Chapter 730 - 10 Illegal Factories

[Doctor Doom: Don’t worry, just sign for it. These devices didn’t go through regular processes and permissions, they can’t trace them back to you.]

Leo was almost ready to flee, but his phone rang immediately—

He reached out and grabbed his phone, and there was such a text message displayed on it.

That’s when you should start worrying!

How did you manage to use irregular processes and permissions to buy what could very well be military-grade equipment in Mei Country?!

He wanted to flee on the spot, but how could Lille give him this chance?

Just the moment his fear surged, his phone immediately jumped out with a second text:

[Doctor Doom: Run and you’ll get shot dead.]

Are there snipers around?

No, Lille was just trying to scare him.

But precise control over emotions allowed him to completely manipulate this guy: When people are afraid, they tend to overthink; when overthinking, a little scare from someone fills in the rest...

"Holy shit!"

Leo shook like he was having a seizure, grabbing the arms of the two people beside him: "There’s a sniper!"

The two guards looked bewildered, but the sense of fear truly did transmit into their heads.

[Johnny: You’re going to scare the piss out of this kid.]

[Lille: Young people should grow some courage.]

[Johnny: That’s not entirely wrong, but can you use... your head and send these things here? This world seems pretty backward.]

[Johnny: Or has your name already been registered on the company’s list number?]

In the Cyberpunk World, military-grade items are actually for sale, just priced exorbitantly; individual buyers usually can’t afford them.

And typically, the information of each purchaser is strictly recorded, sent into the company’s intelligence network records—

In this world, even in the "freest" Mei Country, military-grade items can’t just be bought on a whim...

Unless the "buyer’s" payment address is overseas, arms and non-classified military equipment sell well abroad, and the Pentagon also supports this transaction.

By relying on the free internet, Lille can easily use the ubiquitous botnet to target some sensitive area IPs, use them as a springboard, forge identities and payment information, and complete the deal.

As long as the transaction is completed overseas and marked up, these merchants already dealing in black market trades don’t mind bringing the items back again...

These items aren’t arms, not to mention they’re transported in bulk—

Technically, if some items are disassembled without a manual, they’re pretty hard to put back together.

Leo suppressed his fear and signed for the package as instructed by Lille, but with each item he checked, his heart pounded once.

"IBM System x3850 M2, enterprise-level server rack, this thing looks ordinary, but I know you’re here to sign for this..."

A group of people lifted a pitch-black box out of the car, full of parts inside.

"Military-grade encryption module, used by the Navy and Air Force, disassembled as requested, otherwise it wouldn’t pass inspection. As for how you’ll deal with it, I won’t ask any more."

Leo swallowed his spit: A military-grade module? Used by the Navy and Army?

"Raytheon GCS-601 ’Sentinel’, a satellite antenna from Thunder God Company, the military-grade gain module is in another vehicle, I’ll take you to see..."

"That’s a military GCS-601 drone command terminal, everything inside has been wiped clean, mixing military and civilian equipment... You really are a genius to think of this method."

"TRUMPF TruLaser 2030 High Energy Laser Cutting Machine, this one’s considered civilian-use, I pulled some strings with an old friend to get you a restricted power core, not bad, right?"

"And then there are some legitimate products, EC 90 flat brushless motor, HDL-64E laser radar, RM08 photoelectric encoder..."

"Old pal, I won’t ask what you’re doing with all this stuff. I don’t know why you’re buying second-hand either, everyone has tough times."

"But if one day you make it big, I hope you won’t forget about a small role like mine, throw me a bone."

All items were unloaded.

The suit-wearing man turned the car around and left, extremely professional.

He actually had suspicions that this Leo might be a joke, but as Lille began directing Leo, item by item moved into the abandoned factory and got connected, he knew there was no point in suspicion anymore.

Maybe this Leo wasn’t the one ordering the items, but the person who ordered them must be watching here.

As for those scattered, yet-to-be-assembled contraband items, how they were supposed to be assembled didn’t concern him.

He only knew that if these things weren’t moved soon, they might end up stuck with him: technology advances rapidly in these two years, better to move while the time is right, perhaps a couple more deals could be struck at this illegal high-tech factory, a little discretion goes a long way.

Looking at the array of equipment placed in specified locations, vividly, Leo thought of those scenes from movies:

Super factories that automatically manufacture weapons and other mechanical structures, technology fields beyond civilian comprehension, and... unknown secrets...

Fassbender put down the last cable, wiped the sweat off his forehead: "Why does it feel like something’s missing... seems like there’s no console or monitor?"

Schleski leaned his head over: "Boss, I think... I think we... "

"Shut up!"

"Don’t need you to say it!"

[Lille: Now, turn on the generator.]

Leo took a look around, suddenly found the courage: maybe it was because now in the factory, looking around the glass windows, he couldn’t see any potential sniper spots.

He got bold!

He grabbed his phone and sent messages like crazy!

Johnny showed an interested expression, in Lille’s sight jumped onto Leo’s phone, watching the frenzied face of Leo with great interest:

[Johnny: Oh, suddenly got gutsy, trying to bargain?]

Lille smiled.

[Leo: I’m begging you, leave me a way out! I’ll do what you say, but you have to promise not to kill me!]

[Johnny:... Coward, how can he send such submissive words with such a determined expression?]

[Lille: A true hero dares to face a brutal truth, but most people perish in front of the brutal truth.]

[Lille: So there’s an old saying: Those who understand the times are the true heroes.]

However, pulling the switch didn’t need Leo to do it.

Just after Leo sent the message, the two guards stepped back in terror, directly bumping into the assembly arm behind them!

"What are you guys doing?"

Leo looked confused, following the gaze of the two guards, looking at his own bag.

A small robot jumped out, about the size of a palm, looking a lot like a human.

But it was definitely a robot.

Lille jumped out of the bag, directly onto the generator, his thin left hand transforming into a fine, sharp conductive metal wire, deeply piercing into the generator.

Bang—

The lights in the factory lit up row by row, fans whirred tumultuously; the indicators on the control panel activated one by one, flashing crazily, electricity surging along each assembly arm and production line, static electricity in the air accumulating as the factory started up...

The static was not exaggerated, and it would soon slowly dissipate with airflow, but the subtle touch of static made Leo and his two guards feel as if something powerful was converging—

Electricity? Data streams? The enormous factory noise...

or something else... was converging—

Converging onto the robot standing on the control panel.

Now they understood why none of this equipment had anything for human use.

The light shone on Lille’s silver and black intertwined shell, streamlined mechanical joints and casing gleamed, but most eye-catching was the emblem on his back:

A demon mask engraving of the Martial Artist band.

But why did the pattern on this demon mask look a bit like a hamburger?

"Well done, I am Doctor Doom, what did you just say?"