Chapter 5: The Boss has committed a cardinal sin!

The moment the words "State Security" were uttered, the atmosphere in the office changed instantly.

Chen Feng was not surprised to see two State Security agents arrive.

He knew that being sought out was only a matter of time.

He just hadn't expected them to come so quickly; if he had come out of the scroll world any later, he likely would have been caught in the act.

He would have to be more cautious in the future.

"I am Chen Feng."

Chen Feng stood up from the sofa.

The two men with buzz cuts approached Chen Feng, took out a photo, and compared it to him.

"Please come with us; there are some matters we need to ask you about."

The men were reasonably polite and did not put handcuffs on Chen Feng.

Zhang Dong could no longer sit still.

"Comrades, what crime has Boss Chen committed to warrant your attention?"

He was currently in the middle of negotiating a partnership with Chen Feng. If Chen Feng were taken away, there would be no point in talking.

"State secret. No comment."

With that, the two men led Chen Feng outside.

Seeing this, Zhang Dong and his female secretary immediately followed.

As soon as they stepped out of the office, Zhang Dong froze.

Because right there in the factory yard, seven or eight military vehicles were parked, surrounded by soldiers armed with live ammunition.

Everyone was fully equipped.

The factory employees had also been gathered together.

The employees looked terrified, and whispers broke out among them.

"What’s going on? Aren't we just a mineral processing plant? Why are there so many soldiers?"

"I don't know. Looking at them, it seems like they're here to arrest the boss."

"Did the boss commit a capital offense? Both State Security and the military have been mobilized."

Zhang Dong had originally wanted to use his influence as a Chinese-American businessman in the Dragon Kingdom to step forward and say a few words.

But seeing this lineup, he didn't dare to open his mouth.

He only whispered to his secretary

"What’s wrong with your factory? Did you build a nuclear bomb or something?"

In Zhang Dong's view, he couldn't imagine anything else that would warrant such a massive display of force.

"I don't know..."

The female secretary was also deathly pale with fear.

The military had already taken over the entire factory area, and soldiers were standing guard at the gates.

The two State Security agents did not take Chen Feng off the premises.

Instead, they led him to a military vehicle.

As soon as he entered the vehicle, Chen Feng saw three people.

One of them was wearing a military uniform.

The other two were elderly men wearing glasses, both looking at Chen Feng with curiosity.

The man in the military uniform extended his hand to Chen Feng

"Hello, Mr. Chen. I am Liu Mu, a division chief from the Strategic Equipment Department of the Army's Western Theater Command. These two are Dean Hu of the Dragon Kingdom's Institute of Basic Materials Science, and Professor Li Busheng from the Institute of Metal Research."

Chen Feng was surprised to hear their titles.

Any one of these three was a titan in the official circles of the Dragon Kingdom.

Chen Feng shook hands with Liu Mu and asked

"Three leaders, have I committed some kind of crime?"

Liu Mu smiled

"Mr. Chen, you haven't committed any crime. The suddenness of this situation is due to the need for secrecy. We are here to see you regarding Yanyang Iron."

Chen Feng knew they had come for the Yanyang Iron.

Whether it was basic materials science or metal research, it was clearly related to the iron.

Li Busheng from the Metal Research Institute took the lead

"Let me explain. After studying the Yanyang Iron produced by your factory, we discovered that 70 percent of the substances in this metal are things we have never seen before. Its hardness and lightweight properties are already comparable to carbon fiber."

Li Busheng’s face was filled with excitement as he said this.

It had started as a minor traffic accident, and people from the institute had gone to look out of curiosity.

As a result, they discovered this astonishing Yanyang Iron.

It wasn't just lightweight; its hardness exceeded 90 percent of the metals on the market.

What kind of concept was that?

If this material were used on the army's tanks and the air force's fighter jets, it would be a massive upgrade.

Furthermore, the price of this metal was far cheaper than carbon fiber.

If it could be widely used in military equipment, the annual defense budget could be reduced significantly.

Dean Hu of Basic Materials Science also spoke up

"According to our preliminary assessment, this metal of yours must be synthesized. I would like to know who in your factory synthesized it."

The eyes of the group fell on Chen Feng.

If an ordinary person were faced with the questioning of three top-tier bigwigs, they would have likely confessed their entire family history by now.

But Chen Feng had spent a long time in the dangerous scroll world; he had seen all sorts of situations.

"I developed it independently. Currently, I can only produce a small amount."

Boom!

The atmosphere in the vehicle went quiet instantly.

Independently developed!

The owner of a small private factory had actually independently developed a metal comparable to carbon fiber?

And he had succeeded.

At this moment, the three men could no longer remain calm.

They looked at Chen Feng as if they were looking at a rare treasure.

"Mr. Chen, you don't need to be nervous. The state will not seize your metal technology, nor will we coerce you into doing anything. We are here primarily to discuss a partnership!"

Liu Mu spoke again.

Dean Hu and Li Busheng both nodded.

Many talents in the country had been flowing away, taking their technologies abroad.

It often felt as if the Dragon Kingdom couldn't retain its talent.

"A partnership? What kind of partnership?" Chen Feng was somewhat surprised.

He had originally intended to brush them off, saying it was his own research.

If they demanded he hand it over, he would stall. He hadn't expected them to propose a partnership.

Liu Mu said

"Starting today, the Yanyang Iron from your factory will be supplied exclusively to our military and cannot be sold elsewhere. At the same time, the export of this metal is strictly prohibited. Of course, we will provide your factory with the greatest possible support and assistance."

"Additionally, we need to establish a small research lab within your factory and have our researchers stationed there. What do you think?"

Liu Mu was very polite.

He had to be; he needed to win Chen Feng over.

"This..."

Chen Feng was stunned for a moment. What was happening was completely outside his expectations.

He had expected to be taken to a secret room for interrogation.

"Boss Chen, rest assured, our researchers will not pry into your core technology. They are only here to assist you and help take the processing of Yanyang Iron to the next level."

"If you have any requirements, feel free to tell them."

Li Busheng, thinking Chen Feng was worried about his technology being stolen, offered an explanation.

"Alright, I agree."

Chen Feng chose to agree. He had no other choice, and in his view, this outcome was already quite good.

Although there was still an element of state supervision, they weren't interfering with him too much.

As for building a research lab in the factory, that didn't matter, as long as he kept an eye on them to ensure they didn't enter the warehouse where the scroll was kept.