Chapter 518: Seize the Opportunity
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
“There’s more we can discuss concerning the power plants, it just depends on how sincere your party is going to be.”
Chen Chen replied without a second thought, “The CUERB Project is the combined effort of Blackwatch and the four major continents to define the new era. So far, we’ve certainly met our goal of commercialized power generation, but you’ll still have to pay the appropriate price for it.”
“We give you money and you sell us the electricity, isn’t that enough already?”
Zurama was astonished to hear this. After all, this should be no different from how it was eight years ago when Chen Chen operated in Namibia.
“Of course not, it seems like Mr. President Zurama and the Congress still haven’t fully understood the situation...”
Chen Chen stretched his arms out with his hands balled into a fist. He raised one finger and remarked with a gentle smirk, “First, nuclear fusion is a new stem of technology which power generation efficiency is nowhere near the same as that of traditional thermal power stations and nuclear fission power stations. If we rate the efficiency of a traditional thermal power plant at 1 and the efficiency of a nuclear fission power plant at 2, then the efficiency of a nuclear fusion power plant would measure up to 100! Furthermore, the nuclear fusion power plants generate energy at a higher efficiency while taking up less real estate.
Chen Chen raised a second finger. “Second, the new reactors will subst.i.tute the use of traditional uranium fuel and use deuterium to trigger a thermonuclear reaction with helium-3. This reaction will only generate non-radiated protons and therefore, will not result in any volume of radiation. This is a completely clean energy source that doesn’t cause any harm to the environment.”
Chen Chen went on to his third point with his third finger raised. “Third, the thermonuclear reaction takes place in an ultra-high pressure and ultra-high vacuum environment. This means that any chemical malfunction will cause the reaction to be terminated in a window of fewer than 0.01 seconds. The safety level of the nuclear fusion power plants greatly surpa.s.ses that of nuclear fission and traditional thermal power plants due to this risk control factor!
“Fourth, extraction of helium-3 is extremely costly since the resource cannot be found on Earth and can only be obtained from the moon. As it is, only Blackwatch and the four major continents are capable of providing this resource. Even if Blackwatch intends to sell it at a discounted price, the four major continents wouldn’t agree to such an agreement.
“Fifth, one of the primary goals of the four major continents over the next decade is to upgrade their power generation infrastructure. All traditional firepower and nuclear fission power plants will be obsolete within ten years, so what does this signify? This means that it’s highly unlikely for any other continents or countries to be included in the first round of restructuring. It’d take at least a decade from now until it’s their turn...”
With all these points provided, Chen Chen had all five fingers out. “To sum it all up, the nuclear fusion power generation is a generation-defining technology and will be immensely valuable over the next decade. Any country that can obtain it in advance will be gaining a decade’s headstart on any other countries. This is why you’ll have to pay more if you want Namibia to obtain this technology, otherwise, the other major continents will not be pleased with Blackwatch for offering such an a.s.set.”
Zurama was silenced by this string of explanations from Chen Chen.
“There’s no need for you to do this.”
Noting Zurama’s silence, Chen Chen suddenly revealed a mischievous smirk. “Namibia is spa.r.s.ely populated and there’s not much demand for electricity. It’s no big deal even if you wait for a decade. You’ll also have the alternative of buying electricity from your neighbors since by that point, electricity will become the least valuable thing in the world... ”
“Least valuable?”
Zurama was appalled to hear this. He looked at Chen Chen with strange delight. “Is that true?”
“Of course.”
Chen Chen suddenly got up and paced around the office, then he took a deep breath and said, “Mr. President, let me picture this for you. I’m sure you know of wireless charging technology?”
After Zurama responded with a quick nod, Chen Chen went on. “Wireless charging technology has been discovered as early as the end of the nineteenth century. Its original inventor was the famous physicist Nikola Tesla. In simple terms, this technology is an amplified version of electromagnetic wave communication. The downside is that a significant chunk of energy dissipates in the form of electromagnetic waves during the process.
“However, once we’ve achieved standardized nuclear fusion power, this energy dissipation becomes irrelevant. Once nuclear fusion power stations are fully implemented, we can begin incorporating large-scale wireless charging technology. This can even be used to power an entire city for free...”
