Chapter 159 Little Li, are you treating us like dirt?

Execution by firing squad was, naturally, impossible.

...

Some time later.

Li Family Toy Factory, Factory Director's Office.

Li Jiajun was dangling a strawberry-flavored lollipop from his mouth, legs crossed, looking high-spirited as he stared at the newly revised twin-tailed scorpion drone mass production plan on his computer screen.

Next to the plan, a webpage was open showing the press release for the strategic cooperation between Shunfeng Group and the Li Family Toy Factory from a while back. The accompanying photo showed him and President Wang shaking hands and smiling warmly.

Looking at all this, Li Jiajun's mood was so good he felt like he could fly.

During the twin-tailed scorpion's maiden flight ceremony last time, President Wang had attended in person. After seeing the drone's heaven-defying performance, he had been so excited he made the decision on the spot.

This cooperation had a press conference that drew national attention and the backing of a hundred-billion-level private enterprise giant like the Shunfeng Group. The contract terms were clear, and the project's purpose was explicit: to create a brand new, highly efficient aerial logistics system for Shunfeng.

A purely civilian project!

Li Jiajun felt that he had finally stepped onto a broad, bright path, completely drawing a line between himself and those rumors of military conflict.

Most importantly, of course, was that it wouldn't be requisitioned.

He had even started planning that once the first batch of drones was delivered and the final payment received, he would tear down the factory's old dormitory building and build a luxury employee apartment block with elevators and a heated swimming pool.

'Uncle Liu should finally be at ease this time, right?' he thought happily. 'With such a positive business cooperation, if he comes to my door again, wouldn't it have to be to give me an award banner?'

...

Meanwhile, a hundred meters outside the gates of the Li Family Toy Factory.

Several black business vans with ordinary license plates were parked silently by the roadside like crouching beasts.

In the back row of the middle van, Liu Jianguo lowered the military binoculars in his hand. He stared expressionlessly at the brand-new factory gates in the distance, but his heart was far less calm than his surface suggested.

The corner of his mouth was twitching slightly, uncontrollably.

'This kid... has learned to be shrewd.'

This thought emerged in his mind.

When he came here last time, although the Li Family Toy Factory's gates had been renovated once, the security measures were practically non-existent. There was just one dozing old guard in the gatehouse. He had led his people straight in as if they were strolling through their own backyard.

But now, how much time had passed?

Liu Jianguo picked up the binoculars and looked again, the sense of speechlessness in his heart growing heavier.

On the factory's high perimeter walls, a brand new 360-degree high-definition camera with night vision had been added every ten meters. Red scanning lights rotated tirelessly, bringing everything in the vicinity into surveillance range. At both sides of the gate and the corners of the walls, inconspicuous infrared beam sensors and microwave sensors had even been installed.

That heavy electric telescopic gate had also been replaced with a more solid integrated sliding door. The outlines of pressure sensors were faintly visible beneath the door hinges.

This setup, this level of defense—someone who didn't know better would think this was some important military base or a classified unit.

'Is he guarding against us as if we're the Little Japs?'

Liu Jianguo put down the binoculars and rubbed his throbbing temples, feeling a wave of speechlessness.

He knew that this kid Li Jiajun was terrified of being requisitioned. He was determined to turn the factory into a bronze wall and iron bastion to prevent any more official personnel from coming to reap where they hadn't sown.

Wanting to drive straight in like before was definitely impossible now. If they tried to force their way in, the alarms inside would probably go off before they even got near the gate.

Fortunately, before coming this time, he had made a full prediction of Li Jiajun's temperament and had long prepared for a siege.

He glanced at Xiao Zhao sitting next to him and gave a faint order: "Act according to plan."

Xiao Zhao nodded, a strange expression on his face that looked like he wanted to laugh but didn't dare. He took out a walkie-talkie and whispered a few words.

Soon, a young man with a crew cut, looking very capable and wearing an imitation Shunfeng Express uniform, stepped out of the lead vehicle. Holding a medium-sized package, he walked quickly to the factory gate.

"Hello, Shunfeng Express! There's a delivery for Mr. Li Jiajun!"

The young man looked into the camera at the gate, flashed a standard and friendly smile, and shouted in a loud voice.

...

Inside the gatehouse, Old Zhang the guard was focusing intently on a row of small surveillance screens.

Ever since the military had driven heavy trucks here to move things last time, he had developed a severe phobia of uniforms. Seeing anyone in a uniform made his heart race; he even had to have his quick-acting heart-saving pills ready just to watch a military parade on TV.

So, when he saw through the surveillance that the person standing at the gate was just a young man wearing a Shunfeng Express uniform he was all too familiar with, his hanging heart finally settled down.

'Good, good, it's not that group of people coming again.'

As Old Zhang thought this, he carefully enlarged the surveillance feed, repeatedly confirming the other party's clothing and the package.

Yes, black and red uniform, that's right.

The SF-EXPRESS logo printed on the back, that's also right.

The package in his hand was also wrapped very professionally.

'Looks like something the Director bought online himself, or perhaps documents sent by a partner.'

He completely lowered his guard, picked up the internal phone on the desk, and dialed the Factory Director's office.

"Hello, Director? There's a Shunfeng delivery for you at the gate. Should I accept it?"

...

In the office, Li Jiajun, who was busy imagining the luxury employee apartments, was stunned for a moment after receiving the call.

'A delivery? From Shunfeng?'

Although he felt it was a bit strange since he hadn't bought anything online recently, as soon as he heard it was Shunfeng, he subconsciously associated it with the project in front of him.

'Could it be that President Wang's side sent over some cooperation documents? Or some kind of sample?'

Without thinking much, he said casually into the phone, "Let him in. Have him bring it to my office."

"You got it!"

Old Zhang hung up the phone and skillfully pressed the door-opening button under the desk.

Accompanied by the low hum of an electric motor, the heavy metal gate slowly slid to one side.

However, Old Zhang didn't notice that at the very moment the gate opened, those black business vans that had been parked in the distance started up almost simultaneously like hunting leopards. With a speed completely inconsistent with their low-key appearance, they slid silently into the factory compound.

When Old Zhang poked his head out of the gatehouse to see if the courier had come in, he only saw several black business vans driving straight toward the building where the Factory Director's office was, kicking up a cloud of dust and leaving him standing alone, dazed in the wind.

"Holy crap! I've been tricked!"

Old Zhang's face changed instantly. He scrambled to press the alarm, but it was already too late.

...

A few minutes later.

Knock, knock, knock.

The office door was knocked.

"Come in."

Li Jiajun didn't even look up, assuming it was the employee delivering the package, and answered casually. He was just about to close the plan on his computer and then turn his executive chair around.

The office door was slowly pushed open.

Li Jiajun subconsciously looked up, a smile ready to welcome good news still hanging on his face.

Then, his smile, along with the lollipop dangling in his mouth, froze on his face.

Standing at the door was not some young man in a courier uniform.

It was a figure he would recognize even if it were turned to ash: Liu Jianguo.

At this moment, Liu Jianguo's face was devoid of expression. It was an extreme calm mixed with exhaustion, numbness, and a sense of having nothing left to live for. His eyes were hollow, as if he had lost all interest in this world, merely performing a task mechanically.

And behind him, those Air Force Experts he had only seen in photos from press conferences were craning their necks, peeking inside. In each of their eyes,

shimmered an incredibly burning light, as if they had discovered a new continent. They were like a pack of wolves that had been starving for three days and nights and had finally seen their prey.

This bizarre combination, this familiar way of showing up at his door, this suffocating atmosphere...

Clack.

The lollipop in Li Jiajun's mouth fell to the floor and shattered into pieces.