"…Ning Beichen, tell me, if our technology were advanced enough, why would we need to fear their suppression and sanctions?"
Unsure how long she had been speaking, Liu Yilin finally grew tired and stopped.
"I understand, boss, but this isn't something you, or even a single era, can change. It requires a very long process. After all, we're a generation behind them in some areas."
Ning Beichen had to say this to her.
Liu Yilin understood this logic perfectly, but understanding it intellectually was different from experiencing it personally. The feeling was quite unbearable when it happened to her.
"Boss, actually, there's no need to be so pessimistic. When the cart reaches the mountain, there will be a road. Ultimately, we still have to rely on ourselves."
Ning Beichen tried to comfort her.
However, this kind of comfort was like a universal balm, seemingly sensible but unable to solve actual problems.
Ning Beichen sat down too, accompanying her in her worry within the office. He very much wanted to help Liu Yilin, but he was capable of fighting and killing; this kind of problem was not his forte.
Still, Ning Beichen was ultimately a man who believed in action and disliked passively waiting for doom. He asked Liu Yilin,
"Boss, how much has the blockade and sanctions this time affected you? Are you short on money? If you need funds, I can find a way."
Ning Beichen might not have much else, but he still had some money.
"It's not a matter of money. It's that some materials and precision instruments, even with money, they dare not sell to us now," Liu Yilin said helplessly.
"Are there no domestic alternatives?" Ning Beichen asked. But as soon as the words left his mouth, he knew he had spoken incorrectly. If there were alternatives, why would Liu Yilin be sulking here?
Liu Yilin shook her head and replied,
"No. We started relatively late in some cutting-edge instruments, and the technology hasn't reached my requirements yet. Although I have my own production lines, they currently don't meet my standards."
"So, for you right now, what is the most important and indispensable thing?"
Since Ning Beichen couldn't help her with technology, he could only try to find solutions in other areas.
Perhaps some things were difficult for Liu Yilin, but for Ning Beichen, it might not be the case.
"What we lack most now is a very special silicon crystal ore. And most importantly, several machines that consumed eighty percent of Tianmei Technology Group's funds. Other things are negotiable; as long as it takes some time, they can eventually be resolved," Liu Yilin replied.
"Is there no such special silicon crystal ore in China?"
Putting the machines aside for now, this matter was not difficult to solve, nor was it necessarily difficult. The main issue was the impact of the sanctions. So Ning Beichen first inquired about the ore.
"This type of silicon crystal ore is quite special. It has only been discovered in South Africa and the Arctic so far. It's unlikely we have it in China, or at least it hasn't been discovered."
"The ore is also under sanctions?" Ning Beichen asked her.
"Not at all. They probably don't know that this special silicon crystal ore is the primary raw material for making optical chips. Therefore, this ore is not on the sanction list."
Liu Yilin revealed this secret to Ning Beichen without reservation.
Ordinarily, secrets like this were best kept by as few people as possible. However, in her eyes, Ning Beichen was not an outsider.
"If it's not sanctions, then what's the problem with the ore that's causing you such distress?" Ning Beichen asked curiously.
"One word: chaos!"
"Our factory in South Africa is too chaotic. Even if we successfully mine the ore, we can't get it back. I was planning to go there in the next couple of days to see if there's any way," Liu Yilin said to Ning Beichen helplessly.
When Liu Yilin uttered the word "chaos," Ning Beichen understood the reason.
People unfamiliar with that region could not imagine how chaotic it was.
Especially those doing business there, without some real skill, making money or acquiring anything from there would be harder than climbing to heaven.
"I've bribed those people. It was fine before, but now their appetites are growing. Especially after they found out our group was sanctioned, they won't even let us transport the ore now."
"Big appetites are just about wanting more." Ning Beichen said with disdain and then, drawing on his experience, he told Liu Yilin,
"Giving money is one thing; problems that can be solved with money are not problems. I'm not afraid to spend money, but now someone there is deliberately obstructing us and absolutely will not let us transport the ore."
This was what truly gave Liu Yilin a headache.
"Who is the other party?" Ning Beichen pondered for a moment and then asked her.
"It's a newly appointed person in charge. This person is a scoundrel. He took my money but didn't do anything. Instead, he's been causing trouble for us."
"It's within his jurisdiction, and our ore was stolen. He claimed those people were from the opposition party and that he could do nothing. Now, he won't even meet with our mine site manager." Liu Yilin said indignantly.
"Why didn't the 'opposition party' members show up earlier? Why only now, when I'm being sanctioned? They're not only hindering our ore transport but also causing disturbances at the mine site every other day, preventing us from working. Do you believe such a coincidence?" Ning Beichen shook his head. He had seen too many such sordid affairs to find anything surprising.
However, Ning Beichen did know that there was indeed a group of opposition armed personnel there. He just didn't know if they were colluding with that official.
"Boss, how do you plan to handle this?" Ning Beichen asked her calmly.
"I plan to go and negotiate with him personally. If he wants money, I'll give him money. As long as he can make my mining operations run normally, even spending some money to avoid trouble is acceptable." This was the only solution Liu Yilin could think of.
"Boss, forgive my bluntness, but even if you go and negotiate with him, things might not go smoothly."
"It's obvious he has the backing of a certain superpower. He's doing this deliberately, and it's not something money can solve. Otherwise, he wouldn't dare to offend you." Ning Beichen analyzed calmly.
In such economically backward and chaotic small countries, they generally wouldn't dare to offend superpowers like the Eastern ancient country. If he dared to act this way without support, Ning Beichen would be willing to have his head used as a chamber pot.
"But I can't just do nothing. The local manager I sent to negotiate with him last time was also detained by him. Regardless, I have to go and deal with it." Liu Yilin had no choice. Running a group was not as easy as she thought, especially for a young woman; handling some matters was even more difficult than for men.