Chapter 185: Heading to the Capital to Discuss the Project
Kulun City and Yanjing are just over a thousand kilometers apart — a flight of little more than an hour, and they had arrived at their destination.
The Taluge Copper-Gold project in Mengguo had successfully secured its exploration rights. But this wasn't the end — it was only the beginning.
After making a prompt payment of 8 million USD to BHB Tuo, the team quickly obtained the complete set of historical exploration data.
To ensure that the project was handled professionally and comprehensively, Li Tang discussed with Wukuang Group's senior management and decided to build a dedicated team, with Wukuang's personnel forming the foundation.
The group's headquarters sent several experienced finance professionals to manage accounting. Foreign public relations and logistics were entrusted to Guo Fengchun. The technical team was led by Qin Jianshe, while Zhao Hepu acted as the domestic liaison and coordinator.
Li Tang served as the overall project director.
Niu Fu assembled this core team with Wukuang Group's backbone personnel, but he made sure to select people Li Tang was familiar with.
When the appointments were officially announced at a project meeting, Niu Fu emphasized that all decisions would follow Li Tang's lead.
The project's office was set up in Yunding Tower.
Outside the elevator lobby, signs for "Zhenguan Exploration Technology Co.", "Li Tang Shengshi Holdings", and "Zhongcheng Mining Co." stood side by side.
Seeing familiar faces like Qin Jianshe, Guo Fengchun, and Ren Qingqing from Wukuang Group's finance department — then turning to the ragtag group of newcomers like He Runqi — Li Tang was overcome with emotion.
There was still much to be done — and much had already been accomplished.
Qin Jianshe sat at Li Tang's right hand without hesitation, completely focused. Holding a notebook, he reported, "We've been in long discussions with the China Geological Survey. They've drafted a preliminary exploration plan. If there are no objections, we'll sign a contract with them. They've got overseas project experience — we can trust them."
"In terms of procedures, transportation, accommodations, local guides, and security in Mengguo, everything's arranged," Guo Fengchun added.
"We've also received approval for our foreign exchange request. Funding for the Mengguo project is secure," Ren Qingqing confirmed.
Everyone reported on their recent progress — it was clear that nothing had been overlooked.
"Thank you, everyone," Li Tang said sincerely, knowing how much work had gone into preparing for this moment.
Qin Jianshe glanced at Li Tang, then continued, "According to the historical data, the Taluge Copper-Gold deposit is likely a porphyry-type ore body — very similar to Qulong and Qinglong. In China, the Guizhou Provincial Geological Bureau is the authority on porphyry deposits. So I invited them to come and meet with the China Geological Survey."
"You invited the Guizhou Bureau?" Li Tang was caught off guard.
As the project leader, he hadn't suggested involving the Guizhou bureau — to avoid any appearance of nepotism.
After all, his father worked there.
"I thought it through," Qin Jianshe explained. "Before reaching out, I consulted with shareholders. I told them your father works at the Guizhou Bureau. They understood and supported bringing them in. Industry insiders know — when it comes to finding porphyry copper-gold deposits, no one beats them."
"I'm not sure this is appropriate..." Li Tang hesitated.
"Selecting talent shouldn't exclude family ties — it's common," Guo Fengchun reassured him. "Besides, if all the shareholders support the decision, then it's not an issue. And having the Guizhou team on board is a major advantage."
"For a billion-yuan exploration project, we need multiple institutions working together. We can't afford mistakes," Ren Qingqing added.
"My thought," Qin Jianshe explained, "was that the China Geological Survey brings international experience, and the Guizhou team brings unmatched expertise in porphyry systems. The synergy could be incredible."
Seeing that everyone supported the idea, Li Tang relaxed. "When are they arriving?"
"Today," Qin replied. He glanced at his watch and smacked his forehead. "I've been so busy I forgot their flight time! They've probably landed already. We need to send someone to pick them up!"
"Today?" Li Tang exclaimed.
"Yes — I'll go get them," Qin said, jumping up. "He Runqi, grab the company car keys and head to the airport!"
As he rushed out, he turned back and said, "By the way, I also scheduled a meeting this afternoon with Chief Engineer Zhang Tao from the China Geological Survey. Please help host him."
…
Han Dexun, Zhou Zhenxing, and Li Zaiqiang had just gotten off the plane and walked out of the terminal, only to find no one waiting for them. They stood by the roadside, looking bewildered.
"What's going on?" Han Dexun looked around, frowning.
"I don't know," Zhou Zhenxing murmured. "Qin Jianshe from Wukuang personally invited us, said there was a big project he wanted to discuss face-to-face."
"Zaiqiang, isn't Qin Jianshe your old classmate?" Han asked.
"I don't know what's going on," Li Zaiqiang replied, just as confused. He'd flown in from Tibet's Ali region on short notice. "Li Tang left Wukuang without saying a word. I don't even know if he's in Yanjing or Tibet. I wasn't informed about any project either."
"There's no signal where you were working in Gai Zhe County — no one could reach you," Zhou laughed. "They had to send someone in person to notify you."
"True," Li Zaiqiang nodded. "No signal at all."
He pulled out his phone and opened his contacts. "I'll call Qin Jianshe."
"Please do. We've been standing here for over ten minutes — not a good first impression," Han grumbled.
The call connected quickly.
"Jianshe, where are you?" Li Zaiqiang barked.
Facing his old classmate, he let his frustration out.
"I'm on my way! Thirty minutes tops!"
"We came all this way, and no one's here to meet us. What are we, a joke?"
"I'd never blow you off! Just wait somewhere nearby — I'll find you."
"Alright. Hanging up now."
He ended the call and grumbled, "That guy thinks he's too good for us!"
"What, he's not coming?" Zhou asked, worried.
"He wouldn't dare skip out. He said he's coming — just delayed," Li replied.
"Probably tied up with something urgent," Zhou said diplomatically. "We've got half an hour to kill. Director Han, want to find a place to sit?"
"My back's killing me. Let's go have some tea," Han agreed.
They went into a café inside the airport, choosing a window seat facing the exit.
After landing a major discovery with Qulong and Qinglong, the bureau finally had the budget to travel by air — no more green trains and penny-pinching.
Still, Han's expectations for this trip were dropping by the minute.
"Did Wukuang send over detailed project documents?" he asked Zhou.
"Nope. Just a call from Qin saying it's a major project — needs joint teams."
"How big is this project?"
"Over a hundred million," Zhou said.
"A hundred million?" Han and Li exclaimed at once.
Neither of them had ever encountered a project that size — they'd never even imagined it.
But the more they thought about it, the more skeptical they became.
"Wukuang promised us Qulong — three million in funding, and it took them months to follow through," Han muttered. "I bet this 'hundred million' is just hype. We'd be lucky to get a few million upfront."
He even began to doubt the project was real but didn't say so — out of respect for Li Zaiqiang's connection to Qin.
"If we land even a few million, that's good enough," Zhou said cheerfully. That sounded more plausible than 100 million.
"At least Qin still remembers us — that's loyalty," Han said, nodding at Li Zaiqiang. "Li Tang's already left Wukuang. Qin could've shut us out, but he didn't. We should be grateful."
"I have no idea what this is about," Li Zaiqiang admitted.
"Did Li Tang leave because he was being pushed out?" Zhou asked.
"No idea. I never asked," Li replied. "He resigned before the New Year and didn't say anything during the holidays. By the time I found out, he was already doing his own project in Tibet."
"We owe him a lot," Zhou sighed. "Without Qulong and Qinglong, we'd still be barely scraping by."
"We must never forget that," Han said seriously. "He changed everything for us."
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