115: Chapter 115 National-Level Venture Capital Plan

New York, Midtown Manhattan, 345 Park Avenue.

This skyscraper is the heart of capital, and its top floor is the atrium of that heart.

In the headquarters of the Blackstone Group, inside an office that could look down upon the entire Central Park.

Stephen Schwartzman, this financial tycoon crowned with the title of "King of Wall Street," was irritably slamming a quarterly earnings report onto a million-dollar mahogany desk.

"Shit!"

Every single number on the earnings report was mocking him.

The global economy was in a downturn, international regulations were tightening like mad dogs, and geopolitical conflicts were adding fuel to the fire.

Even the Blackstone Group, that behemoth of capital that devoured everything, had tasted the flavor of stagnation.

The profit growth curve was as sluggish as the heartbeat of a dying old man; trying to find a new growth point that could make this behemoth excited again was harder than finding a piece of ice in the Sahara Desert.

"Knock, knock."

The office door was knocked upon.

His chief secretary, Mary, walked in. Her expression was extremely strange; her lips twitched, but she forcibly suppressed it, and her brow was full of bewilderment.

"What is it?" Schwartzman didn't even lift his eyelids, his voice suppressing anger.

"Stephen," Mary's voice was a bit dry, "our office in Hong Kong just received a... a very... uh, a very special cooperation request."

"Special?"

Schwartzman finally lifted his head from that pile of shitty numbers.

Mary had followed him for over a decade and had seen all sorts of storms; for her to use the word "special," and even stutter, meant the matter was definitely not simple.

"The other party says they are representatives of the head of state of the 'Cyber Freedom Republic'."

"Cyber Freedom Republic?"

Schwartzman's brows knitted into a knot.

Why did that name sound so familiar? It sounded like a joke heard at some banquet.

"It's that young Huaxia man who bought a piece of desert in Africa and claimed he wanted to build a country," Mary cautiously reminded him.

Oh, he remembered!

A curve formed at the corner of Schwartzman's lips, his expression full of undisguised contempt.

So it was that clown!

Recently, in Wall Street circles, quite a few people were indeed passing this around as the best joke of the year.

An internet upstart who appeared from nowhere, holding a little money, daring to play a role-playing game that was expensive to the point of stupidity.

"What does he want?" Schwartzman waved his hand impatiently. "Looking for us to finance building a country? Tell him to get lost! Tell him that the Blackstone Group's money is not for satisfying the unrealistic fantasies of a giant baby!"

"No, sir."

Mary shook her head, then gathered her courage before speaking the next words.

She herself knew just how absurd this statement was.

"The other party... the other party is not here to ask for money."

"They said their head of state has a business deal that could allow the Blackstone Group to earn... ten billion US dollars more every year for the next ten years, and he wants to talk to you personally."

As the words fell.

The office was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Even the flow of air seemed to stagnate.

The disdain and mockery on Schwartzman's face froze instantly.

Ten billion?

US dollars?

And every year?

This was no longer a joke.

This was a naked, almost insulting, wild claim!

Damn it, the entire Blackstone Group, this greediest behemoth on Wall Street, had worked hard all last year, laying out global strategies and engaging in power struggles, yet the net profit was only a little over forty billion.

This wet-behind-the-ears punk, in one breath, was talking about a quarter of his annual profit?

Who was he?

Was God descending to earth?!

"Madman!" Anger rushed to the top of Schwartzman's head. "Put this phone number, this company, this so-called bullshit republic's name, all on my blacklist! I don't want to hear any more news about this madman!"

He felt his intelligence had been provoked like never before.

He had no time, and no interest, to waste a single second of his life keeping company with a clown who was grandstanding and trying to grab attention by bragging.

But Mary did not move a step.

"Sir, the other party's representative was very polite; he said he anticipated your reaction," Mary said, biting the bullet. "So, they left a specific proposal. They said this proposal is the core that supports that 'ten billion US dollars per year' revenue."

After speaking, Mary projected an encrypted electronic document directly onto the oversized display screen on the office wall.

Schwartzman's anger hadn't dissipated, and he had intended not to look at it at all.

But on the screen, several eye-catching titles acted like physical hooks, grabbing his full attention.

"Future Energy Strategy and Global Power Grid Construction Plan"

"Global Data Center Cluster Concept Based on Sovereign Data"

" 'Jingrong': A New Paradigm for Connecting the Cyber Freedom Republic with Global Financial Data"

Just by glancing at the titles, Schwartzman's heartbeat started to accelerate uncontrollably.

His body, which had been leaning against the chair back, unconsciously leaned forward, his hands bracing the desktop.

In the office, only his heavy breathing remained.

He read it word by word; the anger, disdain, and irritability on his face quickly faded, his expression turning into an increasingly profound shock, finally transforming into a terror that made his scalp numb!

This was a business blueprint that was so grand it took one's breath away, so ahead of its time it was frightening, yet in theoretical logic, it was impeccable!

Energy!

Data!

Finance!

These three words turned into three heavy punches, striking him in the heart!

When he saw the end, seeing the complete closed-loop design that used "permanent zero tax rate" and "highest level of sovereign data protection" to attract global capital, he finally understood!

That promise of "earning ten billion US dollars more every year" was not empty talk!

It was not cash that you could get immediately, but a tremendously huge future expectation based on the full implementation of these plans!

What if this terrifying plan could really achieve even one-tenth of it?

Ten billion US dollars a year?

No!

If it really succeeded, dozens of billions, or even hundreds of billions of US dollars in annual profit, would not be a pipe dream!

Schwartzman's throat was incredibly dry; he grabbed his water glass and took a large gulp, his Adam's apple bobbing, only then suppressing the churning in his chest.

"Mary," his voice was a bit hoarse, "regarding this... 'Cyber Freedom Republic,' have other investment banks received similar news?"

Mary immediately reported: "Sir, according to news from the Hong Kong office, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley... almost all top investment banks with operations in Asia have received similar cooperation requests. Some of them may have thought the concept was too outrageous and refused directly. However, there are a few... that have shown great interest in this proposal and are preparing to make initial contact!"

This news directly ignited the greed in Schwartzman's eyes.

He thought of the group's current plight, thought of that shitty earnings report, and thought of the difficulty of finding new growth points.

And the proposal before him was a blazing flame burning in the endless darkness!

It looked dangerous; getting close would burn one to ashes.

But it could also bring unprecedented light and warmth!

The gambling nature in his blood, belonging to a top predator of Wall Street, was completely awakened!

He slowly stood up, walked to the huge floor-to-ceiling window, and looked down at New York City at his feet.

This city was built by countless gamblers like him, using one astonishing gamble after another.

Now, a brand-new, unprecedentedly large-scale gamble was placed in front of him.

"Mary!"

Schwartzman turned around abruptly, his voice no longer dry, but instead carrying uncontrollable excitement.

"Yes, sir."

"Immediately! Prepare a private jet for me!"

His eyes burst with a terrifying light, the look of a hungry wolf discovering a gold mine.

"No matter what Goldman Sachs and the others think, and no matter how absurd this sounds, I'm going there myself, damn it!"

"I'm going to see what that so-called 'Cyber Freedom Republic' really is!"

The corners of Schwartzman's lips spread, the smile revealing a hint of cruelty.

"I want to see with my own eyes whether this is the biggest scam of the century, or..."

"An opportunity that can truly change the world!"