213: Chapter 213 Royal City Planning! The DNA of the Infrastructure Maniac Has Been Moved!

On the second morning of the camping trip, Lin Zhou woke up to the crisp sound of birds chirping.

He stepped out of the tent to find Su Wanqing and Lin Xi had already prepared a simple breakfast of hot milk, sandwiches, and fried eggs.

Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting swaying patches of light on the ground, and the air he inhaled into his lungs carried the fresh scent of greenery.

At the dining table, the two women's conversation had not strayed from the "Desert Royal City" Lin Zhou had described the previous night.

"Lin Zhou, have you really thought this through? Building a residence in the Chinese garden style in the middle of a desert?" Su Wanqing asked. "How much water would that consume? The engineering difficulty is just too great."

"Only when the difficulty is great does it deserve to be called a miracle." Lin Zhou took a sip of milk and said, "The water issue will be solved by deploying large-scale atmospheric water generators and establishing an underground water circulation system. As for the engineering, as long as the money is right, there is no problem in this world that a Huaxia engineering team cannot solve."

"That must be beautiful!" Lin Xi's eyes sparkled. "White walls, black tiles, small bridges over flowing water, pavilions and terraces... built in the center of the desert, just thinking about it makes my heart race! When the time comes, what will your residence be called? The Palace of Heavenly Purity? The Hall of Supreme Harmony?"

"I haven't decided on a name yet." Seeing her look of anticipation, Lin Zhou followed her lead. "However, I already have some ideas for the planning scheme of the entire capital. After we return, I plan to convene a Supreme Cabinet meeting to officially launch this project."

As soon as these words were spoken, the relaxed and chatty expressions on Su Wanqing and Lin Xi's faces vanished.

They had thought this was just a distant idea of Lin Zhou's, never imagining he intended to put it into practice right now.

On the way back to the Beijing Suburbs headquarters, the atmosphere in the car changed.

On the way there, the two women were all smiles and laughter, trying to pull Lin Zhou into their topics.

On the way back, however, they both quieted down, listening to Lin Zhou elaborate on his vision. With just one grander, more attractive goal, he had shifted the offensive and defensive positions within the car, turning them from the strategists into listeners and participants in his plan.

As soon as he returned to headquarters, Lin Zhou summoned Qin Yue, Chen Yuan, Zhang Zhe, and He Jun for an emergency video conference. Jack, far away in Africa, also attended via an encrypted line.

In the meeting room, Lin Zhou projected an electronic map that covered an entire wall onto the main screen.

The center of the map was precisely the Bir Tawil region.

"Everyone, I have gathered you today for a major matter concerning the future of our nation." Lin Zhou spoke in a steady tone. "I have decided to officially launch the construction project for the capital of the Cyber Freedom Republic—'Future City'!"

He presented the sketches he had drawn at the campsite to everyone in much greater detail.

A blueprint for a futuristic city with a radial layout centered around the monarch's residence unfolded clearly on the screen.

"The entire city will be centered on the Qiming Palace and divided into five major sectors: the Administrative District, the Scientific Research District, the Financial District, the Living District, and the Military District."

"The Administrative District will house the office buildings for core departments such as the Privy Council, the Ministry of Revenue, the Office of the Chief Justice, and the Grand Marshal's Mansion. All will adopt a New Chinese garden style consistent with Qiming Palace, but the internal facilities will be the world's top-tier intelligent office systems."

"The Scientific Research District will continue to expand with the National Research Institute at its core. The Financial District will reserve land for the second and third phases of the 'African Data Ark' project and attract global banks and funds. The Living District will feature high-standard residences, schools, hospitals, and commercial centers."

"All districts will be connected through a massive underground transportation network and surface tracks, achieving separation of pedestrians and vehicles and efficient commuting."

Lin Zhou's description caused everyone's breathing in the meeting room to grow a bit heavier.

This was no longer a simple urban plan; this was a blueprint for the creation of a nation from zero to one!

"Lord, this plan... is too magnificent!" Chen Yuan's face flushed red, but he immediately doused the excitement with cold water, pointing out the most critical issue. "But what about the money? The funds needed for such a massive project would likely be astronomical. The available funds in our national treasury are currently only a bit over 1.6 billion USD, which simply cannot support such a large undertaking."

"I have already thought about the money issue," Lin Zhou said.

"First, the 'Oasis One' data center has already begun to turn a steady profit. Blackstone Group is urging us to start the second phase, and Davis has promised that if we are willing to sell, they can bring in over two billion USD in investment."

"Second," Lin Zhou looked toward Qin Yue, "The design scheme for the National Research Institute has caused a huge sensation globally. For this 'Future City' planning, we can similarly open it up to the world to solicit design schemes. But this time, we won't offer prize money; instead, we will use a 'scheme-as-equity' model."

"Whichever design firm's scheme is selected will receive priority development rights for part of Future City's commercial real estate or a certain percentage of shares. I believe the world's top architectural design firms will fight tooth and nail for this opportunity for both fame and fortune."

"Third," Lin Zhou continued, "Thompson's family fund will soon become the first limited partner of our 'National Strategic Development Fund.' This money can be used precisely to launch the construction of Qiming Palace and the Administrative District."

In just a few words, he had clearly laid out the sources of funding.

After listening, Chen Yuan let out a long sigh of relief and relaxed completely, his eyes soon igniting with light again. As someone with a background in finance, nothing got his blood pumping more than personally managing a trillion-level super project.

"The Lord is wise!" Chen Yuan stood up and guaranteed in a booming voice, "The Ministry of Revenue guarantees it will manage every penny and will never let any funding issues arise for the project!"

"Good." Lin Zhou nodded and looked at He Jun. "Grand Marshal, you will be fully responsible for the planning of the Military District. I have only one requirement: it must be the strongest fortress in the world."

"Mission guaranteed!" He Jun straightened his back.

"Chief Justice," Lin Zhou turned to Zhang Zhe, "You must produce drafts for the relevant land laws, construction laws, and investment laws as soon as possible. We must use the most complete laws to safeguard the construction and operation of this city."

"Rest assured, Lord, the Legislative Yuan will begin work immediately." Zhang Zhe pushed up his glasses.

"President of the Privy Council," Lin Zhou finally said to Qin Yue, "You will be in overall charge of the global solicitation of schemes, external publicity, and negotiations with investors like Blackstone."

"Understood." Qin Yue nodded.

With the tasks assigned, the atmosphere in the meeting room soared, and everyone was eager to get started. The long-suppressed "Infrastructure Maniac" gene was awakening in the blood of every core Huaxia member.

Just as the meeting was about to end, Jack's voice came through the speakers.

"Lord, I must remind you! Currently, all these buildings need to be constructed on newly created land."

"But right now, the Turning Sand into Soil 4.0 Reagents are all laboratory products, and the price is quite shocking! My suggestion is to first find a way to achieve industrial mass production; otherwise, with the capital we have, we won't be able to pull this off."

Jack's words caused the enthusiasm that had just ignited in the meeting room to instantly fizzle out.

After a while, Lin Zhou broke the silence: "A two-pronged approach. Use the laboratory reagents to first transform the land for the residence and the council hall; we'll build those two places first. We'll just have to accept the high cost."

"The others need to implement industrialization as soon as possible to bring the price down."

"Finally, we can start recruiting scientists from other industries."