607: Chapter 62 The World Is About to Change

Xiao Lin led Shen Yan through a long corridor.

On both sides of the corridor hung many black-and-white photos.

The people in them were once the backbone of this country.

The study door was made of heavy solid wood.

Xiao Lin knocked on the door.

A steady voice came from inside.

"Enter."

Xiao Lin pushed open the door and stepped aside.

Shen Yan walked in.

The door closed softly behind him.

The study was very large.

There were no luxurious decorations.

Only rows of bookshelves that reached the ceiling.

The air was filled with the scent of old books and ink.

Elder Zhou sat behind the wide desk.

He didn't look up.

He was still reading a document.

Two telephones sat on the desk.

One was black, the other red.

Shen Yan didn't speak.

He just stood there.

Waiting quietly.

In the study, there was only the rustling sound of Elder Zhou flipping through documents.

A minute later.

Elder Zhou put down the document.

He looked up at Shen Yan.

His gaze was calm and profound.

Like an ancient well.

Bottomless.

"You're back."

Elder Zhou's voice was flat.

Shen Yan nodded.

He placed the metal case in his hand on the desk.

The movement was very light.

The case made a dull thud as it touched the desktop.

Elder Zhou looked at the case.

He reached out.

His fingers touched the case's cold metal shell.

Then he looked at Shen Yan.

"Open it."

Shen Yan entered the password.

He pressed the open button.

The case made a slight depressurization sound.

The lid slowly rose.

A soft white light lit up from inside the case.

Illuminating the metal cube lying quietly on a black velvet base.

That deep dark red.

As if it possessed life.

Breathing under the light.

Elder Zhou sat up straight.

His gaze was completely captivated by the small cube.

Absolute silence fell over the room.

He slowly reached out.

He took out the cube.

The cube wasn't large.

But its weight was beyond imagination.

Elder Zhou's arm sank slightly.

He supported it with both hands.

His fingers rubbed the perfect edges of the cube.

Feeling the incredible density and cold touch.

After a long time.

He spoke.

His voice carried a hint of raspiness.

"Purity."

"Ninety-nine point nine percent."

Shen Yan answered.

Elder Zhou's hand stopped.

He closed his eyes.

He took a deep breath.

When he opened them again.

He gently placed the cube back on the desk.

"Reserves."

"Initial survey: fifteen kilometers long, three kilometers wide, and two hundred meters thick."

"A conservative figure."

Shen Yan's voice remained calm.

Elder Zhou leaned back in his chair.

He looked at the ceiling.

As if looking at the distant sky of the Zangqing Plateau.

"Mining method."

"Fully enclosed, automated, low-temperature electrolysis."

"Designed by the shanhe system and executed by Future Technology."

"Zero impact on the surface environment."

"Energy source."

"'Kuafu-class' nuclear fusion core."

"Output."

"Initially, one thousand tons per day."

"After three months, it can be increased to three thousand tons per day."

Shen Yan answered each question one by one.

Each answer was like a hammer blow.

Striking Elder Zhou's heart.

And striking the future of this country.

Elder Zhou fell silent.

He picked up the piece of copper on the desk.

Holding it before his eyes to examine it closely.

Sunlight streamed through the window.

Casting mottled shadows on his aged face.

"Decades ago."

"For an import quota of tens of thousands of tons of copper."

"We argued until we were red in the face at the negotiating table."

"My teacher, in order to find it..."

"...was buried in the snowstorms of Xilikoko."

He put down the copper block.

He took a document out of the drawer.

And pushed it in front of Shen Yan.

[Approval for the Establishment of the Huaxia Strategic Resource Development (Zangqing) Joint Venture Company].

On it, a bright red seal had already been stamped.

"The conditions you mentioned before—forty-nine percent of the shares and twenty years of operating rights."

"I have agreed."

"But I have one more condition."

Elder Zhou looked at Shen Yan.

"Security, transportation, logistics."

"Will be fully taken over by us."

"The entire 'Project Crucible' will be elevated to the highest national strategic level."

"Whatever you need, we will provide."

"People, equipment, policies."

"Green lights all the way."

Shen Yan picked up the document.

"Agreed."

He signed his name.

Shen Yan.

The two characters landed on the paper.

Heavy with significance.

"This is your special pass."

Elder Zhou handed over a small black notebook.

"With this, you can mobilize resources from any unit within the project."

"You will be directly responsible to me."

Shen Yan tucked away the notebook.

He knew.

From this moment on.

The weight on his shoulders had changed.

He was no longer just a businessman.

He was a chess player holding the strategic lifeblood of the nation.

"You've done very well."

Elder Zhou stood up.

He walked up to Shen Yan.

And reached out.

Patting Shen Yan on the shoulder.

"Better than any of us in my generation."

"Go back and get some rest."

"The city... things are about to change."

Shen Yan turned and left.

When the study door closed again.

Elder Zhou returned to his desk.

He picked up the red telephone.

And dialed a number.

The call was connected instantly.

"It's me."

"'Crucible' has been ignited."

"Pass the word down."

"Our industrial upgrade plan can be moved forward by ten years."

"Also..."

"Have those old fellows from Huaxia Mining come to see me."

"There are some old scores that need to be settled."

He hung up the phone.

He picked up the copper cube.

Under the sunlight.

That dark red.

Was like a brand-new flag rising slowly.

The black Hongqi sedan.

Merged into the traffic.

And disappeared into the entrance of an office building's private underground garage.

The elevator gave a soft chime.

The doors opened.

Shen Yan walked out.

The entire top floor was quiet.

This was his exclusive office area.

Outside the massive floor-to-ceiling windows...

...was the bustling skyline of Beijing.

Chen Guangke had already been waiting for a long time.

He didn't speak.

He just pointed at the desk.

On the desk.

Documents were piled up like mountains.

Like little hills.

Each one represented a project, a sum of money, or a decision.

During the time Shen Yan was away.

The massive machine of Future Technology continued to run at high speed.

But the core instructions were all waiting for his authorization.

Shen Yan took off his coat.

Draping it casually over the back of the chair.

He sat down.

He picked up the document on the very top.

[Application for Additional Budget for Phase II of the 'Industrial Brain' Project]

From the Huafang Group.

The results of the first phase of cooperation exceeded everyone's expectations.

Huafang's production efficiency increased by thirty percent.

Costs were reduced by fifteen percent.

This report applied to expand the scope of cooperation to all subsidiaries under Huafang.

Shen Yan's fingertips tapped lightly on the report.

Shen Yan picked up a pen.

He signed his name at the end of the document.

And wrote two characters next to it.

Approved.