Chapter 369 Sunk Costs and Bestselling Toys

The early morning mist had not yet dispersed, enveloping the special operations base like a light veil.

Old Wolf and the members of the Decapitation Squad had already left the base quietly.

To ensure absolute secrecy for this transnational operation, they dispersed into smaller units.

The team members had long since shed their military uniforms, symbols of iron and blood, and changed into deceptive civilian clothes.

Some carried backpacks, looking like poor college students on a graduation trip, choosing to take the high-speed rail to the border of Dian Province as tourists before entering through official channels.

Others wore suits and leather shoes with gold-rimmed glasses, taking business passports to fly directly from international airports.

Various other covert travel methods were utilized to the extreme.

In any case, they disguised themselves as various ordinary tourists or international businessmen, blending into the vast sea of people like drops of water, with no flaws to be found.

According to the operation plan, they would eventually converge again in the chaotic lawless land of Sanbianpo, transforming into a sharp blade.

...

The lens focuses on the youngest special operations member, Yan Poyue.

At this moment, Yan Poyue was acting as an ordinary backpacker, pulling a common black suitcase found on the market, sitting on a speeding high-speed train headed for the border of Dian Province.

The carriage was slightly noisy; an older woman next to him was talking on the phone, and the green mountains and rivers outside the window flashed by.

He leaned back in the comfortable high-speed rail seat, but his gaze involuntarily fell on the black suitcase by his feet.

In truth, after the ruthless blow in the dormitory last night that could be called "social death," his proud heart as a top-tier scholar had already shattered into glass shards.

He no longer held any hope for that Firefighting Parent-Child Pistol with "one-click smart matching."

However, once a top student's obsession takes hold, it's harder to pull back than nine oxen.

After all, he had put in three full days of hard work, derived countless fluid dynamics formulas, and even stayed up until his eyes were bloodshot just to study that brick-thick manual bit by bit.

Driven by the intense reluctance caused by such a massive sunk cost.

Before departing, he hesitated for a long time.

Finally, he gritted his teeth and brought that dusty plastic pistol along.

'Anyway, this thing is made of non-metallic materials; it won't have any problems passing through security.'

'Even if it's just a water gun, I have to take it abroad and try squirt someone with it, otherwise wouldn't my brain cells from those three days and nights have died in vain!' This thought surfaced in his mind.

Carrying this inexplicable top-student resentment, he tucked it safely into his suitcase, pressed tightly against a few changes of clothes.

...

Just as the members of the Decapitation Squad, burdened with a national mission, were dispersing toward Sanbianpo.

The perspective crossed thousands of mountains and rivers, switching back to the Li Family Toy Factory in Baishui City, Lu Province.

In the spacious and bright production workshop, a batch of Li Jiajun's painstaking creation—the Firefighting Parent-Child Pistol—had been successfully produced.

Of course, to be safe and to test the market reaction.

Li Jiajun did not let the workers go all out, producing only a small batch of one thousand units.

Sunlight streamed through the blinds onto the large solid wood desktop.

Li Jiajun sat at his desk, humming an unknown tune happily, and started a live stream on his phone.

As soon as the broadcast started, the familiar notification sounds rang incessantly.

Seeing the fifty to sixty thousand Netizens quickly flooding into the livestream room, the bullet comments rolled frantically like a waterfall.

"Your Excellency, the militia general, what kind of arms do you plan to hand over today?"

"Streamer, when exactly are you going to sell that firefighting toy you mentioned last time that can fire many bullets in one shot?"

"My son clamors for it every day; if you don't list it soon, I'm going to report you for false advertising!"

...

Seeing these impatient comments, the smile on the corner of Li Jiajun's mouth grew even brighter.

He skillfully operated the phone's backend, setting the inventory and price for the product link.

Then, he straightened his collar, waved his hand grandly at the camera, and said with immense pride:

"family, I know you're anxious, but don't be in a hurry just yet."

"Let's put a hundred units on the yellow cart first."

No sooner had he spoken.

Those Netizens who had been waiting in front of their screens, their fingers clicking the shopping cart frantically, erupted with the hand speed of someone single for twenty years.

In the time it took to just refresh the screen.

Li Jiajun hadn't even had time to pick up his teacup to take a sip and moisten his throat.

The yellow cart in the livestream room was emptied in an instant.

One hundred Firefighting Parent-Child Pistols, which were not priced cheaply, were snapped up by thirsty Netizens in the blink of an eye.

The sales data in the backend jumped directly to the gray "sold out" status.

Those Netizens who were half a beat too slow and failed to grab one immediately wailed in the bullet comments.

"Holy crap! Are you guys animals? A hundred units are gone just like that?"

"Main Streamer, stop squeezing the toothpaste; hurry up and release the rest all at once!"

Li Jiajun stared blankly at the inventory on his phone screen that had emptied in seconds.

Although he was confident in his business vision for making legitimate toys, this level of popularity far exceeded his expectations.

'How are these guys' hand speeds so fast?'

He looked again at the bullet comments frantically complaining about not getting one, feeling speechless.

This enthusiasm for buying toys was even more insane than older ladies fighting for eggs at the supermarket.

...

Then, at this time.

Far away in the Ministry of Military Industry building in the Imperial Capital, Liu Jianguo was also using his phone to slack off and watch Li Jiajun's livestream.

He sat comfortably in his office chair, holding a cup of steaming top-grade Da Hong Pao tea dust, which he had snatched from a top leader a few years ago.

When he saw in Li Jiajun's livestream that these hundred Firefighting Parent-Child Pistols were actually so popular.

Seeing the exaggerated scene of them selling out the moment they were listed.

Liu Jianguo couldn't help but shake his head as well.

A self-satisfied smile appeared on his face, the kind of relief an elder feels when seeing a younger person finally get on the right track.

He blew on the floating leaves in his teacup and muttered:

"He really did manage to create a best-selling toy."

Looking at the young man on the screen, who was busy soothing the Netizens' emotions and looking full of success.

Liu Jianguo leaned back in his chair, feeling comfortable all over.

He felt that the kid must be overjoyed right now and should thank him properly.

After all, if not for his own foresight.

With the other's weird constitution, he wouldn't have been able to produce such an absolutely legal and compliant civilian hit.

'Haha, isn't everyone happy now?' This thought appeared in his mind.

In Liu Jianguo's view.

This was a win-win situation for everyone.

Furthermore, he had personally inspected that gun; it didn't even have a single metal part, a pure piece of scrap and defect, absolutely as safe as could be.

Thinking this way.

He put down his teacup and picked up his work phone.

He opened WeChat and found Li Jiajun's profile.

Since the kid's firefighting toy business was on the right track, it was time to push for the main task.

His fingers tapped quickly on the screen, and he sent a WeChat message to Li Jiajun decisively.

"Little Li, when will those firefighting equipment prototypes be ready?"