Chapter 292 - Chapter 292: Red Karmic Fire Lotus Mecha, Activate!
Chapter 292: Red Karmic Fire Lotus Mecha, Activate!
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
“Is this for real?” the representative from the Iranian group asked incredulously.
“How about it, isn’t this a powerful weapon?” Tang Rui asked with a smile. Selling the bipedal mech to the Iranians would allow them to modify it themselves.
But renting the mech to them meant they couldn’t even get close without his permission.
“How much for it?”
“Not for sale, only for rent.”
“How much is the rent?”
“For non-combat, 10 million USD per day. For combat, 500 million USD per hour. If it’s less than an hour, it’s still charged as one hour.”
Tang Rui casually quoted a staggering price.
“Can it be cheaper?”
Tang Rui just grinned without saying a word.
Cheaper?
This wasn’t a vegetable market.
If he didn’t know their intention to use it against Tifa, he wouldn’t have rented it to them, let alone haggle.
What were they thinking?
“Mr. Tang, we need to discuss this back at our organization.”
“Of course, that’s your prerogative.”
Tang Rui didn’t take it seriously; he wasn’t short on money. His main interest was to test the mech’s performance while earning money.
Without the baptism of war, this thing was just a large model without any deterrent power.
But once it was used against Tifa, the effect would be different.
Even if it was just on display, it could intimidate many.
The people from the Iranian group left.
Tang Rui stayed behind, amused by the crowd taking photos with the mech. Leaving the sci-fi exhibition area, Tang Rui strolled around the venue. This year’s exhibits from various companies were much stronger than last year’s, with many previously confidential equipment now on display. But Tang Rui knew these were already outdated.
The military really wanted to upgrade, pending approval from the higher-ups. Especially with this year’s technological breakthroughs, mainly his new materials, problems that couldn’t be solved before were now easily handled. Consequently, the influx of new equipment made the military both happy and troubled.
It was too expensive to upgrade.
There were simply too many good things.
Not to mention, with the emergence of a new era of warfare systems, a massive upgrade might prove inappropriate later.
However, with the arrival of new generation equipment, these old ones could now be showcased for sale.
It was the small profits that mattered.
After spending half a day at the exhibition, Tang Rui returned to his booth where Lin Chao informed him about a protest from the Americans.
Protest? If protests worked, what’s the need for an army?”
Tang Rui didn’t take the protest seriously.
“By the way, India’s representatives came by, interested in the fifth-generation aircraft.”
“G-33?”
“Yes.”
“They want to buy? Let them. It’s all outdated stuff.”
“They want to buy a squadron and are asking for a discount.”
“They’re used to it, stick to the price.”
Tang Rui wasn’t expecting much profit from these weapons. His real earnings weren’t from arms trade but from technology licensing, Bohai Bay oil fields, and protection fees from the Middle East.
Compared to these, arms sales were just small change.
In the following days, Tang Rui didn’t visit the air show daily, just occasionally to watch the flight and model performances.
Soon, the Zhuhai Airshow concluded.
On the last day, the Iranians paid 1.1 billion USD to sign the mech rental contract with Crimson – 100 million for ten days of rent and 1 billion as a deposit.
If the mech was damaged due to their mishandling, the cost would be deducted from the deposit.
According to Tang Rui’s plan, if the Iranians didn’t use the mech for combat so be it. ’
But if they did, the 1 billion USD would belong to Crimson. As for damages he had the final say.
This was a one-time rental, so he intended to make the most of it.
Money didn’t burn a hole in the pocket.
“Mr. Tang, how do we operate this mech? Do we need to send someone for a brain synchronization test?”
After signing the contract, the Iranians made an inquiry.
“No need. Ship the mech back, and I’ll send you a remote control synchronization system tomorrow.
“As for operation, it’s like playing a game. Once you get the equipment, you’ll understand.”
Tang Rui wasn’t going to let them into the mech’s cockpit.
