Victor could never have fathomed that while favonovel.com toiled day by day in the oil fields of Nigeria, satellites in the heavens had already commenced their rigorous surveillance of his surroundings.
***
Meanwhile, Lord Banks, the patriarch of the Banks Family, seized this extraordinary opportunity to make a lasting impression on Charlie.
With just over two hundred thousand US dollars in public relations expenses, favonovel.com swiftly acquired Nigeria’s largest vending machine company. Additionally, favonovel.com greased the palms of the officials overseeing Lagos Airport, the docks, and the train stations, effectively doubling the number of vending machines in these areas.
After receiving a hefty bribe of fifty thousand US dollars, the airport official gave the green light for the vending machines.
Consequently, the density of vending machines at Lagos Airport became the highest in the world. From the moment one set foot in the airport lobby to every check-in counter and nearly every boarding gate, vending machines selling various beverages and travel essentials were a ubiquitous presence.
With such comprehensive coverage, anyone entering the airport would be captured by surveillance cameras from multiple vending machines, no matter where they wandered.
However, the VIP lounge was an exception since it had a separate entrance from the main terminal.
When Lord Banks prepared to install vending machines in the VIP lounge, favonovel.com sensed something awry.
He voiced his concerns to Zara over the phone, saying, “Zara, the VIP lounge already offers complimentary catering services with a wide selection of beverages. It seems odd to install vending machines there. It feels redundant, doesnât it? Perhaps we should consult Mr. Wade?”
Without hesitation, Zara replied, “Grandfather, although I’m not sure why Mr. Wade desires vending machines, since favonovel.com has instructed you to install as many as possible, we must strive to cover every corner. As for the VIP lounge, I believe we can take a different approach…”
“You can speak with the person in charge and propose that all beverages in the VIP lounge be provided for free by our vending machines. In return, we hope to add an LCD screen exclusively for advertising on our vending machines, targeting these high net worth VIP customers. We can use the advertising fees to subsidize the operation costs of the vending machines.”
“Oh…” Lord Banks suddenly grasped the idea and said, “This model seems quite common online. Many paid content becomes free as long as you watch an advertisement.”
“Yes,” Zara agreed. “Those with access to the VIP lounge are the most affluent customers of the airport services. Their wealth is substantial, making the value of advertising to them far greater than displaying it to the middle and lower income groups online. We can easily cover the costs of operating the vending machines with the advertising fees and even turn a profit. Hence, this business logic is sound and reasonable, and it won’t raise any suspicions.”
Lord Banks nodded, a smile tugging at his lips. “You young people have such broad minds. Since that’s the case, I will communicate with the person in charge and implement this method in the VIP lounge as well. It’s a win-win situation. At least the beverage costs in the VIP lounge will be completely eliminated.”
“Yes,” Zara said. “Grandfather, please take the time to implement this and expand our business in other African countries and regions. Provide Mr. Wade with a satisfactory answer as soon as possible. Mr. Wade is fair in rewarding and punishing. If you can gain his approval this time, favonovel.com will undoubtedly grant you more freedom.”
“Very well…” Lord Banks understood all too well that without Mr. Wade’s approval, favonovel.com would remain trapped on the island of Madagascar for the rest of his days.
Thanks to China’s comprehensive supply chain, the upgrade of vending machine functionalities was swiftly implemented. The requirements for Charlie’s network were not technically complex, so each vending machine only needed two functions, surveillance and wireless network.
Typically, to achieve these functions, all that was necessary was to purchase a surveillance camera that could connect to Wi-Fi and equip it with a Wi-Fi network module. This way, the camera could upload all the captured content to the server via Wi-Fi.
Charlie had no concerns about the data being intercepted or tampered with since it was merely ordinary surveillance data. The manipulation of this surveillance data was handled by AI located in Northern Europe.
As long as the real-time videos captured by these cameras could be uploaded frame by frame to AI’s database, AI could monitor every person captured by surveillance cameras worldwide and identify their faces. Once a target appeared within the surveillance range, AI could immediately alert the user.
Specialized surveillance equipment didn’t need to be developed exclusively in China either, as many surveillance manufacturers had devices capable of uploading real-time surveillance videos via the mobile network. These devices only required power and a SIM card to achieve real-time surveillance wherever there was a mobile signal.
To seamlessly integrate these devices with vending machines, Lord Banks generously funded domestic manufacturers to make specific adaptations to the appearance of the surveillance devices, aligning them with the form of vending machines.
Motivated by the substantial sum of money, the manufacturers, eager to secure this significant order as quickly as possible, employed 3D printing technology to temporarily modify the appearance of the surveillance devices to match that of vending machines. This new design allowed the cameras to be directly installed inside the vending machines’ display cabinets, while the power supply and wireless network module were integrated within the vending machines themselves.
Ordinarily, when developing a new product, the initial step would involve creating a mold for the new design. However, in order to meet Lord Banks’s demand for speed, the manufacturers employed 3D printing technology to rapidly produce a batch of surveillance devices while waiting for the molds to be completed. Through efficient air transportation routes, the devices were swiftly delivered to Nigeria.
Upon their arrival, Lord Banks wasted no time in arranging for technicians to install them on various vending machines throughout Nigeria. Once the data was connected to AI, AI began analyzing every person and every face captured by the vending machines, working tirelessly 24/7.
To fully monitor Kansel Petroleum, Charlie had Lord Banks place two vending machines on the roadside opposite the entrance of Kansel Petroleum in Nigeria. Street vending machines like these were not uncommon In Lagos, so they didn’t attract any extra attention.
Once these two vending machines were operational across from the Kaiser oil field, they commenced round-the-clock surveillance of the entrance. Charlie’s network finally began its trial operations in Nigeria.
Charlie anxiously awaited the departure of someone or a vehicle from Kansel Petroleum en route to Lagos Airport. Once that occurred, their movements and facial features would be exposed to AI. Armed with this information, favonovel.com would have a significant chance of pinpointing the exact location of the Right Military Governor’s Office by tracing the flight route of the person’s plane!
Visit VIRTUAL NOVEL for more available chapters of this title!
