Stepping out, he drove directly to the Termite Real Estate building.
Xu Yan had returned to her original appearance: a sharp black suit, exquisite makeup, and the aura of a seasoned professional.
Jiang Ye plopped down by the desk. "You must have a plan."
"Of course, I've been ready for a while!" Xu Yan smiled, tapping the screen on the desk with her knuckles.
A deep blue holographic projection rose, hovering above the desktop.
Dense rows of buildings shot up, each as large as a building block. Jiang Ye found them increasingly familiar; the buildings on the desk seemed to mirror the layout of Binhai City.
"Using Binhai City as an example," Xu Yan said. "This is Binhai City now, peaceful, right?"
Jiang Ye nodded.
"But in a week, when the floodwaters form, it will look like this." Xu Yan tapped the screen again with her knuckles.
A surge of blue water attacked, relentlessly sweeping through Binhai City, inundating all the streets. All the buildings, large and small, were submerged. What were previously visible as capsule-sized base vehicles were now reduced to just their rooftops.
Various structures resembled oden stewed in water.
Most outrageously, many tiny figures floated up, struggling like ants, then becoming still, drifting with the current like sesame seeds on top of tea.
"With the floodwaters, at least half the population will be wiped out!" Xu Yan declared, her voice carrying a hint of intimidation.
Jiang Ye's forehead creased. "There's no need for such special effects... City waterproofing is essential."
"Exactly what I was waiting to hear!"
Xu Yan tapped the screen, and the projection animation continued. The floodwaters receded, and the drowned people returned to their buildings, as if rewinding a tape.
Immediately after, magnificent high walls rose from the city's outskirts, at least ten meters tall, forming a perfect circle around the entire city.
The floodwaters surged again, crashing against the high walls and creating a spray. But the walls stood firm, not a drop of water entering the city.
"All-metal city breakwater, reliable quality, with pressure sensors every meter. Any issue will trigger an immediate alarm. A hundred-year warranty, construction time of only three days. What do you think?" Xu Yan smiled.
Jiang Ye blinked in surprise. "I thought you'd come up with something high-tech, and you've just proposed a city wall?"
"Hey! The design might seem unremarkable, but it's truly advanced technology!" Xu Yan explained. "Many cities on other planets are built by reclaiming land from the sea, and they also use these city breakwaters, on an even larger scale, reaching hundreds of meters in height. A single breakwater can accommodate a city of eight million people!"
"Are there no other options?" Jiang Ye scratched his head. "This thing looks incredibly expensive, and once it's built, it's hard to dismantle, isn't it?"
"Why would it need to be dismantled? This wall not only defends against floods but also against beast tides, illegal immigration, and all sorts of supernatural beings. It can even withstand the shockwaves of some extinction-level weapons," Xu Yan said rapidly. "This is a barrier to protect your city! Many cities not threatened by floods also build these."
"In ancient times, not my ancient times, but thousands of years before me, people built city walls outside their cities, made of stone and brick," Jiang Ye said with a wry smile. "After all these years, why are we still building city walls?"
"The simplest things are the most reliable, the most primitive things are the most effective," Xu Yan tapped the screen. The city wall disappeared, and the floodwaters poured into the city. Thousands of tiny figures floated like sesame seeds, wriggling like ants on the water's surface.
"Moreover, walls not only prevent things from getting in but also stop things from getting out," Xu Yan's tone suddenly became meaningful. "With a wall around the city, you can control everyone within it at any time."
Jiang Ye froze, his eyes narrowing.
"Other planets have cities like this, right?" Jiang Ye asked.
"Not just have them, most do. Most cities in the M78 nebula are surrounded by grand metal city walls. Entry and exit are only possible via aircraft or subway," Xu Yan smiled. "Those city walls are far from the residential areas, but they are hundreds of meters high, equipped with aircraft identification radar and close-in weapon systems. Any unauthorized aircraft entering or exiting will be directly shot down. If the army occupies the city walls from the outside, the people inside have no power to resist, making it very convenient for the highest ruler to suppress urban riots."
"Of course, if you want this kind of armed city wall, it can't be built in a short time, and the cost will be even higher," Xu Yan added.
"No, I don't want armed city walls," Jiang Ye sighed. "If the entire city riots, that's public opinion. How can I lock up everyone in the city like a cage? Just build the breakwater, it doesn't need to be too high, a maximum of three meters above ground. It would be best if it could be transparent, with access roads to the outside at regular intervals."
Xu Yan rapidly tapped the panel, modifying the breakwater parameters.
The height was reduced from the original 12 meters to 3 meters.
The all-metal breakwater was changed to a transparent window every meter. Made of four layers of special glass, even rocket-propelled grenades would bounce off, and it wouldn't be damaged by floodwaters.
Every hundred meters, a ramp was added, allowing ground vehicles to drive onto it. Of course, people could also easily walk onto the wall.
With all parameters modified, Xu Yan drew a circle with her knuckles, and the rendering popped up.
Jiang Ye looked at it and was quite satisfied. "Let's go with this plan. What's the quote?"
"Building breakwaters for every city will cost a total of 8.85 billion. I'll round it down for you, 8.8 billion!" Xu Yan's smile was radiant.
Jiang Ye almost fell out of his chair.
"That's so expensive!" he exclaimed in shock. "I don't have that much money!"
"It's alright, your credit limit is high, you can pay on credit," Xu Yan said, her expression one of careful calculation. "According to the latest rating from headquarters, your credit limit is 12 billion, with a four-month repayment period."
"Then let's start construction. I'll pay the money back slowly," Jiang Ye said, rising wearily.
There was no other way. After a year of hard work building several cities, he couldn't let a flood destroy them all.
"A down payment of two billion!" Xu Yan rubbed her fingers together. "To be honest, the construction crew is already in place. As soon as the down payment arrives, we'll start work the next second!"
Jiang Ye sighed helplessly and took out his phone to transfer the money to Xu Yan.
As he left the Termite Real Estate building, he felt a sense of disorientation.
Suddenly, he was burdened with a massive debt!
There was no doubt about the construction quality of Termite Real Estate; they hadn't made any mistakes so far. Once the breakwater was built, it would definitely withstand the flood invasion in a couple of days.
After all, when he lived there last year, he could even block the floodwaters with earthen walls and sandbags.
It was just that spending so much money truly pained him.
The only thing he could look forward to now was how much the development index would increase after the breakwater was completed.
With so much money spent on its construction, it was expected to see a significant surge!