Chapter 113: The Changes Brought to Laicheng by Fantasy Technology

Huang Shang also agreed with Gu Xiaobei’s words. Indeed, this place was too remote; no one would want to come here. Zhu Lan, of course, was fully aware that this location was chosen with careful consideration.

“I suppose you might not fully understand until you see it in person. I’ll explain everything once we get there!”

Huang Shang and Gu Xiaobei exchanged a glance and nodded silently.

Along the way, the three chatted about other matters, refraining from discussing the War Club. At most, Gu Xiaobei spoke about affairs in Yanjing.

An hour later, they arrived at SR City. Leaving the suburbs behind, they traveled along a newly built dirt road to the site of the War Club.

As soon as they got out of the car, Huang Shang and Gu Xiaobei were shocked at the scene before them.

“Has it already started?”

Indeed, the War Club’s construction was underway. Rows upon rows of modular buildings sprawled across the area. Hundreds of engineering vehicles hauled soil: loaders, excavators, bulldozers—various heavy machinery was mobilized.

Zhu Lan nodded slightly.

“Zhu Lan, shouldn’t there have been an announcement before construction began? This...” Huang Shang and Gu Xiaobei had never expected the War Club to be in progress already.

Zhu Lan smiled and shook his head. “Isn’t a bit of mystery better?”

The two sighed helplessly; what could they say? Zhu Lan was the driving force behind the War Club; he could do as he pleased.

The day General Xu Dezheng approved the project, Sheng Tang Real Estate had already been instructed to start transporting machinery here. The land had been purchased a week ago.

An area spanning twenty kilometers had been bought outright—something that would never have been permitted before military approval. But after the military’s green light, this vast expanse, capable of hosting one of the world’s largest cities, was acquired.

It measured seventy kilometers in diameter. Only one-seventh was usable; the rest was mountainous. This area was a cluster of mountains with just eight small villages scattered within. Zhu Lan had already allocated special funds to cooperate with the SR government to relocate the residents.

The final purchase price for the land was 18 billion yuan.

This was an astronomical amount, of course kept confidential. All the money went to the SR government, as the land was under their jurisdiction.

Eighteen billion yuan was enough to fund many projects in SR.

Regarding relocation, Zhu Lan contributed nothing upfront; demolition and resettlement costs were borne by the government. Fantasy Technology would finance the construction of new housing for the villagers—homes designed not like ordinary urban apartments, but more like American-style villas.

The land was provided by the SR government. Fantasy Technology would fund the building, and Sheng Tang Real Estate would handle construction. Meanwhile, the SR government planned to use this money to build a new city center around these resettlement houses. The old county center was outdated; now, flush with funds, they aimed to create a brand-new urban district.

The provincial government had many influential figures who were aware of Fantasy Technology’s plans here and had begun gradually diverting resources to SR City. If successful, SR would become the fastest-growing economy, with the War Club giving this city wings. How far it would soar depended on the SR government itself.

Following the mountain road, the three ascended. The path was rough and barely passable, but Zhu Lan’s bodyguards cleared the way.

After a great effort, they finally reached the mountaintop. Looking down, the entire construction site lay clearly before them.

This was a large valley surrounded by mountains. Not far away lay a place locals called Moon Lake.

“A fine location!” Even Huang Shang, who had seen many strange places, was impressed.

This place resembled a giant gourd, mountains connected to mountains forming distinct hollows.

“How about it? Not a bad choice, right?”

“Indeed, it’s excellent!” Huang Shang had to nod in agreement; this spot was perfect.

“But transportation remains a serious problem,” Gu Xiaobei raised the unavoidable issue.

Zhu Lan smiled and signaled behind him. A bodyguard brought over a map.

“Look, this is the latest satellite map I created, covering a fifty-kilometer radius around here.”

The two crouched down to examine it, astonished by the precise satellite imagery.

“This will be the future control center. Two control towers will be built here: the Blue Army Tower and the Red Army Tower.”

Huang Shang and Gu Xiaobei nodded knowingly.

Zhu Lan then pointed to a few mountains ahead. “These will be completely cleared. A leisure center will be constructed here. The model hasn’t been made yet, so I can only explain it for now.”

“What about transportation?”

“There are three aspects. First, a new road will connect directly from here to the ring highway.”

“Second, a small airport will be built, capable of handling small and medium-sized business planes, as well as helicopters.”

