Break out of the courtyard

Chapter 857 Back to Hong Kong Island

The incident of Professor Lü and his family fleeing to Japan has had a significant impact.

After all, the experts and professors at Shenzhen Peace College were sent through layers of screening and review.

If Old Lu has problems, then what about the biology and genetics experts who entered the Peace Academy in the same batch as him? Are they also problematic, or were there issues with lax vetting processes?

In addition, there's the issue of vetting those two students!
On the surface, the impact of this incident on Shenzhen Peace College is simply that there will be an additional patriotic education conference for the whole school, a few political and ideological classes, and a monthly ideological report.

Privately, however, Professor Hua, Professor Li, Director Wang, and others re-examined the files of all personnel within the school, intending to review them again from the paper documents.

Upon receiving news of Professor Lü's escape, the first reaction in the capital was to intercept the cargo ship bound for Japan Island.

It was too late; the cargo ship escaped into international waters. In addition, Japan and the United States each sent two ships to provide assistance, and the mainland ships ultimately returned empty-handed.

Naturally, people in the capital negotiated with Japan Island, demanding that Japan Island repatriate Professor Lü's family and the two students.

But all of that is just talk; it won't do any good until overwhelming military strength is demonstrated.

In addition, the capital city has also required all classified units to conduct self-examinations to ensure that such incidents do not happen again!

As for how Professor Lü and his family traveled to Shanghai and made contact with Japan-based companies, relevant personnel are conducting a secret investigation.

This is truly a slap in the face for the mainland, who had previously assured Zhang Heping that the core technology of the Longevity Elixir would never be leaked after being handed over to them.

As a result, this incident occurred before the negotiation team sent by the capital to Shenzhen to discuss the Longevity Elixir had even left.

Now Zhang Heping is even less likely to hand over the core technology that could easily cause humanitarian risks; on the contrary, the capital will praise Zhang Heping for his foresight.

However, after this incident, Zhang Heping remained calm, as if nothing had happened.

Two weeks later, Hua Lao brought back news that influenza had broken out in Tokyo, Japan, and Washington, D.C., the United States. There were rumors that six mainlanders had spread the flu there, and Lao Lü's group happened to be six people.

Zhang Heping was alone in the laboratory at the time, using the old Middle Eastern man's blood to help create the Lifespan 120 potion, so he didn't pay any attention to it.

However, when Old Hua mentioned that Old Lü's grandson had meningitis, Zhang Heping stopped what he was doing, frowned, and glanced at Old Hua outside the glass partition.

When Elder Hua came here alone and said these words, it seemed he was asking Zhang Heping whether Zhang Heping had sent someone to cause the flu and meningitis.

Because, given Zhang Heping's medical expertise, it would be far too easy for him to use his medical skills to harm people.

However, it's not appropriate to ask such questions openly; one can only bring them up insinuating ways.

Zhang Heping didn't offer any explanation and continued to silently do his work.

Old Hua didn't come to hold him accountable; he just felt that if Zhang Heping had instructed him to do this, he should advise him to be more restrained in the future, especially not to lay a hand on children.

Unfortunately, Zhang Heping not only failed to offer any explanation, but also took his family and those Middle Eastern men to Hong Kong Island that afternoon.

Subsequently, news broke that Prince Harry of the Middle East had purchased another dose of Lifespan 120 at the Peace Hospital on Hong Kong Island!
Meanwhile, the old Middle Eastern man who had used the Lifespan 120 potion reappeared at the banquet at the Governor's House, becoming the focus of attention.

Upon returning to Hong Kong Island, Cheung Heping refused all social engagements.

He first used the blood of his father-in-law and mother-in-law, as well as the blood of the previous blood donor, to make four vials of the Longevity 120 drug at the Peace Health Medical Research Institute.

After that, he had equipment brought in and set up a remote control division in a space capsule on the top floor of the Peace Big Health Medical Research Institute.

Such actions clearly indicate that Zhang Heping is preparing to handle space experiments in Hong Kong and will not be returning to Shenzhen in the near future.

It was only then that Hua realized he shouldn't have gone to the lab that day to mention Lao Lü and his grandson.

Later, intelligence came back that Lao Lü's grandson had contracted viral meningitis due to a weakened immune system caused by a cold. Although the treatment was delayed, he had recovered in the United States, but was left with sequelae such as difficulty swallowing and stuttering.

Tuesday, October 11nd.

Director Wang Sumei and secretary Liu Yuan arrived in Central, Hong Kong Island, and saw Zhang Heping having a meeting through the glass outside the large conference room of the Heping Group headquarters.

