by <unknown>
Nonetheless, Chen Chen understood that "One could catch more flies with honey". Thus, even when he found the desired target, he must first obtain their consent. Perhaps he should only let them into the organization after a mutually beneficial agreement, as was the case with Samuel.
Still, Samuel was an exception. In the future, when Chen Chen recruited more members, he would not let them know about the existence of the God chip as long as they had not agreed to join.
On the other side of things, Qian Wenhuan, who had been away for over a month, sent over a message.
When the company's delegation went to Namibia, they were warmly welcomed by the local government at once. The government had also contributed money and manpower, sending dozens of guides to assist the delegation in surveying the terrain.
One could say that Qian Wenhuan did not suffer any hardships during this one month in Namibia. He lived even more comfortably than he did in Switzerland.
After a month of surveying, Qian Wenhuan had selected several ideal locations for building the nuclear power plant. Moreover, he had contacted the officials of Husab Uranium Mine and Rössing Uranium Mine to express an interest in cooperation.
In fact, among the uranium mines in Namibia, in addition to the two controlled by Chinese corporations, there were also several small and medium-sized uranium mines owned by external parties. However, Chen Chen did not consider those.
The Husab Uranium Mine was controlled by China General Nuclear Power Group, the third-largest nuclear power operator in the world. The Rössing Uranium Mine was controlled by China National Nuclear Corporation, the second-largest nuclear power operator in Mainland China. If Chen Chen decided to build a nuclear power plant, he would do so at a location near these two mines.
In addition to being more convenient to transport nuclear fuel, he would not need to repave the roads and railways, thus reducing the cost of transporting building materials.
Plus, because nuclear power plants required a lot of water for their operations, they must be built next to water sources, so it was best to build them along the coast.
With these two requirements, there were not many locations Chen Chen could choose from.
Qian Wenhuan also mentioned that the Namibian officials had suggested that Chen Chen could build a nuclear power station near the capital city, Windhoek. Of course, Chen Chen disregarded this automatically.
Chen Chen had also never considered the technical issues of building a nuclear power plant.
After all, there was this thing called "outsourcing" in this world…
Chen Chen did not need to know what procedures or technologies were required to build a nuclear power plant, nor did he need to know where to recruit workers who could build one. He could just directly go to the two corporations, China General Nuclear Power Group and China National Nuclear Corporation.
He just did not know how much he could borrow from the bank as he built the power plant.
Erm…
In the accounts of Blacklight Biotechnology, there were still more than three billion US dollars in foreign exchange. Still, loans were a basic strategy of capital preservation.
As he stood before the mirror, Chen Chen touched his own repulsive, capitalist face, and suddenly sighed loudly.
He had finally become what he hated most. Even so, the life of the rich had always been this straightforward and unglamorous.
Not to mention, boring…
Chapter 65: Namibia |
Chen Chen tidied up his affairs at the Swiss branch and left the primate research project in Samuel's hands. He got ready to leave for Namibia.
It just so happened that Zurich had a direct flight to Namibia. It would take less than fifteen hours to cross the Mediterranean and the African Continent, reaching Walvis Bay on the east coast of the Atlantic.
It was just that the scheduled plane was a small, ancient, old-fashioned plane, with no more than fifty seats which were not separated into different travel classes. Moreover, the flight service was extremely poor.
Although General Manager Wynn said that they could get Chen Chen a private plane, Chen Chen turned down the offer. He came from a working-class family and had not reached that level of extravagance.
The next day, Chen Chen boarded the plane without having anyone send him off.
He did not speak throughout the entire journey.
In the early morning of the third day, Chen Chen arrived in this mystical country that he had heard so much of.
From the end of the 19th century to the beginning of the 20th century, Namibia was colonized by Germany and later governed by South Africa. It was not until the 1990s that Namibia was able to break away from South Africa.
This was a country that mainly relied on minerals, agriculture, fishery, and tourism. It covered an area of 820,000 square kilometers, but only had a population of 2.53 million.
