Chapter 29

In the port of Libreville, Africa, the steel mill, coking plant, and power generation equipment that Gao Yang ordered last year have already arrived. Gao Yang rented a large piece of land on the outskirts of the city to build a makeshift warehouse. After transporting all the supplies into the warehouse and driving away the locals, he had Origin scan the area and, finding no one watching him, loaded all the supplies into the storage space and activated the shuttle to return to Nanjing in 1925.

Gao Yang's plan was to establish a steel and coking complex near Ma'anshan. However, there were two issues to address first. The first was the remnants of the former Anhui army that had been entrenched in southern Anhui. To avoid fighting on multiple fronts, Gao Yang had been paying these troops, who followed orders but not his command, and ignored their opportunistic behavior. Now that the surrounding areas had temporarily calmed down, Gao Yang finally had the opportunity to deal with them.

The method was simple: the newly formed 19th Division would advance, and at the same time, Gao Yang would bribe the leaders of the small warlords, either paying them to retire as wealthy men or eliminating them.

At this time, Gao Yang had just defeated the advancing Fengtian army, and his reputation was soaring. The small warlords in southern Anhui, except for a few who fled to Jiangxi, all surrendered to Gao Yang. After selecting some elite troops from the more than ten thousand surrendered soldiers and sending them to the new recruit training camp, Gao Yang assigned the remaining soldiers to the construction battalion to build the factory in Ma'anshan. Those who were unwilling to go were given 30 yuan each as travel expenses and dismissed on the spot. With this, Gao Yang had complete control over the entire Anhui province.

The second issue was more complicated. Gao Yang's sphere of influence was divided by the Yangtze River. To transport coal from Feng County in northern Jiangsu to the steel mill in Ma'anshan, it had to be loaded onto ships and transported across the river, which was very troublesome. For both economic and military purposes, building a Yangtze River Bridge was urgently needed.

Gao Yang already had a plan. He intended to use the blueprints of the Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge from the original timeline and build it at the same location, purchasing the necessary materials from the original timeline and hiring European infrastructure companies to construct it.

"Can the technology of this era handle it?" Origin asked.

"I've checked the records. Although the Sydney Harbour Bridge, which began construction this year, is not as long as the Nanjing Bridge, the technology is already quite mature. The Golden Gate Bridge, which will start construction in a few years, is even more advanced. The technology of this era is sufficient to build a bridge spanning the Yangtze River," Gao Yang said.

Afterward, Gao Yang placed the equipment for the steel mill and coking plant at the original site of the Ma'anshan steel mill. The bio-warriors, infused with specialized technical knowledge, led the construction battalion in the steel mill construction work.

He went to Shanghai and met with Manager Rong, asking him to recommend a professional construction company to build the Yangtze River Bridge. Rong was very enthusiastic about this massive project and mentioned that the headquarters had already agreed to Gao Yang's previous request to purchase an artillery shell production line. However, the headquarters was very interested in the sulfanilamide molecular formula and ratio in Gao Yang's possession.

"I can give it to you, but one artillery shell production line might not be enough, right?" Gao Yang said with a smile.

Rong got up, took a cigar from the cigar box, lit it for Gao Yang, and sat back on the sofa, smiling lightly. "Mr. Gao, we are all businessmen; everything can be negotiated." Gao Yang quietly smoked the cigar, considering what he needed.

Rong got up again, took out paper and pen from his desk, and waited quietly. After a while, Gao Yang looked up and said to Rong, "I want the complete production line for an armory, all the blueprints, and patent rights."

Rong was surprised and put down his pen, pausing before saying, "Mr. Gao, that's not a small price." "Germany doesn't need it now, so selling it to me for money is just right. Additionally, please help recruit retired officers who can serve as instructors at military academies and non-commissioned officer schools, as well as specialized artillery, engineering, communications, aviation, ground crew, maintenance, intelligence personnel, and armory technicians. Money is not a problem," Gao Yang said, taking a puff of the cigar.

Rong smiled. Since money was not a problem, there was no issue. The two then discussed the specific details. Before leaving, Gao Yang shook Rong's hand and said with a smile, "I'll give you the molecular formula, and I can also provide a large amount of finished sulfanilamide. Make money while you can."

On the way back to his residence, Origin asked, "Why don't you buy advanced weapons in the original timeline? Or I can produce them for you?"

Gao Yang smirked and said, "If I can buy contemporary weapons with money, I won't waste energy points. As for your advanced weapons, aside from the enormous energy point cost, the problem is who would use them? Even if a Gundam appeared, how many energy points would it take to infuse the driving skills? How would we handle energy replenishment and daily maintenance? And if such things appeared, they would inevitably attract worldwide attention. Could a Gundam withstand a nuclear bomb?"

