Liang Shaoke was stunned for a moment, momentarily at a loss for words.
“A 450-millimeter caliber? A thousand steel pipes?” Liang Shaoke asked, sounding a little unsure.
To be honest, 450-caliber steel pipes weren’t very commonly used, so they didn’t produce many of them. But he remembered that there seemed to be a batch in the warehouse—though he wasn’t sure if there were enough to make a thousand.
But even if there weren’t enough, it didn’t matter. As long as he gathered the workers, he was confident that it would take no more than a week to get those thousand steel pipes done.
“Yes, Factory Manager Liang. 450 caliber, one thousand pipes. If you can get these steel pipes ready within a week, then I’ll take them, and I’ll wire you the full payment right away,” Jiang Chuan said over the phone, very straightforwardly.
Hearing this, Liang Shaoke immediately got excited.
Good heavens, paying the full amount upfront just like that?
This guy was way too straightforward!
“Alright, um, may I ask your name?” Liang Shaoke asked.
Jiang Chuan didn’t give his real name: “My surname is Liu. Liu Shan.”
“Got it, Boss Liu. Please hold on a moment. I’ll have someone go check the warehouse. I remember there are some steel pipes in stock that were produced earlier—450 caliber.
Don’t worry, those pipes were made not long ago. They’re definitely not old stock, and there’s no chance of corrosion.”
Liang Shaoke nodded in agreement and immediately signaled his secretary to go check the warehouse.
Meanwhile, Liang Shaoke kept Jiang Chuan company with some casual small talk. During the conversation, he also learned that Jiang Chuan needed him to thicken this batch of steel pipes—ideally using double the material to manufacture them, and absolutely ensuring the quality was top-notch.
Liang Shaoke had complete confidence in his own products. He said right away that their steel pipes wouldn’t even be damaged if a missile hit them—they’d even work perfectly as cannon barrels.
And this really wasn’t Liang Shaoke bragging. After all, their Laiyang Machinery Factory had originally been a military factory, and the steel pipes they produced were supplied for tanks, rocket launchers, and other military weapons used by the military region.
The quality was absolutely impeccable.
Before long, the secretary came jogging back: “Factory Manager Liang, there are 500 of the 450-caliber steel pipes left in the warehouse. But there are also some 460-caliber pipes—they just need a bit of modification.”
Hearing this, Liang Shaoke quickly spoke into the phone: “Um, Boss Liu, we have some 450-caliber steel pipes in the warehouse. I’ll thicken those for you, and I’ll also thicken the remaining pipes during production.
I guarantee that within one week, this batch will definitely be ready for you!”
“Good. Someone will come to see you shortly, Factory Manager Liang. That’s the person I’m sending to handle the procurement. You can just coordinate with him when he arrives.”
“Alright, alright.”
After that, the two hung up.
Liang Shaoke was genuinely happy now, feeling like he was floating on air.
Wonderful!
Laiyang Machinery Factory, which had gone so long without orders, finally had one again—and it wasn’t a small order either.
At the very least, the factory wouldn’t be going under now.
“Quickly notify all the workers who are on leave at home to come to the factory immediately! We’re working overtime on production! Overtime pay will be 1.5 times the normal rate!”
The secretary’s eyes lit up, and he nodded firmly: “Yes! Factory Manager Liang, I’ll go notify them right away.”
…
Meanwhile.
In Sudi, at the Minnuo Special Equipment Manufacturing Plant.
Factory Manager Kong Shun’s mouth was slightly open, his brows tightly furrowed, and his face was full of shock.
“Um, sir, did I hear that right? You want to buy ten thousand 407-caliber gas tanks?” Kong Shun took a drag on his cigarette, speaking in disbelief.
In this day and age, gas tanks had long since become a less popular product.
The main reason was that gas tanks basically never wore out. Tanks bought ten years ago—even thirty or forty years ago—were still perfectly usable.
This led to a situation where the product quality was too good, resulting in a low replacement rate. This was very different from how some major domestic home appliance manufacturers deliberately made their products with poor quality to increase replacement rates.
So the civilian market for them was almost nonexistent, and the commercial market was very small, which meant the gas tanks they produced had no buyers at all.
Over time, this led to a backlog.
Today, he’d finally gotten an order from someone calling directly—he had to seize this opportunity.
But the other party had opened with a request for ten thousand gas tanks, which made him suspect the guy was just messing with him.
“That’s right. I’ll buy ten thousand first to check the quality. If the quality is good, I’ll buy even more later,” Jiang Chuan said with a laugh over the phone.
Kong Shun took a drag on his cigarette and said warily: “There’s absolutely no problem with the quality of Minnuo’s gas tanks. The first batch our company ever produced is now older than I am, and it’s still in use. You can rest assured about that.”
“Good. When can you produce ten thousand 407-caliber gas tanks?” Jiang Chuan asked.
Kong Shun’s eye twitched: “Currently, we still have 4,000 gas tanks in the warehouse. Producing another 6,000 would take about a month.”
“No, a month is too long. Have the workers put in overtime. I need these ten thousand gas tanks within one week,” Jiang Chuan said.
Kong Shun was so frustrated he almost laughed. But just as he was about to snap back, he heard Jiang Chuan say over the phone: “I’ll cover the labor costs. Just add it to the total. But I have only one requirement—the quality of the gas tanks must be good!
Every single gas tank must pass inspection before leaving the factory. If I find any quality issues after receiving the goods, I will immediately terminate our cooperation and seek compensation from you.”
Kong Shun’s face immediately lit up with joy: “No problem! Boss Liu, rest assured. One week from now, I guarantee all ten thousand gas tanks will be of top quality for you to take!”
“Good. You can start production now. Send me the company account, and I’ll wire you the full payment first. The remaining worker wages I’ll give you after I receive the goods.
Also, in a few days, someone will come to see you. That’s the person I’m sending to handle procurement. Just hand the goods over to him,” Jiang Chuan said.
Kong Shun replied with a flattering smile: “Alright, alright, Boss Liu. Thank you so much for trusting Minnuo Special Equipment Factory! Just wait for the delivery.”
…
After leaving the area near the abandoned factory in Qingcheng, Shepherd led the remaining members of Task Force 141, changed their appearances, and prepared to leave Kyushu to return to the military factory and report back to the boss.
After all, their mission this time had been to deliver goods. Now that the goods were delivered, their mission was complete.
So they needed to get back as soon as possible and return to their regular duties.
Protecting President Jiang at all times.
“Kyushu is really quite nice. If I didn’t have a mission, I’d actually want to stay here for a while,” Roach said with a chuckle.
Soap glared at him: “If you want to stay, I can make a report call for you. Then you can stay here for the rest of your life.”
“Oh, Soap, you can’t do that!” Roach protested.
Ring ring ring.
Just then, Shepherd’s phone suddenly rang. He immediately raised his hand to stop everyone from talking further.
Looking at the caller ID on the screen, he answered without hesitation.
“Boss, this is Shepherd. What are your orders?” Shepherd asked respectfully.
Over the phone, Jiang Chuan said in a solemn voice: “I need you to go to Laiyang now and find a manufacturer called Laiyang Machinery Factory. Then go to Sudi and find one called Minnuo Special Equipment Factory. I just bought some goods from these two factories. You’re responsible for transporting this batch back.
Remember, this batch is very important. You must ensure it’s delivered safely.”
