Chapter 586 - 385: Li Wei’s Extraordinary Background

Chapter 586: Chapter 385: Li Wei’s Extraordinary Background

10,000 feet above Philadelphia.

The flight from John F. Kennedy International Airport to Philadelphia International Airport took less than forty minutes. It was so short that by the time the business class coffee was served, the captain was already announcing their descent.

Mark closed his laptop and glanced out the window. The plane was cutting across the Philadelphia skyline from the direction of the Delaware River, with sunlight sparkling over the Schuylkill River.

Arthur sat in the seat next to him. Beside his hand rested a black briefcase containing a complete set of declaration documents that the legal and financial teams had worked overtime to compile.

"To be honest, I still feel like something isn’t right," Mark whispered, taking a sip of his coffee.

Arthur lifted his eyelids. "What isn’t right?"

"Kim said General Stone was deeply impressed by her materials." Mark shook his head. "You were there at the Pentagon last time. Do you think Stone had even half a second of interest in her materials that day?"

Arthur thought about it, recalling the scene from that day.

"He really didn’t," he said. "But since we were told to submit the materials, something else must have happened in between."

"Do you think the boss did it?" Mark asked.

"Last time, Stone asked for a seventy percent stake right off the bat, but two weeks later, the Defense Logistics Agency initiated an expedited review," Arthur noted. "Anyway, I definitely don’t believe Kim did it."

"But that’s what she said." Mark took a sip of his coffee and reached up to press the flight attendant call button above his head. "Do you think the boss tacitly approved this?"

Two flight attendants walked out. A middle-aged one headed toward the economy cabin, while a beautiful young one assigned to business class walked over to Mark and crouched down to listen to his request.

"Another cup, with ice, please. Thank you." Mark handed his cup to the flight attendant, then turned back to Arthur. "Do you think Kim and the boss have..."

"Don’t be too curious, Mark," Arthur warned, shaking his head. "It won’t do you any good."

"I know, I’m just saying—thank you." Mark took the fresh coffee from the flight attendant. "Do you think it’s because the boss wants to support Kim, feeling that we haven’t been respectful enough to her? She is the COO, after all."

Arthur frowned, lost in thought. Mark took the opportunity to lean in and whisper, "Didn’t Mr. Don Quixote tell us exactly that in the car the other day?"

Taking advantage of Arthur’s silence, Mark continued, "It must be your unconscious old-white-man arrogance acting up. You thought she was just an ungraduated college student, and a girl at that, which made the boss unhappy."

"Fuck off," Arthur glanced at Mark. "So, what do you think we should do?"

"I think we just shouldn’t have too much of a mind of our own," Mark said, leaning back in his seat. "Leave everything to the boss, Kim, and Mr. Don Quixote."

"That’s exactly what we are doing now."

"But I feel like maybe we aren’t doing enough." Mark pondered for a moment. "How much power do you think it takes to secure a military order within two weeks, complete with an expedited process?"

Arthur frowned, thinking carefully, and gave a wry smile. "To be honest, I can’t even imagine."

"Neither can I." Mark nodded. "So let’s leave the boss’s thoughts for the bosses to consider."

"But the advice I gave Kim before was purely from the perspective of the company’s development."

"Yes, we are all doing this for the company. The better the company develops, the better it is for us," Mark agreed. "But I still think we shouldn’t question the bosses’ decisions. After all, they have access to information that we don’t."

Arthur thought about it for a moment, then nodded seriously.

Philadelphia International Airport was not large; compared to John F. Kennedy International Airport, it was quite deserted. Stepping out of the terminal, the early June air in Philadelphia carried a layer of muggy humidity, and the distant skyline was shrouded by a thin veil of grayish-white clouds.

Mark rented a Mercedes from the Hertz counter in the terminal.

"Rented it for a week." He tossed the keys to Arthur. "You drive."

"A week?" Arthur caught the keys. "Does it take that long just to submit some materials?"

"Do you think the United States Federal Government’s approval process is as simple as depositing money in a bank?"

The two found the Mercedes parked in the lot. Mark pulled the door open and got in. "After the materials are submitted, even with a normal expedited process, they’ll do a preliminary compliance review. That alone will take three to five business days."

"Has Merrill Lynch Securities ever underwritten for government agencies?" Arthur got into the car and buckled his seatbelt. "You sure know a lot about this."

"When working for the boss, you definitely have to be more attentive," Mark replied. "Staying a few extra days in Philadelphia means that if any issues arise during the preliminary review, we can resolve them immediately and save ourselves another trip."

The Defense Logistics Agency’s Subsistence Supply Office was located in a federal office complex in South Philadelphia.

After turning off I-95, Arthur drove down a wide but relatively empty road for a few minutes. In the distance, a cluster of grayish-white concrete buildings came into view. Surrounded by chain-link fences, it looked more like a military depot than an office building.

The two parked the car, grabbed their briefcases, and passed through security. Following the faded yellow guidelines on the floor, they arrived at the Subsistence Supply Office’s public service hall.

The hall was not large, but it was crowded. Over a dozen people sat on plastic chairs, all holding thick document folders just like Arthur. By the looks of it, they were representatives of various suppliers as well. At the front of the hall was a row of service windows with bulletproof glass partitions. There were four in total, but only one was open.

Mark grabbed a ticket from the self-service machine and sat down next to Arthur.

"A-37," Mark said. He glanced up at the screen. "There are still sixteen people ahead of us."

"I’m going to the restroom then." Arthur stood up and handed the document folder to Mark. "Keep an eye on these for me."

"Don’t wander too far. What if they call our number fast?"

"Just look at that window." Arthur gestured toward the service counter with his chin. "Do you think she’ll be fast?"

Mark looked in the direction Arthur was pointing.

