Gene Unlocking: I Evolve Every Day

Chapter 211: Chapter 194: Finally Owns a Private Jet

The next day, in the morning.

Lu Li met with people from the Golden Deer Company.

The person in charge of liaising with him was Zhang Guijun, a slightly overweight man in his forties.

He also led seven or eight professionals who would accompany him today to the Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation to inspect the private jet prototype.

After a brief exchange with the other party, Lu Li took Qin Liang and Shen Xia along, following Zhang Guijun and his team to purchase tickets to the Gulfstream Aerospace Headquarters.

Well, actually, Gulfstream Aerospace also has an office in New York.

It’s just that Zhang Guijun has connections and can communicate directly with the sales president.

If an order is placed, there could be significant discounts on the price.

That’s why they went to the headquarters.

As for Zhang Guocheng, Xiaolin, and Wang Yu, they still had tasks at hand, so it was impossible for them to just run around.

On the plane.

Zhang Guijun leaned over to Lu Li and said, ”Mr. Lu, if you agree and place an order with Gulfstream Aerospace, don’t rush to arrange financing. Wait until about two months before the aircraft delivery before you approach the bank for financing.”

Lu Li was taken aback and asked in confusion, ”What financing?”

Zhang Guijun blinked, ”Buying a Gulfstream Aerospace private jet costs tens of millions of US Dollars. Don’t you plan to get a bank loan? That way, it won’t tie up your working capital.”

After some inquiry, Lu Li learned that he could finance the aircraft purchase from a bank.

Zhang Guijun explained the financing in detail.

And why financing should be done two months before aircraft delivery.

The reason for financing is very simple.

It’s simply to avoid tying up your own funds.

As for financing two months prior, it’s because once financing is arranged, the aircraft’s property rights belong to the bank, and the bank has the right to require adjustments to the aircraft configuration.

Furthermore, if you haven’t signed with a management company beforehand, the bank also has the right to appoint one, often delivering high-priced, subpar services.

After listening, Lu Li had an epiphany, then shook his head with a smile and said, ”I don’t need financing; tens of millions of US Dollars don’t faze me.”

Seeing Lu Li’s wealth, Zhang Guijun immediately started flattering him.

Finally, perhaps to win over such a ”wealthy” customer, he suggested, ”Mr. Lu, once we’ve checked the aircraft, if all goes well, we should be heading back the day after tomorrow or the day after that. Why not rest well tonight after the flight, and I’ll take everyone to enjoy a day in Las Vegas tomorrow?”

Lu Li had just recently visited Atlantic City.

The money he won was enough to buy a private jet.

He naturally had no interest in going to Las Vegas for entertainment.

Moreover, he still needed to participate in a competition the following day.

And then collaborate with Zhang Guocheng and others to complete tasks within the visa validity period.

Lu Li politely declined.

He continued to ask Zhang Guijun some questions about purchasing a private jet.

Such as what additional expenses there are.

Zhang Guocheng answered them one by one.

Lu Li learned that in addition to purchasing a private jet, there is a significant expense called import tax, which is as high as twenty-one percent.

This means that if the cost of purchasing a private jet is 75 million US Dollars, the import tax alone would be 15.75 million US Dollars.

Apart from the import tax, after purchasing a private jet, there are ongoing costs for crew, management fees, operational costs, maintenance, and so on, all of which are substantial expenses.

Lu Li didn’t take it too seriously.

Generally, buying a private jet requires waiting for a period of time.

By the time the private jet actually arrives,

it’s possible he could have more money.

Who cares about these small sums then?

...

Gulfstream Aerospace Company headquarters is located in Savannah City, Georgia.

The distance from New York to Georgia is about 925 miles.

It’s a bit closer than from Putian to Beijing, with a flight duration of about four hours.

Shen Xia, Qin Liang, and others had slept late the previous night, so they caught up on sleep on the plane today.

Lu Li, after his third deep evolution, found that just resting for a short while could restore him to his optimal state, so he didn’t rest and chatted with Zhang Guijun throughout the journey.

