Chapter 43: Chapter: 43
"Mark, your performance at the previous press conference was excellent!" As soon as Mark entered the room, Coulson, who had been waiting in the dressing room, stood up from his seat to greet him.
Mark had a clear understanding of the purpose of Coulson's visit and remained calm. After a polite handshake, he went straight to the point, "Thank you for your praise, Agent Coulson. We have met several times before, and we have already reached a preliminary agreement for collaboration. The only thing left is to finalize the pricing. So let's skip the formalities and get straight to the matter."
Seeing Mark being direct, Coulson didn't beat around the bush either. He also wanted to complete the task quickly and report to his own director. "Mark, let's start discussing the details item by item, beginning with the foundational material, graphene, which can be considered a versatile material. Our S.H.I.E.L.D. research center has provided an evaluation report on the graphene you discovered. The report shows its unimaginable value in military applications.
The Mark Research Center is currently the only company in the world with mature and cost-effective large-scale graphene extraction technology. Considering the practicality of graphene in various fields such as military, medical, and energy, S.H.I.E.L.D. is willing to accept your proposed price of $8 million per ton. However, the condition is to sign a priority supply agreement. When multiple parties place orders with the Mark Research Center simultaneously, our agency's order requirements should be prioritized."
"On this matter, my bottom line is to prioritize fulfilling 70% of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s needs, while the remaining 30% will be prioritized for supply after the supply-demand balance is restored," Mark replied. He didn't immediately accept the condition despite S.H.I.E.L.D. agreeing to his price. Considering the future needs of his own company, Stark Industries, if he agreed to this condition, Stark Industries would be at a disadvantage during times of tight supply and urgent need for graphene.
"Okay, I'll include that in the contract," Coulson nodded and made the necessary modifications to the contract on his laptop. It seemed they also took into account that Mark would want some leeway for his own industry, and the 70% share didn't exceed their expected bottom line.
"The second item is the artifact suit you previously showcased to us, including the incredible suit that grants extraordinary abilities to an ordinary person, the tracking glasses that display maps and work in conjunction with trackers and bugs, the voice-changing tie that allows for versatile vocal modulation, the agent badge for constant communication, the non-lethal portable weapon, the tranquilizer dart watch, the versatile and expandable utility belt, and the enhanced footwear that boosts agent agility.
These equipment items can indeed provide significant assistance to our S.H.I.E.L.D. agents in their work while reducing the risk of casualties. However, the price of $800,000 per set makes it impossible for us to equip every agent with this gear.
Therefore, I hope your company can make a slight concession on the price of the artifact suit. After all, it concerns the life safety of an agent responsible for maintaining social stability, and S.H.I.E.L.D.'s annual budget is limited."
Upon hearing Coulson's request, Mark hesitated and felt conflicted. His hesitation was not due to the decrease in profit resulting from lowering the price. After all, he was well aware of the true cost of the artifact suit. Even if he gave S.H.I.E.L.D. a 90% discount, he would still make a profit.
The issue was that the agents in S.H.I.E.L.D. were not only the heroes who maintained social stability, but also soldiers of HYDRA, lurking in the shadows and constantly plotting to subvert the world. Although Mark was confident that his encryption technology could prevent HYDRA from infiltrating, he was reluctant to give them such a huge advantage behind the backs of the real heroes.
As Mark frowned and contemplated in front of him, Coulson began to feel nervous. Could it be that the cost of the artifact suit was really high, leading Mark to consider it so seriously?
Unaware of the truth, Coulson could only endure the agony of waiting while maintaining a patient appearance.
Suddenly, Mark slapped his forehead and a cunning smile appeared on his face, indicating that he had come up with a brilliant idea.
"Coulson, I think you make a good point. We can't let the heroes shed blood and tears. Regarding the price, I can offer you a 50% discount. Moreover, the procurement can be split according to your needs, and it doesn't have to be a complete set. Additionally, I can provide each S.H.I.E.L.D. agent with a free agent badge modeled after the S.H.I.E.L.D. logo."
"Mr. Stark, you're truly noble! I admire you!" Coulson expressed his gratitude and even knelt on one knee, saluting Mark with clasped fists. However, the scene Mark had imagined didn't actually happen. Coulson just nodded excitedly and quickly began typing on the keyboard, adding the conditions given by Mark to the contract, as if afraid that Mark would change his mind if things were delayed.
"Huh, you folks really don't know about formalities," Mark silently complained in his mind, without showing any self-awareness.
"Well, Mark, now we have only one item left on the list, the military-grade health assistant. It can handle various injuries, perform complex surgeries, adapt to all terrains, and has offensive capabilities. To be honest, this series has captivated not only us but also the military, CIA, and FBI. They have urgently requested special funds to purchase this product. So, if you can guarantee the priority completion of S.H.I.E.L.D. 's order, we can agree to a price of $18.6 million."
"Deal!" This time, Mark didn't refuse the request. After all, the inflatable robot was not like graphene, a basic material. Moreover, the other party had already made concessions in terms of price, so there was no reason to continue haggling in this regard.
With the terms settled, Coulson immediately took out a portable briefcase printer and printed three copies of the prepared contract. One copy would be kept by Mark's company, one by S.H.I.E.L.D., and the final copy would be submitted to the World Security Council, the superior organization of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Mark quickly scanned through the contract and had his secretary fax it to the company's legal department for verification. Once it was confirmed that there were no issues, he signed the contract.
Satisfied, Coulson put away the contract. "I'll take the contract back to the director for confirmation and signature, and then I'll return your copy."
"No problem," Mark agreed. "Now that everything is settled, I'll take my leave. Tony is still waiting for me."
As Mark stood up to leave, Coulson quickly called out, "Wait, besides finalizing this procurement contract, there's another task the director assigned me to complete today..."
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