Zhang Heping was sitting at the head of the conference table, listening to the investment department staff take turns presenting the investment projects they had selected.

"Boss, another reason why I chose Shanghai toothpaste factory, Shanghai soap factory, Shanghai household chemical factory, Shanghai detergent factory, and Shanghai Mingxing chemical factory is that Tingmei Daily Chemical Products has always followed a high-end route and its brand image is already established, so it is not suitable to produce cheap daily chemical products."

"If we can integrate the five major daily chemical product manufacturers in Shanghai and then develop mid-to-low-end products, it will be easier to open up the market in mainland China, and we will also have a great price advantage when exporting overseas."

"The difficulty is that their products are not unique and the market feedback is very poor. We need to develop a new product for them to produce."

Zhang Heping nodded and said after hearing the young man in the burgundy fitted suit finish speaking, "I've read the research report and joint venture investment plan you sent to my email address."

“In my opinion, new product development is actually the simplest.”

"The difficulty lies in whether our new products can still enter the mainland supply and sales system after the joint venture and restructuring," Zhang Heping said, looking at the others, and continued:

"Most of the projects you've proposed will face this problem."

“If we can’t get into the mainland’s supply and marketing system, then we will have to rebuild the sales system. Your plans are all lacking in this aspect.”

“You must remember that you are employees of the group’s investment department. Your vision and perspective should be elevated to the group level to oversee the companies and factories below; you should consider multi-party collaboration rather than fighting your own battles.”

"I said at last year's annual meeting that we need to build a group business ecosystem."

What is a business ecosystem?

"In simple terms, it is a win-win system built by a core enterprise, which integrates upstream and downstream industrial chain resources and collaborates with partners."

"What is our core enterprise?" Zhang Heping pointed his index finger and tapped the conference table forcefully, making a thumping sound. "It's Heping Group!"

"What companies, factories, and industries does our group have? As employees of the group's investment department, if you don't even know about your own group's business..." "Never mind, to put it simply, the plan you submitted this time didn't include building a sales system. Let's brainstorm and see how to make up for this problem."

After speaking, Zhang Heping whispered a few words to his concubine Chen Shuting, then got up and left the meeting room, leaving Chen Shuting to continue the meeting.

The reason Zhang Heping came here to chair the meeting was that there were too many reports and plans submitted by these employees, and Chen Shuting and her group of secretaries could not read them all, nor were they sure about the situation in the mainland, so they sought help from Zhang Heping.

After briefly reviewing the research reports and investment plans, Zhang Heping concluded that the people in the investment department were following the old path of mainland factories, focusing only on product production and failing to recognize the problems in the mainland supply and sales system.

It wasn't that Zhang Heping thought the mainland's supply and marketing system was good, but rather that apart from this nationwide supply and marketing network, there was no larger sales system in the mainland. It was a blank market, so why didn't Heping Group seize the opportunity?

Zhang Heping didn't spell it out, hoping that the employees would discuss and come to a conclusion themselves, thus giving full play to their initiative.

After leaving the conference room, Zhang Heping beckoned Director Wang and Liu Yuan, who had been standing outside the glass partition, to go to the rest area.

Director Wang walked beside Zhang Heping and said with a smile, "Heping, the first FIFA Women's World Cup has started in Huadu. Would you like to go and watch?"

The FIFA Women's World Cup is a new competition format created by FIFA.

To ensure the first FIFA Women's World Cup was held in Huadu, Chairman He of the Chinese Business Association spent money and effort to make arrangements. He also sent a bunch of tickets to Zhang Heping afterwards, but unfortunately Zhang Heping has been too busy to go recently.

Zhang Heping didn't beat around the bush. After leading the two to the rest area, he asked directly, "Aunt Wang, what brings you and Liu Yuan here this time?"

Director Wang laughed and said, "It's nothing serious. I just saw that you suddenly returned to Hong Kong Island, so I wanted to come and ask Ah Xin and the others whether the blind date we agreed on when we returned to the capital should continue."

"Ask Ah Xin about this later; she's the one who's handling the children's marriages." Zhang Heping took three bottles of soda water from the glass cabinet, handed two to Director Wang and Liu Yuan, then sat down on the sofa and casually said:

"However, I see that Xiao Bei and the others are somewhat resistant, so don't have too high expectations."

"We'll leave it to fate!" Director Wang replied with a smile. "Let's start by encouraging them to make more friends. If it works out, it'll be a happy occasion."

Liu Yuan interjected, "Heping, do you want to come back to the capital with us and help Xiaobei and the others with their selections?"

"I won't become a feudal patriarch. I'll vet them privately once they've taken a liking to me," Zhang Heping said with a faint smile.

