239: Chapter 234 Super Projects

There were over a dozen people, both men and women, some rugged and others refined, yet they were all currently puffing away on cigarettes without a shred of decorum, greedily enjoying the moment.

After a long while, the smoke cleared. Cao Xiao looked at these smokers in front of him with a strange expression and gave a wry smile, "May I ask, what exactly do you do here? Why does it feel like you're in prison?"

"Haha, you flatter me, little brother! This is the project department for the 'Comprehensive Geological and Environmental Survey of the Pan-Western Region,' jointly established by the national Ministry of Water Resources and the Ministry of Agriculture. My name is Gu Weizhen, and I am the person in charge of this camp."

How should one describe the person before him? He wore baggy breeches paired with liberation shoes, a white undershirt that had turned black with filth, long and messy hair, and a scruffy beard on his face. With his small nose and eyes, and thick, scratched-up black-rimmed glasses, he looked like a character who had walked straight out of an old movie.

"Mr. Gu, you are truly... unkempt! My name is Cao Xiao, from Huanghe City. I rented a helicopter today to take in the Kunlun scenery. I saw your camp from above and got curious, so I decided to stop by to have lunch. I hope I'm not intruding. By the way, who was that person just now?"

"Oh, you mean that Li Fengjiao? Do you know him?"

Having confirmed that Cao Xiao and his group were just tourists, Gu Weizhen lost interest, instead asking Cao Xiao back with a gossipy look on his face.

"Gah! Li Fengjiao...! What is he doing here? Oh, right! He's a government official. Even if he's just a small fry, he's still working in a central agency in the capital. Given his restless nature, it's normal for him to have ended up in the Ministry of Water Resources over the last few years. It makes sense for him to be here; maybe he got sidelined again."

There were too many people when he got off the helicopter, so he hadn't noticed him. No wonder the back looked familiar. Hearing the name Li Fengjiao stunned him instantly. Why? Because this was his uncle! His mother Li Fengmei's cousin. Although not his biological uncle, they had a good relationship. He had been kind to the siblings when they were young, always buying them snacks. However, Cao Xiao hadn't seen him since he started middle school. He heard that he had passed the civil service exam in the capital, settled down there, and later became a minor official, bringing his parents over to live with him, and he stopped returning to his hometown for the holidays.

His uncle was born with a sissy name. It was said to have been taken from that great man's line, "The landscape is so charming," and it had been decided by a fortune teller while he was still in the womb. He resisted until his grandfather passed away, but couldn't get it changed, and later, even if he had, it would have been useless; all his relatives and friends liked his unique name. Though the name was sissy, the man himself was extremely restless, always stirring up trivial matters that left people laughing and crying at the same time. Calling him a 'champion of unreliability' would be the most fitting description.

"By the way, your 'Comprehensive Geological and Environmental Survey of the Pan-Western Region' project has quite a grand title. What is it specifically? If it's inconvenient, just pretend I didn't ask."

It was a joint ministerial-level project, time-consuming and labor-intensive even at the survey stage, with a name that sounded both intimidating and vague. It might be a classified state project, but Cao Xiao couldn't help but ask out of curiosity.

Seeing Cao Xiao's curious expression and his cautious probing, Gu Weizhen couldn't help but laugh proudly: "Haha! Our project is indeed shockingly large; it could be called the number one super project in world history, ancient or modern—even the Great Wall can't compare. This isn't a secret. Have you heard of the Red Flag River?"

Cao Xiao suddenly understood. The Red Flag River project, also known as the New Great Western Line for diverting water from Tibet to Xinjiang, was hailed as the greatest super project in history, not just because of the massive volume of work and the enormous impact it would have on the national economy and people's livelihood after completion, but it was also well-deserved in terms of cost alone. The primary project cost of several trillion huaxia currency was unprecedented in the history of world infrastructure. Coupled with the massive supporting system projects, this figure could double. Just from the cost alone, one could imagine what a vast undertaking this would be.

Unfortunately, this was not yet an approved national project, but merely a conceptual blueprint initiated by civilians that remained in the planning and design phase. For the five-plus years since its inception, it had only remained in the stage of civilian research and discussion. The water conservancy departments had also stated they had no intention of launching it, and there had been no substantive actions or progress. After all, such a vast project involved more than just one region or one country. Although reasonable water diversion planning meant it would cause almost no substantive impact on the various South Asian countries downstream of the water source, and our side had the right to independently launch the project, there would always be those people with their typical attitudes. Coupled with the agitation of those with ulterior motives, once the matter was elevated to the level of international affairs, it would no longer be a simple internal engineering problem. It involved too many facets; even just the bickering would be protracted. If it were truly launched, every few days some troublemaker would jump out to cause a nuisance, as frustrating and maddening as always. In any case, this super project wouldn't be able to break ground for at least five or eight years, so Gu Weizhen and his team could only do some data preparation at this stage.

