Chapter 364

Chapter 364: Chaos in the Living Room

Lin Mo went outside by himself to grab some food and casually filled his stomach. He also got a new phone card. As a pilot who might deploy at any moment, he needed various disguise documents, including IDs and passports from different countries, to blend in with the crowd in case he was shot down and needed to find cover.

After inserting the SIM card into his watch, he activated the phone module and connected to the nearest mobile base station. With Qi Fei’s business card in hand, he sent her a message to confirm his new phone number.

If he didn’t do this, the next time they met, she might just give him an earful.

Shortly after sending the message, he heard a cheerful ringtone. Upon answering, he found it was Qi Fei. Instead of texting back, she called him in a rush.

“Did you change your number again? What happened to the last one? I couldn’t reach you, and you didn’t even let me know you switched numbers!” Qi Fei’s irritated voice came through the phone.

“Uh! Don’t be mad; my workplace doesn’t allow phones, and since I just got back from a business trip, I obviously couldn’t carry my old phone card with me. This phone is brand new,” Lin Mo explained, feeling a bit stuck. Since his last return, he had handed in his phone card to the intelligence department for security processing and destruction.

“Hmm, got it. At least you were thoughtful enough to send me the new number. Listen up, meet me tomorrow at 9 AM at No.×× Zhongshan Middle Road in the Upper City. I have a business acceptance to take care of in the morning. Once that’s done, you’ll come with me to your dad’s place to check out cars. Make sure to give him a heads up; don’t try to trick me with factory rejects. I’ll treat you to lunch; we’ll go with that, I’m busy now, so I’ll hang up.”

Her rushed manner hadn’t changed one bit. Even after starting a company and becoming a boss, she was still as decisive and effective as ever.

Qi Fei spoke as if she were Lin Mo’s former creditor, not holding back at all, and her tone carried a commanding air that hinted at her bossiness—perhaps a trait that had developed over the past six months or perhaps had roots back from their cosplay days.

Lin Mo smiled wryly. Women tended to be prideful almost by nature. He thought it wise not to argue back and decided he would call his dad later to help Qi Fei pick a good sedan.

Speaking of cars, didn’t Chen Haiqing say he could give him one? He would find the guy sometime soon and definitely get a Bugatti Veyron from him, especially since he refused to lend Lin Mo his fighter jet. Hmph, if he didn’t take advantage of him, who would?

Thus, Lin Mo had a new target to unleash his frustration on.

Meanwhile, on an armed helicopter, Chen Haiqing, who had just delivered alloy formulas, couldn’t help but shiver as he rubbed his nose and mumbled, “Damn it, which guy is scheming against me now?” He pulled up his collar to ward off the sudden chill that crept in.

Unbeknownst to Lin Mo, a significant debate was happening in the headquarters of the National Defense Star Aerospace Company (NDS) located somewhere in Northwest China. This was regarding the hefty price they would pay for the newly acquired batch of alloy formulas.

Free of charge?

It probably wouldn’t fly even among their own people. If they accepted this batch without compensation, it would be impossible to receive anything again in the future. The other side had mentioned that this was just the tip of the iceberg. If not for time constraints, they could have copied even more. Only a fool would think they could gain without effort.

Moreover, the laboratory had already verified the authenticity of these formulas. Reliable alloy formulas rely on luck and accumulation. Regardless, both require financial investment, and this shocking verification made the National Defense Star treat this batch of formulas as treasures, locking the original handwritten versions made by Lin Mo into a highly secure safe.

According to young master Chen Haiqing, this batch of formulas was obtained by the 611 Institute during the Soviet Union’s collapse and subsequently passed on to Lin Mo by Professor Yan. This judgment became a significant basis for the origins of the batch. As long as they weren’t stolen or grabbed, the National Defense Star could feel more at ease claiming it as their own.

After all, the Old Russians took advantage of the situation when China faced three years of natural disasters and unilaterally withdrew their expert group from assisting China. Claims that the Soviets were using debt collection were purely baseless. It was not only a pragmatic political maneuver but also the result of a certain leader’s sudden enthusiasm for promoting some idealism during a time of crisis.

During the collapse of the Soviet Union, China seized the opportunity to take advantage, digging into the depths of Soviet resources.

It is unknown how much technology and expertise were brought into the country, but one thing was for sure: following the incidents over Zhenbao Island, Sino-Soviet diplomacy had taken a hit, and with China’s light industry products flooding the Soviet market, as the largest neighboring country, China had no reason to miss out on a big piece of pie.

