Chapter 52

Clearly, the system had once again met the conditions for an upgrade.

"Ding... Detected that the host has met the conditions for a technology tree upgrade. Proceed with upgrade?"

"Upgrade!" Lin Yi replied with almost no hesitation.

"Upgrade initiated..."

"Upgrade complete!!"

As Lin Yi opened the virtual system panel, it now displayed:

"Host: Lin Yi"

"Stone Stone Stone Stone Age: 21"

"Race: Human"

"Arms Dealer Reputation: 105 (A Somewhat Famous Arms Dealer)"

"Technology Tree Level: Three Stars"

It was likely that this Double 11 promotional event had brought the Dragon Nation flagship store into the global spotlight.

This was what had earned the Dragon Nation flagship store its modest reputation.

"Ding... Beginning to unlock new weapon categories!"

"Please select a category type!"

Immediately, Lin Yi chose the tank weapon category without the slightest hesitation.

Consequently, the weapon shop's catalog now included various tank equipment ranging from World War II to the 1980s.

Among them was the Hans "Leopard 2," produced in 1979, the first Western tank equipped with a smoothbore cannon.

There was the Ugly Nation M1 main battle tank with a 105mm caliber,

the Sulian 115mm T-62, and the T-64 and T-72, both equipped with 125mm smoothbore cannons, and so on.

Although the tanks unlocked by the system were all pre-1980s equipment, their advantage lay in their low cost.

Taking the classic T-72 tank as an example, even now, the production cost for Mao Xiong to replicate this tank would be no less than two million US dollars.

Yet, this T-72 tank produced by the system was priced at only 200,000 US dollars per unit.

Lin Yi speculated that even if the price were tripled to 600,000 US dollars per unit, many buyers would still be willing to purchase it.

After all, the T-72 was equipped with a 125mm smoothbore cannon,

adhering to Sulian's consistent combat philosophy,

featuring characteristics such as a large-caliber main gun,

and capable of firing gun-launched missiles, equipped with an automatic loader, and a series of other advanced devices.

The tank was installed with a turbocharged diesel engine boasting a total output of 780 horsepower, along with NBC protection systems.

Although the T-72 tank had been criticized since the Gulf War and destroyed countless times,

on one hand, this was because the T-72 had been in service for too long, making it highly vulnerable to modern weaponry.

On the other hand, most of the T-72s exported during the Sulian era were the inferior "monkey models."

The number of T-72s used by Sulian itself that were destroyed was far fewer.

If one felt the T-72 was too outdated, the catalog also included the Sulian third-generation main battle tank, the T-80.

It was equipped with advanced hardware such as the GTD-1000T gas turbine engine with an output of 1,000 horsepower and a laser rangefinder.

The system's price was 250,000 US dollars per unit.

Lin Yi set the marked price at one million US dollars, believing there was absolutely no issue with it.

After all, even if Mao Xiong produced this model of tank themselves now, the cost could not be lower than this price.

The manufacturing cost for a single Sulian-era T-90 tank produced by Mao Xiong was already over three million US dollars.

Even if the T-80 was somewhat cheaper than the T-90, Mao Xiong's production cost would certainly be no less than two million US dollars per unit.

It could be said that with the unlocking of tanks, Lin Yi's profits were likely to skyrocket.

(PS: For this new book, I beg for flowers, tips, and review tickets; your support is the author's motivation!)

If unlocking the tank catalog in the system made Lin Yi very happy,

then the system's next prompt made him extremely excited.

"Ding... Detected that the number of orders for the Host's Dragon Nation Flagship Store is high; existing transportation methods are no longer suitable for the Host's development. Beginning transportation method upgrade!"

"Ding... Spend 1 million USD to upgrade the Hyperspace Teleportation function?"

"Upgrade!" As someone aspiring to be a weapons e-commerce merchant, Lin Yi naturally welcomed the solution to the delivery fee issue.

"Ding... Upgrade complete!"

(Explanation: Hyperspace Teleportation: Delivery fees reduced to 1/10 of the original amount; single-transaction fee reduced to 5,000 USD.

Available delivery modes: Single large-scale teleportation, with no limits on weapon weight or quantity;

Or: 100 independent small-scale teleportations, each limited to under 1 ton.

Seeing this, Lin Yi knew that the only obstacle hindering the "Dragon Nation Flagship Store" from becoming a global e-commerce giant had vanished.

According to the system, as long as weapons were purchased from the system catalog,

and weighed under 1 ton, one could enjoy up to 100 small-scale teleportations.

At a cost of 5,000 USD per small-scale teleportation, the fee per transaction would be only 50 USD.

Although this remained far more expensive compared to the free shipping offered by Dragon Nation's Taobao, Jingdong, and Pinduoduo,

yet, in the face of arms orders often totaling tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars,

a mere 50 USD shipping fee was negligible.

If the volume was large enough, Lin Yi could even choose to offer worldwide free shipping.

At this moment, the system voice sounded again:

"Ding... Detected that the Host's technology tree has upgraded. Reward: One Technology Tree Lottery Draw. Initiate draw immediately?"

Every time the system upgraded, it gifted one lottery draw opportunity.

The last draw had yielded new lithium battery technology.

"I wonder what it will be this time?" Lin Yi thought to himself.

"Draw!"

"Lottery draw beginning!"

"Ding... Congratulations, Host! You have drawn: New Carbon Fiber Technology!"

"Carbon fiber technology?"

Lin Yi hadn't expected the system to grant him another set of technical data.

Carbon fiber is a fibrous material containing over 90% carbon, possessing characteristics such as light weight, high strength, corrosion resistance, high modulus, low density, no creep, good electrical and thermal conductivity, ultra-high temperature resistance in non-oxidizing environments, and excellent fatigue resistance.

It serves as a crucial foundational material for developing high-tech industries like aerospace, new energy, and high-end equipment manufacturing.

It is also an essential key material for manufacturing rockets, missiles, fighter jets, naval vessels, and various cutting-edge military weapons.

Currently, it holds an irreplaceable strategic position in the military-industrial sectors of nations worldwide.

It can be said that carbon fiber is hailed as the modern "King of Materials."

Its products have gradually become the favorites across major industrial sectors.

However, compared to developed nations, Dragon Nation still lags relatively behind in carbon fiber production technology.

Currently, carbon fiber production technology is monopolized by the Ugly Nation and Little Japan, forcing Dragon Nation to face a blockade dilemma regarding carbon fiber.

The Ugly Nation and Little Japan have continuously researched and developed carbon fiber technology, mastering its core production methods.

To maintain their leading positions in the global market, these two nations have adopted a series of actions and policies to restrict the production and sales of carbon fiber, forming a de facto joint monopoly.

Through means such as technical barriers, intellectual property protection, and market blockades, both sides

have restricted other nations' access to and production of carbon fiber.

This has not only tightened the supply in the global carbon fiber market but also kept prices persistently high, severely restricting the promotion and application of carbon fiber worldwide.

Now, the new carbon fiber technology granted by the system, much like the lithium battery technology, is pioneering and holds milestone significance.

Once developed, its superior performance and cost will undoubtedly deliver a severe shock to the current carbon fiber market.

However, at this stage, Fengyi Technology has already consumed considerable energy from Lin Yi.

He did not plan to enter the carbon fiber industry for the time being.

At least, not before Fengyi Technology was running smoothly.

This was after the Dragon Nation Flagship Store's Double 11 event concluded.