Rebirth of Hong Kong Island, leading the technology war

Chapter 502: Agreement Reached, Launch Fee 50 Million
Chen Yunli asked, "What kind of information does Mr. Hu need?"

Hu Jiangshan said, "I will send you the list of required information later. I don't know the specific information at the moment. I need feedback from the relevant departments."

Chen Yunli paused for a moment, then exchanged a glance with Catherine.

They then realized that Hu Jiangshan had left earlier to make a phone call to the relevant departments of China's aerospace industry.

Contrary to Chen Yunli's expectations, Hu Jiangshan did not call the company's engineers to inquire whether the project was feasible.

Hu Jiangshan had just contacted Professor Zhao Ruijing, an old acquaintance.

Zhao Ruijing replied that as long as it is not a sensitive project, the relevant departments can give it the green light, but detailed information must be submitted first.

Problems only arise when the information is incomplete or incorrect.

Hu Jiangshan was also aware of these aspects. In his previous life, he had participated in international cooperation projects in the aerospace field, but he had only participated in relatively large projects. He did not have much contact with small private projects, and even when he did, he attended meetings as an advisor.

Moreover, this era is somewhat different from the previous one, so Hu Jiangshan wasn't sure.

Chen Yunli asked, "Mr. Hu, is your company able to accept this order?"

Hu Jiangshan smiled slightly: "Why not? Our Tenglong Island Space Launch Site has just started operations and is currently short of orders. I'd like to launch a lunar probe; that's a big order, isn't it?"

"Indeed...yes."

But this wasn't the answer Chen Yunli wanted. Hu Jiangshan's response made it sound like launching a probe into lunar orbit was as simple as eating and drinking, something easily accomplished.

Chen Yunli said, "Mr. Hu, what I mean is, is your space launch site really capable of launching this probe into lunar orbit? This probe is very expensive; we've invested a lot of research and development personnel and funds, so of course we hope for a good result."

Hu Jiangshan took a sip of coffee and said, "Ms. Liu, I understand your feelings, but you should know that no space launch mission is 100% successful. However, our space launch site has very advanced technology and is fully capable of completing the mission, with a very high success rate."

"Okay, I understand. May I ask what the success rate is? Could you give me a number, Mr. Hu?"

"Ninety percent."

"Huh? What do you mean 90%?"

Hu Jiangshan then realized that the other party was a foreigner and might be unfamiliar with some of the words, so he added, "The success rate can exceed ninety percent."

"...Is it...that tall?"

Chen Yunli, of course, didn't believe it. She felt that Hu Jiangshan was bragging. Even if it were the US space agency or SpaceX launching a lunar probe, they wouldn't dare to say that there was a 90% success rate.

Chen Yunli looked at Catherine, who surprisingly didn't react and was actually eating.

Chen Yunli said to Hu Jiangshan, "Mr. Hu, you seem very confident. Although I don't know much about this technology, I've heard that the success rate of lunar probe launches isn't very high, is that right?"

Hu Jiangshan replied, "The success rate is indeed not high, but our space launch site uses the latest technology, which can improve the success rate of launch missions."

"Latest technology...is that even more advanced than the Speth X?"

Upon hearing Chen Yunli's question, Catherine looked at Hu Jiangshan, intrigued to hear his answer.

Hu Jiangshan still had a nonchalant expression: "SpesX's technology is very advanced, but each has its own strengths compared to us. I believe that we are no worse than SpesX in terms of technological maturity."

Chen Yunli stared wide-eyed at Hu Jiangshan as if she were looking at an alien.

Good heavens, Hu Jiangshan is really arrogant. He actually said that his space launch site technology is no worse than SpeyX, and even has its own strengths.

SpaceX is the leading space company on Earth, even more powerful than the US space agency. What right does Hu Jiangshan, a Chinese space company, have to compare with SpaceX? That's ridiculous.

It's normal for Chen Yunli to think this way.

There is a reality now: although the people of the Southern Yue Kingdom have fought against the United States, they generally do not hate the United States, but only admire it, believing that the United States is truly a beacon of civilization on Earth.

This is what is meant by fearing power but not cherishing virtue.

Most countries on Earth believe in the law of the jungle, but China may be the only exception.

Therefore, in the mind of a South Vietnamese, no matter how much China's technology is touted, it can never be compared with that of the United States.

