Invasion of the United States

"Will 'Electric Flight' make adjustments to enter the U.S. market?"

"Who's currently in control of your company? Can you give a definite answer?"

Facing a barrage of questions, Marco cursed inwardly—the past month had been a roller-coaster ride, filled with danger and excitement every day.

One month ago, he came to Miami from Dongda, preparing to team up with Kongges to promote 'Electric Flight' in the U.S.

Unexpectedly, the governor of Florida listed Zhou Qingfeng as a wanted criminal on charges of 'tax evasion' and 'threatening national security.'

The president went on the run, leaving the people below to suffer.

Marco was also summoned by the Miami FBI to give a statement and was not allowed to leave the United States for the time being.

Initially, he thought the company's U.S. business was doomed, but in the past two weeks, there was a sudden turn of events, and the U.S. government seemed inclined to give 'Electric Flight' the green light.

The reason was simple—the U.S. had a very developed general aviation industry; whether or not there were low-altitude aircraft didn't really matter.

But many places worldwide had underdeveloped infrastructure, and the 'Warthog,' which could ignore ground traffic, had a market in large regions of Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

After Kelly returned to Dongda, she started integrating the supply chain. As long as the production of 'Warthog' ramped up, the corresponding parts market would be nurtured.

For example, although carbon fiber is expensive, it has an immediate impact on improving the flight quality of the 'Warthog.'

If 'Electric Flight' could purchase carbon fiber in bulk, domestic suppliers would be motivated to expand production and lower the price—just like how photovoltaic prices were brought down.

Seeing Dongda benefit while the U.S. suffered hunger was even more painful.

Realizing they couldn't suppress 'Electric Flight,' the U.S. Congress held a charade of a hearing, summoning Marco, who had not yet returned from Miami, to Washington D.C. for questioning.

Old Ma was in a foul mood and decided to let loose in front of the media present at the hearing.

When a congressman asked, "Is 'Electric Flight' a spy tool of Dongda?"

Marco confidently replied, "If you'd asked me this in the past, I would have answered 'no.'

But in today's world, even a pager can become a deadly bomb. It won't be impossible for our 'Warthog' to turn into a spy tool.

This mainly depends on whether the user is friendly or hostile."

Upon hearing this, the media at the hearing went into a frenzy—usually, those summoned to the U.S. Congress try to choose their words with utmost care, making sure nothing they say can be used against them.

Nobody expected the vice president of 'Electric Flight' to be so blunt, just like a porcupine!

Seeing the stunned expression of the U.S. congressman who asked the question, Marco felt an immense sense of satisfaction. He had anticipated this exact situation and prepared himself mentally—today, he was here to make a statement!

'Electric Flight' had only about fifty employees in the past, and although Old Ma was a vice president, he was essentially running around trying to secure orders daily, a truly humble and demeaning task, always putting on a brave face.

Now, with 'Electric Flight' booming and close to a thousand employees, Old Ma no longer needed to personally secure clients.

If the company was small, he had to bow; if the company grew, he still had to bow. What's the point of the company growing?

Marco had struggled half his life and decided today he would live for himself, flaunt his prowess in the U.S. Congress, and boost his own morale!

The questioning congressman, feeling the Asian manager didn't grasp the situation, asked a second question.

"Mr. Max, can you guarantee that if 'Electric Flight' operates in the U.S., flight data won't be transmitted back to Dongda?"

Marco stood up straight, "Respected congressman, where the flight data goes depends on where the data servers are located.

If the servers are in Dongda, naturally the data will be transmitted back."

This answer made it clear to the media present that the vice president of 'Electric Flight' wasn't here to talk things through—he came to confront.

Great, a confrontation! That's what makes for good news.

A timid, passive respondent playing word games would have been boring.

The congressmen were collectively bewildered, only now realizing this person had no intention of backing down today.

One congressman couldn't help but ask, "Mr. Max, what nationality are you?"

