183: Chapter 183 Cross-border Settlement: The Third Great Leap Forward in Fund Pooling

Lu Chen's fingers, holding a cigarette, paused steadily in mid-air.

Before his retinas, the originally calm, azure system panel was instantly flooded with a piercing, blood-red glow that filled his entire field of vision.

The data in the top right corner representing the "Total Number of Registered Full-Time Employees" had completely spiraled out of control.

100,031.

115,000.

128,000.

The rapidly jumping numbers left behind afterimages, and amidst a shrill system alarm, they froze firmly in place.

134,210 people.

"Warning. Transnational-level extreme collective fanatical emotion detected."

"Loyalty of 30,000 new overseas employees forcibly locked at 100%."

"Hidden achievement unlocked: Global Capital Crusher."

"System capital pool highest authorization verified, third great leap settlement complete."

Lu Chen didn't even blink. He pressed his half-smoked double happiness cigarette into a battered ashtray and crushed it out forcefully.

His gaze pierced through the red light and fell upon the hidden account balance at the bottom. It was no longer a number in any conventional sense, but a bottomless pit capable of causing any sovereign nation's central bank to go into shock on the spot. If he were to click the withdrawal button right now, the entire Blue Star's financial system would completely collapse within three seconds.

"Ding." The panel emitted a crisp chime, and golden light replaced the blood red.

"Reward issued in one lump sum: 10 million tech points."

"All prerequisites met. The final piece of the 8,000-acre restricted zone heavy equipment puzzle has been unlocked: High-Density Energy Shaping Fluid preparation formula."

Lu Chen tapped his fingers lightly on the coffee table. Ignoring the deadly astronomical figures in his account, he directly opened the tech panel and extracted the formula, which shimmered with a dark golden luster.

"Old Wei." Lu Chen picked up the walkie-talkie on the table.

A harsh sound of metal grinding came from the quantum chamber on Underground Level 3.

"Boss. I'm here." Wei Jianguo's voice was mixed with heavy panting. "The neural connectors for those 2,000 sets of skeletons are still running data. The results will be out immediately."

"Put those aside for now." Lu Chen's tone was cold and hard. "Stop all operations peripheral to the Lithography Machine overnight."

The other end of the walkie-talkie went silent.

"Stop everything?" Wei Jianguo asked loudly. "The car companies outside are waiting for our chip board quotas; stopping for one night means hundreds of millions in breach of contract penalties."

"Hundreds of millions are nothing. Stop it." Lu Chen didn't waste words. "Check your top-secret operation terminal. I just sent a file over."

There was silence on Wei Jianguo's end for a few seconds. Immediately after, a dull thud of a heavy object hitting the floor came through.

"Boss... where did this formula come from?" Wei Jianguo's throat was dry, and his voice was even trembling. "High-Density Energy Shaping Fluid? Reorganizing the molecular chains of special metals at room temperature? This defies existing physical common sense."

"There isn't that much common sense in this world. Even if there were, I could crush it." Lu Chen picked up his water glass and took a sip. "Four hours. I want to see the finished product."

"That's impossible." Wei Jianguo shouted. "I've never even heard of the superconducting additive required by the formula. What am I supposed to synthesize it with?"

"The raw materials are all in Cabinet No. 3 of the main warehouse. There are also plenty of amethyst rough cut slices." Lu Chen interrupted him. "I've prepared the materials for you, you run the machines yourself. If you can't make it before dawn, you and Old Song can go sweep the factory roads tomorrow."

Lu Chen hung up the communication.

Old Zhou stood to the side, his Adam's apple bobbing forcefully.

He had followed Lu Chen for so long that he knew all too well the murderous aura behind this demeanor of his boss. Whenever Lu Chen issued such outrageous orders in this extremely calm tone, Jiangcheng was bound to be turned upside down.

Lu Chen turned his head to look at Wu Dong, who was still frantically typing on the keyboard at the main console.

"Stop looking. Stop what you're doing." Lu Chen beckoned.

Wu Dong stopped, ran over, sweating profusely, and stood at attention.

"How much liquid cash do we have on hand right now?" Lu Chen asked.

Wu Dong swallowed, hurriedly took out his tablet, and glanced at it. "Boss, after swallowing those overseas parent companies, the currently available offshore funds plus the domestic hidden accounts... it's about... I can't even calculate it."

Wu Dong's forehead was covered in sweat. "Anyway, even if we went to buy out all the gold from the Federal Reserve right now, our books wouldn't even lose a layer of skin."

"Fine. That's enough." Lu Chen pulled over an A4 sheet of paper and picked up a pen, quickly writing two names on it.

Special Titanium Alloy.

High-Strength Load-Bearing Steel.

The paper was pushed in front of Wu Dong.

"Buy these things." Lu Chen leaned back on the sofa. "Within 48 hours, I want these two materials to fill that 8,000-acre construction site in the northern suburbs of Jiangcheng."

Wu Dong looked at the paper and scratched his head.

