Chapter 524

Chapter 524: F/A-XX

Law-abiding?

Taylor Garcia nearly laughed out loud; who was so naive to think that the world was a harmonious society?

If that were the case, Lockheed, the big boss, wouldn’t hire mercenaries from Blackwater to sneak into the capital of France with combat-powered armor and combat mechanical soldiers, causing chaos in Paris.

Missiles and machine gun bullets rained down on the streets of Paris, accompanied by intersecting laser beams and the fiery inferno of a cloud explosion. The grand spectacle was no less impressive than a science fiction movie.

Such events were not uncommon for those large corporations; violence was often the most efficient way to deal with tough opponents, especially those that couldn’t be overwhelmed with money.

If it weren’t for the White House urgently contacting the French government, Lockheed might very well have had to declare bankruptcy; after all, one of the five permanent members of the United Nations was not to be trifled with.

If Lockheed fell, it would only benefit competitors like France’s Dassault, having excuses and reasons to strike. It would be strange if the French didn’t take action.

To cover for Lockheed, the White House and the Pentagon had taken the blame for this fighter jet manufacturer multiple times.

Hearing about the factory that had been bombed by the French and the expensive fighter jets that were destroyed, old Lockheed felt intense hatred; it was a huge loss.

The French were very disrespectful, and that despicable man had made such a great effort only to fail, being forced to compromise and call for a ceasefire. Having lived for most of his life, he had never encountered such a difficult opponent; the guy was like an indestructible cockroach.

FBI investigation team member Taylor Garcia firmly insisted that Lockheed Martin was involved in this matter. There were several images that unmistakably pointed to Lockheed’s guilt.

Florodo Lockheed felt helpless; his responses, though seemingly reasonable, ultimately lacked solid footing. The FBI even had the authority to halt Lockheed’s production for investigation. Currently, the production of the F-22, a major source of profit, had stopped due to safety concerns, leading to a loss in revenue.

Meanwhile, the F-35 suffered from ongoing production capacity issues and high costs, placing its status as a key supplier for the U.S. Air Force in jeopardy.

How could old Lockheed allow the FBI to shut down operations with a mere document? This was effectively a threat to the lives of the Lockheed family, as well as to his own.

"Alright, let me show you something, and you’ll understand!"

Florodo Lockheed suppressed his anger, turned on the computer screen on his desk, clicked a few times, and suddenly, the wall of the president’s office made a light sound. The originally wooden wall recessed back an inch, then split open to reveal a large space.

Behind the wall shone a bright light, revealing a massive 150-inch plasma display screen that nearly covered the entire wall.

On the display was a world map, dotted with many bright spots, mainly concentrated in various locations worldwide.

"What is this?"

FBI investigation team leader Taylor Garcia’s face suddenly turned grim, extremely grim.

Those bright spots marked the locations of U.S. military bases around the world, and every single one was home to F-22 Raptors.

While verifying whether there were any records of lost F-22 Raptors, Taylor Garcia had actually looked into the locations and numbers of these fighter jets. He was a clever man, and he quickly recognized the hidden secrets of the map.

This secret was probably unknown even to the Pentagon.

"As the manufacturer, we naturally have to be responsible for every product we create. To prevent losses from causing a technology leak and to provide the military with the highest efficiency of service, we install special encrypted signal transmission devices on every aircraft. Even when the main battery of the aircraft is exhausted, it can continue to function for an entire year."

Florodo Lockheed would never directly divulge the unique hidden features that Lockheed Martin left on every fighter jet under the guise of security and service considerations. That would be asking for trouble.

To shake off the company’s suspicions, old Lockheed had no choice but to unveil his trump card.

He presented the dark doors left by the company on the fighter jets as a special consideration for national security, which was also a backup plan for Lockheed.

As the largest supplier of aerospace vehicles to the military, Lockheed was a thorn in many peoples’ sides—a piece of fat meat, and given the chance, they would pounce on it without hesitation.

Even a cunning rabbit has three burrows, so to avoid being abandoned once their usefulness was over, the Lockheed family would never be foolishly unprepared. Such underhanded methods were essential.

When the Chinese embassy in Yugoslavia was bombed, it was also because a piece of the downed F-117 Nighthawk stealth attack aircraft contained the same kind of hidden signal transmission device, leading to the Americans locking in missile coordinates.

