129: Chapter 130: A lavish "mini-city" built by six madmen at a cost of hundreds of millions.

Shen Du had no intention of keeping it from him, and then whispered a sentence that nearly scared Lin Zimo out of his wits: "Hurry up. Just received intelligence that a national-level big shot will be arriving shortly, bringing an entire national treasure-level scientific research team to stay on-site. They'll be conducting a one-week field technical assessment. Don't drop the ball."

"National-level?! On-site assessment?!"

Lin Zimo was completely shocked awake.

He didn't even bother to put on his shoes, jumping out of bed barefoot. Grabbing his phone in one hand, he roughly ripped open a can of Red Bull at the bedside with the other, tilted his head back, and gulped down several large mouthfuls.

The ice-cold liquid exploded down his throat.

It gave him a shiver, and his eyes instantly became incredibly clear.

"Understood, President Shen! I'll be downstairs within fifteen minutes, I absolutely won't delay the important business!"

Just past one in the afternoon.

Two low-profile black off-road vehicles crossed more than half of the Magic City.

Like a bolt of lightning, they drove into the remote and hidden edge of the deep mountains of Sheshan.

They stopped steadily in front of the heavy, closed-loop gate of Yushan Laboratory, which was disguised as an abandoned quarry.

Lin Zimo pushed open the car door first, nimbly guiding the way for Shen Du.

And when Shen Du strode into this core living deployment area, a figure walking towards him made him pause slightly.

It was the security chief Xu Hao, who usually dressed casually, shuffled in flip-flops, and always had a cigarette dangling from his mouth.

Today, he had unexpectedly changed into a sharp, meticulous, all-black high-end custom suit.

His usually messy hair was neatly groomed with hair gel, his leather shoes were polished to a shine, and standing there, he radiated a cold, ruthless aura.

"President Shen, Zimo."

Seeing Shen Du come over, Xu Hao shoved the unlit cigarette in his hand into his pocket, his expression one of unprecedented readiness.

He tugged at his slightly tight tie and gave a wry smile: "Heard that this afternoon, a super big shot from the capital is leading a team over for a 'home-raiding style' assessment? I figured, even though we come from humble beginnings, we can't just wear big shorts and embarrass Jiyuan Technology. All the security brothers have finished changing into their uniforms. The perimeter alert has been raised to the highest level, ready to cooperate with the national team's arrival at any time."

Shen Du looked him over, a trace of satisfied amusement flashing in his deep eyes, and raised his hand to pat Xu Hao on his solid shoulder: "Very good. Neither of us can afford to lose today's big performance. Pull yourself together, prepare to receive the guests."

Passing through the heavy camouflage gate, and following the deep corridor into the closed-loop living area on the periphery of the air-raid shelter, even Shen Du, who was well-informed and now held significant assets, couldn't help but gasp.

He was completely stunned by the scene before him.

Where was the cold, damp, desolate, and remote factory area from his memory a few months ago?

After these few months of Xu Hao's insane "money-burning construction," this area, which was absolutely physically isolated, had been forcibly transformed into a fully functional "independent mini-metropolis" that even had a touch of magical color!

Shen Du stared dumbfounded at both sides of the main road: a luxury internet cafe equipped with the strongest Alienware computers on the surface; a top-tier Japanese restaurant and a high-end Western restaurant that airlifted fresh ingredients by dedicated car every day; a large supermarket with shelves stuffed full of various imported snacks and daily necessities... Even walking deeper, he also saw a top-tier gym with a full set of Hammer Strength equipment, a high-end billiard room, and a craft bar and nightclub with dim, flickering neon signs, and wine cabinets filled with romanée-conti and various limited-edition foreign liquors!

The top-tier entertainment and living facilities that could be found in the most prosperous business districts of the Magic City outside had actually been perfectly replicated one-to-one and stuffed into this isolated deep mountain base.

But that wasn't the most outrageous part.

What gave Shen Du a feeling of absurd shock was the exaggerated personnel ratio here.

Looking around, Michelin chefs in white chef uniforms, bartenders carrying trays, therapists and masseurs on standby, supermarket cashiers, 24/7 cleaners, plus that group of fully armed security brothers on the perimeter... there were over two hundred people, operating in an orderly fashion in this "city" built by money.

And the only purpose for this top-tier, luxurious, closed-loop system, which cost hundreds of millions in real money to build, was just to serve the six technical madmen in that dust-free laboratory in the deepest part of the air-raid shelter!

"Damn it..." Lin Zimo, who followed Shen Du in, had his eyes wide open like copper bells at this moment, couldn't help but curse, and muttered to himself: "Anyone who didn't know would think our President Shen was stockpiling troops to build a nation here."

At 3:00 PM sharp.

Several black Hongqi sedans without any markings drove low-profile and steadily into this wild factory area, which was tightly encircled by towering walls and electric fences.

The car doors opened.

Shen Che, wearing a dark jacket with an aura of authority, stepped out of the car first, surrounded by several elite guards.

Following closely behind him were more than a dozen top-tier, national treasure-level scientists with graying hair and expressions that could barely hide their excitement.

However, this head of the central bank, who was used to seeing great storms, was not surprised by the tight security on the perimeter of the factory area, which was comparable to a military base, the first moment he looked around after getting out of the car.

Instead, he was completely shocked by this "paradise" built inside a huge abandoned factory in the wilderness.

Looking at the glitz and glamour not far away, transformed from several rows of giant steel-structured factory buildings, the flickering bar neon signs, the open-air Western restaurant wafting with the aroma of top-tier Wagyu beef, and those two hundred or so logistics personnel shuttling through the rugged industrial area, providing full-service... Shen Che stood with his hands behind his back, turned his head, and glanced at Shen Du, who was walking up quickly, with a half-smile.

He half-jokingly chided: "President Shen, making such a big scene, what's this? Are you preparing to 'build a nation' in this wild factory area?"

Facing the teasing of this national-level big shot, Shen Du was also full of helplessness.

After all, he hadn't been here for a long time himself. He had also been shocked just now by Xu Hao's insane "money-ability infrastructure."

Shen Du could only smile bitterly and shrug his hands, throwing the blame on those core geeks without hesitation: "Governor Shen, you are laughing at me. This really isn't me being showy, it's mainly because those guys inside who are working on the underlying architecture are all pure technical madmen. You don't know. If I don't arrange their life enjoyment and emotional value to the extreme, they would dare to go on strike if they are slightly unhappy. I am also very helpless. Every brick and every bottle of wine in here was bought with my real money."

Hearing this complaint, a flash of understanding passed through Shen Che's deep eyes.

For someone like him who controlled the nation's financial lifeline, as long as they could produce disruptive core technology, spending hundreds of millions on logistics was simply a drop in the bucket.

Shen Che did not continue to dwell on these luxurious peripheral displays.

His face suddenly became serious.

That easygoing teasing instantly faded, he waved his hand sharply, and his tone became cold and direct: "Enough, I won't ask about the outside expenses and trivial matters. Since the money has been spent, let me see if this money was worth it."

Shen Che's gaze crossed those bustling entertainment areas.

He stared fixedly at the core building in the deepest part of the factory area, guarded by heavily armed troops, and ordered: "Take us into the dust-free laboratory in the core factory building immediately, we want to see the most real situation!"