At the end of December, it was cold enough in Switzerland that one had to wear down jackets. However, after arriving in Namibia, Chen Chen peeled off the layers until he was only wearing a shirt and a thin coat.
Even so, it would be wrong to assume that Namibia was as hot as the rest of Africa.
Due to its altitude, Namibia's climate was not scorching and was rather pleasant.
Each year, March, April, and May comprised the hottest season in Namibia. Even then, the temperature did not exceed thirty degrees. In July, August, and September, when it was the coolest, it was around twenty-five degrees in the day and fifteen degrees at night.
One could say that it felt like spring all year round.
When Chen Chen got off the plane, it was late at night. Nonetheless, there was a long, snaking queue at the immigration department. Most of them were white people who came here for travel. There were occasionally a few Asians too, who seemed to be Korean.
"Sorry, excuse me, please let me through…"
Just as Chen Chen was frowning at the queue, a group of bureaucratic-looking black people, surrounded by airport police, came toward the crowd of passengers who had just disembarked from Chen Chen's plane.
Such a large crew immediately attracted the attention of the tourists who were at immigration.
Chen Chen glanced over. Sure enough, Qian Wenhuan was in that group.
The group came over and stopped before Chen Chen. Qian Wenhuan took two steps forward and whispered in Chinese, "Boss, the officials of Namibia are here to welcome you."
With that, he indicated to the group and said in English, "This is Mr. Setterson, the manager of Walvis Bay International Airport and next to him is Mr. Chicurel, the deputy director of the Namibian Department of Investment."
Then, he turned to both of them and proclaimed, "This man beside me is the chairman of Blackwatch – Mr. Chen Chen!"
"Mr. Chen Chen, I've looked forward to meeting you!"
Both of them broke out in warm smiles as they each stepped forward to shake Chen Chen's hands.
What was even more surprising was that the black man named Chicurel directly spoke in Chinese, albeit a little imprecisely, "I've never thought that you'd be this young. It makes me think of a phrase in your language — you're what they would call a young hero!"
"Yes, yes, I thought so too!" Setterson, the manager of the airport, agreed at once.
"You're both too kind. I'm merely a businessman. Please don't treat me so ceremoniously." Chen Chen quickly waved his hand.
"How can we do that!"
Chicurel immediately turned serious and said sincerely, "I've always liked Chinese culture since I was a kid. China has five thousand years of history, the only ancient civilization still existing in the Earth Federation. With such ancient tradition, a talent like you can only be described as — a giant among men!"
Setterson chimed in. "I agree."
Chen Chen wiped off his sweat. "Thank you for the generous praise."
"I still remember when I was studying in China. Your people were so welcoming. Now, you've come to our country, so please, think of it as
your country as well."
Chicurel continued to heap on the flattery. "After all, isn't there a saying in China — home is where the heart is!"
Setterson nodded solemnly. "I echo that sentiment!"
"…"
Qian Wenhuan saw that Chicurel seemed ready to go on forever with his chatter and quickly cut in. "Mr. Chicurel, our chairman has just gone through more than ten hours of journey and must be tired. Why don't we…"
"Oh, look at this brain of mine, how could I have forgotten that…"
Chicurel patted his head and swiftly took out a stack of documents, saying in English, "These are your immigration papers and passport. We've prepared it for you."
"Thank you." Chen Chen nodded in thanks and Qian Wenhuan took the papers for him.
"We've booked a luxury suite for you at the Flamingo Villas Boutique Hotel in Walvis Bay. Please, this way." Chicurel turned sideways and gestured politely.
After Chen Chen had left the immigration office, he saw the true appearance of Namibia.
Although this was called Walvis Bay International Airport, in truth, it was just a simple, ordinary airport. Small bungalows were built upon an endless plain that had a wild and natural beauty and a vast starry sky could be seen above.
There were many internationally certified dark sky reserves in Namibia. As there was no light pollution and the climate was dry, it was the most suitable region in the world for observing the night sky.
