Rebirth 05: From Coal Mine Owner to Mobile Phone Tycoon

"Brother, do you think we should prepare more security equipment to take with us?"

"What are you thinking? The situation over there is complicated. The key is to find a reliable partner. Preparing security supplies is not as important as getting in touch with legitimate local channels."

"But the environment there is special. What if we run into trouble? How can we manage without some kind of protection?"

"Boss, what exactly are the arrangements? Give me a straight answer!"

Lu Yuan's mind was hazy, the sounds around him seeming to come and go. He snapped back to reality, his eyes bloodshot, his head throbbing, his gaze quickly sweeping over his surroundings. The first thing that hit him was the acrid smell of smoke; a group of burly, capable-looking men were crammed into the small conference room, waiting for him to speak. The ashtray on the conference table was overflowing with cigarette butts, many of them lying on the floor. Lu Yuan's eyes snapped to the digital clock on the wall—2:13:27 PM, February 21, 2005.

Boom! Memories of the past surged back. Since Lu Yuan accumulated his first fortune through mining, he and his brothers who had fought alongside him had ventured into various fields such as real estate, finance, and jewelry. However, the old business model was no longer suitable for the new era. After several attempts, he decided to return to the high-risk overseas mining route. Through inquiries, he learned of a gold mine in Congo that had been abandoned due to a lack of mining capabilities and capital among the locals. He obtained the mining rights through a series of legitimate operations, painstakingly managed the mine, and established a good cooperative relationship with the local government through flexible approaches and honest cooperation. He also won the trust of the surrounding residents, eventually amassing a fortune exceeding one billion.

During this process, his brothers repeatedly encountered industry risks. Some were injured in accidents, some fell into difficulties due to market fluctuations, and he himself tragically died in a mining accident. Lu Yuan suddenly woke up, covered in cold sweat—he had been reborn, back to the crucial moment when he decided to enter the Congo gold mine.

He glanced at Chen Laoliu, who was engaged in a heated discussion. Laoliu was his most loyal follower; once, on the way back from a business meeting, when a sudden disturbance occurred, it was Laoliu who protected him and ensured his safe evacuation. Then he looked at Laosan, the taciturn man with an old scar on his ear. He was the most composed and meticulous member of the team, in charge of the finances. On one occasion, Laosan sensed a potential fraud risk from a partner and called him that very night to terminate the partnership and evacuate the mine. It was later learned that the group had tried to exploit Laosan's relationship to gain his trust and embezzle his assets; if Laosan hadn't warned them in time, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

Lu Yuan let out a long breath and rubbed his moist eyes. It wasn't just the sixth and third brothers, but also the second and fifth... the regrets and losses brought about by those high-risk industries were still vivid in his mind. Money was important, but brotherhood and a stable life were fundamental. He said, "Alright, everyone quiet down." The noisy conference room instantly fell silent, and everyone cast complex, eager, or hesitant glances at him.

Lu Yuan said in a deep voice, "We're not going to the gold mines in Congo. Most of the brothers have families to support, and this high-risk business is too draining. It's not worth risking our lives in a foreign land for profit. We men should have lofty ambitions and look forward; we can't go down the same old path."

These words immediately caused an uproar. Xiao Liu exclaimed, "Boss, I have no family or business, I'm used to following you around, I'll follow you no matter what!" Someone else suggested, "Boss, instead of gold mining, how about we do gold recycling? I've investigated it, the market prospects are good, and our team has strong execution capabilities, we're sure to succeed!"

Lu Yuan understood that his brothers had varying lengths of time with him, differing economic situations, and naturally, varying risk tolerance. As a reborn individual, he had plenty of ways to lead his brothers to stable wealth. "We'll abandon the Congo project, but the business must continue. Give me a few days to figure out what to do, and we'll get together again in a few days to explain my ideas in detail."

Lu Yuan's decisions have always been reliable and have taken into account the interests of his brothers. Although everyone had doubts, they still accepted the decision.

……

That evening, in a villa of about 500 square meters, Lu Yuan's table was covered with newspapers. He was analyzing which industries would be suitable for him and his men to transform their businesses, using current industry information and his future memories.

He currently has 100 million yuan in cash flow, not counting his houses and cars in first- and second-tier cities. Among his men, he has two or three who have risked their lives for him, and eleven who he can truly trust. As long as their interests align and they are willing to work with him, he can gather forty or fifty people. If it's a group that will come for money, gathering hundreds or even thousands of people is no problem for him.

After a period of research, Lu Yuan listed the following industries.

The first suggestion was gold recycling, proposed by the third brother. The gold recycling industry makes money by exploiting information asymmetry. For example, if the international gold price is currently 300 yuan, Lu Yuan could open a gold shop offline and buy back gold at 280 yuan, earning a profit of 20 yuan.

And there are many ways to make more money in this process. But Lu Yuan quickly rejected this option. In this second life, he really didn't want to deal with gold again. Just seeing gold made him sad.

Next, he went into the real estate business. In 2005, there was still great potential in real estate, as it was in its golden age. Furthermore, Lu Yuan had good political and business connections due to his previous experience in the mining industry.

However, while it may be easy for him to get into the real estate business, it might not be so easy for him to get out.

Once his business grows large, he'll accumulate favors and obligations to various people. When the golden age of real estate ends and the boom fades, he might not be able to extricate himself cleanly. Let's leave this choice for now.

The next option was the transportation industry. With the development of the internet, e-commerce would ride the wave of growth, and the demand for express delivery would experience explosive growth. This growth spurred countless express delivery companies. This was a great choice—clean money and a high ceiling. SF Express, a leading company in the express delivery industry in later generations, reached a market capitalization of several hundred billion at its peak.

The only downside is that the industry is extremely competitive, and even with Lu Yuan's futuristic vision, he is not sure if he can survive the brutal battle.

Of the several industries that allow for cross-industry transitions, the transportation industry is the most stable and secure.

Just as Lu Yuan was deciding on this industry, he glanced at a newspaper and saw a news article claiming that a certain area in South China was booming, and according to experts, the industrial belt in that area could produce 1 million assembly machines a year.

Wait, how could he forget about this industry? Cell phones?!