Chapter 222 (Patreon)

Transformers Begin : Table of Content/Chapter List

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Sun Cheng doesn't mind exposing his cooperation with Russia because he understands better than anyone that while countries may cooperate, they cannot achieve true intimacy.

So, even if Russia and China are aware of each other's collaboration, they are unwilling to fully disclose their achievements to one another.

In other words, his business of selling the same product to two different parties has great potential.

The smile on the chief's face remained unchanged, and his refined manners and shrewdness made it appear as though he hadn't caught the deeper implications in Sun Cheng's words.

However, among the dozen or so people accompanying him, a few individuals displayed signs of furrowed brows or nervousness, inadvertently revealing something.

As if something suddenly came to mind, Sun Cheng interrupted before the other party could speak, saying, "Oh, by the way. Due to certain circumstances, there are a few items that were originally part of the trade but now have to be excluded!"

In response, Core activated, emitting two beams of vibrant blue light from his eyes, projecting a light wall in front of him and the others.

Without any visible manipulation, several of the items that were previously shown as available for trade on the light wall immediately disappeared.

The chief scrutinized the changes and finally showed a reaction.

His brows furrowed slightly, and he quickly looked up at Sun Cheng, asking, "Mr. Frenzy, why were the options concerning nuclear submarines canceled?"

"This was the demand of the Russian side!"

Sun Cheng's response was straightforward. "The three improvement plans for nuclear submarines that my engineers originally collected and modified were meant for Russia. Unfortunately, our recent visit to Russia went quite smoothly. Therefore, in response to their request, I will honor my commitment and refrain from selling these three improved nuclear submarine plans to any other country or faction besides Russia!"

He spoke the truth. Russia had been very adamant about the technological aspects of their three submarines. Vladimir even resorted to slamming the table, insisting on Russia purchasing the transformation plans for these submarines, and demanded that he cease selling them to third parties.

In the end, Sun Cheng reluctantly agreed to Russia's demand. As a condition, he took the opportunity to press Russia into accepting his preferred payment scheme—payment upfront, followed by delivery—and succeeded in persuading them to deliver the initial batch of resources in a week.

Observing the slight discontent on the faces of the Chinese officials, Sun Cheng naturally had a much stronger affinity for his homeland, which was now his adopted world, compared to Russia.

After a brief moment of contemplation, Core activated once more, resulting in further changes on the light wall.

"Well, considering that China was the first country I interacted with, if you still require such technology, I can provide you with appropriate compensation..."

The light wall once again displayed classified nuclear submarine technologies, but there were no longer complete ship plans. Instead, all the available trade items were various fragmented technologies.

These included ultra-high-strength titanium steel alloys, superior pressure-bearing structural designs, and equipment manufactured by engineers, including pressurized water nuclear reactors.

"Furthermore, my previous promise remains valid. You can choose to purchase only the technology or opt for physical trade. Let me disclose some information to you; Russia has placed an order with me to manufacture nuclear submarines..."

Though his originally somewhat fierce mechanical visage now sported the standard face of a cunning merchant, this peculiar transformation evoked strange emotions in the minds of everyone present.

The chief nodded slightly and politely instructed the two elder gentlemen behind him, "Old Wu, Old Xu, please come and take a look..."

These two individuals appeared to be experts in China's nuclear submarine design field. Upon receiving the instruction, they responded and approached the light wall, examining the newly added nuclear submarine technology classifications displayed on the screen.

Sun Cheng paid them no attention and looked back at the chief, inquiring, "Your Excellency, I have allocated three days for your consideration. I wonder what your thoughts are?"

"Frenzy, we in China attach great importance to this transaction, and we also intend to establish deeper communication and cooperation with you. Regarding pricing, we cannot include the Three Gorges Hydropower Station as part of the trade, as it is crucial for our country's power supply. However, we can consider your other requests..."

They're planning to package all the technologies they're offering for trade!

China's approach is noticeably more grandiose compared to Russia.

Of course, this grandeur is also related to the economic strength of both China and Russia.

Although 500,000 tons of finished metal may seem substantial, most of it consists of carbon steel and titanium steel. Despite the surge in steel prices due to China's real estate boom in the past two years, the average cost per ton is at most 5,000 RMB. Taking into account other rare metals, the average cost per ton of metal has been pushed to around 40,000 RMB, resulting in an expenditure of at least 20 billion RMB.

The same applies to rare earth minerals. While China has abundant reserves, the selling price has always been low. Taking into account some rare earth minerals with scarce reserves, the average cost per ton, based on current market prices, would not exceed 300,000 RMB. The overall expense would be around 30 billion RMB.

In comparison to Russia, China's GDP reached 2.5 trillion US dollars in 2006, while Russia's was only slightly over 730 billion US dollars. The economic environment of the latter is far inferior to that of China. Additionally, Sun Cheng anticipated that the other party would investigate after the last incident at the office in Beidu. Therefore, when he evacuated, he left a rough introduction of dozens of tradable technologies on the hard drive of the equipment.

It is believed that the Chinese side has undoubtedly discovered what he left behind and thoroughly studied it in the past few days. Otherwise, they would not value this opportunity for overtaking on a corner so highly.

However...

For mechanical lifeforms, resources are important, but energy is crucial for survival.

Although Sun Cheng managed to extract some enriched uranium from polar bears during his trip to Russia, a thermonuclear reactor requires a continuous supply of nuclear fuel. This supply channel is controlled by Russia, which means there are still considerable risks.

Therefore, Sun Cheng is determined to obtain a large-scale hydropower station as requested from China.

"With all due respect, considering the construction speed of your human counterparts, the Three Gorges Hydropower Station would take several years to complete. However, if my engineers handle the construction, it could be operational within two or three months. A few years would provide ample time for you to build more hydropower stations. Here's an additional concession: I can send a team of engineers to work for you for six months."

When he mentions engineers, it's evident that he's referring to industrial robots created by engineers.

Industrial robots have a higher load-bearing capacity and operational capability than ordinary workers. Strictly speaking, one industrial robot can be equivalent to at least three human workers.

Furthermore, they do not require meals or rest and can work continuously for twenty-four hours.

With slight modifications to their programs, industrial robots can adapt to various tasks.

This is one of Sun Cheng's trump cards. With the handover of Russian resources in a week, the No. 2 base can produce hundreds of industrial robots in a short period, operating at full capacity.

At that point, it would be easy to expand the No. 2 base, construct a thermonuclear reactor, and fulfill the manufacturing of submarines for Russia or the construction of the Three Gorges, among other tasks.

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