Chapter 305 We're doomed! Are they going to take everything, even bribes?

Just as the Netizens in the livestream were arguing heatedly over what exactly the concept of "Never Air Force" meant...

...the atmosphere inside the office presented a sense of division.

In a corner not far away...

...Wang Dachui stopped his action of peeling sunflower seeds.

His already small eyes instantly lit up upon seeing Elder Qian push open the door and enter, followed by a group of leaders.

They were even brighter than the incandescent lights overhead.

He felt his blood boiling all over; the excitement of being about to witness history made him squeeze his legs together.

'They're here! They're here!'

'The real heavyweight audience has finally arrived!'

'Now this double act between the Factory Director and Minister Liu finally has some real prestige!'

Such a thought surfaced in his mind.

In Wang Dachui's eccentric train of thought, everything happening before him was definitely no coincidence.

This must be a setup that his own Factory Director and Minister Liu had planned long ago!

As he looked at the newly arrived Elder Qian, an idiom flashed through his mind like lightning.

Grand Duke Jiang fishes; The willing one gets hooked.

'So that's how it is!'

Wang Dachui gave his boss a frantic thumbs-up in his heart, feeling that he had completely seen through the essence of this operation.

'Elder Qian is the fish!'

'No wonder the two of them were making a Fishing Rod; it's a total metaphor!'

'I knew it! High-grade material like carbon fiber can be used for all sorts of things—fighter jets, armor—so why on earth make a harmless Fishing Rod?'

'So that was the plan! Using a fishing tool to catch the biggest fish—this flex is so culturally sophisticated!'

The Bighead Carp Wang Dachui was smug, convinced his reasoning was spot on.

He was even ready to take the lead in applauding at the most climactic moment later.

...

While Wang Dachui was getting all worked up and imagining things in the corner...

...the situation in the room also shifted.

Elder Qian took two steps forward, his gaze sweeping over the dark-faced Liu Jianguo before glancing at the innocent-looking Li Jiajun.

He cleared his throat, directly cutting off Liu Jianguo's words.

"Comrades, what happened here?"

Elder Qian pointed outside and asked in confusion:

"Why did I just hear 'Air Force' while I was outside?"

...

Hearing that voice...

...Li Jiajun, who had been facing away from the door, suddenly stiffened.

He turned his head and looked toward the source of the sound.

When he clearly saw the old man standing there, Li Jiajun's heart skipped a beat.

He thought to himself that things were looking bad.

'Why is this old gentleman here too?'

Li Jiajun knew this old man all too well.

This old guy was involved during the last requisition.

He had eaten and taken everything he could from him.

However...

...matters had come to this; there was no escaping it now.

Li Jiajun could only force down the growing sense of foreboding in his heart.

He took a deep breath, put on an expression of extreme grievance, and hurried out from behind the desk.

He stepped forward and explained to Elder Qian:

"Elder Qian, you've come at just the right time. Please, be the judge here."

"It's like this."

"I was just bored and made an ordinary Fishing Rod myself."

He decided to let this old man settle the matter.

As Li Jiajun spoke, he pointed at the still dark-faced Liu Jianguo, his tone full of accusation.

"And then this Uncle Liu..."

"...he insists that the carbon fiber in my Fishing Rod can be used by the Air Force!"

"Listen to that—isn't that just nonsense?"

To prove his innocence, Li Jiajun deliberately raised his voice and emphasized:

"The Air Force here isn't the kind of Air Force where you fail to catch fish."

"It's the one that flies in the sky!"

...

Li Jiajun spoke with righteous conviction and earnestness.

He thought that a great Expert like Elder Qian, who valued scientific rigor, would immediately step up to refute Liu Jianguo's nonsense about linking a Fishing Rod to fighter jets.

And then help clear his name.

However...

...as he reached this point, he reflexively looked up.

He didn't see any confusion or a scolding for Liu Jianguo on Elder Qian's face.

On the contrary...

...he happened to see Elder Qian's eyes.

Just after he personally said, "The carbon fiber can be used by the Air Force—the one that flies in the sky."

Elder Qian's cloudy eyes, which had been a bit tired and confused...

...instantly lit up!

That light was too intense.

Too familiar.

Li Jiajun had seen it too many times; it was clearly the look of a hungry wolf seeing fat meat!

The kind of look that said he couldn't wait to pack up the item along with the production line and haul it away without leaving a single thread behind!

Seeing this familiar look...

...Li Jiajun's heart skipped another beat.

He stared blankly at Elder Qian.

It's over.

It's completely over now.

He sighed inwardly, knowing his explanation hadn't worked and had instead served as a precise menu for the other party.

In extreme despair and helplessness...

...his eccentric train of thought acted up again.

He forgot he was facing a highly respected, national treasure-level scientist.

Once again, he treated his truest inner thoughts as a voice-over.

In front of everyone, in an extremely flat yet utterly disdainful tone, he spoke them aloud:

"It's all over."

"I forgot, this is another poor relative."

After all, this old man had eaten and taken things before—how could he have forgotten that?

...

Li Jiajun's words echoed in the quiet laboratory.

Hearing this...

...Elder Qian, who had been excited a moment ago upon confirming the use of the carbon fiber, saw his expression freeze instantly.

The corners of his mouth began to twitch uncontrollably.