Chapter 137: I've Fallen Into Debt Yet Again—For the Umpteenth Time!?

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Foolish me fell asleep again... My deepest apologies~~

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Although the site had long been leveled, several large lamp poles standing around were still able to be switched on. In an instant, bright light flooded the factory, and heaps of equipment and machinery appeared before Qin Ye’s eyes with a strange, industrial beauty.

Taking a deep breath, he calmed himself from the fervent anticipation. Secretary Wu observed his expression and smiled tactfully, “Once the project starts, the first task is land preparation. Excavators are always the first machines on site. Currently, excavators on the market are divided into three tiers: foreign brands, joint ventures, and domestic brands, ranked accordingly. This ranking isn’t about quality, but price.”

Qin Ye, who had never cared for machinery before, now listened intently. Secretary Wu, detecting his interest, elaborated, “Even among domestic brands, there are various grades. Lanjiang, Taizhou, and Zhaozhou are the top three brands in China. Since we’re in this business, we know which brands offer the best value for money. You can rest assured. Price and reputation—if you want to know, we can provide all the details at any time.”

Qin Ye listened carefully. Though he didn’t doubt Sun Kangliang’s honesty, caution was necessary during the handover. He had seen too many businessmen in his time.

“And the price?” His mood now steadied, he looked at the scattered building materials and asked gravely.

“Foreign-brand excavators cost about 1.3 to 1.4 million yuan each. Good joint ventures run about 800 to 900 thousand yuan. Domestic brands are much cheaper. We’re procuring second-hand equipment from Lanjiang Group.” Secretary Wu smiled and pointed to a woman behind him. “She’s the sales representative from Lanjiang Steel. All the technical data on the excavators are with her. If you want to inspect, feel free at any time.”

Qin Ye glanced over the information.

“Model: EC140B. Engine model: D4D EAE1, China; D4D EAE2, North America; D4D EBE2, Japan... Swing motor model: M2X63-CHB; number of support rollers: 14 per machine; number of track links: 45 or 41…”

Very professional.

Unfortunately, he didn’t understand a word.

But at times like these, even if you don’t understand, you have to pretend you do. Though they knew he was clueless, they would still shower him with admiring looks as if he were a powerful patron.

Full-service all around.

Qin Ye’s gaze continued scanning until he spotted a glaring line:

“Total price: 580,000 yuan exactly.”

He froze, stunned: “How much?”

Five hundred eighty thousand yuan for a domestic excavator?!

His own two million... isn’t that a lot of money?

Did he misunderstand the phrase “much cheaper”? Why did it feel like he didn’t even qualify to enter the market?

“580,000 yuan, sir.” Secretary Wu pulled out his phone, showing a detailed list. Smiling, he said, “Mr. Sun’s requirement is for bulk building materials and a small number of construction machines. If you bought brand new machines at market price, even the best quality, you’d get at most three machines. Mr. Sun decided to specially select lightly used second-hand equipment for you. But the total price still adds up to 4.8 million yuan. Please review it.”

Qin Ye took it and carefully flipped through the pages. After a few minutes, with a twitch at the corner of his eye, he asked, “So… what about the extra 2.8 million yuan…”

“Mr. Sun said this is a personal loan to you, routed through his brother-in-law’s company. You just need to repay it within four years. No interest. Consider it a favor to Mr. Qin.” Secretary Wu smiled.

Qin Ye: Ha ha ha...

Even a novice knows this is a favor...

Why not just forgive the debt outright?

2.8 million yuan…

For a project, that’s barely a drop in the bucket, even for a public restroom. But expecting someone like him, who was running a coffin shop for a living just months ago, to repay 2.8 million in four years?

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Don’t believe it? Look up to the sky—no one escapes fate…

“Mr. Qin, is there a problem?” Secretary Wu noticed Qin Ye’s face turning strange—no, not strange, rather shifting from flushed to iron-gray, then to a blackish hue. He cautiously asked.

“Nothing... I’ll look it over myself. I’ll call you if anything,” Qin Ye said, turning the excavator and then banging his teeth in frustration as he struck the tire a few times.

Damn it!

Serves you right!

Isn’t it better to be a salted fish? Facing the sea with the spring blossoms—why take on this suicidal task? Now 2.8 million in debt is pressing down on him. This... this is killing the salted fish vibe!

“Mr. Qin?” Secretary Wu’s figure appeared like a ghost in the aisle beside the machine, concerned, “Are you alright? We just heard strange banging noises…”

Qin Ye immediately relaxed his expression, “I’m fine. If anything happens, I’ll call you.”

As Secretary Wu disappeared again, Qin Ye clutched his chest in pain… where was this dull ache coming from?

“Refuse it?” He pressed his temple, muttering.

But as soon as he said it, he sighed.

An interest-free loan—this really is a favor. For a pauper like him in the Underworld, it’s a drop in the ocean, but right now, it’s a godsend. He... couldn’t say no.