Chen Chen took another deep breath and held his arms out to present the grand idea. “Can you imagine that? In the near future, society will only be using devices with wireless charging technology. Mobile phones no longer need to be charged, cars no longer need to be refueled, even aircraft... All vehicles are powered by an ever-present source of electricity.”
“The streets will be lined with holographic 3D neon lights, the sky is an open canvas for us to fill with beautiful holographic visuals. Everything is driven by electricity which is present everywhere, just like air!
“And the important thing to note is that everything is driven by clean electricity. There are no more fossil fuels used as energy sources, so no more pollution and carbon emissions. The natural environment will be restored to the state it was in before the industrial revolution...”
Zurama did his best to conceal his sour smile upon hearing all this. If everything Chen Chen claimed was true, then it was all the more reason to not wait for a decade but to obtain nuclear fusion power as soon as possible. The earlier this technology could be complicated, the earlier the country could usher in the new era and obtain an unprecedented opportunity for further developments.
Zurama quickly realized that this was Chen Chen’s roundabout approach at tempting him. This was Chen Chen’s approach of taking a step back to move forward. However, this realization did not change the fact that the advantages stated were truly unbelievable and he would be a fool to refuse this offer.
With this in mind, Zurama finally let out a drawn-out sigh. He had made up his mind and raised his head. “Chen Chen, I understand that you mean well, but I’ve already made up my mind to make Namibia an electrical empire before any of the others. Tell me, what do I have to pay to attain all this?”
Chen Chen kept up the act and pretended to be disheartened by this insistence. “Mr. President, since you’ve made up your mind then I suppose I’ll lay my offer outright. The three-year tax exemption period has pa.s.sed and the five-year halved-tax period is nearly over as well. I believe this is as good a time as any to propose an extension of the tax exemption period.”
“Several years?”
Zurama asked in a low voice.
“Why don’t we make it a permanent agreement.”
Chen Chen answered without a pause and cracked a smile, “I believe this is a reasonable offer?”
“You...”
Zurama’s mouth was agape. His first thought was to lash out in anger, but his rational mind quickly held himself back from doing that. He remained planted to his chair while he gritted his teeth and mentioned, “Don’t you think this offer is too unreasonable?”
“Unreasonable?”
Chen Chen shrugged and remarked indifferently, “No, I don’t think it’s unreasonable at all. After all, I’m sure you can see how this can make Namibia the country with the highest per capita income.”
“But the Congress will not agree with this...”
Zurama was still reluctant to accept these terms. He appeared deeply troubled by this. “It wouldn’t change a thing even if you have influence over the majority of the Congress... My reputation will be driven to the ground!”
“No, they’ll agree with these terms as well.”
Chen Chen smiled. “President Zurama, set your sights. Do you think all Namibia is capable of is becoming the most developed country in Africa? Have you ever thought about what you can achieve with this decade headstart? How far can Namibia go? Have you ever imagined a day where Namibia becomes the most powerful country only below the four major continents? If you want to develop your country, you must pay a price.”
Zurama felt an inexplicable shudder all over when he heard this bold proclamation from Chen Chen. His eyes were filled with astonishment as he looked at Chen Chen.
“Is it... Possible?”
“I’ve never guaranteed anything.”
Seeing this, Chen Chen shook his head and put away his smile as he noted blankly, “Blackwatch isn’t interested in politics. You’ll have to answer that question yourself.
“All I’m doing is giving you an opportunity to strengthen your country.”
Zurama fell silent again upon hearing this.
Half an hour later, Zurama left Chen Chen’s office just as he came. He exited the Blacklight building without anyone noticing.
After watching him leave, Chen Chen sat back in his chair. There were several layers underneath the smile on his face.
“Sir G.o.dfather, is this necessary?”
Little X asked curiously, “We already have finalized an agreement to lower the tax in Namibia as much as possible since a long time ago. Besides, money has lost most of its importance to us at this point, we should be focusing more on technology and a.s.sets now.”