"Boss, it's easy to buy these things. But you didn't write down the quantity." Wu Dong asked. "100 tons? Or 500 tons?"

"10,000 tons." Lu Chen's tone was calm.

Old Zhou's legs went weak, and his back slammed heavily into the water dispenser.

"How much?" Old Zhou's voice cracked, and he shouted at the top of his lungs.

"I said, 10,000 tons of each." Lu Chen stared at Wu Dong. "Now, go sweep the market nationwide. It doesn't matter if it's a state-owned enterprise or a private one, it doesn't matter who is placing orders."

Wu Dong gasped.

"Boss, domestic special steel is all controlled by the military industry and heavy shipyards. The annual circulation on the market is only a few thousand tons." Wu Dong stamped his feet in anxiety. "You're asking for 10,000 tons? You're going to hollow out the entire national heavy industry market."

"Hollow it out if you can. If the market doesn't have the quota, then smash out a quota with money." Lu Chen pointed outside the door. "There is no limit on funds. Full payment, immediate settlement. Whatever price they dare to set, you pay that amount."

Wu Dong opened his mouth, completely dumbfounded.

Old Zhou gathered his courage and stepped up. "Boss. Even if we have money, we can't spend it like this. Those steel mill bosses, when they hear we want such a large quantity and demand delivery within 48 hours, they will definitely jack up the prices on the spot. If we go to buy, we're just being sitting ducks."

"That was before." Lu Chen sneered. "Now, even if they raise the price tenfold, I can still afford it. It's just a matter of whether they have the life to take this money."

Lu Chen picked up his lighter and spun it in his hand.

"Go do it. Before dawn, I want to see all the railcars on the road."

Wu Dong gritted his teeth. A sense of extreme fanaticism erupted in his eyes.

Manipulating hundreds of billions in funds to smash through the entire national infrastructure market. This was a game that no trader would dare to dream of.

"Understood." Wu Dong grabbed Old Zhou. "Old Zhou, get the address book. Find the heads of sales for all domestic special steel mills. Hurry."

The two of them rushed back to the main console.

Old Zhou flipped out a tattered contact book and read out the numbers loudly. Wu Dong put on his headset, his fingers dialing rapidly.

The dial tone rang once.

"Hello? Is this Director Li of Southeast Heavy Industry? This is Wu Dong from Chenguang Factory."

"Ah, General Manager Wu. Calling so late. Any advice?" A greasy voice came from the phone.

"How much T3 Special Titanium Alloy do you have in stock? I want it all." Wu Dong got straight to the point.

"General Manager Wu, you're joking. Our quotas are scheduled until next year. The little stock we have on hand was booked long ago." Director Li dodged the question.

"Enough nonsense. 40% premium over the current market price. Full payment, immediate stock." Wu Dong stared at the computer screen.

"Are you drunk?" Director Li's voice trembled.

"Payment within two minutes. I only want the stock, ship it immediately." Wu Dong shouted.

"Deal! I'll have the workers load the trucks overnight! I'll pay the breach of contract penalties to the next party!" Director Li went mad.

Hang up. Next one.

"Is this Factory Director Liu of North China Special Steel? This is Chenguang Factory. 1,000 tons of High-Strength Load-Bearing Steel. 50% premium. Load it up and ship it to Jiangcheng for me."

"This... General Manager Wu, this is a quota allocated by the higher-ups to the Jiangnan Shipyard. It really can't be moved." Factory Director Liu was in a difficult position.

Wu Dong glanced at Lu Chen. Lu Chen didn't speak, just tapped on the desktop.

"Factory Director Liu. Double the premium." Wu Dong roared into the microphone. "Your shipyard's breach of contract penalties, along with your factory's profits for the second half of the year. I'll cover it all."

"General Manager Wu is generous! I'll dispatch the fleet right now. Jiangnan Shipyard is nothing. I'm going to cut off their supply right now!" Factory Director Liu defected immediately.

Within half an hour, Wu Dong and Old Zhou had worn out fifty phone calls.

A super-massive earthquake occurred in the entire Chinese heavy metal construction materials circle.

All top steel mills and special smelting warehouses were directly overwhelmed by an incomprehensible and terrifying cash flow. Quotas and designated procurement were all rendered useless under the dimension-reduction strike of real money. The various factory directors jumped out of their beds and rushed to the factory areas overnight to personally oversee the loading.

Wu Dong's face was flushed red, and he tore off his headset.

"Boss." Wu Dong panted heavily. "Done. 22,000 tons. All stock swept clean. Funds have been fully settled through the hidden channel. No one dared to cheat us."

Lu Chen glanced at the wall clock. 3:00 AM.

"Are the transport arrangements made?" Lu Chen asked.

Old Zhou hurriedly pointed to the holographic big screen on the wall. "All the steel mills are scrambling to dispatch railcars and heavy flatbed trucks. We tripled the road tolls and shipping fees. Now, the logistics fleets on the two major arterial lines in the Southeast and Northeast are going crazy, racing desperately toward our northern suburbs of Jiangcheng."

