Chapter 161 Anti-War Theme Park

After this question was asked, a few seconds of silence filled the conference room.

Governor DeWine's hand tightened slightly on the table; he could help Mu Xin fend off Bremer's commercial extortion, but he could not help Mu Xin fend off a question posed by someone from Washington.

To intervene would be to tell Cohen that the ties between himself and Mu Xin were deeper than Cohen imagined, which would be bad for both him and Mu Xin.

Acton lowered her head, looking at the cup in front of her; she was a public health official by background, and armaments were not her field.

She did not look at Mu Xin, not because she didn't care, but because she knew that in a situation like this, any superfluous glance could be remembered by Cohen.

Ramaswamy also fell silent; he suspected that Cohen knew his role in this matter.

Mu Xin looked around at the faces in the room, and then he spoke.

"Mr. Cohen, you are very well-informed. I did indeed purchase a batch of equipment. All the procurement for this equipment went through legal public auctions and licensed arms dealer channels, and everything is on file in Ohio."

"You ask me why I bought weapons; the answer is simple—" He raised his eyes and looked directly at Cohen.

"I plan to build a large-scale theme park in Oxford Town with an anti-war theme, so I need quite a bit of weaponry and equipment to create the atmosphere."

"I will continue to purchase large quantities of weapons and equipment in the future; after all, a theme park on par with Disney cannot be built with just a few planes."

Everyone in the conference room was stunned.

Cohen had no reaction, but he certainly had not expected this answer.

"Theme park." Cohen repeated the four words, a hint of mild curiosity in his tone.

"Yes. Oxford Town is the home of Miami University, where nearly thirty thousand people live, attend classes, and spend money every year."

"There is no large-scale theme park in central or southern Ohio. Along the 120-mile corridor from Columbus to Cincinnati, the density of family entertainment facilities is the lowest among the three major urban belts in Ohio."

Mu Xin spoke at a measured pace, as if explaining a business plan that had undergone thorough research.

"The plan for the anti-war theme park is divided into three zones. The first is the experience zone, where visitors can enter military equipment that has been converted for civilian use to experience the real environment of a battlefield."

"The BTR-80 armored personnel carriers will be converted into tour vehicles to simulate battlefield transport on off-road routes between the sinkholes and the artificial lake."

"Black Hawk helicopters and Mi-17 helicopters will provide aerial sightseeing. The experience of the autumn forest scenery of central Ohio from a helicopter's perspective is something that natural trails on the ground can never replicate."

"The second zone is the exhibition zone, showcasing the evolution of warfare from World War I to the present."

"Heavy machine guns and small arms will be fixed on display racks as historical exhibits; they cannot be fired, disassembled, or touched."

"The model, production year, and usage history of each weapon will be noted on display boards."

"The third zone is the education zone. We will collaborate with the School of International Relations at Miami University to conduct academic seminars on the ethics of war and conflict resolution."

"We will hold an international anti-war forum every year, inviting scholars and journalists from conflict zones to give lectures."

He placed his hands crossed on the table, his gaze moving calmly between Cohen, Governor DeWine, and Acton.

"Mr. Cohen, the batch of armaments you mentioned is not armaments in my hands."

"The Black Hawk is my sightseeing helicopter, the Mi-17 is my aerial viewing platform, the BTR-80 is my off-road tour vehicle, and the heavy machine guns and small arms are my exhibition pieces."

"According to Ohio law, if weapons held by a private security company have been converted for civilian use, have had their firing capabilities deactivated, and have been registered with the State Government for exhibition, educational, or sightseeing purposes, it is completely legal."

The silence in the conference room lasted for a long time.

Ramaswamy stood next to Mu Xin, his lips moving slightly before closing again.

He had known Mu Xin for a while and thought he had figured out all of this young man's cards, but he had never heard Mu Xin mention a single word about an anti-war theme park.

He pondered in his heart: did Mu Xin make this up on the spot just now, or had he prepared it long ago?

If he made it up in that split second just now, then he was a fucking genius!

"Governor DeWine." Mu Xin spoke again.

Governor DeWine raised his eyelids to look at him.

"I will deliver the theme park proposal to the Governors Office next week."

"Regarding the tourism industry support fund from the State Department of Development, if the Governor feels our project meets the application criteria, Oxford Town welcomes the Governor to come for an on-site inspection."

