HLnovel Chapter 14 Are These People Crazy?
Chapter 14 Are These People Crazy?
Ten days later.
Sandong Bridge Photography Equipment City, Huizhou City, Guangdong Province.
This is the largest distribution center for photography equipment in eastern Guangdong. The four-story shopping mall is packed with shops selling cameras, tripods, lighting equipment and various photography accessories.
In the plaza in front of the shopping mall, a simple white tent has been set up, with a line of text printed on it in festive egg-yolk yellow lettering:
[Hongyuan Flyer F2 Work Version: A New Era of Commercial Aerial Photography - Nationwide Unified Price: 1999 RMB]
A folding table was set up in front of the tent, on which were three prototype F2 Flyer aircraft. Two young men wearing custom-made polo shirts from Hongyuan stood next to it.
There were many people coming and going in the photography equipment market, but most of them just glanced at it as they passed by and didn't stop.
"Another drone seller. There are more and more drone sellers these days."
"1999? A drone for less than two thousand yuan? Can it even fly?"
"It's probably a toy. What good stuff can you buy for two thousand dollars?"
Several middle-aged men carrying camera bags passed by, whispering amongst themselves, their tone dismissive.
Anyone in this industry knows that a drone costing two thousand yuan is basically a toy—it's unstable, has poor image quality, and short battery life, making it unsuitable for commercial filming.
This was the "market snoop" that Su Chen had anticipated.
Everyone believed that you couldn't buy a commercially viable drone for two thousand yuan. This perception was true until today—but from today onwards, it's no longer true.
At 10 a.m., the number of people in the square gradually increased.
Of the two Hongyuan employees, one, a young man surnamed Zhao, stood in front of the tent greeting passersby, while the other stood in the open space of the square, holding a remote control for a Flyer F2 working version.
At his feet, a white F2 Flyer working model sat quietly on the ground.
At 10:15, Xiao Zhao turned on his portable Bluetooth speaker, and a clear female voice came from it:
"Dear business owners, are you still spending three to five hundred yuan to rent a drone each time? The Hongyuan Flyer F2 working version, with a nationwide uniform price of 1999 yuan, allows you to buy your own commercial aerial photography drone and break even after shooting seven events!"
This sentence has offended many people.
The statement "you'll break even after seven shoots" is very concrete; for the commercial photographers and wedding studio owners present, it's a calculation they can immediately make.
A dozen or so people gathered around, but their expressions were mostly one of observation and skepticism.
"Young man, what can a drone that costs less than two thousand yuan film? Is it just a toy?" A middle-aged man in his forties asked, arms crossed, his tone clearly disdainful.
He had a professional camera bag on his back and a tripod bag at his feet; he was clearly a seasoned photographer.
"I've been a wedding photographer for over ten years, and I'd like to buy a drone, but I wouldn't dare spend two thousand yuan on something like that. Last time, a friend bought a photography drone for a little over a thousand yuan, and it exploded on its first flight, crashing directly onto the bride's bridal car and almost hitting her on the head!"
Those around him burst into knowing laughter.
"That's how drones costing two thousand yuan are; they can't even fly steadily, and the footage they shoot is shaky and unusable for clients."
"Yeah, I've done my research too. A usable one would cost at least five or six thousand. But if I spend five or six thousand on a drone and it crashes, not only would I be heartbroken, but it's also quite dangerous..."
Xiao Zhao listened to their discussion but didn't rush to defend himself.
He turned to look at his companion in the square—the operator Xiao Wu—and then nodded slightly.
Xiao Wu stood in the center of the square, holding the remote control in both hands, and gently pushed the joystick.
The four motors of the F2 drone on the ground turned simultaneously, emitting a low creaking sound, and then the drone steadily took off.
One meter, two meters, five meters, ten meters—
The drone hovered ten meters above the square, completely still.
The onlookers didn't find anything strange about it—any drone can hover in windless conditions.
Then, Xiao Wu did something that left everyone speechless.
He removed his hands from the remote control.
It wasn't that he let go; he simply hung the remote control around his neck and then raised both hands—indicating "I don't care anymore."
A gasp rippled through the square.
"He gave up?!"
"Won't the drone crash?!"
"Get out of the way! Get out of the way!"
Several people instinctively took a few steps back, the terrifying scene of "the drone crashing into the bride's car" flashing before their eyes.
But the F2 Flyer overhead—
It remained completely still.
There was no shaking, no drifting, and no descent.
It hung steadily in the air, as if it were being supported by an invisible hand.
Three seconds, five seconds, ten seconds—
Everyone held their breath.
Only then did Xiao Wu grasp the remote control again and begin to control the drone to perform various maneuvers—sudden stop, turn, dive, climb, and hover.
Every movement was clean and efficient, and every hover was as stable as a rock.
The expressions of the onlookers began to change.
The middle-aged photographer who had been clutching his arm had unconsciously lowered his hand and was now staring intently at the drone in the sky.
As a veteran wedding photographer with over ten years of experience, he knows all too well what "stable shooting" means. Stable shooting means no shaky footage; shaky footage can be delivered directly to the client; and delivering directly to the client means more money.
But it's not over yet.
Xiao Wu piloted the drone to a slow descent, stopping it in the center of the square.
Then he randomly pointed to someone in the crowd.
"Sir, have you ever flown a drone?"
The person pointed at was a man in his thirties carrying lighting equipment. He looked puzzled for a moment and then shook his head: "I can only take pictures, I can't fly drones."
"Great!" Xiao Wu handed him the remote control. "Could you help us do a test? The left joystick controls the flight direction, and the right one controls the altitude. It's that simple. Want to try it?"
"I...can I do it? What if I fall?"
"You won't crash," Xiao Wu smiled. "You can fly as much as you want; if you break anything, it's on me."
The man hesitated for two seconds, then took the remote control amidst the commotion of those around him.
He carefully pushed the right joystick.
The drone slowly and steadily ascended into the air.
He carefully moved the left joystick again.
The drone flew forward a short distance, then immediately hovered in place after he released the joystick.
"This...this is too easy to fly!" The man's eyes lit up.
He began to operate the drone boldly, making it move left and right, shuttle back and forth, rotate, and hover—he was a complete novice with zero experience, and his movements were stiff and rough, but the drone responded smoothly to his commands every time, without any signs of losing control.
The people around fell completely silent.
Then, the middle-aged photographer who was rubbing his arm was the first to speak.
"Young man, how much is this drone?"
His tone was completely different from before.