37: Chapter 37 Taking Over the New Factory!

Two o'clock in the afternoon, North City Industrial Zone.

As Lin Hao drove Chen Fan's SUV, the "Bixi," through the gates of Xincheng Materials Factory, he was still mentally reciting the data provided by Xiao Zhi.

[Target: Xincheng Material Processing Plant; Owner: Zhou Jianguo, 52 years old]

[Background: Made a fortune in the building materials trade in his early years; transitioned to investing in materials processing five years ago. Due to backward technology and chaotic management, the factory has suffered losses for three consecutive years.]

[Current Status: Immigration procedures for Canada have been completed. His wife and daughter left the country six months ago. He urgently needs 1.5 to 1.8 million in cash to complete asset liquidation.]

[Weaknesses: 1. The factory's environmental protection permits are about to expire; 2. Owed 370,000 in outstanding payments to suppliers;]

The car stopped in front of the office building—a small, greyish-white three-story structure with peeling paint and dusty windows.

Zhou Jianguo was already waiting at the door—a middle-aged man with a bloated build, wearing an ill-fitting suit, his face plastered with an overly enthusiastic smile.

"Manager Lin! Welcome, welcome!" He hurried forward to shake hands. "It must have been a tiring journey!"

"Boss Zhou is too polite." Lin Hao spoke with his chin slightly raised. "This place of yours... is quite remote."

"Being remote has its perks—the price is cheap!" Zhou Jianguo led him inside. "Come, let me give you a tour first."

The factory grounds were indeed large, but nearly half of the fifteen-acre plot was derelict and overgrown with weeds. There were three main workshops; the largest one housed two old-fashioned extrusion molding machines, stained with oil, with production record sheets from who-knows-when scattered on the control panels.

"These are all excellent pieces of equipment!" Zhou Jianguo patted the machine's casing, the metal giving off a hollow ring. "When I bought them, each one cost over 800,000! If I weren't in such a hurry to go abroad..."

"Boss Zhou." Lin Hao interrupted him, pulling out his phone and pretending to scroll through a memo. "The model of this equipment... it's a domestic imitation, isn't it? The original manufacturer stopped production long ago. On the second-hand market now, one of these is worth 150,000 at most."

Zhou Jianguo's smile stiffened for a moment.

"Furthermore." Lin Hao walked to the side of the machine and used his fingernail to scrape the oily grime off the nameplate—a detail prompted by Xiao Zhi. "This nameplate is rusted to this extent; do you have the maintenance records? I don't want these breaking down three days after I buy them."

"I have them, I have them! They're all in the office!" Fine sweat broke out on Zhou Jianguo's forehead. "Manager Lin, why don't we sit in the office first and have a proper chat?"

The office was on the third floor. The decor showed that effort had once been put into it, but now the leather on the sofa was cracked, the potted plants were withered, and the filing cabinets were empty.

"Then you've certainly found the right direction! New materials are definitely a sunrise industry!" He flipped open a financial report he had prepared long ago. "You see, although my factory is facing some temporary difficulties, it has a solid technical foundation and well-established market channels..."

Lin Hao flipped through the report nonchalantly, suddenly pointing to one of the lines: "Boss Zhou, this 'German-imported precision press'—why is it marked as 'to be disposed of' in the asset list?"

Zhou Jianguo's expression changed abruptly upon hearing Lin Hao's words.

"Ah, that... I was planning to upgrade the equipment and get rid of the old one..."

"Is that so?" Lin Hao stood up. "Then take me to see this press that's 'to be disposed of.'"

Workshop No. 3 was at the deepest part of the factory area, and the door lock was rusted shut. It took Zhou Jianguo a long time to fumble it open. Under the dim lights inside, a machine covered with a dust cloth stood quietly in the corner.

Lin Hao walked over and pulled back the dust cloth.

The machine was extremely well-maintained, one could even say brand new—the German text on the nameplate was clear, and the production date was three years ago.

"Boss Zhou." Lin Hao turned around, the smile gone from his face. "This Heidelberg HPD-30 Press has a market price of 1.2 million and was only imported last year. You hid it in the most remote workshop and marked it as 'to be disposed of'..."

