was hard to name a price. If I asked for too much, the other party might still buy it, but we wouldn't be friends anymore. Moreover, if it exceeded the other party's psychological estimate, the whole thing would be ruined. But if I asked for too little, it wouldn't resolve my urgent need. After thinking about it for a long while, I slowly raised my head, meeting Chen Qi's intelligent eyes. Immediately after, I extended four fingers.
I thought about it, seemed to feel it was too much, and retracted one, then stared steadily at the other party.
Chen Qi looked at my gesture, his eyebrows slowly knitting together. "Are you sure about this price?"
Hong Fei nodded solemnly. This was already the lowest limit I could accept. If I sold it elsewhere, it wouldn't be a problem to increase the price tenfold.
Slap! Chen Qi slammed the table. "Good! Then it's settled: three billion! Money in one hand, goods in the other! We'll get it done within today, how's that?"
Hong Fei was stunned for a second, but my heart gave a heavy thump. The next moment, I withdrew my hand and nodded with a light smile. Seeing this, Chen Qi also grinned broadly, then stood up and waved his phone. "I'm going to make a call."
"Please, go ahead."
After Chen Qi left, Hong Fei grabbed his cup and took a large gulp. I hadn't expected that my family was already this wealthy? Thinking about it, I felt that my estimation of the Arc Reactor's value had been off.
Such micro cold fusion technology would inevitably become a target, no matter where it was. Even if what Hong Fei held wasn't the complete blueprints, the value was still immeasurable. After all, the other party already had a physical object to cross-reference and verify against the blueprints. The tenfold price immediately resolved Hong Fei's urgent need.
He hadn't felt he'd sold it at a loss.
After all, the main purpose of this trip was to make a friend. Money could be earned slowly, but if he couldn't make a friend, repairing the relationship later would be difficult. Letting out a long breath, Hong Fei already began thinking about how to allocate the funds he was about to receive. A moment later, Chen Qi returned and unexpectedly apologized to Hong Fei first.
"Sir, I am truly sorry. I was abrupt just now. Your initial price was supposed to be four billion, right? We will transact according to that number."
Hong Fei's eyebrows twitched, and he was about to speak, but Chen Qi interrupted him. "Sir, you don't need to say anything more. This price is within our range of acceptance. As my boss says, although this is a business deal, we can't take advantage of a friend. Please accept it with peace of mind! Four billion, it's settled, and we'll make friends while we're at it!"
Hong Fei was momentarily stunned.
Can you really make friends like this? Damn it, they don't give a person any chance to refuse! But I like it!
"Alright, I won't stand on ceremony then."
As he spoke, Hong Fei took out a disk and pushed it toward the other party. "All the information is inside, along with my contact information and payment method."
Chen Qi's gaze shifted back and forth between the disk and Hong Fei's face. Hong Fei nodded repeatedly to signal him.
"Good. Since you trust me so much, I won't say anything more; I won't stand on ceremony." As he spoke, he carefully tucked the disk into his pocket, then stood up with his water cup in hand.
"Although I don't know why you ran out here to do such dangerous things, judging from our brief meeting today, you are indeed a friend worth knowing deeply. I'm on a mission, so it's not convenient to drink alcohol. I'll toast you with water instead!"
Hong Fei stood up as well. Their cups clinked gently, and both of them downed the contents in one gulp as if they were drinking alcohol.
At the moment of parting, Chen Qi looked deeply at Hong Fei once more. "Little White Rabbit, until we meet again!"
"Until we meet again!"
Chen Qi hurried downstairs.
It seemed he wouldn't be returning to his previous lodgings, but would head straight to the designated location. Four billion! Could money be earned this easily? He felt as if he were in a daze, like it was a dream. Making money while also making a friend—there was nothing better. It's just that the restaurant was a bit slow; no wonder it was so unpopular. But on second thought, this should have been intentionally arranged by Number Four and Number Five.
If there were truly many customers, it would instead affect the rendezvous they were supposed to fulfill. Going downstairs, Hong Fei paid the bill and left, ignoring the other party's surprised cries.
Returning to the parking lot, looking at the empty passenger seat, Hong Fei smiled again. Why were so many good things coming his way today? He got in the car, started it, and tapped his phone a few times. A clear red dot on the screen was flickering slightly, appearing to be moving rapidly toward the mountains and forests.
He stepped on the gas, the engine roared, and the vehicle sped onto the main road. In the distance, looking at the mountains and forests that were close at hand, Samuel felt his neck suddenly wasn't so sore anymore. As long as he got into the mountains, his clever big brain would have hundreds or thousands of ways to evade Hong Fei's search. Unfortunately, he hadn't absorbed any techniques for hiding in cities from the internet back then; otherwise, he wouldn't have needed to expend so much effort running into the mountains.
As for whether there was anything hidden on his body that could track him, he had already checked. Aside from the cloth on his body, he had thrown away all other buttons, belts, and even his leather shoes, to the point where now, while running barefoot, he also had to hold up his pants. Fortunately, his big forehead was wrapped in cloth, which at first glance looked like a hat; otherwise, in broad daylight, he didn't know how many strange looks he would have attracted.
Although he had to slow down to pull up his pants every time he ran a certain distance, his eyes were full of the light of hope. Soon, I will be able to regain my freedom! Soon, I will be able to absorb all the knowledge in this World with all my might! When that time comes, I must make that detestable guy pay the price! Beep!!! A loud car horn sounded suddenly from behind him. Samuel was startled and immediately turned around angrily. Greeting him was Master Hong's smile, full of warmth and peace.