Chapter 402 The Cost of Thermobaric Weapons

Inside an office in a certain military district of the Imperial Capital.

Sunlight poured through the gaps in the blinds, splashing onto the solid wood floor.

Behind the large desk.

This chief, bearing a general's star—the same old friend who had just teased Liu Jianguo on WeChat—was sitting upright in a thick solid wood chair.

The faint glow from the computer screen illuminated his face, which was marked by the passage of time.

Just moments ago.

He had witnessed with his own eyes that piece of equipment called a "Thermobaric Bomb" instantly flattening the raging fire on a hilltop nine kilometers away.

That rising miniature mushroom cloud.

That ring-shaped overpressure shockwave visible to the naked eye.

These images were indeed visually striking.

'But that's about it.'

The military big shot picked up the purple clay teacup beside him and gently blew away a few tea leaves floating on the surface.

He took a sip of the warm tea.

One must understand.

Compared to the things Li Jiajun had brought out before.

Something like a Thermobaric Bomb was just mediocre.

After all.

They already had ready-made versions in their military arsenal.

So, he casually sent a bullet chat message:

"What is the production cost of this fire extinguishing shell of yours?"

...

At the same time.

On the outskirts of Baishui City.

In the open backyard of the Li Family Toy Factory.

Li Jiajun was sitting in the cab of that armored vehicle.

Having just completed a perfect practical demonstration, he was in a very pleasant mood.

The air conditioning was running in the spacious cab.

A cool breeze blew through his hair.

He adjusted to a more comfortable sitting position, leaning his back against the seat.

His gaze fell on the phone screen fixed in front of the console.

At this moment, the public screen of the livestream room.

It had already turned into a boiling ocean.

Countless Netizens were shaken slightly out of their minds by that mushroom cloud.

All sorts of exclamation points and question marks were interwoven, scrolling down rapidly like a waterfall.

"Buy a fire extinguisher and get a mushroom cloud for free, what a bargain!"

"Is this the kind of thing a freaking fire extinguisher can do?"

...

Facing this screen full of fuss.

Li Jiajun didn't take it to heart at all.

He was very thick-skinned.

He just felt that these viewers lacked experience and didn't know how to appreciate this high-end art of fire extinguishing.

Just as he was about to speak and soothe the startled audience.

His gaze, amidst the dizzying scrolling characters, caught a unique question.

And at this time.

Sitting in the cab, Li Jiajun also happened to see this bullet chat message floating across the public screen.

"What is the production cost of this fire extinguishing shell of yours?"

The moment this line of text entered his eyes.

His eyes immediately lit up.

Finally, someone asked the key question!

Leaving the backrest and leaning forward, his originally casual demeanor became serious.

He spoke directly to the camera:

"This boss has asked the key question."

These words were spoken clearly and loudly.

Li Jiajun felt that the person asking this question must be someone in charge of a fire equipment procurement department.

Otherwise, how could the other party hit the nail on the head?

In his business logic, only heads of official agencies who truly held a budget and intended to procure in large batches would immediately evaluate the cost after seeing the product's power.

Ordinary onlookers would only care about the explosion—no, they'd focus on whether the fire extinguishing scene looked good.

They wouldn't think about deep core issues like production cost at all.

It looked like the fire extinguishing efficiency was extremely high.

A one-hit kill from nine kilometers away.

The hardcore function of instantly draining the surrounding oxygen.

This kind of fire extinguishing scene comparable to a sci-fi blockbuster.

Anyone else would think the price must be very high at first glance, perhaps even an astronomical figure.

The boss of the procurement department was worried that the local fire fighting funds wouldn't be enough, so he was testing the waters in the bullet chat in advance.

This behavior was very much in line with the objective laws of the procurement process.

'Finally, a buyer who knows the trade has come knocking.'

'It seems today's demonstration wasn't a waste of effort.' This thought surfaced in his mind.

Once this feeling of smugness spread.

His sharp-tongued trait unconsciously emerged again.

Looking at those ordinary Netizens on the screen who were still shouting "so scary."

He directly treated the complaints in his heart as the narration for the livestream.

He just naturally muttered into the microphone:

"See, there's no point in asking them; Netizens are quite capable of arguing in the livestream room normally."

"But as soon as it comes to a part that reflects professional literacy, they all stop talking. They're all quite useless."

"It still has to be the boss of the procurement department who knows the trade."

"When encountering such an epoch-making good product, the first thing they care about is the cost issue."

...

These words, spoken as if no one else were around, were transmitted via the network signal.

The Netizens in the livestream room who were still in a state of shock.

Hearing this.

Their defenses were instantly broken by this unguarded sharp tongue.

Everyone was shocked by the destructive power of this thing.

And this Streamer is actually complaining that the audience doesn't know how to do business?

