678: Chapter 673 Here to collect scrap metal?

This wasn't picking up a bargain; this was planting his flag ahead of time on a future gold mine.

A place considered industrial trash by everyone, a derelict factory that even local developers couldn't be bothered to spare a second glance.

Forty-five days later, it would become a hot commodity everyone scrambled for.

This information gap was the most profitable wealth code in the world.

Shen Yan opened his eyes, his gaze calm, yet deep down, it was as if flames were burning.

Without the slightest hesitation, he picked up the phone on the desk and dialed a number.

The phone rang only once before being picked up.

A slightly languid voice came through.

"President Shen! What bargain are we picking up this time?"

On the other end of the line was Ning Ke.

"Ning Ke, help me investigate a location."

Shen Yan's voice was very flat, betraying no emotion.

"You name it, President Shen. I'll go through fire and water, I guarantee I'll handle it perfectly!"

"Qi City, Hongxing Steel Plant."

Ning Ke on the other end clearly froze for a moment.

Qi City? Wasn't that a third-tier small city in Jiangbei?

Hongxing Steel Plant? Hadn't that gone bankrupt long ago?

His mind raced, trying to guess the intentions of this newly emergent mogul.

"President Shen, are you interested in the steel industry?"

"No."

Shen Yan directly cut off his speculation.

"I want the land belonging to its Third Branch Factory."

"I want all information regarding that land, including but not limited to, historical legacy issues, creditor relationships, and most importantly, the specific date of the judicial auction."

"I want the most detailed materials sent to my email before the end of the workday today."

Ning Ke's breath hitched for an instant.

A piece of abandoned land belonging to a bankrupt steel plant?

And in a place like Qi City?

He completely failed to comprehend Shen Yan's business logic.

But years of professional experience told him he didn't need to understand.

He only needed to execute.

Behind every seemingly casual decision made by a great figure, there might be profound meaning that ordinary people could not fathom.

"Understood, President Shen."

"After this matter is done, don't forget the calligraphy and painting you showed me last time."

"Of course, no problem."

"Then President Shen can just await the good news."

After hanging up, the office returned to silence.

Shen Yan didn't move, his fingertips tapping rhythmically on the smooth mahogany desk.

He was waiting.

Sure enough, at four in the afternoon, with an hour left until quitting time, the office door was knocked upon.

Ning Ke's figure appeared at the doorway, wearing his signature smile tinged with a hint of underworld swagger.

He wasn't carrying any files, only holding an exquisite long box made of Zitan wood.

"President Shen, I have not failed in my mission."

Ning Ke placed the box on the coffee table and pushed it in front of Shen Yan.

"Everything you asked for is inside this."

Shen Yan opened the box. Inside were not paper documents, but a uniquely shaped, ink-black USB drive.

"It's encrypted. The password is your birthday."

Ning Ke pulled up a chair, sat down, and poured himself a cup of tea.

"President Shen, forgive my impertinence."

He took a sip of tea and began speaking slowly.

"I had people investigate that land in Qi City inside and out three times."

"It's just industrial waste, a massive pile of bad debt."

"Back when Hongxing Steel Plant was doing well, the factory leaders used that land as collateral for loans and also engaged in private fundraising. The creditor relationships are tangled like a ball of hemp."

"Later, when they went bankrupt, the factory was gone, leaving only this piece of land that nobody wanted."

"The local developers consider it too much trouble to deal with, even if it were given to them for free."

Ning Ke looked at Shen Yan, his eyes full of incomprehension.

He prided himself on being well-informed and having sharp judgment in the territory of Country H.

But he couldn't see through this move by Shen Yan at all.

Ignoring prime locations in first-tier cities, he insisted on going to a third-tier small city to deal with industrial trash everyone despised.

Shen Yan smiled but offered no explanation.

He slipped the USB drive into his pocket and took down a scroll from the curio shelf behind him.

"Last time you mentioned you liked Zheng Banqiao's bamboo."

Ning Ke's eyes instantly lit up.

He carefully took the scroll, as if holding a peerless treasure, and gently unrolled it.

A slender ink bamboo leaped onto the paper; its aloofness and arrogance seemed to pierce straight into the heart, bypassing the paper itself.

"An original..."

Ning Ke's voice trembled slightly.

He was obsessed with ancient calligraphy and painting. He had once caught a glimpse of this 'Ink Bamboo Painting' at a private appraisal session and considered it his lifelong regret.

He never expected it to fall into his hands so casually today.

"I do not wish for a third person to know about the matter of this land."

Shen Yan's tone was light.

Ning Ke snapped back to reality. He solemnly re-rolled the painting and placed it back in the box.

"President Shen, rest assured. Once I leave this door, I won't even know which province Qi City belongs to."

He stood up and bowed deeply to Shen Yan.

"This painting is too precious; I, Ning Ke, cannot accept it."

"In the future, for any dirty or tiring work, just give me a word."

Shen Yan waved his hand.

"Go ahead."

Ning Ke left, clutching the painting, completely satisfied.

He felt he had made a huge profit today.

Of course, Shen Yan wouldn't calculate this transaction with him.

Two days later.

Jiangbei Province, Qi City.

A black phaeton quietly exited the highway.

Qi City, a typical old industrial city, where the air seemed to be saturated with an indelible scent of rust.

The buildings lining the streets mostly retained the style of the last century's nineties.

Shen Yan sat in the back seat, looking expressionless at the scenery flashing past the window.

He hadn't informed anyone; even Chen Guangke only thought he was resting at home.

Some things had to be handled personally.

The car didn't head toward the city center but drove toward the remote outskirts according to the navigation.

The road became increasingly bumpy.

Finally, it stopped in front of a huge, rusty iron gate covered in clematis.

On the iron gate, the words "Hongxing Steel Third Branch Factory" in large red characters had long since faded and peeled, leaving only a few blurred imprints.

Shen Yan got out of the car.

A wave of desolation and decay rushed towards him.

Weeds grew wildly from the cracks in the concrete, some already waist-high.

In the distance, the factory buildings had most of their glass windows shattered, resembling empty, dark eye sockets.

This was the treasure site, supposedly worth two billion in the future, according to the system's intelligence?

Shen Yan walked slowly around the factory perimeter wall.

It was indeed huge, so large it felt somewhat empty.

He could imagine the bustling scene of traffic and flowing molten steel that must have existed here decades ago.

"Young man."

An aged voice came from the guardhouse nearby.

Shen Yan turned his head.

An old man with a face full of wrinkles, wearing a faded, washed-out old security uniform, was peering out, sizing him up warily.

"This place was abandoned long ago; there's nothing worth seeing."

"Are you here to collect scrap metal? Don't move anything randomly; everything in the factory is subject to official handover."