On the screen, densely packed green light dots lit up. Each light dot represented a fleet or train fully loaded with special steel, like countless green blood vessels converging toward the heart of Jiangcheng.

Lu Chen took out another cigarette and lit it.

At this speed, once the formula is ready and the steel is in place, the 8,000-acre construction site will be able to directly start pouring the foundation for that behemoth after dawn.

Everything was running according to his rules.

Ten minutes. Twenty minutes. 3:30 AM.

Wu Dong was still excitedly organizing electronic contracts. Suddenly, his hands stopped on the keyboard.

"Old Zhou." Wu Dong's voice was very low.

Old Zhou was drinking tea and hurriedly walked over.

"What's going on?" Old Zhou leaned in.

"Something's wrong." Wu Dong stared at the big screen, sweating profusely.

Lu Chen approached the console.

On the big screen, the national logistics traffic map, which had originally been lush with green and unobstructed, suddenly showed an anomaly.

At several core highway traffic hubs 300 kilometers southeast of Jiangcheng, the green light dots representing the transport fleets stopped.

Immediately after, those light dots instantly turned into a glaring red.

This red was like some kind of malignant virus, beginning to spread wildly along the main roads. Highway exits, provincial border checkpoints, railway freight marshalling yards. Large swathes of green light turned to red. Everything fell into stagnation.

"What happened?" Lu Chen asked coldly.

Wu Dong's fingers typed frantically on the keyboard, pulling up the background monitoring. "The two special trains just dispatched by Southeast Heavy Industry have been blocked. The Nanchang Railway marshalling yard shows a system-wide failure of the signal system. Red light restriction. Not a single railcar can get out."

"What about the North China Special Steel fleet?" Old Zhou asked anxiously.

"They're all blocked on the national highway." Wu Dong slammed his thigh hard. "The toll stations are using the excuse that the overweight detection system is paralyzed. Three provincial border crossings are all physically blocked. At least 500 heavy trucks are stuck there, not allowed to move."

The internal phone on the table suddenly screamed frantically.

Old Zhou grabbed the receiver.

"Supervisor Zhou! It's me, Old Liu!" Factory Director Liu of North China Special Steel shouted into the phone with a sobbing tone. "The trucks can't get out. The provincial road administration team directly put up barbed wire at the intersection. They said our batch of steel is suspected of illegal transport. They won't even give us a chance to explain."

Old Zhou's scalp tingled, and he slammed the phone down.

"Ring-ring—" Another line immediately connected.

"General Manager Wu. This is Old Li from Southeast Heavy Industry." The voice was bleak. "The Railway Bureau just issued an emergency red-headed document. Line-wide special fire inspection. All our trains loaded with special titanium alloy have been sealed in place. We aren't even allowed to get close. It's over. We're completely stuck."

Wu Dong pulled up the full-area traffic blockade map.

"Boss." Wu Dong's voice was tight. "Southeast, South China, Northeast. All ground and railway arteries leading to our Jiangcheng have received a red-card mandatory blockade order within five minutes."

Wu Dong swallowed. "It's not equipment failure. This is a physical strangulation aimed at us. Over 20,000 tons of steel, not an ounce can get in."

Old Zhou's face was pale, his hands supporting himself firmly on the desktop. "This is impossible. Simultaneously mobilizing trans-provincial highway administration, the Railway Bureau, and the traffic police headquarters. This is definitely not something any Jiangnan tycoon or chamber of commerce could accomplish. The local level doesn't have that much power."

Lu Chen quietly watched the dozens of red defense lines on the big screen that were firmly choking Jiangcheng's throat.

There was no fear on his face. Only bottomless ice-cold.

The other party was not checking fire safety, nor were they checking for overweight loads.

This was an blatant, arbitrary blockade. Ignoring rules, ignoring reason, directly using the most brutal, underlying power of the state apparatus to physically cut off Chenguang Factory's lifeline.

"Three of the Red Flag Department's hidden guards were just crippled by us." Old Zhou said, trembling. "That Director Zhao in the capital was also stripped of his face by you. They are desperate, trying to use deep-level power to trap us here to death."

Lu Chen flicked off the cigarette ash. The cigarette butt flickered in his fingertips.

"Those rats hiding in the sewers." Lu Chen sneered, his tone revealing unmasked arrogance. "If they can't buy equipment with billions, they want to cut off my infrastructure lifeline. It seems the fists of those fifty iron skins during the day haven't yet broken the official prestige they are so proud of."

Lu Chen turned to look at Old Zhou.

"Call Da Biao. Tell him to assemble that batch of Security Department brothers who just had their neural connectors replaced."

Lu Chen casually picked up the red official seal of Chenguang Factory from the table and stuffed it into his tattered jacket pocket.

"Don't they like blocking roads? Tell the brothers to bring their gear." Lu Chen walked out with big strides. "Tonight, I'm going to teach them how to open a road."