Chapter 135: New Product Launch

Zhao Ze and the trained members departed from the Huaxia nation in separate batches that very evening. Where exactly they went remained unknown to anyone in the entire Longteng Gang, save for Lin Feng and the men Zhao Ze had taken with him.

In accordance with his prior agreement with Zhao Ze, Lin Feng directly elevated Sun Long to the position of leader of the Longteng Gang. With Lin Feng holding down the headquarters, though quite a few gang members harbored grievances, they were ultimately suppressed by Lin Feng.

As for the laboratory, since Zhao Ze had taken all previously trained elites away with him, it was now completely deserted. For the sake of the laboratory's security, however, guard duties had to continue. Lin Feng assigned a new task to the newly appointed Sun Long, instructing him to continue selecting one hundred young members with good aptitudes from the gang to form a new training squad.

Having laid out all his requirements to Sun Long, Lin Feng left the headache of selecting and training personnel entirely to Sun Long himself, having no desire to be involved.

Once the laboratory members returned from their leave, Lin Feng tossed the new technical documentation to Zhang Wen, dropped a single sentence—"I need to see the finished product in a year!"—and departed with an air of carefree elegance.

Xia Ruoxi, meanwhile, made sweeping, decisive moves in Jiangyang City, acquiring several electronic equipment manufacturing factories. Due to the tight schedule, she purchased them outright at prices significantly higher than their original valuations, taking the workers and equipment within them as well. Bolstered by the assistance of the Jiangyang City government, the acquisition process proceeded exceptionally smoothly. Contracts with these factories were signed, and production of the new high-definition displays and hard drives commenced immediately.

Xia Ruoxi also secured several more modular factory buildings within the industrial park that Xie Mingzhi had intended to develop into a high-tech zone, establishing a reserve for future use ahead of the launch of Future Tech Company's second-generation computer products.

It was only after all the factories were finalized that the leadership team in Zhanhai City realized their economic achievements had been poached right from under their noses by neighboring Jiangyang City.

On the drive back to Zhanhai from Jiangyang City, Xia Ruoxi received a phone call from Mayor Ma of Zhanhai City.

"Director Xia, what... what is the meaning of this? Didn't we already agree that the factory would be opened in Zhanhai City? Why did it end up in Jiangyang City instead? If your company's movements over there hadn't been so large as to alert the media, we would still be completely in the dark," Mayor Ma's voice came through the phone. Yet, he dared only inquire about the reasons rather than assign blame or demand accountability.

"Mayor Ma, I didn't wish for this either. I had just finished discussions with you and the heads of several competent departments when the Mayor of Jiangyang City came looking for me. He ended up talking both Lin Feng and me into it, and in the end, Lin Feng agreed to build the factory in Jiangyang City," Xia Ruoxi explained helplessly to Mayor Ma over the phone.

"Oh, is that so! Very well, I understand. We'll let it go this time, but if Director Xia needs to build any more factories in the future, I hope you'll remember Zhanhai City!" Having learned the reason, Mayor Ma voiced his request and promptly hung up the phone.

What else could he do if he didn't hang up? He had no idea what to say. Could he blame the other party for breaking their word? Certainly not; he could only blame his own people for failing to keep things airtight, letting the news slip and allowing Jiangyang City to exploit the opening.

Over the past few days, with the impending launch of the second-generation computer, Lin Feng had remained very proactive, staying at the company every day to follow the progress of the second-generation computer alongside Xia Ruoxi.

Before long, the month of June arrived.

Early in the morning, Xia Ruoxi came to Lin Feng's office to report on the recent computer inventory status: "Lin Feng, these are the data sheets for the past few days. Currently, our factories in Jiangyang City are producing and assembling at full capacity, and the factory over in Yanjing has also been put into operation. Combined, the two sides yield a daily storage volume of 50,000 units!"

Lin Feng took the data sheet handed over by Xia Ruoxi, reviewed and confirmed it, and then instructed Xia Ruoxi with a satisfied expression: "Very good. Keep stocking up at this pace. Once we reach 500,000 units, we can officially launch and put them on the market. That way, we will at least have a certain volume of stock to supply our customers in the early stages!"

"Yes, that's what I was thinking too! By the way, have you thought about which day in June to set for the new product launch conference?" After expressing her agreement, Xia Ruoxi posed a question to Lin Feng.

"Do you have any good suggestions?" Lacking any specific ideas of his own, Lin Feng turned the question back to Xia Ruoxi.

In truth, Xia Ruoxi did indeed have a suggestion, though her reasoning was somewhat tenuous. Had Lin Feng not asked, she would never have brought it up on her own initiative.

"I have thought about it! We only held a launch conference a short while ago, and I've been wondering if there's any necessity for us to hold another one so soon! After much consideration, I feel there is no need. After all, our company has been drawing too much attention lately. If we were to hold another product launch conference this month, it would be far too ostentatious! My suggestion is to roll out the second-generation computer products directly, and simply run advertisements on our own website. With the market, consumers, and the media watching, even without a launch conference, everyone will still find out about it!" Xia Ruoxi poured out her thoughts to Lin Feng in a continuous stream.

After listening attentively and pondering the idea, Lin Feng felt that Xia Ruoxi's suggestion was actually quite good. Not only would it save a tremendous amount of effort, but it would also keep them out of the spotlight! Nodding in agreement, Lin Feng looked at Xia Ruoxi and said, "Your suggestion is great. Let's make the final decision right now: no product launch conference will be held, and the second-generation products will go straight to market! But now another question arises: which day in June should we launch them?"

