Chapter 506 Poaching: The Quickest Way is the Best
Wang Xiao was dragged to the street in a daze.
Fortunately, they were close to the gate, and Section Chief Hong reacted very quickly, so they escaped the market before the electronics market officially organized an evacuation.
The streets were crowded with people, many of whom were looking towards the building, asking, "What's going on? What's going on?"
Someone nearby shouted back, "I just saw the building leaning; it's about to collapse!"
Amidst the commotion, some people were pushing their way in to get a better look, while others were running out, afraid of being crushed.
The man squeezed next to Wang Xiao and the others was wearing a leather shoe on one foot and only a white sock on the other. He opened his mouth and cursed, "Are you going to fall or not? I haven't even put my shoes on properly."
Instead of sympathizing with him, the people around him took the opportunity to tease him: "It's a good thing you didn't take off all your clothes to try on your underwear, otherwise would you be covering your front or your back now?"
The crowd chimed in like they were performing a comedy routine: "Then it depends on whether he's sacrificing himself for others or choosing to protect himself. If he covers his back, the girl isn't safe. If he covers his front, his butt isn't safe."
The man wearing only one shoe laughed and cursed, "Go to hell, you son of a bitch!"
As more and more people gathered, no one gave a concrete answer.
Tang Yicheng suggested, "Boss, why don't we go eat first? It's about time."
Anyway, even though the SEG Plaza is tall, if it were to collapse, it shouldn't crush the restaurant where they're eating, especially since they're sitting outside.
So the group went against the flow and ran off to have dinner without hesitation.
While everyone's busy watching the excitement, their food might even arrive faster.
Lyuba protected her boss as they walked out, sighing inwardly.
Chinese people often say that Russians are rough around the edges and are a fighting nation.
If you ask her, when it comes to being thick-skinned, no one can compare to the Chinese.
Even if the building is about to collapse, it doesn't stop people from watching the spectacle; in fact, they watch it like it's a snack to enjoy with drinks.
At the dining table next to them, diners were eating scallops while gazing at the view, their mouths constantly moving: "I knew it, the SEG Plaza was going to collapse sooner or later. What was the point of the bidding process? After all that, they came up with a syringe, it's so ugly."
He was referring to the design of the SEG Plaza, which looks like a syringe.
"I just don't understand, with so many design institutes and so many designers, not a single one can produce anything decent?"
Section Chief Hong muttered under his breath, "The syringe is pretty good; it's the best of a bad bunch."
He picked up a baked salt shrimp and explained, "SEG wanted to build a purely Chinese-style building. They initially invited three design institutes from Shenzhen and Hong Kong to submit their proposals. One of them didn't even bother to change their design and just copied a foreign one. Another one had such complicated lines that looked like they were designing a skirt. And the last one was this syringe."
Wang Xiao laughed and said, "That syringe is pretty good."
Plagiarism goes without saying; it's the first one to be eliminated.
Intricate lines are also unsuitable; given Shenzhen's sunlight conditions, the glass could potentially cause a fire by concentrating sunlight.
While eating shrimp, Section Chief Hong shook his head and said meaningfully, "It's really good. This plan was personally selected by the Land and Resources Bureau."
In fact, there is a great deal of dissatisfaction within the SEG Group.
Why? It's not that they think the plan is ugly, but that the design is seriously outdated.
The complete construction drawings are still not available, and the project timeline is still there, so we can only draw and work at the same time.
This has serious consequences; technical adjustments are needed frequently, and rework is required even after construction has been carried out according to the plans.
Outsiders may not know the intricacies involved, but they can see the problems – the foundation work alone, including the underground continuous wall and bored piles, took a year to complete.
This directly slapped Shenzhen's speed in the face.
So when Section Chief Hong heard that the building was going to collapse, his first reaction wasn't that the other person was joking, but that he should run as fast as he could.
He simply couldn't believe the quality of the SEG Plaza.
Xiao Gao and Xiao Zhao were speechless.
When they were in mainland China, they always heard people say that if all local governments were like the Shenzhen government, the economy would be incredibly developed and the government efficiency would be incredibly high.
After all that, it turns out it's the same everywhere.
Wherever there are people, there are conflicts and unspoken interests.
Wang Xiao smiled but remained silent, only asking, "Will it be completed by the end of the year?"
