110: Chapter 111 Going Home for the New Year Whether There's Something to Do or Not

Faced with his elder brother's inquiry, Secretary Shen Hai had no need for buildup or concealment.

He directly picked up the top-secret list on the table and read the professional terms aloud in a grave tone:

"Big Brother, listen to these things. High-pressure cold plasma generator components, Superconducting magnetic interference array component, silicon-germanium-carbon superlattice mixed materials, and some kind of micro-deposition chamber component that must operate in an absolute vacuum..."

Secretary Shen Hai paused, his tone carrying a rare trace of helplessness:

"Do you know what these things are actually used for when combined?"

On the other end of the line, there was an instant, deathly silence.

Even Shen Che, who stood at the pinnacle of power in Beijing and was well-versed in many things, was completely stunned after hearing these hardcore, almost sci-fi-sounding professional terms.

A full half-minute passed before the "swishing" sound of Shen Che rapidly recording with a pen on paper came through the receiver.

"I don't know!"

Shen Che's answer was crisp, but his tone had clearly become serious:

"However, I can go through channels at the Academy of Sciences and consult a few experts."

Immediately after, Shen Che, who knew his younger brother best, keenly grasped the core point of this call.

He understood Secretary Shen Hai's character too well.

If it were just some routine smuggled equipment, it would definitely not be worth Secretary Shen Hai using a dedicated line.

"Second Brother, you made this call specifically; it surely isn't just to ask me what these things are used for, right?"

Shen Che's voice deepened, carrying a faint premonition:

"Is it that restless brat Shen Du, causing some earth-shattering trouble in Shanghai again?"

Secretary Shen Hai gave a bitter laugh and, without hesitation, revealed the truth:

"Yes, it's that kid!"

Secretary Shen Hai's voice was filled with complex emotions.

It held both a headache over this troublemaker and a faint, indescribable shock:

"He didn't just pull the wool over everyone's eyes to get these six technological monsters—which have been completely embargoed by the Western industry—deep into Sheshan for top-secret experiments. Furthermore..."

Secretary Shen Hai took a deep breath and dropped another bombshell:

"He swept up these devices on the underground black market. Without even blinking an eye, he has already crazily poured nearly one billion in real money into it!"

Upon hearing the figure of "one billion," Shen Che's breathing on the other end of the line paused for a rare half-second.

If it were just a capital movement of a few tens of millions, Shen Che wouldn't have had any emotional fluctuation at all.

After all, for Shen Du, who now held the foundation of a ten-billion-dollar empire, a few tens of millions was merely pocket change—a drop in the bucket.

But that was a full one billion in pure cash flow!

One had to know that Shen Du had just fought his way out of that bloody Billion Yuan Subsidy Plan battle.

Any normal business tycoon would be severely weakened at this moment, clutching their purse strings to recuperate.

Yet, at this critical juncture when the capital chain was so tight and he had just set down the burden of a business war, this kid was actually able to grit his teeth and forcibly withdraw a massive sum of one billion.

Without even hearing a sound, he threw it directly into the deep mountains and forests to gamble on a top-secret research project that no one knew about!

"Throwing one billion into R&D in one go..."

A full while later, a low sigh came from the receiver.

This eldest son of the family, who was always dignified and remained calm even if Mount Tai collapsed before him, had an unprecedented, undisguised admiration in his tone:

"To have such a strategy and boldness to burn his bridges just after the Billion Yuan Subsidy Plan business war ended. This kid is truly a natural-born commander."

After weighing it for a moment, a flash of determination crossed Shen Che's deep eyes.

"Forget it. Since the boat is already built, we elders shouldn't forcibly interfere with him."

Shen Che made the final decision: "As long as the things he is tinkering with don't endanger national security, let him mess around.

Reasonably and logically, this kid is now one of the top legal businessmen in the country.

His mind is clearer than anyone's; it's impossible for him to be foolish enough to engage in those dangerous, over-the-line activities."

Shen Che quickly made the division and coordination of high-level resources:

"Second Brother, since he is on your turf, you continue to withstand the pressure from all sides in Shanghai and secretly help him keep the place secure. Don't let foreign spies sneak in.

I will go and utilize the top-secret resources of the Academy of Sciences to check what kind of earth-shattering thing this batch of incomprehensible equipment can piece together. As soon as there are results, I will contact you."

After hearing his eldest brother's final acquiescence, the heavy stone in Secretary Shen Hai's heart finally fell to the ground.

He stopped struggling and nodded solemnly: "Alright, Big Brother. I will personally keep an eye on this group in Shanghai; absolutely nothing will go wrong."

While the Shanghai authorities were facing a formidable enemy over his underground fortress, and the Shen Family high-ups in Beijing were shocked by his list of incomprehensible equipment—while both sides' elders were crazily utilizing their massive influence to shield him from the wind and rain and desperately "cleaning up his mess"...

The instigator of all this turbulence, Shen Du, was currently like a shopkeeper who had completely washed his hands of the matter, without even the slightest psychological burden.

The cold wind of deep winter whistled across the Central Plains.

On a straight and wide expressway, a top-spec Mercedes G55 with a rugged design, resembling a black armored vehicle, was emitting a low, beast-like engine roar as it sped steadily toward his hometown.

February 10th.

Counting fully, there were only two days left until Lunar New Year's Eve.

The night wind of deep winter carried a bone-chilling cold as the Mercedes G55, resembling a black armored vehicle, rolled over the familiar country concrete road at the entrance of the village, finally coming to a steady stop in a spacious private parking space.

Shen Du pushed open the car door and stepped out.

Looking up at the scene before him, a fleeting illusion of a lifetime passing by flashed in his deep eyes.

Just one year ago, this place was still a dilapidated blue-brick house with drafts everywhere, where even the tiles on the roof were incomplete.

But now, after Shen Du unsparingly poured one million in capital into a complete renovation, the old house that had carried the countless years of poverty and hardship for the mother and son no longer existed.

Replacing it was an imposing and exquisite two-and-a-half-story western-style building.

The low courtyard wall, originally built with broken bricks and yellow mud, was now completely covered with smooth, high-end moisture-proof tiles.

Through the hollowed-out iron gate, one could clearly see that the spacious courtyard had been exquisitely planned into several small gardens.

They were planted with lush, evergreen greenery.

In this deep winter of the Central Plains where all things withered, it revealed a sense of vibrant life and the confidence of a well-off family.

Hearing the dull engine sound from outside the courtyard, the lights in the first-floor living room of the villa instantly lit up.

Immediately after, the security door was gently pushed open.

Shen Du's mother, Wang Hanmei, was draped in a thick, warm cashmere coat, wearing a comfortable, modern set of loungewear underneath, as she slowly walked out from the house to greet him.