The Real Daughter Just Wants to Pilot Mechas - Chapter 174

E Mingjun saw Yan Chang switch sides instantly and lowered his eyes slightly, starting to regret bringing up the plan with him just now. Jiang Momo was too sharp; it was hard to hide anything from her.

“But speaking of which…” Yan Chang hooked an arm around E Mingjun’s neck. “Tutor E, how did you pass the Federation’s background check and get admitted?”

E Mingjun glanced at him. “That’s not important.”

Yan Chang saw that E Mingjun didn’t even struggle and lost interest, letting go. “So those people at the Central Star System’s port security checkpoint back then?”

E Mingjun nodded. “That was part of the plan.”

His original intention was to start with the most heinous criminals and eliminate them batch by batch. But after discovering how deeply Yan Chang had infiltrated the upper political circles, a new plan formed.

Jiang Momo propped her face with one hand, half-leaning on the table, staring hard at the side of E Mingjun’s face. From his slightly stiff posture, the way he avoided her gaze, and the whiteness in the knuckles clutching the table, she concluded that he still hadn’t given up on his plan.

“E Mingjun, is there really nothing in this world worth staying for?”

The sudden question caught E Mingjun completely off guard and even Yan Chang was stunned, turning to look at Jiang Momo.

E Mingjun didn’t turn his head, only looked stiffer.

Yan Chang immediately sensed something was wrong and grabbed E Mingjun’s arm.

“Yes.” E Mingjun nodded. “I have no family, no friends…”

Yan Chang cut off the heavy mood immediately. “Then what about the two people at this table? Doesn’t Jiang Momo matter to you?”

The way E Mingjun looked at Jiang Momo, if that wasn’t love, Yan Chang would hand out 100 star coins to everyone in the Capital Star!

“You two are a good match. You can take care of her,” E Mingjun said with his eyes slightly lowered.

Yan Chang had unknowingly become a political heavyweight in the Federation. Jiang Momo had her own career and had made history. Among the three of them, he felt redundant.

“Bullshit!” Jiang Momo smacked the back of E Mingjun’s head with a heavy slap.

Stars danced before E Mingjun’s eyes and his mind cleared a bit.

Yan Chang raised both hands in surrender. “Don’t act like you’re leaving your last will. Master has no romantic interest in me.”

He got slapped by Jiang Momo too.

“We’ve still got a lot to do,” Jiang Momo said firmly. “This plan has to end now. I don’t trust the military or the research institute. I’m planning to set up the production line in the Chaos Star System to mass-produce the nutrient solutions.”

E Mingjun frowned. “Products from the Chaos Star System won’t be freely used by the Federation, much less supplied to the military.”

Jiang Momo looked at Yan Chang.

Yan Chang gave up. “Don’t look at me. My subordinates are all in politics and are all shady. If you make them handle it, I won’t be at ease. Isn’t the military a good fit?”

Jiang Momo shook her head. “The top brass of the military isn’t reliable.”

“Then how about putting it on hold for now? It’s in your hands already,” Yan Chang suggested.

“We can’t wait. The sooner we put it into use, the better.” Jiang Momo rubbed her brow with her index finger. “We need someone who can legally mass-produce nutrient solutions, make deals with the military, and has integrity…”

“Where are we supposed to find someone like that…?” Yan Chang muttered. Halfway through, something clicked for him.

Jiang Momo looked up, the two locked eyes, and said in unison, “Ling Yelin!”

***

Ling Yelin sneezed twice in a row.

Wu Yue frowned slightly and turned up the room temperature by two degrees. “Are you cold?”

“Not really.” Ling Yelin adjusted the temperature back down. “The factory’s materials have to be stored in a cold environment to stay fresh. I’ll just wear something warmer next time. So, how’s the inspection? Any problems?”

“There are problems.” Wu Yue scratched her head. “They divide products into premium, mid-range, and standard, but testing showed that the premium ones actually have fewer nutrients than the standard ones. Yet they’re the most expensive and sell the best. Most are shipped to the Border Star System.”

Ling Yelin clicked his tongue, took the report from Wu Yue, and was about to read it carefully when the special alert from his light brain rang.

Jiang Momo had sent a comms request.

Ling Yelin glanced at Wu Yue in front of him, turned slightly to the side, and accepted the call. Jiang Momo and her group appeared in the projection.

“Hey! Boss Ling, long time no see!” Jiang Momo waved at him. Yan Chang gave a slight nod in greeting while E Mingjun still wore the same sour face as if someone owed him eight million.

Ling Yelin greeted Jiang Momo, “Long time no see. Is this about a deal?”

“Something like that. We’ve got a hugely profitable venture and want to bring you in,” Jiang Momo said.

“What kind of venture?” Ling Yelin asked.

Jiang Momo explained, “Nutrient solutions production. We checked that you’ve got the production licenses, you just need some production lines…”

“I have a production line,” Ling Yelin said, switching on panoramic mode and giving them a full view of the surroundings. “After the former president fell from power, I bought up part of his assets.”

Ling Yelin had expected Jiang Momo to be disappointed. He calculated silently for a second and decided that even if production ended up exceeding demand, he’d still buy her production line. After all, it was the first time in ages she’d proactively tried to sell him something.

Unexpectedly, Jiang Momo looked delighted.

“You already bought one? Perfect! That saves us a huge step! We’ve got a confidential formula here, an upgraded version of the premium nutrient solutions!”

Ling Yelin frowned. “I just read the report on premium nutrient solutions. The nutrient content is low and the market is already saturated. Even if it’s upgraded, profits won’t rise much.”

Given the current cost of those premium nutrient solutions, any further cost-cutting would make it indistinguishable from drinking water. He was a businessman, yes, but he still had some conscience left.

“Who says the market’s saturated? It’s not at all. Listen, we’re planning to sell it to the military…” Jiang Momo asked Little Eight to activate privacy mode on her light brain and then laid out the entire plan: the Jiang family’s conspiracy, the ‘plague’ in the Border Star System, the function of the production line, and the effectiveness and method of producing the upgraded nutrient solution.

The sheer density of the information made Ling Yelin’s head spin. He didn’t know whether to be more shocked by the Jiang family’s shamelessness or Jiang Momo’s decisive strategy.

“I thought the stuff on the news about the Jiang family was already disgusting enough…” he muttered.

Jiang Momo agreed. “When we released the exposé, we still considered what the Border Star System’s populations could handle. We only mentioned the factories’ harmful impact but we didn’t reveal how they sold the antidote at sky-high prices right after poisoning everyone or how they restricted immigration. We were waiting to rescue and relocate the victims first before revealing the full truth.”

“So now, we need to buy energy cores from the military, use them to make nutrient solutions, and then sell them back to them?” Ling Yelin clarified.

Jiang Momo nodded. “Exactly. We provide the tech and policy cover, you handle production and sales, and we split profit four ways.”

“Got it.” Ling Yelin glanced at the report in his hand again. “I’ll handle the negotiations with the military.”

Jiang Momo, who had been about to offer to coordinate with the military herself, paused and swallowed the words. “Thanks for that.”