Upon arriving at Gulfstream Aerospace Company.

Lu Li, Qin Liang, Shen Xia, and Zhang Guijun, among others, were accompanied by Scott Neil, the Global Senior Vice President of Sales at Gulfstream Aerospace, to the manufacturing area to view the prototype.

Scott Neil, as the Global Senior Vice President of Sales at Gulfstream Aerospace, didn’t usually need to be personally present for such matters, but due to the close collaboration with the Golden Deer Company and to please a major customer, he made a special appearance.

This was a minor advantage Lu Li gained by working with the Golden Deer Company.

Shortly thereafter, the towering and very corpulent Scott Neil, in his forties, took Lu Li and the others on a tour of various models.

During this time, Lu Li was not very satisfied.

Finally, the group arrived in front of the Gulfstream G700 prototype.

Scott Neil introduced, ”This is our company’s Gulfstream G700 prototype. Mr. Lu, you can see if it meets your satisfaction. If not, the only model I have left is the G800. If you’re satisfied, we can discuss detailed aspects such as landing assistance devices, entertainment facilities, etc. The interior can be discussed now or about three months before completion for personalization, or you can hire a third-party decorator. Of course, if you have special requests, we can also accommodate them.”

Lu Li replied calmly, ”I’ll take a look first.”

”Alright.”

Scott Neil called over two staff members to accompany Lu Li and the others on board for inspection.

As they headed up to the plane,

Shen Xia marveled, ”Lu Li, are you really going to buy such a luxurious plane?”

Lu Li smiled, ”I haven’t decided yet whether to buy it or not; let’s take a look first.”

Qin Liang chimed in, ”Gulfstream Aerospace planes are known for their luxury. The G700 is currently the company’s best plane. If it doesn’t suit your taste, Mr. Lu, I don’t think there’s any need to look at the G800 either.”

Lu Li, not fully understanding, asked, ”Isn’t the G800 a later model than the G700?”

Zhang Guijun, taking over the explanation, said, ”The G800 is modified based on the G700, but the configuration isn’t as good as the G700, and it’s priced a bit lower as well. Qin’s comment is actually wise—if you aren’t impressed with the G700, there’s no need to view the G800. Then, I can contact other private jet manufacturers.”

Lu Li roughly understood what was going on.

Indeed, as Zhang Guijun and Qin Liang had stated, if he wasn’t impressed with the G700, there was no point in looking at the G800.

As he was thinking, Lu Li suddenly remembered a question.

He turned his head and said, ”What did Scott Neil mean by selecting the interiors three months before delivery?”

Zhang Guijun quickly explained, ”Normally, it takes about a year to manufacture a private jet. This time, we’re just here to look at the aircraft model and configuration. If you’re satisfied, you can place an order with Gulfstream Aerospace and pay a certain percentage as a deposit. Once they receive your money, they’ll start arranging production, such as procuring parts...”

Lu Li blinked and asked, ”Is there generally no ready stock?”

Zhang Guijun couldn’t help but laugh, ”Generally, how would there be ready stock for a private jet? Let me put it this way, if a manufacturer has ready stock for you, it’s likely that the aircraft manufacturer is facing big problems. For instance, with the Hawker from one or two years ago, let me gossip a bit, the client for the world’s last Hawker business jet was a person from Huaxia. The company went bankrupt before it was delivered, and the plane is still sitting in Vikita exposed to the elements, occasionally getting hit by hailstorms. The salesman who sold this plane quickly got Canadian citizenship and switched jobs. Do you still want ready stock?”

Lu Li and Shen Xia were dizzy from hearing this.

In contrast, Qin Liang and the others seemed somewhat familiar with the situation and didn’t appear surprised.

As they chatted, the group, including several professionals from Golden Deer Company, entered the aircraft.

Lu Li glanced around and found the interior very spacious.

Maybe it’s because this is a sample plane.

Apart from two rows of seats inside.

There weren’t any entertainment facilities like those in the pictures of wealthy people’s private jets online.

