Cutting-edge technology: Starting with individual stealth equipment

Chapter 56 Office Brawl, Everyone Joins in

If there are enough people, theoretically, it is indeed possible to increase production efficiency.

The problem is that there are very few people who are capable of manufacturing this thing. Currently, there are only 22 people who are capable of manufacturing it, and if you include Lin Chuan, there are only 23 people.

Obviously, this doesn't mean that simply throwing money at the problem will increase production.

Those key technological steps require highly educated technical personnel with master's degrees or higher; ordinary technical workers don't even understand the underlying principles.

"No rush, take your time, delivery is possible this year."

As he spoke, he patted Lin Chuan on the shoulder and smiled, saying, "Work hard and try to reduce costs. I look forward to the day when it is deployed on a large scale."

It's worth mentioning that the three sets of improved and optimized equipment that Lin Chuan brought this time will be left directly with the military, and the seven sets from last time will be brought back to Deep Blue Technology for optimization and upgrades. All ten sets will be included in the procurement list.

After all, this equipment is too expensive; the cost of ten sets would be more than 1 million yuan, and the military would not allow Deep Blue Technology to lose that money.

Therefore, the initial small-batch purchase was 60 sets, but 50 sets were actually newly manufactured.

The total cost of such a set of individual soldier equipment system is approximately 1075 million yuan. Including net profit, the unit purchase price is 1128.75 million yuan, and the total purchase price for 60 sets is 677.25 million yuan.

The total price of the initial purchase contract was 8.8 million yuan. In addition to the 6.77 million yuan spent on 60 sets of equipment, the remaining 2.02 million yuan was for logistics and maintenance kits, etc.

The procurement cost accounts for only about one-third of the total life-cycle cost of a complex military equipment, meaning that the logistics and maintenance costs far exceed the purchase cost, and the maintenance cost is usually two to three times the procurement cost.

The maintenance cost of DeepBlue Technology's product is even higher, and its total lifespan is about five times the purchase cost.

In other words, the total cost of a single-soldier stealth combat system over its entire life cycle is approximately 6000 million RMB.

From the perspective of individual soldier equipment, this can be said to be the most luxurious equipment "Old Lu" has.

A standard, fully equipped modern infantry unit costs no more than 50,000 to 60,000 RMB, and even for special forces, it costs no more than 150,000 to 250,000 RMB.

In comparison, it is indeed extremely luxurious.

This is also why it cannot be deployed and put into service on a large scale.

Not to mention that production capacity can't keep up, even if it could, it would be absolutely impossible to support 10,000 people. The entire cycle would cost an astronomical sum of 600 billion yuan, while the total military expenditure this year is only 600 billion yuan.

In terms of profit margin, about 8.8 million yuan of the 4500 million yuan will be generated for DeepBlue Technology.

The 5% profit margin for military products was stipulated in a document issued 14 years ago and remains binding to this day.

According to the document, the price of military products = pricing cost + pricing cost × 5%.

Private enterprises rarely venture into the military industry, partly because they lack the real expertise, but also because their profit margins are locked in.

Those who truly possess that skill can earn greater profits in other fields, which is why private enterprises rarely venture into this area.

From a purely profit-making perspective, there's really not much profit to be made.

This profit margin is almost on par with low-end manufacturing, but the products are anything but low-end; they are definitely products of cutting-edge technology and high-end manufacturing.

The 5% profit lock-in rule has both advantages and disadvantages.

At the national level, this ensures that the country's limited military spending is used for more equipment procurement and improves the efficiency of defense spending.

From the perspective of enterprises, a profit margin of 5% is lower than the average profit level of ordinary civilian machinery industry. This means that military enterprises do not have enough financial resources to expand reproduction, nor do they have the necessary funds to improve the living conditions and welfare of their employees. As a result, the talent pool of military enterprises is unstable, and a large number of talents are lost, which in turn affects the research and development and production of new products.

Moreover, in actual production, military enterprises often overstate costs in order to obtain higher profits, resulting in this "cost-price model" not only failing to control the cost of military products, but also contributing to the increase in the production cost of military products, and the efficiency of defense spending continues to decline.

The 5% profit limit is a product of the planned economy era and is indeed somewhat out of place in the current environment.

As a reborn individual, Lin Chuan knew that in two years the country would implement a target price management mechanism, introducing incentives and constraints on profits, which would essentially break through the 5% fixed limit.

At the current stage, the only situation where military products can truly generate huge profits is through export trade.

