Chapter 273 - 254: Get Me a Set

Governor Newsom looked more like the typical redneck, but his attitude towards high technology and the automation industry was very friendly, even proactive.

As he put it, "We have vast expanses of arable land, and if one tractor equipped with some high-tech fertilizers can do the work of 100 people and feed 10,000..."

Why not like these gizmos?

"...Farming, farming, and then working in factories... you might not realize how damn boring these jobs can be, luckily I was more fortunate."

What with the Green Revolution, internet technology—I watched as these technologies entered our town, and that’s a lot more interesting than just farming.

So before we start our discussion, I want to tell you, though I look like a rough old redneck, I am fond of machinery and high-tech gadgets.

Otherwise, I wouldn’t have gone into filmmaking."

After a night of rest and reflection, he was much more composed, closer to the image he projected in public.

Lille nodded in agreement.

In the previous discussion, he had learned more about the current state of the political scene.

First was President Ellis, a typical ruling party figure, who came into office with the support of traditional resource groups and largely favored their policies.

About two and a half years ago, a supersize tanker from the Republican Oil and Gas Company spilled a million gallons of crude oil in Pensacola.

Ellis had suppressed the incident, and it ultimately concluded ambiguously as an "accident."

Globally, oil prices soared, especially domestically—

"That’s the funny part, the soaring oil prices were also one of his reasons for advocating rekindling the war, but he had no intention of prosecuting the company involved."

"Speaking of oil—how is Rocksen Oil doing?"

Newsom was taken aback, "What company?"

Lille shook his head, "Never mind if you don’t know."

Rocksen Energy Company had always been a background corporation in Marvel World, yet what Lille found online indicated that the company had been acquired by Republican Oil decades earlier.

Not just acquired, even the name Rocksen Oil was concealed—

So now the largest oil giant in America was Republican Oil and Gas Company, but a different name doesn’t mean Lille could let his guard down:

This Republican Oil Company had developed at a staggering rate in the past decade, becoming bigger without facing antitrust investigations.

It was also a major sponsor of the ruling party.

Something was very off.

Additionally, in this timeline, Ellis won the election and launched a war after 911, causing significant shifts in the ruling party’s policy.

Most notably, he abandoned rural constituents, increased support for urban industry, and altered the Government’s strategy.

Now they emphasized not only enhancing national defense but also large Government policies, hoping to unify many standards across states.

"So overall—", Governor Newsom adjusted his head, "our President and the ruling party plan to stimulate the revival of manufacturing through military actions, and—

I hate to say it, but the whole world knows, we f***king love oil.

If we could monopolize resources, we could solve many problems, at least for a while."

On the contrary, "our side, in terms of energy, like solar, hydro, and wind power, has long wanted to break free from oil, but that stuff is just too appealing."

To be honest, we are indeed completely disoriented.

So whatever you need, we will fully support, because frankly, there are hardly any businesses left to support."

How sincerely candid, Mr. Governor.

A politician is a politician—they aim to hold on to political power, first by having economic entities as a base, and if not, squeezing one out of the existing political power works too.

Both to some extent complement each other.

Lille was somewhat surprised by the Governor’s candor.

Newsom continued, "If it were someone else coming here, they’d definitely drag this out with you, but let’s just be frank."

"Good," Lille promptly replied, "First off, the chips, I will have Dr. Tums take care of this in San Francisco, and what we need..."

"I know, I can represent the California government in offering you funding, tax exemptions, and vast tracts of land, and if you want to move into campuses, I can help you make connections."

Newsom confidently stated, "You just come over, I will provide you with the greatest support within the limits of my power."

"That’s great."

Lille indeed had such a plan.

Whether it was brain-machine interface surgery, blood production, or the production of technological equipment used in this process, more doctors, engineers, and workers were needed.

From the University of California to some community colleges and technical schools, these were the sources of labor.

"But these chips, how do you plan to use them? Forgive my bluntness, it seems like only you weill be able to use them."

"Currently, only we can use them, but not the blood," Lille explained. "The scale of artificial plasma production is directly proportional to the chip demand, and we will use a large amount of automation technology.

The production process will require many workers and engineers, as well as the production of facilities and equipment..."

"Can you give me a rough number?"

"Sure." Lille opened his laptop, "A standard plasma production line produces 8,000 units of whole blood per year, and considering various costs and production-influencing factors, a factory can accommodate eight production lines.

Each factory needs about 240 workers, managers, and engineers.

In New York, we estimate we can support 3-5 such factories to carry out production."

Calculated at the current cost of plasma at Yale University of 200 US dollars, the revenue of one factory would be twelve million eight hundred thousand US dollars, with about fifty million US dollars a year in revenue from New York alone...

The key is that this is just calculated based on cost, and the actual selling price will definitely be much more.

Whole Blood Products can also be subdivided into various types of plasma, platelets, and Red Blood Cell Medicines...

In essence, the potential is enormous, and it’s not a problem to have annual fund flows of tens of billions if we scale up significantly.

The crucial aspect is that these factories’ funneling of billions in capital can also stimulate other industries, unlike the current problematic real estate finance, as there is always a demand for healthcare.

This is a long-term stable industrial chain.

Plasma is the main focus, plus a large batch of pharmaceuticals soon to be released: immunosuppressants based on lizard Chlorobilin, various Stimulants, and heart Stimulants...

"This is just the beginning." Lille pointed to the interface behind Newsom, "With this as a base, we can change the lifestyles of tens of thousands of disabled and elderly people.

We could even develop more assistive production Exoskeletons suitable for civilian engineering, increasing the efficiency ahd speed.

After all the twists and turns, we came back to those chips.

The market demand is completely sufficient. The socio-economic impact of this industry chain is absolutely significant.

In reality, the Governor still isn’t thinking far enough ahead: because the brain-computer interfaces will completely change the logic of human-machine interactions, what’s discussed now is just the tip of the iceberg.

But this is enough already; the prospects are mouthwatering.

This concept is so appealing that it makes one salivate just to think about it this far.

The Governor slowly said, "That’s great, so great that I thought I was dreaming.

But speaking of that...you know, we now have a huge problem. The Department of Defense has purchased a batch of secret weapons from Cyber Technology Company.

The debut of this batch of secret weapons might sway some swing members of Congress on the AMF-13 bill, but we don’t even know what these weapons are.

If the bill passes, many resources will have to be inclined towards the military industry, especially the batch of... banknotes that will be printed soon."

If the AMF-13 bill passes, more supportive policies will be off the table in the short term.

And if this device really plays a significant role on the battlefield...

Vicotry would greatly enhance the inertia of societal development, making public opinions more likely to change under such circumstances.

Lille closed his laptop, "But we can only focus on what we have at hand right now."

"...Yes."

The Governor looked out the window, and after a brief silence, he suddenly said, "Let me try your new technology. Give me a set, I’ll advocate for you."

"It’s very risky, if something happens once, it will happen again."

"I know." The Governor smiled, "but trust me, if I show up at the podium looking like something out of a movie... fuck, that would be awesome."

The approval ratings would explode.

Since the Governor was so daring...

Lille was of course willing to accompany him.