Chapter 455: Buying a Flying Car to Play With

Late May.

After the Meng'an Power new vehicle launch event concluded, online pre-orders were already being accepted, and at the same time, a direct-sales store in Yujing already had physical vehicles on display.

Just as Wei Lvshi said, Meng'an Power had been prepared for a long time, so they were at the forefront; currently, the industry has not yet become competitive, and prices are severely inflated. It is estimated that only a portion of people who are not short on money will place orders, and they are just buying them to play around with first.

Buy early and enjoy early, buy late and enjoy a discount, after all.

This depends on how an individual thinks about it.

In any case, Chen Shu is not particularly short on money.

Taking advantage of the fact that Wei Lvshi had not yet returned to Yuanzhou, he invited Chen Banxia and the old couple to go to the store to take a look.

The store specifically used an area to display the flying cars. There were three models in total, five vehicles, and once hit by the lights, they were shiny and had a strong sense of science fiction.

Many people came to look at the cars; most were just joining in the fun or filming videos, and the sales clerks were all very enthusiastic in their detailed introductions.

A large crowd of people circled around the flying cars.

Because the three flying car models were single-seat, two-seat, and four-seat versions respectively, there were some differences in size, and with different configurations, they looked quite different. Chen Shu and Chen Banxia did not act as cautiously as the others, but instead generously climbed inside to take a look.

"This four-seat model is quite similar to that one of yours..." Chen Banxia said to Chen Shu.

"What do you mean 'that one of mine'?" Chen Shu corrected her, "That belongs to the sect."

"It's about the same; this one is smaller."

"Not too much of a difference..."

This four-seat model was indeed very similar to the one Chen Shu often rode in, like a combination of a common fixed-wing aircraft and a small car. The body was bulkier than an airplane and had smoother, more sci-fi lines than a small car, but it was smaller than Chen Shu's. Hearing that Chen Shu also owned one, the salesperson immediately opened the door and invited them inside to sit and experience it. The space in this flying car was significantly worse than the one Chen Shu often rode in; it was roughly the difference between an extended luxury business vehicle and a regular family car.

The single-seat and two-seat models were very different.

First, they were much more compact, like small aerial vehicles.

Second, they were divided into two versions; besides the one adopting the Ling Chi Principle, one could also choose a propeller version.

Don't look at the fact that this world has Spirit Power and the Ling Chi Principle; the use of propellers is also very common in daily life, and many civilian aircraft are propeller-driven.

For example, Drones for photography.

These propellers are all motor-driven, just like cars on the road. Energy is stored in the form of Spirit Power, and when used, it is converted into electricity through Runes.

The main reason is that Spirit Power is a very strange thing; it is very difficult for it to have direct interaction with the material world itself, as if it does not exist in this world. To convert it into a form that truly exists in the material world, one must go through a Cultivator or Runes. Therefore, whether there are excellent Runes and Rune Groups determines, to a certain extent, whether Spirit Power can have good performance in certain aspects.

Using only Runes can also make an object spin, but on one hand, the performance is not stable enough, and on the other hand, the cost is also somewhat high. Thus, most engines in this world are not driven directly by Spirit Power and Runes, but take a detour in the middle to pursue better overall performance and economy.

The general principles can be divided into two types—

One is to convert Spirit Power into electricity and then use a motor to drive it.

One is to use Spirit Power to generate high-pressure, high-temperature jet streams, and then use these jets to drive the engine.

Most civilian cars use electric motors.

These two propeller-version flying cars are no exception.

The two different configurations of flying cars can be clearly distinguished from their appearance. The Ling Chi version looks like an alien spacecraft, with a passenger cabin protruding in the middle and wings that gradually become thinner and flatter around the edges, which is very sci-fi. The propeller version has a pair of propellers at each of the four corners, very similar to the flying cars of the past life.

In terms of performance, the Ling Chi Principle is definitely superior to propellers in every way, but both principles have their own pros and cons.

This is reflected very clearly in these two flying cars.

