Chapter 563: Chapter 563

That saying holds true: there are no eternal friends, only eternal interests. This applies to the government as well. Their motive for wanting Phase Two of Stone Garden is very clear, as are their interests. What’s the government’s main headache right now? Resources were already insufficient, and there wasn’t enough food to go around. Now, with the surrounding small cities flooded by mudslides, everyone is rushing to Wu City. Moreover, Ningshan City will also be relocating its entire population to Wu City soon.

Wu City is already at its wit’s end. The current challenge is how to feed more people. How can they fit so many people into Wu City, which is already more than half-submerged? Not only must Wu City sustain so many people, but it also needs to provide them with shelter in this cold weather.

Why does the government want Phase Two of Stone Garden?

Isn’t it because they covet this vast, warm area that can accommodate tens of thousands of people? If squeezed, accommodating a hundred thousand wouldn’t be impossible. If Stone Garden could genuinely establish another food production chain, constructing housing around it wouldn’t be out of the question either.

Wu City’s requirements are very simple: as long as these refugees don’t perish and have enough food to survive, that will suffice.

And the shareholders’ interests are even simpler. To put it bluntly, they don’t care how many people die or go hungry. They just need Stone Garden to bring them profits, provide them with luxury goods in the apocalypse, and enable them to eat well daily, not only to live as they did before the apocalypse but also to stockpile enough supplies to feel secure.

Both sides share a common goal: they both need Phase Two of Stone Garden to fulfill their respective desires, which is precisely why this conflict of interest has arisen.

Qian Duoduo gestured for everyone to quiet down. Then he asked Jing Shu, "What are your thoughts? Actually, everyone’s thinking is quite simple: since they invested, there should be a return. No one is interested in the Virtual Coins promised by the government. As long as they can continue to be allocated various supplies, fresh vegetables and fruits, and can stockpile enough food for the apocalypse, that would be enough... The question is, will the government agree?"

If all the output goes to the shareholders, then how will the government sustain the tens of thousands of people being brought in?

Jing Shu countered, "Mr. Qian, you’ve stated what everyone else thinks, but you haven’t said what *you* think?"

Qian Duoduo voiced the shareholders’ most straightforward thoughts. They could ignore everything else, but in this apocalypse, their quality of life had to be guaranteed, and they each had to receive a share of the output.

Qian Duoduo paused, stunned for a moment. He looked down, twirling a walnut in his hand. Yes, my thinking is actually different. Phase Two of Stone Garden is a springboard for me; I have more plans I want to accomplish. If I just hand it over to the government , I wouldn’t be willing. It would disrupt many of my plans. This time it’s Phase Two of Stone Garden; next time it will be the real Stone Garden. What if, the time after that, they demand all my resources?

After pondering for a while, Qian Duoduo looked up and suddenly asked, "You’ve found a new source of food—an edible giant insect. Each insect provides several hundred kilograms of protein, enough to feed hundreds or even thousands of people for a day, and you can supply a certain amount each month, correct?"

Jing Shu raised an eyebrow. She noted how well-informed he was but didn’t deny it. Get full chapters from 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹•𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖•𝗇𝗲𝘁

The shareholders started whispering among themselves again. They seemed to envy Jing Shu for having such a connection and were somewhat surprised that someone as seemingly unremarkable as her could acquire so much Insect Meat. She’s really going to strike it rich!

Qian Duoduo squinted, stroked his beard, and said, "Jin Tianci told me the news. He said that if Stone Garden is handed over to the government, they won’t participate in this business. Instead, we could acquire a large amount of Insect Meat from you at a satisfactory price as compensation."

What can one do with a large amount of Insect Meat? A great deal, especially in these times. With food, one can hire more people, raise more livestock, and accomplish more. If there’s a stable food source, Stone Garden could expand its farms severalfold and massively breed livestock. A third Stone Garden could be built, and a significant portion of the current food supply could be conserved, especially since those at Stone Garden’s lowest tier don’t receive rice. Without an alternative food source, many resources would be wasted.

"So what?" Jing Shu asked.

Qian Duoduo’s fingers tapped the bar rhythmically. Smiling, he said, "How about we first discuss giving Phase Two of Stone Garden to the government? How exactly should we go about it?" For some reason, the issue that had troubled me for so long seems to have calmed after seeing Jing Shu’s confident and assured gaze. Perhaps she really has a solution? Vaguely, I feel this Insect Meat might just be a springboard.

The government, however, naturally wants Stone Garden and all its products for itself, aiming for partial self-sufficiency for those it needs to support. Would they agree to this conflict of interest?

Jing Shu didn’t beat around the bush. She stood in the middle of the bar area and asked, "No matter how we give it, is it that the shareholders here have only one demand: to continue receiving Stone Garden’s various products daily and annual dividends, just like with the original Stone Garden? Of course, this is on the precondition that the products are the same as those from the original Stone Garden."

"That’s right, that’s what we mean."

"We don’t want Virtual Coins."

"Once Phase Two is operational, as long as we can get double the dividends we receive from Stone Garden, that’s fine. We don’t care about anything else."

At this moment, Old Xu, who had been quiet in the crowd, stood up. He smiled and asked, "This situation is now beyond our control. Or rather, I wonder what method Miss Jing Shu intends to use to persuade the government to pay us this hefty ’rent’ each month? On what grounds? On what grounds should the government listen to you? Why should they give up such a large piece of the pie?"

Jing Shu countered, "How many people does the government plan to place in Phase Two?"

Qian Duoduo pondered, "Twenty thousand people. They’re planning to replicate Stone Garden entirely, creating a self-sufficient ecosystem. They intend to move all the people from Old Wu City there. I’ve heard a single spot in Phase Two of Stone Garden is already fetching hundreds of Virtual Coins. Then, they plan to move people from the outer city into the old city district."

Whispers then rippled through the group: "That’s outrageous! We haven’t even agreed to give them Stone Garden, and they’re already allocating spots!"

Jing Shu smiled and said, "What if we negotiate with the government to hire 50,000 people to live and work in Phase Two of Stone Garden, with room and board provided, on the condition that all of Stone Garden’s output is distributed among ourselves? Do you think the government would agree?"

"Are you insane? Stone Garden can barely be self-sufficient with 20,000 people. How could it possibly support more?"

"Fifty thousand people! What will you feed them? How much does Stone Garden even produce?"

Mr. Xu frowned, also looking at Jing Shu.

Jing Shu narrowed her eyes and said calmly, "Mr. Qian, just tell me, with such terms, would the government agree?"

"Only a fool would disagree."

Qian Duoduo nodded. "If we can relieve the government of the burden of tens of thousands of people, they’d naturally be more than willing. And the valuable output of Stone Garden naturally can’t compare to the survival of those tens of thousands of people... You mean, you’re talking about that batch of Insect Meat?"