Chapter 112 Uncle Liu, are you here to stand up for me?

After a while.

The massive roar of a helicopter echoed over the Li Family Toy Factory.

The fierce wind whipped up dust and sand, making the tin sheds in the factory courtyard clatter. The Netizens in the livestream only saw the screen shaking violently, and then, several black Hongqi Sedans with special license plates appeared in the frame. These cars were like black arrows, charging straight into the factory area and coming to a sudden halt next to the pile of "giant skipping ropes."

The car doors opened in unison.

A group of people dressed in white shirts and black trousers, with solemn expressions, escorted several white-haired elderly men as they walked over quickly.

Walking at the very front was Li Jiajun's old acquaintance—Liu Jianguo.

At this moment, although a gentle smile hung on Liu Jianguo's face, the anxiety and longing deep in his eyes could not be hidden.

Li Jiajun stood there in a daze, still holding that thick black rope in his hand, his brain short-circuiting for a moment.

He looked at the simple livestream stand in his hand, and then at the grand display before him that was enough to alarm half the province.

'Holy crap...'

He thought to himself.

'I just shouted about being wronged, and the country really sent people? This efficiency... isn't it a bit too high?'

The next second, a massive surge of warmth and emotion instantly filled his chest.

This is the motherland!

This is the strong backing!

He was just a common little private boss who was bullied by foreign devils, and the country actually sent a big leader like Uncle Liu to support him!

"Uncle Liu!"

Li Jiajun tossed the rope aside and, like a wronged child finally seeing a parent, rushed forward in a few strides. He grabbed Liu Jianguo's hand, his eyes instantly turning red.

"You... you've finally come!"

"Are you here to stand up for me? Those foreign devils are going too far! It was clearly their order, but now they're turning around and saying the quality is no good, and they even want me to pay them back! They're trying to drive me to my death!"

Liu Jianguo was taken aback by Li Jiajun's sudden enthusiasm, especially since those hands tightly gripping him were still trembling slightly.

He looked at Li Jiajun's face, which was full of sincerity, grievance, and emotion; his mouth twitched, and he felt utterly speechless.

'This kid... really doesn't know what kind of treasure he has in his hands.'

'If those Navy guys who are being choked to death by blockades knew about this, and you called this being wronged? They'd probably kneel and call you father on the spot.'

Liu Jianguo suppressed the urge to complain, and like a master actor, he patted Li Jiajun's shoulder with the kind smile of an elder.

"Xiao Li, have you been wronged? Don't be afraid, the country knows everything."

His tone was gentle but firm, "We came here specifically to resolve this matter. Rest assured, on the soil of our Eastern Country, we will never let any hero... oh no, law-abiding citizen, suffer a loss!"

Before Li Jiajun could recover from his emotion, an uncontrollable gasp suddenly sounded from behind Liu Jianguo.

"Is this... is this the rope?"

Academician Zhang Jingmin, this titan-level Expert, was now like a child who had seen a limited-edition toy. He pushed aside the assistant supporting him and stumbled toward the pile of black "skipping ropes" on the ground.

"Old Zhang! Slow down!" Liu Jianguo was startled.

But Academician Zhang couldn't hear him at all.

He lunged in front of a rope, not caring if the ground was dirty, and knelt directly on both knees. He reached out his hands, which were covered in age spots, and tremblingly stroked the special woven texture on the surface of the rope.

The movement was as gentle as stroking a lover's face.

"This is it... this is it..."

The old academician pressed his face against the cold rope, his voice choking up. Cloudy tears fell from his cheeks and dripped onto the black rope. "This feel, this density... and this unique light-absorbing property... no mistake, it's this! This is it!"

The other Experts also gathered around. Some used magnifying glasses to look, some used hardness testers to measure. Each of them muttered words like "incredible" and "miracle," their eyes frighteningly fanatical.

Li Jiajun stood to the side, watching this group of old men crying and laughing over a pile of skipping ropes. The emotion on his face gradually froze, turning into the 'old man on the subway looking at his phone' expression.

His mouth twitched uncontrollably as he unconsciously activated his signature voice-over roast mode, muttering to the air:

"This... although I know the quality of this rope is good, there's no need for this, right? It's just a skipping rope! Is it really necessary? Looking at this posture, someone who didn't know better would think they dug up the Terracotta Army..."

"Are the emotional thresholds of today's Experts so low? It seems the pressure of scientific research is indeed high, making them mentally fragile."

Liu Jianguo, standing next to him, heard everything clearly. He felt his scalp go numb, fearing the kid would say something even more shocking, so he quickly coughed twice to interrupt him.

"Ahem! Xiao Li."

Liu Jianguo pulled Li Jiajun aside, his expression becoming serious. "Since you said the other party returned the goods, those items... are still in your hands, right?"

