Chapter 253 Air Force: Achoo, does someone seem to be talking about me?

Imperial Capital, the liu family's living room.

Liu Jianguo sat on the sofa, staring at the prompt on his phone screen that once again read "The other party has enabled friend verification." He fell into deep thought.

Twice in a row.

Twice!

Even a saint has his limits, let alone a dignified high-level leader like him.

But after the anger passed, what remained was a deep sense of helplessness and... admiration.

"Is this kid part dog?"

"I haven't even sent anything yet; it just said 'typing...', and he already caught the scent?"

Liu Jianguo had to admit that in his struggle against Li Jiajun, he was still slightly lacking in "internet savvy."

"No, I can't force it. I have to outsmart him."

Liu Jianguo took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.

Then, he used an alt account to add him again. This time, he wasn't deleted. The reason was simple: he had learned his lesson.

...

On the other side.

Baishui City, Li Family Toy Factory.

Li Jiajun had just tossed his phone back onto the table and was about to head to the cafeteria for a late-night snack.

Ding-dong.

The WeChat notification sounded again.

He paused, his brow furrowing instantly.

"Is this ever going to end?"

He picked up his phone to check.

Another new account.

The name was "Supreme Goodness is Like Water," and the profile picture was one of those cliché photos of a sunrise over the sea.

At a glance, it looked like a popular choice among middle-aged and elderly people on Moments.

Li Jiajun narrowed his eyes, staring at the profile picture.

Although there was no evidence, his sharp intuition—or rather, the "PTSD" from being tricked by Liu Jianguo—made him catch a faint, familiar scent.

"Uncle Liu?"

"Or is it that same old scammer?"

Li Jiajun muttered to himself, a cold smile appearing on his lips.

'Fine, since you're so persistent, I'll play along.'

'I want to see just how many alt accounts you have.'

He clicked [Accept] once more.

The moment the verification went through.

Li Jiajun's finger was already hovering over the top right corner, the inevitable path to the [Delete Contact] option.

He was waiting.

As soon as the "typing..." status appeared at the top of the screen, he would press down with a one-finger strike and send them packing.

However.

This time.

The expected "typing..." status didn't appear.

The instant the chat box popped up.

Whoosh!

There wasn't even a second of delay.

A large block of text instantly filled the chat box, bombarding him head-on.

It was so fast that Li Jiajun had no time to react.

Li Jiajun froze, his finger stuck in mid-air.

'Holy crap?'

'That hand speed... even a bachelor of thirty years couldn't train that well, could they?'

He instinctively looked down.

The screen read:

[Little Li! Don't delete! It's your Uncle Liu! I'm really not here to trick you this time; I'm here to bring you a fortune! Didn't you ask me to show you a clear path? I've thought of one! Absolutely safe! Absolutely civilian! Absolutely impossible to be requisitioned! And that is—making Fishing Rods! Think about it, what else can a Fishing Rod do besides catch fish? Isn't it absolutely safe? Reply!]

Indeed, Liu Jianguo had edited everything in his notes beforehand and simply copy-pasted the moment the verification passed.

Obviously, his method was very effective this time.

Seeing this paragraph, especially the words "making Fishing Rods" in the middle.

Li Jiajun's hovering finger slowly lowered.

His pupils dilated slightly, and his original "stay away from me" look of disgust was gradually replaced by a look of contemplation and interest.

"Fishing Rods?"

Li Jiajun murmured.

He mulled over the word.

'Eh?'

'Seems... kind of interesting?'

This time, he didn't press the delete button.

...

Imperial Capital, the liu family home.

Looking at the message that had been successfully sent without a red exclamation mark appearing.

Liu Jianguo let out a long sigh of relief, slumping onto the sofa, feeling as if he had won a major battle.

"Phew..."

"Finally... it's finally sent."

Since it wasn't deleted, it meant the kid had seen it and was interested.

Sure enough.

A few seconds later.

Ding-dong.

A reply came from the other side.

[Li Jiajun: Fishing Rods? Uncle Liu, are you sure this thing is reliable? It won't be another trap like the robot dog from last time, will it?]

Seeing the reply, Liu Jianguo's spirits lifted. He immediately sat up straight, his hands typing rapidly.

[Liu Jianguo: This time it's absolutely reliable! I guarantee it on my character!]

[Liu Jianguo: Think about it, Little Li, what kind of high-tech content does a Fishing Rod have? Isn't it just a stick and a line?]

Li Jiajun replied quickly, seemingly following his train of thought:

[Li Jiajun: True, I also think there's not much tech involved. At most, the materials are better, slightly lighter, and stronger.]

