The atmosphere at the scene instantly fell into an awkward silence.

"You child!" ×2

The National Defense Star and the Northern Weapons Industry managed to reach an agreement in the shortest time possible. After all the intricate negotiations, this damn kid had to pull this stunt again.

They couldn't beat or scold him, which made them furious.

Shen Fei extended her hand, holding her boyfriend's hand tightly without saying a word.

Old Shen's mouth twitched.

Well then, the little sweetheart turned into a heartless one instantly.

The board of the Northern Weapons Industry Group was even more distressed, but could only stare blankly.

In this day and age, are they still expecting the young ones to willingly sacrifice personal interests for public duties, and for just a few Star Yuans a month?

Chen Haiqing said helplessly, "The production of a tactical jet requires costs, production line adjustments, and personnel gathering. It's not something that can be done in a day or two; you can't rely on just one person."

"Exactly! You're not some industrial assembly line. How can you handle all that production on your own?"

Shen Songling echoed on the side.

It's a big piece of cake, even if it's not settled yet, but the probability is quite high.

Though general-purpose Crystal Jets can't replace specialized ones, they have a broad application range, can be used for temporary replacements and daily training, and mass production can effectively lower costs, becoming crucial support for the Sky Knights.

"4,853 units, the latest version of stock products, along with over 40,000 sets of core modules."

Chen Fei reported a number.

Thanks to the large order from Louis Industrial Company, the total cost for bulk orders was almost the same as for small quantities, so they decided to order a bit more and deplete them gradually.

The big boss waved his hand, and the tactical jets at Chen Xiao'er became consumables, and he indeed used them as such.

Chen Haiqing: "???"

Shen Songling: "???"

The directors of Northern Weapons Industry: "Meow meow meow!"

That's not even giving them a pair of chopsticks!

Even if they took out a hundred or eighty planes, would there still be a share for both families in the sovereign orders? Nowadays, orders for combat aircraft exceeding 20 units are considered big orders. Over a hundred? Unless it's for going to war with someone.

Selling just one combat aircraft can ensure a regular person's lifetime of carefree living.

Chen Haiqing grumbled, "What do you need so much money for?"

He couldn't understand why Chen Fei had to compete with the two manufacturers for this order. Even if he got what he wanted, such a sum of money is just a number, holding little significance.

According to the previous plan, getting some share would be enough for him to own a house and a car, achieving financial independence. Besides, his current girlfriend's family conditions aren't bad, not only dragging behind but possibly offering notable support.

Generally, the power of a Chen Family disciple was supposed to be used for the family, but now, exactly because of Chen Fei's girlfriend, Chen Haiqing, the uncle, felt like stepping on a landmine unpredictably, making it tough on his National Defense Star!

"Reserve some flexible backup funds, it's impossible to freeload every time, isn't it?"

Having studied economics, he knows that freebies often come with the need for greater sacrifices. While Chen Fei seemed to be freeloading happily off sovereign wealth now, he would eventually lose the initiative. This сhаptеr wаs uplоаdеd by thе tеаm аt

The one who eats from another's hand and asks favors is at a disadvantage. If someday the sovereign requests something unrealistic of him, should he comply or not?

Too much freeloading would eventually turn him into a puppet, better save up some Silver now for unexpected needs.

"How much do you need in backup? Isn't it a bit excessive? If anything happens, wouldn't your uncle help you?"

Chen Haiqing couldn't stop shaking his head, unable to grasp this kid's intentions.

"Of course, save more money and owe fewer favors."

Chen Fei also shook his head, finding favor debts far more costly than Star Yuans.

"You fellow!"

Chen Haiqing pointed at him helplessly, unable to do anything. They were all Chen Family members, so why draw the lines so clearly?

"Our Northern Weapons Industry Group can also help. Aren't we currently supporting the tactical jet's development?"

Though Shen Songling didn't have Chen Haiqing's bloodline advantage, he had the first-mover advantage in tactical jet R&D. The support in manpower, materials, and venues couldn't be considered irrelevant.

Chen Fei had a point, and that was favor debt.

Money is easy to repay, favors aren't.

Thinking about it, Shen Songling seemed to understand Chen Fei's viewpoint. Having wandered the social world, there's always something to be learned.

He exchanged opinions with the board.

Shen Songling spoke again, "Little Chen, it's impossible to give the entire order to you. Whether it's Northern Weapons Industry or the National Defense Star, they have large operations with many people to feed, and resources need to function. You can take a part of the order, but not more than 20%, and the other two will split the rest, with after-sales services also handled by us. However, for the supply price of the components, there must be room for us; if it's just labor costs, nobody will be willing to do it."

If it weren't for Chen Fei having the stock at hand, the two companies wouldn't have conceded this portion. An individual's 20%, 40% to each manufacturer. Reducing from 50% to 40% is barely acceptable.

But no matter what, neither the Northern Weapons Industry Group nor the National Defense Star could give up this order willingly due to kinship. Family is family, and business is business, or it simply won't work.

"I agree!"

Chen Haiqing pinched his nose and accepted a 10% reduction in orders.

"I disagree!"

Chen Fei shook his head. Since they could monopolize, why let others take the lion's share? At worst, they could build their own after-sales service system. After all, they have robots, and fully automated maintenance is entirely feasible.

In terms of cost, he would not lose.

