224: You want me to lose money? Seal all the booster armor!!!

The Chitu Army?

This old gentleman was actually from the Chitu Army. No wonder he seemed so familiar.

Lu Shenwei hurriedly stood up: "Zhou Cun, pull up the information on the real-name report immediately, and invite the leaders of the Security Department over as well."

Theoretically, soldiers of the Chitu Army were all veteran heroes who enjoyed special state allowances and subsidies, and every single one of them had to be registered.

Since this old gentleman was not on the registry, there could only be one possibility: he had concealed his heroic past.

"There is no need to disturb the Security Department; you just need to let my grandson be hired normally," Old Master Zhao said, buttoning his jacket.

"And find the bastard who slandered me."

Lu Shenwei smiled apologetically: "Rest assured, we will never let those who spread rumors and slander get away with it."

Old Master Zhao asked: "Then, what about my grandson's hiring?"

"Director Ma, issue an announcement on the official website right now. Zhao Sidong is hired normally, and at the same time, issue him an employment certificate," Lu Shenwei said.

The gleaming medal was the best proof; no one in Longxia Country would dare to impersonate a Chitu Army hero.

Half an hour later, the leaders of the Qinchuan Security Department arrived at Julong Steel Factory.

After careful verification, the identity of the old gentleman, Zhao Mingzhi, was confirmed.

A former underground operative of the Chitu Army, code-named "Hu · Kite".

During the War of Resistance, he dedicated his youth to the cause of the rejuvenation of the Longxia nation.

He was betrayed by traitors many times, arrested and imprisoned, and subjected to brutal torture by the enemy.

But he ultimately turned danger into safety, passing nearly a hundred pieces of classified intelligence to the motherland and the organization.

He was received by the highest leaders of Longxia and was awarded the First-Class Merit of the Longxia Covert Front.

After the founding of the country, he refused high positions and generous salaries from his superiors and returned to his hometown to make a living.

"Such a legendary figure is right here in our Qinchuan, and I didn't even know it," Zhou Wen exclaimed with emotion.

Zhou Cun said: "If Old Master Zhao hadn't come to us, we would still be in the dark."

"I have already spoken to the comrades at the District Investigation Bureau; we must strictly investigate the criminals who slandered a hero and punish them severely!"

Zhou Wen had received the news from his nephew in the morning and immediately stopped all his work to rush to the guard room of Julong Steel Factory. After understanding the situation, he immediately gave instructions to the district.

We cannot let heroes shed both blood and tears.

Qinchuan North District, the Zhao family home.

Zhao Sidong's father looked at the medals covering the table that belonged to his old father, feeling overwhelmed with emotion.

"Dad, why have I never heard you mention your experience in the Chitu Army?"

Old Master Zhao carefully put away the medals: "Why bring that up?"

"But you are a hero," Zhao Sidong's mother said.

Old Master Zhao sighed: "What kind of hero am I? Those comrades and brothers-in-arms of mine who sacrificed themselves are the true heroes."

"Dad... both you and your comrades are amazing heroes!"

Later that day, Zhao Sidong received a separate job offer sent by Julong Steel.

"That's strange. Why did I get a separate job offer? Isn't it usually posted on the official website?"

As Zhao Sidong was about to check the official website, Zhao's mother whispered: "His father, stop him."

"No need, the Julong Steel official website has already updated the announcement. There's no problem."

Zhao Sidong checked: "The hiring announcement is normal. Mom, Dad, I'll officially start work tomorrow."

Seeing that his grandson's job was settled, Old Master Zhao chuckled: "Go to work with peace of mind."

The next day, Qinchuan TV station contacted Old Master Zhao for an exclusive interview, but he politely declined.

That afternoon, the jealous neighbor suspected of spreading rumors was detained.

After the recruitment turmoil, Julong Steel remained busy as ever.

Ma Quanlin led the Sniper Grenade Launcher working group to devote themselves to the research and development of new equipment, while the Dragon Cry Powered Armor was being produced in an orderly manner.

Two weeks later, 800 units of Dragon Cry Powered Armor were officially delivered to Nifeng Express, but Wang Jiawei of Nifeng Express couldn't bring himself to be happy.

"President, all the Dragon Cry Powered Armor units have been sent out. How would you like to arrange them?" Assistant Chen asked.

Wang Jiawei sighed: "Under the new policy, the advantages of the powered armor are no longer obvious. Send them to remote areas for use."

"Also, publicity is fine, but don't spend too much money."

Currently, vigorously promoting the Dragon Cry Powered Armor didn't help Nifeng Express's stock price much.

The 30 million already spent could be considered a sunk cost, but if he were asked to invest another penny, no way!

That afternoon, a third-rate media outlet focused on reporting the news that Nifeng Express had equipped remote mountainous areas with Dragon Cry Powered Armor.

However, it only stayed at the twenty-ninth spot on the Qiandu trending list for two minutes before being pushed down by the news of a male celebrity cutting his finger and being sent to the emergency room.

A week later, some couriers in remote areas started using the Dragon Cry Powered Armor, but after just three days, they fed back to the Nifeng Express headquarters that the Dragon Cry Powered Armor was not easy to use.

"Not easy to use? How is that possible?"

Assistant Chen looked at the problems reported by the couriers in confusion, and he called a courier on the spot.

"What's the problem with the Dragon Cry Powered Armor? Insufficient power? Or is the battery life not good?"

"The power is strong; it can even climb steep slopes, and the battery life is impeccable—it can work for over six hours continuously."

"Then where is the problem?"

"Haven't you used it? It's the charging. Charging is too slow, and it consumes too much power. It takes at least 32 hours to fully charge after the battery is depleted, and it's especially power-hungry."

"You wouldn't know, but when charging, the electric meter at home spins like crazy, never stopping."

"I just charged it once, and the power supply bureau thought I was mining at home and even came to investigate."

Assistant Chen asked in surprise: "How many kilowatt-hours of electricity does it take to fully charge?"

"At least 80 kilowatt-hours. Will headquarters subsidize this electricity bill? If you subsidize it, I'll keep using it; if not, I'll send it back to headquarters," the courier said.

People in remote areas really couldn't afford it; at this rate, the electricity bill would be at least a thousand a month.

Assistant Chen pondered: "I will ask the President and then get back to you. Keep using the powered armor for now."

Assistant Chen went to find Wang Jiawei with the problem, but was scolded severely by the latter.

"Is your brain growing on your butt? A thousand in electricity bills a month, that's 12,000 per unit a year. Eight hundred units of powered armor means nearly ten million in expenses. You want to subsidize them? Who is going to subsidize me?"

Assistant Chen was scolded so badly he didn't dare to breathe, but the problem still had to be solved.

"Then should we take them all back?"

"Take back my ass! Bringing them back is another expense. Just give them to the staff below as a benefit. Even without power, can't they still serve as support braces?"

After scolding him, Wang Jiawei left in a huff. Assistant Chen muttered: "You're the one who asked to spend money, and you're the one who asked to save money. You get to play both the good guy and the bad guy. Does that mean I'm the only bad guy at Nifeng Express?"

Wang Jiawei, who was walking away, suddenly stopped: "What are you muttering about?"

"No... nothing. I was just thinking that Julong Steel said this equipment was top secret."

"Top secret? Then take them all back and put them in the warehouse, and weld the warehouse door shut for me."

Two days later, all the issued Dragon Cry Powered Armor units were recalled, and the related video reports were removed from the Nifeng Express official website. It was as if nothing had ever happened.