Chapter 133
In an instant, the scene erupted in uproar!
"As expected of her."
Simmons looked emotional.
Behind him, Kara looked up with a complicated expression.
Lansdale's dull, icy gray eyes suddenly flashed with a sharp light.
"Oh..."
Rebecca Chambers sat back in her chair, covering her mouth, exchanging bewildered glances with her BSAA teammates.
In the seats further back, many attendees had changed their expressions and began to whisper among themselves.
"Hey, so arrogant, is this a declaration of war?"
An Asian woman whose ticket ID, 'Ada,' appeared on the LCD screen on the armrest couldn't help but rub her temples as she looked towards the center stage.
"The more our opponents oppose us, the more it proves that we are doing the right thing."
Vera spread her hands, revealing a confident yet arrogant expression.
"This is our achievement, an accomplishment in Militech."
Her voice gradually rose in pitch.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the 1st Militech Exhibition Hall Strategic Expo of 2002!"
Buzz... Buzz...
As Vera finished speaking, the straight, wide walkway extending from the center of the main stage in front of the video wall lit up, revealing a huge 'T'-shaped stage. This was clearly not for a fashion show, but rather—
Bang, bang.
The built-in scanner array is activated, and countless intersecting blue and white scan lines outline a three-dimensional image.
Large-scale models of institutions, including the Military Science and Technology Expo venue, the Military Science Building in San Francisco's Financial District, the Military Science and Technology Industrial Parks distributed throughout the Bay Area, and the Military Science and Technology Medical Center, were displayed right up to the audience seats.
Before a new wave of commotion could erupt from the audience, a black screen with a red data stream reappeared on the video wall behind Vera.
[#3 Militech, Your Solution.]
An inorganic, electronically synthesized female voice echoed throughout the venue.
On the video wall is an unfolded, flowing, complete product catalog.
The expo is officially open.
At this very moment, product launches by all military science and technology departments at various sub-venues of the expo, having received instructions, are simultaneously commencing!
From military industry, bionic engineering, medicine, drones, and aerospace, to electronic products and information and communication technology...
On the stage, the podium in front of Vera also sank and returned to its original position.
Tap, tap.
With her feet firmly planted on the spotless, luminous floor, Vera snapped her fingers lightly. In the global model, the entire venue model belonging to the Military Science and Technology Expo was magnified by Vera's control.
Besides the main venue, the sub-venues for business meetings are either completely smooth, have a highly futuristic structure, are as solid as a fortress, or have magnificent geometric shapes...
Vera clicked on one of the venues, which had an ostentatious exterior and was filled with neon light strips that looked like electronic tubes.
——Military Militech Electronics——
Click here to see the model's venue broken down into more detailed sub-business areas for the attendees. Vera suddenly smiled slightly, "As a salesperson and host, my level is not high, but for the first one, as the CEO, I can't help but personally promote it."
"New Militech V3 Phone, supporting 4G LTE; Militech T2 Portable Laptop, gaming laptop, business laptop; desktop modular host compatible with the entire Military Science suite, CPU, gaming-grade graphics card, industrial-grade GPU..."
Vera spoke in a tone reminiscent of a clearance sale, without adopting an aloof, elite attitude, but rather in a very approachable manner.
Suddenly, the serious atmosphere in the venue relaxed.
Next, the venues shown are:
—Militech Information and Communication Technology—
"For ICT infrastructure services, Junke will provide one-stop ICT integration service solutions..."
——Military Militech Interactive Entertainment——
——"Militech Security"——
After a brief and concise introduction of some of the business lines, Vera finally clicked on the imposing, fortress-like hall, which was also the largest at the entire Military Science and Technology Expo.
There is no other.
This is also a service that many distinguished guests eagerly await.
——Military Industry——
"Seeing is believing, and experiencing is even better."
Vera clapped her hands, handed the stage over to the programmed AI, and didn't waste any more time.
She knew that the desired effect had been achieved.
With the expo's theme brought out and highlighted by her, her tough stance was already evident. Therefore, the remaining operation and hosting of the expo were no longer her concern; professional managers would take care of that. She needed to deal with more important matters.
I wish you all a pleasant visit to the expo.
After a slight bow, Vera's platform automatically sank.
Bang! In an instant, all the lights came on.
The opening speech at the main venue of the expo has concluded.
134
Chapter 134 You do the first day of the month, I'll do the fifteenth: 0.5 Generation Corporate War.
Night falls.
"The highly anticipated inaugural Military Science and Technology Expo has entered its 21-day extravaganza! This is a feast for the senses, and at the star-studded opening ceremony, Ms. Vera Adelheid, CEO of Military Science and Technology, officially issued a competitive challenge to relevant professionals worldwide! The Expo's Executive Committee solemnly promises you that you will find solutions to all your problems here..."
Cool air filled the entire room through a centrally controlled temperature system that dissipated heat evenly. In this luxurious private residence atop a neoclassical marble building, Vera stood with her hands behind her back by the clean and elegant window.
In my ears, I could hear the passionate commentary of the host of a military science streaming media program on the radio.
Overlooking the expo, the venue was ablaze with neon lights under the night sky, and the diverse pavilions were bustling with crowds of visitors.
For the first time, large-scale LED holographic projection advertising from the Cyberpunk era has been unveiled, with each venue equipped with it. Now fully activated, the ultimate audio-visual experience bombards the senses of visitors from the 2002 era.
[#4 We are pioneers in human technology; our goal is the stars and the sea, an endless pursuit.]
