Apocalypse Forecast

Chapter 1031: Chapter 799: He Has Many Friends

The silence fell all of a sudden.

"Hm?" Katakain was stunned, not understanding what he was talking about.

"My surname is Lin, and my name is Wood Cottage, thank you."

Lin Wood Cottage pointed at the business card he had handed over, starting to admire the Yingzhou People’s talent for putting on a show: "And it’s not the kun reading, it’s the on reading. I’m not from Yingzhou."

"Sorry, I didn’t notice."

"It’s fine." Lin Nineteen waved casually. "Simply put, everyone doesn’t want to sit in an office and would rather wander around, right? Need me to arrange vehicles?"

"No need, I came up from running the field, you know." Katakain slapped his thigh, looking pleased with himself. "These two legs are more than enough."

He had no interest in sitting in a car to see those polished model projects; instead, he was far more eager to see the darkness of the Tanbo Inner Circle hiding in plain daylight.

Those dilapidated and abandoned places.

Otherwise, how was he supposed to ruthlessly shave down a few chunks of their valuation?

"Looks like you all came prepared."

Lin Wood Cottage raised an eyebrow, but he didn’t panic. Instead, he laughed. "So, what do you want to see?"

"If we’re talking about nearby, how about starting with Suzaku Town? It’s right next door." Katakain picked up the map in his hand and suggested, "From what I see in your construction plans, there doesn’t seem to be any mention of projects there, yet there’s suddenly large-scale construction going on."

"Ah, it’s fine, just a large-scale event venue and a few training bases, that’s all."

Lin Nineteen walked in front to lead the way. After they turned two corners, a construction site appeared ahead of them, with the sign of Huaizhi Construction still hanging at the top.

Amidst a ruckus, they hadn’t even dug the foundations yet, and several construction vehicles belched black smoke as they drove in and out nonstop.

"To enrich the spiritual life of Tanbo Man, raise everyone’s cultural literacy, and cultivate amateur interests, the overall director Mr. Huai Shi decided to start construction ahead of schedule. In a few more days the foundations will be poured.

According to the plans, this place will include a concert hall, a dedicated competition venue, and facilities that can accommodate hundreds of trainees for simultaneous training and lodging..."

Standing before the rendered design, Lin Nineteen presented the Future scene to the members of the evaluation team, introducing it in an unbroken stream.

But the visitors’ expressions remained indifferent and detached.

They even had to hold back their laughter.

This kind of trick was far too common. To escape a deadlock and boost investor confidence, they didn’t hesitate to drink poison to quench their thirst, drawing bigger pancakes and dreaming bigger dreams.

But all that did was make them even more short of cash, doing nothing to help the current situation. After they conned the investment, who would care about the follow-up construction?

One could even say it was doomed to be left unfinished from the start.

Katakain glanced around. Even as disdain rose in his heart, he still nodded with a look of admiration on his face. "In that case, this must cost quite a bit, right?"

Lin Nineteen nodded. "It’s fine, roughly Ten million dollars should do it. It’s the follow-up maintenance that’s a bit more troublesome."

Who are you trying to fool?

Katakain sneered inwardly. If Twenty million US Dollar could barely cover a proper concert hall, it would already be impressive. Did they really think professional acoustic systems grew on trees like cheap speakers? The rest of the project would never be completed.

Ten million? Let’s see if you can even get the initial works done!

"If that’s the case, then why isn’t this project listed in the loan proposal materials?" Katakain asked.

"Ah, this part doesn’t require a loan. The project funds are already fully in place."

Lin Nineteen looked at them, puzzled. "This is being donated and built by sponsors, including project funding, professional equipment, personnel, and so on. All we’re providing is the land and subsequent maintenance, so Ten million is actually more than enough—we’ll even save quite a bit."

The evaluation team fell silent for a long time, staring at each other in astonishment, for the first time feeling like they couldn’t understand Yingzhou language.

What was that supposed to mean?

There was a sucker who came all the way to Yingzhou, ignoring countless other investment projects, just to build you a free arts center in Tanbo?

What kind of dream was this?

"Mm, isn’t it written right here, clear as day?"

Lin Nineteen reached out and pointed at the promoter’s name under the rendering.

[Announced by the Hell Music Association, Chef Demon Competition Committee, and Muse Club.]

"..."

In the instant of dead silence, Katakain’s eyelids couldn’t help but twitch. Right after that, he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket, and notification sounds started going off one after another behind him.

A push notification from Tomorrow News—breaking news in the Yingzhou region.

As professionals in the investment industry and members of a risk control department, their need for information, intelligence, and financial news far exceeded that of other fields. Almost everyone’s phones were on 24/7, never powered off, and some even carried three or four phones to receive updates at any moment.

When he pulled out his phone, he saw the headline on the popup.

—[Who will host the next Asia Chef Demon Competition? Step into Tanbo, the arts city of the Future!]

"Eh? They already made it official?"

Lin Wood Cottage leaned over, that smiling face somehow especially aggravating. "I was actually going to ask everyone to keep this confidential, but I guess it doesn’t matter now... Hm? Mr. Katakain, you look a bit unwell. Are you feeling sick somewhere?"

Katakain’s expression twitched. "No, I’m fine."

"Then what do you think of this news?" The young man blinked a pair of curious big eyes, studying his expression. "You look like the situation is very serious."

"No, it’s... good. It’s all good news."

Katakain answered stiffly. "All of it’s good news."