"In addition, I have a lot of things to do on Hong Kong Island recently, especially trying to win over those experts from the Northern Soviet Union."

"Judging from the fact that the allied countries of the Northern Soviet Union are all seeking independence, the Northern Soviet Union probably won't last long. I need to hurry up and persuade those experts from the Northern Soviet Union to bring their families here to immigrate."

Director Wang wanted to say that there were quite a few experts from the mainland, but remembering what had happened with his assistant, Lao Lü, he swallowed those words and instead said:
"The Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant has passed the final review and is expected to be connected to the grid and generate electricity in the middle of next month. They would like to invite you to the ribbon-cutting ceremony."

"Just listen to those words, don't take them seriously!" Zhang Heping said casually with a smile. "If I actually went there, they wouldn't be so happy!"

The Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant has been under construction since 1985, and many of the technologies were developed independently, which is why the construction has been slower.

Compared to the nuclear power plants dominated by the Peace Group, there are 7 thorium-based molten salt reactor nuclear power plants that have been built in recent years, and 12 more thorium-based molten salt reactor nuclear power plants are under construction.

The more the nuclear industry group resisted the Peace Group's 51% controlling stake back then, the more it has to slap itself in the face now.

Although the nuclear industry group's starting point for considering the issue was correct.

However, given that the Peace Group has provided both capital and technology, which capitalist would understand why only 49% of the Peace Group's shares are given dividends?
Zhang Heping isn't doing charity work in mainland China. His investments in power and highways there are all preparations for future development.

Ever since the US sanctioned the Peace Group, Zhang Heping knew that unless he gave most of his company's shares to the OMA consortium and then used the money from selling his shares to buy shares in those OMA consortium companies, forming a community of shared interests where each party was intertwined with the other, he would not be accepted by the US.

Note that this is possible!
There's another possibility: on the day the Americans refuse to accept Zhang Heping, not only will he not be able to get his shares back from the Heping Group, but the shares of Euro-Magnesium that Zhang Heping bought may also be frozen by the Americans, resulting in a direct double-cross!

In comparison, investing in mainland China in the coming decades will be safer.

Zhang Heping did consider other countries!

Putting aside whether he can successfully seize power, in terms of military force alone, he will have to face the suppression of the US and Europe's aircraft carrier fleet.

If given some time to develop industry and mining, Zhang Heping could indeed build aircraft carriers, warships, and airplanes.

But how much time will that take?
Would those thugs in the Omega Group allow the Peace Corporation to make huge profits from magnesium while manufacturing weapons that could threaten them?

wake up!
Without the support of a well-developed industrial system and mineral resources like those on the mainland, even if Zhang Heping had a lot of advanced technology in his mind, he would not be able to achieve it within two or three decades!
Without the backing of the mainland's self-reliant missiles, let alone the life-extinction medicine, the Peace Group couldn't even protect its own health products, let alone its schemes to seize the real estate and stock markets in Japan!
It was precisely because Zhang Heping was able to bring technology and substantial financial investment to the mainland that the Heping Group was able to grow and expand by taking advantage of the situation, forcing countries like Japan, Europe, and the United States to play along with him.

Instead of what happened before, when Japanese, American, and South Korean agents raided his lab to steal technology, only to be released by the Americans for no reason!
However, the officialdom in mainland China is not monolithic; there are always frictions and conflicts.

Just like Zhang Heping's long-desired return to the Sanxingdui underground base, there are still voices of opposition preventing him from going.

This is also one of the reasons why Zhang Heping refused to hand over the core preparation technology of Shouyuan 120 and 160 drugs!

Speaking of the Longevity Potion, Director Wang Sumei couldn't help but ask as Zhang Heping saw her to the elevator, "Heping, I heard you made a few more Longevity 120 potions?"

"One has been sold, leaving five," Zhang Heping stated bluntly. "If nothing unexpected happens, these five will be delivered to five elderly experts."

"Um, could you keep one or two?" Wang Sumei looked at Zhang Heping expectantly, but forgot to give a reason.

Zhang Heping had no intention of hiding anything about this matter, so he spoke frankly, "Aunt Wang, those administrative staff have medical teams to take care of them after they retire, so they won't die anytime soon."

"It wasn't them!" Wang Sumei hurriedly explained, "Hasn't Elder Qian not come over for a long time?"

"I only found out the day before yesterday that he had been recuperating in the capital. The doctor advised against him traveling far and even requested..."

Before Wang Sumei could finish speaking, Zhang Heping interrupted, "I've saved one for him this time!"

"The other four senior experts who are preparing to receive treatment are also like Professor Qian, with serious health problems."

(End of this chapter)