I Found A Planet

Chapter 328: The Dumbest Investment in History?

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

“What conditions?” Chen Jin asked immediately.

“Minister Shen said that, of Z nation’s eight grand deserts, the only desert that spans more than 50 thousand square kilometers is the Taklimakan Desert. The other seven deserts are all below 50 thousand square kilometers. Hence, the only one they could grant for Xing Hai Technologies to develop and would fulfill our appetite is the Taklimakan Desert.”

“Uhm, fine, we’ll settle with that desert.”

“Mr. Chen, the Taklimakan Desert is the most remote and has the worst natural conditions. The annual rainfall over there is only a few dozen millimeters. It is the most difficult and most expensive desert to develop!”

“You don’t have to worry about the cost, it’ll be fine as long as you can get the land.”

“Land belongs to the state. It can only be rented and not purchased. We can only rent at most 50 years and besides, rentals are not cheap either. 50 thousand square kilometers of desert land for 50 years would require us 100 billion dollars... This is literally robbery in broad daylight! Who’d be willing to use 100 billion dollars to rent this type of land?”

100 billion. 50 years?

Chen Jin frowned. The price was too high. The duration was also too short.

“With only 50 years, our lease period may expire when we’ve just completed transforming the desert. The land’s ownership will once again be returned to the country. By that time, the authority to decide whether to rise rentals or not to rent will in the hands of the officials in entirety. Xing Hai Technologies will be like a lamb waiting to be slaughtered. They can cut our flesh however they want!”

All their hard work might become the other’s wedding dress.

“Old Ling, go back to that Minister Shen and tell him what I think. There are lots of deserts in this world, not only in the Z nation. The Sahara Desert in Africa spans more than nine million square kilometers. Xing Hai Technologies can contract up to a hundred million square kilometers of desert land in Africa for a very low price. Moreover, the development costs over there will be much lower and we could have permanent ownership over the land.”

“Xing Hai Technologies has a multitude of choices!”

“If they are serious about this partnership, first, the rent must not be over 50 billion. Second, the lease period must not be less than 100 years, and Xing Hai Technologies must have the authority to automatically renew the lease after it expires.”

“This is my bottom line. If he doesn’t comply, Xing Hai Technologies could only set our sights abroad,” Chen Jin said, expressing his attitude. He was even feeling a little irritated. It was only a god-forsaken desert. Before developments were done, it would be worth no more than a penny! And someone actually regarded it as a treasure, asking for a hundred billion dollar rental for a short 50 years lease period right away.

Honestly speaking, somebody was looking at himself too highly. With a hundred billion dollars, one could buy a whole country. Did he really think that Xing Hai Technologies would only set their sight within the country?

“Uh...” Ling Jundong thought that his boss’s attitude was somewhat overly tough, and it would not yield a good effect when used in negotiations. He said, “Mr. Chen, I’ll talk to Minister Shen again. If we can’t work it out, I’ll just renounce it.”

In fact, in his eyes, those desert lands were worthless. He thought that even 50 billion dollars was still too expensive! But he would still have to express it appropriately, or both parties might part on bad terms. Of course, Ling Jundong was the one responsible for the negotiations and he had the sense of propriety.

On the following day, he went to meet Minister Shen and negotiated with him once again.

“50 thousand square kilometers is equivalent to a small-sized province. 100 billion dollars for 50 years is not expensive at all. On average, it is just 2 billion dollars per annum. We can’t lower this any further.”

Minister Shen shook his head while he grinned on the inside, Xing Hai Technologies’s nose is so sensitive, they actually sniffed out such a big business opportunity and want to gobble up a portion in advance.

He really took them as fools.

Anyways, prices could not be slashed any further. It was already so cheap; he would be held responsible if his side so regretted it later on!

“Minister Shen, I’ve done some research. There are also lots of deserts abroad. The Sahara Desert in Africa is a whole 9.2 million square kilometers, almost equivalent to the whole Z nation,” Ling Jundong said indistinctly.

Minister Shen’s expression changed immediately!

...

Negotiations went on for another three days. With some concessions made by both ends, they had reached a final agreement:

Xing Hai Technologies is granted 50 thousand square kilometers of desert land located in the northeast region of the Taklimakan Desert.

The average rental price for each mu of land is 20 dollars per annum. Rentals will depend on how many mu of land that Xing Hai Technologies develops.

The lease period is 99 years. Xing Hai Technologies will be prioritized for lease renewal upon expiration.

If Xing Hai Technologies is capable enough, they can continue to expand their developments inwards. The additional land developed will belong to Xing Hai Technologies which will be rented at similar rates at 20 dollars per annum per mu.

And a few other terms.

Chen Jin was rather satisfied with this agreement overall.

Xing Hai Technologies won’t have to spend much during the early stages. After they achieved certain results and made a bigger cake, the country could also share a considerable amount of the profit they generate.

A win-win. Both ends would not suffer any losses.

“Old Ling, pass down a task to the ‘Robot Research Center.’ Let them strive to develop a type of robot that could replace humans in doing labor work within two or three months, then produce one million units of them and deploy them to the northwest desert!”

“Robots?” Ling Jundong’s eyes glimmered. “Yes Mr. Chen, I got it!” Using robots to reform the desert, hell of an idea.

“Besides, go establish a Desert Control workgroup and dispatch them to the Sahara Desert in Africa to inspect the land and set up a research site over there. It might come in handy in the future,” said Chen Jin.

Eggs cannot be placed in just one basket. With Xing Hai Technologies’s technical advantages, it was not hard to manage a mere desert. Hence, they should not limit their vision within just the country, doing it in other countries would be promising as well.

The Sahara Desert spanned across more than 9 million square kilometers of land. If it were to be transformed into a place full of life, then make a government, a military or so over there, another superpower might very well be born amidst the African continent.

Mr. Shen and the others couldn’t stay idle on this! Of course, Chen Jin would not do that just yet, he would still have to keep a low profile... unless the problem at the warp gate was completely solved.

...

5th of November.

The news of Xing Hai Technologies contracting 50 thousand square kilometers of desert land in the northwest region spread swiftly on the internet. The netizens and many companies were bewildered by Xing Hai Technologies’s actions.

“Contracting 50 thousand square kilometers of desert land at the Taklimakan Desert in the northwest? What are they attempting to do?”

“Could it be that Xing Hai Technologies plan to go plant trees in the desert and make some contributions towards environmental protection?”

“50 thousand square kilometers? Just how much money they must invest to completely transform the land? Let’s assume that it would be 10 thousand dollars every mu, their investments will be in the trillions!”

“All thanks to the speculators in real estate, haha, the high housing prices are driving Xing Hai Technologies into the desert, way to go speculators.”

“What’s the point of buying such a big area of god-forsaken land? What has gone into Xing Hai Technologies’s head? Have they gone nuts because of the high housing prices?

“Going into the deserts in the northwest is an investment with no return! Only those with extreme moral sublimity and are willing to end up on the streets will agree to do such things. Profit-seeking capitals will never resort to this kind of treachery!”

“But Xing Hai Technologies did it anyways. I can only say this is the dumbest investment ever made in history. I predict that soon after, Xing Hai Technologies will regret it and forgo this investment they made while they’re feeling the fever.” This person was very sure, and many netizens chimed in with him.