Chapter 88 (1/2)

Chapter 88: The Great Depression (Part Seven)

They had been staring at the diagrams throughout the day and night. Kent and the others used their bloodshot eyes to study each line on the paper, looking for the slightest hint of a flaw.

The security guards from Fighting Veterans Security Company stood guard at the door. It was a company formed by militants who fought in the first war. Due to the economic downturn, their lives were tough. They tried multiple different jobs, and the most typical was being a security guard. The scope of that job still remained largely the same in the 21st century.

Those strong white men's only task was to ensure that the diagrams weren't copied or taken away by anyone. There were six veterans altogether in the room. Each one of them had a solid chest and formidable biceps.

Just as Edsel and the others were getting busy, Huang Xuan entered the other bedroom. He said, ”Call Li Qing in P112.”

Two to three minutes later, Huang Xuan heard good old Chinese through the speaker. Li Qing's voice sounded frantic as he said, ”h.e.l.lo? Boss?”

”It's me.” Huang Xuan enjoyed being referred to as ”Boss”. He smiled and continued, ”Where are the professionals my mother sought for me? I need to ask them some questions.”

”They're right here,” Li Qing answered quickly. ”Director Zhang told me to stay here and await your call.”

As he was speaking, Li Qing pa.s.sed the telephone to the people beside him. The other party spoke with an accent, but clearly asked, ”h.e.l.lo, are you Huang Xuan? I'm Li Dongsheng.”

”h.e.l.lo Uncle Lee,” Huang Xuan remembered his mother's words. He was to be polite. Hence, he decided to address Li Dongsheng as ”Uncle”. He had nothing to lose by doing so anyway.

Li Dongsheng was obviously pleased by this. He laughed and said, ”I heard from Director Zhang that you're out doing some observations and that you might have some professional questions to ask. Everyone's been waiting for you.”

Huang Xuan was in no hurry. He went through introductions with each of the six or seven people before he said, ”I'm having some issues at the moment, and they are pretty professional. Do you all know how to split the diagram of the Citroen Traction Avant into two parts? I need one part to show the technology used and the specifications, but not to reveal the method of installing the technology.

Li Dongsheng had been relaxed at first. However, upon hearing this never-before-heard-of question, he became stunned for a moment. He covered the receiver and said a few words, then he continued, ”Huang Xuan, when do you need the answer? The few of us need to discuss this.”

”By tonight? Thank you all.”

”Alright,” Li Dongsheng hung up without saying much else.

It was probably not difficult to split the diagram into two parts. However, to have one part displaying the techniques and specifications without revealing the method was a challenge. It went against the natural requirements of a diagram. Of course, it was not impossible. Each year, countless theories were published. There were few problems that man could not solve. Yet, to expect to solve this problem in a few hours was a challenge — even though they were handling a car model from the '30s.

Despite this, Huang Xuan believed that the experts whom his mother sought were indeed experts. He had no other option. Rolin was definitely not going to be able to handle a job that required that much creativity unless he had information on it. He simply wasn't designed to ”think”.

The morning brought with it clear, crisp air that covered half of Manhattan. Those who were looking forward to the improvement of the economy only saw the green of the trees. The morning dew settled on the traffic light at a cross junction, and the pedestrians were in as much of a hurry as they were three years ago, worry etched on their faces.

Edsel was troubled. After he had handed the br

iefcase to Huang Xuan, 20 strong men carefully brought the diagrams of the V8 downstairs.

Out of pure courtesy, GM's representative, Edward, did not leave. He could have tried to catch a glimpse of the diagrams that Ford was purchasing, and Edsel did not attempt to stop him.

When all of the diagrams had been brought downstairs, Edsel expressed sincere grat.i.tude. He shook Huang Xuan's hand firmly and said, ”It has been pleasant doing business with you.”

[Of course, it has been,] Huang Xuan thought. The diagrams that he had just purchased were to be the final products. Ford would have spent the next ten years researching and working to produce the designs. As things were, the design of the V8 suited Ford. It cost little and was good for large-scale manufacturing. It also matched the requirements of the a.s.sembly line... The technology that it made use of also far surpa.s.sed the A-type V8. This was what had bought Edsel over. He didn't know how the car would look like, but he knew that the technology it made use of was ahead of its times.

This alone was worth more than $100,000.