Section Chief Hong's words had a hidden meaning: "It should be doable, the leaders have given us a firm guarantee. It's doable whether it works or not."
There's more to this than meets the eye.
Tang Yicheng gestured for the owner to try the roast pigeon that was served, and sighed, "I was thinking that since the office buildings in the SEG Plaza can't be sold, I could become their agent and at least make some money."
Making money is secondary; the key is to take this opportunity to establish a relationship with the SEG Group.
Hong Kong's market is only so big, unlike Shenzhen, which is connected to the vast national market.
This opportunity is now slipping away; he wouldn't dare handle a building like this.
If the building collapses and something bad happens after he sells it, his sins will be grave, and he will lose his lifespan.
Wang Xiao comforted him, "It's not necessarily a bad thing. Look, we've been out for so long now, and so many people have run out. The tremors must have been huge. If the building had really collapsed, it would have been shaken down long ago."
Someone at the next table also asked, "Why hasn't it tipped over yet? Did you see wrong? Is it not tipping over at all?"
"You're kidding me! If I'm wrong, I'll gouge out both my eyes and give them to you as a snack with my drink!"
A customer eating a fish head nearby laughed and scolded, "Get lost! I'm eating the fish's eyeballs right now. Should I eat them or not?"
Everyone around laughed.
The danger that is so close, yet which you have already escaped, always makes you more excited.
After finishing the salt-baked shrimp, everyone ate the salt and pepper mantis shrimp, then scallops, nine-belly fish, and Chaozhou-style oyster omelet, not missing a single dish. Finally, they drank beer with the braised platter and stayed up until it was completely dark. As the night deepened, everyone reluctantly left.
There's a reason behind the building's swaying: it's said to be an optical illusion. The sky was so clear and blue that the movement of the clouds and the tall building created a visual illusion that made people think the building was swaying.
Some people think it's possible, while others are cursing: Are they trying to fool us?
Wang Xiao didn't join either of these two waves of noise, because there were empty beer bottles all around her.
The boss is drunk.
The bodyguards all agreed on this.
It wasn't because she downed four bottles of beer in one go and went to the bathroom once in between, nor because she was particularly talkative on the way back to the hotel, but because after she entered the room, she didn't even take a shower before picking up the phone and making an international call.
Okay, that's not the worst part.
The most terrifying thing was that she kept saying "I miss you so much!" to Mr. Ivanov on the other end of the phone.
Well, to be honest, their boss is very good at sweet talk, he has a whole repertoire of it, enough to make Mr. Ivan swoon.
The problem is that bosses usually ask them to leave and wouldn't be so affectionate in front of them.
Her current unrestrained behavior only proves one thing: she is indeed drunk and quite tipsy.
This really made the bodyguards nervous.
You know, they encounter plenty of drunkards in their daily lives.
On the streets of Moscow, you can see drunkards every few steps.
They certainly don't want their boss to become an alcoholic.
People under a lot of stress are prone to resorting to alcoholism to temporarily relax.
After thinking for a while, Xiao Gao and Xiao Zhao suggested, "Why don't we find someone to bite the boss?"
Anyway, the boss isn't a vampire; he doesn't actually suck people's blood after biting them.
Lyuba was utterly speechless and had to dispel their wishful thinking: "It's no use, it can only be Mr. Ivan."
Xiao Gao and Xiao Zhao both gasped and blinked hard.
Of the three, Lyuba was the one with the highest IQ, and being a woman, the other two naturally trusted her judgment.
But it is precisely because I believed that I was shocked.
So, the boss has such deep feelings for Mr. Ivan? Just like in "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber," where Zhu'er wanted to bite Zhang Wuji's hand to leave a scar?
Lyuba started to facepalm. What was all this about? Oh well, there was no point in explaining it to them.
But even though she didn't say anything, Xiao Gao and Xiao Zhao were still worried: "Will the boss just keep drinking like this every day?"
Alcohol is classified as a drug by the World Health Organization, and the addiction will only grow stronger.
Lyuba said mysteriously, "Don't rush, let's wait until tomorrow. The problem will be solved by tomorrow."
Xiao Gao and Xiao Zhao were skeptical, but they really didn't have any other good ideas.
