Chapter 346: a.s.sa.s.sination
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Xing Hai Technologies intended to clean up the mess and absorb the chaotic capital market.
For those nearby desert management inst.i.tutions that continued to complain, they sent all of them an application of acquisition in an attempt to directly stop their protests.
Xing Hai Technologies wasn’t a dim-witted person with too much cash to spare. For desert lands that were already developed. Xing Hai Technologies’s offer was 3000 dollars per mu. For undeveloped desert land, the acquisition price was set at 200 dollars per mu. In the eyes of the investment inst.i.tutions, these two price tags could be best described as “bottom-fis.h.i.+ng”.
Obviously, their offers were turned down!
“Are you trying to buy off beggars with that little money? The price is really too low!”
“Developed land must not be lower than 10000 per mu and undeveloped land must not be lower than 3000 per mu. Either that, or we won’t sell them to you!”
“Under the terms of our contract, our authority over the desert land lasts for 50 years. In that time, its value can be increased several times or even hundreds of times. It will be even higher than real estate speculation. Don’t think that we don’t know what you are planning to do, Xing Hai Technologies! There’s no way I’ll accept this cheap price.”
The investors’ att.i.tude was extremely firm. They were unwilling to sell their land at a marked-down price.
“Hahaha!” Xing Hai Technologies’s negotiator let out a chilling laugh. With a few remarks, he extinguished their fantasy and threw them into the abyss.
“Have you have ever heard of indoor vertical farming? It has developed very quickly over the past two years and is one of the top ten hot technologies of the future. Once electric bills drop below 25 cents per kilowatt-hour, the production cost of indoor vertical farming will have not much of a difference with that of traditional farming.”
“In indoor environments, pests are non-existent, and management will be much easier. And as the farms are close to the city, large amounts of transportation costs can be slashed. When all of these considerations are combined, a surplus is already secured.”
“Besides, after the relations.h.i.+p between the Z and M nation has improved, the Z nation can import agricultural products from the M nation in abundance. Not only will prices be cheap, but the quant.i.ty will also be astonis.h.i.+ngly large. In this way, the food deficiency issue will thus be tackled.”
“As for us transforming the deserts in the northwest and developing the agriculture industry over there, firstly, the cost of managing desert land is extremely hefty, averaging at above ten thousand dollars for each mu of land.”
“After environmental transformations are completed and the once barren deserts are flouris.h.i.+ng with fruits and vegetables, the produce can be transported to the eastern provinces two to three thousand kilometers away. Then, just how intense will compet.i.tion on prices be and how much economic value will they actually bring? We can’t really bring ourselves to give this course of action an optimistic estimate. All we know is that agriculture is always among the industries with the lowest rate of return.”
“It is similar to animal husbandry and aquaculture. Neither industries’ gross profit is high. None of these industries are profiteering industries.”
“Therefore, to say that investing huge sums of money in the northwestern deserts will bring forth several times, and even dozens of times of return, is only daydreaming. Sand is still just sand: it cannot be turned into gold. It is impossible for us to gain a fortune from it all in an instant.”
“Of course, you are spreading rumors on the media saying that Xing Hai Technologies intends to move to the desert, s.h.i.+fting all our research centers, production bases, headquarters, everything, into the desert, then engage in real estate within and make money via speculation. I have to say that your imaginations are indeed brilliant.”
“Try asking the youngsters on the street if they are interested in migrating to the northwestern deserts? Or try asking your brains! Are you willing to move to a remote area in the northwest?”
“Xing Hai Technologies is committed to protecting the ecological environment, but we are constantly being smeared and misunderstood by so many people and even slandered by some lowly thinkers. People are not even thinking about the feasibility of our endeavors.”
“You even said that we will be dealing in real estate in the desert? Let’s imagine if Xing Hai Technologies really did so. A house of ten thousand dollars per square meter. Would the others buy it? Would you buy it?”
“You actually judged n.o.ble people such as us with your despicable minds. You invested in the desert along with Xing Hai Technologies and now your wallets are all burnt just three years in. How will you live for the next, five, ten, and twenty years? It will be another 30 years before you can achieve a balance of payments or make a little profit. How will you survive through these few decades?”
“Would the investors that bankrolled your services like to cash out? Could they wait so long?”
