Chapter 75 New Materials
Unlike the previous release method for new energy mechs below Grade A, this time the information and purchase link for Grade S new energy mechs were directly posted on the official website of the league, along with a bunch of official announcements about the competition schedule and rule changes.
The league's official committee conducted a further screening of all mech factories' qualifications, and only three competition-level mech suppliers appeared in the announcement, with Yuanchuang undoubtedly ranking first.
With JR team's recent dominant performances, the popularity of Origin Mech is ridiculously high, and recently many users who previously bought Origin products have spontaneously started praising it.
However, the production capacity of the T-source production line is limited, and only 25 mechs can be guaranteed to be delivered before the end of the month.
In the canteen at the YXG team's base, the team's executive operations manager suddenly shouted in celebration:
"I won! I got it!"
Lin Yuzheng put a piece of sweet and sour pork into his mouth, glanced at Zeng Ge without making a sound, and said dryly to the team manager:
"Congratulations! Did you manage to snag a spare armor too?"
"Oh dear, where are the spare mechs? The big boss only gave us a budget for four new energy mechs. Yu Zheng, you'll have to make do with the old mechs for one season. We'll replace them when we get the prize money from winning the main league this year."
Lin Yuzheng gave a muffled "hmm".
Needless to say, his teammates donate equipment to the team every year, but he has made no contribution to the team.
If this situation were in the original book, he would definitely get a new energy mech.
Apart from him and Zeng Ge, the other three teammates in the team were all quietly replaced.
The original three teammates all had fairly ordinary backgrounds. One was forced to drop out of school because he couldn't pay tuition, another had a family member who was sick and couldn't afford medical expenses, and yet another almost became a borderline muscle streamer because of family debt.
It's already quite generous that the original three teammates didn't take anything out of the base; expecting them to donate to the team is simply wishful thinking. Given that no one has contributed much to the team, at least this limited amount of new equipment will be randomly allocated by lottery.
Thinking of the original plot, Lin Yuzheng suddenly remembered that the new energy mecha technology was originally supposed to be developed by Platinum Chase.
He instinctively turned to Zeng Ge, but Zeng Ge ruffled his hair with his hand.
"Manager, let Yu Zheng use my new energy mech. The long and short blades are more important in tactical positions than the hard tank."
Upon hearing Yu Zheng's reply of "thank you," Zeng Ge simply smiled and remained silent.
Zeng Ge was far from being as calm as he appeared.
So much has happened in the short two months since the JR team was founded. First, the promotion of the new energy mech was a great success, and then several players were rediscovered.
Zeng Ge mechanically ate the bland and tasteless braised tofu with scallions in the cafeteria. Thinking of the corner of the JR team cafeteria that Ma Xusen had caught in his live stream yesterday, he suddenly felt that it tasted like nothing at all.
Not only him, but several other players were also joking with the team manager, discussing when YXG's cafeteria treatment would be improved.
The team manager joked back, "Hey, hey, hey, although our cafeteria can't compare to JR's, it's already considered pretty good for a top-tier team. It's not the best, but it's not the worst either."
Numbly listening to the discussions around him about the owner of the JR team, Zeng Ge unconsciously opened the terminal.
YXG has been in good form recently, but instead of focusing on the regular season matches of these veteran teams as usual, marketing accounts have been posting video clips of Ma Xusen and Ling Han's combat training yesterday.
One of the video accounts, named "Yiyi Xiaotaiyang," garnered hundreds of thousands of likes in a short period of time with its latest video.
Zeng Ge's gaze unconsciously lingered on that clip, quietly watching "Yi Yi Little Sun" commentate on Ling Han's legendary matches since her debut.
The gunner in the video is completely different from the conventional gameplay. Ling Han's early gameplay is not like that of a long-range gunner. In fact, he is more like a support role who suddenly pops out from the corner to ambush people.
Just as Zeng Ge was about to swipe away from the video, the commentator suddenly changed the tone and began to dig into the match-fixing scandal of three consecutive matches five years ago, and also pieced together the recent activities of the players who led the match-fixing.
The official investigation lasted only two months, but the contestants continued to post their grievances for several years.
When Zeng Ge saw "Yi Yi Xiao Tai Yang" mention that the investment scheme she had created for the contestants was extremely similar, he finally couldn't bear it any longer and closed the video.
Recently, the official ability test was suddenly suspended for a few days. At this moment, he suddenly began to suspect that the authorities had discovered something.
We can no longer sit idly by and wait for our demise.
Switching to the chat interface on the terminal, Zeng Ge frowned and sent a message to the head of the business department of Platinum Drive.
