Chapter 149 A bigwig from the Ministry of Military Industry visits, Little Lu, come have a cup of tea.

The shrill, cracking roar of The Pentagon analysts still echoed back and forth in a basement across the ocean.

Meanwhile, in Donghai City, the sky was as gloomy as a dirty rag.

The autumn wind swept up fallen leaves, rustling across the asphalt in front of the Xinghai Technology building.

The atmosphere outside the building suddenly dropped to freezing point.

"Screech—!"

Three pitch-black armored SUVs with glaring white military license plates and jet-black explosion-proof window film screeched to a halt at the entrance.

The tires left a pungent smell of burning rubber on the road as they slammed on the brakes.

The car doors were flung open, and over a dozen fully armed soldiers in camouflage jumped out.

Their tactical boots made a rhythmic, muffled thud against the pavement, their dark gun barrels hanging at their chests.

In less than two minutes, the entire street was cordoned off with double layers of yellow warning tape.

Passersby were forcibly evacuated, and not even a fly could get through.

Old Zhou, wrapped in his worn-out military coat, stood in the security booth at the entrance, his eyes wide and round.

His mouth hung half-open.

"Clatter."

His removable dentures slid right out of his mouth and landed on his leather shoes.

He didn't even have the courage to bend down and pick them up.

In the first-floor lobby, the air conditioning was blasting.

Chu Xuan, wearing that short-sleeved shirt with a purple background and leopard print, was standing at the front desk.

He turned his head to look at the spectacle outside.

His brain let out a "buzz," and blood rushed to his head.

His calves cramped instantly, and his legs shook uncontrollably.

The crumpled tissue he had been using to wipe his sweat slipped from his weak fingers and fell onto the polished marble floor.

The back door of the middle SUV opened, and an old man in grey casual clothes stepped out.

He had grey hair and wasn't wearing a military uniform, but the terrifying murderous aura radiating from him—as if he had crawled out of a pile of corpses—could be smelled even through the glass doors.

He walked into the revolving door, accompanied by two guards with bulging waists.

Chu Xuan swallowed hard, his throat feeling raw and painful.

He wanted to go up and offer some pleasantries, but his tongue felt tied in a knot, and he couldn't squeeze out a single syllable.

The old man didn't even lift his eyelids; he didn't spare a glance for the garish fat man and walked straight toward the executive elevator.

In the top-floor office, the air conditioner was blowing out white mist, keeping the room temperature firmly at eighteen degrees.

"Bang."

The heavy solid wood door was rudely pushed open from the outside.

No one had even knocked.

Lu Jingming was leaning back in his leather executive chair.

His faded black T-shirt was slightly wrinkled.

His legs were crossed casually, resting boldly on the edge of the dark mahogany desk.

The two guards entered first.

Like two grim reapers, they stood guard on either side of the door frame, their right hands pressed firmly against their waists.

The old man walked in slowly, his hands clasped behind his back.

Lu Jingming watched the uninvited guest barge in without even putting his legs down.

He reached his right hand into his old jeans pocket and pulled out a plastic lighter with the green paint peeling off.

He spun it rapidly between his calloused fingers, the plastic casing clicking with a faint sound.

The old man walked over to the glass coffee table.

He looked down to see several black mechanical blueprints scattered messily across the surface.

They were the structural cross-section diagrams of the anti-gravity algorithm for the Xinghai drone.

The old man didn't put on any airs of authority.

He simply pulled out a folding chair and sat down with a thud.

The chair let out a muffled "creak."

"Little Lu, right? You don't mind if I have a drink of water, do you?"

The old man's voice was thick and resonant, full of vigor.

It made the water glass on the glass coffee table tremble.

Without waiting for Lu Jingming to speak, the old man helped himself to the celadon teacup that Shen Qingqiu had just brewed.

Steam curled upward.

He blew on the rim of the cup and took a sip of the scalding tea.

Lu Jingming curled his lips, revealing one side of his sharp, white canine teeth.

"That tea was brewed by Manager Shen. Drink as you please."

His voice was lazy, exuding an arrogance that treated the sky falling as if it were just a blanket.

The old man set the teacup down on the table.

His gaze was like two knives, pinning Lu Jingming to his seat.

"You're certainly composed. And your guts are big enough."

The old man tapped his finger on the blueprint, his knuckles turning a deathly pale blue-white.

"This little civilian toy you made has slapped the face of our coastal air defense radar."

Lu Jingming rubbed the flint wheel of his lighter with his thumb, remaining silent and waiting for what came next.

"The night before last, a dozen brainless youngsters."

The old man gritted his teeth, making a dull grinding sound.

"Took this piece of plastic junk of yours that costs 1,990 and went to the coastal restricted zone to film the night scenery."

The old man took a deep breath, his chest heaving violently.

"Those little black moths flew right against the surface of the sea."

"Completely invisible; not even a ghost of a shadow was scanned!"

He slammed the table hard.

"Bang."

Tea splashed out of the celadon cup, dripping onto the carpet.

"The coastal air defense radar arrays, which cost tens of millions each, only captured a cross-sectional area of 0.001!"

"They were literally mistaken for a few seagulls pooping on the sea surface!"

"And just like that, they snuck into the restricted zone without a sound!"

There was a deathly silence in the office.

Only the faint whistle of the air conditioning vent could be heard.

Lu Jingming leaned back in his chair.

His eyelids drooped, looking lazy and half-asleep.

"It's made from router scraps. Coated with some bulletproof residue the lab didn't want."

He snorted coldly.

"It's your radar that's too old. It's time for an upgrade."

These words were boundless in their arrogance.

The guards standing at the door turned cold, their hand muscles instantly tensing.

The old man, however, raised his hand to stop his subordinates.

He looked at Lu Jingming and suddenly burst into laughter.

The laughter was so loud it made the window glass vibrate.

"Good lad. That temper, it's fiery enough."

The old man stopped laughing.

His withered fingers pinched the celadon teacup and slowly pushed it across the smooth glass tabletop.

The bottom of the porcelain touched the glass, making a crisp "clack" sound.

The teacup came to a steady stop at the edge of the table on Lu Jingming's side.

The old man leaned forward.

In those eyes that had crawled out of a pile of corpses, there was a burning heat like a starving wolf seeing blood.

"Little Lu. Name your price."

The old man said, enunciating every word, his voice low like muffled thunder.

"The exclusive procurement rights for the flight control algorithm. The military wants it."

Lu Jingming didn't touch the celadon teacup.

He pressed his thumb heavily onto the metal flint wheel and flicked it downward.

"Click."

A crisp mechanical sound echoed in the enclosed office.

A ghostly blue flame shot up, carrying a pungent smell of low-quality kerosene.

The firelight reflected on the explosion-proof glass, illuminating the ferocity in Lu Jingming's eyes—a desire to smash the world and rebuild it.

He toyed with the flame, not even glancing at the teacup.

"I'm not short on money."

Lu Jingming stared at the ghostly blue flame.

His lips moved slightly, spitting out a treasonous sentence.

"What I lack is a legal license to kill that can crush capital."