I have a debt of 3 trillion, and my creditors are begging me not to die.

This is the operating principle of the Sand Kingdom: money can solve all problems. If it doesn't, it must be because there isn't enough money, and more money will do.

Yang Chen was given the entire 1.2 trillion Eagle Coin super infrastructure project of the Sand Kingdom. Yang Chen also understood human relationships and agreed to the 3 billion Eagle Coin agency rights for the sound wave converter.

As for cooperating to find aliens, that's even less of a problem, since the Sand Kingdom doesn't even have the technology. They'd only be sending people over to make up the numbers, and they could get hundreds of billions of Eagle Dollars in sponsorship fees just by bringing a few of those minor characters. That's a worthwhile deal.

However, Yang Chen can't make this decision alone. After all, they are going to cooperate with the national team now, so it's appropriate to discuss it with the national team first.

Yang Chen said, "Since His Highness the Crown Prince has spoken, of course I have no problem with it. After all, we've been partners for a long time. Giving you the 30 billion Eagle Dollar agency rights for the sound wave converter is no problem. However, I can't make that decision alone right now. Our national team also wants to cooperate with me, and I've already agreed. Now we're just waiting for them to come and sign the contract. So, I need to discuss it with them, and I'll transfer the money to you once I have a result. Okay?"

Salman immediately replied, "No problem! I'll wait for Mr. Yang's call."

After hanging up the phone, Yang Chen immediately called Qiu Yuntao, the head of the Aerospace Bureau, and told him about the Sand Kingdom's plan to spend 300 billion Eagle Dollars to join the alien project.

300 billion Eagle Dollars is no small sum. Qiu Yuntao immediately reported the situation to his superiors and requested instructions.

This is not the first time that China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation has cooperated with Middle Eastern countries. Previously, it had reached a cooperation project worth 300 billion Eagle Dollars with Al-Lianqiu.

So the leadership's idea is to let Yang Chen decide for himself, and they will absolutely support his decision.

With that word from his leader, Yang Chen immediately called Salman back.

“Your Highness, I’ve reported this to my superiors. I’m sorry, but they feel it’s not worth risking 300 billion Eagle Dollars. Forgive my bluntness, but if your technical staff were coerced or bribed to leak our technical secrets, that loss wouldn’t be something 300 billion Eagle Dollars could compensate for; even 3 trillion Eagle Dollars might not be enough. So, I apologize,” Yang Chen said.

Salman immediately said, "Mr. Yang, please rest assured, I guarantee that our technical staff will absolutely not leak your technical secrets. However, I understand your concerns; such a project, which will determine who will dominate Blue Star in the future, is indeed not something to be taken lightly. However, as the saying goes, high risk, high reward. We won't let you bear such a high risk for nothing. We've increased the sponsorship fee to 500 billion Eagle Dollars, is that alright? If that's not enough, we can add more—600 billion, 700 billion, just let us know if you're satisfied, Mr. Yang. 800 billion, 900 billion, 1000 billion."

Yang Chen quickly interrupted, "Your Highness, please don't do this, please don't do this. I'm so conflicted by what you're doing."

Salman laughed and said, "Haha... Mr. Yang, don't worry about it. If you're satisfied, just say so; if you're not, don't say anything. Let me be honest with you: we just want to be able to eat at the table in the future, not appear on the menu. We're deeply tied to you, betting that you will be the first to successfully contact extraterrestrial civilizations. If we win, I believe you won't abandon us, and our Sand Kingdom will have a place in the future. If we lose, we'll accept it."

"Sigh... Alright! I'll give it another try and see if the boss will take the risk for the sake of 1000 billion Eagle Dollars. Wait for my call," Yang Chen said.

Salman immediately replied excitedly, "Okay, okay. Thank you, Mr. Yang, I'll wait for your call. Haha..."

Yang Chen hung up the phone, looked out the window and smoked a cigar for a while. When he felt it was about time, he picked up the phone and called Salman.

Yang Chen said happily, "Haha... Your Highness, congratulations! The leadership is willing to take the risk of accepting your cooperation request. However, we can only allow you to send three technicians. Ideally, one senior, one middle-aged, and one young technician, so that you can learn the technology now and also ensure that you have successors in the future. What do you think?"