At Window 2 sat a Black woman whose build was wider than Arthur and Mark combined. She wore a wig and had extravagantly colorful manicured nails. She was processing the documents in front of her at the speed of Flash the sloth from the movie Zootopia, flipping each page back and forth for nearly half a minute.

The middle-aged white man at the window was burning with anxiety, leaning over the counter, trying to use his gaze and sheer willpower to urge her to speed up. But the woman was completely impervious to the pressure, acting as if the man didn’t even exist.

"The signature on the third page is not in the designated spot," she droned. "Go back and sign it again."

"I’ll sign it right now," the white man said hurriedly. "I’ll sign it right now."

"Go back, sign it, and pull a new number," she said mercilessly, shoving the documents back. "Next!"

"This is even harder to deal with than the US Securities and Exchange Commission," Mark clicked his tongue in disbelief. "Has no one complained about her?"

"Who would dare?" a man in work clothes sitting nearby shrugged. "Brother, this is the Defense Logistics Agency. They handle procurement for the entire Pentagon. They’re the absolute top of the food chain. In their eyes, we suppliers are just lining up to pay tribute."

Seeing this, Arthur shoved the documents into Mark’s arms and went to find the restroom. Mark did the math. If it took half an hour just to process one person, who knew if the remaining sixteen numbers would even get called today.

A few minutes later, Li Wei called.

"How’s the talk going?" he asked. "Have you signed it?"

"Not yet," Mark said honestly. "We pulled a number and are still waiting in line."

"Hmm..." Li Wei mused. "I see. Wait a moment."

After hanging up, Mark continued to wait.

A few minutes later.

A man in a suit wearing a Defense Logistics Agency badge on his chest came down the corridor. He walked straight into the back office and exchanged a few words with the female clerk. She nodded and suddenly suspended her service.

"LW Sports Drink," her voice echoed through the PA system. "Where is the representative for LW Sports Drink?"

The other supplier representatives looked around and began to whisper.

"What is LW Sports Drink?"

"What did they do wrong?"

Mark swallowed hard. Seeing that Arthur still hadn’t returned, he stood up.

"That’s me," he called out. "I’m Mark Davis."

The suited man’s eyes lit up. He quickly walked out from the back, not forgetting to straighten his tie on the way.

"The representative for LW?" he asked very politely. "I’m Senior Procurement Auditor Richard Brown. I’ll be handling your approval process."

He reached out his hand, his grip and enthusiasm both a bit over the top.

"I apologize for keeping you waiting out here for so long," he said. "Please follow me. We have a dedicated conference room on the second floor."

At that moment, Arthur just stepped through the door.

"What’s going on?" He still hadn’t figured out what was happening.

"It’s our turn," Mark said briefly. "Keep up."

"Did I take that long in the bathroom?" Arthur muttered to himself, following Mark and the auditor upstairs.

The surrounding supplier representatives witnessed everything. The man in work clothes from earlier stood with his mouth slightly ajar.

"Since when did the Defense Logistics Agency have this kind of attitude?"

"You’re dreaming. Just line up obediently."

"Is this company a subsidiary of Lockheed Martin or something?"

Following the auditor to the second floor, Mark and Arthur experienced what true lightning speed was. For the first time, they realized that the United States Federal Government was actually capable of getting things done quickly.

"Procurement contract... no problem."

"Company operating qualifications... employee representatives... no problem."

"FDA confirmation letter... no problem." The auditor looked up. "Prepared very professionally."

"Our COO is a very meticulous person," Arthur laughed. "She compiled these herself."

"No wonder then," the auditor said. "I rarely see a supplier who doesn’t have to make a second trip on their first visit. Oh, right." He pointed to the FDA certification letter. "There is one thing I need to mention. Because the military’s food hygiene and safety standards are higher than the FDA’s, both your factory and company will have to undergo an on-site review by the United States Army Public Health Command after passing the preliminary review. I’m letting you know in advance, as our Defense Logistics Agency has no way to intervene in that."

"Understood," Mark said.

"Thank you for understanding." The auditor picked up the materials. "Please wait a moment while I go conduct the preliminary review verification."

He carried the materials out of the conference room. A few minutes later, he pushed the door open and returned. The stack of materials was gone, replaced by a thin form, and he wore a warm smile on his face.

"Good news, gentlemen." He placed the form on the table. "The preliminary review of LW Sports Drink’s supplier qualifications has been approved."

"That fast?" Mark and Arthur exchanged a look.

"I thought it would take three to five business days," Mark said. "I didn’t expect it to be this quick."

"LW is a key project, so we’re making special arrangements," the auditor said with a smile. "Naturally, it won’t be that slow."

Mark and Arthur exchanged another look. They both marveled at how truly incredible the boss’s background was.

The two finished signing the documents on behalf of the legal and financial departments respectively.

"Once the Public Health Command finishes its inspection," the auditor said, "the twenty percent advance payment is expected to arrive in your account within seven business days."

Mark nodded. Military procurement generally used IDIQ (Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity) contracts, which did not promise a one-time purchase amount but rather provided a range. This year, their initial procurement volume was fifty million bottles, with each bottle priced at fifteen USD. The amount for the first batch of orders alone reached a staggering 750 million USD. The profit margin was even more terrifyingly high, as the wholesale procurement price was three times the retail price.

Even after signing the documents and walking out of the service hall with Arthur, Mark still couldn’t believe they had gotten things done so easily. He and Arthur stared at each other in disbelief for a few seconds.

"Let’s return the car," Arthur said. "No need to stay for a week."

"Alright," Mark replied. "Then I’ll let the boss know that the matter is settled."

"Uh," Arthur hesitated. "I think we should report to Kim first. She is the COO, after all."

Mark was taken aback for a moment, then nodded. "You’re right."