Chapter 5: Signing the Contract, A Massive Licensing Fee!

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In a not particularly lavish conference room in Yangzhou City, Jiang Chen, accompanied by Lu Gang, shook hands with Li Dawei, the representative of the military.

On the table lay three copies of the contract, already signed and stamped, to be kept separately by Jiang Chen, the military, and the senior officials of Jiangnan Base City, acting as the notary.

“I have a feeling that, just like before, this will be a most pleasant cooperation,” Jiang Chen said with a smile as he put away his copy of the contract.

This partnership promised Jiang Chen greater benefits than ever before.

The excellent performance of the “Ripper” rifle, especially its armor-piercing capabilities, held great promise in combating monsters with tough hides and thick flesh. Even the basic version, capable of hunting only commander-level beasts, could provide humanity with formidable clearing power when deployed in sufficient numbers against hordes of monsters. The enhanced version, able to hunt lord-level beasts, would enable the military to sweep through ruins infested with monsters, allowing the base cities to gradually expand their territory outward.

The military had shown exceptional sincerity in acquiring this weapon. In addition to a one-time licensing fee of ten billion, they would pay Jiang Chen a patent royalty of one million for each basic “Ripper” rifle produced, and ten million for each enhanced version.

As for how the military would use the manufactured rifles—whether for their own use or for external sale—Jiang Chen did not concern himself. However, given the military’s usual practice, they would not keep such a weapon, which greatly improved hunters’ efficiency and survival rates, to themselves. After meeting their own equipment needs, selling it externally would follow naturally. Of course, the price might not be cheap, as budgets were tight.

“As agreed, Mr. Jiang, you’ll help us establish a production line with sufficient capacity and train a batch of qualified engineers,” Li Dawei emphasized the military’s requirements.

“Of course,” Jiang Chen nodded.

When paid to do a job, Jiang Chen maintained his “professional ethics.”

“I’ve already sent the production line design and engineer training manual to your email. If anything is unclear, Chief Engineer Chen can contact me at any time,” Jiang Chen said, glancing at the middle-aged man beside Li Dawei.

The man, surnamed Chen, was the chief engineer for the “Ripper” project. He possessed impressive capabilities and extensive experience in both mechanical and electromagnetic fields.

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In terms of cutting-edge knowledge, he wasn’t on the same level as Jiang Chen, nor as some top professors and scholars. But when it came to turning “theory” into “practical application,” Chief Engineer Chen was among the best Earth had to offer in this era.

“I’ll probably be bothering you often in the future,” Chief Engineer Chen forced a smile, speaking dryly—clearly not someone adept at social interaction.

Such personalities were common among technical staff.

“You’ll handle most of the work; I’ll just solve any tricky problems,” Jiang Chen said with a smile, not yet inclined to get to work immediately.

Chief Engineer Chen only had a general understanding of the “Ripper” and hadn’t yet reviewed the detailed technical documents Jiang Chen had sent. There was little to discuss at the moment. Better to wait until Chen had digested the materials, then study the site selection, construction plan, and other details for the first production line.

“The first licensing fee is ten billion. Do you want cash, or some special treasures?” Li Dawei looked at Jiang Chen and said, “Some special materials and treasures are not usually for sale, but if you need them, I can make decisions and allocate you a certain share. This includes special gene serums recently developed by the HR Alliance, which have no side effects.”

Common gene serums on the market were not only expensive but also severely damaged one’s physical potential—something Jiang Chen would never use. Even if Jiang Chen wanted to, Li Dawei wouldn’t allow it.

A genius eighteen-year-old high-level warrior, nearly at the warlord level, had immense value, even without considering his scientific talents.

But treasures with no side effects and capable of enhancing strength were a different matter.

Before the “Ripper” partnership was confirmed, Jiang Chen had money, but could not purchase such high-level treasures. Now, with the deal in place, Li Dawei clearly valued Jiang Chen much more, granting him access to resources that money alone could not buy.

“Oh? What’s available?” Jiang Chen felt a surge of interest.

Though Earth was still a primitive civilization unable to leave its home planet, its unique nature meant there were still plenty of valuable items. The most precious ones were out of reach given Earth’s current capabilities, but some “common goods” from interstellar civilizations still held considerable value for Jiang Chen.

Examples included “Spirit of Flora” and “Woodling Crystal.”

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“This is the list,” Li Dawei handed over a tablet, pulling up a prepared roster for Jiang Chen.

Clearly, he hoped Jiang Chen would exchange most of his payment for treasures rather than take a huge sum in cash.

A ten-billion licensing fee was not the main issue; the key was the ongoing patent royalties, which would amount to an enormous fortune over time. With royalties of one million or ten million per rifle, producing ten thousand rifles meant one to ten billion. If the entire army were to upgrade, how much would Jiang Chen receive?

Having that much money would be meaningless for Jiang Chen. Payment in treasures was the best option for both sides.

Jiang Chen took the tablet and looked at the list displayed.

Name, type, function, price—all clearly marked.

Yet, to his annoyance, he did not see treasures at the level of “Spirit of Flora” or “Woodling Crystal” on the list. The best available were artificially produced “Water of Life” and “Dragon’s Blood.”

Though valuable, Jiang Chen did not fully trust Earth’s current technological standards. They claimed there were no side effects, but who could be sure they weren’t simply undetectable? Besides, with his current strength, he couldn’t maximize the benefits of something like “Dragon’s Blood”—buying it would mean storing it for later.

Seeing Jiang Chen caught in indecision, Li Dawei misunderstood, thinking it was about the price, and smiled, “No need to worry about the price. For any total below five hundred billion, I can authorize an interest-free loan for Mr. Jiang, to be deducted from future patent royalties.”

“Five hundred billion?” Jiang Chen’s heart stirred, immediately reminded of his new project in progress.