Over there, Zhang Guijun was already communicating with the staff of Gulfstream Company.

Ahead, a white female staff member from Gulfstream Aerospace was introducing the situation.

This white female staff member, around thirty years old, introduced, ”This aircraft uses the Rolls-Royce Company BR725 engine, with a thrust of up to 18,250 pounds. Its speed in flutter tests reaches 0.995 Mach. Furthermore, its maximum cruising speed is 0.925 Mach, with a range of 7,500 nautical miles at a speed of 0.85 Mach.”

7,500 nautical miles is roughly equivalent to 13,890 kilometers.

Lu Li nodded slightly as he listened.

The cruising capability is indeed impressive.

And the flight speed is slightly below the speed of sound.

The engine performance is really quite good.

The female staff member smiled at Lu Li and said, seemingly speaking to him, ”This distance means that you can fly non-stop from Chicago in the Ugly Country to Shanghai without having to land for refueling. Meanwhile, it has the largest cabin in this class of aircraft, which is very comfortable.”

Zhang Guijun nodded slightly and asked, ”What about other aspects?”

The female staff member said, ”The aircraft is fly-by-wire and also equipped with a kitchen and an independently ventilated restroom. You can come with me for a tour.”

Lu Li and the others followed along.

They first arrived at the kitchen.

Diverse kitchenware was displayed inside.

It looked very high-end and luxurious.

”What a beautiful kitchen.”

”With such a high price for a plane, how could the kitchen not be made a bit prettier?”

The group discussed in low voices as they accompanied.

Lu Li took a careful look around.

The kitchen setup was indeed nice.

Then, they visited the restroom.

The restroom was set up almost like one in a high-end hotel, with a full range of amenities like a washbasin.

After the tour, the female staff member introduced Lu Li and his company to the possibility of customizing amazing private conference rooms, independent bedrooms, and more.

Since this is a sample plane, these features aren’t present at the moment.

However, she did present a catalog for Lu Li to see the renderings of conference rooms, independent bedrooms, bathrooms, etc.

After viewing everything, Lu Li was very satisfied.

After Zhang Guijun communicated the requirements for part configuration with the other party, the group went to the meeting room to discuss the order.

In the meeting room.

They were still personally received by Scott Neil.

This time, Lu Li didn’t have to negotiate anything.

Zhang Guijun did all the discussion with Scott Neil.

Because many things had to be selected based on Civil Aviation Authority documents.

These were not something Lu Li would understand.

If he fiddled without guidance.

The plane might not even be allowed to fly once it’s delivered back.

It’s better to let professionals like Zhang Guijun discuss these matters.

Before long, the negotiation concluded.

The market price for this aircraft is between 75 million to 78 million US Dollars.

Because Golden Deer Company has collaborated with Gulfstream Aerospace many times.

Zhang Guijun helped negotiate the price down to 73.5 million US Dollars.

Saving Lu Li quite a bit of money.

Of course, there was no need to pay the full purchase amount right now.

After paying a deposit of 735,000 US Dollars, Lu Li happily signed the purchase contract with the other party.

Since the G700 has just hit the market and is in the midst of a busy production phase.

Therefore, when signing the contract, Scott Neil promised that the earliest delivery could be within three months, and at most, it wouldn’t exceed a year.

This was slightly faster than Zhang Guijun had predicted.

Initially, Lu Li feared that Gulfstream Aerospace might brush him off with a subpar plane.

But after inquiring with Zhang Guijun, he learned that Qatar Airways had already placed a big order, and Gulfstream Aerospace couldn’t deliver right away. There might be a chance to pull one from that order to deliver to him early, so he might get the plane beforehand.

Lu Li was, of course, very satisfied with this.

After signing the contract.

He couldn’t help but sigh secretly in his heart.

Finally, he would have his own private jet.

Traveling to various parts of the world would be much simpler after his private jet is delivered.

Moreover, perhaps he’d have the opportunity to pick up a couple of beautiful girls for a little excitement in the sky!