“Better stop their wallets from bleeding now! Desert management is really not suitable for capital investments. 10 years, 20 years, 30 years, I’m afraid that only companies like Xing Hai Technologies, whose heart in concerned with the future of humanity can remain committed to this. So, why are you sticking your heads into this?”
“I advise all of you to accept Xing Hai Technologies’s quote before it’s too late. In a few years, our offer will be much lower! Your clients will lose the least amount of money if you pull out now,” Xing Hai Technologies’s negotiator said earnestly, putting forward several harsh facts for the capitalists.
Their minds were disrupted at once.
Flawless.
There were no flaws in his a.n.a.lysis.
There were no benefits of engaging in agriculture in the northwestern deserts. Its location was far, and transportation was inconvenient.
Dealing in real estate? Which dumdum would be willing to live in such remote areas? They won’t even settle with 3000 dollars per square meter. Besides, how would the desert be better than the teeming cities in the eastern region?
Rather than investing their money in the desert, those capitalists should just continue speculating in the land of cities in the eastern region or get into indoor vertical farming. Lingering around the northwestern deserts would be completely worthless. The longer they stayed, the more they would lose.
Forget it: it was better to withdraw now. We’ll let Xing Hai Technologies make a meal off us this time around.
After a.n.a.lyzing the trade-offs, some slightly smarter capitalists decided to transfer the rights of their contracted desert land to Xing Hai Technologies at a cheap price.
Two months later, the area of desert land held by Xing Hai Technologies had increased from more than 50000 square kilometers to 300000 square kilometers. They held more than 30% of the country’s desert areas.
The remaining 70% of the investment inst.i.tutions were still holding on and still refusing to accept Xing Hai Technologies’s quoted price. Just like gambling, they wanted to continue increasing their wagers.
Chen Jin made it clear that he welcomed all resistance. He was even hoping that they would hold out longer so that Xing Hai Technologies could save more money in the future.
If there were really people that persisted till the end, Chen Jin could only give them a round of applause and a big thumbs up, because they would be deemed as true visionaries and truly amazing people.
But in short, Xing Hai Technologies would become the “King of the Desert” in the future.
However, on a day in September 20X7, something unantic.i.p.ated happened and left the world in shock.
President Lanfelord from the M nation was a.s.sa.s.sinated!
During his visit to a city in the south, he was attacked by a powerful bomb. The bullet-proof car he was in flipped 360 degrees in the air, slammed heavily down on the ground and rolled another three and a half times. Then it slid down a steep hill for more than 30 meters.
Lanfelord was severely injured and was quickly sent to the best hospital.
The forums were in chaos as countless netizens expressed their anger. Who was it? Who wanted to kill off President Lanfelord, who had led M nation to economic recovery and had more than 70% of public support? Why would they do this? Hasn’t he done well enough?
“Oh Lord, please protect President Lanfelord and save his life.”
“We must hunt down the murderer!”
“They are not allowed to kill my most beloved president!”
…
At a mysterious corner, a few voices of hatred were being vented.
“He has already escaped 13 a.s.sa.s.sination attempts. He cannot survive this time!”
“Military funding has been slashed by half. We only have 30% of our previous weapon orders. Tell me, how could we even survive?”
“The most important thing is that we have lost our hegemony. That b*stard! He wiped out all of our former glory! He deserves to die!”
“We shall forever be rulers of this planet! We must govern this whole world! We cannot be lambs cowering at home; we should be lions that rule over the jungle! If we lose our crown, we would rather go to h.e.l.l!”
…
On this day, Chen Jin received a stranger’s call.
It was from Malton Raphael.
“Mr. Chen, President Lanfelord has stopped breathing. He… he’s gone,” said Malton in a mournful tone.
“Uhm… what this has to do with me?” Chen Jin was baffled.
“The President is currently in Xing Hai Hospital. We believed in your medical technology. But now, he’s lying dead in your hospital…”
Xing Hai Technologies still didn’t have a good reputation in the M nation. There were still countless examples of media outlets criticizing Xing Hai Technologies every day. With Lanfelord’s pa.s.sing, Xing Hai Technologies would definitely be in some trouble.
Just then, an idea emerged in Chen Jin’s mind.