It wasn't that Chen Chen doubted Meng Hao's character.
It was simply that.
The United States had been aggressively poaching talent from Da Xia and other countries in recent years.
Money paved the way.
Promises of immense benefits were made.
And human nature is inherently greedy.
Few pillars of the nation could resist the temptation of substantial wealth and remain true to their original intentions.
More often than not, they were corrupted by profit.
Of course.
This was understandable.
After all, everyone has their own aspirations, and one cannot force them.
It's not like everyone can be expected to have a burning heart and be loyal to their country, ethnicity, and bloodline.
For talents who prioritize profit, money, and goals in their lives, Da Xia has always kept its doors wide open, allowing them to come and go freely.
However.
When it threatened the interests of Da Xia, careful consideration was necessary.
Science may indeed be borderless, but scientists have nationalities… especially those whose technology and research personnel could threaten national security, were subject to intense scrutiny.
When the civilian officer handed the report to Yan Yizheng.
This battle-hardened lieutenant general, who had seen it all and remained unfazed, raised his eyebrows, showing a hint of surprise.
"Guess what."
"What price did the United States offer?"
Huh?
Chen Chen's expression shifted from calm to serious.
"I don't know."
Yan Yizheng chuckled.
It was unclear if he was amused by the lavish spending of the US military-industrial complex or by their ulterior motives…
"A transfer fee of fifty billion US dollars…"
"Plus unlimited green cards…"
"And a Vice President position with a salary of ten million annually, plus benefits…"
Good heavens.
The amount of money offered was enough to support thousands of people comfortably for several lifetimes.
Moreover.
It offered status, prestige, and a continuous stream of income year after year.
Let alone ordinary people.
Even battle-hardened national guards with unwavering resolve might find it difficult to refuse.
As the great man once said.
Many loyal soldiers did not fall to enemy gunfire but were defeated by sugar-coated bullets, forgetting their names, their lineage, their ancestors!
"This temptation would be hard to refuse, wouldn't it…"
"Did Meng Hao accept?"
Chen Chen's face was etched with disappointment and resignation.
Indeed.
The price offered by the United States was too difficult to refuse.
He couldn't imagine any reason for Meng Hao to turn it down.
Furthermore.
The United States was clearly trying to poach him root and stem.
If Meng Hao were to produce military robots and powered armor for General Atomics within Da Xia, Chen Chen could indeed arrest him for illegal production of military equipment.
However, if Meng Hao were to relocate his technology and factory entirely to the United States.
There wouldn't be many effective ways to stop him.
"You're overthinking it!"
"Meng Hao is entirely trustworthy!"
"He refused."
Huh?
Chen Chen's scalp tingled.
Such generous terms were actually refused?
This was simply unbelievable.
"Not only did he refuse."
"The American representatives and the fake foreigners who colluded with them from our country seemed to want to turn hostile… Meng Hao directly summoned his powered armor, threw them out of the multi-story conference room… and before they could be turned into mincemeat, they were blasted out of Huarong Industry's gates, vehicle and all."
"According to your special forces observers, these genuine and fake foreigners were so terrified that they peed themselves… They are probably still squatting outside the gate of Huarong Industry, their legs weak, unable to stand!"
Yan Yizheng, through the words, seemed to see the pathetic state of the real and fake foreigners who had soiled themselves out of fear.
He even chuckled softly.
Chen Chen was somewhat stunned.
Having known Yan Yizheng for many years, he rarely saw the lieutenant general display such a wide range of facial expressions.
This smile.
Was it born from mocking or ridiculing the genuine and fake foreigners…
Or from the astonishing amazement at the power of Huarong Industry's powered armor…
Or perhaps, it was an acknowledgment and praise of Meng Hao's sincere patriotism and loyalty to his country…
Perhaps.
It was more about acknowledging Meng Hao!
…
Seeing his mentor and father figure, Yan Yizheng, smile.
Chen Chen also broke into a foolish grin.
Yan Yizheng seemed to realize his attitude had become a bit too outwardly expressed.
Being extremely strict with his emotional control, he suppressed his smile.
"Go ahead and laugh, it's worth laughing about. It is the fortune of our nation to have such a genius who is both loyal and patriotic, and whose scientific and technological prowess crushes the world…"
"However, we must not let such talent be too disappointed. Find an opportunity to contact him, observe him for a while, and if possible, we can fully integrate him into our unit and formally become a military enterprise…"
"Also, our equipment procurement budget for this year has been approved. You can approach this young man who has brought so much pleasant surprise. Putting aside his character for now, the performance of the powered armor produced by Huarong Industry is truly excellent. Let's procure several hundred units first. If they meet our army's practical combat needs, we can further increase the procurement."
"It's a pity that the Bear Country got ahead of us with such good things. Although we have a strong diplomatic and military relationship with the Bear Country, it feels uncomfortable to have our own good products tested by others first…"
"Who would have thought that a toy factory could produce such incredible equipment…"
"Combat mechs that completely crush the world's top military robots are being sold as toy figurines. This Meng Hao, he really has something about him…"
Seeing Yan Yizheng so filled with joy.
Chen Chen, who was equally happy, gave a standard military salute and marched away.
It seemed that the task of contacting Meng Hao needed to be put on the agenda as soon as possible.
However, before that, those genuine and fake foreigners who dared to come and provoke must be properly punished.
Hmm.
It wouldn't be appropriate to use military force, as it might cause Meng Hao worry.
Let's hand them over directly to the local police.
They came to provoke, damaged the wall of the conference room, and then defecated and urinated indiscriminately outside Huarong Industry's gate.
These actions could easily be construed as destruction of public and private property, and an offense against public order and aesthetics!
Hmm, perhaps half a year to three months in jail, followed by deportation.
…
Controlling the powered armor to throw the genuine and fake foreigners out of Huarong Industry, Meng Hao reappeared in the "Mech Ji" live stream.
The live stream room had already exploded.
"Holy crap, Hao Ge is amazing, he wasn't swayed by billions, didn't disgrace our Da Xia…"
"Damn it, that's billions of US dollars, if it were me, I probably would have caved and agreed…"
"Upstairs, don't compare yourself to Hao Ge, I think you're a traitor…"
"Bullshit, if our motherland were invaded one day, I'd be the first to stand up and defend it…"
"Cut the crap, save it. With Da Xia's military strength, who dares to invade? By the time you're dead, cremated, and buried, our country will still be at peace…"
"That's true. So, if war breaks out after I die, you can dig me up from my grave and make me into smoke bombs, so my ashes can blind those Western demons…"
"Okay, it's a deal. Remember not to seal my grave with concrete, I'm afraid it'll be too hard to dig…"
"You damn… you really want to desecrate my ashes, huh…"
"…"