Chapter 167 I dare not move! Conferring ranks! Or is it just a matter of speed?

He just stared blankly at the Air Force Major General's smiling face, his lips trembling, unable to utter a single word.

At this moment, time seemed to stretch infinitely.

Mr. Wang's mind went blank, his ears ringing, with only that smiling question echoing repeatedly.

"Are you moved?"

These two words were like two invisible mountains, pressing heavily upon his heart, making even breathing difficult.

Moved?

He dared not move!

As a tycoon who had spent half a lifetime struggling in the sea of commerce, he instantly understood the crushing weight behind that question.

This was no mere question.

It was clearly a multiple-choice question.

A: Moved. Then lose this invaluable project, but gain safety, and perhaps even some unexpected compensation.

B: Dare not move. As for the consequences... he dared not think about them.

He glanced at Li Jiajun, who was standing beside him with an equally pale face and looking completely stunned, and then at the strategic cooperation agreement on the table, which he had signed himself and whose ink was still wet.

The clauses regarding commercial secrets, intellectual property rights, and breach of contract seemed so pale, powerless, and ridiculous at this moment.

He remembered his solemn promise to the national media cameras at the press conference.

"We at Express Delivery Company guarantee we will not be requisitioned!"

'Looking at it now, I'm just a joke.' This thought surfaced in Mr. Wang's mind.

He knew he had to say something.

Silence here was equivalent to resistance.

"Chie... Chief..."

Mr. Wang spoke with difficulty, his voice hoarse and dry, as he attempted one last, futile struggle. "Thi... This is a commercial cooperation project between us and Factory Director Li, we..."

"Mr. Wang."

The Air Force Major General interrupted him with a smile, his tone as warm as ever, as if it were just a chat between friends and family.

"Of course we respect commercial rules. That's why we specially invited you here today, just to... discuss things with you."

He deliberately emphasized the word "discuss," his face retaining that spring-breeze smile, but his eyes revealed a firm, oppressive intensity.

...

Mr. Wang understood instantly.

This was no longer a discussion; it was a notification.

The so-called discussion was just the state machinery politely honking its horn before rolling over him at high speed.

Remember us at 101 Reading Network

He took a deep breath, knowing that today, he absolutely dared not move.

He stood up abruptly from his chair, so nervous that his voice changed pitch, even stuttering slightly.

"Chief! I... I dare not move!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, he froze, realizing with a sinking heart that he had just blurted out his true thoughts!

"Ah, no, that's not right... What I mean is... I'm moved! I'm very moved!"

Mr. Wang's survival instinct exploded to its peak at this moment; his face turned bright red, and he declared loudly at high speed:

"If the country needs it, we at Express Delivery Company are duty-bound! Being able to contribute to the country's air defense cause is a blessing that our Shunfeng Group, and I, Mr. Wang, have cultivated over eight lifetimes! Forget about one plane; even if you wanted our entire company, we would be willing to donate it to the country!"

After speaking, perhaps feeling that words alone were not enough to show his loyalty, he actually mimicked what he had seen on TV and gave the Air Force Major General a clumsy, awkward military salute—a gesture that was ridiculous yet filled with sincerity.

...

Li Jiajun, standing to the side, stared blankly at this commercial tycoon who, just a few days ago, had been full of spirit and ambition. Seeing him now, so humble as to be almost sycophantic, his worldview was once again violently shaken.

He completely gave up all fantasies, feeling entirely numb.

Meanwhile, Liu Jianguo in the conference room watched Mr. Wang's comical performance of stuttering and saluting, his mouth twitching uncontrollably.

'This kid... knows how to show loyalty.' He was speechless in his heart.

After listening to Mr. Wang's impassioned declaration, the Air Force Major General nodded with satisfaction, and the smile on his face became much more genuine.

He stepped forward, placed a hand on Mr. Wang's shoulder, and had him sit down.

"Mr. Wang, your awareness is very high! The country will not forget any patriotic entrepreneur who has made contributions."

...

Sure enough, upon hearing this, the heavy stone that had been hanging in Mr. Wang's heart finally fell.

He also figured it out; although he had lost a project with infinite potential, being able to exchange it for a favor from the military, and perhaps even gain some preferential treatment in future policies, meant this deal might not be a loss after all.

Thinking of this, his pale face regained a hint of color.

"It's only right, only right."

In the face of absolute power and potential huge benefits, so-called commercial contracts ultimately became nothing more than scraps of paper.

However, he couldn't help but grumble inwardly, 'Damn it, today I've really seen it; how can Express Delivery Company be as fast as just grabbing it?'

Liu Jianguo watched the farce finally come to an end and sighed wearily.

He walked over to Li Jiajun, who was equally numb, and took out two pre-drafted agreements from his briefcase.

He handed one to Li Jiajun and the other to Mr. Wang.

"This is the technical cooperation and project transfer compensation agreement. Take a look, and if there are no issues, sign it."

Mr. Wang took the agreement and saw the huge compensation amount that was enough to cover all his initial investments and even make a profit, along with the promise mentioned in the supplementary clauses about receiving priority support in relevant future policies. His smile became completely radiant.

As for Li Jiajun, looking at the equally staggering amount on the check in his hand, he couldn't feel happy at all.

Here it comes again.

It was that familiar feeling of being humiliated by money again.

He felt like a goose that kept laying golden eggs; as soon as it laid one, someone would take the whole nest away, then toss him a handful of high-quality feed as compensation.

Liu Jianguo looked at Li Jiajun's lifeless expression, patted his shoulder, and this time didn't even bother with words of comfort.

He turned his head and looked at the group of Air Force Experts who were surrounding the twin-tailed scorpion design blueprints, ecstatic as if they had discovered a new world, and then looked back at the numb-faced Li Jiajun beside him.

A thought emerged clearly in his mind.

Thinking of this, Liu Jianguo turned to look at the Air Force Major General and said solemnly:

"Old Zhang, look at how this kid has repeatedly made major contributions to the country. I think we should propose to our superiors that we officially confer a military rank upon him!"

After all, he has been requisitioned so many times; it wouldn't be reasonable not to give Li Jiajun a military rank.