Solving Middle Age Crisis by Intelligence System-Chapter 493 - 308: Salaman’s Visit

In the early morning, a secluded residential house in West Mountain.

A bedsheet was spread on the cement floor of the main room, with various antiques and cultural artifacts placed on it, including porcelain from the Ming and Qing dynasties, calligraphy, and some jade pieces.

Each item in this pile is worth no less than half a million dollars.

Besides these antiques, there’s a suitcase next to it filled with shiny small yellow fish.

This was once the realm that Secretary Ji had conquered, but now none of it belongs to him anymore.

Hong Weize squatted halfway on the ground, holding a flashlight, roughly scanning through the antiques, then stood up and rubbed his hands.

"They are all good stuff!"

"All given to me? Shi Feng won’t overthink it, will he?"

Qi Yun laughed and shook his head, pulling his companion to the courtyard outside the house and handing over a cigarette: "These things aren’t suitable to be sold in his shop."

Hong Weize, being a sharp old man, instantly understood the implication in Qi Yun’s words, touched his shiny bald head, and replied in a low voice: "I’ll find a way to break them up into single pieces and distribute them to collectors in the south, which is both safe and profitable."

"Alright, make the arrangements, and later keep your share, then exchange the rest for gold for me."

"Haha, understood." Hong Weize grinned, revealing a set of large yellow teeth.

...

The next afternoon, a flight from Oil Country landed at the Bird City Air Force Base.

As the gangway was just set up next to the cabin door, the first person to walk down was wearing a white robe, with a piece of white cloth on their head, none other than the future leader of Oil Country—Salaman.

Following closely behind were the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Oil Country and more than a dozen staff members, including people in charge of the "Eye of God" project negotiations mixed into the group.

Their official reason for visiting China this time was to promote economic and energy cooperation between the two countries, with the northwest being an important economic and energy hub of Huaxia, serving as their first stop for the visit.

Normally, people of Salaman’s level visiting China would fly directly to Beijing, rarely heading to the northwest, so the local importance placed on this visit was extremely high.

The perimeter of the tarmac had security stations every ten paces and guards every five paces, not even a fly could get through.

The welcoming party was equally high-profile, with local leaders basically all present, including a certain "Old He," and even some big shots from the foreign affairs and energy departments who rushed from Beijing.

Such a lineup was unprecedented in the recent years of foreign affairs activities in Bird City.

Once Salaman descended the gangway, the foreign affairs leader led the translator forward and greeted with a smile: "Prime Minister Salaman, welcome to China!"

Salaman behaved very humbly, placing a hand on his chest and bowing in the traditional Oil Country manner.

After introductions, both sides began to shake hands, while photographers outside started snapping wildly, with the sounds of shutters continuously echoing on the tarmac.

Once the routine was completed, the foreign affairs leader made a gesture inviting Salaman to walk toward the nearby fleet of Hongqi cars.

"Prime Minister, this way please, we’ve prepared a welcoming banquet for you later."

Salaman nodded slightly, thanking with a gentle tone: "Thank you for your thoughtful arrangements."

The group got into the cars, and Old He rode in the same vehicle as the big shot from the energy department.

Once the car started, he turned his head and said, "Old Zhou, you’ll have to give a hand this time."

"If we can reach a cooperation with Oil Country, it would be a great boon for our J Province’s development!"

The elder called Old Zhou gazed out of the window with a chuckle: "Old He, your words are so formal."

"J Province has a strong foundation in photovoltaics, and if we can cooperate with Oil Country, it would indeed be a great thing. I would help even if you didn’t ask."

At this point, he paused, with his tone suddenly becoming meaningful, "However... don’t you find their visit to J Province a bit odd?"

Old He’s eyes showed a hint of doubt, thinking for two seconds before asking: "What’s odd about it?"

Old Zhou retracted his gaze, lightly tapping his fingers on his knee: "Think about it, J Province isn’t the only strong province in photovoltaics in the country; Tai Mountain and Jiangnan’s production capacity and industry support started two years earlier than yours."

"Logically, if Oil Country wanted to procure equipment, they should visit those two provinces first. Why bypass them and come straight to J Province?"

"Moreover, I heard from people in the foreign affairs department that the original visiting list from Oil Country didn’t include Crown Prince Salaman, and they only received the notification yesterday."

"Isn’t this unusual?"

After listening, Old He frowned unconsciously, and after a few seconds of silence, he pondered and spoke: "Regardless of any other factors, if Oil Country wants to develop photovoltaics, J Province’s production line, though not the most advanced in the country, is highly similar to their environment and climate. We do have a significant advantage."

"Indeed, you have innate advantages." Old Zhou smiled and nodded, opting not to continue the discussion.

He could understand Old He’s mentality; with such a big piece of meat passing by, who wouldn’t want a bite? Once secured, the project could leave a remarkable mark on his administration record.

...

Meanwhile, in Cao Yufei’s pharmaceutical office.

Qi Yun, Cao Yufei, and Pang Zefeng were discussing the development of healthcare products.

Pang Zefeng’s fingers skimmed over dense annotations in the notebook, his eyes brimming with undisguisable excitement.

"During this time, I’ve repeatedly analyzed the formula you gave me, President Qi, and found that it not only has the effect of nourishing qi and blood, but also significantly exceeds expectations in improving immunity and repairing damaged cells!"

"If products are manufactured based on this formula, they can’t be simply labeled as health products; in some aspects, their efficacy could surpass that of many specialized medicines!"

"If we decide to develop it as a special medicine, we stand to achieve monumental success that might even reach the heights of Pfizer or Johnson & Johnson!"

Qi Yun was well aware of the potency of the formula, but the version he gave was truncated, omitting several crucial main ingredients, yet it was still remarkably effective.

Beside him, Cao Yufei frowned and picked up the conversation: "If we switch to pharmaceuticals, the investment cost will be substantial."

"Special drugs require dedicated approval numbers and three-phase clinical trials, needing at least fifty million in funding, with a minimum timeline of three years."

"Companies like Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson usually invest hundreds of millions USD on average to develop a single special drug over ten years of clinical trials."

He glanced at Qi Yun before continuing, "Even if you can potentially manage the key procedures, President Qi, you must be prepared for long-term financial consumption."

On these matters, Cao Yufei was quite knowledgeable, having been seasoned in this field.

Although he previously worked mainly on products like watermelon frost and other traditional Chinese medicines, he’s quite familiar with the ins and outs of the industry here.