A CG animation, part of a military science project looking towards the future, is accompanied by an electronically synthesized female voice.
"The era of biochemical viruses is over; now it's the era of Cyberpunk."
Looking at all this, Vera seemed to have thought of something interesting. She smiled slightly and tapped the windowsill with her middle and index fingers.
Inside the room, a notification popped up from AGI (Artificial General Intelligence), which spoke in sync with the synthesized female voice at the opening ceremony: [Visitor: Drake C. Simmons.]
The room's titanium pneumatic main door opened slowly.
Simmons and his staff entered the mansion's hall one after the other.
The staff member was also carrying a briefcase filled with a stack of military-related product purchase contracts.
"The opening ceremony was so impressive; I think I will never forget what I saw and heard today."
After gesturing for his staff to place his briefcase on the coffee table and dismissing his subordinates, Simmons spread his hands and said with a smile.
"I thought you would spend more time in the weapons exhibition hall and the prosthetic technology pavilion."
Vera simply smiled, turned around, walked to the tea bar not far away, and asked, "Please have a seat. Hmm, what would you like to drink?"
"A cup of espresso."
Simmons wasn't overly polite either.
He and Vera have been working together since early 1997, a total of five years, longer than a presidential term, without a single mistake. There are occasional disagreements and arguments, but no conflicts, and they get along well.
A perfect political ally.
These are his feelings and evaluations.
While Vera was grinding, brewing, and mixing coffee, Simmons subtly glanced around the room.
The cool color palette, the grand high ceilings, the minimalist decor, the understated yet luxurious classical furnishings, and the seamless integration of high-tech products... the person is just like the architecture. Yes, it perfectly matches the outside world's perception of Vera, a very contradictory person.
Rational, focused, and despite being very good at communicating with people, he is quite a homebody. His ambition and interest in scientific research completely overshadow his emotional side. He is a clean freak, conservative, and has an unspoken tendency to discriminate. Unlike a typical American billionaire, he never accepts entertainment programs or talk show interviews.
In the United States, just as there are many people who are fervent fans and supporters of Vera, there are also many who hate and dislike Vera.
Because Vera's demeanor was so dazzling and outstanding that it felt unreal, many people thought it was pretentious and hypocritical.
In addition, her conservatism and high personal moral standards, her failure to provide strong support and privileges to relevant rights movements, her refusal to visit backward and war-torn areas, and her expression of sadness and grief over her own arms manufacturing activities have led to her being severely criticized by charitable organizations as cold-blooded.
According to some research organizations, groups such as Hippies, drug addicts, cheerleaders, illegal immigrants, and delinquent girls are the least interested in Vera.
Based on his basic political acumen, Simmons mentally reviewed Vera's potential voter base if she were to enter politics, and considered what would happen if he chose to invite Vera as his running mate after President Graham ended...
"Huh?"
As he was pondering this, Simmons's gaze was suddenly drawn to the shimmering blue light in the sunken courtyard not far from the reception area.
He stood up and stared.
On the long table made of the new synthetic material is a holographic map.
However, it is not a regular two-dimensional map, but a three-dimensional map.
It appears to be a piece of land in Contra Costa County in the East Bay, with even the geological conditions and vegetation distribution clearly marked. In the center of the artificially excavated river channel, a skyscraper that seems to pierce the sky is outlined by blue scanning lines.
Labeled as: [Militech Tower]
"Is this a design model for the new headquarters of the Military Science and Technology Bureau?"
The world-famous Eiffel Tower, Rockefeller Center, Empire State Building, and the unfinished Taipei 101 are all scaled down to the same size and arranged from low to high. This strong contrast creates a powerful visual impact.
TBEmaQEvAORL.
TWR.
Simmons stepped forward and saw clearly the Militech Tower Data that embodied Vera's ambition—
3,500 feet, 226 floors, 1,066 meters high!
It nearly doubled the number of the world's tallest buildings, equivalent to two and a half Empire State Buildings!
Even the interior of buildings with 130-170 floors has been designed with special sky gardens.
The surrounding towering buildings and dedicated Corporate Plaza go without saying; even just the design model, with its sleek skyscrapers creating a Brutalist, fortress-like skyline, is enough to demonstrate the unparalleled strength of Militech and its arrogant and imposing presence.
After viewing the blueprints for the Adelheid Center complex, including the Militech Tower, even someone as privileged and high-ranking as Simmons couldn't help but show an expression of amazement.
No wonder the old-school military manufacturers behind the scenes—those bloodsuckers who wanted to continue living a life of complacency by embezzling government funds and balancing budgets—and the industry veterans whose profits were squeezed out by military science, are getting anxious. They're banding together for warmth and have started using all sorts of underhanded tactics to exclude each other...
So, what do you think?
Tap, tap, Vera's voice came at just the right time.
"That's a crazy construction plan."
Shaking his head, Simmons looked at Vera, who was walking towards him.
After handing the brewed coffee to Simmons, the CEO of Military Science and Technology Co., Ltd. stared intently at the design model of the Militech Tower with eyes that shone like torches. Her forehead relaxed, and the corners of her mouth unconsciously turned up, forming a genuine smile.
Very pure.
Just like the expression on a child's face when they see the toy they most want.
Simmons suddenly realized that this woman did not dislike cosmetics and luxury goods, but the 'luxury goods' she pursued were clearly different from what ordinary people understood.
Tsk, massive construction projects, building wonders...
This kind of hobby is really expensive.