"The Ling Chi Principle version has a top speed of up to 480, while the propeller version is only 180; the single-seat and two-seat versions are the same. At the same time, because the Ling Chi Principle has very high requirements for Spirit Power Quality, once the Spirit Power Quality is not up to standard, performance and range will drop rapidly, so higher-grade and larger-capacity Spirit Crystals must be used, making the cost far higher than the propeller version." The salesperson introduced in great detail, "Therefore, the price and performance of the two versions are very different, but the other configurations are basically the same; it just depends on your needs. The propeller version is very suitable for ordinary families to use for daily commuting; it is economical, easy to use, and flying is effortless. If you have long-distance travel needs or higher requirements for time, the Ling Chi version will be your better choice."

"Hmm..."

Chen Shu nodded.

That is indeed true.

If it is just for commuting to work or wandering around the neighborhood, the cheaper propeller version is a very good choice. There are no traffic jams in the air, and it is faster than driving regardless.

If you want to travel long distances, say over a thousand kilometers, you definitely have to buy the Ling Chi version; otherwise, it's really not as good as taking a high-speed train or airplane.

"What is the range?"

"Which car would you like to ask about? Which version?"

"The two-seat and four-seat models, Ling Chi version."

"The two-seat Ling Chi version has a range of 4 hours and can fly up to nearly 2,000 kilometers; the four-seat version has a range of 5 hours and can fly up to 2,400 kilometers. Our entire series of models supports ultra-high-voltage fast charging, filling up in less than 1 minute at high-speed Spirit charging stations. Furthermore, our flying cars can stop at high-speed service areas, and the entire flight process is fully automated." The salesperson paused, "If you have long-distance travel needs and the route plan exceeds the range, it will automatically search for the most time-efficient Spirit charging station when the Spirit Power is about to be exhausted. It can be fully charged one minute after landing and then take off again, taking almost no time."

"That's not bad."

Chen Shu glanced at the old couple.

Wei Lvshi said: "The price will at least be cut by a third in a year, right?"

The salesperson smiled, not daring to speak.

Chen Jiaoshou frowned tightly—

With Meng'an Power selling at such a high price, how much money can they make? The performance in the second and third quarter reports this year is probably eye-catching again... He was still waiting for it to pull back.

"Don't worry about that," Chen Shu said, "I bought Meng'an Power stock two months ago and haven't really looked at it. I checked once in the middle and looked again yesterday; it has already doubled. I'll just use the money I earned to buy one of their flying cars."

Chen Jiaoshou silently gritted his teeth.

If there is anything more uncomfortable than losing money, it is that you could have made money but didn't, and as a result, the people around you did.

"Right!"

Chen Shu turned his head to look at Chen Jiaoshou: "I told you back in February that the country was going to open up flying cars. Did you buy Meng'an Power stock?"

"No!"

"Why didn't you buy it?"

"I bought Xin'an Automotive!"

"Xin'an? The one that rose the least in the entire sector?"

"..."

Chen Jiaoshou's expression was numb.

Chen Shu was satisfied, laughing happily, and looked at the salesperson again: "How is the country's regulation in this regard being resolved now?"

"It is like this, sir—"

The salesperson cleared their throat and explained: "The state has now issued relevant standards, and all flying cars must meet these standards to ensure safety. At the same time, military-grade Spirit Crystal technology has also been applied to flying cars, so even if an accident occurs, the Spirit Crystal will not explode. Furthermore, all flying cars are autonomous; they can only be manually piloted in emergencies. Passengers can set destinations and waypoints, but the route is planned automatically by the vehicle's network connection. This prevents anyone from driving a flying car and crashing around recklessly, or causing aerial accidents due to improper operation. If you want to enter or exit a city, you can only do so from specific locations, and these locations will inspect the flying cars as they pass through..."

"That's high-end."

"Artificial intelligence has also developed very rapidly recently, and autonomous driving is much safer than humans, especially in the sky."

"Then my driver is afraid they are going to be unemployed."

"The original ones certainly required a pilot, and even with autonomous driving, a pilot had to be assigned, but current flying cars don't need that at all; they can even be empty."

"How about it?"

Chen Shu raised an eyebrow at Chen Jiaoshou: "Get one?"

The salesperson also stared at Chen Jiaoshou with anticipation.

"No money!"