It wouldn't be right to make the boss eat pickled peppers, would it? Her stomach wouldn't be able to handle it.
The two slept anxiously all night. The next morning, after they had finished getting ready, they waited at the boss's room when they suddenly heard a scream coming from inside.
Startled, the two women pounded on the door and shouted, "Lyuba, what's wrong? Boss! Boss!"
If they don't open the door soon, they'll have to rush to the front desk to bring up a spare key card, or simply break down the door.
From inside the house came Lyuba's voice: "It's alright, it's alright."
However, they couldn't believe it and kept urging, "Open the door! Open the door quickly!"
Liuliuba was afraid that the two of them would really kick the door down, so she had no choice but to come and open the door, with a helpless look on her face: "It's really nothing."
The bathroom door was open, and the boss, dressed in a bathrobe that covered him completely, stood in front of the mirror with a mournful face.
Xiao Gao and Xiao Zhao looked left and right, but couldn't figure out where the skin was broken or bleeding on the face in the mirror.
Lyuba kept emphasizing, "I told you it's nothing, don't make a fuss."
Wang Xiao was almost in tears: "You're still okay? Look how swollen my face is! Don't lie to me and try to fool me."
Her face was swollen like a pig's head; she had never encountered anything like this before!
Lyuba thought to herself, "Actually, your face was a little swollen yesterday, but you got up late at noon and were in a hurry to eat and catch your flight, so you didn't notice."
After drinking heavily again last night, it's no wonder my face is even more swollen.
But she still tried to comfort her boss: "It's alright, it's not too swollen, right?"
Xiao Gao and Xiao Zhao immediately chimed in, "That's right, we didn't even notice if you hadn't pointed it out."
Wang Xiao chuckled. Expecting you two to notice? You couldn't even tell I changed my eyebrow shape, what a waste of your 5.0 vision in both eyes.
The male bodyguard, feeling guilty, stammered, "It's a little swollen, and my eyes are a little smaller, just a tiny bit smaller."
Wang Xiao was already thinking of wiping her face with water.
Lyuba teased her from the side, "It's okay, it's just your face that's swollen, not your stomach or your beer belly. Your clothes should be fine."
These words were truly a knife to her heart.
Fortunately, the former KGB agent has a sharp tongue and is quite adept at cleaning up messes.
While directing people to order iced Americanos, she applied a cold compress to the owner's face and then directly used her hands to perform facial scraping to reduce swelling.
Wang Xiao leaned against a large cushion, receiving attentive service, her face looking utterly dejected. She sighed as she opened her mouth, "Liuba, I'm 30 years old this year."
She suddenly realized the true meaning of the lyric, "How time crawls across my skin, I know best myself."
No one can defy time.
She was a graduate student before she transmigrated, and her body at the start of the transmigration was 21 years old, both of which are the prime of youth.
So even if she stayed up all night, she would still look radiant after a good night's sleep.
That won't work now. She's getting older, her metabolism has slowed down, and two bottles of beer made her swell up like a pig's head.
Lyuba continued working with her hands, coldly replying, "That's right, ma'am, you're 30, I'm 32, we've both reached our thirties."
So what can you do? If you want high energy, you have to replenish it yourself.
When Wang Xiao went downstairs for dinner, Tang Yicheng, who had been reminded by the bodyguard in advance, had already prepared his words.
He immediately offered emotional support the moment his boss opened his mouth.
As it turned out, his boss seemed to have completely moved on and didn't mention it at all. While drinking an iced Americano and eating ham, fried eggs, and whole wheat bread, he checked the itinerary with him: "Can you arrange someone to give a presentation at the power plant? The most important thing is to share their experience using the equipment."
Tang Yicheng quickly regained his composure and nodded, saying, "It's confirmed. Someone will be explaining it to you."
Section Chief Hong also arrived at the restaurant and chimed in, "We've already contacted them, and the power plant welcomes us to visit and learn from them."
Calling it a power plant is just Mr. Wang's way of putting it.
For Shenzhen residents, it is actually a waste incineration plant located on Honggang Road, Qingshuihe, Luohu District. Its official name is Shenzhen Municipal Sanitation Comprehensive Treatment Plant.
In the words of Section Chief Hong, it was fortunate that the waste incineration plant was built early and went into operation in the 1980s. Back then, people were simple and easy to talk to.
