People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

"High temperature resistance, high quality and flexible movement, with a complete Originium Arts transmission core and channel, and supporting restriction measures to ensure that the robot can be forcibly controlled or shut down under special circumstances."

"If the robot's form resembles a human, that would be a bonus."

The reason sounds far-fetched, but upon closer inspection, the requirement isn't actually that difficult. The only troublesome requirement is the timeframe. Rhine Labs stipulated that the robot must be submitted within a week.

This dashes the hopes of the vast majority of private robot enthusiasts. If there were no time limit, it would be manageable, but building a robot that meets the requirements within a specified timeframe is far too difficult for these enthusiasts.

However, what is a personal difficulty is not a problem at all for large corporations and powerful tycoons.

Large companies like beach umbrellas and Volvo Tönchs had already developed solutions within their organizations the day after the news broke, and by the third day, they had manufactured the first robot based on those solutions and sent it to Rhine Lab for review.

Although, unsurprisingly, these eager-to-acquired projects were rejected by Rhine Life, this did not dampen everyone's enthusiasm for the major bidding process.

This is Rhine Lab, a star company in Tremont, currently undertaking the construction of a dome research station that could influence the future direction of human exploration on Terra. Now they're suddenly placing orders for robots, who knows where they'll actually be used?

What if it was General Christen who discovered some new secret of the star pod after reaching the highest point of Kjerag—the Matterhorn?

What if this robot is meant to cross the star pod, explore outer space, and discover entirely new realms beyond the stars?

Even if none of those apply, this is still a very profitable order! Once we secure it, we'll be linked to Rhine Life Sciences, becoming partners. Who knows, in the future, might even switch jobs to Rhine Life Sciences, or even be acquired as a subsidiary? Everyone in Tremont, who doesn't have a dream?

Thus, a very magical scene unfolded in Tremont.

All other research projects that were in full swing were temporarily ignored, regardless of their reputation or progress, as all scientists worked together to build Gundam!

Even the famous Colombian investor, the mysterious "Duck Lord," said, "Unfortunately, I don't know much about large robots. There's nothing I can do but temporarily acquire a company to participate in this competition."

The simple phrase "there's nothing I can do" perfectly encapsulates the capriciousness of the wealthy and the joy of being a gigolo.

The person most perplexed by the current situation is probably Horhaya, who is lurking in Trimont.

As an agent of the Melander Foundation and a subordinate of the Tin Man, Horhaia initially had no intention of stopping the Balrog Project.

The idea of ​​preventing the Balrog's resurgence was Tin Man's personal thought, and had little to do with actually stopping it. Even if, as Tin Man claimed, that fan named Levi Ernst went astray in his research, the trouble he caused was none of Horhaia's business to clean up their mess.

That was military-supported research; the military could easily handle it. The Melander Foundation's stance leans more towards politics; perhaps its founder, Melander Selene, would even be happy to see the military get into trouble and suffer setbacks.

But what could she do when the Tin Man gave her a reason she couldn't refuse?

"Holhaya, I hope you will help me, just as I would help you."

“While you were away from the Melander Foundation, I was the one who took care of all your tasks. While you were enjoying a peaceful life in Sherag, someone was carrying the burden for you.”

"Look at that expression on your face. You can't be moved by my emotions, can you? Well, I never intended to talk about feelings with you anyway."

“I’m reminding you. Holhaya, you don’t want Ernst Shivaish to know that you’re an agent of the Melander Foundation, do you?”

To be honest, Horhaia thought the tin man's threat was really tasteless. Even the smartest people from the East wouldn't threaten others like that anymore.

But it must be said that taste is not important; what matters is whether it is useful.

Holhaa believed that, unlike others, she could not reveal her status as an agent of the Melander Foundation to Ernst.

Contrary to Ernst’s expectations, the Melander Foundation was actually quite powerful. Its founder, Melander Selene, was a hero of the Colombian War of Independence and, after the establishment of Colombia, she was the most competitive presidential candidate besides Mark Max.

In the end, she took the initiative to step down, handing over the presidency to Mark Max, while she herself remained behind the scenes, becoming a shadow over Colombia.

How big is this shadow exactly?

On the positive front, there are organizations like the Melander Children's Rights Protection Foundation, which cooperated with Kal'tsit to rescue Rosemary during the Loken Water Tank incident. Melander Security & Defense Company, in another timeline, became the headquarters of the Terra version of Rainbow Team. Melander Bluewood Films, involved in Colombian entertainment, serves as the standard-bearer for Colombia's current cultural exports.

On the negative side, there are organizations like the Meland Chamber of Commerce, which, under the guise of a business association, actually engage in espionage under the pretense of doing business. The Dosoles food company, "Big Hat Brother's Burrito," is an intelligence organization planted by them in Bolivar.

