115: Chapter 115's conjecture is true.

After a moment of contemplation, Cao Xiao spoke slowly: "I will give you two billion us dollars first. Combined with your five hundred million, that makes 2.5 billion, which is enough for you to complete the acquisition. There's no rush for the subsequent funds, and you don't need to produce them all at once; we'll talk about it when the time comes. If there's nothing else, you may leave now."

"Understood, goodbye sir!" Dapu, having gained some understanding of Cao Xiao's personality, immediately stood up to take his leave and departed without looking back.

The entire oil field project budget required nearly ten billion us dollars, which was actually the minimum investment. If he didn't secure the mineral rights and land first, neither he nor the China Petroleum Group would have any chance of participating. The South African government would surely keep all the shares firmly in its own hands. Even if they were pressured into selling a portion, at that point, just ten percent would cost more than ten billion us dollars.

However, raising nearly a billion us dollars in the short term was a major problem. His previous method of selling large quantities of minerals directly was no longer viable. He had plenty of gems and gold in his space, but he could only take them out bit by bit to avoid drawing attention, and he couldn't find the right person to sell them to; plus, time was of the essence. He couldn't think of a good solution after much deliberation. He couldn't always rely on selling resources to make a living; that was the most wasteful way. With the industrial mother machine, he wouldn't lack scientific production technology. The best way was to manufacture high-tech products from the mineral resources he obtained and then sell them. A one-stop shop of mining, processing, manufacturing, and sales was the way to go. But currently, he only had one steel plant capable of producing steel, and not a single other processing enterprise, let alone a complete industrial chain. Thinking of the steel plant, a sudden flash of inspiration hit him—if he couldn't sell minerals, he could sell technology! He possessed a vast array of steel smelting technologies. Aside from those ultra-modern alloy formulas that couldn't be revealed, the others were dispensable to him and could be sold.

His steel plant still required a major overhaul to meet the conditions for producing those alloys. Not only would it not be profitable, but it would also require a massive investment for a comprehensive upgrade, which wouldn't be completed for several months. Furthermore, these technologies were like chicken ribs—byproducts—to him; they would become obsolete in a few years if kept. It was better to exchange them for development funds. Doing so would not only gradually raise the technological level of Earth's civilization but also provide convenience for his future development.

Every high-tech product is assembled from a large number of components. Even an ordinary electronic watch cannot be completed by a single factory alone; its parts come from various manufacturers. This is even more true for high-precision equipment, which cannot be manufactured without a complete industrial system for support. The production efficiency of the industrial mother machine was extremely high, but it could never surpass the productivity of a country with a complete industrial system. This was because the industrial mother machine could only process raw materials step-by-step into various parts before assembling them into a finished product. In contrast, by relying on an entire industrial system, the process of manufacturing parts could be carried out simultaneously according to a plan, and then mass-produced and continuously assembled into products. Moreover, many part materials were readily available and could be used immediately, saving a lot of time and allowing for the simultaneous production of countless products.

In the future, he would certainly produce products far more advanced than those currently existing. With today's technological level, many parts couldn't even be processed. If he released these technologies, the improvement of basic materials would drive progress in the entire technological system. Later, when he manufactured products, he wouldn't have to rely on the industrial mother machine to process and manufacture every single component from scratch. When the world's technological level reached a certain point, all parts could be ordered directly from other factories. He could even complete all production steps in the real world without relying on the industrial mother machine at all. The industrial mother machine would only be responsible for research and development, and then the advanced technologies developed could be used to produce goods externally, increasing efficiency countless times over.

However, he had to be cautious about selling technology. He couldn't sell just anything, the quantity couldn't be too large, and it couldn't be too advanced. This required his own careful judgment. As for buyers, there weren't many options—it would be the Hongdu Group. Relationships mattered, and Hongdu would be his home base. Under suitable conditions, the first choice would always be the Hongdu Group, followed by other Chinese enterprises, and finally friendly Chinese-owned businesses. As for foreign companies, no matter how friendly, they would not be considered; they only needed to buy the finished products.

"Mr. Cao!" While Cao Xiao sat on the sofa with his eyes closed in deep thought, Duan Hong's voice sounded in front of him.

