The richest man started taking advantage of loopholes after joining Alibaba.

"This is the land."

That evening, upon returning to his base, Lin Che laid out the map that outlined the core area in front of the partners.

A lamp was lit inside the tent, and several people sat down around the picture.

The person who arrived was the person in charge sent by the partner, surnamed Chen. He was Lao Ao's superior, a shrewd middle-aged man.

He had heard that Lin Che had made some big moves in the mining area these past few days, so he came all the way from the city.

Kamau was there too, sitting quietly to one side as usual, taking notes.

Lin Che made his point clear, which meant he was revealing his judgment to his partners.

By the way, it's a great achievement.

If you make a mistake, you'll lose face in public, and your words will carry less weight in the future.

Since he dared to put it out there, he must have already weighed the pros and cons in his mind.

Mr. Chen stared at that small circle on the map, his brows furrowed slightly.

"Mr. Lin, please forgive my bluntness."

He spoke cautiously, "You've only been here for about ten days."

"Based on just ten days or so, you dare to conclude that the core of the entire mining area is located in this tiny patch of land?"

His words were polite, but his meaning was very clear.

He didn't believe it.

Their partners had been monitoring this land for more than a year, and had consulted several groups of experts.

Those experts, whose instruments were even more sophisticated than Zhou's and who stayed ten times longer than Lin Che, only dared to say that this mine "had development value" in the end.

No one has ever enclosed the core area so small and so tightly.

A Chinese boss, completely unfamiliar with the industry, has only been here for a little over ten days and is already ready to make the final decision?

In Mr. Chen's view, either the young man was inexperienced and didn't know the ropes, or he had ulterior motives.

Lin Che did not rush to defend himself.

He turned his head to the side: "Engineer Zhou."

Engineer Zhou was prepared and submitted the exploration reports from the past few days.

"Mr. Chen, please look at the data."

Pointing to the report, Engineer Zhou said, "The sampling points in this area have the highest grade and enrichment levels in the entire mining area."

"The drills we made on this land were much denser than elsewhere, and the data was obtained through actual measurements."

Mr. Chen took the report and flipped through it page by page.

Although he wasn't born in geology, he had been working in the field for many years and could understand the data.

The further he flipped through the pages, the less skeptical he seemed to be.

The figures in the report are hard and undeniable; they cannot be faked.

What concerned him even more was the sampling density of the report.

In typical exploration, the first ten days or so are just about casting a wide net and getting a rough idea of ​​the situation.

But this Mr. Lin deliberately put a lot of effort into this small area, drilling holes with an unusually high density.

It's as if he decided this was the place the moment he arrived, and all the remaining effort was focused on confirming that decision.

That's strange.

Why would an outsider dare to bet everything on this area right from the start?

"The data is good."

Mr. Chen put down the report, still unconvinced, "But the mining area is so large, and there's probably more than just this one rich mining site."

"How can you be so sure that this is the only core?"

That's a very good question.

He Wei, who was standing to the side, spoke up at the opportune moment.

"Mr. Chen, this is exactly what we wanted to confirm with you."

She opened her compliance documents.

"If the core area is locked in this area, then all subsequent exploration permits and land use applications will have to be arranged around this land."

"The negotiations with those villages also need to be adjusted accordingly."

"This is a significant investment, so we must define the core area before we begin."

He Wei's words smoothly steered President Chen's doubts toward the main issue.

Yes, it's already decided. Instead of arguing about whether to believe it or not, we should think about what to do next if it's true.

Mr. Chen quickly began to calculate in his mind.

The partners have been stuck on this land for over a year with no progress, and the higher-ups have long been complaining.

Now that someone has come along who dares to make such a decision, what if he's right?

The partner essentially hitched a ride and profited along with the business.

Even if he's wrong, getting an exploration permit quickly won't cost much, and he won't lose much.

So, it's worth doing this favor.

Mr. Chen pondered for a moment.

"it is good."

He finally nodded. "Since Mr. Lin is so confident, I'll have someone expedite the exploration permit process."

"Let's push forward the procedures for this land first."

"Mr. Chen is straightforward."

Lin Che only replied with this one sentence, without taking the opportunity to boast or make any definitive statements.

He neither patted his chest to guarantee the land's quality nor explained why he was so certain.

I've said what I needed to say; I won't say another word.

Seeing his composed and dignified demeanor, President Chen's doubts eased somewhat.

Only those who are truly unsure are eager to make definitive statements.

However, Mr. Chen also left himself some room for maneuver.

He agreed to expedite the procedures this time because of the data and Lin Che's confidence; he was doing a favor by doing him a favor.

But he didn't have the guts to put all his eggs in one basket.

He believes, but he doesn't fully believe yet.

But Mr. Lin's behavior these past few days, his unusual certainty, and his series of plausible judgments made it impossible for him to give a definitive answer.

He decided to wait and see.

Once President Chen relented, He Wei immediately got to work.

She had already compiled a list of the things that needed to be done.

With the core area locked in, the original exploration permit application, which covered the entire mining area, had to be narrowed down and focused on this specific piece of land.

The scope of land use, the villages to be negotiated, the documents to be supplemented—everything changed.

She immediately went over the procedures with General Manager Chen and Old Ao, figuring out which procedures would be easier for the partners to handle and which they would have to do themselves.

For example, when dealing with the government or negotiating with village elders, having a local partner take the lead can make things much more efficient.

As for qualification documents and proof of funds, they need to prepare them themselves.

Once the division of labor is determined, efficiency can be greatly improved.

Lin Che listened from the side, occasionally offering a comment.

He always entrusted He Wei with the specific compliance work, as she understood the ins and outs of the business better than he did.

After the meeting ended, only Lin Che and He Wei remained in the tent.

The noise outside gradually subsided, and the workers returned to their tents one after another, and the night in the wilderness became quiet again.

He Wei tidied up the documents on the table, hesitated for a moment, and then asked a question in a seemingly casual manner.

"President Lin, President Chen's concerns are actually my concerns as well."

She looked up. "Are you sure the data from these past few days is enough to secure this land?"

Lin Che did not answer immediately.

He walked to the tent entrance, where a simple calendar hung on the wall, used by the workers to keep track of the days.

His gaze fell on a date circled in red on the calendar.

February 1st.

That day is only a few days away now.

"Data is one aspect."

Lin Che withdrew his gaze, his voice calm, "There are other things as well, I know them."

"Something else?" He Wei didn't understand.

"Um."

Lin Che did not explain.

He Wei looked at his profile as he gazed at the calendar and suddenly remembered something.

She remembered that February 1st.

When Lin Che was making the plan before departure, he specifically told her to write down this date, saying it might be useful later.

She didn't ask any questions at the time, assuming it was just the deadline for some procedure.

But now, Lin Che has locked onto this piece of land and is keeping a close eye on this date; the two things seem to be connected by something.

Having followed Lin Che for so many years, she had seen it all.

Every time, when others couldn't understand him, he always appeared confident and in control.

In the end, things always go exactly as he predicted, without the slightest deviation.

It's as if he can see things that others can't.

The thought in her mind became clearer and clearer: Lin Che's interest in this land was probably not just because of the underground mines.

Also, because he had calculated exactly what would happen on that day.

"You mean... something will happen on February 1st?"

She asked tentatively.

Lin Che did not give her a direct answer.

He glanced at the red circle on the calendar again, and his lips twitched slightly.

"You'll find out soon."