Chapter 91: Blacklight Biotechnology Experimental Center
Chapter 91: Blacklight Biotechnology Experimental Center
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Two months later.
After a fierce battle, Blacklight Biotechnology finally signed an agreement with two groups from the nuclear industry in Mainland China.
Through an EPC contract, Blacklight Biotechnology would contract China General Nuclear Power Group and China National Nuclear Corporation to complete the “Blacklight Biotechnology Namibian Nuclear Power Plant” project. The two companies would be in charge of all construction work and technologies while China National Nuclear would also supply the necessary building materials.
The “Blacklight Nuclear Power Plant” was a third-generation nuclear reactor with two CAP1400 pressurized water reactors, each with a power of one million kilowatts, reaching a total output of two million kilowatts. The construction area would span about fifteen square kilometers.
Blacklight Biotechnology had invested 4.3 billion USD in total, paying 1.4 billion USD for China General Nuclear Power’s construction costs and 2.9 billion USD for China National Nuclear Corporation’s technology, construction, and materials.
Out of this amount, Blacklight Biotechnology had to make a first payment of 2.3 billion USD. Half of the remaining two billion USD would come from “foreign investment loan” from the Bank of Mainland China.
As for the remaining funds that were worth more than one billion, a corporation called Mainland China Electronics Group had paid for Chen Chen.
The reason was this corporation had first contacted the head office of Blacklight, expressing its willingness to acquire the simultaneous translation technology at the price of seven billion RMB. This was in addition to a reduction of loan interest and compliance with Blacklight Biotechnology’s policies.
This was a clear representation of what the authorities wanted.
The AI in the original Little X Translation Assistant had not been cracked by the authorities. Therefore, they bought the technology before the second product was released.
Xia Yin had asked Chen Chen about this. Naturally, he held no opinion on the matter.
On the surface, it looked like Chen Chen would get the short end of the stick. After all, a technology that would overturn the entire translation industry was worth more than this. Even so, there were some hidden benefits that could not be measured by money.
To ordinary people, these conditions were certainly not as favorable as a buyout worth tens of billions. However, for those who would seize the slightest chance to climb up further, this meant something completely different.
From Chen Chen’s perspective, these conditions were the true basis of whether a company could take root, rise, and expand in the long term in Mainland China.
In simple terms, Chen Chen had exchanged the technology of the simultaneous translator for an opportunity to become a company like Tencent or Alibaba.
Moreover, the authorities would only acquire the technology, which would not affect Chen Chen from raking in more money. As long as the product was released in other countries, Chen Chen could still sell it around the world and make staggering profits.
As of now, the four billion USD earned by Chen Chen had been spent completely. Not only that, but he also owed the bank more than one billion.
Even so, his emotional state remained unaffected. He even felt like laughing.
After half a year of proliferation, Little X Translation Assistant was gradually promoted across the globe. However, due to Facebook’s diversion and the suppression of various countries, there were only about ten million paying users each month.
After subtracting the sky-high tolls of each platform, the monthly net income of this software was maintained at around twenty million USD for now. This was only a drop in the ocean of Chen Chen’s expenses.
Although it was not as profitable as he had imagined, Chen Chen was playing the long game. After all, it was a unique technology in this world. Sooner or later, it would become a money making machine.
Before they sold off the simultaneous translation technology to the authorities, Xia Yin did encounter a kidnapping attempt. There were five kidnappers in total.
Nonetheless, they only managed to sneak into the office building. Before they could carry out the kidnapping, they all jumped off the building for some reason. The police only managed to identify them as kidnappers based on their foreign nationalities.
Ever since then, nothing of that sort happened again.
In the past two months, Chen Chen had kept himself busy too. He bought a 1000-hectare vacant lot near Walvis Bay and set up a large biological experimental center.
This project was outsourced to China National Nuclear Corporation along with the nuclear power plant. The first batch of construction materials for this had arrived before the nuclear power plant.
This was because Chen Chen had opted for the fastest, pure steel, modular design, just like building blocks. In a few days, a biological experimental center covering an area of a hundred thousand square meters was standing to the south of Walvis Bay.
Thousands of solar photovoltaic panels were erected at the same time as the laboratories. Each panel had an output of 6kW.
No fewer than a thousand solar panels, which stretched further than the eye could see, formed a dense blanket over 1000 hectares of land.
In mid-April, as the “Blacklight Biotechnology Namibian Nuclear Power Plant” project was about to begin, the “Blacklight Biotechnology Experimental Center” was successfully completed.
In these two months, the biological equipment purchased in Switzerland finally passed the export inspection and was then shipped to Namibia.
“Please take a look. This will be your experimental center.”
On the day of completion, a group of construction managers crowded around Chen Chen. One of them, who was the best speaker, pointed to a columnar building covered in solar panels and smiled. “In full accordance with your planning, we’ve designed the first two floors as a duplex structure, forming an experimental hall. The area of this hall is an astonishing 5000 square meters.
“At the same time, the main entrance of the experimental building is on the second floor. To enter through the main entrance, you’d have to go up the outdoor stairs first. After entering, you’d immediately see the vast lobby and the office area.”
As he spoke, he guided Chen Chen’s group into the laboratory building.
“Of course, a side door is also installed on the first floor. If you don’t want to head up the second floor, you can enter through the side door. The rooms around the second floor can be used as offices or as lounges and storerooms.
“As for the basement level, it’s the parking lot.”
As he spoke, the guide led Chen Chen and the others to the elevator and arrived at the third floor. “The third floor is still the office space. There’s also a large conference hall that can accommodate a thousand people for meetings involving every employee in the research institute. It’s only on the fourth floor that one officially enters the space for experiments.
“The laboratories on the fourth floor are basic ones. Four data rooms and two server rooms are also built here.”
After reaching the fourth floor, the guide did not bring them further up but merely explained, “The fifth and sixth floors comprised a dozen biological labs with different functions, with biosafety levels from BSL-1 to BSL-3.
“As for the top floor, it consists of four complete biological laboratories which are still under construction. There are two cell labs and two animal labs. Each lab comes with its own dressing zone, filtration zone, buffer zone, disinfection zone, and so on. They’re specially outfitted with positive pressure protective suits, airtight doors, chemical showers, air filtration systems, and other facilities.
“Moreover, the entire seventh floor is fully sealed off and the four labs within are of the highest international level, BSL-4 and ABSL-4.”
Chen Chen nodded. “We don’t have to look at those until the construction’s done. Let’s visit the other two dormitory buildings and the activity center first.”
“Very well, follow me...”
The group left the laboratory building and headed toward the dormitory buildings that were newly built beside the labs.
After he had exited the laboratory building, Chen Chen turned back to glance at this towering structure with a flash of emotion in his eyes.
Many people did not understand why Chen Chen would spend so much to build a BSL-4 experimental center in such an impoverished country.
After all, BSL-4 level laboratories were rare in the entire Federation and most of them were state-owned.
Furthermore, the import cost of materials alone was two to three times that of the research centers located in Switzerland, not to mention the lack of personnel and medical supplies.
If Switzerland was a paradise for the biological industry, then this place was an undeveloped barren desert.
Chen Chen knew that if he continued expanding in Switzerland, it might be much easier than it was now. However, it was similar to a piece of farmland that was already occupied by someone else. He would only be borrowing the land. When he had harvested his crops that were grown through bitter work, he would still have to give up more than half of his yield.
Only by reclaiming the desert could he extract the most benefit.