Opening his eyes, twelve figures appeared in his sight—it was Wu Feng and the others who had come from China. "Brother Wu, you're here! Don't just stand there; go to your rooms and put away your luggage first. Brother Duan, take them to their rooms."

Wu Feng did not go with the others but sat on the sofa opposite Cao Xiao. He asked Cao Xiao doubtfully, "Mr. Cao, I heard from Duan Hong and the others that the matter has been resolved? What exactly happened?"

Cao Xiao knew he couldn't keep it from the bodyguards. Duan Hong and Li Quanshuo didn't ask because it wasn't their place, but Wu Feng was the team leader. For security and prevention purposes, he had to know information about Cao Xiao's enemies to create a security plan. Thus, he replaced his own role with a Fictional Senior expert and blurred some details as he told the story to Wu Feng. "In the early morning, we eliminated the attackers who came from the sea. Shortly after, the Angress Family's headquarters was attacked. I asked a senior from back home who happened to be traveling here to do it. That senior alone eliminated all the armed personnel in the manor, and the culprit was killed on the spot. The Angress Family was terrified and had to compromise, swearing a solemn oath to follow that senior. But that senior likes to travel around, so he had them take orders from me. Now, the Angress Family has become my subordinate force, and the crisis is resolved. However, you still have a mission for this trip. The Angress Family has a mercenary group in Somalia, and I need you to take it over. Is there someone suitable among you to manage this mercenary group?"

"I've always known that there are some extraordinary people in our country, and I've seen a few during several missions, but I've never had close contact with them. One of them was sent by an opposing force to deal with us. That person's methods were too bizarre; from a distance, he used sound to control venomous spiders hiding in the surrounding vegetation to attack us. Moreover, his skills were incredibly formidable. I suspect his body had already surpassed human limits. With one punch, he crushed the chest of one of our fit comrades, killing him. At that time, our squad paid the price of three dead and four seriously injured before we were lucky enough to wound him. In the end, it was only the timely arrival of an attack helicopter that scared him off. Otherwise, even in a critically injured state, that man would have had the ability to kill us all."

Wu Feng's mouth twitched slightly, and his voice grew deeper. Recalling the scenes of his comrades' sacrifices inevitably brought pain to his heart, and his expression showed a hint of wariness and hatred. Finally, he gave a self-deprecating smile and continued, "Mr. Cao, if you have a good relationship with that senior, you might want to find a way to become his disciple. People like them are elusive; meeting one is a great opportunity. Legend has it that some even have the ability to live forever and can do anything, from ascending to the heavens to diving into the earth. As long as one can learn their skills, time, power, and wealth will become as insignificant as floating clouds. I once had the honor of meeting an extraordinary person from China, but unfortunately, I didn't realize it then and missed the opportunity. Otherwise, I would have risked everything and been thick-skinned enough to beg to be his disciple. If I had learned their skills, I wouldn't have had to watch so many comrades fight that man with the determination to die!"

Cao Xiao hadn't expected his Fictional Senior to make Wu Feng recall such sad memories, nor did he expect Wu Feng to know so much about extraordinary people, having even seen one and nearly killed one. The answer he couldn't get from his master Hou Jingsheng was unexpectedly obtained from Wu Feng, leaving him in a state of unrest. This world had unveiled a layer of its veil to him, confirming the existence of another realm. Strictly speaking, martial arts masters should be counted among that class of people, but martial arts felt more direct and wasn't as mysterious as the others. Hou Jingsheng should know a lot of information in this regard and had mentioned it last time, but he was somewhat ambiguous, making it impossible for Cao Xiao to accurately judge if his hypothesis was correct. It might also be because he hadn't passed the entry test yet and wasn't an official disciple; Hou Jingsheng only warned him to keep a low profile without giving specific details.

Although martial arts weren't that magical, once practiced to a certain level, they could presumably break through physical limits. He knew of three realms from his master: Obvious Power, Hidden Power, and Transformation Power. He didn't know if there were higher realms beyond Transformation Power, but according to the description of the Transformation Power realm in the boxing classic, that kind of power was no longer something a normal person could possess; even top athletes were far from reaching that level. If one broke through human limits, it might be possible to break the shackles of lifespan. With a strong body, one could adapt to space activities, and with an extended lifespan, interstellar travel would become a possibility.