Using the excuse of outdated maps was simply a way for both sides to find a way to ease tensions.

Lockheed was already well-versed in such tactics before merging with Martin Marietta to become Lockheed Martin; clearly, it wasn’t his first time doing this.

Taylor Garcia lunged toward the plasma display screen, counting meticulously.

He noted the number of F-22 Raptors at each air force base and the number of engines. There were even corresponding signal transmission devices inside the engines, and all the counts were accurate.

There were over 170 existing F-22 Raptors, including the prototypes, along with nearly 400 spare engines—all accounted for, even marking the prototypes at Lockheed’s main factory, yet there were no extra lights on the map.

Not only was the total correct, but the quantity at each location was also right; some of the lights were even moving, clearly in flight.

"How could this be?"

Taylor Garcia couldn’t help but feel puzzled.

Lockheed showing such hidden tricks shouldn’t mean they were lying; even without this incident, the dark doors on the fighter jets and engines were enough to put Lockheed in a difficult position.

"It’s just like this! If Lockheed really hid something from the government, we would’ve been discovered long ago. Do you think fighter jet parts are so easy to steal?"

Old Lockheed slammed his hand down on the desk, seemingly venting his frustration about the lack of trust from the government; pens and various items on the desk jumped up, making a clattering noise.

The others in the FBI investigation team exchanged glances; the old guy showed no signs of weakness—could he really be uninvolved?

Taylor Garcia didn’t express much but lightly stated, "We want that system!"

Once again, the old fox had tricked him, but Taylor Garcia wasn’t discouraged; he would eventually reveal his true colors.

"Hmph!"

Old Lockheed emitted a noncommittal grunt.

At this point, the conversation between the FBI investigation team and Lockheed could no longer continue; they parted ways unhappily.

The FBI investigation team left empty-handed on their first visit.

However, this was just the beginning.

After watching his secretary see the FBI team off, Florodo Lockheed sat alone in his office, maintaining silence for a full ten minutes without saying a word.

He gradually regained his composure, not wanting the presence of the FBI agents to affect his decisions about the company.

Recent incidents had already impacted Lockheed’s influence in the industry, as well as old Lockheed’s power within the company; he couldn’t afford to make any more mistakes.

Unless it was a matter of life and death or a significant strategic decision, the board would never be a united front; the struggle for power and profit had almost become the norm internally.

Florodo Lockheed felt extremely exhausted from the company’s recent decision failures.

As usual, he flipped through the office automation project’s management processes on his computer screen, occasionally commenting on certain documents. This automated process proved much more efficient compared to being chased by people holding folders for reviews and signatures.

"…regarding communications with the murderer of Larry Lockheed, the ‘Dragon Knight’ is dissatisfied with the terms of the negotiations and is difficult to tempt into participating in the international pilot death match ‘Abyss Nirvana’; additionally, resources need to be requested…"

What a nightmare; the audacity to openly challenge Lockheed was astonishing. This guy was remarkably hard to kill, almost like a diamond, and no matter what was done, he just wouldn’t perish, instead landing Lockheed in a series of sticky situations.

If it could be solved, it would have been settled long ago.

Old Lockheed felt a new headache coming on.

"…requesting one set each of AN/APG-81 active electronically scanned array radar (AESA) and Electro-Optical Distributed Aperture System (EODAS)…"

Florodo Lockheed let out a cold grunt; what a bunch of reckless fools, daring to request such crucial equipment at this juncture to pacify that guy’s anger.

Did they not realize that the FBI was watching closely, waiting for Lockheed to slip up?

When that time came, it would be like falling into a pit of mud—not good at all.

Looking at the signature of the person handling it below, it was his eldest son, Harris Lockheed, his troublesome son indeed.

Old Lockheed quickly penned down his opinions, then pushed the document into the pending project pile and continued reading the next letter.

Boeing sent invitations to famous aircraft design teams worldwide to observe the test flight of the F/A-XX fighter jet, hoping to receive feedback while also inviting their old rival, Lockheed Martin.

Was this a cold revenge for the F-15 fighter jet order being snatched away, and now they deliberately pulled this out to annoy Lockheed after failing to secure the F-22 and F-35 orders, which were canceled by the U.S. Navy?