"Let's make it June 20th. Judging by our production rate, we will definitely have an inventory of over 500,000 units by mid-to-late June. Let's set it for this date, what do you think?"

"Not bad, this date sounds very smooth and auspicious. Let's go with your decision!" Lin Feng nodded once more in agreement with Xia Ruoxi's proposal.

With all matters settled, Xia Ruoxi left Lin Feng's office to meet with the heads of the marketing and publicity departments to discuss the new product launch.

In truth, it was no longer just Lin Feng who was paying attention to Future Tech's second-generation computers; Premier Zhu, far away in Yanjing, had been thinking about them every single day during this period. He was unaware that the high-definition displays and hard drives had already been successfully developed by Lin Feng's laboratory and were now in production and use. He had simply been waiting for Lin Feng's call, hoping Lin Feng would bring him good news.

"Why is this kid so unreliable? He told me before that their company's second-generation computers would be ready to launch around June, and now it's already past early June without a single definitive word. Could it be that he failed to make them and is too embarrassed to talk to me? No, if he doesn't dare call me, I'll call him!" Musing to himself for a moment, Elder Zhu picked up his office phone and dialed Lin Feng's number.

Lin Feng was still in his office reviewing data reports when his phone, resting on the table beside him, suddenly rang. Picking it up, Lin Feng saw it was another call displaying special symbols without a caller ID. He could roughly guess the identity of the person calling him.

"Hello, this is Lin Feng! Who is this?" Lin Feng pressed the answer button, and his first sentence was a direct inquiry.

"I am your Grandpa Zhu! You brat, what are you doing? Didn't you say before that your company would release its second-generation computers around this time? Why is there still no movement?" Hearing that Lin Feng had answered, Premier Zhu immediately questioned him directly.

"Oh, Grandpa Zhu, you're asking about this! The items were completed long ago and are currently in the production and inventory stage. However, I don't plan to hold a launch conference to showcase them, given that we only held one not too long ago; this time, I'll be putting them straight up for sale on my company's official website." Upon learning that Premier Zhu was inquiring about this matter, Lin Feng replied immediately.

Hearing Lin Feng say that the items were completed long ago and had already entered the production and assembly stage, Premier Zhu was startled. The confidentiality work on Lin Feng's end was simply too well done! Not a single media outlet had detected such massive news. The day Lin Feng's computers went on sale, it would undoubtedly drop a bombshell upon the computer technology world.

"Completed? Are you certain you aren't trying to fob us off with defective experimental items?" Premier Zhu found it hard to believe and pressed further with another question.

"Grandpa Zhu, how can you say that? Have you ever seen Future Tech Company release defective products? Isn't every single one of our products far more advanced than anything currently on the market?" Hearing Premier Zhu cast doubt on his products, Lin Feng was left completely speechless.

"Good, very good! With your guarantee, I can rest easy! Haha, remember the transaction between us—prepare plenty of stock, because I have hundreds of thousands of orders waiting for you here." Premier Zhu was in high spirits and spoke to Lin Feng with delight; Lin Feng's company had brought glory to the country once again.

Hearing that Premier Zhu still remembered the matter of the national order, Lin Feng replied, "Rest assured, Elder Zhu, I remember everything and am currently building up inventory. When you see the second-generation products, you'll know I haven't deceived you. The cost-performance ratio of the second-generation computers is vastly superior to the first generation."

After chatting idly for a little longer, Premier Zhu finally hung up the phone in a satisfied mood.

Before long, the date arrived at June 20th. Having accumulated experience from the sales of their first-generation products, Lin Feng and Xia Ruoxi knew that the company's current products had no trouble selling, and thus they weren't particularly anxious about the new product launch and sales on June 20th.

They simply had the members of the technical department update the official website with previously designed images and innovative features of the new second-generation computers, alongside the previously agreed-upon policy: starting from the launch and sale of the second-generation computers, all models of the first-generation computers would have their prices reduced by 1,000 yuan; furthermore, the price of the newly launched second-generation computers would be identical to the original price of the first generation.

With these tasks assigned, Lin Feng and Xia Ruoxi left the company and returned to their villa in Zhanhai City. While Lin Feng and Xia Ruoxi dared to be this confident because they had absolute faith in their products, the other senior executives at Future Tech did not possess the same daring as Lin Feng and Xia Ruoxi. Today, they voluntarily stayed behind to work overtime, remaining at the company to monitor the sales data of the new second-generation products.

At eight o'clock in the evening, the members of the technical department officially replaced the sales page on the company's official website with the newly designed layout. This move thoroughly confused consumers across the internet who were waiting to purchase Future Tech computers—until they refreshed the page once again and noticed that the new layout differed from what they had just seen, featuring an additional product option and a clear distinction between first-generation and second-generation computers!

Curious consumers eagerly clicked into the introduction page for Future Tech's second-generation computers to take a look. It was only after viewing the data specifications on the webpage and watching the intuitive video demonstrations that they realized Future Tech Company had released a brand-new product! Previously, they had all believed that the first-generation computers represented the absolute limit of Future Tech Company, and that no other computer company could possibly surpass Future Tech's first-generation offerings in terms of either technology or exterior design. But after viewing the introduction page, they learned that Future Tech had achieved yet another breakthrough. These high-definition displays and hard drives were simply too formidable!