This Game Is Too Realistic-Chapter 534.2: Schemes... Schemes Everywhere!

The New Alliance’s recent fiscal plans had revealed enormous market potential.

He had decided to ramp up his steel plant’s output. And upon hearing that a Boulder Town’s steel factory was offloading its equipment, he quickly ran over to check it out.

Fred enthusiastically clapped him on the arm and made a welcoming gesture, like he was greeting a long-lost friend. "Likewise, likewise! I just love doing business with New Alliance folks, it’s always a pleasure. But this place is pretty dusty, let’s talk inside."

Sun Shiqi smiled and nodded. "No rush. Give me a tour of the factory first... I want to see your equipment so I can make a fair offer."

"Of course!" Fred led him straight to the biggest, and only, operational workshop in the plant.

Along the way, Sun Shiqi observed quietly.

Mighty Steelworks was indeed massive and grand. It stood in stark contrast to the squalid residential zones next door.

Its towering chimney pierced the ceiling, spewing thick gray haze into the sky, merging with the greenish spore clouds drifting along the inner ring. The cavernous workshop resembled a titan’s dwelling, its massive structures blocking out the chaos above. The roaring furnace and molten metal held Sun Shiqi’s gaze in awe.

He felt like a clueless rat who had stumbled into a giant’s kitchen.

Whether it was the skilled workers, the majestic machinery, or even the greasy wrenches and files lying around in crates, everything seemed priceless to him.

Are those nobles pigs?

How can they let the people who least deserved to starve, starve?

But then he remembered, soon, the place might belong to him. Or at least the equipment would.

Sun Shiqi's breath quickened.

Praise the noble lords!

Generations of survivor sweat and brilliance, and now it’s going for just 50,000,000 chips!

The price is even negotiable!

Of course, he didn’t have that much money. But with his New Alliance factory as collateral and a proper purchase agreement, the New Alliance Central Bank would lend him the acquisition amount...

As for how ironic that would be... That money was actually borrowed from Boulder Town’s nobles, at less than 5% interest!

Not letting his greed show, Sun Shiqi nodded coolly. "Not bad... It’s just a bit too hot. Let’s step outside."

Fred replied politely, "Of course! Honestly, if it weren’t for your request, I wouldn’t have brought you in there... It’s not really a place for folks like us."

As they walked back out, Fred chattered away, pitching lofty visions for his factory, visions even he didn’t believe.

Only then did Sun Shiqi learn that the Mighty Steelworks had once supplied Boulder Town Arms Industry.

Before the New Alliance launched its war machine, the steel factory produced ballistic steel plates for exoskeletons and structural parts for large machinery.

But after the war began, its main buyer became the New Alliance’s construction companies, who paid handsomely for rebar exports.

With the New Alliance greenlighting wave after wave of infrastructure projects, business should have been booming, but instead, it had gone the opposite way.

That was because the New Alliance’s infrastructure plan wasn’t meant to boost exports, it was meant to shift the New Alliance’s steel industry from military to civilian production. The new policy specifically prioritized local materials when the price difference was minimal.

Even without that rule, Mighty Steelworks was losing ground.

As for why... Their cost of production was the biggest problem!

With inflation climbing, they no longer held any cost advantage.

The New Alliance Central Bank was shrewd. They stubbornly refused to budge on the outdated exchange rate where 1 chip could buy 2 silver coins, even though the actual value hovered between 0.2 and 0.5 silver coins per chip.

Yes, they had the right to price their chips however they wanted. But to be honest, that rate was for suckers.

And taking advantage of suckers? That was just unethical.

Previously, chip-denominated industrial goods had been cheap, so the exchange gap wasn’t so obvious. That was why most items the New Alliance couldn’t produce were imported from Boulder Town.

But as raw material prices surged, Boulder Town’s product prices had to rise too. The import profit margin was shrinking.

If Boulder Town were producing some vital component the New Alliance couldn’t manufacture, that would be suicide.

But rebar for cement? It was hardly a strategic resource.

New Alliance factories that once forged tank armor and treads no longer needed to place orders!

With that... It was time to recalculate the worth of the machines.

Once outside, Fred respectfully lit a cigarette for Sun Shiqi, then turned to look at the bustling factory. "The economy’s been recovering lately. Life’s getting better."

Sun Shiqi replied casually, "What makes you say that?"

"Busy hands are the best indicator," Fred smiled. "As long as the lazy bums are working, things will improve."

"Busy but poor... That’s not exactly a good sign," Sun Shiqi squinted at the smoky workers and muttered, uncharacteristically sincere. "Looks like they’re running on fumes."

"Exactly why they’ll work even harder," Fred chuckled, puffing alongside his guest. "And you’re looking in the wrong places. To see this city’s prosperity, you need to walk its streets at night."

"You mean street with the Queen of the Night?"

"Not just there," Fred gestured with his cigarette. "The entire ring around the inner city... My friend, you’re not seriously wandering the industrial zone after dark, are you? It’s nothing but bums picking cigarette butts and drunks sipping garbage wine."