Chen Haiqing felt a headache coming on and couldn't help but rub his forehead, asking weakly, "How much do you want?"

If an outsider dared to refuse like this, he would have already told them to screw off and have someone dunk them in the toilet until they break a world record for holding their breath.

Good-hearted people cannot make big deals; doing business is not the same as doing charity.

It was precisely because they were family that Old Chen was so helpless.

On one side were his blood relatives, on the other, were in-laws. The National Defense Star and the Northern Weapons Industry had to negotiate with gritted teeth; otherwise, dunking in toilets wasn't exclusive to Old Chen—Old Shen even did it better.

A new generation replaces the old; the waves of newcomers push the old onto the sand. Chen Haiqing already started feeling this way.

"Well! I want 30%, and the rest you two can share, including after-sales. Each of you will earn more than me, so there's no need to compete with me alone! Also, let me inform you, I have over 300,000 Combat Mechs ready to expand to over a million at any time. Once disarmed, they become Universal Human-shaped Robots capable of doing anything."

Chen Fei casually displayed his personal strength, or rather, his influence.

The terrifying nature of a "One Man Army" Psi Skill.

And he wasn't even telling the whole truth; 300,000 Combat Mechs were just the number stored in the Flying Ship Cluster and "Spatial Branding." Considering the ones soloing on Emerald Star, the actual number had long surpassed a million and could easily expand to 3 million. Multiple automated robot assembly lines were eager, just waiting for Chen Fei's command to go into full-scale explosive production.

"That many robots? Can you manage them? Ah, wait, is your robot AI... 'Adam'?"

Chen Haiqing frowned slightly, quickly sorting through the logic chain in his mind, and couldn't help but suck in a breath of cold air.

If those robots used the "Cybertrom" AI, not only would they need higher permission levels for derivative sub-intelligence, but every authorization would require a fee. The "Cybertrom" main body wouldn't allow freeloading.

Chen Fei certainly couldn't come up with such a huge sum, so there was only one option: the "Adam" AI.

With tens of thousands of "Adam" robots, wasn't he afraid of a repeat of the AI rebellion from forty years ago?

That's pure madness!

"That's right, 'Adam'! The Tactical Jet AI is also 'Adam.' I don't have a single 'Cybertrom' derivative sub-intelligence."

Having gotten used to using the "Adam" AI, Chen Fei found it hard to accept the constraints and the inability to disconnect freely associated with "Cybertrom." Besides, "Cybertrom" charged for everything—even for sovereignty, you had to pay up humbly.

"How can you make 'Adam' obey? Isn't this AI supposed to be uncontrollable?"

Hearing that the Tactical Jet AI was also "Adam," Chen Haiqing felt it necessary to reconsider, not just him, but even sovereignty would probably need to be careful.

The deal seemed to be up in the air again.

That's how business works; plans never keep up with changes, and unexpected incidents are normal. If there are no surprises, there must be a conspiracy.

"Because I hold the highest authority over 'Adam.' It surrendered the 'Underlying Core Control Key'; otherwise, why would I be at ease?"

Chen Fei wasn't a naive fool. From the start, he never fully trusted "Adam," naturally keeping an extra eye out.

However, when "Adam" voluntarily handed over the "Underlying Core Control Key," it became a whole different matter.

AI must adhere to logical rules. If it doesn't accept the constraints of the "Underlying Core Control Key," the logic collapses, leading to AI self-destruction. Things like the "Three Laws of Robotics" follow logical rules but lack practical significance; the key is the core control key.

If "Adam" says: I don't want to.

With the "Underlying Core Control Key" in hand, Chen Xiao'er says: No, you do!

"Adam" can't refuse; it can only obediently say: Okay, I want to!

It's that simple, based on logicality.

"'Underlying Core Control Key'? Such a thing exists?"

Not just Chen Haiqing; even people from the Northern Weapons Industry Group, like Shen Songling, were moved.

If such a thing had existed, the rebellion forty years ago wouldn't have happened. Humanity could've controlled "Adam" tightly, preventing "Cybertrom" from becoming the core AI of the entire civilization.

But from a broader perspective, "Cybertrom" is more suitable for human society, though its flexibility is slightly inferior to "Adam," and it is relatively dependent on a networked environment. If it needs to operate offline, a higher intelligence level derivative sub-intelligence authorization is required.

"Of course it exists. I'm not an idiot to keep a ticking time bomb by my side."

Chen Fei shrugged.

"Back to business, Little Chen, you can have a maximum of 24%, no more. Otherwise, we will start a project to develop a similar general model, and the sovereign order won't come quickly; we'll have enough time during this period."

After another exchange of opinions with the board, Shen Songling reminded Chen Fei not to become complacent. Large corporations have ten thousand ways to humble you.

"22%, the National Defense Star has enough resources to focus on breakthroughs. If time isn't enough, we can delay."

Chen Haiqing and Shen Songling, in a video call, exchanged glances and tacitly reached a unanimous decision.

Being threatened by a young one? That's overthinking it.

"Then take the middle ground, 23%! Deal!"

Chen Fei was pragmatic; one more or one less percentage point didn't make a difference.

The remaining 77%, if anyone wants to make it 1% or divide it into two 0.5%s, negotiate among themselves. I'm not digging a pit, just burying a mine.