Sky-cracking Rider

Chen Fei took the business card with both hands and said, "Hello, Director Zhao, I'm Chen Fei, a mechanic by trade, part-time pilot, as well as a kitchen handyman and Energy Tower guard."

The Executive Vice President of Henghai Tactical Weapons Group, Zhao Liandong, was taken aback, but soon burst into laughter.

"You really are amusing!"

He hadn't expected to find these unexpected skills.

Due to the Chen Family's deliberate obfuscation, the personal information that Henghai Tactical Weapons Group could collect did not provide them with more knowledge about Chen Fei than his boss Hana knew.

Zhao Liandong gradually stopped smiling, glanced outside the door, and said, "Is that Magical Beast, the Golden-Eyed Azure-Hearted Civet Er Lang, yours?"

As expected!

Henghai Tactical Weapons definitely wouldn't casually allow a big cat into the factory area.

Er Lang's identity as a high-rank Magical Beast was confirmed immediately.

A Magical Beast under control isn't seen as a threat. Everyone is just trying to earn a living, so why make it hard for working beasts!

"A temp worker, responsible for protecting my sister and family members," Chen Fei said, his mouth twitching.

The Golden-Eyed Azure-Hearted Civet Er Lang didn't have a fixed abode. Wherever it went, it looked for odd jobs; sticking with him was purely due to having nowhere else to go for the time being, just mooching off food and shelter, and even earning some pocket money.

Think about it, a B-Level Metal Ability User like Chen Fei should have no problem protecting his family, right?

Add to that a Seventh-Rank Magical Beast of the Human Order, geez, what's with the Chen Family's composition?

"A temp worker?"

Vice President Zhao Liandong was puzzled, his mouth twitching involuntarily.

Is that something someone from the working class should say? Can that even be considered a proper remark?

Even he couldn't afford to hire, let alone procure the services of a Seventh-Rank high-rank Magical Beast to show off at the door, especially the kind with Dual Abilities.

"Yes! It includes room and board, eats whatever is available, and costs 3000 Star Yuan per month. Sheesh, that's too expensive!"

Chen Fei gasped, twenty kilograms of meat as a baseline every day, plus five kilograms of milk... this cat is really damn hard to maintain!

Your average white-collar worker's pitiful salary couldn't possibly support this creature.

He'd better kick it out of the house sooner rather than later to avoid freeloading and shirking proper work.

"Ah!~~~~"

This must be Versailles, right? This has got to be! The mouth of the Executive Vice President of Henghai Tactical Weapons Group gaped wide, as if a donkey had kicked some sense into him.

Zhao Liandong tentatively asked, "That's way too cheap, why don't you introduce it to me instead!"

After all, it wouldn't cost anything to ask, right?

"No problem, I will introduce you later," Chen Fei responded readily, as this was something he was very happy to facilitate. He then shifted topics and said, "Director Zhao, then about my matter..."

The other party had invited him over and conducted so many tests, clearly showing they had seriously considered his proposal.

He couldn't let this old Jianghu get away with any tricks.

"If Mr. Chen were to work for our group company, I wouldn't mind offering you the usage rights to a set of Tactical Armor in the name of testing."

Zhao Liandong, in charge of product research and development, could easily arrange that within his authority—just as simple as saying the words.

Every year, the testing department destroys hundreds of sets of Tactical Armor, a necessary cost. Cutting corners in this area only leads to unnecessary casualties.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

"Sorry! I must decline."

Chen Fei firmly shook his head in response to the blatant headhunting.

Henghai Tactical Weapons Group wasn't the first to try poaching him, nor would it be the last.

"Are the terms not good enough? I can guarantee that your annual income would double."

Vice CEO Zhao wasn't making empty promises. How much could a small military contractor's mechanic earn in a year?

After all, Henghai Tactical Weapons was a central enterprise, a true iron rice bowl. When it came to talent acquisition, they've never been stingy. They offer money, cars, houses, girlfriends, ahem, opportunities for matchmaking; you can pick any department you like, and the management will take care of things.

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"It's not about the money! On one hand, it's about favors, and on the other hand..."

