Chapter 1838 - 944: What You Love...

Ji Jue.

The Creator of Coast Group, the founder of New Spring, the pillar of Hai Province, Master of Glory of the Association, Master Craftsman of Three Phases and One System, Ashen Chosen One, heir to the Mohist, West Sea Vortex, King of Seven Cities…

So many titles and names—any one of them alone would be enough to make the entire venue fall silent.

In just three short years, he went from a college student who hadn't even finished paying off his student loans to the key pillar of Hai Province, one of the few figures counted among the most important in the Federation—no, in the entire present world.

Right now, the moment he stepped onto the stage, the long silence was shattered, naturally giving way to cheers and shouts, reverence and awe, solemn respect and worshipful gazes.

As if he were walking through his own domain, in control of everything.

He looks so young, yet amidst his dark hair runs a streak of white. On his handsome, dignified face, a crimson mark along his cheek winds like a flame.

Whether you harbor hostility or not, the instant you're looked down upon by those eyes, you'll feel…

That so‑called weight!

It's not just the boiling applause and cheers in the venue—the barrage in the livestream chat rushes past like a storm.

[OHHHHH!! Director is out!!!]

[Hasu hasu hasu]

[Come on, Director, take us for another insane ride!!!]

[He's here he's here he's here he's here]

...

"Ai, I can't imagine how hard this is on him."

Mrs. Lu raised her hand and wiped the corner of her eye. "So many white hairs already… tell me, what's he suffering like this for…"

"Hey, Mom, don't worry." Lu Ling wrapped her arm around hers, soothing her softly. "Maybe it's just a fashion thing. Dyed for style, you know?"

"Big Bro… Big Bro's hair has two white strands too." The youngest, who had just privately pocketed two game cartridges from Lu Feng, suddenly thought of his older brother.

"Oh, that's just him being idle with nothing better to do."

Mrs. Lu's tears and tenderness vanished in a second—zero concern.

Inside the venue, applause and shouting rose and fell without pause.

Meanwhile, up on the second‑floor VIP stand, Shi Long, who'd been smiling and clapping along with the other company reps, suddenly stilled for a moment, as if he'd felt something off.

He sensed a faint tremor, coming from beneath his feet.

Not as violent as an earthquake, and not as brief as an explosion.

More like a ceaseless tide, waves of vast surging currents… echoing again and again, climbing higher and higher!

It wasn't even the applause and roar from inside the venue, but footsteps from outside… in the huge park complex, beneath the central screen, the excited shouts of countless Wilderness settlers craning their necks to watch.

It was the cheers and acclaim of all New Spring!

The instant that man appeared on stage, even without saying a single word, the Wilderness across Hai Province quaked in response.

Shi Long's smile froze for a second. He fell silent, and for no clear reason turned to glance at his little brother beside him, who was still happily snapping photos—what a hopeless case.

"Huh? What's wrong, bro?" Shi Ran turned back, practically drooling.

"Nothing. Just watch and learn."

Shi Long let out a helpless sigh, shook his head, full of regret.

How did our Old Shi Family end up without a matched pair of boy and girl, huh!

Would've saved us a world of trouble.

As for the press conference that was only just beginning… he no longer had any worries or curiosity left.

What's there to worry about?

Even if Ji Jue just stood up there and chatted with everyone for two hours, or even did nothing—just walked out in shades, hit play on some track, struck a Thunderbolt pose—the Wilderness dwellers all across Hai Province would still sing the whole song by themselves!

This is the kind of thing you can't see in reports and business data at all. You only understand it by being here in person, seeing and feeling it for yourself—this influence and prestige that's downright terrifying.

Besides, Coast's press conferences never bother with those fake, fluffy bits. They cut out all the time‑wasting ads, the random gimmick displays, and the filler interview segments.

It's all raw content, so dense it leaves everyone's throats stuck!

Products that would be the grand finale headliners at other companies' events get just tossed straight out with zero buildup, slammed right into everyone's faces.

After brewing and planning for so long, after leaking who knows how many teasers, this year Coast opened with its ultimate trump card.

[Coast Premium Membership]!

Divided into three tiers: Enterprise, Family, and Individual.

The individual plan is 5,800 a year, including free maintenance and upkeep for all Coast Technology products, all online services, ultra‑HD playback for videos, movies, and audio, plus the full feature set of the soon‑to‑launch in‑car system, and a whole pile of other stuff.

Just tallying up what it offers, piece by piece, you could barely call it cost‑effective.

But the crucial point isn't that at all…

It's the truly free repairs and replacements—even upgrades and updates!

All Coast Technology products—so long as you have a membership—come with damage-only replacement service, no repairs, plus upgrade-to-new discounts for every new product line!

