Invasion of the United States

Jeff read this and suddenly felt a dark cloud before his eyes—annual production of a hundred thousand units? This might just be the initial capacity.

As an old father of two daughters, at this moment he wished he could fly to Zhou Qingfeng, pull out his checkbook, and put a knife to his throat to force him to accept his investment.

"One billion dollars… no, two billion dollars!" He calculated in his mind, gritting his teeth, "I'm not greedy, just give me a 40% stake!"

The office was eerily quiet, the only sound was his heavy sighs echoing.

Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, the city lights of Miami were gradually lighting up, the bustling nightlife just beginning.

Inside, Jeff's heart was in turmoil. He leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and a terrifying image appeared in his mind: he might miss out on this wealth feast.

-----------------

Jeff Connally sat in the office chair, his fingers hovering above the phone screen for several seconds.

He took a deep breath, deciding that he would call that damn kid no matter what to have a serious talk about the 'Electric Flight' investment.

This was an extremely serious matter.

'Pioneer Holdings' was always known for its precise investments and lucrative returns.

The industry knew Jeff and Zhou Qingfeng had a 'good' relationship, believing he would definitely catch the 'Electric Flight' express at the first moment.

If shareholders' expectations were not met, they would immediately vote with their feet, causing 'Pioneer Holdings' stock price to plummet, thereby affecting the company's reputation.

Just as Jeff was about to press the call button, the phone vibrated first, and a familiar yet unfamiliar number popped up on the screen.

The caller ID boldly displayed: Acting Governor of Florida, Parker.

He froze for half a second, quickly adjusted his posture, cleared his throat, and forced a cheerful tone when he answered the phone, "Good evening, Governor Parker."

Despite his insides feeling like they were burning, furious enough to smash something, he had to put on his best front for this political rising star.

A lively voice came from the other end, sounding quite pleased, "Jeff, did you read the latest report from The Economist? About 'Electric Flight'?"

Jeff leaned against the chair, responding enthusiastically, "I did, it was an excellent study. I heard the interview team spent over a month, traveling to several countries.

They even inspected Dongda's supply chain on site. Their dedication is truly commendable."

"Yes, yes, especially that part about the supply chain!" Parker's voice suddenly rose, excited like a child, "Jeff, did you see the accompanying video?

It was so clear, showing the batteries, motors, controls, all supporting industries. It's simply a model of industrial development."

Jeff raised an eyebrow, secretly wondering: What's got the governor in such high spirits today... did he take some kind of stimulant?

But he still went along, "Yes, the video was indeed very clear, even a layperson like me could see the system's power."

Parker didn't catch the perfunctory tone, eagerly throwing out the next question, "Jeff, how much do you think it would cost to build a similar supply chain in Florida?"

What?!

The question almost made Jeff drop his phone. He stared at the gradually lighting up Miami skyline, his mind swirling with questions: "What is he thinking?"

"How much? It's hard to estimate, maybe hundreds of billions. But..." Jeff elongated his tone, "Governor Parker, I don't think this is something money alone can solve."

"Hundreds of billions?" The governor seemed incredulous, "I watched those factories, none of them seemed advanced, just small plants." Part of a series hosted by My Virtual Library Empire (MV&LEMP&YR).

Jeff continued, "Dongda spent three to four decades, enduring countless hardships, to hone this supply chain.

Money… should be the easiest issue to resolve among all problems.

Land, infrastructure, skilled labor, supply chain management, and environmental approval—these are the real challenges.

You know how difficult those wetlands and environmental regulations in Florida are to deal with, right? If you're serious about building it, it'd be better to source from Mexico or Vietnam."

The other end was silent for two seconds, Parker seemed doused with cold water, refusing, "No, building abroad won't count as my achievement.

As far as I understand, 'Electric Flight' is controlled by 'Holy Light,' and 'Holy Light' is a US-registered American-owned company in Florida.

So I still have jurisdiction over it, don't I? There must be ways to force 'Holy Light' to hand over 'Electric Flight,' right?"

Jeff was speechless, could only respond formally, "Governor, theoretically, such a possibility exists.

But the controller of 'Holy Light' is not American. 'Electric Flight's' R&D and production are all in Dongda.

If you really want this company, the best way is to buy into controlling shares. But I must remind you, the president of 'Holy Light' is not short of money, he definitely wouldn't easily give up control."

The governor was silent again, then coldly said after a long pause, "It seems, there's only one last option.

Investigate that kid's taxes, or probe into illegal operations, arrest him. Force him to sell 'Electric Flight.' We need a true American company."

Jeff felt a surge of anger, thinking: "If that method worked, would you even need to think of it?

I'm here ready to invest money, planning to catch the wealth boom. Are you deliberately messing with me?

Asshole, do you still want to be governor? Blocking someone's path to wealth is like killing their parents, millions of investors won't allow you to mess around."