Chapter 16 Big Brother, have you been tricked?

In stark contrast to the bustling production scene at that toy factory in Baishui City, Lu Province, the air inside a secret military headquarters somewhere in Middle East, thousands of miles away, seemed to have solidified, so oppressive it was suffocating.

This was a temporary command post converted from a massive tent. Huge military maps hung on the walls, densely marked with various symbols and arrows in red and blue ink. On the screens of several buzzing military communication devices, real-time footage sent back by unmanned reconnaissance drones and various encrypted data streams refreshed constantly. The air was thick with a tense mixture of gunpowder, dust, and cheap coffee.

Hassan's adjutant, a capable man also wearing a headscarf but looking much younger, was pacing back and forth anxiously in the tent. His military boots made a dull "shuffling" sound as they stepped on the carpeted sand.

"Leader, we might have really been scammed!"

He finally couldn't help but stop and turn to look at the man sitting silently in front of the computer—Hassan, who was the whale patron with the ID "A White Cloth on the Head" in the livestream room.

The adjutant's voice was filled with anxiety and frustration: "There are less than twenty-four hours left until the three-day delivery deadline promised by that Eastern Country kid! But what have we gotten? Aside from a few videos of him spending money on livestream, it's just a bunch of footage of him tearing apart newly bought machines into scrap metal!"

As he spoke, he pointed to a screen nearby playing a livestream recording. On the screen, Li Jiajun was directing workers to hoist an expensive Laser Cutting Machine onto a conveyor belt; the scene looked like nothing more than a chaotic demolition.

"Leader, look! Does this look like he's producing what we need? He's completely playing us! He took our money to buy new machines, and now he's tearing them apart! This is a classic scam! He never intended to deliver from the start!"

The adjutant grew more agitated as he spoke, feeling as though the five million deposit had already gone down the drain.

Hassan didn't speak; he just watched the screen quietly, his fingers unconsciously tapping on the desk.

His inner state was far from as calm as it appeared on the surface.

He had already considered everything the adjutant said.

He, too, had repeatedly watched the recordings of Li Jiajun's livestreams from the past few days.

The young man who deduced Swarm Algorithms in front of a whiteboard and drew perfect blueprints—Hassan was sure he hadn't misjudged his confidence and talent. That deep understanding of technology, that ease in simplifying the complex, was not something a scammer could fake.

However, the subsequent clips of the "magically modified production line" did indeed cause him deep unease.

Welding the tracks of an SLS Laser Sintering Printer onto an SMT Placement Machine? What kind of operation was that?

Moving a Five-Axis Machining Center around like building blocks?

In his understanding, these actions were indeed contrary to the word "production" and seemed more like a piece of mad performance art.

'Could it be... I really got carried away at the time?'

This thought uncontrollably bubbled up in Hassan's mind.

He admitted that when he saw that blueprint, perfect as a work of art, he had been blinded by the possibilities it held to overturn the tides of war. So much so that in the subsequent transaction, he had rashly paid that massive deposit without any deep background check or risk assessment.

Now that he had calmed down, he also felt the whole affair was strange in every way. How could an Eastern Country toy factory director possess such cutting-edge technology out of thin air? It defied common sense.

Seeing the leader remain silent for so long, the adjutant thought his words were having an effect and stepped forward, lowering his voice to advise: "Leader, as things stand, we must prepare for the worst. Let's consider this five million... a paid lesson. We should immediately activate the backup plan and procure that batch of second-hand Ugly Country drones from the black market. Their performance might be inferior, but it's better than being played for a fool by an Eastern Country kid!"

Hassan's eyes flickered, but he ultimately raised his hand to stop the adjutant.

As the leader of this organization, he could doubt himself internally, but he could never show the slightest wavering in front of his subordinates.

He slowly turned his head, his cold gaze making the adjutant involuntarily shiver.

"You talk too much."

Hassan's voice wasn't loud, but it carried an authority that made the adjutant not dare to speak another word.

"My decisions do not need to be questioned by you. That Chinese is either a genius or a scammer with a death wish. But either way, do not jump to conclusions before we see the final result."

He stood up and walked to the massive military map, his gaze falling on the symbol circled repeatedly in red, representing a certain Ileser Armored Brigade.

"Wait one more day."

He stood with his back to the adjutant, his voice as cold as the desert wind at night.

"If I don't see what I want by eight o'clock tomorrow night..."

He paused, a thick murderous intent leaking into his tone.

"I will let him know the consequences of deceiving me."

The adjutant's body shook; not daring to say another word, he could only bow his head respectfully.

"Yes, Leader."

Silence fell over the tent once more, with only the monotonous hum of the communication equipment echoing. Hassan stared at the map, but in his mind, the image of Li Jiajun drawing that complex Network Topology Diagram on the whiteboard replayed over and over.

'I hope you... don't let me down.'