In the household membership, aside from up to three personal memberships, it includes Coastal Industry vehicle maintenance and insurance, and free replacement and repair for home appliances.

And the enterprise membership not only includes all of the above, it also comes with emergency equipment maintenance and a deluxe fire-fighting squad made up of Coast engineers, as well as localized maintenance for the Paradise System and on and on and on…

Plus, the entire Peacekeeping Cat security line and other full-series products all get free repairs, free replacements, and even… free rentals!!!

Look at that dense list of service categories and discounts—run the numbers even a little and you'll get what "ridiculously cheap" really means…

Set aside the enterprise and household versions for now: the quick ones in the livestream have already spotted it—if you've got more than three Coast items at home, the personal membership is already guaranteed profit.

And the second product being released next on top of this just kicks up an even bigger tidal wave.

In the past, the products that Coast Technology co-created with classic luxury brands were already basically extinct on the market; the secondhand price of the Sun Dial Watch had at one point skyrocketed several times over. Now, after endless calls from the market, the new version is finally being re-released.

They've added a ton of brand-new functions no user saw coming, increased the specs without raising the price!

And, most importantly…

—Coast members get free upgrades!

In short, as long as you own an old model of the watch, you just bring it to a flagship store and the clerk will hand you a brand-new one!

It's downright unbelievable.

Makes everyone wonder if Ji Jue has eaten too many mushrooms, drunk too much booze to stay sober—what on earth is he trying to do…

For a manufacturer, you sell a previous-gen product, then offer free repairs and replacement, fine—but free generational upgrades is flat-out insane.

No way, is the profit margin on this thing really that huge?!

Are you raising a squad of Death Soldiers here or what?

Some people suspect Coast's motives, some suspect Coast's profit model, and others don't give a damn about any of that—"I'm gonna buy the hell out of this, okay?!"

The last Sun Dial going extinct on the market was already a sore spot for god knows how many people. This time, even though Ji Jue keeps stressing that stock is plentiful and supply absolutely won't run short, nobody cares anymore.

Right there on the edge of the big screen, the preorder numbers for Coast memberships and Sun Dials start rocketing upward; in less than ten minutes, they've already broken Coast's daily sales record, but nobody's even paying attention.

Ji Jue is flinging his cue cards one after another like he's lost his mind.

In the New Year-level euphoria of all the biker nerds, he announces a brand-new model adapted for wilderness roads outside the city, already available at all Coast stores and supported for online ordering.

Right on its heels comes the brand-new upgraded off-road model the settlement folks have been waiting on for years—the Coast Explorer. With absolutely hardcore data and real-world measurements, it leaves all the junkers roaming the Wilderness dazzled, blurting out "oh shit" as they practically forget what heaven and earth even are.

Holy crap? Holy crap! HOLY CRAP?!

You can do that? You're allowed to do that?

At this price?

Bro—no, foster father—who exactly are you planning to slaughter, just say it straight!

Even if this is a downgraded military version, Coast's uniquely terrifying optimization and price-performance ratio still let it sit firmly at the top among all light off-road vehicles. Whether it's range, handling, or design, every aspect fully deserves to be called flawless!

To the point that, after the roaring cheers and shouts, the venue suddenly drops into dead silence.

Like it's Overloaded.

Blank stares.

Eyes wide, staring at Ji Jue, unable to process it.

A one-hour press conference, and you dump all the heavy hitters in the first half hour—what are you doing with the rest?

[Director Ji, sit down, let's have a heart-to-heart…]

[Don't tell me the next half hour is just us chatting face-to-face?]

[I'm dying—everyone looks kinda confused.]

[Uh-oh, don't tell me the Director's still got some crazy moves lined up?]

[Guys, I'm actually getting scared!]

"…Everything I promised you all I'd do, up to here, I've said it all."

Under the spotlights, Ji Jue tosses away the last cue card, looking suddenly relaxed: "Next, let's talk about something else."

He said, "Let's talk about the things I want to do."

In that instant, while the audience is stunned and bewildered, every attendee in the manufacturer seating area suddenly straightens up, expressions solemn.

Finally…

On the big screen, scenes from the disabled sports games appear once more.

All those blood-pumping showdowns float back before everyone's eyes, only this time, under the focus of all those lenses, the real highlight becomes the metal interface at each person's back, on their spine—some big, some small.

"Originally, I just wanted to explore the range and upper limits of new prosthetics. I didn't expect everyone to be this interested." Ji Jue chuckles with feeling. "I'm even hesitating about whether we should do it once a year from now on. Except…"

"I OBJECT!!!"

Before he can finish, a sharp, grating shout cuts through the air. Up front in the press section, a reporter who's clearly been waiting forever suddenly leaps to his feet and yells up at the stage.