Coming out from Jerry's place, the two of them couldn't help but breathe a long sigh of relief.
Tyler pulled out a cigarette and handed it to Nick, then lit one for himself, took a deep drag, and said, "That guy is up to no good. We need to be careful and not let him screw us over."
"I noticed," Nick said with a smile as he lit his cigarette.
"I could tell from the shift in his attitude. It's just that he's with the organizers, so it's not good for us to offend him directly."
"What do we do now? We didn't agree just now; will he try to trip us up?" Tyler asked with a worried face.
Nick shook his head and said, "Probably not. At best, this guy is a broker who just wants to make some profit through us. If he pisses us off, his little scheme will fall through. After all, he's worked here for several years; he wouldn't be that stupid."
"I was wondering why that guy was so enthusiastic toward us. Turns out he was just trying to suck up," Tyler said, curling his lip in disdain.
"Alright, it's not worth getting worked up over someone like him. The fact that he's so enthusiastic shows that our technological achievement is actually quite good. You can rest easy now," Nick said, flicking his cigarette ash.
Jerry had worked here for so long that he had naturally seen many technical projects and achievements on display. For him to receive them so enthusiastically, it seemed their technology was indeed impressive.
Having figured this out, Tyler's face naturally lit up with joy. For this guy, the technology itself wasn't important; what mattered was whether it could make money.
This fellow had been worried the whole way, but now that there was finally a glimmer of hope, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Let's go. The venues won't be assigned until tomorrow. Let's look around first and get a feel for the situation," Nick said, looking at the exhibition halls not far away.
"Okay," Tyler replied, and the two of them headed into the exhibition halls.
The two of them wandered around for a bit but didn't really gain much. The booths in Halls A and B were already being set up, while Halls C and D, reserved for students, were still closed. They would have to wait for the list to come out tomorrow before they could enter.
So there were actually very few people here today—not even as many as the advertising company salesmen waiting there to hand out flyers.
Every exhibition was an opportunity for advertising companies, so over time, many such companies had gathered in the vicinity.
Exhibitors wanting to set up their booths would inevitably need these companies. Consequently, competition in this industry was fierce. By the time Nick and Tyler finished their walk, they had been pestered by enthusiastic salesmen over a dozen times and held a thick stack of flyers.
However, once they came out, they threw all those things to an old lady waiting nearby to collect scrap.
Seeing the smile spreading across the old lady's wrinkled face, Nick and Tyler both agreed that she must be having a very profitable few days.
Back at the hotel, Zack and Terry were checking the drones. Seeing them return, Zack handed them each a bottle of water and asked, "How is it? Is the venue confirmed?"
Tyler took the water and shook his head. "The venue assignments won't be out until tomorrow morning, but based on our current situation, we should be able to get into Hall C."
"Hall C?" Zack and Terry asked, somewhat confused.
Tyler nodded. "Barney and I looked into it. There are four halls in total for this exhibition. Hall A is for the Comprehensive Achievement Exhibition, featuring research results from domestic research institutes and other units."
"Hall B is the Commercial Hall, where large tech companies exhibit, mainly showcasing their key new products."
"Only Halls C and D are for entrepreneurship and innovation teams like us, consisting of university students and young people. In comparison, Hall C is definitely better because it's aimed at innovation and research teams from key universities."
"So that means our technology is actually being taken quite seriously," Zack said with a smile.
Hearing Zack's words, Tyler said grumpily, "Oh, it was taken seriously alright—so seriously they almost'serious-ed' us out of existence."
"Huh?" Zack and Terry both looked puzzled.
Nick smiled and waved his hand. "Don't listen to his nonsense; it's nothing."
Seeing him say that, the two stopped asking. Terry picked up a drone and said to Nick, "Boss, we've screened the drones and equipment again. There are basically no issues, and we can test them anytime."
"No rush on that. Let's wait until the venue is assigned tomorrow."
Nick shook his head and asked, "Have you guys eaten?"
"Not yet, we were waiting for you," Zack laughed.
Nick waved his hand. "Let's go see what good food Miami has to offer. I only had a peanuts on the plane; I've been hungry for a while."
"Me too. The food was so expensive and there was so little of it; I didn't get full at all," Terry added.
"Do you think any of us got full with that tiny portion?" Zack retorted, then said to the group, "I heard the seafood around here is good. How about we go try it?"
To this, Tyler smiled and said, "I also heard the girls here are nice. How about I treat you to experience that too?"
"Uh, well, that's not out of the question," Zack muttered, shrinking his neck.
"Get lost!"
..."Even though I don't have high demands, we don't have to settle for just a happy meal, do we? At least get a few side dishes," Zack said somewhat resentfully as Tyler led them into a street-side shop.
"Don't be ungrateful. I brought you here to eat the most famous fish in town. I searched on my phone for a long time to find this old shop," Tyler said grumpily.
"What kind of noodles are fish? Are they good?" Terry asked curiously.
"There's many types of fishes here man! You'll know once you taste them. For a dish to make a name for itself here near the coastline where fish is the staple, the taste shouldn't be bad," Nick said, looking around the shop's environment with a smile.
"Haha, you've got a good eye brochacho!" Tyler praised, then walked to the counter to order.
Not long after everyone sat down, several cold dishes and four different types of fish were served, followed by a wave of fragrance.
The cold dishes weren't anything special, but the fish caught everyone's attention.
The rich, savory broth brought out the sweetness of fresh Florida snapper, the char on tender mahi-mahi, the delicate flakes of grouper, and the vibrant mix of peppers and herbs, all served over soft, silky rice—instantly awakening their appetites.
"What are we waiting for? Let's eat!" Saying this, Nick was the first to pick up his fork and start eating.
"Okay!"
"Whoa, the meat is tender."
"It's my first time eating grouper. It's really good, not fishy at all."
"Burp!" Terry let out a burp, then pushed his empty bowl to the center and raised his hand, shouting, "Ma'am, another one for me!"
"Holy crap, you ate that fast!" Zack exclaimed while slurping his noodles.
"What a waste, what a waste. One bowl is ten bucks; if I'd known, I would've taken you guys for some good ol' KFC," Tyler muttered, feeling the sting in his wallet. But seeing his own empty bowl, he hesitated for a moment before slowly raising his chubby hand.
"Boss, another bowl."
"Me too, another bowl," Zack quickly put down his fork and raised his hand.
After speaking, the three of them couldn't help but look at Nick. Feeling their eager gazes while still eating, several dark lines appeared on Nick's forehead.
But seeing his bowl was almost empty and feeling he still had room in his stomach, he also raised his hand.
"Add one more!"
"¡Esperen, amigos! You got big appetites!" the vendor was ecstatic.