Chapter 24: A Crucial Step in Building Connections

The corner of Rin Ogihara’s mouth twitched, veins bulging on her forehead. If it weren’t for the fact that she couldn’t beat Xiao Kaitian, she would have acted on her anger. Still, as she forced herself to hold back, her fury sought an outlet.

“Not for martial artists?” Her expression was strained. Then why make such an aggressive weapon?

Xiao Kaitian, cigarette dangling from his lips, pulled out his phone, sent a message, and waved his right hand to correct Rin’s misunderstanding. “No, this version of the glove is a sample for you. As a sample, of course it needs to be technically up to standard.”

“A sample?” Rin’s interest was immediately piqued. She couldn’t help but lean forward, her ample chest pressing against the edge of the table. “Don’t tell me—you can design mechs?”

Mechs were the nation’s ultimate deterrent against martial artists, state-classified secrets representing the pinnacle of technology in this world. If the man before her could design mechs, she wouldn’t mind reconsidering Xiao Kaitian in a new light.

“No, I can’t. What are mechs?” Xiao Kaitian looked bewildered, putting away his phone in confusion. If he really could design mechs, he’d have been detained by the authorities long ago—no one in their right mind would do something so foolish. The confusion in his eyes only deepened. “What do you mean?”

“Nothing.” Disappointment surged through Rin, a wave of irritation replacing her dashed hopes.

“This is just a sample,” Xiao Kaitian brought the conversation back on track. By now, he had a decent grasp of his situation—he needed new sources of power if he wanted to return to Han Tang. Alone, he might not be able to stand against his foes. “The finished product won’t be this powerful—about a third of the sample’s strength.”

“A third? Then wouldn’t that mean—”

“Exactly,” Xiao Kaitian didn’t deny it. “Above the level of normal people, but without stepping into martial artist territory.”

Rin was thoroughly perplexed, so she simply waited for Xiao Kaitian to explain.

“The product isn’t meant to be a dangerous weapon, but rather a portable self-defense item. Its power doesn’t approach the realm of martial artists, and that has several advantages.” Xiao Kaitian raised his fingers to count them off.

“First, it avoids getting involved in martial artist conflicts. Any product that enhances strength, once in the hands of a martial artist, would disrupt the existing balance in the martial world. The resistance you’d face for doing that—you can imagine.”

Rin nodded unconsciously.

“Second, the finished gloves will retail for ten million yen each, not including the hydrogen power cells. The target customers are the daughters and ladies of prominent families—people who demand high levels of personal security. They have bodyguards, security, some even hire martial artists. That’s not unusual. But what if these ladies themselves could have a little extra strength? I doubt their families would mind the expense.”

“You mean, the gloves’ power is reduced and you’re selling them to the women of noble families?” Rin was stunned. Wasn’t this supposed to be for combat? How had it become more like a high-end pepper spray?

She had to admire Xiao Kaitian’s market acumen. Reducing the gloves’ power made them harmless to martial artists; pricing them high restricted their reach to the elite, keeping them out of the hands of the general public and posing no threat to society or state control.

Judging by these two points, the approach was extremely prudent.

“Will there be any gifting or bundling promotions?” Rin pressed on, refusing to believe Xiao Kaitian had thought of everything.

“In the future, mass-produced versions will have chips embedded with the user’s personal information to ensure consistency between owner and user,” Xiao Kaitian said, for once taking a sip of his coffee. “User exclusivity must be guaranteed. Of course, for social responsibility, this data can be shared with the authorities if necessary.”

Rin was completely dumbfounded. This guy had business sense? Wasn’t he supposed to be just a brute? Thinking of Xiao Kaitian’s origins, her gaze grew probing. Were all his previous records just smoke and mirrors to mislead his enemies? Or had the Han Tang Xiao family been quietly plotting something all along?

Her impression of Xiao Kaitian changed again and again, her mind turning to mush.

“As for sales channels, I believe the Ogihara family has enough power to set up an independent distribution network,” Xiao Kaitian said kindly, as if he’d already mapped everything out for her family. “That’s also a key step in expanding your connections. As for production permits, company formation, operational guarantees—I doubt those will be a problem for you.”

Rin’s heart skipped a beat. There was indeed a real demand for such a product. Any family with a hint of status prioritized the safety of its members, especially women; Xiao Kaitian’s entry point was precisely there. If the Ogihara family could control sole distribution, their influence in the country could surge dramatically.

Mercenaries and assassins were still far removed from ordinary life, let alone martial artists. That left room for a product like Xiao Kaitian’s: not powerful enough to threaten society, but offering real value.

She felt almost bewitched, but bit her red lips and said nothing.

“As for profit sharing, the finished product will be sold as a one-off; we’ll split sixty-forty—sixty percent for you, forty for me as the developer. That’s fair enough,” Xiao Kaitian said magnanimously. “But for subsequent chip purchases—each priced at three million yen—the split is eighty-twenty, eighty for me, twenty for you.”

He crossed his legs as he finished.

Rin almost laughed in disbelief. Everything up to now was acceptable, but this? Wasn’t he just using the Ogihara family’s resources to hawk his wares? She glared at Xiao Kaitian. “Don’t tell me this is a consumable.”

“It is,” Xiao Kaitian answered solemnly. “Aside from the hydrogen cell, the main consumable is the chip. Each chip guarantees twenty minutes of use. Once that’s exceeded, it must be replaced.”

“No permanent option?”

“Incredibly difficult to develop,” Xiao Kaitian sighed. “Right now, technology’s hit a bottleneck. Of course, you can take it back and try to research it yourselves. But my chips are encrypted—tampering with them triggers instant self-destruction.”

He stirred his spoon; the metallic clink against porcelain was almost musical.

Rin didn’t believe the excuse for a second. She was seething—after all this, Xiao Kaitian had kept every crucial detail in his own hands. The most vital technology—the chip—remained completely undisclosed.

And this product, once someone used it in a real emergency, would surely inspire lifelong loyalty. After all, in this world, who with money would ever think they were too safe?