“If I don’t say no... I’m just signing up to be a mortgage slave... whatever! When the time comes, I’ll just look for some dying rich folks and extend their lifespan by ten years…”

At the same time, in Qin Ye’s dormitory, an ancient mirror lazily turned and murmured, “Huh? Detecting a Yin official not abiding by the Yin-Yang order? Should I step in to restore proper discipline?”

Pressed down by a 2.8 million debt, Qin Ye had to go over everything carefully.

“This is a bulldozer,” Secretary Wu followed him, explaining, “Used alongside excavators, usually as a set of operations—the excavator digs, then the bulldozer moves debris. This is a specially selected large tracked self-propelled bulldozer. After loading debris onto the loader, transport trucks haul it away. Each type has several specifications. A full set would cost around 8 to 9 million, so we chose only the essentials.”

“This is crane equipment, commonly called tower cranes. There are self-propelled, mast, and grab cranes. Tower cranes are the most used on construction sites. Also called tower hoists, the factory only has two cranes costing over twenty thousand yuan, but for a thirty-floor building’s tower crane…”

Qin Ye listened with his heart pounding. Fortunately, Secretary Wu didn’t continue with the prices, calming his anxious heart a bit.

Secretary Wu went on, “This is model T5013, with a three-ton lifting mechanism, 63 amplitude, RCV rotation mechanism, twenty meters tall, using imported Schneider electrical components. It’s a Zhaozhou Steel brand, solid quality, also lightly used second-hand. In this market, some small companies finish a project and have no work afterward, so they rent out their equipment. We decided to buy it for you instead.”

Qin Ye was at a loss.

He wanted to rent...

But all these items needed to be sealed with talismans and sent to the Underworld! How would he repay if he rented?

“This is a road roller, used for leveling the ground and laying foundations... this is a pile driver... to summarize, the machinery alone already exceeds two million.” After half an hour, Secretary Wu finished and stopped near the building materials. “These are 5cm diameter steel rebars, already tested for tensile and cold bending, same brand, same furnace batch number, same type, same size, same delivery condition.”

The dreaded money talk again. Qin Ye was numb to it now.

“The 6.5-10 gauge wire rods are priced at 3,540 yuan per ton, 12-14 gauge secondary rebar at 3,590 yuan per ton, and 16 gauge secondary rebar at 3,560 yuan per ton... all verifiable. This batch totals sixty tons. Mr. Qin, if you want to check, we also brought inspection machines and technicians.”

“No need,” Qin Ye shook his head. Such professional items were best left to experts; he couldn’t understand them.

“There are also some wood supply sample catalogs nearby. Mr. Qin, do you need them?”

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Qin Ye thought for a moment and declined. The Underworld had wood everywhere now; what he needed were sawmills and some wood-processing accessories.

Secretary Wu handed over a stack of documents. Qin Ye read for twenty minutes before finally signing his name. When returning the papers, he said, “Tell Sun Kangliang, if he encounters anything special in the future, he can come to me. He knows what I mean.”

“Thank you, Mr. Qin.” Secretary Wu, apparently unaware of their secret meaning, smiled and nodded, leading everyone out.

Everyone had left. Qin Ye now had the site for two days. Sitting in the excavator’s bucket, gazing at the starry sky, he sighed deeply.

This is so costly...

Real estate is really about borrowing while building. How much equipment is this? Not even enough to finish one floor of a small community, and the efficiency is terrible, yet millions have been spent. At least Sun Kangliang guessed he had little money and chose all second-hand equipment.

He didn’t even have the nerve to ask Secretary Wu how much it would cost to build an entire community.

Then... how much would the whole Underworld cost?

Qin Ye, the poorest future King of Hell in history, dared not imagine.

“I must find a connection point.” He frowned, standing and pacing casually. “The Underworld’s financial system hasn’t been established yet, but eventually, the Underworld and the living world’s economy must be linked. Otherwise... relying on just me, with a ten-billion yuan entry ticket, how long will it take to earn that back?”

“The best way is to exchange Underworld specialties for living world goods. No... I have to ask Arthas. The current efficiency is too low... but that old lady didn’t mention anything last time. Given her personality, she probably doesn’t know either…”

Arthas, engrossed in a drama, frowned suddenly, sensing a distant muttered complaint.

Qin Ye hadn’t immediately placed talisman papers on the equipment. He’d checked—the burning of these talismans wasn’t ordinary; it wouldn’t attract attention. But this was a provincial capital; he had to be cautious.

Until 4 a.m., he finally affixed talismans to everything. As Yin energy infused, in an instant all the equipment rapidly blackened without a single flame, as if turning into folded paper, without any burnt smell. Within minutes, all the machinery and building materials turned to black paper ash, drifting in the night sky.

“Everything is ready.” After days of tension, his spirit finally relaxed completely. He watched the black paper ash fluttering in the sky, closed his eyes, and breathed deeply.

All is set.

The iron chains bind the ship.

The east wind blows.

Only awaiting a blueprint from the design institute, the great construction site of the Underworld... this beginning, he had forced it out from nothing!

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(End of chapter)