This was a scene that those bustling cities would never see.
Although the Namibian officials were rather overenthusiastic, they still maintained a proper level of decorum. After escorting Chen Chen to the car, they both took their leave and made an appointment for a meeting tomorrow evening.
"Boss, this is Cheng Cao, the person you asked the head office to send over," as Qian Wenhuan got into the car, he pointed at the driver and said.
"Boss." The driver turned around, revealing a young face in his twenties and a bashful smile.
"I remember you." Chen Chen observed the young man carefully. "So, you're our trump card, huh?"
"Mmm." Cheng Cao nodded in embarrassment, seeming rather shy.
"Right, Boss, here's the thing you want." Qian Wenhuan seemed to remember something and he took out a pitch-black item at his waist. "It's fully automatic, with 20 rounds of large magazines."
Chen Chen reached out and took it, seeing that it was a Glock 18C.
[Glock 18C, total length 185mm, barrel length 114mm, weight 620g, barrel diameter 9mm, muzzle velocity 360 m/s, fires 9mm bullets, muzzle energy 530J.]
All the information about this gun automatically surfaced in his mind. Chen Chen nodded and gently tossed it in his hand. "Do they know about it?"
He was undoubtedly referring to the Namibian officials.
"I didn't let them know. After all, it's a fully automatic weapon, which is pretty restricted."
Qian Wenhuan said uncertainly, "Still, even if they learn about it, I'm guessing they'll probably turn a blind eye."
Chen Chen said nothing, only rested his head against the headrest, and slowly closed his eyes.
Seeing this, Qian Wenhuan hurriedly gave Cheng Cao a gesture. Cheng Cao nodded and started the car, driving along the asphalt road toward the downtown area of Walvis Bay…
Chapter 66: Site Selection For The Nuclear Power Plant |
Early the next morning, Chen Chen was awakened by a strange noise. It was the clamorous, amusing sound of bird call. It seemed as if a thousand birds were chirping at once, which was pretty annoying.
Chen Chen blearily unplugged his phone's charging cable and checked the time. It was around seven in the morning.
As he was woken up by the noise, Chen Chen looked a little grumpy. He got out of bed and opened the curtains of the French window to see who had disturbed his sweet dreams.
A great fog filled the space between sky and earth. Even the morning sun seemed hazy. On the beach dozens of meters away, there was a large flock of crimson shorebirds. The strange bird cries Chen Chen had heard came from them.
Those should be the famous flamingos.
Walvis Bay was located on the coast of the Atlantic and was thus affected by the Benguela Current unique to the Atlantic. Often, there were cold, humid mists in the early morning and the Atlantic Ocean currents also brought in a rich supply of food. Therefore, thousands of flamingos inhabited the lagoon all year round. This was the beach Chen Chen was looking at.
The hotel Chen Chen was staying at was called Flamingo Villas Boutique Hotel. The "Flamingo" in the name referred precisely to the shorebirds.
Next to the lagoon, there were several luxurious hotels and countless European-style mansions. On a barren land like the African Continent, this was a paradise where an inch of land was worth an inch of gold.
Rumor had it that international movie stars Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt had their first child here.
Chen Chen withdrew his gaze and looked at the road below his feet.
Under the veil of morning mist, a white girl was jogging along the lakeside path with headphones. A few white children, riding bicycles in the distance, laughed constantly.
In addition, some white people who had built houses by the lake sat on their green lawns, quietly taking in the fresh morning air.
All of these looked very ordinary, for small-town scenes like this one were common in Europe. However, Chen Chen knew that to create such a paradise in a place that suffered from water and electricity shortages, the resources consumed here were not comparable to those small towns in Europe.
No wonder this was known to be an expensive neighborhood.
Shaking his head, Chen Chen closed the curtains and sent Qian Wenhuan a message.
In a short while, there was a knock on the door.
Chen Chen walked over to open the door, only to find Qian Wenhuan coming in with a dining cart and a few people behind him. "Boss, I saw that the staff was delivering your meal, so I brought it in on my way."