Even with bodyguards, he wouldn’t dare venture into those alleys. Who knew what filth was festering inside?

Sun Shiqi shot him a strange look. "But if recovery is on the way, why are you in such a rush to sell?"

Fred coughed and chuckled slyly. "Running a factory here isn’t easy. It used to make some money, sure, but now... Aren't there easier and better ways?"

"Such as?"

"Whether it's bonds or S coins, there are just too many good investment options. And you don’t get your shoes dirty," Fred said with a grin. "There are more chances to get rich here than there are people!"

There was something he didn’t say out loud.

The reason he was offloading assets wasn’t just because of better investment options, but also because of a slew of problems, like the rising cost of raw materials.

He didn’t know the full picture of the New Alliance’s situation, but it was obvious that the prices of iron and copper ore, both denominated in chips, were climbing fast. Rather than turning them into finished products, it made more sense to hoard them in a warehouse and sell them to some clueless factory owner next month.

It was just that... There were too many smart people and not enough fools. More and more people had figured out how to exploit that bug.

He even heard that Vega, the guy who sold food, had hoarded an entire warehouse full of copper ore...

What the hell is that guy up to?

Fred couldn’t quite put his finger on what was wrong, but something felt off. He suddenly realized that in this giant casino called Boulder Town, he couldn’t find anyone losing money anymore.

And that was the scariest part.

As such, he immediately decided to cash out while he still could.

Go ahead and play, I’m out...

He thought to himself.

While Fred was busy scheming in his head, Sun Shiqi had thoughts of his own.

It wasn’t his first time here. Back when he was doing business in Red River Town, the general market in Boulder Town was one of his frequent stops.

To call it depressed would be an understatement.

Most survivor settlements in the Wasteland barely had 200 or 300 households. And that was only thanks to the leftover technology.

500,000 permanent residents, everyone in the wasteland knew what that meant.

Especially since Boulder Town had no farmland and no mines. All raw materials were acquired purely through trade.

Its level of industrialization and industrial profit margins were, frankly, shocking.

But due to a lack of competition, there was no incentive for industrial upgrades, leading to bizarre situations.

Like a nutritional paste factory that used cutting-edge polymer ultrafiltration membranes, yet relied on manual labor for the assembly line.

Sun Shiqi didn’t understand how these people thought, just as they probably didn’t understand him, why would anyone choose the clumsiest-looking method when there were clearly cheaper alternatives?

But now, he began to understand the man who had once scared him. He finally knew what Chu Guang was thinking of.

Some costs were invisible.

It was like a war without smoke.

If the New Alliance took one wrong step in the chain, maybe he would be the one smiling obsequiously while dumping off his assets.

He understood. At their core, he and Mr. Fred were the same kind of person. After all, when the New Alliance shorted copper, he had abandoned Red River Town without hesitation.

"... 50,000,000 chips is a fair price. If you’re satisfied, we can sign the contract in the next couple of days. I’ll handle the manpower to haul the stuff away." Sun Shiqi eventually sighed.

Sure, waiting might get him a better deal, but Sun Shiqi worried other New Alliance companies had also spotted the valuable asset.

Fred instantly agreed. "No problem! You’re a straightforward man, Mr. Sun... But, I’ve been eyeing an investment opportunity in Dawn City. Could part of the payment be in silver coins?"

Caught off guard by the second part, Sun Shiqi frowned, his smile fading. "What do you mean?"

"Heh, exactly what I said," Fred pulled him aside and lowered his voice, speaking slowly. "On the books... You give me 40,000,000 chips. It’s a bit of a discount, but not a fire sale. The remaining amount? You can convert it to 10,000,000 silver coins! You can transfer them to my New Alliance account or hand over cash. Either works!"

Sun Shiqi’s eyes widened as he finally understood, shooting Fred a sharp look.

This guy...

He’s trying to scam his shareholders?!

As a law-abiding citizen of the New Alliance, Sun Shiqi had no interest in defending Boulder Town's shareholders. But converting 10,000,000 chips to 10,000,000 silver coins made him frown.

"No. 10,000,000 chips aren’t worth 10,000,000 silver coins. I can’t accept that price."

Fred didn’t panic, in fact, he was secretly delighted.

So price was the only issue.

Which meant the deal was still on the table!

He immediately broke into a charming smile and said eagerly, "That’s fine, we can negotiate... What’s your acceptable number?"

Sun Shiqi raised one finger. "A million."

"A million?!" Fred’s eyes nearly popped out. He almost couldn’t keep his voice down. "No way! That’s way too low! Your official exchange rate is 1:2. I’m giving you 1:1, that’s already generous!"

Seeing his bad acting, Sun Shiqi coughed once. "Come on. Do you even believe in that rate?"

Fred’s face turned red. He bit his lip, held up five fingers. "5,000,000... No, three! No... Two! 2,000,000 silver coins! That’s my bottom line! Even on the black market, the best you’ll get is 1:5!"

That part was true.

Looking at the two fingers left in the air and his bitter expression, Sun Shiqi finally gave in to temptation and nodded slowly. "Deal."