FWF Chapter 170 Hardware Upgrade and Uninvited Guest
Chapter 170 Hardware Upgrade and Uninvited Guest
The calculator keys in Su Qing's hand were worn smooth from use. She pushed up her black-rimmed glasses and pointed to a string of glaringly red numbers on the ledger: "Boss, although Boss Tu contributed a large sum of 'compensation for emotional distress,' and Zhou Tong also bought a yearly pass to listen to some 'Abyss Symphony,' isn't our electricity bill a bit outrageous?"
She slapped the electricity bill on the counter.
Wang Minyu was peeling a potato he had brought back from the mine with a pedicure knife—it was actually some kind of underground tuber that looked like a potato.
Hearing this, he didn't even look up: "Zero has been running data in the background lately, with its computing power at full capacity, so it's normal for it to be power-hungry. This thing, once peeled, can even wirelessly charge your phone. Want to try it?"
"I'm talking about serious matters." Su Qing didn't respond, pointing to the server rack that was still steaming. "Zero said it needs more powerful physical peripherals. These graphics cards salvaged from the electronic junkyard are simply not enough to parse the data packets coming from that 'big guy' underground. Yesterday, it almost burned my Excel spreadsheet because it overheated."
Wang Minyu put down the knife and wiped his hands.
Indeed, since the incident involving the "megaphone" inside Tu Jinshan's stomach, underground signals have become more frequent and more elusive.
Renxin Pharmacy's existing defense system—that modified tape recorder and several loudspeakers—is fine for dealing with ordinary mental interference, but if it were to encounter a head-on biomagnetic field impact, the entire store would probably short-circuit.
"Then let's buy it." Wang Minyu pulled out a black card from the drawer. It was a card that Tu Jinshan had forced on him, saying it was an unlimited overdraft card from a certain bank. "If we're going to play this game, let's play something professional."
"What should I buy? A server?"
"No, I want an MRI scanner." Wang Minyu said in a surprising way, "I want a 3.0T MRI scanner, preferably a used one from GE or Siemens that has been phased out, as long as the magnets are not broken."
Guan Shan, who was mopping the floor, slipped and the mop handle hit the shelf, causing two boxes of Liuwei Dihuang Pills to roll off. "Boss," he said, "this is a pharmacy, not the radiology department of a top-tier hospital. Those things weigh several tons, require a shielded room, need to be filled with liquid helium, and most importantly... we don't have anywhere to put them."
"Who said I'm going to use it to film people?" Wang Minyu stood up, walked to the center of the shop, and drew a circle on the floor with his toe. "This is the ley line node. The underground mycelial network communicates through bioelectric signals, and the strong magnetic field generated by nuclear magnetic resonance can directly and physically format their so-called 'regional network.' Simply put, I'm going to build a giant electromagnetic pulse bomb, only it's continuous."
Su Qing rolled her eyes: "Do you know how much that thing costs? Even if it's secondhand, with installation and debugging, it'll easily cost several million. And this kind of large medical equipment requires a configuration license."
"Money is not a problem, and neither is the certificate." Wang Minyu pointed to the door. "The person delivering the certificate is here."
An Audi A6 was parked at the entrance; its paint was shiny black, a typical business vehicle.
The car door opened, and a middle-aged man in a suit stepped out. His hair was neatly combed, he carried a briefcase, and his face wore the kind of professional, practiced smile that had been honed over time.
The man pushed open the door and entered. His gaze swept over the dilapidated medicine cabinet, the foreign old man (Pierre) who was cooking a strange soup, and the burly cleaner (Guan Shan). A hint of contempt flashed in his eyes, but it was quickly covered up by a smile.
"Excuse me, are you Dean Wang Minyu?" The man handed over a business card with both hands. "I'm Zhao Dezhu, the sales manager of Changxiang City Medical Equipment Company. I heard your business has been booming lately, and I'd like to see if there's anything I can do for you."
Wang Minyu took the business card and glanced at it: Zhao Dezhu. The name sounded auspicious, but the man's forehead was dark and his eyes were bluish-purple, clearly indicating liver stagnation and spleen deficiency caused by long-term socializing.
"Manager Zhao, you've come at the perfect time." Wang Minyu casually placed his business card on the counter. "I was just thinking of buying something big."
Zhao Dezhu's eyes lit up.
These community clinics usually only buy things like IV stands and blood pressure monitors, but this seasoned salesman never misses an opportunity to make a quick buck. "What would you like to buy, Director Wang? We have some new physiotherapy equipment or fully automated biochemical analyzers available at discounted prices."
"I need an MRI scanner. A 3.0T one."
