50: Chapter 50 The Royal Flush Chip

Fu Haoran and Lucifer walked down the landing ramp. The officer greeting them stepped forward quickly, neither servile nor overbearing, and said, "The two of you, please come with me. The Old Commander and Director Zheng of the Shenmao Bureau are waiting for you in the command center."

Fu Haoran nodded, his expression calm, not slowing his pace.

The alloy door of the temporary command center slid open slowly. Fu Haoran walked in first, his gaze quickly sweeping over the three people in the room.

The theater commander sat in the main seat, his expression as steady as a pine.

Zheng Xian, the director of the Shenmao Bureau, stood to one side, his eyes sharp.

In the corner sat an elderly Academician with white hair, wearing reading glasses.

Everyone's gaze fell squarely on Fu Haoran—scrutinizing, vigilant, and carrying a hint of irrepressible curiosity.

Fu Haoran went straight to a chair and sat down, pulled a palm-sized metal device from his pocket, and tossed it casually onto the tabletop.

However, no one minded his casualness, because not a single person present failed to recognize this object!

The Old Academician's eyes suddenly lit up. He leaned forward, reached out to gently touch the arc reactor, his voice trembling: "This is… Tony Stark's arc reactor!!"

Fu Haoran did not stop him.

The arc reactor on Tony's chest was no secret, especially since Stark Industries had undergone a transformation, with the energy sector becoming its main focus.

Fu Haoran introduced it: "This is the second-generation small arc reactor. I have the complete technology as well as Tony's Iron Man Armor blueprints."

"In fact, I even have the more advanced third-generation arc reactor."

The Old Academician's face lit up with joy; his thoughts were pure, driven only by a thirst for technology.

But the Old Commander and Zheng Xian were both very clear that there is no such thing as a free lunch.

Especially Zheng Xian; as the director of the Shenmao Bureau, he knew more, especially about the mysterious Iron Man that had appeared recently.

"What do you want?" the Old Commander asked.

Fu Haoran did not beat around the bush: "I want three things, corresponding to three bargaining chips, a fair exchange."

"First, I want a massive amount of canned food, no restrictions on type."

"In exchange, you may board the ship to observe any technology you are interested in. I will send people to accompany and explain things to you throughout the process."

"However, I make no guarantees as to how much you will be able to learn or master."

So simple?

The Old Commander raised an eyebrow and pressed, "Canned food? You don't want anything else?"

"Correct. The money of your world is useless to me, and I am not lacking in ordinary resources."

"The only things I lack are food, water, and some equipment."

Although Fu Haoran's words were unconventional, they were logical.

"How much canned food do you want?" This time, it was Zheng Xian, the director of the Shenmao Bureau, who asked; he felt that things were definitely not simple.

"It's very simple. The admission fee is one ton of canned food per person per day. I will allow you to bring recording equipment inside, but all technological observation results must be copied and synced to my technical team for archiving."

Everyone felt that Fu Haoran's request was a bit strange. It's his own ship, so why does he need to copy our observation data?

They didn't know that a certain ship owner was truly lacking this basic observation data.

The Old Commander and Zheng Xian did the math.

A ton of canned food sounded like a lot, but at market price, it was only a few tens of thousands of yuan.

Plus, they could bring equipment and have people accompany them to explain things.

It seemed quite cost-effective.

Moreover, trading technology for food was a reasonable deal; back when the Soviet Union collapsed, the Russians had even traded airplanes for canned food.

Was the requirement really this low?

The Old Commander asked uncertainly: "Any type of canned food is fine?"

"Yes, as long as it meets food safety standards, anything is fine."

"Fine, I agree to the first condition." The Old Commander agreed readily.

He silently calculated: "This deal isn't hard. Arranging thousands of people with equipment, in one day, we can definitely see most of the technology."

"At worst, we'll arrange more people and stay a few more days. I don't believe we won't be able to figure out the core technology in ten days or half a month."

Although Zheng Xian felt that the request Fu Haoran put forward was too simple, he couldn't find any issues with it.

"Perhaps the subsequent conditions are the real trap." Zheng Xian consoled himself with this thought.

Fu Haoran continued: "Second, I want a full industrial chain production line capable of manufacturing batteries and conventional weapons, plus a Powered Armor production line. I also need your industrial technology and production capacity support—send workers and provide raw materials, and I will have my technical personnel cooperate with you to implement it."

"In exchange, I will share these battery technologies, weapon technologies, and armor technologies with you."

"But you must ensure that the production line functions normally; you must ensure it can produce three thousand sets to be considered acceptable."

Zheng Xian frowned; this condition was very straightforward—it was helping to build an army.

The Old Commander also saw the problem, but he didn't rush to respond; instead, he let the Old Academician look at the blueprints.

Looking at the blueprints, the Old Academician couldn't help but ask: "Is this an improvement on Mr. Tony's Iron Man Armor?"

"Not entirely." Fu Haoran did not hide anything.

"The prototype for this design is the first-generation Iron Man Armor designed by Tony, along with improvements and upgrades made by others, putting it at the level of the third to fourth generation."

"Then, it was combined with existing technology from another world and improved; it is more focused on actual combat than Tony's."

"It weakens flight capability while strengthening protection and power output, making it more suitable for mass production."

The Old Academician examined it for a long time, took off his reading glasses, and said with irrepressible amazement in his tone:

"This set of powered exoskeleton is a subversive, mass-production optimization based on Tony Stark's design!"

"This force feedback system and protective structural design completely exceed existing technological levels. Even Tony himself might not be able to produce such a mature mass-production plan."

"But the problem is also very obvious: materials."

"Without materials that are sufficiently lightweight yet high-strength, this armor can at most only defend against light weapons and cannot withstand serious anti-materiel firepower."

Hearing the Old Academician say this, the Old Commander was actually relieved.

Powered Armor was indeed good, but it was not enough to cause a qualitative change.

In his view, war still relied on the torrent of steel.

Clearly, the Blue Star of this space-time had not yet had its perception overturned by small drones.

After some discussion, the Old Commander nodded and said: "We agree to your second proposal. What about the third?"

"I want the full set of technology and production lines for intercontinental supersonic missiles. In exchange, I can give you the full set of technology for the arc reactor."

The Old Commander's expression instantly darkened, and he said unceremoniously: "Intercontinental supersonic missiles are a vital national asset, involving national defense bottom lines. Your condition is too heavy."

"Oh? It's just this kind of primitive kinetic weapon propelled by chemical energy? Do you know that you are rejecting a ticket to the interstellar era?"

This time, it was Lucifer who spoke. This one had no sense of fellow-feeling; she was simply making a comment.

The Old Commander and Zheng Xian looked at this woman who had been silent the whole time.

The contempt in her tone was not feigned; it was a natural disdain for this kind of "primitive technology." For the first time, both of them realized that she was the one who was harder to deal with.

Fu Haoran had a bit of a headache. He didn't want to make things too rigid, so he had to smooth things over: "It is precisely because of the importance of the technology that it is worthy of controlled nuclear fusion technology, isn't it?"

"Just imagine, once controlled nuclear fusion is implemented, it can completely change the energy landscape. The Americans already have it now; don't you want it too?"

"Moreover, I am thinking of cooperating with you first out of respect for our shared ancestry."

"Otherwise, I would have more suitable trading partners."

Fu Haoran's meaning was very straightforward: if you don't give it, others are willing to. That's right, the Russians.

"We need some time. Please excuse us." The Old Commander stood up and left.

This matter was too important; he had to hold a small meeting.