If this were today, goodness gracious, the residents of this area would probably be in an uproar and would rather die than let the waste incineration plant start operating.
Why do I say that? Because it really does have a smell, and it's a very strong, foul odor.
In late April, Shenzhen was sunny and the wind was blowing. When Wang Xiao got out of the car, he subconsciously covered his nose because of the stench.
Upon seeing this, Section Chief Chen from the waste incineration plant, who had previously contacted Section Chief Hong, laughed and said self-deprecatingly, "We have a long way to go and a heavy responsibility to fulfill. You say you've come to learn, but we ourselves are actually quite apprehensive, feeling that there's nothing for you to learn."
Section Chief Hong quickly retorted, "You're being modest, aren't you? When it comes to urban waste management, you're the leaders, the big shots. You were the ones who tackled the key problems in the National Eighth Five-Year Plan for Science and Technology."
Section Chief Chen waved his hand repeatedly: "Hey, this was mainly done by experts and professors from Tongji University. We were just there to assist."
Wang Xiao smiled and pointed to the factory's bulletin board, where a bright red banner in the display window clearly stated: "Passed the technical appraisal of the Ministry of Construction in July 1996, and won the National Eighth Five-Year Plan Major Scientific and Technological Achievement Award in November."
In 1997, it won the second prize of the Ministry of Construction's Science and Technology Progress Award. In 1998, it won the second prize of the National Science and Technology Progress Award.
The localization project of the No. 3 waste incinerator, on which the project relies, was recognized as a demonstration project by the Ministry of Construction; the "Research on Low-Calorific-Value Waste Processing Technology" won the second prize of Guangdong Provincial Science and Technology Progress Award and the second prize of Shenzhen Municipal Science and Technology Progress Award. (Note ①)
Wang Xiao read out each of the honors, and said with a smile, "That's why they say that when millet is full, it bows its head; the more capable someone is, the more humble they are."
Section Chief Chen smiled and shook his head: "Oh, you're too kind, it's all thanks to the excellent guidance from our superiors."
He got straight to the point, "Is there anything you particularly want to see? Or should I take you through it from the beginning?"
Another gust of wind blew by, and Wang Xiao felt that the people working in this factory all had quite strong perseverance.
Because Shenzhen has short winters and long summers, the smell is probably quite strong for most of the year.
Section Chief Chen bowed apologetically, saying, "We're in the wrong position right now. If we go any further, we won't be able to smell anything."
Wang Xiao, holding his breath, cut to the chase: "Section Chief Chen, why is there a foul smell? Have you found the cause? I don't mean anything by it, I just want to understand the whole process of municipal solid waste incineration."
Section Chief Chen waved his hand: "It's alright, it's alright. We can't just shut people up; we can't hide it. The main reason is that Shenzhen is developing too fast. We expanded our capacity a few years ago and put the second phase of the project into operation, but it still can't meet the demand. There's too much garbage."
Wang Xiao pressed on, asking, "Can this smell problem be solved?"
Section Chief Chen hesitated for a moment, then shook his head: "Actually, it's not difficult. The main problem lies in the garbage unloading hall. There are two options: renovate the outer gate's air curtain and install a spray deodorization system inside the hall. While it won't completely eliminate the smell, it will be much, much better."
Wang Xiao pressed on relentlessly: "Then why didn't you install it? I don't think it's necessary to completely tear it down and start over."
"We don't have the money." Section Chief Chen smiled bitterly, pointing to the banners and slogans on the walls of the factory. "Safety first, environmental benefits second, economic benefits third. We're lucky if we can manage the first and second well, as for the third, we can only put it aside."
Fortunately, their factory is a public institution and can rely on funding from higher authorities to make ends meet. Otherwise, if they had to be on their own, Section Chief Chen shook his head with a smile, "At least other people can drink fresh northwest wind, while we can only drink stinky air."
That's what they say, but the municipal sanitation and waste treatment plant is still operating quite well.
Household waste is transported to the factory by special vehicles, weighed and measured first, and then poured into the waste storage pit for fermentation.
Once fermentation is complete, the garbage grab crane sends it into the furnace for incineration.
The fermentation process also produces a lot of gases, many of which are harmful, but they are not wasted. Instead, they are used as combustion air, which is preheated in two stages (steam and flue gas) before being sent to the incinerator.