Salman was immediately thrilled and quickly said, "Haha... I'll do whatever Mr. Yang says, that's settled! I'll send someone over to sign the contract right away, and the money will be transferred shortly. Haha... Mr. Yang, it's a pleasure to cooperate with you."

Yang Chen said with a smile, "It's a pleasure to cooperate with you. I'll be waiting for you."

It's great to have mastered the technology; you haven't even done anything yet, and you've already received 1000 billion Eagle Dollars in sponsorship fees.

This amount of money is enough to cover the entire project's costs. It's like the Sand Kingdom is paying the Dragon Kingdom's technicians to conduct alien research, while the Dragon Kingdom hasn't spent a single penny and may even have a considerable amount of money left over.

The Longguo Aerospace Bureau team came to Jiangcheng to discuss cooperation with Yang Chen. After half a day of consultation, the two sides reached an agreement.

The two parties jointly established a new company named "Starry Sky and the Sea," whose main project is to conduct deeper and higher-dimensional research on the universe and the sea.

Both sides have a list of 100 researchers. In principle, the ratio of aerospace personnel to marine personnel is 7:3, and both sides will allocate their personnel according to this ratio.

The company's registered capital is the 1000 billion Eagle Coins sponsorship fee given by the Sand Kingdom.

Yang Chen's wealth is now countless. Although 1000 billion Eagle Coins is a huge sum of money, he doesn't really have many ideas about it. He would rather use it to fund research for scientific researchers and improve their salaries and benefits.

This is a match he cannot afford to lose. If necessary, Yang Chen is willing to stake all his wealth, because if he loses, everything he currently owns will be taken away by the winner.

Therefore, at this point, you can no longer worry about the gains or losses in terms of money.

The space agency also did its best to contribute 100 billion Dragon Coins, which can be considered as their way of showing sincerity.

After all, their funding depends on government appropriations, and the annual government budget is fixed, so it is absolutely impossible for them to come up with 1000 billion Eagle Dollars.

Yang Chen contributed more money, so he naturally gained more control over the company.

Yang Chen personally holds 99% of the shares, while the space agency holds 1%.

However, the space agency retains a veto right regarding technology transfer and product sales in overseas markets.

In other words, if the company develops new technologies and products in the future, Yang Chen will have complete control over the domestic sales, but sales to foreign countries will require review and approval from the space agency.

In fact, even if this veto power is not explicitly written down, in practice, the sale of key technologies and products to external parties still requires approval from relevant departments. Whether or not this clause is written down has no impact on the actual operation. Now that it is explicitly written down, it is to give them face.

As for the company's profits, Yang Chen offered to split them 50/50.

However, the money allocated to the space agency can only be used to continue advancing scientific research and cannot be used for other commercial investments or purposes, let alone distributed to certain individuals as rewards.

If this agreement is violated, Yang Chen has the right to stop distributing dividends to them, and may even dissolve the company directly.

Yang Chen could freely spend the money he received, buying whatever he wanted without any restrictions.

There were a few minor issues that were not serious, and both sides made some compromises and reached an agreement.

Qiu Yuntao originally suggested holding the signing ceremony at 9:18 a.m. tomorrow, but Yang Chen felt there was no need to do anything superstitious. They should focus on getting the company up and running as soon as possible.

Therefore, the two parties held a signing ceremony at 3 p.m. that day.

The company's location was chosen in an area bordering Jiangcheng and Haicheng. The governments of both places directly approved the commencement of construction, and the formalities were to be completed immediately. All the formalities would be handed over to Yang Chen within three days.

The Haicheng and Jiangcheng governments also discussed the matter and ultimately decided that the company's jurisdiction would be Jiangcheng, but the tax revenue would be shared equally between the two cities.

Subsequently, Xingchen Dahai Group registered accounts on platforms such as Weibo, Douyin, and TikTok, and posted its first update.

"Hello everyone, the Starry Sky family has a new member! That's right, it's me. I was jointly established by Mr. Yang Chen and Dragon Kingdom Aerospace, with a registered capital of 100 billion Eagle Coins + 1000 billion Dragon Coins. My main business is reflected in my name: stars and the sea. Please take good care of me. I will share our new achievements and daily work from time to time. Thank you all."

Anyone with a modicum of intelligence can understand the significance of this company, and netizens left numerous comments in the comment section offering their blessings.

