89: Chapter 89: One Billion US Dollars Arrive!

China State Construction Engineering Corporation, Overseas Business Division.

General Manager Li Weiguo put down the phone, his expression uncertain.

The call was made personally by Lin Zhou, the leader of the Cyber Freedom Republic.

The content was simple: Lin Zhou invited China Construction to participate in the construction of the Oasis One Settlement project. Furthermore, he promised that as long as China Construction was willing to take it on, he could directly hand over the entire first phase of the project to them under an EPC (Engineering, Procurement, and Construction) turnkey contract model.

This was a major contract potentially worth over ten billion US dollars.

But the problem was that this project was located in the Bir Tawil desert, where the natural environment was extremely harsh.

More crucially, the project's client was a... cyber-nation.

Li Weiguo dared not delay and immediately reported the matter to the group headquarters.

The news quickly reached the highest levels.

Half a day later, Li Weiguo received a reply from headquarters, consisting of only four words: "Cooperate fully."

Li Weiguo's heart skipped a beat. He understood that behind this project lay cooperation at the national level. Clearly, there was some unspoken understanding between this young Cyber Leader and the national leadership.

He immediately called Lin Zhou back, expressing that China Construction was honored to participate in the construction of Oasis One and would immediately assemble a top-tier expert team to fly to Beijing to negotiate with Lin Zhou in person.

Lin Zhou was not at all surprised by this result.

He knew very well that after deeply binding genetic optimization technology with China, in the eyes of the top leadership, he had transformed from an "interesting young man" into a partner with significant strategic value.

Helping the Cyber Freedom Republic build infrastructure was essentially helping China establish an overseas, controllable technological special zone, ensuring its own food security.

Anyone could do that math.

A week later, Rome.

Representing the Cyber Freedom Republic, Qin Yue officially signed a loan agreement with the Vatican Bank.

Under the flashing lights, she shook hands firmly with Cardinal Parolin.

The agreement stipulated that the Vatican Bank would provide the Cyber Freedom Republic with a low-interest loan totaling one billion US dollars, specifically for the infrastructure construction and agricultural technology research and development of the Oasis One Settlement.

The day after the agreement was signed, the one billion US dollars was transferred, down to the last cent, into the account of the Cyber Freedom Republic's central bank.

In Lin Zhou's office, Minister of Finance Chen Yuan held a freshly printed statement, his hands trembling slightly.

"Leader... it's arrived! One billion US dollars, not a cent short!" Chen Yuan said, his voice filled with excitement. "Including the three hundred million plus already in our treasury, our available funds now exceed 1.3 billion US dollars! We... we have money!"

This old man, who had spent his whole life dealing with numbers, knew all too well how important this money was to this nascent nation.

With this money, diplomacy, legislation, infrastructure, scientific research... all the plans that had stalled due to funding issues could finally begin!

Lin Zhou was also happy, but he appeared much calmer than Chen Yuan.

His gaze fell upon the virtual screen in front of him.

"Ding! Large sovereign loan detected in national account, national credit rating increased!"

"Achievement 'First Loan' unlocked!"

"Reward: National Development Fund 500 million US dollars!"

"Current total National Development Fund: 2.4434 billion US dollars!"

"After deducting necessary expenses such as employee salaries, currency issuance, and diplomatic expenditures, the disposable amount is: 824 million US dollars."

A smile curled the corners of Lin Zhou's mouth.

This 500 million US dollars rewarded by the system was pure, zero-cost capital that did not need to be repaid and could be spent at will. This was the real windfall.

"Minister Chen, this one billion loan must be strictly listed as special funds in accordance with the agreement and used only for its intended purpose. No one is to misappropriate it," Lin Zhou instructed.

"That is natural," Chen Yuan nodded. "But Leader, the Vatican inspection team will arrive the week after next. We... what will we show them?"

This was also a problem that everyone was worried about.

Lin Zhou smiled and pushed a document in front of Chen Yuan.

"This is a memorandum of cooperation I just drafted with China State Construction Engineering Corporation."

Chen Yuan adjusted his reading glasses and picked up the document to read it carefully.

The more he read, the wider his eyes grew.

The core content of the memorandum was simple:

China Construction would serve as the general contractor for the Oasis One project. Over the next three weeks, they would mobilize all resources to complete three major tasks:

First, send a top-tier planning and design team to produce the conceptual design and 3D renderings of the Oasis One Settlement within seven days.

Second, leverage their global supply chain to immediately procure a batch of large construction machinery, solar power generation equipment, seawater desalination modules, and container-style mobile housing.

Third, before the Vatican inspection team arrived, at least fifty pieces of heavy construction machinery, a rudimentary solar power station, and a temporary camp capable of housing one hundred people had to be airlifted to Bir Tawil!

Chen Yuan gasped.

"This... how much will this cost? And the time is so tight, can they do it?"

"They can," Lin Zhou said with certainty. "Because I gave them an offer they couldn't refuse."

"What offer?"

"For all future infrastructure projects at Oasis One, China Construction will have the right of first refusal under equal conditions. Furthermore, we will foot the bill for all expenses of this operation, including equipment procurement, transportation, and labor. I have prepaid them a deposit of 200 million US dollars."

Chen Yuan's heart gave a sharp jolt.

Two hundred million US dollars! He had just thrown it away without batting an eye!

Is this what it feels like to be rich?

"Leader, this is practically using money to forcefully smash a construction site into the desert!" Chen Yuan exclaimed.

"Correct," Lin Zhou nodded. "Sometimes, the simplest and most brutal method is the most effective. The Vatican bankers don't want to see blueprints and PPTs; they want to see the determination we have by throwing down real money, they want to hear the roar of bulldozers, and they want to see with their own eyes the changes happening on this land."

"What we need to do is put on a sufficiently spectacular and expensive... groundbreaking ceremony for them."

Chen Yuan was completely convinced.

He finally understood that this young Leader not only knew how to calculate but also never hesitated when it was time to invest heavily.

Just then, Lin Zhou's secretary knocked and entered, handing over an urgent document.

"Leader, this is an urgent report sent by the Director of the General Post Office, A Niu."

Lin Zhou opened the file, and after just one glance, his brows furrowed.

The content of the report made him feel a trace of unease.