A wave of protest text immediately floated across the bullet chat.

"Main Streamer, don't go too far! Why did you say what you were thinking out loud again!"

"You're providing your own narration to mock us! Holy crap!"

Facing the Netizens' explosion.

Li Jiajun displayed his traditional skill.

He decisively pretended not to see it.

His gaze automatically filtered out those protesting bullet chat messages.

He picked up the thermos on the console beside him and took a sip of water to moisten his throat.

He prepared to properly answer that "procurement boss's" question.

...

Meanwhile, at the other end of the network.

Inside the office of the Imperial Capital Ministry of Military Industry.

The air in the room seemed to stop flowing.

The cold air blowing from the air conditioner's outlet hit the skin, making one feel a chill.

He slumped in the leather chair.

His whole person was like a deflated ball.

And at this moment.

When he heard Li Jiajun facing the camera, saying "This boss has asked the key question" in that smug tone.

Liu Jianguo's heart couldn't help but skip a beat.

Suddenly, he had a very bad premonition.

This premonition was like the sweltering heat before a summer thunderstorm, making it hard to breathe.

Having followed this kid through so many storms, he knew the other's unusual brain circuitry all too well.

Every time this young man showed this expression as if he had grasped a core business opportunity, the words that followed would definitely make everyone's blood pressure explode.

Then, he immediately sat up straight.

Because the movement was a bit large, the office chair made a "creak" of friction.

His hands pressed on the edge of the desk.

He looked at the livestream screen.

The sweat on his forehead that he had just wiped away with a tissue showed signs of gathering again.

Liu Jianguo's breathing became heavy.

'What does this kid want to do now?'

'Production cost?'

'What's there to show off about the cost of a Thermobaric Bomb?'

For a military-grade Thermobaric Bomb, even the most basic individual portable model.

The bottom line for producing just one was over a hundred thousand.

This kid couldn't possibly quote an unacceptable figure for the price of this strategic-level weapon of mass destruction, could he?

Under Liu Jianguo's tense watch, where he didn't even dare to breathe heavily.

Then, Li Jiajun faced the camera and answered the question with a face full of confidence.

His voice echoed clearly in this spacious office through the external speakers.

"All you bosses who want to procure my thermobaric fire extinguishing shell must also be concerned about this issue, concerned about the price."

...

Hearing this build-up.

Liu Jianguo couldn't help but swallow a mouthful of saliva.

Not just him.

That military big shot holding the teacup in the military district office.

As well as countless special viewers hidden behind the network who knew a bit about military industry common sense.

All of them pricked up their ears.

Everyone wanted to hear just what kind of range this private toy factory could control the cost of this lethal weapon within.

...

In the screen.

The smile on Li Jiajun's face became increasingly brilliant.

He felt that now was the highlight moment to demonstrate the powerful supply chain integration capabilities of the Li Family Toy Factory.

After speaking, Li Jiajun held up a finger and shook his head, saying:

"But everyone needn't worry, I have certainly considered it."

He deliberately paused for a second.

Looking at the rapidly scrolling bullet chat on the screen.

He seemed to enjoy this feeling of being the center of attention.

Subsequently.

He tossed out that figure that made everyone's worldview collapse, word by word.

"The cost has been greatly compressed."

"The price of this thermobaric fire extinguishing shell is 5,000 yuan a piece."

He spoke with great pride.

He even raised an eyebrow at the camera.

As these words spread through the network.

The air in the entire livestream room seemed to be sucked dry.

However.

Li Jiajun, sitting in the armored vehicle.

Was completely unaware of this shock.

In his own perception, this pricing had a very rigorous business logic.

Because he felt there must be competitors who, after knowing the principle of his thermobaric fire extinguishing shell, would want to copy it.

Current business competition was extremely cruel.

Those toy factory owners with a keen sense of smell, or other factories making fire equipment.

Seeing this world-destroying fire extinguishing effect.

Maybe someone was already secretly wanting to buy it back to study it.

Then they'd take the casing apart.

Figure out the Aerosol formula and the structural principle of the two-stage detonation inside.

And then produce similar products to seize this huge market share.

To deal with such malicious competition, the best defense was to actively launch a price war.

As long as he announced this price, it would definitely scare off these competitors.

A retail price of five thousand yuan a piece.

Only he himself knew the profit margin within.

Calculated comprehensively, the material and labor cost per unit was outrageously low.

He could achieve this price and still make a profit.

And it was a very considerable profit.

If competitors wanted to forcibly copy it without the core optimized blueprints.

Just figuring out the stable ratios of those chemical fuels and the delay parameters of the Fuse would burn through a huge amount of R&D expenses.

What would they have to compete with his five-thousand-yuan finished product?

But those people without his technology would definitely not be able to do it.