The Wolf of Los Angeles.

Pengcheng, Asia Branch of West Coast Environmental Technology Company.

Old Peng, who had come all the way from Yiwu, entered the reception room, where he was greeted by Dongfang Tong's Dewey, who shook his hand and gestured for him to sit down.

The two sides had a basic exchange over the phone and knew what products were needed for this business deal.

Dewey handed over the relevant product information and said directly, "These are bird balls commonly used at airports. They must be black and made of high-molecular-weight polyethylene. Please provide a quote."

"Polyethylene is more expensive." Old Peng looked at the relevant specifications: a ten-centimeter black hollow sphere that needs to absorb and insulate heat.

Having worked with various small chemical products for a long time, he quickly calculated in his mind and said, "We haven't made this kind of sphere before, so we need to make a new mold, and the unit price may be a bit higher."

Dewey asked him to give a price directly: "How much exactly?"

After a slight hesitation, Lao Peng said, "It might cost around 1.5 yuan, but the exact price depends on the quantity you need. The more you need, the lower the price."

Dewey said, "The first batch will be around 1 million, and then we will need more than 20 billion more."

Old Peng could hardly believe it and asked, "Are you sure it's in the unit of 'hundred million'?"

“That’s right,” Dewey emphasized. “The first batch will be 1 million.”

He didn't mince words when trying to lower the price: "1.5 yuan is too expensive."

Such a huge number made Lao Peng dizzy. Not to mention the subsequent orders, the quantity of the first batch of orders alone was enough for him to open several new workshops.

After much back and forth, the two finally settled on a price of 15 cents for a single bird ball.

Most importantly, Lao Peng promised that the goods could be shipped this month.

Even though he thought he knew the East, Dewey was still a little surprised, but the goods in Los Angeles were urgently needed, and it was good to be able to ship them as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, First Lady Claire led an environmental research team.

As so-called professionals, the Clean Water Foundation brought a bunch of "renowned experts" from across the United States to conduct demonstrations and experiments on the Birdball Project, concluding that it was highly feasible and the best solution for protecting Southern California's water resources.

Claire's foundation naturally became an advisory group for the Birdball Project, and incidentally assisted Hawke and Brian in lobbying the White House and Congress to secure federal funding.

By May, the Birdball Plan had been fully approved.

West Coast Environmental Technology Co., Ltd. became the construction contractor for the project.

The project proceeded smoothly after the initial $2.5 million in funding, jointly allocated by Los Angeles, California, and the federal government, was received.

Although some questions arose during this period, and people with different opinions spoke out, all of them were suppressed and ignored.

Especially with the lingering effects of the Los Angeles wildfires, opposing water conservation plans is anti-social.

Such a hat is not something an ordinary person can bear.

A social activist who wanted a share of the profits but was refused, and who then became the most vocal critic after his temper flared, set fire to the house under the cover of night after his home was destroyed in the Los Angeles wildfires.

A wooden detached house caught fire, and the fire truck was hit by a car on the way, so it was delayed in arriving at the scene, resulting in the house and people being burned to ashes.

Hawke was not involved in this matter from beginning to end, nor were his subordinates.

However, the Birdball Project involves the interests of too many people. If someone dares to step forward and cause significant losses to others, then someone will naturally intervene.

In the Beverly Business Club, Claire looked at Hawke and said, "You have a strong grip on Los Angeles; there are almost no dissenting voices."

Hawke shook his head: "Some things weren't even done by me."

Claire understood what he meant: "It wasn't done on my end either."

They both laughed.

There are more than a dozen companies that can share in this plan. The largest share belongs to a West Coast technology company, followed by the Clean Water Foundation, which serves as an advisory board member, and the rest are the next in line.

Claire said, "This is the first phase. Once it's completed, there are more than thirty reservoirs to follow."

Hawke said, "Once the first phase is completed, we must not relax our efforts in public opinion. We must promote it to amplify its impact and get endorsements from multiple environmental organizations."

Since Tom Emmer was elected senator, Claire has been working on water conservation and environmental protection, and has close ties with many environmental organizations across the United States. She immediately said, "Leave this to me. Project Birdball is both environmentally friendly and economical. It is the most successful water conservation and environmental protection project in the United States... no, in the world since the beginning of the new century."