He paused, his voice turning cold.

"You were planning to wait until I bought the factory, then secretly transport it away to sell it, weren't you?"

"No! Manager Lin, you've misunderstood!" Zhou Jianguo was so anxious he became incoherent. "This, this is... it's..."

"It's what?" Lin Hao took a step closer. "Is it that you owe your suppliers over 300,000 in payments and wanted to use this machine to settle the debt, but were afraid that if you included it in the asset list, you wouldn't get a good price for the factory?"

Although this machine was worth some money, Lin Hao didn't intend to take it; it wasn't needed for their new factory. He was deliberately cornering Zhou Jianguo primarily to force the price down to zero.

Zhou Jianguo looked as if he had been struck by lightning, his face turning deathly pale.

Lin Hao pulled out his phone, the screen displaying a debt list compiled by Xiao Zhi: "Do you need me to read it to you? Xinyuan Plastics, 120,000 owed; Huamao Metals, 85,000; and over at the Environmental Protection Bureau, your discharge permit expires next month, and there are fines to be paid for renewal..."

"Stop!" Zhou Jianguo slumped into a chair, covering his face with his hands. "Manager Lin, what... what exactly do you want?"

Lin Hao sat back down, his tone softening slightly: "Boss Zhou, let's be blunt. I know you're in a hurry to leave, and this factory is already a burden to you. The transfer information has been out for over six months with no takers. How about this—"

Lin Hao paused, "I'll give you 1.3 million. You take the machine—use it to pay off your debts or the fines. You must clear all the factory's credits and debts yourself; I don't want to see any debt collectors at my door after I take over."

Zhou Jianguo's lips trembled: "One point three... that's too low! This plot of land alone is worth..."

"The land?" Lin Hao laughed. "Boss Zhou, this land is so remote; what use does it have other than building a factory? Every day the factory sits empty, it depreciates; the buildings get older, and the machinery becomes less valuable. Selling it quickly and turning it into cash flow is the only way to go."

Zhou Jianguo was completely broken by Lin Hao. He sat in a daze for a long time before finally letting out a long sigh: "...Deal."

---

"Fan Zi, I've finished the negotiations. I didn't take the Heidelberg HPD-30 Press, and secured the place for 1.3 million in the end!" Lin Hao sent a message to Chen Fan.

"Brother, your efficiency is high," Chen Fan replied.

Chen Fan wasn't idle either; he was staring at the parameters of the "Yanlong" on his screen, the pride of Lis Sci-Tech—thermal conductivity of 500W/mK, long-term working temperature of 200°C, and a cost as high as 800 yuan per square meter.

"Xiao Zhi, what are the final finalized parameters for our experimental Stardust-S1?"

The data on the screen refreshed:

[Thermal Conductivity]: 1000W/mK (room temperature), which is double that of "Yanlong." This means a 1mm thick Stardust sheet has heat dissipation efficiency equal to two layers of Yanlong.

[Operating Temperature Range]: -196°C (liquid nitrogen temperature) to +1000°C (melting point of high-temperature alloys), a span of nearly 1100°C, far exceeding Yanlong's safety window of only 100°C.

[Microstructure]: Forms a 3D nanotube network internally, with heat flow paths having nearly zero resistance; whereas Yanlong's 2D flake structure has a thermal resistance two orders of magnitude higher.

[Density and Strength]: Tear resistance increased by 40%, can directly replace structural components.

[The Killing Blow: Cost]: Raw materials are industrial waste. After production through the Amplification machine, the comprehensive cost per square meter is 52 yuan, less than 7% of Yanlong's cost.

Chen Fan tapped the desk with his fingertip: "While Lis Sci-Tech is still investing tens of millions in R&D to improve performance by 3%, we have already used trash to reconstruct the ceiling of material science."

At 5:00 PM, Lin Hao sent another message.

"Great job," Chen Fan replied. "Uncle Wang and I will head over to take a look tonight."

[Intent agreement signed, 100,000 deposit paid. Zhou Jianguo promised to clear all debts within three days. Official transfer on Friday.]

[Attachment: Factory floor plan and equipment list]