Chapter 222: Future New City

Jiangjin Group, Headquarters Conference Room.
“NEOM Future New City?”
Qin Han raised an eyebrow, a hint of amusement in his eyes.
“Yes. Chairman, it’s internal news, not officially announced yet,” a senior executive beside him reported, his voice barely concealing excitement.
“It’s said that the Saudi royal family is personally pushing forward an unprecedented mega-infrastructure project.
Large companies worldwide have received letters of intent to invest, and we… received one too.”
Saudi Arabia—for any entrepreneur navigating the treacherous waters of the business world, those two words represent a goldmine flowing with oil and gold.
After all, Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund is a behemoth capable of stirring up global capital markets, wielding immense influence.
Countless companies would line up from the Middle East to Siberia just to secure an investment from them.
But this time, the sun has risen in the west.
These incredibly wealthy guys are actually starting to “attract investment”!
It wasn't that they wanted to invest money in others; they wanted others to invest in them.
Qin Han flipped through the beautifully printed report with great interest, feeling a sense of novelty about the whole thing.
"Expected completion in 2030… Well, to be honest, I think with this project plan, let alone 2030, even adding another hundred years, it'd be difficult to reach 2130."
An executive clicked his tongue, his tone full of undisguised skepticism.
"Oh? What do you mean?"
"Exactly. Just look at this list of projects; it's mixed with a whole bunch of things that modern technology simply can't achieve. Even science fiction wouldn't dare to make something like this."
Qin Han said, "But don't those Saudis understand this themselves?"
"They understand, of course they do. But knowing this, they still insist on mixing these things with projects involving real money. That's... quite intriguing."
Throughout history, scammers' tactics have always been similar—
First, they create an extravagant, dazzling spectacle, making people's eyes light up and their hearts race, then they unwittingly hand over their money.
"Some things in the report, from an engineering perspective, are utterly absurd.
For example, carving out a 170-kilometer-long, 500-meter-high glass-walled city from the desert with a single stroke…
The experts were practically laughing their heads off privately. They unanimously agreed that it didn't sound like something an earthling could do; even aliens would have to study civil engineering for years first."
"But this is from the Saudi government, after all, not some shady organization, right?"
Another executive added, his face etched with worry.
"The source is legitimate. And the initial budget from Saudi Arabia is about… six hundred billion US dollars."
Six hundred billion US dollars.
A number that sends blood pressure soaring just hearing it.
The worst part is, this is just "startup funding."
Once the initial construction is complete, once this project actually begins, how much more money will be poured in? It's a bottomless pit.
Even if the Saudi royal family owns mines, is incredibly wealthy, and possesses trillions in assets, they would choke to death trying to take over such a large project on their own.
"So, after all that, you just want to drag a bunch of companies into this mess and pool your money?"
"That's pretty much it. Those with money who want to invest can reserve a spot in advance;
Those with the technology to build can participate in their infrastructure development.
In short, it's about those with money contributing money and those with strength contributing strength. Helping them turn this science fiction into reality."
It has to be said, this concept is incredibly alluring.
A futuristic city that only exists in movies is now actually breaking ground in the real world.
And the Saudi royal family, those people whose ancestors were blessed with good fortune and who have lived off the meager oil reserves for centuries, are indeed perfectly suited to do this.
The only thing that makes one uneasy is that this whole thing, from beginning to end, looks like a massive scam.
From the staggering budget to the unrealistic project plans, every pore exudes suspicion.
"But Chairman, the source is absolutely reliable; it's definitely from the Saudi sovereign wealth fund."
The subordinate added.
This means the Saudi royal family seems determined to do something that everyone considers incredibly crazy.
Should they accept this hot potato, or not?
Refusing would have serious consequences.
Jiangjin Group is a large and powerful company, but it's not at the point where it can ignore these Middle Eastern oil giants.
Saudi Arabia is the world's largest "petrodollar" printing press.
The money in their hands can make the world's capital markets tremble.
Jiangjin Group's planned chip industrial park is hoping to attract investment from financial backers like Saudi funds to share the risk.
Perhaps Saudi Arabia has precisely calculated this, which is why it sent this dilemma-ridden "invitation."
This isn't an invitation; it's a ultimatum:
If you want to continue playing with us, get on board and pledge your allegiance; otherwise, don't expect to get a single penny from us.
"...Did Fang Huan receive this too?"
"Yes. Fang Huan has tens of billions in its own capital alone; it's the only private equity firm in China to receive an invitation."
Other domestic private equity firms manage hundreds of billions or even trillions of yuan—it sounds terrifying.
But that's all client money; every single penny has to be handled according to the rules.
Fang Huan Investment is different.
That monster led by Su Hao is a complete anomaly.
They have enormous amounts of their own capital; every single penny is their own!
They can invest however they want, and to whomever they want. Their freedom is enviable.
"What's Fang Huan's attitude...?"
"Well... we can't find out."
"Heh, alright, that's easy."
Qin Han took out his phone, unlocked it, opened his call log, and without hesitation dialed the pinned name—Su Hao.
Instead of going through the trouble of asking around, it's better to ask him directly—simple, direct, and efficient.
[The number you dialed is temporarily unavailable, please try again later...]
"Haha, this kid... he's pretty busy, huh?" Qin Han chuckled, masking a hint of embarrassment.
He remained expressionless and dialed again.
[The number you dialed is temporarily unavailable...]
"..."
In the conference room, all the executives looked down at their toes, pretending to study the carpet pattern, afraid of making eye contact with the chairman. An awkward, frozen atmosphere descended.
Qin Han took a deep breath and, expressionless, made his third attempt.
After a long "beep—" sound, just when everyone thought they were about to be completely stumped again, the call finally connected.