Brooklyn, New York.
Inside a villa, John and the others had their blindfolds stripped away while still groggy.
As their blurry vision cleared and the firearms engineers took in their surroundings, blank confusion washed over their faces. But with the throbbing ache in their heads, they immediately remembered—they had been kidnapped.
The clicking of leather shoes echoed from behind. Liu Ren strolled over, settled into a chair, crossed his legs, and rested his hands loosely in front of him. "A pleasure to meet you all. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Liu!"
With that, Liu Ren snapped his fingers. A man walked in carrying a briefcase, popped the latches, and let stacks of US dollar bills spill freely across the floor.
The sight left every engineer rooted to the spot.
Even after working at Springfield Armory, none of them had ever witnessed such staggering extravagance!
"I know you must have questions, but I invited you all here because I need your help!"
Liu Ren retrieved a sheet of paper that resembled a rough draft and had someone pass it forward. "This is a weapon our armory is preparing to develop. I call it the M1 automatic rifle! The ammunition capacity will go from the standard single shot to eight rounds, and with a specialized magazine, it can even hold twenty. It will offer ample firepower!"
As soon as Liu Ren finished speaking, the engineers immediately protested.
"No, that's impossible! We're already researching self-loading weapons, but we have no real breakthroughs yet. There's no way you could have designed one so quickly!"
An engineer objected vehemently, his face full of resistance.
As the others wore matching expressions of disbelief, Liu Ren merely chuckled. "Do you know whose hand drew this blueprint?"
Hearing his question, the engineers furrowed their brows.
In the next second, Liu Ren offered a slight smile. "Nikola Tesla. The man closest to God!"
The moment the words left his mouth, all objections vanished.
Anyone in their right mind knew the sheer weight behind that name!
As a threshold beyond the reach of countless geniuses, even if Nikola Tesla was not a specialized firearms engineer, cracking the key to a self-loading mechanism would be laughably simple for him!
"I know what you're thinking. You're worried our armory is just some small outfit! But let me tell you right now, we have the backing of the top-tier Astor family, as well as the support of City Hall! In New York, my word might not always be law, but refusing to listen to me will definitely make your life dangerous!"
Beaming at the crowd, Liu Ren raised a hand. "Anyone willing to stay and sign a contract can take ten thousand dollars as a signing bonus!"
"Ten thousand just for signing on?"
John stared at Liu Ren in utter disbelief, his eyes wide with astonishment.
No matter how well they performed at Springfield Armory, there was no way they could earn ten thousand dollars in two years!
And that was only the signing bonus. If they joined this armory, wouldn't they make even more in the future?
"That's right. Sign your name, and ten thousand dollars is yours. What's more, your compensation will be far higher than what engineers earn at any other armory! Because we at the Silver Rock Group are not short on cash!"
With a slight, disdainful smirk, Liu Ren propped his chin on his hand.
"I'm in!"
John stood up, walked straight forward, and picked up a thick stack of banknotes.
He had grown up in poverty and learned mechanical repair in a textile mill. Joining Springfield Armory had only ever been about making a better living.
Now that Silver Rock Group had laid such terms before him, how could he possibly refuse?
Seeing John take the lead, the rest stepped forward one after another, tucking their shares into their coats.
A few others exchanged glances, then hesitated. "Sir, your offer is very generous, but we still prefer working where we were! May we go back?"
"Of course. After all, we merely invited you to join us. Since you are unwilling, I won't force you to stay!"
Glancing at the seven or eight men who had already chosen to sign, Liu Ren made no move to detain the rest. Doing so would only shatter his persona of benevolence and righteousness.
"A Chao, give these gentlemen some travel expenses!"
Liu Ren smiled and gestured toward A Chao.
A Chao stepped forward, pulled out his wallet, and handed over several dollar bills.
It was enough for their journey home, with plenty left over for a few hearty meals along the way.
"Thank you for your mercy!"
Seeing that Liu Ren was genuinely willing to let them go, one of the engineers nodded repeatedly in gratitude.
"Don't mention it. Just doing my duty!"
Liu Ren flashed a brilliant smile, looking entirely serene.
Standing nearby, A Chao wore a look of utter astonishment. Had this boss of his forgotten how these men had been brought here in the first place?
Still, with both sides acting so polite, no one was about to bring that up.
Besides, Liu Ren had already made it clear that Silver Rock Group was backed by the Astor family. Even if these engineers went back and complained, what could Springfield Armory do?
Would Springfield Armory really drag itself down to New York to fight a lawsuit against the Astor family over a handful of defectors?
What a joke. That would never happen.
As long as core state secrets weren't involved, Springfield Armory wouldn't bother.
When that bastard Zhang had clashed with the DuPont family back then, it was because he had broken all the rules—not only kidnapping their gunpowder experts, but attempting to swallow DuPont's gunpowder empire whole!
That was why the two sides had fought tooth and nail across the north and south!
Liu Ren was no brainless thug. He only wanted the talent. As for the obsolete weapons Springfield Armory had lying around, they could keep tinkering with those at home!
Still, when it came to the patents for the Maxim and Gatling guns, Liu Ren would find a way to secure them.
*No guns, no cannons—our peers will make them for us! If technology falls short, Orc Beastman bridges the gap!*
If he could buy the patents, he would buy them; if not, he would "borrow" them!
As long as one's mind never faltered, one's rivals would always suffer more hardships than they had solutions!
After all, when you succeed, no one cares how dark your methods were!
Liu Ren: *I'm actually very kindhearted, so please don't cross me!*
***
In Brooklyn, inside the massive Silver Rock Arms Factory.
Staring at the brand-new firearms production lines, John could not hide his surprise. "These are all new?"
"Of course. As I said, our group is not short on cash!"
Liu Ren smiled warmly at John. Ever since learning that this man was the future creator of the famous Garand rifle, he had been in high spirits.
That half-brick hadn't knocked out the wrong man after all!
Looking at the pristine production lines, ambition flickered in Liu Ren's eyes.
Setting up these lines alone had virtually emptied the company's visible funds.
He still had around seven hundred thousand dollars stashed away, but he couldn't touch it openly. It had to be laundered clean first!
After all, the tax bureau was no joke—those bastards could literally mobilize troops!
At the thought, Liu Ren couldn't help cursing under his breath. "It's all that damn Lincoln's fault! If not for him, why the hell would I have to worry about this kind of thing!"
During the Civil War, Lincoln had created the institutional monster known as the IRS to raise tax revenue.
And after that cripple Roosevelt came to power, the agency would be honed into an even sharper blade in his hands.
As for why Liu Ren despised them both, it was because he was a capitalist now!
Who in their right mind would betray their own class?
Back home, he could endure the trials of the party and the people. But across the ocean? If anyone working under him dared to slack off, he wouldn't hesitate to crack the whip until sparks flew!
Chapter 26