"Congratulations, congratulations, welcome to the stars and the sea."

"The future hope of all mankind rests on your shoulders, keep it up!"

"What does it mean that the registered capital is 100 billion Eagle Coins + 1000 billion Dragon Coins? Does Boss Yang invest 1000 billion Eagle Coins? Why is it denominated in Eagle Coins? Is there any deeper meaning behind it?"

"Is the dream of our ancestors to travel to the heavens and the seas about to become a reality? I mean, will ordinary people be able to travel freely to the universe and the deep sea?"

That evening, the delegation from the Sand Kingdom arrived in Jiangcheng.

The two sides negotiated the cooperation details overnight and finalized the 100 billion Eagle Dollar investment project in less than three hours. At 10:00 a.m. the next day, Yang Chen, together with Qiu Yuntao, held a signing ceremony with the Sand Kingdom Space Agency.

The signing ceremony was simultaneously broadcast live on the Douyin and TikTok accounts of Xingchen Dahai Group.

The chat messages in a Douyin live stream.

"Yesterday I was wondering why the registered capital of Xingchen Dahai Group was 100 billion Eagle Coins + 1000 billion Dragon Coins. Why do domestic companies use Eagle Coins for pricing? Case closed, it turns out this money was sponsored by a big spender."

"This big spender is too generous! They're giving 1000 billion Eagle Dollars in sponsorship fees right after the company was founded. If they don't produce any research results in the future, won't all that money have been wasted?"

"That's what word-of-mouth is all about. Before the company was even established, the Sand Kingdom had already secured investment and sponsorship. They were convinced that Boss Yang would definitely achieve results and would share them with them."

Foreign netizens, however, were not so calm.

"What?! The Sand Kingdom is giving them research funding for the next 10 years in one go? Protest! Protest against the Sand Kingdom supporting them like this. If they really make contact with aliens, do we even have a chance to survive? Their first instinct will be to seek revenge. This is something we absolutely cannot tolerate. The Sand Kingdom must cancel the cooperation."

"Damn it! He got a massive infrastructure project worth 1.2 trillion Eagle Dollars, and now his company, barely established, is receiving a 1000 billion Eagle Dollar sponsorship fee. What kind of magic potion has Yang Chen given the Sand Kingdom? Why do they trust him so much?"

“One provides the technology, the other provides the funding; they are truly a perfect team. I think we should also apply to join their project; it’s impossible for us to be the first to make contact with extraterrestrial civilizations on our own.”

“We Western countries should also join forces in research and development; we can’t fall behind them. Their values ​​are completely different from ours, and the consequences of them being the first to come into contact with extraterrestrial civilizations are unimaginable.”

"Precisely because their values ​​differ from ours, we should support them in making contact with extraterrestrial civilizations first, because they will surely lead all of humanity into a higher-dimensional civilization. If Western countries are allowed to make contact with extraterrestrial civilizations first, they will only use technology to exploit, oppress, and colonize other countries. Go Yang Chen! Go Sand Kingdom!"

……

Another small, informal emergency meeting was held in the White Eagle Presidential Office.

"Fuck! The Sand Kingdom actually directly supported Yang Chen with 1000 billion Eagle Dollars. Are they really that confident that he will succeed?"

“Yang Chen is already very rich, and with the Sand Kingdom's generous sponsorship, they might actually make contact with extraterrestrial civilizations before we do.”

"If money could guarantee results, there would be no backward countries in the world, and we would no longer be the world's hegemon. NASA's accumulated technology and data over so many years must give us a greater advantage than theirs, and we will definitely be the first country to make contact with extraterrestrial civilizations."

After listening to everyone's opinions, the leader said, "They supported Yang Chen with 1000 billion Eagle Coins, so they must also support us with 1000 billion Eagle Coins, or I won't let them get away with it."

He wasn't just saying it; he actually called Salman.

"Salman, what do you mean? Why are you supporting Yang Chen with so much money?"

“We don’t have the technology, but we want a piece of the pie, so I’m supporting him financially.”

"But shouldn't we be the most powerful country in this field? Why don't you support us? I suggest you cancel your cooperation with him and instead invest in NASA and cooperate with us. This is your wisest and most correct choice. Do you understand, Your Highness?"

