Free Web NovelChapter 2390: Chapter 2382: Negotiations
Lao Jiu did not disappoint He Runxian’s expectations. About half an hour later, he reported back with the information, "There really is that much."
So much of what? Naturally, it was energy stones; there was no need to ask further.
At this point, Feng Jun had already left He Runxian’s sight, leaving behind a quantum-encrypted handset. "Once you’ve sorted everything out, use this device to call me."
Of course, his handset was a find, and He Runxian sent someone to transport the energy stones while also directing others to track the origins of this handset.
With Hesheng’s capabilities in the Federation, finding out this bit of information wasn’t an issue. In less than an hour, he received a response, and the result made him gasp: the handset’s code came from the military and was specifically supplied to the Third Legion.
As for which army this handset belonged to, the Seventh, Eighth, or Ninth, that was highly classified information. Without three to five days, it was virtually impossible to verify it thoroughly. Furthermore, during the verification process, it could easily alert the military.
However, for He Runxian, he didn’t think it was necessary to delve further. Whether it was the Seventh Army in Outer Space or the Eighth and Ninth Armies guarding Xingzheng Star, the other party being able to toss out such an item indicated they indeed possessed considerable power.
He even thought that presenting such a handset was the other party’s way of indirectly warning him.
In fact, Feng Jun did have this intention, but ultimately, it was because civilian handsets were not secure.
So, an hour later, after the factory had tallied and transported the buried energy stones, He Runxian arranged for someone to contact Feng Jun to find out what kind of mining equipment he needed.
Feng Jun, however, bluntly replied, "You are not qualified to talk to me. Let He Runxian speak with me."
He Runxian’s reluctance to come forward wasn’t just out of arrogance; he also had doubts. Could this be a trap? Hesheng indeed did significant business, but it also amassed many enemies. If someone seized the opportunity to sabotage him, he would have no grounds to reason.
So he used the handset to convey, "Sir, I have arranged for a specific person in charge to discuss with you. I am not very knowledgeable about the specific parameters of those devices."
"Don’t play this game with me," Feng Jun rudely stated, "If I wanted to harm Hesheng, I would directly find He Huiqing; I wouldn’t be looking for you."
He Huiqing was the head of Hesheng’s branch on Xingzheng Star and the uncle of He Runxian, who was just the manager of the production base.
However, Feng Jun didn’t approach He Huiqing primarily because that guy was too hard to reach. Even his family lived in Zuo Jing, and although he had a villa next to the production base, he seldom returned to stay.
The cost of contacting He Huiqing was relatively high, with low efficiency and a high likelihood of exposure, so it was better to directly contact the second-in-command.
In fact, He Runxian was still hesitating whether to report the existence of this mysterious figure to the authorities.
During wartime, hoarding supplies, if this news got out, Hesheng, despite its strength, would not escape jail time.
Nevertheless, deep down, he tended to remain loyal to the family business. Upon hearing Feng Jun speak clearly, he did not hide, saying, "Actually, in the end, I still have to report this matter to Uncle Huiqing."
"Can I assume that you’re refusing to communicate with me?" Feng Jun sneered, "You’ve taken my energy stones; maybe I should show you what kind of attack your production base might face."
He turned off the handset, and He Runxian became anxious, "Technical team, have you located the signal’s position?"
"The military’s handset is indeed powerful," the technician replied helplessly, "It should be about a hundred kilometers Northeast from us, but we cannot pinpoint accurately, with a margin of error exceeding two kilometers."
Less than two minutes later, his assistant walked in with the company’s handset, his face full of anxiety, "Manager, multiple Colonel Level insect corpses have suddenly appeared outside the production base, initially estimated to be over twenty."
He Runxian’s face darkened, "Colonel Level insect corpses... did they suddenly appear, or were they overlooked?"
The production base was far from the city and had previously suffered attacks from the Insect Race. However, compared to the few thousand people here, the level of defensive weaponry was very high, so the pressure was not significant, and the damage was not severe.
"They just appeared," the assistant replied helplessly, "It seems like someone deliberately dropped them."
At that moment, the quantum handset broadcasted a voice, "I’m giving you thirty Colonel Level Insect Corpses for now. Next time, it will be a General Level Insect Corpse. But if your production base suffers damage, that’s quite normal, isn’t it?"
He Runxian glanced at the recording equipment beside him, confirmed it was functioning correctly, and straightforwardly said, "No, no, I know I was wrong. Let’s discuss the details next."
"Are you trying to emphasize that you’re being coerced?" Feng Jun laughed, "Honestly, making that thing beside you stop working is really quite simple... would you like me to demonstrate?"
"Alright, I believe you," He Runxian felt a shiver go down his spine, "Just state your requirements."
