Colt Company Rushing About

He turned to Matt Wallace, whose expression was shifting, and gave him a polite smile.

"I just received a notification from my lawyer that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has officially accepted our patent application for the technology and standards of ' Small Arms Tactical Rail.'"

In a flash, he connected every detail of the entire negotiation in his mind.

From giving up the patent to adding conditions, and then to that seemingly difficult seven-year agreement—it turns out that from beginning to end, I was just cooperating with the other party's script, reciting lines that had already been arranged for me.

The "three years" he was so proud of cutting off were nothing more than scraps that the other party casually tossed out, allowing him to save face.

The Japan had already gathered all the cards in his hand before he even entered the meeting room.

James White picked up his coffee cup, took a sip, and moved with his usual steady motion.

But the look in his eyes when he looked at Takuya was no longer just scrutiny; it carried a deeper layer of genuine recognition from someone of his kind.

Matt looked up, his professional smile gone, replaced by an extremely complex expression.

"So," Matt's voice was a little hoarse, "Everything we've discussed today is based on the premise that the patent office has already accepted the case?"

"A rigorous start is a necessary prerequisite for successful cooperation." Takuya's answer was impeccable. He put away the phone, his face still bearing that harmless smile. "We can't possibly waste your valuable time with an idea that's not protected by law, can we?"

Matt stared at him for a full five seconds, and finally, he actually laughed.

It wasn't a professional, fake smile, but a bitter smile tinged with self-deprecation and helplessness.

"Mr. Nakayama," he shook his head, leaning back in his chair and completely Panasonic, "I take back what I said before. There's absolutely no risk in cooperating with you."

He paused, then added the second half of the sentence.

"Because you've already calculated all the risks before you even opened your mouth."

At that moment, he truly understood the meaning of James White's words, "No one can refuse this."

Because the option to refuse simply does not exist.

"Well then," Takuya seemed oblivious to the underlying meaning in his words, extending his right hand casually, his tone light, "A pleasure doing business with you?"

"It's a pleasure doing business with you!" Matt extended his right hand and shook it.

After the meeting room door closed behind him, Matt Wallace did not immediately return to his office, but instead went straight to an empty smoking room.

"Clatter."

The flame licked the cigarette butt, and he took a deep drag. The pungent smoke filled his lungs, finally calming his tense heart a little.

This Japan...

His mind kept replaying Nakayama Takuya's excessively young face and his harmless smile.

That additional condition, originally intended as a tool to seize the initiative, turned into a tough nut for Colt Company to crack, a "legitimate" pledge to dominate United States firearms manufacturers.

To eat or not to eat?

If Colt doesn't eat, it will only become an ordinary member of the standard, just like other companies.

Once they've eaten, they'll have to offer something else to exchange with Smith & Wesson, Wesson, Remington, Ruger, and their unruly colleagues, to make them willingly acknowledge Colt's leadership.

This illustrates just how difficult it is.

Amidst the swirling smoke, Matt's gaze gradually shifted from confusion to sharpness.

Although the matter was troublesome, the rewards were equally astonishing.

Once completed, Colt will not only be the dominant player in this "tactical rail" ecosystem, but also the undisputed leader of the entire United States. small arms industry.

He stubbed out his cigarette, turned and walked out of the smoking room, his steps becoming firm again.

The first thing I did upon returning to the office was to convene an emergency meeting of the company's highest level.

When Matt Wallace presented Nakayama Takuya's entire plan to the board, including the movie concept tailored for firearms and accessories, and the additional condition of "letting Colt rule the world," the entire conference room fell silent.

A group of seasoned veterans who had spent half their lives in the arms industry exchanged glances, their facial expressions revealing a fascinating array of emotions.

There was shock, there was doubt, but more than anything, there was a sense of bewilderment as if the tide of the times had slapped them in the face.

"A Japan taught us how to peddle the United States spirit to the public?" an elderly, white-haired board member asked, his tone utterly absurd. "And we have to thank him?"

"But he's right," another director in charge of marketing tapped the table, his eyes gleaming with excitement, "Linking guns to a high-quality lifestyle—that concept is fucking brilliant! We've been selling guns for decades, only thinking about how to make them more accurate and reliable, focusing solely on the right to self-defense, but never thinking about how to make them more 'cool'!"

"Can being cool put food on the table?" the old director scoffed.

"Yes!" the marketing director answered decisively. "Koo can make a middle-class person who originally just wanted to buy a handgun for self-defense willingly spend money to buy a whole set of rifles, accessories, and a shooting range membership! How big is the market behind this?"

The focus of the debate quickly shifted to that thorny additional condition.

"You want us to persuade Smith & Wesson? Are you crazy! We were fighting over the same contract with the Department of Defense last month, and we almost came to blows at the hearing."

"It's even less likely that Remington's group will agree to let us represent that Japan company's voting rights. They think too highly of themselves."

Matt Wallace listened quietly until the noise in the conference room subsided slightly before he spoke in a deep voice.

"Everyone, this is an open conspiracy."

He looked around at everyone. "That Japan placed a juicy, fat cake in front of us and told us, 'Want some? If you want some, you have to beat everyone else at the table into submission first.' He didn't care who was in charge; he just wanted us to fight."

"If we win, Colt will be the boss. If we lose, or if we don't dare to fight, then the Rifle Association will take a slice of the pie, and we Colt will just be like everyone else, ultimately caught up in the infighting within the Rifle Association."

Matt's words calmed everyone down.

"And don't forget," he added, "The patent application has already been filed; the initiative was never in our hands from the beginning."

Ultimately, the chairman of Colt Company, an elderly man with deep, eagle-like eyes, made the final decision.

"Dry!"

One word heralded the beginning of an unprecedented internal war within the United States. small arms industry.