Organizations with ambiguous righteousness, such as the Melander Exploration Society and the Melander Historical Research Society, are also involved. One, on another timeline, spearheaded the exploration of Sami and was a pioneer in the scientific community. The other focused on archaeological excavation and was also a long-standing stronghold for agents such as the Horhaia and the Tin People.

The more she was involved, the more clearly she could perceive that the Meland Foundation's influence was so deep-rooted that it was difficult to categorize it using simple terms like "political circles" or "military."

If there is anyone in Colombia who can truly stand up to the Melander Foundation, Horhaja can only think of one person: President Mark Max.

But the president might not even be considered an individual, so strictly speaking, this idea is almost impossible to realize.

Admittedly, if we were to be honest, about half of the current staff of the Sheraco government are suspected of being spies, but the Melander Foundation's involvement with Colombia is a bit too deep.

People like Vina, a minor Victorian noblewoman, or Daphne, a fake spy who prioritizes fun over missions, are simply not in the same league as Holhaia. Ernst can tolerate them, but he might not be able to tolerate her.

She hadn't even had the chance to ask Jeragand a question, and she was unwilling to be exposed and expelled from Sherag.

Moreover, when she met the Tin Man, she said, "I quite like that place."

That was not a lie.

Holhaa admitted that she had been tricked by the Tin Man, but she did not think the task was particularly difficult to complete.

It's just interfering with the military's plans and preventing the Balrog's resurrection. What's so difficult about that? She's done this kind of thing countless times. Providing trade secrets to the enemy, instigating internal opposition to create accidents, or even temporarily kidnapping the scientist leading the experiment—these are all time-tested and highly effective methods.

But this time, her "magic" failed.

What's going on?

It's a trade secret; the resurrection of the Balrog requires robots, so Rhine Lab simply put out a city-wide tender.

Internal opposition arose, with some arguing that Miss Himer was too naive and her lack of concealment made her too easily exposed. After Saria strengthened her defenses and surveillance, it became much harder for her to obtain the information she wanted through this channel.

As for kidnapping scientists...

Parvis was exceptionally skilled at disguise and concealment; he seemed easy to catch, but when it came to actually making a move, he was like an eel, giving no chance whatsoever. And Levi...

Levy is like a turtle shell, there's no crack in it!

Where did he learn his counter-espionage skills? You're a scientist, how come you're more professional than my agents in some aspects? Are Ursus spies really that good?

If Levy heard Holhaya's frantic questions, he might just chuckle.

Kid, do you even know what KGB means?

In short, none of her methods worked, all her steps were disrupted, and the enemy seemed to have divine assistance, completely disregarding her plans. Horhaia instantly felt the pressure.

Pressure, some people put pressure on themselves!

There was no other way; since her own methods had failed, Horhaya had no choice but to make a last resort.

"Building robots?"

"Don't worry, I'll dismantle it for you once you've finished building it!"

At this moment, Horhaya was unaware that she had fallen into a huge trap.

It's worth noting that the person in charge of bidding for the robots was Levy.

There is a well-known unspoken rule in the bidding industry: when the bidding party and the bidder have a special relationship, the entire bidding process is essentially predetermined.

Chapter 188 This robot was blessed by the Bodhisattva Jeragand.

Columbia, Trimont, Rhine Life Restaurant.

Thanks to Tolevi, Ernst was able to come to Rhine Life’s restaurant and try their staff meal.

Ernst enjoyed the meal and praised the chef at Rhine Life repeatedly, saying he was very skilled.

“If I hadn’t invited you, Saria might have arranged for you to go to some fancy restaurant,” Levi said casually, picking up a fries, dipping them in ketchup, and popping them into his mouth.

Ernst waved his hand: "Eating too much meat and fish all the time can get boring. I actually miss this taste."

"Nostalgia? What, do some fried foods have some special meaning to you?" Levi asked curiously.

Ernst shook his head: "It doesn't have any special meaning, it's just that I haven't had it in a long time."

He couldn't very well tell Levy about a young man's belief in Crazy Thursday, could he?

Ernst quite likes fried food, such as hamburgers, fries, and fried chicken—the kind of junk food criticized for being lacking in nutrition—all of which suit his taste. In the past, after finishing overtime work, he would order takeout alone at home, drink an ice-cold cola, and watch various relaxing videos, such as videos about quirky small countries, hardcore tough guys, and electronic atlases.

For him, eating fried chicken and hamburgers is just like watching these videos. He doesn't crave to learn anything from them; it's just a way to relieve his tired mood and replenish some energy in a different way.

On the contrary, it is those who always emphasize that this should be nutritious and that should be educational that are truly puzzling.

On one hand, they talk about nutrition in KFC and educational value in arcades, while on the other hand, they promote pre-made meals and censor toxic teaching materials.

Whenever this happens, he recalls a classic saying that his school teachers have been repeating from kindergarten to high school graduation.

"It's not that you lack ability, it's just that you haven't used it in the right way."

