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

That stack of compliance documents completely blocked the path to identity verification.

The chief representative remained silent for a long time, finally realizing that trying to exploit Weiguang's identity was futile. The company across the street was so clean and impeccable that his carefully prepared arguments had nowhere to land. It was like throwing a punch at cotton, leaving no echo whatsoever.

What made him even more uncomfortable was that from the moment he was speechless due to the stack of documents, the initiative on this table had quietly shifted to the other side.

Just moments ago, he was the one pressing Lin Che relentlessly, leaving Lin Che on the defensive. But now, the suffocating feeling of having his life force gripped is now falling on Lin Che himself.

He readjusted his posture.

If the path of identity is blocked, then let's go back to the basics. Is the value of this mine located in the northern section or the central section?

That's where his true confidence comes from.

His identity was merely a temporary tool he used to stir up trouble and exert pressure. His true foundation lay in the geological assessment of this land. A man who had been in this industry for nearly thirty years might lose a verbal battle or suffer a minor setback on trivial matters like his identity, but he refused to believe he would misjudge the most crucial aspect: his professional judgment.

The more he thought about it, the more he felt that the momentum he had been suppressed by that stack of compliance documents had returned.

What good is perfect compliance? If the land is worthless, what's the point of guarding a compliant but worthless piece of land?

"I didn't consider the issue of identity thoroughly enough." He frankly admitted this, but his tone was not discouraged at all. "Weiguang has done a very good job in compliance, and on behalf of our company, I express my respect for that."

He then changed the subject.

"But compliance is compliance, and value is value." He pointed his finger at the mining area map, then back to the northern section. "We're sitting here today arguing about this land. My assessment still holds true. The core is in the northern section; that gentle slope in the middle isn't worth investing in right now."

He spoke with great confidence.

His identity was a tactic he improvised, but this geological assessment was his true trump card. It was a system that had been validated countless times, with stringent standards at every stage, from sampling to modeling. Few companies worldwide could rival it. His trust in this system was ingrained. In countless past transactions, it was this system that had ensured he had never made a mistake in assessing the value of mineral deposits.

"Since Mr. Lin is holding onto the middle section, he must know what's going on." He looked at Lin Che with the confidence of someone who's been through it all. "Wouldn't it be better if we each got what we needed?"

Lin Che didn't rush to reply.

He looked at the mining area map that the other party had repeatedly pointed out, then at the stack of compliance documents spread out on the table, and suddenly spoke.

"You're right. Compliance is compliance, and value is value." He nodded, as if agreeing with the other person's logic. "Whether a piece of land is worth it or not should not be determined by anyone's words, but by the data."

The chief representative nodded slightly, finding this explanation quite agreeable.

"So," Lin Che changed the subject, "we'll go with the independent third-party exploration I proposed. We'll have a neutral organization conduct on-site measurements and get the most solid data. The report will determine where the core is, and that's where we'll calculate the area. What do you think?"

This was exactly what the chief representative wanted.

What he wanted was an authoritative, unquestionable conclusion to definitively confirm the value of the northern section, leaving Lin Che with nothing more to say. A third-party report could provide just that conclusion. In his view, Lin Che's initiative in bringing this up was a case of being too clever for his own good, essentially putting the noose around his own neck.

He almost burst out laughing. No matter how cleverly this Chinese man played his tricks, in the end he still had to bow down to the hard data.

"Okay." He agreed almost without hesitation. "Just wait for the report."

Endertu, sitting to the side, nodded in agreement. In his view, having a third party conduct the assessment was the fairest approach. He trusted the Western assessment and was naturally happy to see it happen. He had handled this land for many years, and the northern section being the core was almost a consensus within the local industry; he couldn't imagine what other findings the report could possibly reveal.

The local official breathed a sigh of relief. With a neutral report as a basis, he would have evidence to explain how the land would be divided in the future. A thorny issue was about to be resolved in a way that would please everyone.

An arrangement that satisfied all parties was thus finalized.

Unbeknownst to anyone, this room concealed the deepest information gap in the entire ecosystem.

The people at the table, from the chief representative who was determined to win, to the confident Endertu, and the officials who breathed a sigh of relief, all thought that the report would be on their side and would prove that the northern section was the core.

Only Lin Che and Shen Nan knew that once the report was released, it would verify the exact opposite.

They were all waiting for the same report. But some were waiting for a coronation, while others were waiting for someone else's downfall.

Shen Nan produced a document and, in a few words, clearly finalized the qualifications of the third-party organization, its on-site arrival time, and the report delivery cycle. This organization was recognized by both parties, had a good reputation in the industry, and no one could find fault with it. Its report would be equally binding on everyone present.

"The agency will be on site the day after tomorrow," he said. "Given the size of this mining area, the report should be ready in about ten days, including actual measurements and data analysis. Both parties will be present on the day the report is released, and the seal will be broken on the spot."

The report was opened on the spot. This meant that no one could know the result in advance, and no one could tamper with the result. Everyone had to face the same report at the same time.

Ten days.

Upon hearing this timeframe, the chief representative's expression relaxed even more. Ten days was nothing; he could wait. He could even imagine Lin Che's convinced expression when the report was presented ten days later. At that time, all the suspense would be resolved, and the core area of ​​this mine would rightfully belong to him.

He was completely unaware that these ten days were not ten days of waiting for his coronation, but a countdown.

The fuse was lit, and it was burning inch by inch towards its end. And he was still sitting on the powder keg, dreaming of victory.

"Then it's settled." He stood up and extended his hand to Lin Che. "Ten days from now, we'll sit down at this table again with the report."

Lin Che also stood up and shook hands with him.

"Okay," he said. "See you in ten days."

His expression was calm, so calm that there wasn't a ripple in it. He didn't look like someone who was about to lose the core area, nor did he look like a winner who had the victory in his grasp.

He was just waiting.

Wait for that report, to say for him the words he'd held back for so long, words he'd never spoken aloud.