Chapter 370 Weird and Weird

Baishui City.

Inside the spacious and bright office of the Li Family Toy Factory.

A smartphone on the solid wood desktop let out a short vibration notification.

Li Jiajun was sitting at his desk, livestreaming, with a cup of freshly brewed goji berry tea in his hand.

Hearing the sound, he picked up the phone.

The screen clearly displayed a WeChat inquiry from Liu Jianguo: "Little Li, when can those firefighting equipment prototypes be ready?"

...

Seeing this message, Li Jiajun's tea-drinking motion paused.

Then, he set down the teacup and tapped a few times on the screen.

He replied directly to Liu Jianguo: "The prototypes will be ready in the next couple of days."

After sending the message, he didn't even give it a second glance and casually tossed the phone aside.

Actually, when he first received this task, he was quite focused on producing those firefighting toys.

To address the series of pain points Uncle Liu mentioned, he had wracked his brains and had insights into several large items.

But now, the situation had changed drastically.

The Parent-Child Firefighting Pistol he just created sold so well in the livestream room that it was sold out the moment it was listed.

This sense of accomplishment from watching the background sales data jump frantically made him rediscover the joy of being a pure businessman.

With this hit product as a foundation, he didn't care much for those clunky, large firefighting toys anymore.

After all, in his view...

Those massive Tracked Armored Vehicles, Individual Rocket Launchers with terrifying range, and Thermobaric Bombs that could instantly suck out all the oxygen...

Firefighting equipment with such oversized dimensions and power wasn't really a toy.

What child could play with a dozens-of-tons steel beast?

He was naturally more invested in things like the Parent-Child Firefighting Pistol, which was light, cool, and a real toy for kids.

...

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away in the Imperial Capital.

Inside an office in the Ministry of Military Industry building, decorated with solid wood bookcases and leather sofas.

Because of the cold screen, Li Jiajun's casual and perfunctory expression could not be seen at all.

Looking at the definite and reassuring words in the reply on the phone screen...

This Uncle Liu, Liu Jianguo, didn't think much of it.

A satisfied smile appeared on the old comrade's face.

He felt the kid had finally done something reliable.

He ended the communication with complete peace of mind.

Then, he hung up the phone.

...

Having received Li Jiajun's definite reply, Liu Jianguo let out a long sigh of relief.

Leaning back in his comfortable chair, he felt that the matter was finally settled.

Those high-end firefighting equipment pain points that were bottlenecking the country would soon be resolved.

At this moment, Liu Jianguo sat up straight and immediately picked up the phone on the desk.

He skillfully dialed an internal number and called the Old General of the General Armament Department.

The call was quickly picked up.

On the phone, Liu Jianguo was beaming, solemnly assuring the old chief that the firefighting equipment was almost ready on his end.

...

After a vivid report on the work progress...

Liu Jianguo then spoke loudly into the receiver in an unabashedly boastful tone, "Don't you worry, Old General. Have I ever let you down?"

Just as he said those words.

Slight footsteps came from outside the half-closed frosted glass door of the office.

His assistant, Xiao Zhang, happened to be carrying several routine documents and had something to report.

Xiao Zhang walked to the door and straightened his uniform collar.

Then, he raised his hand and knocked.

"Knock, knock."

The crisp knocking sound echoed in the large office.

While on the phone, Liu Jianguo looked up.

In a good mood, he casually waved toward the door, signaling him to come straight in.

With the leader's permission, Xiao Zhang turned the doorknob and entered.

...

Upon entering, Xiao Zhang was about to greet him.

But he clearly heard Liu Jianguo's solemn guarantees over the phone.

Hearing his director pounding his chest and promising the chief of the General Armament Department that the firefighting equipment was almost ready...

Xiao Zhang's footsteps came to a sudden halt, and his expression instantly became quite colorful.

His originally calm features seemed to undergo an earthquake, and the corners of his mouth twitched uncontrollably.

Memories of the past few days flooded his mind like a tide.

He immediately remembered a few days ago when Director Liu, Liu Jianguo called him into the office and gave him a strict order.

He was required to fully cooperate and unconditionally meet all the demands of that young Factory Director Li far away in Baishui City.

At that time, that Factory Director Li had really made an outrageous demand!

On the chassis requirement list he submitted, he directly asked for an active-duty tank!

Recalling that insane list specifying Torsion Bar Suspension and high-strength Armored Steel...

Xiao Zhang roared inwardly, feeling completely overwhelmed.

'A Main Battle Tank!'

'No matter how you look at it, this thing doesn't look like it's for firefighting!'

'If it goes out on the street, it's not going to put out a fire; it's going to level the neighborhood!'

'Director, what on earth are you promising the chief?!'

'Why do I feel like the Old General shouldn't be at ease? This isn't firefighting; this is practically an arms race!' This thought surfaced in his mind.

...

Because the storm of internal complaints was too intense, Xiao Zhang's brain stalled.

He stood frozen in place like a wooden post, clutching the folder tightly.

Shortly after, Liu Jianguo finished his report and hung up the phone, feeling very satisfied.

Putting down the receiver, Liu Jianguo took a sip of tea to moisten his throat.

Then, he looked up at the assistant standing by the door.

Seeing his assistant standing there dazed with the documents, the old comrade Liu Jianguo couldn't help but frown, feeling a bit surprised.

In his impression, this assistant was usually swift and efficient in his work, a very capable young man.

But now, he looked as if he had lost his soul, staring blankly, indeed appearing a bit foolish.

Liu Jianguo put down his teacup, cleared his throat, and asked, "What documents do you have for me to sign?"

Hearing the director's question, the stalled assistant finally jolted.

He snapped back to his senses.

Realizing his gaffe, Xiao Zhang quickly stepped forward.

He took a deep breath, trying to keep his voice steady, and said he had a quarterly routine supplies approval form for the Ministry of Military Industry's subordinate laboratory for Director Liu, Liu Jianguo to sign.

Liu Jianguo didn't notice the turmoil behind this ordinary document.

He took the form, scanned it to confirm everything was correct, and then quickly signed it with his fountain pen.

He put the cap back on the pen.

The assistant then reached out with both hands and respectfully took the signed document.

Then, with his head bowed, he turned and walked out.

As he walked out, his steps were still a bit unsteady, and he remained somewhat distracted.

He even accidentally bumped into the doorframe while opening the door.

Sitting behind his large desk, Liu Jianguo watched his behavior and rubbed his chin.

He couldn't help but mutter, "Strange and peculiar."