The air was silent for two seconds.
Zhao Dezhu's smile froze for a moment, then widened to a smug grin, as if he were looking at the other man as a fool: "Dean Wang, you really love to joke. MRI is something only large hospitals are equipped with. Your place... not to mention the facilities, the maintenance costs alone would be hundreds of thousands a year. Besides, what about the qualifications of your clinic..."
"I have the qualifications." Wang Minyu pulled out a dusty certificate from the bottom of his drawer—a "Special Medical Equipment Operation Qualification Certificate" that his unreliable mentor had forced on him years ago—though he didn't know if it was expired. "You don't need to worry about the venue; just focus on selling. It's in stock; can it arrive within three days?"
Zhao Dezhu picked up the certificate and looked at it; it was indeed genuine.
He toned down his initial disdain, but still felt the young man was putting on an act: "Dean Wang, a 3.0T machine, even a refurbished one, would cost at least three million. That doesn't even include the cost of liquid helium and the shielded room. Moreover, the installation of this kind of equipment is extremely complex; I'm afraid your floor tiles can't support that weight."
"I'll pay the full amount." Wang Minyu took the POS machine. "Swipe the deposit now. As for the installation, just bring the magnets over, and I'll handle the rest."
"Handle it yourself?" Zhao Dezhu almost burst out laughing.
He'd been in the industry for twenty years and had never seen a doctor dare to say they'd had an MRI scan.
That contains superconducting coils; even a slight bump could result in a loss of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
"What, not doing business?"
"Do it! Of course I'll do it!" Zhao Dezhu thought to himself, "It's a fool not to make money. Since this kid wants to burn money for fun, I'll play along."
He quickly pulled out a contract from his bag. "We happen to have a refurbished machine in the warehouse that was originally going to be shipped to Africa, but the client defaulted. It's 90% new. Since Dean Wang is so agreeable, I'll round down the price from 3.2 million to 3 million... no, 3.1 million, including shipping."
Wang Minyu didn't even blink before swiping his card and signing.
Zhao Dezhu was overjoyed as he looked at the receipt printed out by the POS machine.
This commission alone would be enough for him to live on for half a year. He warmly shook Wang Minyu's hand: "Dean Wang, you're so generous! The equipment will be on site in three days! But let me make this clear beforehand: once the equipment is installed, if you can't install it properly or it doesn't work, we won't be responsible for returns."
"Don't worry, I'll fix it myself if it breaks."
After seeing off the beaming Zhao Dezhu, Guan Shan approached, looking pained. "Boss, three million! Gone just like that? Can that thing really be used as a weapon?"
"Trust in science." Wang Minyu fiddled with the pen in his hand. "Also, Guan Shan, you'll have to work overtime these next couple of days. Clean up that air-raid shelter in the backyard, and we need to get a few tons of lead plates. We need to make a 'cage' for this machine."
"An air-raid shelter?" Su Qing keenly grasped the key point. "You mean you want to put it underground?"
"Yes. It's too noisy to put it in the store, and..." Wang Minyu pointed to the floor, "Only by burying it in the soil can the magnetic field act like a pile driver, directly affecting the roots of those mushrooms."
Just then, Pierre came out of the kitchen carrying a plate of dark, unappetizing stuff: "Boss, I've managed to make the 'insulating material' you requested. It's made with starch extracted from underground tubers, mixed with expired amoxicillin, and after baking, it's as hard as ceramic and doesn't conduct electricity."
Wang Minyu picked up a piece and took a bite. It was crunchy, a bit like a caramel biscuit: "Not bad. This is not only an insulator, but also bait. Once the machine is installed, we'll scatter this stuff in the center of the magnetic field."
"Barecloth?" Guan Shan asked, puzzled. "Who are we catching?"
"To catch those rats trying to steal electricity," Wang Minyu said, looking out the window.
Across the street, several people wearing yellow vests with the words "Municipal Maintenance" were sneaking around under the utility poles.
They weren't holding multimeters, but rather strange black probes, which they were constantly probing in the direction of Renxin Pharmacy.
"Zero, whose person is that?"
Zero's voice came from the speakers, this time in a cute, childlike voice: "IP tracking shows that their devices are sending data packets to the headquarters of 'Kangmei Pharmaceutical.' It seems Zhao Dezhu (the chairman, not the salesperson from before) is getting impatient and wants to find out what methods we used to cure Tu Jinshan."
"Good timing." Wang Minyu tossed the remaining "cookies" into his mouth. "We were just worried about who would help us test the power of our new equipment. Guan Shan, polish the signboard at the entrance. We're going to make some big news in a few days."