"Knock, knock, knock," the office door was knocked on.
Fang Zhuo looked up from the computer and at Jiang Yu, who was standing at the door with a gloating expression: "What's wrong?"
Jiang Yu chuckled: "President Fang, the people from Platinum Drive's business department came to see us again. They said they can accept 8% of the patent revenue again, and that Young Master Zeng wants to come and talk in person."
Platinum Cargo really slapped itself in the face this time, and the two exchanged a knowing glance.
Fang Zhuo rested his chin on his hand and smiled, "Reply to them that I won't see them; I'm too busy lately."
After Jiang Yu left, Fang Zhuo casually glanced at the patent revenue sharing data on the computer.
The first batch of orders from the three mecha companies was small, totaling less than forty units. All pre-orders were snapped up within half a day of the announcement.
The price difference between S-class and low-end mechs is enormous. The market price of an S-class mech can reach as high as 5.5 billion. Although the quantity and demand are small, the unit price is still incredibly high.
This wave has already made him a fortune.
The revenue share he received through the patent app was 16.1 billion, and the system directly returned ten times that amount, making it the fastest he had ever earned.
Compared to the slow-paced, small-scale development of low-end commercial mechs, S-class and competition-class mechs are the real money-makers.
He is not only a team owner, but also the technical support provider behind the mechs of the top teams in the main league. Based on this relationship alone, it is impossible for any team owner in the industry not to give him face.
With a balance of over 250 billion yuan, the cash on hand is much healthier than that of most leading asset-heavy companies in the market.
Making money is as easy as breathing.
Fang Zhuo lay back on the sofa, silently watching the system notifications appear one after another—
[Congratulations, host! You have obtained the extremely rare title 'Master of Wealth']
[You are a merchant who can turn lead into gold, a master at managing money. Listen, wealth whispers. You will receive this title if you directly profit more than 10 billion within 100 minutes.]
[Investment Target Number One: Yang Yurong]
[Intelligence: 89][Stamina: 65][Appearance: 36][Emotional Intelligence: 33][Loyalty: 79]
[Initial valuation: 15700]
[Current Value Assessment: 1041600000]
[The return on investment has exceeded 100 times; the above fields can be freely unbound]
[Based on the settlement results, Investment Column 7 has been opened for the host. Please keep up the good work!]
After the broadcast ended, Yi Diandian jumped in to compliment: "[Honey, I feel so safe with you, my anxious attachment style has been cured!]"
[The system has automatically detected twelve related discussion threads on the operator forum after the server-wide announcement of the title. Should I read them aloud?]
Fang Zhuo: [Thank you for your kindness, but it's not necessary.]
Watching her host stride out of the office, Yi Dian Dian asked, puzzled, "[Host, where are you going again? Isn't the rest of the time just about passively winning?]"
Fang Zhuo's brief reply: [Go spend money]
When I opened the blind box last time, the system gave me two technical manuals. The manual for the pilot's intelligent escape pod system has already been put into production on the JR team's mechs, but the manual for the new mech's outer panel material has been shelved.
The original book contained very little description of technology, and there was only one company related to materials.
According to the original timeline, this small materials technology company was about to be acquired by Platinum Harvest after failing to secure funding, and within two years of joining Platinum Harvest, it successfully produced patent research on flexible materials for mecha hands.
Of course, the cash share from this patent for flexible hand materials ultimately did not end up in the hands of the actual researchers.
After all, this patent is the result of a team effort, not individual research, so Platinum Technology rightfully enjoys all the patent profits.
Fang Zhuo searched through the relevant sections of the original book several times before finally finding the name of the core R&D personnel of the materials team in some obscure corner.
The laboratory address that the system found by following the clues was in the middle of nowhere, located on the outskirts of a remote agricultural planet.
In the outdated laboratory, researchers stared intently at the screen as they fed samples of new materials into a rudimentary testing instrument.
"It failed..."
The person who came in looked travel-worn; he had barely slammed his bag on the table before eagerly taking a sip of water.
"What a coincidence, I also failed. I wasn't talking about our materials, I was talking about the new round of financing."
The parameters have been adjusted for two months, but the samples still fail to achieve the expected results. The tensile strength of the materials is consistently below standard. Now, the bad news of the company's failed financing has also arrived. For a time, the laboratory was so quiet that only the sound of drinking water could be heard.
They claim to be a startup, but they're more like a makeshift team put together on the spot.
Initially, the boss was in the industrial rubber products business, and he had set up four or five departments in a respectable manner. At its peak, the company had more than 500 employees, and it was during that time that he recruited this group of material engineers who were engaged in independent research and development.
