Chapter 193 Money Can Even Buy Conscience

Joe Ga had nothing much to do, so he opened the boss group chat, only to find out, to his surprise, that the Burundi election had already concluded in just a few months.Boss Huang from the SD Chamber of Commerce, who had taken a fall, was in the chat with Lu Jun, boasting about the investment environment in Burundi and flaunting the gold and copper mines he obtained from Joe Ga, claiming he would soon advance into Burundi and, under the protection of the local government and Hu Lang, expand and strengthen to achieve further success. Joe Ga saw Boss Huang flaunting the paperwork of an African mining company and sending out hero posts everywhere, inviting many big bosses to his home in Minland to celebrate, stir up some excitement, and simultaneously dispel some bad luck in hopes of making a strong comeback in Africa. Joe Ga didn't recall when he had transferred the mines to Boss Huang, but he was not the type to lose his temper without understanding the situation, so he patiently scrolled through the chat information and noticed something... He had once shouted in the group, mentioning he had two mines and was considering selling or collaborating for development. At that time, due to the uncertain situation in Burundi, the powerful bosses in the group did not take the bait, with most preferring to wait and see how things would unfold. Then, just last week, after the situation in Burundi had stabilized, Boss Huang suddenly claimed in the group that he had secured those two mines and had established a new company called 'Dahe Mining' to re-enter Africa. Then came the bizarre moves. Lululemon's Mr. Lu suddenly burst out berating Boss Huang for being unscrupulous for stealing business from him, and arrogantly demanded that Boss Huang transfer the mines to him, or else, hmph... All the bosses in Joe Ga's group were quite established and wealthy, and Mr. Lu's background was well-known to them. Moreover, those present had all dealt with Hu Lang to buy arms and were considered 'criminals' compared to their domestic peers, creating a slightly warmer sense of camaraderie. The business of Africa's mineral resources is endless, with the only aspects needing contention being location, transportation, and safety. The location of Burundi is quite terrible, but it is adjacent to Rwanda and beyond that, Uganda. Let's not even talk about the gold mines; the copper mines could be mined and smelted into ingots right on the spot, then whether transported to Rwanda for sale or brought back here, or even setting up a cable factory, it would all be a very lucrative business. Rwanda isn't too poor and is developing rapidly with copper being a needed resource. Now with the situation in Burundi stabilized and with Hu Lang promising to ensure the safety of the mines, this business was viable. Originally, everyone had their own businesses to manage, but then Boss Huang suddenly spoke up, followed by Mr. Lu's confrontation, heating up Joe Ga's two mines. Boss Huang was a respectable figure, and though Mr. Lu was rumored to be a bit of a wastrel, being from a prominent family meant even if he didn't understand, someone in his family did, and suddenly everyone subconsciously started thinking that Burundi was a good business opportunity. Then some based on their seniority stepped forward to mediate, and somehow, before everyone knew it, the company 'Dahe Mining Company' became everybody's business. Among over 70 mine bosses, a portion focused on East Africa and most interested in investing in Burundi gathered funds—some contributing 500 million, some 800 million—and surprisingly raised 4 billion, rapidly inflating a newly established mining company into a large one. At this time, as the comic relief, Mr. Lu put 20 million of his private money into the company to acquire some shares and then gracefully stepped back, never to show his previous fierce demeanor again. Warily observing the mutual admiration among the group of mine bosses at the end, Joe Ga scratched his head perplexedly and then found Mr. Lu's WeChat to send him a question mark. Joe Ga clearly knew that 4 billion renminbi wasn't enough to completely secure the mines he had in Burundi. The gold mine had been mined by the Belgians and probably had limited returns, but the copper mine was a high-grade one... The duet performed by Boss Huang and Mr. Lu left Joe Ga feeling somewhat baffled. If it was just about collaborative mining, then this amount of money was excessive. If it was about a direct purchase, then the amount was insufficient. However, Joe Ga truly believed that someone as shrewd as Boss Huang wouldn't bypass him to make moves, there must be circumstances he was unaware of. Not long after Joe Ga sent out his message, Mr. Lu's call came through... Lu, "Wolf Bro, did you see the messages in the group?" Joe, "I've seen them, what is this all about?" Lu, "Hey~, it was Old Huang who felt he owed you a favor, so he thought to back you up. But his own funds are limited, so I played this double act. But it isn't deception, we've sent people to Burundi to see, and that copper mine is really valuable. As long as there's no war there, it's definitely a profitable venture. Those mine bosses are all sharp people, they know what's up, and I was just stirring up the atmosphere. Now that the company has the funds, we can get started right away. You put forward a cooperation proposal, right, let's follow what you said, you take 40% of the profits and handle the security of the mine site, and the company takes 60% and manages all the investments and sales. The conservative estimates from the report sent back say this business could generate 4 billion US dollars in output over the next 5 years, and what happens in the next 5 years will depend on their elections. But that doesn't matter, if we make money for 5 years, that's enough for us, the only downside is that we need to invest some in infrastructure in Burundi, but even if we have to discount that investment by 30%, it's still profitable! So I also invested 20 million, just waiting