“Third, a civilian dock will be constructed for ships to berth.”

The dock would not be on Moon Lake but about five kilometers beyond it, on the seashore. There was a substantial area suitable for a dock there, less than seven kilometers from here, reachable by car quickly.

“Zhu Lan, you mean to start the final project immediately?” The two finally understood—Zhu Lan was building an entire city!

“Why not?”

“No, no, it’s just a bit too rushed.”

The project would cost at least tens of billions; Zhu Lan was indeed moving fast.

“No worries. It won’t be finished in three to five years anyway. Planning ahead can’t hurt. Besides, the land is already purchased; leaving it idle would be wasteful.”

The two shook their heads helplessly—what else could they say?

Zhu Lan led Huang Shang and Gu Xiaobei on a tour of Moon Lake, clearly pleased with the area.

The construction of the War Club was partly contracted to Sheng Tang Group, responsible for the hotel, entertainment and leisure center, and control towers. Other facilities, such as the model warehouse and the naval port on Moon Lake, would be built by the engineering corps.

Since it was already approved, using a few engineering corps wasn’t excessive.

Zhu Lan had hired an engineering construction team for the War Club, also assigning them the task of blasting mountains and clearing roads.

Back in the city, Huang Shang and Gu Xiaobei seemed to have urgent matters. They rushed to S City overnight to catch the latest flight back to Yanjing.

“Hello?”

Zhu Lan, resting with his eyes closed, was startled by the ringing phone. Seeing an unfamiliar number, he frowned. This was his private phone, long kept secret; few knew of it.

“Zhu Jun, am I disturbing you?”

Hearing a female voice, Zhu Lan hesitated briefly before realizing who it was. A smile spread across his face.

“Miss Sakurako!”

The caller was none other than Senbon Sakurako.

Zhu Lan found this call curious.

“Zhu Jun, do you have time? I’ve arranged a gathering tonight and sincerely hope you can attend. I’ve brought along a guest to support you!”

Sakurako stated her purpose directly.

Zhu Lan frowned but soon relaxed. “Oh? Where is it?”

“Sakurako Shop on Sakura Street, run by a good friend of mine. Eight o’clock tonight. Please don’t miss it!”

“All right, I’ll be there promptly at eight.”

“Great! Sakurako will be honored to wait for you!”

After hanging up, Zhu Lan pondered.

Sakurako always promised to surprise him, and Zhu Lan didn’t believe she would deceive him. Sakurako Group’s matters were urgent; she barely had time to appease him, so why would she lie?

Zhu Lan was unconcerned about tonight’s dinner. In this city, no one could harm him. Fantasy Technology housed many entities unknown even to the military. Besides, with Kong Yan and Snoth present, even the strongest adversaries could not withstand two robot warriors.

That evening, Zhu Lan drove an ordinary car, accompanied by Kong Yan, Snoth, and Wang Sheng, heading to the banquet.

By the time they arrived at Sakura Street, the area was bustling. This was a newly developed road with many Japanese-run shops. Not only this road but many new streets had emerged in the city.

All of this was thanks to Fantasy Technology.

At the time of the agency rights conference, many foreigners who had flooded in did not leave. Instead, they chose to stay, mainly because of Fantasy Technology. Before they made any moves, the National Security Bureau and local police had no means to intervene, as these foreigners had entered China through legitimate channels and obeyed local laws, even opening shops formally.

Though no incidents occurred in recent months, this influx brought significant economic benefits to Lai City. Many foreign shops sold genuine imported goods. Once discovered, products were bought here and resold inland at several times the price.

Korean, French, and American goods had been popular for years, but high customs fees discouraged many. Some people still smuggled products back.

Now, these foreign cosmetics and foodstuffs, having cleared customs properly, were even cheaper than online imports.

No one was foolish. Once the first person profited, more and more followed suit, boosting Lai City’s economy. Many inland residents, hearing the news, came here to source goods. Some foreigners, forgetting their original purpose, stocked up heavily, appearing to operate at a loss but actually making huge profits.

Even more absurdly, some foreigners conducting surveillance shared this business opportunity with friends back home, attracting more foreign merchants and creating several foreign-dominated commercial streets.

No one had anticipated this. Fantasy Technology had inadvertently fostered an entire industrial chain—a phenomenon no one could have foreseen.

(To be continued.)