Chapter 27: A Multi-Billion Dollar Deal

"Heh!"

To Li Kai's explanation, Sun Xiaoyan merely offered a light chuckle before speaking with blunt directness: "Mr. Li, let me state my requirements plainly. See if your company is capable of constructing this."

"First, I need this shelter to be large enough—large enough to house everyone I intend to accommodate."

"Second, the shelter must be capable of withstanding a magnitude ten earthquake and possess defensive and counter-offensive capabilities. High-tech solutions, such as laser weaponry and robotic guards, should be integrated."

"Finally, you must ensure that those sheltering inside can live normally within the facility for at least ten years."

Upon hearing Sun Xiaoyan's demands, Li Kai furrowed his brow, lost in thought for a moment. Suddenly struck by a question, he hurriedly asked: "Miss Sun, may I ask, just how many people does this shelter need to accommodate?"

"How many?"

Sun Xiaoyan hesitated, mentally calculating for a moment before replying: "One hundred thousand."

"My God."

Li Kai looked stunned. With an air of disbelief, he confirmed, "Miss Sun, did I hear you correctly? One hundred thousand?"

Sun Xiaoyan smiled calmly: "Mr. Li, the one hundred thousand I mentioned is merely the minimum standard. If possible, two hundred thousand, three hundred thousand... in short, the more, the better!"

She paused, allowing Li Kai to digest her words, then added: "In the future, I plan to build shelters of similar scale in various cities. In short, this is a multi-billion dollar contract. It all depends on whether your company can handle it."

Sun Xiaoyan's words left Li Kai shocked, his mouth agape. It took him quite a while to recover. Placing his hands on his chest, he spoke with a lingering sense of incredulous doubt.

"Miss Sun, why on earth are you doing this?"

Sun Xiaoyan gently tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear—a casual gesture that left Li Kai momentarily dazed. After a while, she said: "If I told you I was saving the future of humanity, would you believe me?"

"Uh!"

Li Kai hesitated at these words. Though he didn't refute her, Sun Xiaoyan could see the disbelief in his eyes.

"Mr. Li, you can choose to believe me or not; that is not important. I just want to know: is your company going to take this contract or not?"

Sun Xiaoyan did not give Li Kai much time to ponder, pushing the topic forward bluntly.

Li Kai was silent for a moment before saying: "Miss Sun, this exceeds my scope of authority. Please allow me to make a call to seek instructions."

***

Nodding, Sun Xiaoyan said nothing, simply gesturing for him to proceed. She then ignored Li Kai, picked up the coffee on the table, and sipped it in silence.

Li Kai took his phone and walked outside the café, beginning to communicate with the head of MineARC’s China division.

Sun Xiaoyan sat at her table, sipping her coffee while observing Li Kai through the glass window. In the open space outside, Li Kai was pacing back and forth with his phone, seemingly talking animatedly.

From her vantage point, it was clear that Li Kai was quite agitated, engaged in a heated argument with the person on the other end of the line.

Sun Xiaoyan remained calm. To be honest, it was impossible for them not to be tempted by such a massive cake.

However, she was skeptical about whether they had the capacity to pull off such a large order. But it didn't matter; even if they couldn't handle it entirely, they would certainly be unwilling to walk away from the deal.

As for how it would be accomplished, that was their problem. Sun Xiaoyan had always lived by one truth: let professionals do professional work.

MineARC was the most professional entity in this field in China, if not the world. If they couldn't do it, Sun Xiaoyan would have to re-evaluate the feasibility of the entire endeavor.

...

Time ticked by. About fifteen minutes later, just as Sun Xiaoyan’s second cup of coffee hit the bottom, Li Kai finally ended the call. He walked back into the café, drenched in sweat. He approached the table, picked up his coffee, and gulped it down, not caring that it had long since gone cold.

After finishing, Li Kai wiped his mouth, sat down opposite Sun Xiaoyan, and looked at her with a firm gaze: "Miss Sun, MineARC accepts your contract."

"OK!"

Though Sun Xiaoyan’s expression remained calm, a flicker of joy appeared deep in her eyes. With this settled, as long as she could provide the funding, there would be nothing to worry about.

With MineARC's expertise, she trusted that the underground shelter would be of high quality—enough for Qin Zhong to gain a foothold in the apocalypse.

Once business was on the table, Li Kai’s demeanor became more solemn: "Miss Sun, moving forward, I will need you to detail every requirement you have for this underground shelter. The more detailed, the better. Only then can our staff produce the blueprints and estimate the quote."

"Once the designs and quotes are ready and you have approved them, we can sign the contract and begin the project."

Sun Xiaoyan nodded in satisfaction, acknowledging Li Kai's professionalism. After a moment's thought, she added: "Before we get into the details, I must emphasize one point: the location of this underground shelter must be secure for at least ten years. That is to say, even if I don't activate it within those ten years, nothing must happen to that site that would compromise the shelter."

Li Kai considered this and said: "That shouldn't be a problem. We can choose a remote location for construction, or even purchase the land outright, making it private property. With our technological capabilities, we can build a shelter controlled by an AI; its reliability will be extremely high!"

"Good!"

Sun Xiaoyan nodded, satisfied. An AI was excellent—it would be best to rely entirely on robotic defense. That way, even if zombies invaded, the robotic forces wouldn't be susceptible to their contagion.

"In that case, let me go over the detailed requirements for the shelter..."

For the next hour, Sun Xiaoyan and Li Kai sat face-to-face in the café, discussing every concept and idea for the future shelter.

During the process, Li Kai even established a conference call with MineARC’s engineers and designers, who listened in and participated in discussions regarding specific details.

An hour later, Li Kai closed his notebook, which was now filled with notes: "Miss Sun, I will return to my hotel. Tonight, I will hold a meeting with my colleagues from the Kyoto and Australian headquarters to discuss the design and budget. I can provide you with a first draft within two days at the latest."

"After the contract is signed, I will bring in engineers to work with us on selecting a site in Shanghai. Do you have any other instructions?"

Sun Xiaoyan thought for a moment, feeling she had covered everything. She smiled: "Don't be afraid of spending money. I hope to see this shelter completed as soon as possible—the sooner, the better!"

Li Kai thought to himself, *I really wonder what this Miss Sun is thinking? Does she honestly believe the world will end tomorrow?*

Although he thought this, he naturally didn't voice it, instead wearing a professional smile: "That won't be a problem. We are professionals, Miss Sun. You can rest assured on that point."

"Good!"

Sun Xiaoyan stood up, shook hands with Li Kai, and smiled: "Then I shall wait for your good news!"

"Ring-ring!"

After seeing Li Kai off, Sun Xiaoyan was just about to head back to her hotel when her phone rang. It was a call from her female assistant.

"Ms. Sun, it's bad. Wanhai Technology just called our R&D department to say they are terminating our new drug development contract."

As soon as the call connected, the anxious voice of her assistant, Ma Ping, came through. The content of her message caused Sun Xiaoyan’s brows to knit together instantly.