Playing Hard to Get
This was Xia Fei's first time witnessing what was meant by the highest level of defense. Xia Fei could no longer remember how many checkpoints he had to go through on his way to the naval headquarters. He could only remember the ubiquitous guards on both sides of the road, the bunkers hidden in the mountain valleys, the densely packed armored vehicles in the forest, and the various warships flying in the sky.
Take the hovercar that Xia Fei was in for example. Its military green exterior made it look rather rigid, and any young man who liked fashion would surely scoff at it. This was because such an ordinary vehicle had nothing to do with elegance and could even be called cumbersome.
Only the people inside could understand that the armor of this hovercar was actually thicker than an A-13 armoured vehicle. Two BL-54 engines provided it with powerful propulsion, and there were more than a dozen military green communicators, each one connected to an encrypted military line.
Xia Fei felt a little guilty. After all, not everyone could enter the most important military fortress of the Alliance like the naval headquarters. Faced with the highest level of military security in the Alliance, the average person could only be shocked.
Fortunately, Xia Fei had the temperament of a hoodlum. Phantom believed that he would be able to talk freely even if he was facing the president of the Alliance and would not be intimidated by the other party's fame.
A few moments later, Xia Fei was escorted by four guards to Admiral Layton's office. Before this, he had undergone a thorough inspection, and all the miscellaneous items on him, such as his spatial ring and microcomputer, had been confiscated by the guards.
"Reporting, sir! I've brought Xia Fei here! "An officer with the rank of major pushed open the door and saluted.
Layton said, "Hurry up and bring him in. You guys sure are slow!"
A guard behind Xia Fei gave him a shove. Xia Fei took a few steps into the office, and the guard behind him immediately closed the door without making a sound.
"Actually, they're very efficient. It's just that they took some time at the security office," Xia Fei said with a smile.
Layton had the air of a commanding officer, looking coldly at Xia Fei. Williams, on the other hand, appeared much more approachable, smiling at Xia Fei and indicating for him to sit on the sofa opposite him.
"This is the naval headquarters, after all, so the security is naturally tighter. In fact, Admiral Layton has already given the go-ahead to waive the first two security checks. Otherwise, it would take more than two hours just to get in," Williams said disapprovingly.
Xia Fei sat on the sofa that Williams had designated. The cushion was a little soft, and he sank into the sponge the moment he sat on it, making him look like he was shorter than before.
Layton sternly said, "Let's get straight to the point. This isn't an official military interrogation, so there's no need for you to be too nervous. Williams and I have a question that we would like to ask you, and we hope that you can answer it truthfully."
Xia Fei was unmoved. Though they said that this was not a formal interrogation, what choice did he have when he was already at the naval headquarters? These were all useless pleasantries.
"We're very happy with your performance today, but why was your warship able to withstand so many salvos from the opponent? I'm afraid that you've modified other systems aside from the proton bombs. Can you tell us what changes you've made to the energy shield system or what special equipment you've installed? "Williams asked.
Xia Fei was slightly taken aback. The biggest reason he had participated in this tournament was to promote the energy-shield booster, letting the entire Alliance know that the military had the most warships, and the military was the biggest customer that Xia Fei had been working hard to win over. Now that Williams and Layton, two five-star admirals, had expressed their interest in his energy shield equipment, was this not exactly what he wanted?
Xia Fei thought for a moment before saying, "According to the tournament rules, I have no right to divulge the details of my modifications and the equipment I use, so I'm sorry."
"Don't worry. We guarantee that we won't divulge anything you say," Layton said.
Xia Fei smiled. "The two of you are both influential figures in the Alliance, so of course I trust what you two have to say. It's just that I'm under an agreement, so I'll be disqualified if I say anything."
Williams chewed on an apple and smiled. "Your warship has already been severely damaged. According to the rules, though you've won the tournament, you've already lost the right to participate in the finals. I don't think that disqualification will be your final reason."
Layton nodded. "That's right. There are only two rounds left in the Golden Finger Cup. There's no point in continuing to participate with so many points behind you. Is there something else you're worried about?"
Xia Fei sternly replied, "General, though I'm well-versed in machinery, I'm also a warrior and a businessman. Since I've already made a promise and signed an agreement not to divulge any information about my warship, I must abide by it. If I'm a man who doesn't keep his word, how will my comrades trust me? If I'm a businessman who doesn't keep his word, how will my business partners cooperate with me? "
"I'm a man of my word, so I hope that the two generals can understand my difficulties. Even if you force me with a gun, my answer will still be the same. I'm under an agreement, so forgive me for being unable to do anything."