Then came the familiar old routine—funds gradually became tight, the company clung to life, wages were constantly delayed, the finance department led the way in running away, and in the end the entire company was almost a shell.
The only one left is their team of materials engineers.
Because the boss initially offered high salaries, the team's personnel configuration was considered high even among the R&D departments of large companies. There were four PhDs leading the way, and three master's graduates from prestigious universities were responsible for doing odd jobs and helping with some verification experiments.
The only reason they remain here is that everyone firmly believes that the success of this new material is just one step away. With the addition of conductive fillers, this material can be widely used in the field of electromechanical engineering, and its potential is astonishing.
But they struggled for two whole months to get that final shot in.
The lab is completely out of supplies; even the raw materials purchased when the company was still in operation are almost used up. Everyone on the team is now working at their own expense.
I thought that with the existing research results, I could attract some investment, but now the new investment has also fallen through, and the atmosphere in the laboratory is even more bleak than the day the original boss ran away.
Two months ago, they were still registering a new company with great ambition, dreaming of huge patent royalties after successful research and development. But now, everyone is dejected and speechless.
"That's terrible, I'm going to write the word 'terrible' on your shoes..."
Kong Li, the youngest member of the team and the one doing odd jobs, was the first to speak up and break the gloomy atmosphere.
He tried to lighten the mood, but after seeing his senior's sour face, Kong Li carefully took off his lab coat and planned to go out for some fresh air.
Squatting at the entrance of his former company, looking at the endless farmland in front of him, and then turning back to look at the dilapidated factory buildings, he felt dejected.
But the next moment, he suddenly saw a huge shadow appear on the ground.
Looking up, Kong Li was astonished to find that it was a luxury van that would never be found in such a dilapidated place—
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Author's Note: Pre-orders are available in my author page! ~~ "Playing a Popular Supporting Character Through a Saintly Filter" [Lower-eared rabbit head][Lower-eared rabbit head]
[The Holy Father of Dihua Style, taking hits to build up his ultimate move~]
Copywriting:
Before his sudden death, Fu Zhao transmigrated into a cannon fodder extra in a post-apocalyptic novel. His initial popularity and stamina were both zero, and he could only survive if his popularity increased.
The system is very understanding: [I have applied for a life-saving buff for the host. As long as you take the hits for the main characters, you can accumulate rage points to unlock skills.]
Not only can you take the opportunity to make your presence known, but you can also exchange for items that improve your initial physique by using your skills multiple times!
Fu Zhao: [Understood. Take the damage to unleash your ultimate move. It's tough first, but sweet later. I will take the worst beating for Long Aotian.]
But what the system didn't tell him was that he appeared with a saintly filter, and everything he did was bathed in a gentle holy light.
Fu Zhao starts by looting equipment from dead bodies.
A passerby said: "He was so gentle. He not only helped the deceased traveler tidy up his appearance, but also recited a eulogy with a sorrowful expression."
During the fight, Fu Zhao pushed away his teammate who was hindering his rage accumulation.
Passerby: He's so kind. He'd rather let the mutated plant inflict all the damage on him alone, even if he's covered in blood, he still wants to protect his comrades behind him.
Thus, in the apocalyptic world of resource scarcity and factional infighting, legends of saints soon emerged.
He would shield young explorers from fatal wounds who had strayed into perilous situations, and after slaying the mutated plants, he would give them the crystal cores without taking a single penny in return.
He was powerful and mysterious, comforting every passerby with the gentlest words, while always gazing into the distance with a furrowed brow, quietly bearing all the harm, as if loving the world was merely an instinct for him.
In the novel's comment section, countless readers felt sorry for him and shed tears for him, pleading with the author not to take down the handsome, strong, and tragic father.
In the real world, Fu Zhao's roommate opened a new page of the novel and couldn't help but sob on the spot: "He is so compassionate. He even cares for the enemy who betrayed him. The villain was almost moved to kneel down on the spot."
Fu Zhao: ? ? ? Wait, didn't he just threaten the villain yesterday that 'you're so bad you might as well go home'?
On his phone screen, he saw himself affectionately patting the villain's hair, his smile devoid of any anger at being betrayed, only filled with endless pity and sorrow: "Go home, child, go home."
After he left, a heavy rain fell from the sky. The villain's tears mingled with the rain as he thought of his mother waiting for him at home. He wept bitterly in the rain, filled with remorse.
Fu Zhao: ...? ? ? Who is this saint? Is this still me?
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