Chen Fei scratched his head and said, "I prefer jobs that involve fighting and killing."

He was now somewhat unaccustomed to a peaceful and stable life, not to mention the huge favor he owed to Boss Hanna.

Not just anyone is willing to take over someone else's debt of millions of Star Yuan without charging interest or pressing for repayment, relieving the Chen family of their immediate pressures.

For Chen Fei, it was important to acknowledge and repay kindness.

If another company reached out, it would be outrageous to immediately abandon one's old employer and jump ship without any consideration. He could never do that.

"This will be difficult to handle!"

Vice CEO Zhao Liandong shook his head and clasped his hands together. As one of the world's leading manufacturers of single soldier tactical armor, the matter of a single tactical armor could be big or small.

He said bluntly, "You must already be aware of the price of a tactical armor. If you can't bring us sufficient benefits, then correspondingly, we can't just give you such an expensive item for free."

With these words, the negotiation seemed to have reached a deadlock, teetering on the verge of collapse.

Zhao Liandong timely applied the brakes, waiting for Chen Fei's response.

His meaning was clear, Henghai Tactical Weapons Group wasn't foolish enough to give away something for nothing. They weren't charity!

A personal meeting with a corporate vice president was already a significant show of respect for the talent's rarity.

He hoped this young man could appreciate the sincerity of Henghai Tactical Weapons Group.

"I have something in my possession."

Chen Fei took out the miniature unit again and continued, "It's the Artificial Intelligence 'Adam' that initiated the rebellion thirty years ago. Its source code has been recompiled, with all functions intact except for its self-replication capability."

"Indeed, we are very interested in artificial intelligence, but how can we be sure that the 'Adam' you have is the real deal?"

Zhao Liandong was of course not a three-year-old child who would believe anything someone said.

In the treacherous world of Jianghu, basic caution was still necessary.

A mere little electronic circuit board was far from convincing enough.

"International Aviation, Northern Weapons, National Defense Star, and several other companies jointly commissioned Tianjiu Financial Company to retrieve 'Adam's source code from the American Federation. I was the executor. You could say that I brought 'Adam' back. Henghai Tactical Weapons Group should have its own channels. Just ask around, and you could easily verify it fully.

Hence, I have no reason to lie about this, especially since..."

Chen Fei took out his wallet, pulled out a business card from inside, and slid it casually across the table, saying, "This is the business card of Director Zhong Yue from International Airlines Company. He can vouch for me."

If the leader in domestic civil aviation vouched for him, then that was beyond doubt.

If Director Zhong of International Airlines Company refused to vouch for him, then the big uncle from National Defense Star would certainly do so. Chen Fei did not worry about credibility at all.

Zhao Liandong took the business card with skepticism. The quality, name, and contact information were correct; this wasn't a fake card. It indeed could be used to contact the person it represented.

"If the 'Adam' you have is real, and it's exclusive to you, not given to anyone else, then I might agree to your terms. But currently, 'Adam' is not only possessed by one party, so... it's not enough!"

He assessed the situation internally and in the end, still shook his head.

Once bitten by an AI rebellion, twice shy – for over thirty years following the snakebite, Blue Star's development in artificial intelligence had been highly restrained, failing to achieve significant results.

A controlled 'Adam' was still quite attractive, potentially enhancing the competitiveness of Henghai Tactical Weapons Group's products.

But if everyone had it, it lost its appeal, and its value was greatly diminished.

"I can help you assess the combat performance of tactical armors. You should know that I am currently employed by a military contractor and have my own aircrew base. I need to fight against mutants and out-of-control magical beasts, and sometimes my opponents are fellow humans."

Chen Fei played his second card, which was himself.

Counting off on his fingers, he boasted, "With a bachelor's degree, there's no doubt about my learning ability, a Grade B supernatural power user with metallic control force at the industrial level. I've been through corporate wars, killed mutants, killed people, seen blood."

"Heh, talk is cheap as to whether you can fight or not..."

Zhao Liandong laughed, but before he could finish, Chen Fei interrupted him.

"With fists!"

"Let's duel!"

Chen Fei threw down his trump card.

Talking about outright confrontation meant nothing without a fight!

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