The previous search mission had been too arduous, with the soldiers having eaten sand for days in the desert, leaving them all grimy and disheveled. All the officers reported requesting a rest, and Jiang Ye readily approved. The entire army retreated to the base for a two-day leave. Damaged equipment was to be repaired or replaced, and those who wished to visit the city could do so, but they were to maintain the unit's image and avoid causing trouble.
Concurrently, Jiang Ye issued an additional bonus to the entire army, ten thousand each, as holiday pay.
On the second day of leave, at noon, Jiang Ye received a friend request on his mobile phone:
["Macroeconomist Feng Zhi Shuang" requests to add you as a friend]
Here it comes! The reward for the final exam has arrived!
He decisively clicked to agree.
Jiang Ye: "Hello, hello!"
Feng Zhi Shuang: "Hello, Mr. Jiang. I am Feng Zhi Shuang, a senior macroeconomist from the Luo Geng Mathematics and Economics Analysis Association. According to the agreement between Colonial University and our association, I will lead a team of 40 people to your planet to assist you for three years. However, before our arrival, there are a few small requests I hope you will fulfill."
Jiang Ye: "Please speak! I will do what I can."
Feng Zhi Shuang sent over a set of architectural blueprints.
A cylindrical glass tower, with a remarkably precise design, featuring ventilation systems, fire prevention systems, earthquake-proof systems, internal power generation systems, large column-free office spaces, a hotel, mechanical and electrical equipment floors, a gymnasium, a restaurant, a swimming pool... Jiang Ye's eyes were dazzled.
The most astonishing part was a series of data: total height 78 floors, height 390 meters, land area 23881m², building area 280000m².
The scale of the building far exceeded Jiang Ye's expectations. He had anticipated that the other party might request office space and living quarters, as these were necessities. Macroeconomists were high-ranking individuals; they couldn't possibly set up a small desk on the roadside to work after traveling from another planet, nor could they rent houses everywhere.
But he hadn't expected such a brazen demand, an appetite as large as that of a Kun Peng, asking for a 78-story luxury skyscraper!
Feng Zhi Shuang: "This is the office and residential building we require. Please select a suitable location for its construction. It needs good natural light, minimal sandstorms, to be located on the outskirts of a key city, and preferably by the sea. Furthermore, it must be equipped with at least 60 police officers specifically assigned to guard the building, and have ample power supply."
Jiang Ye: "Received the design blueprints. Please wait a moment while I contact the construction company."
He then forwarded the skyscraper's blueprints to Xu Yan.
Xu Yan was shocked. "Jiang Ye, are you crazy? Building such a massive skyscraper?"
Jiang Ye: "Give me an estimate."
Xu Yan: "I haven't handled such super-tall buildings before. You suddenly want to build one, and I'm getting all excited. Wait a moment, let me calm down."
Jiang Ye: "You don't need to calm down. I haven't said we're building it yet. Someone wants me to build this thing, and I need to see the price. If the price is too outrageous, I won't build it."
Xu Yan was silent for a moment, likely estimating the cost. After a while, she sent over a string of numbers:
9,852,000,000 yuan.
Jiang Ye narrowed his eyes and counted twice, confirming it was 9.85 billion.
Jiang Ye promptly replied to Feng Zhi Shuang, "No, it's too expensive. I can't afford that much money. You can provide a plan for a smaller building. Such a large building is simply too extravagant."
Feng Zhi Shuang: "I don't care what you think. This building must be built. I have three major reasons for you to consider it again."
Jiang Ye was taken aback. This Feng Zhi Shuang truly had character. None of his subordinates had ever spoken to him like this before; they usually nodded vigorously to whatever decision he made. Macroeconomists clearly held a high status and were not intimidated at all, their attitude so firm. However, people with great abilities often had tempers. If he couldn't tolerate this, he didn't have the magnanimity to be a commander. Jiang Ye sent a "Please speak" emoji.
Feng Zhi Shuang: "The first major reason is that you can certainly afford this money, as your final exam reward includes a 10 billion economic stimulus fund, which can be fully used to build this tower, with even some left over."
Jiang Ye covered his face. While that was true, he had finally obtained a large sum of money and planned to save it for building space stations or setting up numerous arms factories for future troop expansion. Building a skyscraper was truly heartbreaking.
Feng Zhi Shuang: "The second major reason is that this building will not only be used by us macroeconomists, but also by various departments of the future colony. At the same time, it can accommodate a large number of businesses, developing into a super skyscraper, which is a comprehensive facility integrating modern office buildings, luxury five-star hotels, commercial exhibitions, high-end banquets, sightseeing, entertainment, shopping malls, and so on. Ultimately, the value it creates will far exceed its construction cost, becoming your giant money-making tree, with white silver flowing down the tower like a waterfall, into your pockets."
Jiang Ye's face showed a thoughtful expression.
It sounded quite impressive, but the current population of the colony was too small. When would there be enough population and economic strength to support all the functions of such a super skyscraper? If it took several years, there would be no need to build such a super skyscraper in advance. After all, it was expensive to build, and the maintenance costs after completion would inevitably be sky-high. If it couldn't be utilized for sufficient commercial purposes, it would become a giant Pixiu, only eating money and not producing any.
Feng Zhi Shuang: "The third major reason is that the team I lead is experienced and confident that within three years, we can create wealth for you at least several times the cost of this building. But the prerequisite is that you fully trust our capabilities and provide us with sufficient policy and financial support."
Jiang Ye hesitated for a long time, then slapped his thigh!
Let's build it, who's afraid of whom?
Anyway, it was windfall money from the final exam. Even if it all ended up as a loss, it was better than being timid and not daring to act.
Jiang Ye: "Alright, as soon as the economic stimulus fund arrives, I will invest in building this skyscraper."
Feng Zhi Shuang: "The funds have already been transferred to your account."
Jiang Ye decisively transferred the money to Xu Yan.
Xu Yan: "You're so generous! You're truly wealthy! I'm quite baffled lately. Where do you get so much money? I'll immediately have the construction team prepare. Where do you plan to build it?"
Jiang Ye: "On the outskirts of Binhai City, pick a spot facing the sea, where the spring flowers bloom. This building must be of excellent quality. It's too tall; it would be disastrous if it fell."
Xu Yan: "Rest assured, it absolutely won't fall. We can easily build structures three times taller than this. The construction period will take about a week. Please be patient."
Jiang Ye was surprised. "So fast? A 390-meter-tall building, and you can build over 50 meters a day? Don't rush the work!"
Xu Yan: "We are truly rushing the work, and it will be completed in just over three days. This kind of building isn't built layer by layer as you imagine. Each floor is assembled on the ground and then hoisted into place and fixed. The design in the blueprint you provided is very reasonable. The foundation is a composite structure of high-strength concrete and steel. Below the building's frame is an 8-meter-thick reinforced concrete raft foundation, and then 500 hollow steel columns are driven deep into the sandy clay layer. The ground portion will either have an I-beam construction frame or a bamboo joint fixing structure, and it will be built in three layers, inner, middle, and outer, similar to bamboo shoots. The actual construction difficulty is not high. The construction team I have can complete it, and we don't even need to transfer people from other planets."
As an architecture novice, Jiang Ye couldn't understand what Xu Yan was saying. Anyway, as long as the money was spent and the building could be constructed with quality and quantity guaranteed, that was enough. After working together for so long, Xu Yan's reliability was evident; there were no issues with any of the colony's buildings.