"Do you feel wronged?" Feng Jun sneered again, "If that’s truly how you feel, I might as well order equipment from someone else. I originally intended to help your family, but now it’s like I’m stuck between a rock and a hard place. Is it worth it for me?"
"Alright, I was wrong," He Runxian indeed admitted defeat—the other party’s words were indeed correct. Hesheng never had the initiative in this matter. Energy stones are hard currency in the Federation; even if he didn’t approach them, they had no worries about not being used, "I’m just concerned it would be difficult to do the accounting."
That reason... barely holds some weight, considering that bartering could lead to tax evasion, and the Federation is quite sensitive to it.
But this was still just an excuse. Hesheng had grown so large, with plenty of accounting experts, no shortage of people to lend a hand, and connections in the legal circle; thus, he went straight to the point, "What mining equipment do you need?"
Feng Jun wouldn’t bother haggling further; a proper warning was sufficient, as he also had a lot to handle, "The equipment for mining energy stone mines... both tunnel and open pit are needed."
"Energy stones?" He Runxian gasped as he spoke, "Where is the energy stone mine?"
Feng Jun was displeased, "Oh, you have quite a bit of curiosity. Do you do business with others like this as well?"
"This... sorry, I got a bit carried away," He Runxian realized his mistake in questioning, "I’m just worried, if you’ve discovered an energy stone mine on this planet and haven’t reported it, it would land you on the official blacklist."
Being on the official blacklist means it’s beyond a death sentence; even if one escapes, everyone in the Human Race has the right to kill, and after the killing, they could even claim the blacklisted reward bounty.
"Don’t ask; that way, you’re not in the loop," Feng Jun understood his concern and wasn’t angry. He even added with a bit of humor, "This forsaken planet doesn’t even have a single energy stone mine. And to think the Federation chose it as the star system’s Xingzheng Star."
In fact, the selection of Xingzheng Star was not solely based on the presence of energy stone mines; it can even be said that this was the least important criterion. The primary consideration was how convenient it would be to transform into an environment suitable for human habitation.
For this reason, many mining stars remain merely mining stars, with people mining and military units protecting, but devoid of any civilian life.
Hearing this, He Runxian breathed a sigh of relief. In this case, the responsibility is significantly reduced.
However, at the same time, he secretly remained vigilant: if that’s the case, the opposite party might have opened a hidden route.
Why would a route be hidden? It’s not something to dwell on; these are all matters that cannot see the light.
Perhaps they’ve made connections with the military, or maybe they’ve bribed the Insect Race... Some middlemen have unbelievably immense capabilities.
Regardless of which it is, it’s not something he could meddle with, so he didn’t inquire further. In any case, this matter could only be beneficial to Xingzheng Star.
He Runxian stated, "Could you describe the usage environment? Frankly, our Hesheng has very robust technical reserves for mining energy stone mines, but sales have always been poor... mainly because energy stone mines are too delicate."
Mining energy stone mines easily leads to wastage. Although energy can be extracted from the refined mineral powder, the extraction will cause energy dissipation, and refining the mineral powder will consume a large amount of energy and resources.
Speaking of the wastage percentage, it can’t be considered much, but it’s still the case that, even the smallest percentage, when multiplied by a vast base, results in astronomical figures.
Feng Jun hesitated somewhat in providing the relevant details, as with specific data, the other party might deduce which planet it was.
But it wouldn’t be suitable not to provide it. The environmental conditions of that planet were far from ideal. Without appropriate adjustments, not only would the equipment’s lifespan be severely reduced, but in extreme cases... it might not even operate normally at all.
He considered that the Human Race’s exploration of this world lagged quite a bit; among trillions of planets, and not to mention the Insect Race as the sworn enemy, the likelihood of them possessing information on that particular planet was genuinely not high.
Thus, he described the planetary environment and emphasized the need for open-pit mining.
Upon hearing this, He Runxian was dumbfounded. No matter how Feng Jun explained that the mineral deposits were not on this planet, nothing could be more convincing than detailing the usage environment—especially considering the extreme gravity requirements alone crushed all his assumptions.
The information Feng Jun provided was accurate. In terms of technical expertise, He Runxian was indeed quite knowledgeable, not as clueless as he claimed himself to be.
It was precisely because he understood technology too well that he realized how outrageous Feng Jun’s requirements were. Hesheng-produced equipment had strong competitiveness because of its excellent compatibility, not just serving specific planets but capable of meeting the demands of many extreme environments.
In many special environments, they could just swap out some special components, making the modifications convenient.
Extreme cold and heat, wind and sand, and acid rain, despite sounding challenging to modify equipment for, were really not much—some special materials sufficed.
The most challenging environment to modify for was the one with very high gravity where equipment still needs to operate normally.
