My Realistic Simulation Game

Chapter 66 Flames soared into the sky, and the air was filled with a sweet smell.
Acheng, in Manchu, is called "Alechuka", which means "ear".

It gets its name from the fact that the winding river resembles a human ear.

Located in the buffer zone between the Songnen Plain and the Zhangguangcai Mountains, this area has fertile black soil and was once a prime location for sugar beet cultivation.

Acheng Sugar Factory, as the largest sugar factory in Northeast China, once had a glorious era of roaring machines, sweet aroma, and huge tax revenue contributions to the country.

However, times have changed.

The untimely nature of the planned economy, chaotic management, aging equipment, insufficient raw material supply, and the impact of sugarcane from the south...

Like nooses, they strangled this once glorious factory to the brink of death.

Profits have declined year after year, and losses have snowballed.

Workers' wages were delayed for several months, leading to widespread demoralization.

The warehouse was filled with large quantities of unsold white sugar and rock sugar due to unstable quality or outdated packaging. The sugar slowly clumped and turned yellow in the damp and cold warehouse.

As the factory director, Lu Guoxin knew the true state of the sugar factory better than anyone else.

But he didn't want to save it.

All he wanted was... to eat it!

He ranked 1007th on the wealth list, a position that was of little use to him.

He needs a huge leap forward!

Transforming this massive state-owned sugar factory into his private property through some means would increase his wealth enough to propel him into the top 100, or even higher!
at this time.

"Factory Manager," his secretary said urgently as she pushed open the door, "the district just called, asking again about a solution for next month's workers' wages... Also, the bank's last loan is due, and they're pressing us hard."

Lu Guoxin waved his hand expressionlessly: "I know, you can go out now."

The secretary hesitated for a moment, then finally left, gently closing the door behind her.

Lu Guoxin was the only one left in the office.

He stood up and walked to the huge floor-to-ceiling window.

Outside the window, the factory area was deathly silent, the warehouses were empty, and the machines were stopped.

The afterglow of the setting sun shone through the dirty glass, casting interplay of light and shadow on his face, and a cold ambition and calculation flickered deep in his eyes.

save?

No.

What he wants is rebirth after destruction—in his name, Lu Guoxin!

He picked up the intercom on the table, dialed a number, and spoke in a low, decisive voice:
"Old Li, it's me."

"Notify the warehouse to proceed as planned at midnight tonight."

"Yes, all of them. Warehouses one through five, all the stockpiled white sugar, rock sugar, syrup... all cleared out."

"What should we do with it? Burn it."

"Yes, burn it all. Just say... the warehouse's electrical wiring was old, causing a fire, an accidental fire."

"Losses? Report it as serious inventory backlog, dampness and hardening, severely deteriorated quality, and should be scrapped anyway."

"This fire... has actually helped us get rid of a burden, and we can apply for some insurance compensation and government subsidies to ease the pressure on wages."

"Be clean and don't leave any loose ends."

After hanging up the phone, Lu Guoxin gazed out the window at the factory area gradually sinking into darkness, his eyes slowly turning cold.

Burning down the stockpiled inventory and creating an "accidental" fire can both get rid of the heavy burden and create the illusion of insolvency and extreme business difficulties.

This could pave the way for his next steps in pushing forward "restructuring", "bankruptcy reorganization" or even "management buyout".

Chaos is the ladder.

This sugar factory, soon to be reduced to ashes in the flames, was the stepping stone for Lu Guoxin to ascend to even greater heights of wealth. Qin Yuan had no idea that what awaited him was a raging fire.

Harbin Railway Station.

Qin Yuan and his group followed the flow of people out of the carriage, and a biting cold wind mixed with fine snowflakes hit them in the face.

But what awaited him was not the freezing cold of winter.

Instead, flames soared into the sky as far as the eye could see.

As soon as Qin Yuan stepped onto the platform, his gaze was drawn to an unusual red light reflected in the southeastern sky.

Thick smoke billowed, clearly visible even in the cold night and amidst the drifting snowflakes, turning the sky an eerie orange-red.

"A fire broke out?" Qin Yuan frowned slightly, a strange feeling passing through his mind.

Ivan Petrovich, who was sitting next to him, had long since sobered up after a day of swaying on the train. He sniffed hard, somewhat confused and wary: "There's a sweet smell in the air... like sugar."

Just then, a commotion and exclamations arose on the platform:

"Look! Over there! What a huge fire!"

"It's Acheng! Acheng's sugar factory is on fire!"

"My God! Acheng Sugar Factory?! That's an old factory in our Ice City!"

"It's all over, it's all over now..."

"Acheng Sugar Factory?" Qin Yuan repeated the unfamiliar name in a low voice.

Although he knew something about Bingcheng in his previous life, he had no recollection of any specific sugar factory.

However, judging from the shock, regret, and even a hint of panic on the faces of the surrounding crowd, as well as the scale of the towering flames, he could guess what was going on.

This is by no means an ordinary small factory, but an important landmark that carries the memories of this city and the livelihoods of many people.

As the group walked to the exit, they bumped into the staff member who came to greet them, a middle-aged man surnamed Wang, a section chief from Qiulin Company.

He was staring in shock at the direction of the fire: "How could this be... The Acheng Sugar Factory has been struggling these past few years, but this..."

Qin Yuan was curious about the fire and asked, "Section Chief Wang, what happened at the Acheng Sugar Factory?"

He shook his head, sighed, glanced at Qin Yuan, and said in a complicated tone, "Sigh, Translator Qin, Commander Ivan, you've just arrived and you've run into this... Acheng Sugar Factory, that's the largest sugar factory in Northeast China, no, in the whole country, a long-established brand!"

"It's a pity. Business hasn't been good these past few years, and we haven't even been able to pay wages. The workers have protested several times... This sudden fire, I don't know if it's due to aging wiring, or..."

He stopped abruptly halfway through his sentence, seemingly realizing something was amiss. His eyes flickered, and he didn't continue.

"Or what?" Qin Yuan keenly caught the unspoken meaning in his words and pressed, "Section Chief Wang, did you just say 'or'?"

Section Chief Wang's expression changed slightly, and he quickly waved his hand, forcing a smile: "Nothing, nothing, I was just guessing! It was an accident, definitely an accident!"

"The weather is dry, and the circuits in the old factory are aging, so it's inevitable... Advisor Qin, Commander Ivan, this way please. The car has been arranged. Let's go to the guesthouse to settle in first."

He clearly didn't want to discuss this sensitive topic further, so he immediately changed the subject and enthusiastically guided Qin Yuan and his group toward the vehicles waiting outside the station.

Qin Yuan's gaze swept over the firelight that illuminated the sky once more, a hint of understanding and solemnity flashing deep in his eyes.

"Or was it arson deliberately committed?"

Section Chief Wang's unfinished sentence, like a pebble thrown into a still lake, stirred ripples in his heart.

Arson?

Why? To get rid of the accumulated burdens?
Or is it creating the illusion of insolvency? Is it paving the way for restructuring or bankruptcy?
The shift from public to private ownership was a major trend throughout the 1990s, and now it seems to have already begun!

He suppressed his suspicions and didn't ask any more questions.

Since you're new here, it's best not to delve too deeply.

(End of this chapter)