He made up his mind to do whatever it took to reach the Transformation Power realm at the fastest possible cultivation speed and personally experience what it was like to surpass human limits. As for the entry, he wasn't worried at all. With the industrial mother machine assisting his cultivation, as long as he worked hard and practiced incessantly, it wouldn't take much time to enter the gate; reaching the realm of Obvious Power wasn't even out of the question. Thinking of this, his heart stirred, wondering if he should pay a visit to Xiahou Anbang. If he could observe his training, he could create a new data model for a Hidden Power master. Combining it with Hou Jingsheng's for comparison, or merging the two into one, would be even more perfect. At that time, his cultivation efficiency would increase greatly.

"Brother Wu, just recently I took a master of National Martial Arts as my teacher and am learning Eight Extremes Fist from him. I believe that one day, I too will become a powerful master of National Martial Arts. When our strength is greater, I will take you all to find that person and seek revenge. With our equipment, swords can't hurt us and poisonous insects can't break through; we could beat him to death even without firearms." Cao Xiao comforted Wu Feng.

"Thank you, Mr. Cao! We will use the strictest standards to help you build a loyal and powerful armed force." Wu Feng suddenly stood up and gave Cao Xiao a solemn salute. Then, struck by a thought, he said, "However, I actually have a very suitable candidate for that mercenary group. She's in Africa right now; it just depends on whether you're willing to accept her."

"Oh? Who is it? Why do you say that?" Cao Xiao asked curiously.

"She's called Phoenix. She's a woman and also a wanted fugitive. Her real name is Yan Qingcheng. She was once an elite in the special forces, you could even say a soldier king. She grew up in an orphanage, but the orphanage that raised her was burned down by arson. A volunteer aunt and the director who raised her also died tragically while trying to fight the fire, and several children who couldn't escape in time perished in that accident. It happened that she was back on leave and saw the orphanage on fire. She rushed to help, but the fire was too large; not only was it not extinguished, but the flames burned her body and face. While recovering in the hospital, she saw the news and learned the fire was arson, so she retired on the grounds of her injuries. After her burns had healed somewhat, she chose not to have skin graft surgery and instead left the hospital."

"Thereafter, she investigated and found the identity of the arsonist, then killed him regardless of the consequences. She became wanted because of this, and that was only the beginning. Her investigation revealed that the arsonist was also acting under orders. The person who instructed him was the owner of a real estate company. Because the impact of that arson case was too heinous, the real estate owner was also wanted by the police, but he fled to Africa at the time of the incident. Yan Qingcheng followed closely to hunt him down. However, that man had a powerful cousin in Africa who was the second-in-command of a large mercenary group. Yan Qingcheng tried to assassinate him several times without success and nearly lost her life. So, she changed her name to Phoenix and joined a mercenary group, hoping to use its power for revenge. But the scale and strength of her mercenary group were far inferior to that large one. Over a year, she used every means to become the leader of the mercenary group and led her group to ambush the large mercenary group's base. Unfortunately, their weapons were too advanced—they had helicopters and even two fighter jets in the air, and armored vehicles and tanks on the ground, plus missiles and high-tech weapons. They were discovered as soon as they entered the territory. That time, her mercenary group was almost wiped out without causing much loss to the enemy. For the past two years, she has been lurking in the shadows to develop her strength, and I haven't heard news of her for a long time. If you don't mind her status, I can contact her, but she is bent on revenge, and I'm not sure I can persuade her."

After listening, Cao Xiao frowned in thought. He didn't mind Yan Qingcheng's status; Wu Feng's recommendation meant she was very capable. She was a special forces soldier king herself and had become the leader of a mercenary group in just a year, showing strong leadership. Having her lead the mercenary group was more suitable than Wu Feng and the others. But what troubled him was how to persuade Yan Qingcheng to help him. A person so intent on revenge couldn't be moved by material conditions unless he promised to help her get revenge. But the Angress Family's mercenary group was only a small one; if he handed it to Yan Qingcheng, she might lead them to their deaths before long. Unless he took action himself, but he also had to call this Yan Qingcheng over to see if she was worth doing that for.