Under high temperature conditions of 850℃, they will decompose into odorless and harmless gases.
Wang Xiao followed them from beginning to end, and even asked them how to treat the leachate from the garbage in the pool.
The answer is: After being treated by evaporation and concentration to meet the standards, it is discharged.
This project won the second prize of the National Science and Technology Progress Award; the work was done in such detail in every aspect.
Wang Xiao nodded as he looked at the document, asking one question after another: "Is all the heat generated by incineration used to generate electricity?"
Section Chief Chen shook his head: "No, our 500KW steam turbine generator set is used to generate electricity. The other steam is either used within the plant or supplied to heat users near the plant. It is a combined heat and power system."
Wang Xiao nodded: "Have you considered using all of it for power generation and then connecting it to the grid?"
Section Chief Chen laughed: "This is not something we can decide! We will follow orders in all our actions."
Now everyone truly understands the difference between public institutions and enterprises.
Even state-owned enterprises, in the current market environment, have to find ways to make a living; if they don't make money, they really will close down.
But the former is different; public institutions have the financial backing they receive from the government.
However, it is precisely because of this that they can wholeheartedly cooperate with the country in carrying out scientific research projects.
Otherwise, how could people possibly have the patience to cooperate with you in doing something that doesn't make money?
Wang Xiao laughed and said, "Then you don't have to worry about funds. The urban management officers are very rich."
If we're talking about the most prominent unit around the turn of the millennium, including in the internet age, then the urban management officers are undoubtedly the one.
Section Chief Chen smiled wryly: "Even if we have money, it's not for us to spend. Our applications are submitted but then disappear without a trace. We don't get to spend any money. Come here, over here. The ash left over from garbage incineration is usually recycled by magnetic separation equipment to recover scrap iron. The fine ash that has been screened can be used to improve the soil, make bricks, and pave roads. The coarse ash is treated with a covering process for harmless disposal."
Wang Xiao pressed on, asking, "Do you only recycle scrap iron? What about other metals? Aren't you recycling those either?"
Section Chief Hong chimed in, "I heard that metal recycling is very lucrative. There are people in Guiyu, Shantou who specialize in recycling. In just two years, they've built one building after another, some even five or six stories high, and they've even bought a car."
Section Chief Chen quickly waved his hand: "You're talking about electronic waste recycling, foreign waste. That can make money, but electronic component recycling can be very lucrative, though it's really a matter of risking your life for money. Our factory already smells bad, but it's even worse over there. Just take a walk around their town, and the smell on your clothes will never come off no matter how you wash them."
He shook his head as he spoke, "The water over there is even more undrinkable. When I went there to do research, I saw that the well water they drew turned black immediately when oolong tea was poured into it. I was so scared that I only dared to drink mineral water there, and I didn't dare to drink a drop of the local water."
Xiao Gao and the others clicked their tongues in disbelief: "Then they still dare to do it?"
Honestly, even if the local vegetables, rice, and oil are inedible, it doesn't matter. We can just bring them over from outside every day; we're not short of money anyway.
But if you can't even drink water, then this place is truly uninhabitable.
Section Chief Chen sighed: "I also asked the locals, and they told me that there are no easy ways to make money that are not hard, tiring, or harmful to their health, and they don't get a chance to do it."
That's the truth, and they also have to feel that their location is good.
There are countless people willing to trade their bodies, lives, and health for money, but many who sacrifice the first three things still don't earn any money.
The topic was too heavy, so Wang Xiao skipped it: "Section Chief Chen, I have a question. When you burn garbage, do you spray oil?"
Section Chief Chen nodded and said, "That's true. Garbage has a low calorific value, there's nothing we can do about it."
"Then can you find a way to solve this problem?" Wang Xiao said seriously. "Just spraying oil isn't a solution. Not only is the cost too high, but are you burning garbage or oil? What I mean is, not sorting garbage is not really realistic in our country. Our population mobility is too high, and many local governments can't manage it in such detail."
Section Chief Chen laughed, hesitated for a moment before speaking: "Then we can only increase the calorific value of the waste. Our 85 project did some research and found that when the calorific value of raw waste is greater than 3360 KJ/Kg, the waste can stably and spontaneously combust in the incinerator. Except when starting up and stopping the furnace, there is no need to spray oil at other times."