If this equipment were to be exported, it would sell well even at ten times the price.

But it is absolutely impossible to approve export trade.

However, Lin Chuan never expected to make a lot of profit from military products from the beginning. The greatest value here was not the profit, but the powerful backing he had gained.

Deep Blue Technology has become a prized asset of the military because it has developed stealth technology, a powerful and unique technology.

Anyone who tries to disrupt DeepBlue Technology and causes significant disruption to the development and implementation of this equipment will inevitably face severe retaliation.

As for making money, the obvious way is to develop civilian technology products.

Lin Chuan already had a clear vision for DeepBlue Technology's future development path: to pursue both military and civilian applications simultaneously, taking a two-pronged approach.

Only by grasping both aspects can we ensure that DeepBlue Technology can develop quickly, steadily, and sustainably.

You might be able to make huge profits by relying on the civilian market, but if you lack background and resources, and you encounter bullies and thugs who try to steal your profits, it's like doing someone else's work for them.

No one dares to mess with a company that relies solely on military production, but the profits are low and it's a private enterprise. It needs to be independently accounted for, operated, and responsible for its own profits and losses. Without government subsidies, it can't survive.

Clearly, only by addressing both aspects can we compensate for each other's weaknesses.

……

at the same time.

Xin'an City, DeepBlue Technology.

The company's employees were all busy with their own work. In the corridor of the common office area, Shen Yuxin and Jiang Miaolan walked side by side toward the finance office.

Shen Yuxin held a stack of expense reports and chatted with Jiang Miaolan as they walked.

The two stood together, one gentle and graceful, the other capable and efficient, each possessing their own unique beauty.

Just then, a group of uninvited guests suddenly entered the company.

The other side outnumbered them, and the security guard on duty was unable to stop them.

One of the security guards suddenly went to the side and quickly sent out an emergency message.

This security guard also had another identity: he was from the military. Lin Chuan was also aware of this identity.

At the same time, Jiang Miaolan and Shen Yuxin also stopped talking and looked in the direction of the sound.

The leader had a buzz cut, a dragon tattooed on his neck, wore a tight black T-shirt, and his arms were covered in lumps of flesh.

The people following behind him were dressed similarly, some smoking cigarettes, others chewing betel nuts.

This group of people were clearly involved in organized crime; the company employees couldn't help but change their expressions slightly when they saw them.

The man with the buzz cut who was leading the group shouted, "Where's President Lin? Tell him to come out and see me."

Jiang Miaolan walked over and said, "President Lin isn't here. Is there anything you need to tell me?"

The leading man immediately fixed his gaze on her, pausing twice, his eyes filled with a lustful look.

Jiang Miaolan was disgusted by the other person's gaze.

At this moment, the man in the lead grinned, took a step forward, and stared at Jiang Miaolan with a hearty laugh.

"Beautiful lady, what's your name?"

Jiang Miaolan said coldly, "If there's nothing else, please leave immediately, otherwise we'll call the police."

"Wow, you've got quite a temper." Just as the other person was about to continue speaking, they noticed Shen Yuxin, whistled, and exclaimed in surprise, "Huh? There's another one. I didn't expect there to be so many beauties here!"

Some of his henchmen behind him laughed out loud, while others started making a fuss.

"Big brother, these two are good-looking."

"Even more impressive than those celebrities in the entertainment industry!"

"That one over there is pretty good too."

Just then, a loud shout rang out: "Who are you?"

Zhang Wei quickly walked over, followed by a large group of male employees.

The other male employees present realized that they might get into a fight with this group of thugs later on.

Seeing that Zhang Wei had taken the lead, everyone stood up without hesitation and quickly surrounded the group of thugs.

On the field, DeepBlue Technology has more employees than its opponent, about three times the number.

In fact, these male employees were also afraid of getting hurt if a fight broke out, and they were also afraid of getting into trouble.

But since their boss treated them so well and they had just received a generous bonus, they couldn't stay out of it now that someone was causing trouble at the company.

To put it another way, Zhang Wei has already led a group of people to take the lead. If he doesn't join the group, he won't get a chance to benefit from any good opportunities in the future.

In an instant, all the male employees present gathered around.

Seeing this, the leader felt a little uneasy and muttered to himself, "Damn it, we should have brought more people."

After a moment, the man with the buzz cut who was leading the group glanced at Zhang Wei.

He asked arrogantly, "Who are you?"