He lit a cigarette and continued, "Of course, everything I'm doing now is to get your advanced technology, but I won't use it until I can ignore all opposition. As for buying weapons in the original timeline, if it's a small amount, it's fine. A hundred or so guns wouldn't attract much attention. But with my current force, which is counted in the tens of thousands, what's the point of buying just a few? If I bought a large amount, not only would it be hard to find a seller, but if I dared to buy tens of thousands of weapons, my entire family would be investigated! Another reason is that the weapons from the original timeline can't be maintained in this timeline. Many seemingly simple parts can't be produced here, and even bullets of the same caliber can't be used interchangeably."

After finishing, Gao Yang quietly smoked for a while and then said softly, "Ultimately, my strength is still not enough. I haven't reached the point where I can ignore all resistance."

After returning to the original timeline, Gao Yang flew back to the capital to spend the Spring Festival with his parents. He was originally happy to be home, but he was immediately annoyed upon landing at the airport.

Gao Yang found a taxi outside the Beijing Capital International Airport. Midway through the ride, the driver received a call and told Gao Yang that a friend was nearby and he would pick him up. Gao Yang asked how far it was, and the driver became unhappy and started arguing with him. Gao Yang, who was in a good mood, became angry and called the police.

When the police arrived, the driver complained to them. After understanding the situation, the police said to Gao Yang, "What's the big deal? You're wasting police resources."

Gao Yang was truly angry and didn't say anything more. He took out his phone and called the law firm he had worked with when establishing the SC Trading Company. After asking for the address, the other party simply said, "We'll be there right away."

The taxi driver and the police looked at each other, talking incessantly. Gao Yang ignored them. In less than ten minutes, the lawyer's car arrived, and they went to the police station to file a report. Gao Yang only said to the lawyer, "Sue them, and keep going until we win."

The next morning, still angry, Gao Yang went to a nearby 4S store and told the manager, "I want the most expensive car." The manager, who had seen wealthy people before, was not surprised. He smiled and led Gao Yang to a car, introducing it briefly: "The top-of-the-line BMW 760LI, fully equipped and registered for 3.1 million yuan." The manager didn't mention performance or discounts, seeing that this guy was just here to spend money.

Gao Yang directly wrote a check to complete the procedures. When asked for his driver's license, he was taken aback, as he didn't have one. He rubbed his nose, a bit embarrassed, and said, "I often drive abroad, and my skills are top-notch. Just arrange for me to take the test as soon as possible." After returning home, he spent some energy points to have Origin infuse him with top-tier driving skills. Two days later, Gao Yang passed the driving test with excellent scores, leaving the examiner amazed. The examiner rubbed his head and muttered, "With these skills, he doesn't need to know anyone."

In the following days, Gao Yang spent time with his parents, eating, chatting, and watching TV, feeling the festive atmosphere of the Spring Festival. His depressed mood from the battlefield improved significantly.

On the 27th of the lunar month, after dinner, the family of three sat together playing cards. After a few rounds, his father said to Gao Yang, "A few days ago, your Uncle called me and said your cousin is getting married and wants to borrow money to buy a house." "Why didn't you tell me about this?" Gao Yang's mother shouted at his father before he could respond.

"It's nothing, Mom, don't get upset," Gao Yang calmed his angry mother and asked his father, "How much does he need?" His father, somewhat embarrassed, said, "Your Uncle wants to borrow 800,000 yuan."

"800,000 yuan? Why doesn't he just rob a bank! They never called us when we were poor, and now they're shamelessly coming to us. They didn't even contribute a penny when your father died, but they all came out to fight over the house. What kind of people are they?" Gao Yang's mother, like a protective tiger, shouted at his father.

"Isn't it because you keep calling the hometown and boasting about how successful your son is and how much money he's made? Otherwise, how would they know?" His father, usually kind to others, was also angry when reminded of past grievances.

Gao Yang, caught between laughter and tears, calmed the two elders and said, "It's not a big deal, it's just money. Don't get upset over others." After a moment's thought, he said to his father, "Dad, we can lend the money, but we won't pressure him to pay it back. However, he must write an IOU. Also, with the housing prices in the hometown, 800,000 yuan is too much. We can only lend them 400,000 yuan."

He then turned to his mother with a smile and said, "Mom, no matter what, they are still family. Now that we have money, we should help them if we can. Wouldn't you have more face in the hometown if we do this? Hehe."

After calming his parents, the family continued playing cards and discussed where to travel after the holiday. After 10 PM, Gao Yang returned to his bedroom, took a shower, and changed into pajamas, preparing to rest early.

Suddenly, his phone on the bedside table rang. Gao Yang picked it up and saw a message from an unknown number. "Huh? I have a VIP number. How did they get my phone number?" Gao Yang muttered. He opened the message and saw a picture that made his heart skip a beat!

In the picture, two women in swimsuits, one tall and one short, were smiling on the beach, making happy gestures to the camera. The picture itself was nothing special, but Gao Yang recognized both women. The shorter one was his ex-girlfriend, Lu Lingxue, and the taller one was the flight attendant he had dated, Li Yuan!

How did they end up together? Who sent me this picture? Gao Yang was momentarily stunned. A pleasant ringtone sounded, and Gao Yang, startled, looked at his phone. The number that sent the message was now calling him!

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