Levi, unaware of Ernst's thoughts, seeing Ernst's reluctance to discuss the topic, changed his tune:

"Are the robots for Project Flame Demon ready?"

Yes, Ernst and Levi had colluded beforehand, and Ernst had already been chosen to contract the mechanical body needed to house the Balrog in this Balrog Project.

This is quite normal. Ernst and Levi are related, and Levi is the one who set the standards for the entire Flame Demon Project's physical body review. As long as he speaks up, there's no reason why Ernst wouldn't pass.

The referees are all my people, what can you do to fight me?

Some might ask, isn't this cheating? Since the Balrog Project is being put out to tender, why not just buy a robot from Trimont? Maybe the robots from other big companies are of better quality.

Well, theoretically, that is indeed a good suggestion.

But in reality, the decision-maker needs to consider far more factors. For example, if Rhine Lab were to actually purchase the Balrog's mechanical body from outside sources, who would be the most likely successful bidder?

Without a doubt, it's beach umbrellas, Volvo Töczynski, and other large corporations. They are financially strong, technologically advanced, and can meet RheinLife's needs in every aspect; they are themselves large corporations that are no less powerful than RheinLife.

But what Rhine Lab is least likely to accept is their robots.

Companies like beach umbrellas and Volvo Tkochinsky are also the least likely to sell their robots to Rhine Life.

Because this is a core technology.

The two companies are competitors. Just as Tencent wouldn't ask NetEase engineers to help write code for its games, NetEase programmers would never share a brilliant new program with Tencent.

Even though Rhine Lab initiated the bidding process, they started developing the robot specifically because of Rhine Lab's bid, and they would prioritize hiding the results after they were produced.

They might not even know what use this robot, which perfectly meets Rhine Lab's requirements, is for; they might still try to restrict Rhine Lab's technology simply for the company's benefit.

Besides, even if they dared to give it to them, would Rhine Life dare to use it?

Even if the current head of the company is the conservative and steady Seria, or even if the radical Christen is currently in Tremont, she would never use the products of these large corporations.

Who knows if you added any backdoors to it, planning to create a big news story when we're showing our results to the military?

A fake business war: a financial battle, technological bottlenecks, and a showdown of the best in company management and scientific research innovation capabilities!

Real business warfare: Plant a time bomb in the competitor's product, and detonate it when they welcome customers, killing the competitor's boss and customers alike, once and for all!

What? You're saying there's a problem with the product quality, which might affect me?

Don't panic. If something really happens, I won't be the one primarily responsible. If the military is killed by your products on your site, guess who they'll seek revenge against?

It's definitely not about finding the "bomb leaker," but rather the "person who failed to properly vet the bomb, resulting in it ending up in this situation."

Weapons don't kill people on their own, and the military happens to be the one that understands this best.

At that point, Rhine Labs might not even be able to explain it. Because the technological gap between large companies is not significant, and given that the technology of machine bodies was newly developed, there was no standardized review mechanism, so Rhine Labs might not be able to find the cause of the explosion.

There are just too many intricacies involved here, and Rhine Life would never use such a potentially risky product in such a high-profile setting.

When these top-tier tech companies are unable to be truly honest with each other due to their own competition, the opportunities naturally fall to smaller, more capable, but fewer companies.

For large companies, the differences between these small businesses are really not that great, and at this time, personal relationships become especially important.

People buy machines, but people aren't machines. If you treated me to dinner last night, and he slapped me last night, then I'm sorry, I'll definitely choose the former.

Since your quality is about the same, I can easily regain control and gain more profit for myself with just one thought, so why wouldn't I do it?

This kind of thinking is often the beginning of corruption, and it is also the standard explanation for "why power breeds corruption, and absolute power corrupts absolutely".

However, the Colombians didn't care about any of that. Levy and Ernst were well aware of this, but they had no interest in stubbornly insisting on their position here.

Both of them are flexible and adaptable. These are your rules, so we'll play by your rules. Rhine Life has a lot of money to spare; we shouldn't let the profits go to outsiders.

Ernst has an entire government to support, so what's wrong with reluctantly accepting him?

Besides, he did provide the goods, and the goods were of guaranteed quality and quantity.

"Don't worry." Ernst took a sip of his cola and said, "The person who took my commission is a Dulinian. Dulin's technological level is beyond your imagination."

"If you want to see a prototype, you can try your luck with Director Ferdinand of the Energy Department. The only condition is that you have enough time to listen to him ramble on all day."

"As for the issue of heat resistance..."

Ernst paused, put down his cola, reached into his pocket, took out a stone, and placed it in front of Levi.

"The local deity Jeragand has blessed that robot. He said it himself, that even if you throw the robot whole into lava, it won't necessarily burn up. Don't worry."

“Yeragand.......”

Levi's eyes flickered as he curiously examined the stone on the table.