"Isn't it obvious? I'm definitely not American." Marco shrugged, thinking, do you even need to ask?

The room burst into laughter, even the questioning congressman couldn't help but smile.

But Marco continued, "Respected congressmen, we all know that 'Electric Flight' cannot enter the U.S. market.

Let's be frank.

Just last week, our company produced over a hundred 'Warthogs,' all leased to Chinese firms in Africa.

These convenient aircraft allow our clients to bypass bumpy, muddy, and dangerous roads, easily expanding their operations in Africa.

This isn't just about economic gains; it's a massive political advantage.

'Electric Flight' has already secured over one billion RMB in government loans and will establish an automated factory with an annual production of ten thousand units within eight months.

We can find suppliers for all our parts domestically, you can't stop us."

That was enough to enrage the high-ranking congressmen, causing them to collectively pale as if they had been hit where it hurt.

The hearing concluded rapidly, there wasn't much else to ask. Always read from the source: M|V|LE4MPYR.

'Electric Flight' wasn't considering the U.S. market; their funds and technology were independent, unaffected by U.S. sanctions. Marco couldn't care less how many times they summoned him.

-----------------

As he walked out of the United States Capitol, Marco felt like a hero in the spotlight, surrounded by the media.

Even if some viewed him as a villain, they had to admit he was a tough, charming villain.

On his way back to the hotel, his phone didn't stop ringing.

Friends and colleagues called constantly, some to congratulate him, some to joke, all saying he'd made a big splash in the enemy's territory, truly "boosting national prestige."

The online buzz was overwhelming; domestic media were already casting him as a "national hero" and touting 'Electric Flight.'

Marco couldn't help but smile as he scrolled through his phone, feeling quite pleased with himself.

Arriving at his hotel suite, just as he was about to take a relaxing bath, he opened the door and was stunned—someone was in the room.

"President Zhou?!" Marco stared at Zhou Qingfeng, who was sitting on the sofa as if he'd seen a ghost, "What are you doing here?"

This president had disappeared for almost a month, nearly evaporating from the face of the Earth.

At the moment, Zhou Qingfeng was lounging on the sofa, holding a phone, watching a video of Marco confronting the Congress, looking amused.

"Old Ma, I thought you'd be playing the timid role on their turf." Zhou Qingfeng raised his head and teased, "I didn't expect you to be so brave, like a prickly thorn, not giving them any face."

Upon hearing this, Marco finally exhaled in relief, feeling even more smug.

After all, he was just the vice president of 'Electric Flight.' Without Zhou Qingfeng around, this kind of headline-grabbing opportunity wouldn't have fallen to him.

What he feared most was the company's top management coming out later with a "humble apology" to reverse the public opinion. If that happened, he would truly become a clown.

At this moment, Zhou Qingfeng had fully recovered from the influence of the "X" enhancer, with his emotions and memories back on track.

However, considering he had dared to kill even the U.S. governor, he didn't care about Marco's "confrontational performance" in Congress.

"President Zhou, you now…" Marco asked cautiously, feeling a bit anxious.

Strangely enough, though 'Electric Flight' was a subsidiary of 'Holy Light' and had significant global influence, the company seemed to operate the same with or without this president.

In fact, it could be said that without him, the company ran more smoothly, employees had more freedom, and almost nothing was off-limits.

Zhou Qingfeng didn't explain where he had been for the past month, instead simply saying, "I need you to meet some people privately for me."

"Who?" Marco was puzzled.

"The ones who questioned you today in Congress."

"Those congressmen?" Marco was still confused.

"Yes, them." Zhou Qingfeng nodded.

"What for?" Marco was even more puzzled.

"To give them money. My 'Holy Light' Foundation still has two or three hundred million U.S. dollars. Wouldn't it be a waste not to spend it?"

Marco widened his eyes, "President, wasn't your foundation's account frozen?"

Zhou Qingfeng smiled, "If it can be frozen, it can be unfrozen."