"I can pay for you," Chen Shu said, then paused, "Consider it a gift for you... eh, how old are you two again?"

"I can too," Chen Banxia immediately followed up, also pausing, "By the way, how old are you two again?"

"Sixty-five!" Chen Jiaoshou said.

"Two rebellious children..." Wei Lvshi had a headache.

"Then Chen Banxia and I will each pay half, as a sixty-fifth birthday gift for you." Chen Shu nodded, acting as if he hadn't heard Wei Lvshi's words, and then this display of filial piety quickly moved himself; I am truly so filial, and buying one car for two people is both filial and smart.

"That's right, that's right!" Chen Banxia nodded repeatedly.

"You don't need to buy it for us," Wei Lvshi said.

"We definitely will!" Chen Banxia countered her.

"I can afford it."

"I have more money than I can spend."

"..."

"Hehe, which model should we buy?"

"Do you want to buy a two-seater or a four-seater?" Chen Shu also looked at the old couple.

"It's best to buy it next year," Wei Lvshi said.

"The two-seater is cheaper," Chen Jiaoshou said.

"But this two-seater can only seat two people, and there's no place to put luggage..." Chen Banxia said, "And when we go back for the New Year, if we want to go to Grandma's house or go play somewhere, it doesn't matter for Chen Shu, he doesn't even have to go, but I still have to ride in it."

"What do you mean it doesn't matter for me? You're the one it doesn't matter for, okay! You can't even cook, you'll be kicked out of the house by your mother sooner or later."

"Can't hear you, can't hear you."

"Then buy a four-seater?"

"Good idea, good idea."

The siblings settled it in a few words.

Chen Jiaoshou and Wei Lvshi looked at each other, unable to get a word in; in the end, one remained silent while the other rolled their eyes, and both stopped talking.

"How long until the car is delivered?"

"Within three months."

"Can I buy it here and register it in Yuanzhou?"

"We don't have regional sales restrictions, and flying cars don't need to be registered."

"Perfect." Chen Banxia was full of Joy and turned to say to Chen Jiaoshou, "Chen Jiaoshou, you can even take the flying car back then. Although this flying car's speed is half that of a plane, I've personally tested it, and counting everything else, it's about the same."

"So..."

The young salesperson stared at them, overjoyed.

"Ordered!"

Chen Banxia waved her little hand, her spirit soaring to the clouds.

Yiguo uses a direct sales model for car sales, with uniform national pricing, uniform discounts, and the same included accessories; there is no need to haggle. Chen Banxia immediately paid the deposit and ordered the car; that is just how direct she is.

Today, she also shone brightly in front of her parents.

Walking out of the direct sales store, Chen Banxia was in a great mood and asked Wei Lvshi: "When are you going back?"

"The day after tomorrow."

"You haven't gone anywhere to play these past few days, have you?"

"You're too nosy..."

"Tsk tsk!"

Chen Banxia couldn't help but shake her head, feeling quite smug: "At your age, still so clingy, really not ashamed..."

"Smack!"

A slap landed on her arm.

Chen Banxia's eyes widened instantly, unable to believe it; she had just spent seven figures to buy them a flying car, and she was hit by her just after walking out the door?

"Smack! What are you blanking out for?"

"Oh, oh..."

Chen Banxia came back to her senses and stumbled as she walked out, as if she had lost her soul.

Until her younger brother tugged at her arm:

"Where are you going back to?"

"Oh, I'm going to Zhang Suannai's place," Chen Banxia responded, having calmed down a little, "Want to play games together tonight?"

"I guess I can."

Chen Shu thought about it; there wasn't anything going on lately anyway.

Thus, he waved goodbye to the old couple.

……

That same evening.

Chen Banxia entered the Game Capsule at Zhang Suannai's home, while Chen Shu and the other two entered the Game Capsules in their own home's Quiet Room; the group entered the same room, and immediately entered a game called "Real Life".

This game can simulate different lives, where everyone has their own homestead or property, can manage it themselves to produce different results, and can also share it with friends or invite friends to play at their own home.

Since only Chen Shu and Zhang Suannai were playing this game, they could only go to the homesteads of the two of them.