“The bastard surnamed Yu, who knows whose connections he used, has gotten our project stuck at the city government, refusing to approve it, forcing us to sell the land! And the land price has dropped from eight million to six million! He says he needs to deduct the money he spent on greasing the wheels!” Mr. Carter stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray with force, saying angrily.

　　“So that’s how it is. That’s just too much bullying.” Eric Thompson frowned slightly and spoke in a low voice.

　　Mr. Scott said helplessly, “Who told us our factory is poor? These days, you either have money or power. If you have neither, you’re just left to be bullied by others.”

　　Eric Thompson looked up, pulled out the anti-gravity shoe materials that Cola had organized and printed from under his arm, and handed them to Mr. Scott, saying, “I actually have an idea. We could use the old factory workshop to do some mechanical processing.”

　　When Mr. Scott saw that Eric Thompson wanted to do business, he muttered, “It’s good to have ideas, but you’ve already gotten into the Advanced Tactical School. The next step is to become a soldier, and you get a thousand yuan stipend every month. It’s better to put all your energy into your studies.”

　　Although he said that, as soon as Mr. Scott saw the anti-gravity shoe materials Eric Thompson brought, he was stunned, and his eyes grew brighter and brighter.

　　As the old factory director of the machinery plant, Mr. Scott could naturally understand these blueprints. With Cola’s calculations, all the parameters were clearly marked, and the design had been greatly simplified, making the manufacturing process as easy as possible.

　　Although these anti-gravity shoes couldn’t compare to the high-end products on the StarNet, this was Earth. If they could reduce gravity to some extent and let ordinary people run as fast as a hundred-meter sprinter, that would be more than enough.

　　Eric Thompson used technical data from the StarNet to design the anti-gravity shoes, filling a gap in the market. The only materials used were some discarded Kiev alloy from the military.

　　“Eric Thompson, did you really come up with this?” Mr. Scott asked excitedly after reading through the thick stack of materials.

Chapter 7: A Perfect Match

　　“Eric Thompson, did you really come up with this?” Mr. Scott asked excitedly after reading through the thick stack of materials.

　　Eric Thompson nodded. Mr. Scott looked up at the clock—it was already midnight, but the old man wasn’t the least bit sleepy. He pulled out his phone and dialed a number.

　　“Austin Harris? This is Kyle Scott. Bring Owen Harris and come to my house.”

　　“Yes! Right now! Even if you two have to crawl, you’d better get over here immediately!”

　　Soon, the brothers Austin Harris and Owen Harris arrived at Mr. Scott’s house, still half-asleep. Austin Harris was a burly man, a skilled worker by trade, and before the machinery plant closed down, he was the deputy director, working under Kyle Scott.

　　Owen Harris was Austin Harris’s biological brother, a PhD in mechanical engineering from Nanjing University, and used to be the head of the technical team at the factory. He wore thick glasses and was much more reserved than his brother.

　　After the machinery plant went bankrupt, Austin Harris became an auto mechanic, while Owen Harris worked as a technician at another textile factory. Thanks to their skills, they were doing a bit better than most of the laid-off workers, but life was still tight.

　　Eric Thompson had grown up in the machinery plant and knew them both well, so the four of them sitting together felt perfectly natural.

　　When the anti-gravity shoe materials reached Owen Harris, he spent a full two hours reading them, his eyes growing more and more excited. After finishing, he slapped Eric Thompson on the shoulder and said excitedly, “Eric Thompson, this design is a real treasure! It’s a genuine anti-gravity device!”

　　Mr. Scott hurriedly asked, “So, does this mean it’s feasible?”

　　“It’s more than feasible!” Owen Harris adjusted his glasses and patted the blueprints in his hand. “My university advisor was obsessed with researching anti-gravity devices, and I learned a lot from him. Honestly, this design is probably far more advanced than anything my teacher managed to come up with in his entire career!”

　　“The key is that it’s practical! It’s not some unfinished lab research, but real technology that can go straight into production! Using electricity to generate and regulate the anti-gravity magnetic field, and the three-piece Kiev alloy structure is extremely stable.”

　　“With this kind of technology, even if you set a sky-high price, companies would fight to get it! After all, these days, technology is king! Practicality is king! The advanced tech brought by those alien spaceships isn’t bad, but most of it can’t be produced with Earth’s current technology. I’ve never seen such high-level tech simplified to this degree. Eric Thompson, you’re a genius!”

　　When Austin Harris heard this, he was overjoyed. “Haha, Eric Thompson, if you get rich, don’t forget to treat your Uncle Qin to some good liquor!”

　　Eric Thompson nodded slightly and said with a smile, “Actually, I never planned to sell this technology. If the factory can make it, why not do it ourselves? The workshops are just sitting there unused—it would be a real waste not to put them to use.”

　　Eric Thompson spoke lightly, but the other three all understood the weight of his words. If the machinery plant could produce this kind of anti-gravity device, it would mean new jobs for hundreds of people at the factory!

　　After the factory closed, laid-off workers only got four hundred yuan a month in unemployment benefits. Eric Thompson was single and even six hundred wasn’t enough for him, so families with dependents were in even worse shape.

　　“Eric Thompson, are you serious!?” Austin Scott grabbed Eric Thompson’s shoulders with both hands, staring at him.