Ultimately, the internal agreement on what price to pay—whether it be shares, dividends, or cash—needed further discussion among the finance manager and legal department. Young master Chen Haiqing specifically instructed not to shortchange the other party.

Thus, the amount they could obtain would undoubtedly be a significant windfall.

Aligning with Chen Haiqing’s thoughts, the upper management of the National Defense Star reached a consensus: they would absolutely not disclose any information about this batch of alloy formulas, even establishing a new materials research lab intended for research and synthesis processes, while also strengthening security measures.

As a rising high-tech arms dealer, if they weren’t careful, they could face a brutal localized combat assault due to the greed of overseas terrorist organizations or competitors. Even if they won and preserved this hard-won foundation, the military could directly take over.

A few minutes later, Lin Mo hung up from his call with his father Lin Yuanfang, having successfully completed the task assigned by Qi Fei.

It was just a car, after all, so Lin Yuanfang had agreed without hesitation, directly writing off a rebate based on the purchase price, selling it at a super-low price to his son’s university classmate; the model was up to them to choose.

Even if they didn’t sell the model, as long as he reported the brand and model, the company could make use of its connections to locate it. He believed others would also be more than willing to accept an increase in sales (business jargon known as ‘pushing volume’).

For Lin Yuanfang, with his current wealth, money was just a trivial matter. More importantly, it had been over six months since he had seen his son, and although he only knew that Lin Mo was a fighter pilot and part of a highly secretive unit, claiming he wasn’t worried would be a lie. After all, he was his flesh and blood, and the emotional bond was unbreakable.

If he knew that Lin Mo was out there engaged in real combat—many battles, in fact—he would probably jump up in shock. Lin Mo had always kept quiet about what he did in the military, not wanting to burden his family with undue stress regarding the rare familial connection.

At least no one outside knew that Lin Yuanfang’s son was a ruthless "devil," who regarded lives as mere trifles and had blood on his hands.

As long as his son returned for just a moment, it would bring Lin Yuanfang more joy than selling a hundred cars. He would ask if his work was enjoyable, of course, while also expressing hope that Lin Mo could visit him more often.

Every parent’s heart aches with longing, and the song “Come Home Often” resonates with the voices of a generation of parents.

Setting down his watch phone, Lin Mo couldn’t help but scratch his chin, feeling puzzled. His father’s apparent joy during the call didn’t seem feigned, but there was something in his words that felt forced, as if he was carrying some unspoken burden.

Lin Mo didn’t inquire too much during the phone call but planned to probe a little while taking Qi Fei to pick out a car the next day. He truly hoped that his family was living a happy and fulfilling life, as this motivation drove him in battle against enemies.

With eyes closed and opened, a dreamless night passed.

Without the sensation of rocking at sea, the fixed and still land allowed Lin Mo to enjoy a quality sleep on the soft bed.

Just before dawn, Lin Mo woke up to the sound of rustling in the living room. Opening his eyes, he instinctively turned his head and noticed that the watch which should have been on his nightstand had mysteriously disappeared.

Of course, the possibility of a thief was almost zero; with the gold giant dragon guarding the house, there was no one in the world quite like it.

Pushing open the bedroom door, Lin Mo found just as he expected—a scene resembling a mischievous child repeatedly using a copy-paste function. Countless, identical, foot-long gold giant dragons filled his view, each moving in unique ways.

“I say, what are you doing so early in the morning?” Lin Mo grumbled at the gold coin, annoyed that it had disrupted his sleep.

At least four or five dozen gold giant dragons were racing around the living room. They had gathered the "Fire Seed" component modules he had left scattered across the room, and many of them seemed damaged, likely from having their components removed. The gold coins were clearly having the time of their lives.

“It’s already 7 AM!”

One of the gold giant dragons closest to Lin Mo suddenly exclaimed, shaking its head with excitement. “Time really flies! Are you awake? That’s great! Come and see my new creation.”

That gold giant dragon immediately moved closer to the others beside it. Upon contact, they fused together like mercury, transforming into a single gold giant dragon.

Almost simultaneously, the other gold giant dragons in the living room did the same thing, merging in pairs. The many gold giant dragons that once cluttered the room quickly dwindled in number, and aside from the scattered "Fire Seed" components, Lin Mo finally saw what the gold coins were hinting at as their new work.

It appeared to be a robot, but it was far from complete, missing many parts—only a head and shoulders remained, and he could faintly make out the positions of the eyes, nose, and mouth.