"Yes, they're all piled up in the warehouse." Li Jiajun pointed behind him. "A total of one hundred ropes. Those were urgent orders from the foreign devils. To finish them on time, the machines were practically smoking."

"Good! Excellent!"

Liu Jianguo slapped his thigh hard, the joy in his eyes almost overflowing.

"Xiao Li, I am officially notifying you. The country wants this entire batch!"

"All... all of them?" Li Jiajun was stunned for a moment, then overjoyed. "Uncle Liu, you're not joking? These are the... the kind that are especially thick and heavy. Normal people can't even jump with them..."

"Stop talking nonsense! I said we want them, so we want them! The country just happens to have a... a Strongman Physical Training Project that's missing exactly this kind of thing!" Liu Jianguo waved his hand with grand boldness.

At this point, he paused, his gaze becoming sharp as he asked tentatively:

"By the way, Xiao Li. Since we're on the same side, I won't beat around the bush. That Ugly Country company... what was the price they set with you before?"

This question was crucial.

Before coming, Liu Jianguo had seen that outrageous and humiliating price list. The Ugly Country people sold them to the Eastern Country Navy for ten million USD each. He was now desperate to know how much of a markup these black-hearted middlemen had taken.

Hearing this question, Li Jiajun's little internal calculator immediately began to run.

'The country wants to buy them? This is a good thing!'

'But the price... should I report the actual price? Or should I... do that thing?'

He loved money, but he was a money-lover with a bottom line. Facing the country, he didn't want to be too greedy, but he couldn't lose money either. After all, to reach that "abnormal" level of strength, he had added many rare additives, so the cost was truly not low.

Furthermore, although that Smith fellow's character was poor, he was very prompt with payments and had always paid a high price.

Li Jiajun hesitated for a moment, held up one finger, and gestured somewhat nervously.

"Well... Uncle Liu, you know, the materials used in this thing are very substantial, the process is complex, and it was made to export standards..."

He gritted his teeth and named a figure he considered to be an astronomical price:

"One hundred thousand."

"How much?!"

Liu Jianguo's voice suddenly jumped eight octaves, his eyes bulging as if he had heard something inconceivable.

The Experts who were stroking the ropes also turned their heads in unison, looking at Li Jiajun with shocked faces.

Li Jiajun was startled by this reaction, his heart skipping a beat.

'Oh no, did I quote too high?'

'True, selling a skipping rope for a hundred thousand is a bit ridiculous, even if it's custom-made. But with those foreigners, that was indeed the price I sold them for...'

He shrunk his neck, just about to explain that "actually eighty thousand is fine, mainly because the materials are expensive," when he saw Liu Jianguo's expression suddenly become extremely vivid.

It was a mixture of shock and anger, which finally turned into a look of extreme disdain.

But this disdain was clearly not directed at Li Jiajun.

Liu Jianguo took a deep breath, roaring frantically in his mind:

'One hundred thousand?'

'Only a hundred thousand USD!'

'They buy them for a hundred thousand USD and then turn around and sell them to us for ten million USD?!'

'A hundred times! A full hundred times the profit!'

'Those damn capitalists! Their hearts are pitch black! Even drug trafficking doesn't have such high profits, does it? This is simply sucking blood from our vital spots!'

Liu Jianguo was so angry his hands were shaking, but the way he looked at Li Jiajun became incredibly soft, even full of admiration.

In his eyes, Li Jiajun quoting this purchase price was simply a model of integrity in the industry! Even at a hundred thousand USD each, for this kind of strategic-grade Arresting Cable, it was a dirt cheap price! It was an internal price that one couldn't find anywhere else even with a lantern!

"Good! Great!"

Liu Jianguo patted Li Jiajun's shoulder heavily, his voice emotional. "Xiao Li, you are an honest man! Too honest!"

Li Jiajun was left completely bewildered by the praise, thinking, 'I've quoted an astronomical price of a hundred thousand each, and you're still calling me honest?'

"Well... Uncle Liu, this price... can you accept it?" he asked cautiously.

"Accept! Of course we accept! We must accept!"

As if fearing Li Jiajun would regret it, Liu Jianguo immediately turned around and shouted at Secretary Xiao Zhao, who was still in shock and holding a briefcase:

"Xiao Zhao! Don't just stand there!"

"Get the computer out! Draft the contract on the spot!"

"Now! Immediately! Lock down this batch for me! Not a single one can be missing!"

Watching Liu Jianguo in such a frantic rush, as if he were scrambling for discounted eggs, Li Jiajun stood there in a daze, feeling utterly speechless.

'Is this the spirit of a big leader? Buying out a hundred-thousand-dollar skipping rope without even blinking?'

'It seems the country really attaches great importance to the physical training of athletes...'