“It could also be marketed as a unique man-made attraction,” Hawke imagined, “It could become a landmark in Los Angeles.”

With endorsements from environmental organizations and experts, frantic praise from the media, and advertorials from online writers, even something that smells bad can be turned into something that smells good.

Hawke is also learning from the fine traditions of the United States Agency for International Development.

In animal husbandry, anyone with money can raise a whole batch of dogs and livestock.

Claire asked, "When will the second phase of the plan begin?"

“We need to wait until the first phase is completed.” Hawke emphasized, “Therefore, the various data statistics for the first phase are very important; the Birdball Project must succeed.”

Claire laughed: "We will definitely succeed. Whoever prevents our plan from succeeding is our enemy."

When dealing with enemies, there's no need to show mercy; only the methods and approaches matter.

For example, there are homeless people and large trucks that can be seen all over the United States, as well as rampant illegal guns; there are simply too many solutions.

In short, the enemy will eventually be unable to cope and commit suicide.

…………

In late May, as summer truly began in Los Angeles, numerous celebrities, citizen representatives, and media reporters gathered at the Ivanhoe Reservoir dam to witness firsthand the birth of what the media hailed as "the greatest water conservation plan in history."

Los Angeles’ new mayor, Godin, delivered an inspiring speech, touting the project as his biggest achievement since taking office.

First Lady Claire then took the stage and delivered a keynote speech on water conservation, which was met with enthusiastic applause.

Erica, wearing sunglasses, clapped along with the crowd, then turned to Hawke and said, "This guy has a real desire to perform."

Hawke clapped lightly and said, "I've heard that Claire idolized Sylvia in her early years."

Erica looked slightly surprised: "She wants to run for president? The United States has been established for more than 200 years and there has never been a female president."

“Her ambitions are to our advantage.” Hawke pushed up his sunglasses.

Erica, his wife, roughly understood that Tom Emer and the Claires had a strained and even conflicted relationship, and that the woman named Samantha and her son Bill were an unbridgeable rift between the First Family.

Claire is like a ticking time bomb next to Tom Emmer.

Hawke's several stakeholder proposals will not be able to enter the Budget Committee's formal review process until October.

He must ensure that the White House will not betray him.

After a brief speech, with a command from Godin, Project Birdball officially entered the implementation phase. West Coast Tech's Henderson and First Lady Claire, along with Los Angeles Mayor Godin, jointly opened a pre-installed container door on the dam.

The black spheres, about ten centimeters in size, fell into the water with a splash, like countless marbles, and floated on the surface.

At the same time, transport vehicles scattered throughout the reservoir dumped bird balls into the reservoir.

The water, which had been reflecting the sunlight, quickly turned pitch black.

The Birdball Project was a success!

The reporters' cameras were mostly turned to film the water, where countless black spheres rippled, creating a rather bizarre spectacle.

After some time, Professor Grealish's team transmitted the data measured by the instruments to the dam.

Claire immediately announced that evaporation at multiple test points in the reservoir had decreased by more than 82%, and bromide synthesis had decreased by nearly 80%.

The crowd erupted in cheers and applause, celebrating the initial success of the Birdball Project.

When they returned to Los Angeles, Claire specifically got into the van that Hawke and Erica were riding in.

She could hardly hide her excitement as she told Hawke, "For the first time, I've realized I have a real career."

Hawke laughed: "We can continue to expand this business to the entire arid southwestern region of the United States."

Claire, enjoying the various perks that came with being First Lady, was in high spirits and said, "I'll be returning to Washington first thing tomorrow morning to push for the vigorous promotion of our plan there."

Eric Carter specifically praised her, saying, "You are a truly socially responsible woman."

“Thank you.” Claire’s sole purpose was the Clean Water Foundation, and she took it very seriously. “I’ve left Krish in Los Angeles. If you need anything, West Coast Tech can contact him.”

The bird-shaped balloons covering Ivanhoe Reservoir, which used nearly 1 million balloons, are expected to generate a total of $4 million in revenue for West Coast environmental technology.

Even after sharing profits with the Clean Water Foundation and other stakeholders, revenue still reached $2.5 million.

