Invasion of the United States

Businessmen in suits would take out a bottle of olive oil during meetings, while others would show off their family vineyards on their phones.

These merchants generally had weak payment abilities and would only purchase one or two units, lacking cash as well.

As a secretary, Jennifer was troubled daily by the incessant flow of genuine and fake merchants, even considering a strike.

But Zhou Qingfeng sat behind his desk, which was piled with various samples and quotes, feeling both excited and troubled.

On the one hand, he was excited by the rich resources and large population in South America, where the market demand for 'Warthog' far exceeded expectations.

On the other hand, he was troubled by the complexities of barter trade, which caught this business novice off guard, as he couldn't conduct transactions outside the existing financial and logistics systems.

But Zhou Qingfeng didn't feel discouraged at all.

Just as his office was becoming more like a grocery shop, a Chinese expatriate from Brazil walked in, hoping that 'Electric Flight' would invest in his logistics company.

"What... you want me to invest in your company?" Previously, others wanted to invest in 'Electric Flight,' but now it was someone hoping Zhou Qingfeng would put money into theirs.

The change was really fast.

The Chinese expatriate, clearly a seasoned traveler, sat down and started speaking eloquently, "I do freight shipping in Brazil, with my own fleet. I have some connections and networks in cities like São Paulo.

I also do some import-export business, often encountering barter transactions. Though my business is not big, I still make some money.

In Brazil, major market sectors are monopolized by big tycoons, but the needs of small farmers and merchants are neglected. Over the years, I've been making money from these 'fringe' trades."

The expatriate spoke sincerely, offering several photos of his operations in Brazil and contacts with local chambers of commerce, though lacking much commercial proof.

The photos showed a modest storage yard and four or five freight trucks. Due to the poor road conditions locally, these trucks had visible scratches and dents.

He mentioned that he originally came to Miami for business when he caught wind of 'Electric Flight' and decided to visit.

Zhou Qingfeng noticed some of the trucks in the photos even had bullet holes, indicating they were transporting in less peaceful areas.

Upon seeing this, the expatriate laughed heartily, "That's nothing. The security in big Brazilian cities is okay, but in smaller places, you can't avoid various local thugs.

I hire locals as drivers, but to deal with these thugs, I have to pay them money, costing several times more than the shipping fees.

But if we had vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, we could bypass these dangerous areas, fly directly to remote towns, and expand the business.

This would save a lot of protection money and ease our concerns. Your aircraft are truly perfect for underdeveloped areas.

However, I don't have much capital and lack liquid assets. President Zhou, would you consider investing in my company? I guarantee an annual profit of no less than thirty percent.

Or, would you first lease me an aircraft and let me test the waters?"

Zhou Qingfeng immediately thought of the global Chinese diaspora—a tightly knit community. While the domestic market was competitive, Chinese people had long ventured worldwide for business opportunities.

Mining in Africa, trading in Southeast Asia, running restaurants in Latin America. Though Chinese businesses were usually small, they were everywhere and deeply familiar with local markets.

In terms of transportation costs, air freight > road transport > rail transport > sea transport.

Air freight was three to five times more expensive than road transport, but this comparison was based on using fuel engines. To s%u^p&p%or$t our w&o&rk&,+ pl$e%as!e r^ea@d on M|V|&LE+_&MPYR!.@

With electric motors, which have lower use and maintenance costs, air freight costs could be cut by at least half, significantly reducing the gap with road transport.

Considering timeliness and convenience, the value-for-money difference becomes even smaller.

Leveraging the global Chinese business network and various state-owned enterprises involved in global construction, selling 'Electric Flight' products worldwide didn't seem too difficult.

"After all, I'm not here to make money; I'm here to spend it!"