Chen Chen turned around in his chair to face Little X. “We’ve already squeezed most of whatever resource we could get out of Namibia, this is the only thing left for us to take.
“I already had plans to implement nuclear fusion power plants in Namibia, this tax exemption was just an excuse. After all, the stronger Namibia is, the more beneficial it is to the development of Blacklight Biotechnology, isn’t it?”
“Oh!”
Little X chuckled widely. “I see, we’d be fools to not take advantage of this opportunity, I understand now!”
Chen Chen nodded faintly. He then got up from his seat and approached the windows. “That’s who it is. Namibia is going to get nuclear fusion power plants sooner or later anyway, but why not strike a better deal out of it?”
Chen Chen looked outside the window and gazed at Eco Science City which cityscape spanned into the horizon. “I’ve already planned this out. Eco Science City will be the world’s first super city with unlimited power. At the same time, we’ll formulate a set of rules that fully benefits us. Only by doing this can we attain better opportunities in the future!
“After all, the person who makes the rules will be the one who comes out on top.
“X, make the preparations and tell the electronic technology research department to get ready to start a new project. We want to build the world’s first driverless car that can receive wireless charge with minimal energy dissipation. Once the city with unlimited power becomes a reality, there’ll be plenty more succeeding technology to complement it, therefore, we have to apply for the patent for the new electromagnetic induction technology, do you understand?”
“Understood.”
Little X nodded and answered with an eager smile, “This is the exact thing I’ve prepared the electronic technology research department for all this time.”
...
A few hours later, Eco Science City had issued a new policy.
The policy was issued in several media which included email, website announcement, and application push notification to all residents in the city as well as those visiting.
“Announcement: Honored ladies and gentlemen, this is the Eco Science City Committee. After more than a month of research and discussion involving the city committee and officials as well as the executive of Blacklight Biotechnology, we’d like to announce that over the next few years, Eco Science City will be implementing major restructuring to usher in the new era. We apologize for any inconvenience caused to your daily activities over this period. If you have any questions, please send a text to x.x.xXX to inquire or log in to the official website of Blacklight Biotechnology or you can call us at...”
This announcement piqued the interest of many people and once again spurred discussions online. They theorized on what sort of major restructuring the Eco Science City also dubbed as the Pearl of Africa would be undergoing that would take several years.
Many scientists, professors, and experts all over the world immediately logged on to Blacklight Biotechnology’s official forum and began posting the theories that they had.
As the discussions gained traction, some of them eventually produced well-formulated speculations...
Heart-rending: [Eco Science City can be said to be the world’s most technologically advanced cities while also being one of the youngest cities. The city has only been established six years and has grown its population from an initial ten thousand to more than a million at this point. It’s nothing short of a modern miracle. The reason why such a city can reach this height is inseparable from it leading the world in overall technology and the biomedicine sector. Therefore, I don’t think it’s bold to a.s.sume that Eco Science City will continue to improve and maintain this trajectory that we’ve seen so far...]
Attack’: [I’m willing to bet that all of this has something to do with the recently completed CUERB Project. Why else would Blacklight Biotechnology make such a major announcement in Eco Science City right after the CUERB Project completion?]
Burlk_heart: [Does this even need to be said, anyone would have seen this coming!]
Memorial: [So you’re saying that this restructuring must’ve something to do with nuclear fusion power? However, there’s still a little doubt in my mind because even if they were to implement nuclear fusion technology. Isn’t the usual approach to build a nuclear fusion power station in the outskirts? Why should it involve the inner sectors of the city?]
Zonk: [You’re too short-sighted. First of all, you have to understand what the nuclear fusion power station represents. If you can understand all of this, you’ll understand why Eco Science City is undergoing a major transformation...]
Memorial: [What are you trying to say? Don’t lead us on.]
The people involved in scientific communities in Earth Federation started to weigh more interest in these recent developments. The new statement issued by Blacklight Biotechnology over the next few days on their website further cemented their many speculations. The announcement was that Blacklight Biotechnology would be stepping into the field of transportation and electromagnetics and create its very own electrical vehicles.
News of this announcement had the world in an uproar.