If given the chance, Hawke and Claire would like to cover the Great Lakes with bird balls.

Claire got out of the car in Beverly Hills.

Hawke and Erica didn't go home; they went to the Coast Building instead.

Because Musk was waiting for the two of them at the Coast Building with his men.

The convoy went directly into the underground parking lot, where a specially reserved open space was occupied by a uniquely designed Tesla parked in a brightly lit area.

Musk appeared from the side, looked at Hawke and Erica getting out of the car, patted the roof of the Tesla hard, and said, "This is a brand new concept car that integrates the latest technologies from Tesla and West Coast Technologies. It is a masterpiece of high technology."

This Tesla has sharp angles and at first glance, it looks like a scaled-down version of an armored vehicle.

Hawke strode over and deliberately asked, "Elon, can your new high-tech car fly?"

Musk's chubby face jiggled twice as he said, "It can't fly."

Hawke continued, "Has there been a breakthrough in energy power? Is it nuclear power?"

Musk's face trembled even more as he emphasized, "We're building cars, not mobile nuclear weapons!"

Hawke casually rambled on, "Lithium batteries, you know..."

“It’s very safe.” Musk quickly interrupted him: “It will absolutely not explode or catch fire.”

He opened the car door and invited Hawke to get in: "Have a feel for it."

Hawke and Erica got into the car, Musk got into the driver's seat, and started the vehicle.

Compared to the one I drove at the country club a year and a half ago, this one is so much better, both in terms of the interior and the electronic equipment it's equipped with.

The color TV, refrigerator, and large sofa that Hawke mentioned last time are all included in this concept car.

Musk specifically introduced the central control screen: "It can connect to smartphones via Bluetooth and is equipped with satellite communication capabilities, so even when driving in mountainous areas without signal, it can still communicate with the outside world through our Starlink satellites."

Hawke nodded: "That sounds great, it integrates our strengths in satellite communications."

“That’s not all,” Musk continued. “Throughout the United States, our satellites can provide navigation for vehicles even in areas without signal, allowing even the most directionally challenged person to traverse the country using satellite navigation.”

Erica asked a crucial question: "Charging is not like refueling. If you're driving an electric car across America and run out of power, isn't it inconvenient to charge it?"

Musk does not deny these shortcomings: "Tesla is working on solving these problems, and as Tesla sales increase, we are also looking into ways to build public charging stations."

Hawke asked, "How many Tesla vehicles have been sold since the company went public last year?"

Musk replied, "We only sold 1973 cars last year, but by May this year, sales had already exceeded 6000."

Hawke was well aware that such sales figures were quite good for the new electric vehicle's initial launch.

After all, it's only 2009 now.

Moreover, Tesla initially targeted the high-end market, with most buyers being high-income individuals in the technology sector.

Musk added, "Our goal this year is to achieve sales of 1.5 vehicles."

Erica said, "You can occasionally see Tesla cars on the roads of Los Angeles now."

Musk patted the steering wheel and said, "This car is yours. You can drive it daily or keep it as a souvenir. There aren't many cars like it."

Hawke did not refuse and said, "Stay."

As for driving this car, forget it. He basically doesn't drive anymore. As for simply riding in it, this kind of sports car-like electric vehicle isn't very friendly to passengers who aren't in the driver's seat.

Musk left the car keys, gave a few instructions, and got into the Tesla fleet.

There were also two container trucks among them, and he was clearly going to deliver the trucks to other places.

Erica waved the car keys at Hawke and asked, "Where is this car parked?"

Early electric vehicles didn't have advanced battery technology, and Hawke didn't want to leave it at the hilltop villa. After thinking for a moment, he said, "The commemorative value of this car far outweighs its practical value. How about we send it to the specimen villa in the Silver Lake community and put it with those souvenirs?"

Erica agreed: "Okay, let someone drive over there."

Hawke brought the key and handed it to Morientes: "Go make the trip."

Morientes drove off.

Hawke went upstairs, finished his work, and checked on the progress of the Birdball Project.

West Coast Technology has placed its second order across the Pacific, and a new batch of black spheres is being shipped to Los Angeles via ocean freighter. (End of Chapter)