But he could send a set of motion capture and brainwave reading devices for remote control.
Alright, Mr. Tang, it’s a pleasure doing business with you.”
“Pleasure doing business with you.”
After the handshake, they left.
The CIA, closely monitoring Tang Rui, got wind of the Iranian transaction, and they were now seeking details.
But it was highly confidential.
The only thing known was that they rented a mech model from Crimson for display at home.
The CIA didn’t believe it-who’d rent a mech model for display?
But after seeing the signed documents, they were baffled.
It was indeed a rental for a mech model.
“Boss, could this mech be real?” someone in the special department speculated. “Impossible. Our experts have verified it; it can’t be real. At most, it’s a well-crafted scarecrow.”
The special department head dismissed the idea.
He acknowledged Crimson’s capabilities but within limits.
A spaceship from Crimson? Believable, given their expertise.
But an 80-meter tall mech was laughable, especially since American experts had simulated its structure and weight and determined that it was a fake.
A real mech’s energy and power were big issues, not to mention load-bearing problems. °
Even if all these were resolved, it’d just be a giant target for anti-tank missiles.
So, the mech was easily shipped back by the Iranians, and stored in a temporary warehouse.
Meanwhile, countries buying arms from Crimson were under American scrutiny.
Unable to deal with Crimson, they targeted its buyers instead. Why buy knock-offs when you have originals?” they thought. Tang Rui, unaware of this, wouldn’t have cared even if he knew. “Red Lotus, distribute these weapon orders by type to domestic manufacturers.
Send them the designs and let them subcontract. Give them half the profits.”
Tang Rui wasn’t planning to manufacture these arms himself.
Red Lotus could, but he had better uses for its capabilities. These “junk” were better off subcontracted.
“Just making half the profits without lifting a finger, isn’t that good enough?” The manufacturers weren’t losing either. They had work, profits, and designs- a lucrative deal.
What Tang Rui disdained, they valued.
Thus, everyone profited from the air show.
The show ended, and its impact continued to ferment.
Crimson stood out the most – with its equipment replicas amusing netizens
and the stunning mech model eliciting envy.
What man wouldn’t want such a model?
Even Qin Shi Huang couldn’t resist the allure of giant models, let alone ordinary people.
Unfortunately, the mech model was rented to the Iranians and would be away for a while.
Days later, the ship carrying the mech docked. Without moving it far, a temporary warehouse was built nearby, and the mech was stored there.
the Iranians arranged for personnel to train on the mech, but there wasn’t much to train on.
According to Shen Hong’s simulation software, controlling the mech was like controlling one’s body.
Though not as agile as a human body, it wasn’t as cumbersome as expected.
One night, as Tang Rui lay on the sofa watching a drama with Li Shuyao, Red Lotus suddenly reported.
“Master, the Iranians request to unlock the mech’s remote control system
They want to use it.”
“Did they pay?” Tang Rui asked, turning to Red Lotus’s holographic projection.
“Master, they haven’t paid yet,” Red Lotus replied.
“Tell them to pay. Once the money is received, unlock the remote control system and start timing.
“When time’s up, lock their control. Unless they pay more, don’t unlock it.”
“Understood, Master. I’ll inform the Iranians.”
the Iranians transferred 500 million USD, unsure of the mech’s performance and wanting to test it.
Once Red Lotus received the payment, it activated the remote control system and started the countdown.
[Remote Control System Connected]
[Motion Feedback System Activated]
[Sensory Information System Activated]
[Nuclear Fusion Reactor Ignited]
[Red Karmic Fire Lotus Mech Fully Operational]
The mech in the temporary warehouse by the Iranians’s dock, with its black
body and red glowing lines, suddenly lit up.
These lines, starting from the chest, spread across the body to the eyes. Flicker!
The previously dull eyes suddenly lit up.
The mech’s polygonal eyes glowed with a blood-red light..