for the end of the year to divide the money!" Joe Ga, still somewhat confused, said, "I've never been there, who among you went to Burundi for the inspection?" Confused, Mr. Lu said, "You were the one who posted the message about looking for partners or selling the mines. Without arranging for someone to inspect, how can conclusions be made lightly? The mineral minister of Burundi can hardly speak clear English, who would trust their mining reports? Also, I called you a while back, and your phone was unreachable, so I discussed with Old Huang and we just set up the company's framework first." Joe Ga naturally understood this reasoning, but he was still curious and said, "Who did you send to Burundi, and are they professionals?" seaʀᴄh thё Nôvel(F)ire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. After a pause, Lu Jun said, "It was Old Huang's son Xiao Huang, Huang Sijia." This guy was a character. After he returned to China, he knelt at every family's door for a day with his friend's ashes. His mother sold a house meant for his dowry to compensate each family with five million each, and then Xiao Huang went back to school to finish his thesis. He didn't even take his diploma; he just came back to Africa to take over his dad's gold mine in North Kivu." Upon hearing this, Joe Ga said with a slightly weird expression, "Is that all?" "Isn't that enough?" Lu Jun said with a tone of admiration, "Among those kidnapped last time, besides a few lifelong friends of his family, there were also some of Xiao Huang's college classmates." He attended Northwest Mining University, planning to take over his dad's business, so he took the opportunity just before graduating to bring some of his top classmates to Africa for an inspection. And you saw what happened... After that, who else would dare to come? But this time, going to Burundi was Xiao Huang's initiative, and he even brought his university mentor and a very professional exploration team with him. We couldn't contact you, and I helped him find the security." Upon hearing this, Joe Ga remarked thoughtfully, "This guy has got something, not everyone can bounce back like that." Lu Jun fell silent for a long time on the other end of the phone, finally saying somewhat sympathetically, "He was forced into it! The two who died were his classmates; their parents hardly managed to raise them to adulthood, only to lose them on a trip to Africa. What can five million settle? Stay connected with empire With people lying there unable to move, can money take care of everything till the end? There were also two girls, one of whom contracted AIDS and jumped off a building right after she got back. The other contracted syphilis, and while she might not die from it, she became depressed and barely alive." The one who jumped was Xiao Huang's cousin; how could he stay at home after that? Hey... Xiao Huang stayed at my place for a while, and considering his personality, he wouldn't rest until he had settled his classmates' parents and the girl with depression. To me, it doesn't really have much to do with him. Aside from the two who died, most of the others came voluntarily. If not for Xiao Huang's quick thinking and your righteous help, they would have been doomed. I say it's all because of money. If Old Huang didn't have that much money, those people might have just accepted their bad luck, but look now..." After listening, Joe Ga spoke with mixed feelings, "Xiao Huang did the right thing, but you can't blame the families for being upset. If Old Huang had been penniless, the families might have just accepted their fate, but don't they still suffer? Money is really something, it can even buy a conscience!" As he spoke, Joe Ga shook his head reflectively and then said, "But I'm puzzled. Old Huang is such a resolute mine boss; how come his son is a bit..." "His grandparents and mother are all university professors. They taught him well! Ambitious and principled, the best thing about him is that he understands respect and rules. Xiao Huang gets along! That's why I recommended him to be the general manager of Dahe Mining Company. So far, he's been doing quite well." Lu Jun gave Joe Ga a moment to digest this information, then added, "Wolf bro, what's the deal on your end? Your phone is always unreachable; we can't let Xiao Huang be held up in Burundi forever. You need to make time for a visit to sort things out. The Minister of Security and the Minister of Resources in Burundi are almost collapsing Xiao Huang's couch, just waiting for you to visit. These poor devils light up at the sight of a Chinese, except for that professor, who seems quite pleased; I'm really worried for Xiao Huang and the others." Joe Ga laughed a bit when he imagined that scenario—a freshly graduated college student surrounded daily by some formidable officials. It's unclear if it's vanity or not, but fear would definitely be part of it. It's a bit like forceful buying and selling], but when you are in their territory, how can you not leave something behind? The copper mine isn't small, and it's right on the border of Congo, at the junction of North Kivu and South Kivu. For control over the mine, the government and the opposition armed forces in these two provinces of Congo are practically scrambling their brains, and the security situation in the neighboring Burundi isn't any better. The safety of foreigners running mines there is relatively stable because control changes hands—I just hand over the money to another person. As long as it's not those extreme anti-government guerrillas or those desperately poor locals, foreigners can hold out for the money. After pondering a bit, Joe Ga first thanked Lu Jun and others for their concern, then said with a laugh, "That Bastista in Burundi is a jerk, that guy just wants to take advantage of me. Let Xiao Huang wait a few days. I'll arrange a plane to pick them up and bring them to Central Africa. Since they are experts, let them take a look at my mine. I've been really troubled lately. The iron mine is good, but who to sell it to is really a problem."