Seeing the kid was on the right track, Liu Jianguo immediately struck while the iron was hot:

[Liu Jianguo: Exactly! Think about it, the previous drones and robot dogs were powered and had systems, which is why they were easily taken. But a Fishing Rod? It doesn't even have a battery! It's a purely mechanical structure! How could this be used for military purposes?]

[Li Jiajun: True. Unless it's used as a club to hit people, I can't imagine how it could threaten national security.]

[Liu Jianguo: Right! And think about it, our country has the loosest regulations on this kind of purely civilian entertainment equipment. Could they possibly requisition you just because your Fishing Rod catches too many fish?]

[Li Jiajun: Of course not! Catching a lot of fish is a skill, a technique. What the hell does that have to do with national security? They can't say I'm destroying the ecological balance just because I caught all the fish, can they?]

The two of them went back and forth with perfect rapport.

Liu Jianguo would say half a sentence, and Li Jiajun would immediately pick it up and even expand on it.

This long-lost rapport moved Liu Jianguo almost to tears.

This is a soulmate!

This is resonance!

[Liu Jianguo: So, this direction was carefully considered by me, combining...]

[Li Jiajun: You combined the characteristics with national policies and hand-picked it?! You've really hit the nail on the head this time. This thing has a wide audience; there are so many fishermen. As long as the product is good, there's no worry about sales. Most importantly...]

[Liu Jianguo chimed in: Most importantly, it's absolutely impossible for it to become 'criminal'!]

[Li Jiajun: Right! Absolutely not 'criminal'! I could think until my head explodes and still not see how this could go off the rails!]

After this analysis.

Both reached a common conclusion:

It's a sure thing!

This project is absolutely safe!

...

Putting down his phone, Li Jiajun's mood brightened.

"Fishing Rods..."

He rubbed his chin, the more he thought about it, the more feasible it seemed.

Those previous things like drones and robot dogs were indeed a bit too advanced, making it easy for people to draw connections.

But Fishing Rods have a long history and a simple structure. Even if made to the extreme, they're just good sticks.

"This time, I should really be able to make some money peacefully without having to deal with those people in uniforms again, right?"

"It's just a tool for fishing."

And at that moment.

[Ding!]

[You have fallen into deep thought, combining sociology, fishery resource management regulations, and conventional military equipment procurement standards...]

[Deducing...]

[Ding! Answer obtained:]

[Relying solely on the single indicator of "capturing a huge number of fish" does not meet the requisition standards for any existing national-level strategic equipment. Under normal logic, this product does not possess the possibility of being requisitioned for military use.]

[Note: Of course, if it were in the Ugly Country across the ocean, considering Chuanpu's notoriously erratic style of conduct, it's not ruled out that he might requisition it because you caught too many fish and he's jealous.]

Seeing this clear and even slightly humorous answer.

Li Jiajun's heart finally fell back into his chest with a thud.

It's settled!

Completely settled!

Even the system said that unless it's that lunatic Chuanpu, what normal country would requisition a Fishing Rod just because it catches a lot of fish?

"Hehehe..."

Li Jiajun couldn't help but chuckle foolishly.

He didn't realize at all that his direction of thinking had been wrong from the start.

He was focused on the surface phenomenon of "catching a lot of fish."

And the Heaven-Defying Comprehension Panel was also triggered according to his train of thought.

Unfortunately, Li Jiajun, immersed in the joy of "finally being safe," completely overlooked this fatal blind spot.

He picked up his phone and sent Liu Jianguo a message full of gratitude and confidence:

[Li Jiajun: Uncle Liu! Thanks! I believe you this time! Let's do Fishing Rods! I'll go get ready right now!]

...

On the other side.

Looking at the message from Li Jiajun, a gratified smile appeared on Liu Jianguo's face.

"Phew..."

He breathed a complete sigh of relief and tossed his phone aside, feeling as if his whole body had become several pounds lighter.

Over the past few days, he had worried himself sick over this kid's affairs, losing quite a bit of hair.

Now it was fine.

The Fishing Rod project was established, and the kid could finally get on the right track.

"Fishing Rods are good, Fishing Rods are wonderful."

"They can cultivate one's character and carry no danger."

"Once he makes them, I'll definitely have him send me a set. I'll go to the river and cast a few lines myself to get rid of my recent bad luck."

Liu Jianguo thought happily, as if he could already see the peaceful and beautiful life ahead.

Thinking that an old Air Force like himself might finally be able to turn things around with this rod.

(Air Force: Atchoo! Is someone talking about me?)