Customs officers, smiling, led Meng Hao to a mobile sunshade.
The autumn heat was intense.
The scorching sunlight combined with the biting sea breeze, a double assault, made one's skin tingle.
Beneath the sunshade.
The customs officer gestured for Meng Hao to sit down.
This officer, in his forties and wearing a white uniform, was seasoned, efficient, and clearly one of the top performers in the Shilin Customs office.
He took out a stack of documents from his briefcase.
Looking at the handsome and unusually young Meng Hao before him, the customs officer’s eyes held a hint of surprise.
According to the registered information.
Meng Hao, in his early twenties, was about the same age as his son.
Yet, this promising young man was already an entrepreneur with a net worth exceeding a hundred million, capable of engaging in transcontinental trade.
Suppressing personal emotions, the customs officer flashed a faint, professional smile and began the routine procedure: verifying Meng Hao's identity and inquiring about the goods being imported.
"Name."
"Age."
"Place of origin."
"Criminal record."
"..."
Meng Hao, showing no impatience, cooperated earnestly with these security-related procedural checks.
"Meng Hao, 21, from Shilin, no criminal record..."
After confirming the basic personal information was accurate.
The next step was to inspect the imported goods.
"The import declaration lists F-35 fighter jet... airframe?"
"This is top-tier military equipment. Do you have a military production license?"
Meng Hao shook his head.
"No."
"Furthermore, our Huarong Industrial Company's business registration with the relevant departments does not involve research, development, production, or manufacturing in the military sector."
The customs officer looked perplexed.
"If you're not involved in military production, why import F-35s?"
"How did you obtain the purchasing channels for such advanced fifth-generation fighter jets!"
"Moreover, according to the reports submitted by the inspection personnel, the items inside the transcontinental container are all scattered metal components!"
"Are you planning to recycle these components as scrap metal, then refine iron, steel, or copper?"
The weather was hot.
Meng Hao had just taken a sip of the ice-cold mineral water provided by customs.
He was so startled by the officer's question that he nearly spat out the water he hadn't yet swallowed.
Refining copper?
Who refines copper?
He, Meng Hao, was an upright gentleman. Even if their whole family refined copper, he wouldn't!
Glancing at the stern-faced customs officer.
Meng Hao suddenly realized.
The "refining copper" the officer mentioned… well, it was literal copper refining!
Calming his nerves.
Meng Hao began to explain.
"The container does indeed contain F-35s… but they are failed prototypes from the research and development process, completely unqualified and substandard airframe shells."
"An F-35 has a fuselage length of 15.67 meters; a wingspan of 10.7 meters; a height of 4.33 meters… and its overall wing area is an astonishing 42.76 square meters… ordinary transcontinental cargo ships cannot accommodate it!"
"To facilitate transportation, the aircraft's components have been disassembled and folded for shipping, to be reassembled upon arrival at Huarong Industrial!"
Oh?
Reassembling F-35s?
Even if this customs officer knew nothing about military matters, he could tell that this was something only a military factory could handle.
His gaze towards Meng Hao now held undisguised suspicion.
"Didn't you just say that Huarong Industrial's business registration does not involve the military industry?"
"Now you say you're going to reassemble F-35s. Isn't that contradictory?"
"You'd better explain clearly, or these goods will be confiscated, and you'll have to explain yourself to the public security organs!"
"Our Great Xia country prohibits firearms, and the power of an F-35 is far greater than that of a firearm."
Meng Hao felt somewhat speechless.
While admiring the customs officer's dedication, he was also close to tears.
"Comrade, Huarong Industrial's main business registered in our business license is the research, development, manufacturing, and production of toys."
"After we reassemble these F-35s, they will be mounted on mechs over ten meters tall."
"This does not violate the current laws of Great Xia, nor does it exceed Huarong Industrial's scope of business, right?"
Huh?
Eh?
Oh?
Purchasing F-35 airframe shells across oceans just to assemble them onto large mechs?
As a customs officer who had a son, he knew that some young people nowadays were very obsessed with "figurines."
The ten-meter-tall, thirty-seven-ton all-metal mechs Meng Hao mentioned… the F-35 airframe shells, each costing a million US dollars… although outrageously expensive, they could indeed be assembled into large figurines.
The customs officer who was interrogating Meng Hao suddenly remembered his son's frequent saying—
"A wall of otaku merchandise is worth a house in the capital."
Before, he had scoffed at this saying.
A house within the third ring road of the capital easily cost tens of millions.
No matter how expensive an otaku's figurines were, how could they compare to property prices in the capital?
Now, Meng Hao, this living, breathing example, was right before him.
Ultimately, poverty had limited his imagination!
After re-examining the relevant documents and questioning Meng Hao for another half an hour, the customs officer confirmed that what Meng Hao had said was true.
These disassembled F-35 airframe components, after assembly, were indeed destined to be external equipment for "toy" mechs over ten meters tall.
What appeared to this customs officer, and indeed ordinary people, as scrap metal.
Would, with a little assembly, become large figurines with astronomical prices.
He had to admit, wealthy people nowadays really knew how to play.
After a moment of reflection.
Meng Hao received the customs clearance certificate, confirmed as compliant and harmless.
"I apologize for wasting your time."
"This is our duty. We must ensure that every item cleared is non-toxic, harmless, and does not violate the law."
The customs officer, his smile restored, shook hands with this young man who was about the same age as his son and exchanged pleasantries.
Before letting him go.
He even somewhat sheepishly asked Meng Hao.
"My son is also a mech figurine enthusiast… the mech figurines produced by your Huarong Industrial are definitely unaffordable for ordinary families like ours… once your products are assembled and landed, could you possibly provide some photos? My son absolutely loves mechs… if you could have miniature replica mech figurines, I'd like to buy one too… rest assured, I'll buy at market price. I just hope to get my hands on one. I heard from my son that the more expensive the mech figurine, the more limited the edition and the harder it is to buy!"
Meng Hao greatly admired this conscientious customs officer.
After making a positive commitment.
He led the over a dozen container trucks, already arranged by Jarvis, back to the Huarong Industrial plant.