"Thank you. Please have a seat, everyone," Chen Chen said to them as he indicated the sofa behind him.
After they were seated, Chen Chen scrutinized them one by one.
Besides Qian Wenhuan, there were Anthony, who was in charge of business negotiations, Jennifer, the legal advisor as well as Zhou Jing and Wang Liang, in charge of site selection for the nuclear power plant.
Anthony and Jennifer were Swiss while Zhou Jing and Wang Liang were geological professionals whom Chen Chen had asked Xia Yin to scout for in China.
In truth, they had planned to meet Chen Chen at the airport last night, but Chen Chen had declined.
"Has everyone eaten?" Chen Chen pushed the dining cart to the table and asked them.
"We've eaten before we came here," Qian Wenhuan replied quickly. Everyone else nodded.
"Alright." Chen Chen carried the food from the cart to the table and grinned. "It seems like all of you are doing well here. Wenhuan seems to have put on some weight."
"Bo — Boss, I'm not to blame!"
Qian Wenhuan was startled and explained in a hurry, "You saw it for yourself last night. The officials of Namibia are too enthusiastic. They go everywhere with us. They follow us in campers and ambulances all day long even when we go out to explore. I can't lose weight even if I wanted to."
"That's true. Over the past month or two, we've barely spent a dime. Everything was covered by the Namibian officials. But, we've definitely not been slacking off."
Wang Liang helped to chime in, which earned him a grateful look from Qian Wenhuan.
"I'm just kidding around. As long as you maintain that balance, it's fine."
Chen Chen waved his hand and stuffed a forkful of salad into his mouth. "So, what do we have so far?"
"Boss, for now, we've picked two locations to build a nuclear power plant."
Qian Wenhuan quickly took out a map and spread it on the coffee table. "The uranium mines in Namibia are mostly linked to the Damara orogenic belt. It's concentrated in the Namib De
sert on the Atlantic coast of the Erongo Province. The Husab and Rössing Uranium Mines are in this area too —"
Qian Wenhuan pointed to a small point on the westernmost part of Namibia. "We're now on the Atlantic coast of the Erongo Province. If a nuclear power plant is to be built, it's best to choose a coastal location. After all, a nuclear power plant requires a lot of cooling water. After consideration, we omitted the inland area of Namibia. Their freshwater system can't even fulfill their own needs."
"It's possible to build inland too. We just need a cooling tower." Zhou Jing, who was in charge of site selection, added.
"That wouldn't do." Qian Wenhuan shook his head at once. "It's an unnecessary expenditure. Plus, if an accident happened as it did at the Fukushima nuclear power plant, we'd need even more cooling water."
Qian Wenhuan continued explaining to Chen Chen, "So, we all agreed that building on the coast, ten kilometers to the north of Swakopmund, would be rather ideal."
Seeing Chen Chen's puzzled look, Qian Wenhuan said, "Swakopmund is a city less than thirty kilometers away, to the north of Walvis Bay. It's the fourth largest city in Namibia, even more developed than Walvis Bay.
"It's all because of the Husab Uranium Mine. Eight years ago, the China General Nuclear Power Group launched the Husab Uranium Mine project. They invested in the construction of roads, laid water pipelines, and upgraded power facilities to strengthen the foundation of Swakopmund's infrastructure. If we build there, both the cost of material transportation and nuclear fuel transportation can be greatly reduced."
"And Namibia will agree to this location?"
Chen Chen saw that the location Qian Wenhuan had pointed to was marked with the words "West Coast National Tourism and Recreation Area".
"The main thing is that there aren't many great choices."
Qian Wenhuan scratched his head. "To be honest, according to the standards of building a nuclear power plant, it's best to be surrounded by mountains on three sides and water on one side. If there's an accident, the mountains can block part of the radioactive dust. However, Namibia doesn't have a geographical location like that. Still, we can fulfill the criterion of being far away from residential areas. After all, it's so sparsely populated here."