"Central Ohio is indeed lacking in large-scale theme parks; I will give it serious consideration," Governor DeWine said softly.

Acton looked at Mu Xin, "Mr. Mu, regarding the collaboration with the Miami University School of International Relations in the education zone you just mentioned, what is the specific stage of progress?"

"The letter of intent is ready to be signed, and we are making final adjustments," Mu Xin continued, following her lead.

"The Dean of the School of International Relations at Miami University is very interested in the anti-war forum. The specific cooperation plan will be sent to you next week along with the theme park proposal."

The atmosphere in the conference room changed completely at that moment; Governor DeWine and Mu Xin stood at opposite ends of the topic, and Acton provided a ladder from the side.

The three of them turned a political threat of "Are you buying weapons to cause trouble?" into an economic development topic of "Central Ohio lacks theme parks, how are you planning to build one?"

Bremer's face turned from red to white and back to red. He looked at Governor DeWine, then at Acton, his lips moving, but he couldn't say a word.

Cohen leaned back in his chair, his legs still crossed. His expression hadn't changed from beginning to end; there was no discomfort at having the tables turned on him.

He just looked at Mu Xin, and finally, there was a tiny change in his eyes.

"Mr. Mu, when do you plan to open your theme park?"

"The planning cycle is twelve to eighteen months," Mu Xin's tone was without any fluctuation, "but the static exhibition area for the first batch of equipment can be open to the public within six months."

Cohen nodded, took a business card from the inner pocket of his suit, placed it on the table, and pushed it toward Mu Xin with two fingers.

"Notify me when it opens; I am very interested."

The business card had only a name, a Washington area code phone number, and an email address.

Mu Xin put the business card into his pocket, "Mr. Bremer."

"I hear your company's profits aren't high. If you really want to acquire my company, you don't need to invite the Governor and the Attorney General to back you up."

"Just throw dollars at me directly. I am a person who only recognizes money, not people. Chinese people are very pragmatic, just like Americans."

Ramaswamy almost laughed out loud; he quickly coughed.

After saying this, Mu Xin nodded to Governor DeWine and Acton and left directly, with Ramaswamy following closely behind.

Four people remained in the conference room.

Bremer took a sip of water, "This isn't over yet." His voice was full of dissatisfaction.

"The State Public Utilities Commission is going to review safety standards for distributed power generation next month, and I can—"

"Howard." Governor DeWine stood up and pushed his chair back.

"When you invited me, you said that a Chinese international student controlled forty percent of the industrial power supply in southwestern Ohio and that the Governor needed to pay attention to national security risks."

"Now I don't see any national security risk. I only see that your company cannot compete with them, so you want to use administrative means to swallow them up."

Bremer's face flushed red.

"Governor DeWine, are you speaking up for a Chinese person? Do you have the conscience to face your eight years as Governor—"

"I have a clear conscience," Governor DeWine interrupted him, "I have a clear conscience regarding Ohio and the people of Ohio."

Governor DeWine walked to the door, opened it, and paused.

"And—" He didn't turn back, "You should have checked clearly before inviting me."

"That Chinese international student donated a School of Public Policy in Oxford Town, named after me. You know what a school means to an outgoing Governor."

"You asked me to sit here and threaten him with national security; you were asking me to threaten myself."

Acton also stood up, "Mr. Bremer, I suggest you do not continue with today's matter."

"It's not because you cannot win, but because you got the opponent wrong from the very beginning."

After saying this, she picked up her bag and walked out behind Governor DeWine.

Two people remained in the conference room.

Bremer looked at Cohen. Cohen was still sitting in the chair, still leaning against the back of the chair, still with his legs crossed.

"Mr. Cohen—"

"Mr. Bremer." Cohen stood up, "Your previous statement was that there was a Chinese citizen here hoarding military-grade heavy equipment, which might pose a threat to Ohio's defense supply chain. I came today to verify this information."

"The result is that the person spent a few thousand dollars buying weapons and thought of a reason I couldn't refute in three seconds."

Cohen turned around to look at Bremer, a faint smile appearing on the corner of his mouth, "Do you know what this means?"

Bremer did not answer.

"It means that either he really intends to build an anti-war theme park, or he had rehearsed today's scene countless times since the very first day he bought the weapons."

"Regardless of which one it is, it is not something you can handle." After Cohen finished speaking, he also left directly.