Chen Yunli believes that Hu Jiangshan is just bragging and has no credibility whatsoever.

But Catherine still didn't say anything, which made Chen Yunli suspicious. What was the Guise family up to? Were they in cahoots with Hu Jiangshan?
But that's unlikely. Why would the noble Guise family collude with a rich second-generation from China?
Hu Jiangshan isn't even worthy to carry Catherine's shoes!
Chen Yunli inwardly looked down on Hu Jiangshan, but she still pressed on, "Mr. Hu, I have another question. Do you have your own rockets? SpeyX has several models of rockets, such as the Bald Eagle 9 reusable rocket."

Hu Jiangshan thought for a moment and asked, "When do you two plan to launch your lunar orbiter?"

Catherine thought for a moment and replied, "The specifics haven't been finalized yet, but we want to launch as soon as possible."

Hu Jiangshan pondered for a moment: "Even if it's fast, it will still take at least two months to prepare. I think we can provide rockets here."

Catherine was somewhat surprised, while Chen Yunli opened her mouth wide, clearly thinking that Hu Jiangshan's words were an exaggeration.

Hu Jiangshan's side actually has a rocket?
However, Hu Jiangshan's explanation completely silenced Chen Yunli. She was not an expert in aerospace and could not raise more professional questions to question Hu Jiangshan. She could only listen to whatever he said.

Hu Jiangshan said, "Of course, if you want to use your own rocket, that's fine too, but it will be a bit troublesome. It will also need to pass the relevant departments' inspection, and the launch preparation period will be very long."

Catherine nodded: "That is indeed a problem. Could Mr. Hu provide us with the relevant specifications and parameters of your rocket later?"

Hu Jiangshan readily replied, "No problem, I will provide that as well."

There are no rockets at the Tenglong Island Space Launch Site, but that doesn't mean it's impossible to build one. With Hu Jiangshan's capabilities, it wouldn't be difficult.

Hu Jiangshan had previously built an experimental rocket under very rudimentary conditions and successfully launched it.

Catherine asked, "Does Mr. Hu have any problems with our side?"

Hu Jiangshan said, "I do have a question. Mr. Guise and Mr. Zakbarr, why not choose a space company from the United States? I believe that would be much more convenient."

Chen Yunli couldn't answer this question; she actually knew very little, so she could only leave it to Catherine.

Catherine, as expected, was prepared and said, "Because when considering the overall cost, it is not cost-effective to hand it over to the space company of the United States, and our autonomy would be greatly reduced. My father does not like this, and I believe Mr. Zachary Burke has the same idea."

Catherine's answer was fine and acceptable.

If the project is handed over to a US-based aerospace company, such as SpaceX, the company will make a lot of demands and force the partner to sign some unfair terms. Even Guss is not immune to this.

And needless to say, the price of the launch service will definitely be very high, the kind that asks for an exorbitant sum. Catherine said, "Okay, Mr. Hu, then we can talk about the order price. This is the price we are hoping for."

As she spoke, Catherine typed a number into the calculator on her phone—a very long number.

Hu Jiangshan looked at it; it showed fifty million.

The unit following this number is obviously neither Hong Kong dollars nor Chinese dollars, but rather the US dollar.

If converted to Chinese Yuan, that's 500 million.

There's not much to say about this price; it's a good deal for both parties.

If it were to be launched by SpeyX, it would probably cost around 60 to 70 million Lighthouse Dollars.

However, if the Tenglong Island Space Launch Site were to submit its own bid, it would not reach 50 million yuan. Hu Jiangshan originally wanted to bid 30 million yuan.

Catherine asked, "What do you think, Mr. Hu? If you're not satisfied, we can talk."

Hu Jiangshan waved his hand: "No need, let's leave it at that."

"……that's all?"

"Yes, that's settled. If there are no other questions, then I wish us a successful collaboration."

As he spoke, Hu Jiangshan picked up his coffee cup and clinked it against the two girls' cups.

Catherine grew to appreciate Hu Jiangshan more and more, and never got bogged down in trivial matters. She didn't even bother to argue and made the decision directly.

If Hu Jiangshan wants to add more money, is that possible? Of course, no problem, but the Gas family can't add much more. They can't even add ten million. Raising the price by five million Lighthouse Dollars is already the limit.