Zhang Wei walked up to Jiang Miaolan, gestured for her to step back, and then looked at the leading man coldly and said, "If you have something to say, talk to me. I'm the person in charge here."

Lin Chuan isn't here right now; he's in charge of the company.

"The person in charge?" The man with the buzz cut looked him up and down. "You're Lin Chuan?"

"With General Manager Lin out, I'm in charge for now."

"That's none of your business." The man with the buzz cut tilted his head to the side, trying to get past Zhang Wei to see Shen Yuxin and Jiang Miaolan behind him. "I'm looking for Lin Chuan. Get him out here right now."

Zhang Wei responded coldly again, "I said I'm in charge now. If you have something to say, talk to me. If not, please leave immediately."

The man with the buzz cut lost his smile. "Brother, don't go looking for trouble."

"Who's really looking for trouble?" Zhang Wei then whispered to Jiang Miaolan, "Go to the office, lock the door, and then call the police."

As soon as Jiang Miaolan and Shen Yuxin left, Zhang Wei turned around and stared at them coldly once again.

The man with the buzz cut stared at him for two seconds, then laughed. "Fine, you've got guts. I'd like to see just how much guts you have. Who's going to teach this kid a lesson?"

As soon as he finished speaking, one of his henchmen stepped forward.

The first punch came from the side. Zhang Wei didn't dodge it, and the fist hit his left cheek, causing a burning pain.

He staggered a step, but did not fall or back down.

Then he took a step forward and punched the person who hit him in the face.

When something happens, Zhang Wei is truly ready to step up.

The man didn't expect him to fight back and was hit squarely, and the blow was quite heavy, causing blood to immediately flow from his nose.

"Damn it! You dare fight back?! All of you, get him!"

The leader's words ignited a powder keg, and his henchmen swarmed forward.

Upon seeing this, all the male employees and security guards of DeepBlue Technology immediately grabbed their weapons and followed the group.

Some people picked up chairs, some grabbed keyboards—whatever they could get their hands on the fastest, since everyone else was already holding something.

In an instant, the scene descended into chaos.

Although Zhang Wei wasn't strong, he swung his weapon with great force, smashing it into the shoulder of a bald man, who screamed in pain.

Cheng Siyuan used the chair to block and swing it left and right. Although it did not cause much damage, it also prevented anyone from getting close.

Song Yi wasn't good at fighting, but he was very calm. Instead of rushing into the crowd, he stood on the steps and seized the opportunity to kick someone who was trying to ambush Zhang Wei in the lower back. The person fell forward and landed face-first in the mud.

The most formidable of them all was Cui Zhaohan from the "Plastic-Eating Bacteria" project team. He was even more ferocious than the security guards. He used to work in the countryside and had great strength. He could take down two people who tried to flank him from the side, forcing them to retreat repeatedly.

Most of the employees at DeepBlue Technology are not good at fighting; they are high-tech talents who make a living through their brains.

Fortunately, they are all young people, and they have an absolute advantage in numbers.

The important thing is that I didn't back down.

The office area instantly descended into chaos, with punches and kicks flying, curses escalating, documents flying everywhere, and potted plants being used as projectiles.

As time went on, the two sides engaged in a fierce battle, and DeepBlue Technology's employee group gradually gained the upper hand.

The man in the lead had a cut on his lip and a swollen left eye.

He never expected that these people, who looked so honest and refined, would actually be so good at fighting.

I absolutely have to be able to play. The boss is paying so much; the company is like my home.

It is precisely honest people who often lack restraint when they strike, while those seemingly ruthless individuals are more measured in their actions.

For example, some thugs viciously stab people with knives, but the knives actually have hidden compartments. It looks like a powerful stab will pierce the heart, but in reality, it doesn't go very deep and only results in a minor injury.

This way, one can escape punishment and avoid severe penalties.

People who have been in society for a long time are very experienced in this regard.

People in society can be ruthless, but they're not stupid.

The times are different now than they were a decade or so ago. People in the underworld don't dare to cause a death easily anymore, because they all know that if someone dies, the nature of the crime is completely different.

However, Zhang Wei and his colleagues had absolutely no experience in this area.

In such a chaotic scene, a person with injuries is being told by their brain that if they don't give it their all, they might be killed by the other side.

Since things had come to this point, there was absolutely no room for holding back, and everyone's adrenaline surged.

This group of thugs was already at a significant disadvantage in terms of numbers, and Zhang Wei and his men didn't know their own strength when they attacked, so they ended up being beaten terribly, with most of them seriously injured and unable to get up.

……