However, while others or the state might not be able to do it, Cao Xiao now had some ideas about it. For no other reason than that the profits, measured in trillions, were too significant to ignore, even if it were only one percent. It would be enough to make him soar in a short period. Moreover, the endless wealth and influence formed after the subsequent desert development and transformation were completed would mean that no one in this world would dare to look down on him again.

To him, this kind of civil engineering project, no matter how terrifyingly huge the volume of work, was just a matter of lifting a finger. He only needed to spend a few days flying along the planned route by plane, and it would be done, turning it into an established fact without anyone knowing. He wouldn't need to worry about international influence at all; at most, there would be a war of words afterward. But if it were truly accomplished, the whole country would give its full support. When it came to verbal battles, they had never known defeat since ancient times. With a billion internet trolls ready to mobilize, it would be enough to ward off all evil and unleash a deluge of public opinion!

Being tempted was one thing, but one had to plan before acting. This matter was simple to execute, but he couldn't do it openly. First, he had to find another way to secure the long-term contracting rights for the nearly 560,000 square kilometers—about 800 million mu—of desert area without it being linked to the Red Flag River project, disguising himself as a lucky person hit by a pie falling from the sky. Second, he had to figure out how to swallow such a huge profit without working for others. Those who eat alone and grow fat must not only have a good appetite but also have tough fists and means. River channel construction was a small matter, but the moment he thought about the nearly four trillion in startup capital for land development, Cao Xiao started to get a headache. Unknowingly, his thoughts drifted far away...

Seeing Cao Xiao lost in thought, Gu Weizhen couldn't help but reveal a look of pride on his face: "Would you like to visit our survey results? This once-in-a-millennium super project is enough to shake people's hearts, even if it hasn't officially started yet."

Cao Xiao came back to his senses upon hearing this, but said insincerely: "Oh! No need! I'm not interested in this sort of thing. Mr. Gu, don't mind us; we have important matters to attend to. We'll just have a quick lunch here and then leave. When the Red Flag River is built in the future, I might come to sightsee if I have the chance."

He not only didn't want to learn more, but actually wanted to leave sooner, not wanting to have too much contact with the project team. This was also to avoid suspicion; he couldn't expose his purpose, lest he be suspected of hoarding for speculation when he wanted to contract the desert later. But in secret, he had quietly copied all the project team's survey data. He felt a bit guilty, like a thief, and couldn't even bother with his uncle Li Fengjiao.

"Ahem! Ahem!" Seeing Cao Xiao like this, Gu Weizhen thought he had misunderstood and couldn't help but cough twice with an awkward smile. He then very enthusiastically took out a business card and handed it to Cao Xiao with both hands: "Alright then, since Mr. Cao has matters to attend to, I won't keep you any longer. Thank you for the cigarettes. This is my business card. If Mr. Cao has a chance to come to the capital, remember to call me. Another day, I will host, and I insist Mr. Cao does not decline."

If it had been other tourists, Gu Weizhen would never have been this enthusiastic. Someone who could casually take out a whole carton of yellow crane tower 1916 to give away, and rent a helicopter to wander around in this wilderness, likely didn't have a simple identity. If one only had money but not enough social status, one could absolutely not be as calm and composed as Cao Xiao. So, he also had the intention of making friends. Being kind to others was always a good thing; connections and resources were accumulated bit by bit. Moreover, given his current situation where he urgently needed a breakthrough, he wouldn't ignore any potential assistance. Using today's chance encounter to get closer to Cao Xiao was within reason.

"Hehe, Mr. Gu is too kind. If I have time to go to the capital, I will definitely pay a visit. We won't disturb you any further. We'll just borrow the site for a bit; Mr. Gu and everyone else, please go about your business."

Cao Xiao responded with a polite smile, which had a hint of dismissing them. After speaking, he didn't care about Gu Weizhen and the others, turning around to have his bodyguards start preparing lunch on the spot.

"Alright, I see you've brought ingredients. If you're missing anything, just give us a shout, and we'll have someone send it over as soon as possible. Farewell!" Seeing this, Gu Weizhen didn't say much more, took another serious look at Cao Xiao's group, and then called the others to leave the helipad.