It's not that the Guise family is short of money or stingy; the main reason is that the price system cannot be easily disrupted.

As the saying goes, the rich don't get their money from thin air.

The wealthier a person is, the more they care about the effective use of money, and they will definitely avoid being taken advantage of.

The same principle applies to Zach Burke's side, and they are even more stringent on budget control.

Hu Jiangshan's decision not to haggle over the price was very wise.

After all, if the first collaboration goes smoothly, there will be opportunities for further collaborations.

In business, you need to know how to make a steady, long-term profit, unless you're doing a one-off transaction.

Catherine also made it clear to Hu Jiangshan that regarding the cooperation on the lunar orbiter, they were only here to put forward a general idea, and a special team would come to discuss it with Hu Jiangshan later.

Hu Jiangshan agreed.

If we really need to go through the procedures, we'll have to wait until after the new year.

Both deals were settled, and Catherine was very happy. She even started chatting with Hu Jiangshan about everyday things and fun places in Hong Kong, which completely stumped Chen Yunli.

Hu Jiangshan originally wanted to treat Catherine and Chen Yunli to a proper meal, but Catherine declined, saying she had something else to do later.

As soon as Catherine and Chen Yunli came out of Wolong Ice Room, a Maybach slowly drove up, and the two got in.

Catherine naturally has a team to protect her when she goes out, including a driver and bodyguards, but she didn't let them into the ice cream parlor, worried that they would disrupt the business.

Sitting in the car, Chen Yunli couldn't help but ask, "Catherine, is this Boss Hu reliable?"

Catherine asked, "Do you think he's unreliable?"

“Yeah, I feel like every word he says sounds like something a liar would say. Do you really believe that his space launch site technology can compare to SpeyX?”

Catherine said, "I've worked with him before, and I think there must be a reason for his confidence. Also, a dedicated team will come to conduct an evaluation, and if there are any problems, they will definitely be discovered."

Chen Yunli thought about it and agreed. Putting aside the Gas family, Zachary Burke had a dedicated team of aerospace experts, and ordinary scams couldn't fool them.

However, as a person from southern Vietnam, Chen Yunli has always had prejudices against things and people in China, and always felt that everything was wrong.

Besides being very handsome, Hu Jiangshan's words made Chen Yunli feel very uncomfortable, even harsh.

Chen Yunli asked, "By the way, Catherine, will you be coming with the team?"

Catherine said, "I'm not very interested in this, but I'll probably be on Hong Kong Island."

"why?"

"Because I have investments in a resort here."

Chen Yunli then realized that Catherine was going to run a resort on Tenglong Island.

Chen Yunli said dismissively, "To be honest, the outlying islands on Hong Kong Island are really just average, far inferior to the islands in our South Vietnam, which are all very beautiful. Catherine, you should go to South Vietnam and find an island to invest in."

Catherine shook her head: "You're mistaken. Boss Hu's island is truly beautiful; it's one of the most rare places on Earth."

Chen Yunli glanced at Catherine, still unconvinced, and said, "I'll go take a look when I have time, especially to investigate the damage the space launch site is causing to the island's ecological environment."

Catherine was speechless for a moment. Although she and Gus were also staunch environmentalists, they were not obsessed with environmentalism.

Catherine knew the power of these so-called non-profit environmental organizations. They were quite powerful in the West, able to control everything from the sky to the earth to the sea. However, their influence in China was not so great. But in Hong Kong, they might still be able to cause some trouble, so they shouldn't be underestimated.

"The environment on Tenglong Island is really good," Catherine said.

"Okay, we need to conduct a professional evaluation, and this can be used as a sample for research, which will definitely be very interesting."

As she spoke, Chen Yunli took out her phone and wrote something in her notebook.

However, Catherine believes that Hu Jiangshan can handle these matters, since even the intelligence agencies of the United States cannot do anything to him, let alone some environmental organizations.

Catherine had no time to think about anything else; all she wanted to do now was quickly assemble the resort's operations team and get ready to make a big splash.

Despite being a top-tier rich heiress, Catherine is very passionate about business, especially the Tenglong Island resort, which is truly beautiful and interesting to operate. It might just become one of the most famous resorts on Earth.

(End of this chapter)