Wang Xiao pressed on, asking, "Have you researched how to increase the calorific value of waste to achieve complete combustion?"
Section Chief Chen smiled and spread his hands: "If we really had that level of skill, we probably wouldn't have won the second prize at the national level, but the first prize."
Everyone laughed.
Wang Xiao nodded: "It's a long and arduous task. You guys have experience, so you should be at the forefront."
Section Chief Chen waved his hands repeatedly: "Forget it, forget it, we can't accept such high praise. We should just follow orders."
Well, that's the style of public institutions.
The Eighth Five-Year Plan project has concluded, yielding results and numerous honors, thus fulfilling their mission.
As for the next steps? We'll wait for instructions from higher authorities.
Wang Xiao decided to take the initiative: "Section Chief Chen, I'm not very familiar with your factory's rules. What I mean is, I see that all the employees in your factory are working so hard, and the smell is unpleasant. Since you say you have a solution, I'd like to contribute 1 million yuan as a sponsorship to improve the working environment for the factory's employees."
Oh my god!
Section Chief Chen was stunned and subconsciously looked at Section Chief Hong.
Actually, it was quite presumptuous of the people from Jiangdong Province to come and visit for learning.
According to the normal procedure, you first need to send a letter to our factory, and then we reply with our agreement and agree on a time before the formal visit and learning can begin.
How can this be? Getting entertained with just one phone call.
However, when Section Chief Hong contacted him, he hinted that the person he would later visit was the God of Wealth, who was very generous. The God of Wealth's favorite thing to do in managing a company is to give employees raises every year.
This time, when people come to visit and learn, I imagine they'll bring plenty of supplies to help them beat the heat, like bottled water and other cooling drinks.
To my surprise, they not only brought these drinks, but also paid me directly.
Section Chief Chen was so excited he didn't know what to say. One million! One million is no small sum.
He quickly replied, "I'll make a call and see. Our factory manager should be back soon from the meeting."
Wang Xiao smiled without saying a word. The factory's top leader would always show up when the time was right.
They wouldn't just show up there so easily.
As expected, the factory director was quick and efficient. Less than ten minutes after making the call, Wang Xiao met the leader in the director's office.
The leader was very enthusiastic, praising her to the skies and extolling her Lei Feng spirit and her sense of social responsibility as an entrepreneur.
Wang Xiao listened with a smile to all the flattery before getting to the point: "Factory Manager, actually I came here with a purpose. I heard that your factory's project has achieved 85% localization of equipment for the waste incineration process."
The factory manager nodded, not daring to boast: "We're still just wandering around on the periphery. The incinerator grate and combustion control system haven't been localized yet, but those two are actually the core components."
Wang Xiao made a direct request: "Could I meet with the technical lead for this project? There are some questions I'd like to ask."
The God of Wealth is a popular figure, whether he is in heaven or on earth.
The factory manager immediately made a decision: "Is Engineer Ma here today? I'll give him a call and ask. He's one of our key technical personnel; he's been involved in the entire project process, so he's the most suitable person to ask."
The factory manager was indeed a straightforward person, or rather, he was truly honest when faced with a huge sum of money.
After the horseman he mentioned was called over, the latter didn't say much and went straight to sharing his insights.
To achieve the complete and harmless incineration of waste, there are two core tasks to be done.
One aspect is optimizing waste pretreatment, strengthening sorting and crushing, reducing moisture content, and increasing the calorific value of waste entering the furnace.
Another aspect is improving the design of the grate and furnace.
"We need to design the furnace volume heat load and grate area heat load reasonably based on the characteristics of our waste. The radiation and convection heat transfer of the front and rear arches of the furnace also need to be redesigned. The inclination angles of the front and rear arches should also be readjusted."
Wang Xiao turned to the factory director: "Director, could you lend Ma to us first? I'm thinking of making our domestically produced grate furnace and combustion control system."
What should she do? She didn't know.
What's the point of SF Express if it's not as convenient and fast? Instead of training their own talent, they should just bring in the talent and use them themselves first.
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The latter half of the previous chapter has been revised, so those who haven't reread it might find the transition disjointed. Sorry! [winking emoji]
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