"Boss, what are you up to now?" Once no one else was around, Li Quanshuo leaned in and stared at Cao Xiao suspiciously. The look in his eyes seemed to say, "I've seen through you," and it also contained a sense of disdain.

"What kind of looks are those? Am I the type of person who doesn't do proper work? I already said I'm not interested. Besides, even if I were, I don't have the ability! Such a huge project—given my status and position, I don't even have the qualifications to participate. Furthermore, this is only a proposed project; who knows how long it will take to actually start! Hurry up and make something to eat. We'll fly a bit further forward and then head back. This is Kunlun; heaven knows what the weather will be like the next moment, and it's not safe flying in the sky." Being seen through, Cao Xiao didn't appear embarrassed. Although he was indeed a bit unreliable and did things as he pleased without enough focus, this wasn't a shameful thing; he had the right to be willful.

Li Quanshuo rolled his eyes speechlessly, said nothing, and turned away to get to work.

On the other hand, Duan Hong said seriously: "Boss, I suggest we just go back. There's nothing to see flying over this wilderness. The Kunlun Mountains are a bit special; the deeper you go, the more unstable the airflow becomes. If we encounter special circumstances, this small civilian aircraft won't be able to handle it, and we haven't prepared any parachutes. Moreover, if we fly a bit further in this direction, we'll hit the restricted area—the legendary, terrifying 'Gate of Hell,' the Lenggele Valley!"

Upon hearing this, Cao Xiao's expression became inscrutable, and he felt a bit hesitant. The Lenggele Valley was known as one of the world's five great death valleys, and it was located deep within the myth-filled Kunlun Mountains. If it were merely a unique danger zone caused by natural disasters, it wouldn't remain an unsolved mystery to this day, even with such advanced science and technology. If it were a natural disaster, relying on his industrial mother machine, it would be nothing more than a persistent lightning phenomenon caused by the interaction of strong magnetic anomalies—from the basalt with strong magnetism formed by Triassic volcanic activity in the strata of the middle reaches of the Lenggele River—with the electrical charges in the clouds. Even volcanic eruptions, major earthquakes, or great floods would be safe enough to handle. However, he had no bottom line regarding those mysterious existences. Many corpses found in the valley, apart from lightning marks, still maintained attacking postures and expressions of extreme fear. Some had no fatal wounds discovered at all, and some even vanished into thin air. It was impossible for large animals to exist in the valley; let alone animals, even plants were pitifully scarce. The mystery within made him have to be cautious.

The purpose of this trip was originally to search for hetian jade veins. Previously, he had found a large underground river deep underground. Fortunately, along the underground river, he had indeed found several hetian jade veins. Due to the unique geological environment of the underground river, the quality of the jade in the veins was three parts better than the equivalent jade from surface veins, and the reserves were shockingly large. If he took it all out, it would be enough to drive the market price of hetian jade down several times over.

But no one ever complains about having too many good things. According to the geological environmental data currently collected by the industrial mother machine, he analyzed and inferred that there was a high possibility of a large or a single undiscovered super jade vein in the Lenggele Valley. Regardless of quality, the sheer potential for astonishing jade reserves made it difficult for him to choose, even knowing it was extremely dangerous at this moment.

After pondering for a while and weighing things in his heart, Cao Xiao looked up and slowly said: "It doesn't matter. We'll fly a bit further forward. The anomalous area is in the middle of the valley; the lower reaches of the Lenggele River have no danger. We'll keep an eye on the compass at all times. As long as we don't rashly approach the areas with strong magnetic anomalies, it won't be a problem to fly lower."

Li Quanshuo and the other man couldn't help but stop what they were doing and look at each other. They didn't answer directly, just nodded with worried expressions to indicate their agreement, and then turned to get back to work.

After eating lunch hastily and refueling the helicopter, they didn't wait for the Li Fengjiao they expected to come. They didn't say goodbye to the people in the camp either. Before long, the sound of the propellers cutting through the air was barely audible.

In a corner of the camp, several people were watching the black dot in the sky that was about to disappear, remaining silent. One of them was none other than Li Fengjiao, who hadn't appeared again after showing his face once. At this moment, where could one find any trace of his unreliability? His whole body exuded a sharp and compelling aura. The two young people beside him subconsciously moved away from him. However, conversely, the trace of hard-to-conceal worry on his face completely ruined the oppressive atmosphere...