Xia Fei spoke very calmly, which left both Layton and Williams very surprised.
They were surprised that a minor character like Xia Fei would actually place such importance on his word. Any other person would probably have already said so. Even a fool would know what it meant to have a good relationship with the military's Iron Triangle. A few simple words would be equivalent to selling a favor to the two big shots of the military. If he ever needed their help in the future, he would be able to ask for it.
This was practically a pie falling from the sky, yet Xia Fei had actually rejected it!
Layton was holding back his anger, but he could not let it out. After all, Xia Fei was only abiding by the agreement and had not done anything wrong.
Williams was very happy. He stood up and said, "Young man, you're honest and trustworthy, not losing the qualities of a warrior. That's very good. Since that's the case, we won't ask any more questions. Before you leave, there's one more thing I'd like to clarify. Did you really accidentally bump into that space capsule?"
…
Did he admit that he had killed Baldy? Xia Fei would never do such a foolish thing. He calmly denied it, emphasizing that his warship had already lost control at the time. Though he had tried his best to change directions, he was helpless to prevent the accident from happening.
Of course, Williams was not going to get to the bottom of this. He called for the guards to escort Xia Fei out and did not pursue the matter any further.
"Xia Fei, have you gone mad? Those two are five-star generals of the military. You've always wanted to sell the energy-shield boosters to the military, so why are you talking about your word of honor at this critical moment? It's not like you can eat that thing, "Phantom said, somewhat vexed.
Xia Fei asked, "Why? Am I not being trustworthy?"
Phantom pursed his lips. "I only know that you're very unreasonable at times, and you don't seem like a trustworthy person at all."
Xia Fei chuckled. "I don't really care about my word of honor, but I'm very interested in the business opportunities hidden behind it. Thuram has already warned me that selling something to the military, which has always been very demanding, won't be an easy task. I'll need some tricks up my sleeve."
"So you're saying that you're purposely not telling them about the energy-shield boosters?" Phantom asked.
Xia Fei nodded. "That's right. Given the strength of those two, it wouldn't be hard for them to discover that I'm related to Quantum Holdings after a little investigation, and they could easily find out about the existence of the energy-shield boosters. Right now, it's as if they're stuck in a puzzle. It's not hard to tell from the fact that they called me over to the military for a secret interrogation that they're very interested in the answer to this riddle.
"Let's say that you've encountered a riddle that has been bothering you for a long time and that you're very interested in it. Would you rather someone else solve it for you, or would you rather solve it yourself?"
Phantom was slightly taken aback. "Naturally, it's more interesting to solve a riddle yourself. If someone else were to tell you the answer to the riddle, you'd probably forget about it very quickly. I understand now; you're deliberately mystifying things to make them even more interested, so that when they find out about the energy-shield boosters, they'll be even more focused on researching them.
"If you directly tell them about the features of the boosters, they'll only listen casually and won't spend so much effort investigating it. By the time they see the functions of the boosters with their own eyes, I'm afraid that they won't be able to forget about it."
Xia Fei nodded. "That's exactly it. You won't remember what others tell you, but you'll remember it for the rest of your life if you dig and discover it yourself. Besides, the impression that I gave them of being honest and trustworthy was also to build a foundation for future cooperation. These people aren't normal citizens who will buy anything they want after hearing the advertisements. They're all very smart, so it's impossible to move them without putting in a lot of effort."
Phantom nodded. "Isn't this the Thirty-Six Stratagems called loosening the reins only to grasp them better? I thought you were crazy just now, but I think there might be a chance this time. If the military really decides to use the energy-shield boosters, you'll be rich! When that happens, even Avrils father and grandfather won't look down on you anymore. "
Xia Fei did not say anything. He was already doing his best, and the outcome was not what he should be concerned about.
…
Li Mo was very unhappy that Xia Fei did not die, but Baldy did. Moreover, Xia Fei had created a miracle of nine consecutive slashes, which made him a legend. He was in the limelight, and even if he did not win the Golden Finger Cup in the end, he would not be forgotten. A double full score and a nine consecutive slashes were enough to make the people talk about him for a long time.
The mustached man was scolded by him and then walked away dejectedly. He drank alone in the room to drown his sorrows.
"Young master," the mustached man quietly returned to Li Mo's room and greeted him with his head lowered.
"Didn't I tell you to get lost? Why did you come back?" Li Mo snapped.
The mustached man said in a deep voice, "The master is looking for you."
"Oh, where's father? I'll be right there. "
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