"Heh... You've had that alien signal for so many years and still couldn't decipher it. It was only thanks to Mr. Yang's acoustic analyzer that you were able to crack its meaning. Tell me, where does your strength lie? Our money doesn't grow on trees, so of course we'll invest in those with the highest chance of success. But don't be discouraged. If you achieve results before him, we're not unwilling to invest in you. We don't want to put all our eggs in one basket, so please strive for excellence. Okay?"

The bald eagle never acts rationally, and no amount of Salman's explanations will change that.

"I don't care. If you give Yang Chen 1000 billion Eagle Dollars, you have to give us 1000 billion Eagle Dollars in return. Otherwise, you'll bear the consequences," said the leader of the White-Headed Eagle.

Salman chuckled and said, "You'd better not push me, or I'll immediately terminate our military security agreement."

"You dare! If you dare cancel, I dare beat you up! Listen, I'm saying this one last time: either you cancel your sponsorship for them, or you give us the same amount of sponsorship. Otherwise, you'll face the consequences."

"If you hit me, I'll entrust the entire country's security to Yang Chen. Don't believe me? Just try! I don't have time for your nonsense, I'm hanging up!"

Salman hung up the phone immediately, a disdainful smile still on his lips.

This infuriated the leader of the bald eagle. He didn't get the money, but instead got a scolding. How could he tolerate this?

"Fuck! Salman actually dared to reprimand me and hang up on me. We haven't made a move in a long time, and they've forgotten that we're still the world's superpower. It's time for our aircraft carrier to take a look around and show them who's in charge!"

After hanging up the phone, Salman felt a little uneasy. After thinking it over, he went to his boss to discuss countermeasures.

Another fulfilling day came to an end, and Yang Chen was about to leave work when Salman called.

"Haha... Mr. Yang, there's something I'd like to talk to you about."

"Your Highness, please don't stand on ceremony. Just say what you need to say."

"Here's the thing, we've discussed it, and we've decided to give you the 1.2 trillion Eagle Dollar infrastructure project. We've also designated an economic and trade zone next to Leyard International Airport, and you've already deployed unmanned combat units to protect it. So, let's entrust you with all the security work for the entire Sand Kingdom and the protection of the royal family's key members. We'll cover the labor and equipment costs, and we'll also give you an additional 100 billion Eagle Dollars annually for security expenses. Is that acceptable?"

They cover all the expenses and give us 100 billion Eagle Dollars in net profit every year. We can definitely do this job.

“Sure! How much equipment do you want?” Yang Chen asked.

Salman immediately replied, "We'll provide 2000 billion Eagle Dollars. You decide how to configure the equipment. We have only one requirement: ensure the entire territory is under protection. We can add more money if needed. Is that alright?"

Yang Chen replied with a smile, "Sure! It's easy to handle if you have specific requirements. I'll immediately arrange for the project team to follow up and finalize this project as soon as possible."

“No need to rush, just confirm it immediately. I’ll call Holdan right away and authorize him to sign the contract with Starry Sky Military Industry. You guys arrange for the equipment to come over immediately, the sooner it’s set up, the sooner we’ll feel at ease,” Salman said.

Salman is in such a hurry, something must have happened.

but.

With Yang Chen's current strength, there's no need to worry about trouble.

“Alright, then make sure to explain to Prince Holdan that you will go to Xingchen Military Industry Group to sign the contract at 9 a.m. tomorrow,” Yang Chen said.

Salman replied happily, "Okay, okay. Then I won't bother Mr. Yang any longer, bye."

After hanging up the phone, Yang Chen immediately sent a message to Guo Hu.

“Salman is suddenly so eager to hand over the national security work to us. See what’s going on over there so we can have a better understanding of the situation and see if the money he’s offering is worthwhile. Holdan will be there tomorrow morning at 9 a.m. to sign the contract, so be prepared.”

More than ten minutes later, Guo Hu gave a reply.

"Chairman Yang, we've found out. The bald eagles called and threatened Salman, demanding either the cancellation of your 1000 billion eagle coins sponsorship or that they also give them 1000 billion eagle coins. Otherwise, they'll make him regret it. The bald eagles have decided to send an aircraft carrier to the Sand Country."

Yang Chen chuckled. No wonder Salman was so eager.

The problem is not big.

That's money earned! (End of Chapter)