Chapter 1481
Chapter 1481 - 1477 Big Guy
1,428 words
•
8 min read
Lu Ping’an’s previous life was that of a fairly successful businessman.
He knew that as an investor, one would rarely focus on a single high-quality project... The risk was simply too great; a single market fluctuation or technological innovation could bankrupt you.
The investment inclination of large capitalists... ahem, major forces is actually to "preserve capital", ensuring overall steady appreciation while minimizing risks as much as possible.
𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚
I may not need to earn much, just beating inflation is enough, as long as I maintain a huge total amount of assets, it naturally allows me to gain everything.
Such an investment mindset means that big investors often cast a wide net, investing in market hotspots and high-potential projects, reaping more benefits when developments proceed smoothly, and divesting and leaving when situations turn bleak.
Is the project that Lu Ping’an is currently handling considered high-quality? It’s hard to say, even if he fulfills most of his promises, the actual investment entity (Eastern Country) gains almost nothing.
Seems exaggerated? In reality, the investment from Eastern Country is divided into two parts: one part is the Ancient city people, let’s not discuss that for now... the other part includes official technology, enterprises, and talents, which are valuable, but all show a strange situation of earning and spending in Mercury.
After all, the university town, shops, and industries are still in the early stages of expansion. Although they generate income, the revenue is barely a fraction of the investment.
Lu Ping’an’s overly smooth expansion also made the expansion of various companies in the Eastern Country extremely smooth, leading to more industries and more investments.
Lu Ping’an was somewhat unable to understand.
"...At this point, the market in this world is already saturated. The battlefield is balanced, and the outcome of strong intervention is unknown. I am somewhat unable to understand why you would pursue such extensive investment."
But some countries have completely different styles and logic of doing things; they don’t pursue "appreciation/preservation of capital".
They operate investment tools for a certain goal, not caring about profit or loss itself, achieving their own strategic goals is what’s important... For such entities, it’s ridiculous to assess their investment success or failure on the short-term profitability of a single project; they can bear losses the whole way, even losing for dozens of years.
In the end, they get it all back in one wave, and even more outrageously, they take the gambling table and the chessboard (territory) away entirely.
Hearing that they would even send two True Gods to reinforce high-tier combat power, Lu Ping’an remembered an oil field discovered somewhere, which also brought along two aircraft carriers.
After the initial joy, he felt a bit surprised, worried, and even fearful.
Some money, some resources, should not be taken lightly.
"Large city? Are you planning to..."
"Don’t misunderstand, we won’t interfere with the development of New Kingdom. More accurately, we intend to establish a relatively independent community, akin to an overseas colony."
If people from the Eastern Country were to move in large numbers, yet settle independently, Lu Ping’an couldn’t help but overthink.
He frowned; handling this wave poorly could greatly disrupt the rhythm.
"We plan to establish a tourist city, mainly with tourist visas; most of the population will be transient..."
Looking at the young official in front of him, spouting nonsense with a serious face, Lu Ping’an could only smile and respond.
Tourist visas? This world doesn’t even have visas! Not to mention visas or passports, this world doesn’t even have customs or household registrations, the people coming in don’t need to go through quarantine or checks, once they join the local Eastern Country population, they blend in completely undistinguishable.
"Could you be more candid? Our time is quite precious, and I still need to discuss with people from Lin Nu’s Church."
Lu Ping’an furrowed his brow, and the person opposite suddenly became serious.
The young official was sweating, realizing that though Lu Ping’an was so young, he was suspected to have eighth-tier combat power, his value even surpassing most quasi-gods.
He, this young man, had more of a "cooperative relationship" with the Eastern Country, so, if the negotiations really broke down, his side wouldn’t be able to bear the consequences.
"Sorry, we mainly have two requests..."
Being honest made communication less troublesome, yet upon hearing this, Lu Ping’an’s expression grew increasingly delicate.
In the end, it was his own fault.
He had underestimated the strategic value of "becoming extraordinary without the threat of death."
Although it seemed like the breakthrough rate hadn’t changed, and only that the losers wouldn’t die, it was actually a transformation from zero to one. For the people of Mercury 42, it was mainly a convenient opportunity to become professionals. For the people on Earth, it was a transformation from gambling with their lives to following a procedure.
All along, Lu Ping’an’s side had been surrounded by rumors, as many Evil Gods lured people with the promise of "a hundred percent chance to become professional"... and with the spread of the internet over these past six months and a massive number of sample tests, the reality of a zero death rate was indeed confirmed.
Another claim by Lu Ping’an, "You can only become a professional on Mercury 42 at a low value," was also verified.
"If the mountain won’t come to me, then I’ll go to the mountain..."
Lu Ping’an had not expected that this indeed had enough value to make them undertake such an apparently cost-ineffective action.
"No, aren’t there Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures like the Fruit of Growth here? This world is a high-quality training ground, and it’s also convenient for all sides to train their warriors here."
Train warriors? Most of this area is ocean, and most of Earth’s artillery can’t be used. What warriors are you training?
Lu Ping’an rubbed his chin, feeling that something was off.
It was possible that this big relocation here was just a precursor.
"The second thing is that we’re going to act against the Octopus... Over the past six months, the sea level has risen by at least two meters."
Now, Lu Ping’an finally understood where the problem lay.
A heavy file bag was passed to him, bearing a top-secret seal. The documents Lu Ping’an opened and briefly examined detailed numerous disasters and losses.
Just this year alone, floods and tsunamis had occurred over a thousand times, with over a hundred thousand casualties and countless property damages.
"Our country is relatively better off. Do you know about those small island nations in the Pacific?"
"Uh, I’ve heard of them."
"They’re gone. Including their residents, less than 1% survived..."
A brief look through the file showed countless incidents similar to the disappearance of the island nations, with tsunamis, Sea Monsters, and floods occurring more frequently each month. The passive defenses were quite poor.
The coastal regions were generally in terrible condition, and many large cities in the Eastern Country were along the coast, which the file had already mentioned had undergone two large-scale internal relocations.
"...That’s really tragic, the mortgage isn’t even paid off yet, and the houses and cities are gone."
It seemed that some entity was transforming Earth, aiming to completely turn it into a new Mercury.
This transformation didn’t come without warning... A high-level Evil God, if it set its sights on a world, would certainly not just stop there. The first sighting of the Octopus even dates back over two hundred years.
It, or rather They, will continuously erode that world, gradually transforming it into a homeland with "rules" suitable for its own ethnic group, just like Their native land.
This is a world’s "Fusion," and also a common erosion flow self-defense mechanism of the world.
The Octopus had targeted Earth not just once or twice. Whether it was Guan Xinxian that time or the Fish-head Beast Tamer afterwards, although both involved Cultists’ subjective malice, he only invited them in through the door, the real danger was still that thief staring at your "home."
"...We can’t always be passive in our response. This world is now connected to the world of the Octopus, it might become a channel for transitioning from defense to offense. Yes, we are going to strike back at the world of the Octopus!"
— End of Chapter 1481 —