To construct this Shelter, Li Dong had poured almost all the available funds he could mobilize into the project.
Every possible connection had been tapped.
The daily operational expenses exceeded tens of millions.
And that didn't even include material costs or food expenses—it was purely the daily payment for the construction crew.
As for the construction team, it had been selected after rigorous screening.
This team belonged to the Great Xia Construction Bureau First Division, which had undertaken numerous national-level mega-projects. They were highly reliable and had even handled projects like large-scale national underground shelters before.
There was no risk of leaks either.
Of course, if the authorities really wanted to investigate, they could certainly find out—after all, the resources and materials consumed far exceeded conventional standards.
Most importantly, relying on the state-owned background and connections of the Great Xia Construction Bureau First Division, the procurement of raw materials and resources for building the Shelter was far more reliable than if the Li family had sourced them independently.
For example, Ultra-High Strength Concrete—they had the technology to easily produce the highest commercially available grade, C140 Concrete.
They also had options like C150-C200 Grade Concrete.
As for the highest-grade concrete currently available, such as C800 Concrete, Li Dong didn't even bother inquiring—it was simply too expensive.
Even if he asked, he couldn't afford it.
Concrete of that grade couldn't be used on a large scale anyway, as most of it was still in the experimental phase and couldn't be mass-produced.
And the price was exorbitant.
He didn't even ask about C400 Concrete.
Would asking make it affordable?
C140 Concrete cost several thousand yuan per cubic meter—yes, per cubic meter.
And the Shelter project didn't just require a few thousand cubic meters of C140 Concrete—it needed hundreds of thousands, or even millions of cubic meters.
That was far more than the amount of concrete required to build the foundation of a skyscraper several hundred meters tall.
Just the steel reinforcement would consume tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of tons.
The material costs alone would run into billions, if not tens of billions—and that didn't even include labor expenses, machinery wear and tear, and other costs.
Although there were companies in Great Xia that undertook underground shelter construction projects,
Li Tiang and Li Dong didn't find them very reliable.
For personal underground shelters or small-scale shelters, these companies might suffice.
But for national-level mega-projects, they were helpless—they simply couldn't mobilize enough manpower.
For such a massive project, with tight deadlines, at least several thousand, if not tens of thousands, of workers would need to work simultaneously.
Because of this, Li Dong had been stressed lately—funds were running dangerously low, and the buildings in downtown Pengcheng still hadn't been sold.
Thanks to Li Tiang leveraging future information to invest in the stock market and recoup funds to subsidize the project, they could still hold on for now.
Once they sold the buildings in downtown Pengcheng and raised enough capital, the two brothers planned to make a big move.
The main idea was to use their knowledge of future international stock market trends to pull off a major deal—that way, they'd secure the necessary funds.
Lately, Li Dong hadn't even felt like going out with pretty girls.
Because he was practically broke.
He'd even sold several sports cars from his garage to scrape together some extra cash.
Better than letting the sports cars gather dust in the underground garage, right?
Due to the transfer of ownership, when those sports cars appeared on the road, they were recognized by some of Li Dong's fair-weather friends who often hung out with him.
This immediately prompted many calls asking if the wealthy young master Li Dong was facing any problems or if he was short on money.
However, Li Dong brushed them all off.
Li Dong spent over ten days supervising at the Great Qin Heavy Industries Technology Company headquarters (the Shelter base) before leaving.
He needed to return to handle matters related to those buildings.
By October, some interested tycoons had already grown impatient and were preparing to negotiate with Li Dong.
Those buildings were relatively new, with at least another fifty or sixty years of operational life left.
In other words, even if the company went bankrupt in the future, they could still collect rent for decades and live comfortably as wealthy landlords.
Within the same affluent social circle, many had heard that Li Dong intended to sell the properties his father had worked hard to acquire. Some bosses even mocked him behind his back.
They thought Li Dong was truly a prodigal son, recklessly selling off his family's assets without a care.
Some even used the Li brothers as cautionary tales to educate their own children.
How could one just sell off the family's foundational assets so casually?
Although the real estate market wasn't as hot as before, this was still an international first-tier metropolis. Property prices wouldn't drop too drastically, and there was still potential for appreciation in the future.
To put it in more pretentious terms, they were investing in the future, not the present.
Pengcheng International Finance Center.
"Boss Xu, hello!" Li Dong, dressed in a suit, smiled as he greeted the newcomer.
"Young Boss Li, hello! We meet again," responded the middle-aged Boss Xu, also in a suit, with a businesslike smile.
Boss Xu wasn't particularly tall but stood around 1.8 meters. His hair was jet black, and his appearance was average, though he didn't have a beer belly.
"I've heard you've been in top form lately, Boss Xu. Look at you—full of vitality, your whole demeanor is different."
"Hahaha, really? Want to join us next time?"
"I'll pass. I'm not really suited for your circle's way of having fun."
"Fair enough. You youngsters have different tastes from us middle-aged folks."
"I heard you recently acquired a few plots of land in the capital. That's prime real estate—color me envious."
"Haha, it's nothing special!"
After shaking hands, they exchanged a few more pleasantries before leading their respective teams into a conference room.
This was where the negotiations would take place.
Both sides had their negotiation teams and professional legal teams.
After all, this was a transaction worth over a billion yuan—it demanded serious attention.
Even if the price had been agreed upon in advance, formal procedures still had to be followed.
And this was exactly the kind of thing Li Dong hated the most. He wanted to hand off these troublesome matters to his younger brother or mother, but they were also busy.
Neither could spare the time.
His mother, Xu Yajun, managed the daily operations of supermarkets and several factories, while his sister-in-law, Song Weiwei, took over his role supervising the Shelter.
His younger brother, Li Tiang, was busy recruiting and conducting interviews.
They couldn't let the Great Qin Heavy Industries Technology Company become a complete shell corporation, could they?
A tech company needs plenty of senior engineers and advanced scientific researchers—algorithm engineers, senior programmers, system development engineers, senior management personnel, genetic research engineers, biological researchers, biologists, chemical researchers, and so on.
They also recruit various technical workers and master craftsmen, such as Grade 8 machinists.
However, finding someone of that caliber isn't easy.
Where wouldn't such a highly skilled technician be in demand?
After a morning of negotiations, Li Dong felt like he had turned into a limp fish, too exhausted to move.
Fortunately, the deal was successful—a high-end apartment building in the city center of Pengcheng had been sold, and the funds had been transferred, totaling 3.7 billion yuan.
"Pleasure doing business with you, Boss Xu."
"Hahaha, the pleasure is mine."
Boss Xu laughed heartily. Acquiring this high-end apartment building had cost him a few billion yuan less than he had expected, so of course he was happy.
As for why Li Dong wanted to sell the building, he didn't care to know.
Afterward, the two men and their respective teams enjoyed lunch at the upscale restaurant on the top floor before leaving the financial center tower.
Outside, a violent storm raged as if the apocalypse had arrived.
The October typhoon had come.