< Chapter 61: Interrogating Chen Cha >
After a moment of silence, Zhu Xuanji chuckled lightly, steadying his emotions. “Interesting.”
He then asked, “What is the origin of these Mechanical Apes?”
Zheng Shuanggou immediately frowned, finding it somewhat unbelievable. “Lord Zhu, do you mean to say that the shadow demon cultivator used these Mechanical Apes to blow up the Immortal Palace?”
“I know about this,” Chi Dun spoke up, his voice deep.
He knew quite a lot. After all, when Fei Si presented the treasure to the city lord, it was right in front of him.
Chi Dun gave Zhu Xuanji a brief introduction.
Zhu Xuanji nodded slightly and said directly, “Take me to the Flying Disk Workshop.”
* * *
At the Flying Disk Workshop, Chen Cha handed over a large batch of spirit stones to Ning Zhuo. “Brother Ning, these are your recent dividends.”
Placed in front of Ning Zhuo were seven or eight storage bags, each filled to the brim with spirit stones.
Originally, when Chen Cha and Ning Zhuo had agreed to collaborate, Chen Cha took only thirty percent of the profits, while the remaining seventy percent went to Ning Zhuo. Moreover, Ning Zhuo did not need to provide any raw materials.
The business of the Mechanical Explosive Monkeys had grown tremendously. All the mechanical workshops in the city were manufacturing them around the clock, running at full capacity, yet there was still a significant shortage.
This was not the first time Ning Zhuo had received his share of the profits.
Ever since the last time Chen Cha privately requested Ning Zhuo to let him take credit for inventing the Mechanical Explosive Monkeys, Chen Cha had felt deeply guilty, ashamed to face Ning Zhuo.
Therefore, although he knew Ning Zhuo had considerable talent in mechanical design, he had never invited him to the workshop to participate in the manufacturing process.
Their meetings were solely for the purpose of handing over the dividends.
But this time, Ning Zhuo visited with a different purpose.
“Old Chen, I have an important matter to discuss.”
Chen Cha was taken aback for a moment, then said, “Just call me Old Chen. Brother Ning, feel free to speak. I will do my best to help!”
Ning Zhuo then took out a mechanical monkey and placed it in front of Chen Cha.
The familiar scene once again left Chen Cha in a daze.
“Old Chen, take a look at this.”
“I’ve been diligently practicing the Five Elements Qi Regulation Art lately, and I’ve realized that the current demand for mechanical monkeys is still far from being met. So, I came up with a way to increase production.”
Chen Cha sighed, “This year’s situation is too unique.”
“In previous Fire Persimmon Festivals, we only picked a portion of the fire persimmons, relying on the Monkey Head Gang as the main force to complete the task.”
“This year, a Golden Core stage shadow demon cultivator has intruded, making the City Lord’s Mansion act with extreme caution. We must harvest all the fire persimmons before dealing with the shadow demon cultivator to minimize losses.”
At this point, Chen Cha began to inspect the mechanical monkey.
Ning Zhuo timely explained, “I adjusted some of the material ratios, mainly tweaking the muscles…”
Listening to the explanation and examining the monkey himself, Chen Cha’s expression became somewhat grave.
He looked up and gave Ning Zhuo a deep glance. If not for his sense of guilt, he would have already walked away in a huff or even reprimanded him on the spot.
Chen Cha took a deep breath, his face showing a complex expression, and advised, “Brother Ning, this is purely cutting corners.”
“According to your latest plan, you have indeed significantly reduced the production process, cutting down a lot of workload. But the mechanical monkeys produced are far inferior to the previous ones.”
“Not only is it prone to breaking down during use, but its body will melt slightly when exposed to heat.”
“I remember you specifically visited me before to discuss how to solve the issue of the body melting when heated.”
Ning Zhuo smiled and said, “Old Chen, this is precisely the essence of my improvement!”
“Think about it, how many years can we continue to sell mechanical monkeys?”
“After this year, there will be too many mechanical explosive monkeys in the market. How much more can we sell next year?”
“In business, we must consider the long-term flow.”
“These new explosive monkeys won’t last long; those who need them will have to buy more.”
Chen Cha’s face grew even more serious. “I think differently from you. Mechanical devices shouldn’t be made this way. Quality is crucial to build a good reputation and attract repeat customers.”
“You have to realize that we’re not the only ones producing mechanical explosive monkeys. Eventually, someone will imitate them, and if our quality is poor, we’ll lose the market.”
Ning Zhuo smiled indifferently. “Old Chen, with your relationship with Lord Fei Si, what competition do we have to fear?”
Just as he was about to continue persuading, a voice suddenly interrupted, “Oh? Chen Cha, what relationship do you have with Fei Si?”
“Who is it?!” Chen Cha immediately stood up.
Ning Zhuo’s expression also changed, and he stood shoulder to shoulder with Chen Cha, fully alert.
The next moment, Zhu Xuanji pushed the door open, followed closely by Chi Dun and Zheng Shuanggou.
Chen Cha and Ning Zhuo were both stunned and hurriedly bowed in greeting.
Both of them knew Chi Dun and Zheng Shuanggou, but Zhu Xuanji was unfamiliar to them.
Zhu Xuanji picked up his waist token and introduced himself, “I am Zhu Xuanji, a member of the Detective Division and a personnel of the Southern Dou royal family. I am here to investigate the emergence of the Lava Immortal Palace.”
“Let me ask you, was the appearance of the Immortal Palace your doing?”
Zhu Xuanji stared intently at Chen Cha, his eyes flashing with golden light.
Chen Cha was completely bewildered by the question!
It took him two breaths to react, and he smiled bitterly, “How could I possibly have the capability to be involved with the emergence of the Immortal Palace?”
Zhu Xuanji frowned slightly, sensing that Chen Cha was not lying.
He then asked, “How did you design the mechanical explosive monkeys? How were they made and sold? Explain everything to me clearly.”
“Well…” Chen Cha hesitated, then reluctantly began to speak.
He had only said a little when Zhu Xuanji interrupted, “You are lying!”
In the next moment, Zhu Xuanji’s eyes blazed with golden light, and a Golden Core-level aura burst forth, pressing down on Chen Cha, forcing him to the ground.
“How dare you, Chen Cha! To conceal the truth in front of a Detective?!” Zheng Shuanggou shouted sternly.
Chi Dun’s face was also as hard as iron. “Tell us the whole truth, or you will be considered an accomplice of the shadow demon cultivator!”
Chen Cha was so frightened that his face turned pale, and his body trembled uncontrollably.
“Please wait, sirs. I dare to interrupt, but there are hidden circumstances in this matter, and I am also privy to them,” Ning Zhuo hurriedly said.
“Oh?” In an instant, the gazes of the three Golden Core cultivators turned towards him.
Zhu Xuanji said meaningfully, “I will interrogate you after I finish with Chen Cha. But since you wish to speak, then go ahead. Perhaps you can atone for your crimes.”
In his special vision, both Chen Cha and Ning Zhuo appeared red with black hues. Ning Zhuo was even more red and black than Chen Cha.
Feeling immense pressure, Ning Zhuo gritted his teeth and said, “Both Chen Cha and I signed a contract. Speaking too much could result in backlash!”
“Fei Si knows about this.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Ning Zhuo’s face turned pale, and he started to bleed from his nose, providing the most evident proof of the so-called “backlash” he had mentioned.
Upon hearing the name Fei Si, Zhu Xuanji raised an eyebrow slightly and looked at Chi Dun, saying, “Interesting.”
Chi Dun hurriedly said, “I will go and consult the Lord of the City immediately.”
“No need, I am already here,” Fei Si’s voice came from outside the door.