Chapter 875 - Robert’s Mansion
The negotiations in the morning did not make much progress. Pritzker stated that he would need to contact the Capital. Jiang Chen was not in a hurry. After all, there was still a week away from the opening of the Summit. He had plenty of time to wait for the outcome of the Capital’s discussion.
Graphene and cloud technology both possessed great value in the global market, but Beta-4 drones were not the same and didn’t apply to all markets. It could even be said that from the East Coast to the West Coast, the market was barely existent.
Taking Hua as an example, leaving behind a number of widely criticized but inconveniently mentioned problems, the procedure for visiting a doctor was inherently much simpler than that of Western countries, and doctors were not as “noble” compared to the capitalist world and the hospital operating costs wererelatively low. Although its level of medical care in the world ranking may be unsatisfactory, its cost-effectiveness was undoubtedly at the forefront, which was also recognized by the world. It was also the reason why many people who get sick abroad still choose to seek a doctor domestically.
In this environment, the market space for Beta-4 drones was naturally narrow.
In the same way, logistics drones would be less useful in the North America market. A perfect example of a product unfitted to compete in the market due to different habits.
After leaving the Pritzker’s hotel, Jiang Chen got into Lawrence’s car. To have a FBA official be his driver was not a treatment everyone could enjoy.
“Where are we going next?”
“Los Santos City Hall. It’s still early. I’ll have to visit the Los Santos Mayor and then have lunch with him. In the afternoon … I have to go to Hollywood. I don’t have the opportunity to come here often so I’m going to meet my old friend.” Jiang Chen looked at the schedule of Xia Shiyu planned for him and said to Lawrence, who was driving.
Surrounded by modern skyscrapers, the City Hall with a dome resembled the Mausoleum, looking retro and small. However, this magnificent tower was still the most well-known landmark in Los Santos. This municipal building often appeared in Hollywood blockbusters, such as the Daily Planet newspaper, where Superman works.
They soon arrived at City Hall. In the square in front of the City Hall, Los Santos Mayor, Eric Gashiti, personally met with Jiang Chen and invited him to his office.
It was very easy to communicate with the mayor, much easier than the officials from the federal government. The most important reason for this was that Mr. Gashiti was more focused on immediate interests than the interests of the entire federal government.
Local government and the federal government were two independent systems. This provided Jiang Chen with a lot of conveniences. Just an empty promise for a multi-billion investment, he received preferential tax-reduction and tax-free policies from the city of Los Santos.
Now Los Santos was desperate for investment from foreign capital. The soaring crude oil prices continued to weaken the dollar, and the refugee problem made the economy even worse. Although Los Santos was the economic center on the west coast, it still had difficulty shaking off the looming economic crisis.
Of course, Eric’s policy benefit to Jiang Chen was also empty promises.
Only when Future Group invests in Los Santos, will these policies actually be honored.
However, these were minor issues. Before Jiang Chen arrived, he was quite optimistic about the manufacturing industry in Cali. According to the forecast set out by Future Group’s economic analysts, if oil prices continued to rise, the dollar would continue to weaken, and a new round of economic crisis was already foreseeable.
By then, if Future Group could rely on its high self-sufficiency trust model to gain a firm foothold in the economic crisis, it could completely free up its hands to acquire overseas assets. The West Coast would be the starting point for Future Group to enter the North American market. Investment in Los Santos wouldn’t be a bad choice by then.
After discussing all the items on his agenda, Eric Gashiti enthusiastically invited Jiang Chen to have lunch at the City Hall. Jiang Chen, who already had this idea, was naturally pleased with the proposal. The food in the City Hall was fantastic. Except for the creamy dessert, which was not Jiang Chen’s favorite, the roasted black pepper steak and the creamy corn soup were especially addictive.
After lunch, Jiang Chen bid farewell with Eric Gashiti and left the City Hall building.
When he got into Lawrence’s car, the agent supervisor was leaning against the car door with a coke and a beef burger. After seeing Jiang Chen get into the car, he quickly finished the food in his hands, crumbled the oily wrapper and stuffed it into a plastic bag before throwing it into the trash can next to him, then he got into the driver’s seat.
“You only ate a hamburger?”
“In fact, it tasted pretty good.” Lawrence grinned and started the car. “We are going to Hollywood?”
“Yes.” Jiang Chen opened the holographic screen of his watch and slid his finger across the translucent map in front of him before reaching a place marked with a red dot. “The exact location is here.”
Lawrence saw that the map in front of him clearly and was shocked for a second, then he said enviously, “It’s a really convenient tool.”
…
Hollywood was located on the outskirts of Los Santos. It was surrounded by mountains, a mild climate, and pleasant scenery. It was not only the center of the global music film industry but it was also a true “wealthy area” in Los Santos. Many wealthy people would choose to purchase mansions there. If a person’s name could be printed as the “producer” of a film with major investments, that person would be the focus of attention at any party.
For example, a guy who made his fortune with firearms and gold.
“Welcome! Haha, my old friend, you finally came to see me!”
Seeing that grin, Jiang Chen, with a big smile on his face, hugged him. Although he didn’t spend too long with this guy, the experience they shared in Iraq developed a strong friendship between the two.
Or else when he was in South Africa, he would not have taken such a big risk as to give the last batch of arms to Jiang Chen.
Whether he was doing it for the money or not, he did indeed do Jiang Chen a favor.
“I just got off the plane yesterday. You have to let me get over my jet lag.”
“Mr. Agent Supervisor, I haven’t seen you for a long time.” Robert noticed Lawrence behind Jiang Chen and also said hello.
Lawrence with an indifferent expression lit up a cigarette and blew out an impatient smoke ring. He said impolitely.
“I feel inexplicably upset when I see you jumping around on this.”
Robert said with a grin, “Hey, man, don’t be like that. You have to give me credit for you being in this position now.”
Lawrence scoffed but did not speak. He clearly agreed with this point.
Although Robert was once on the FBA’s blacklist, it was already two years ago. It is impossible for the FBA to monitor a person for a lifetime. As long as he proved that he completely withdrew from the arms business, the FBA would naturally stop monitoring him.
Just out of habit, Lawrence subjectively witnessed this guy who crossed the red line of the Capital and ended up living a comfortable life. He was not too thrilled with the result.
“Come in for a drink?”
“I can’t, I can’t drink during work.” Lawrence looked up at Robert’s mansion and declined Robert’s invitation.
“That’s really regrettable, you’re missing the party,” said Robert. Then he turned back and patted Jiang Chen’s shoulder. “Come on, man, let’s go in and have a few drinks. I said multiple times to take you to enjoy Hollywood. I happen to have a few acquaintances to introduce to you here. They are all very interested in you and I think you will also be very interested!”
“Acquaintances?” Jiang Chen asked while raising an eyebrow.
“Yes, they are famous directors and stars.” Robert winked.