Tianzhu.
Delhi.
Inside a magnificent office.
Dharma stared at the intelligence report in his hands, his head throbbing. It detailed the recent cooperation agreement between East Japan, the Homo Sapiens Company, and America (the 600 billion in compensation wasn’t explicitly stated).
The reason for his headache was that this fungus crisis was just as severe for Tianzhu.
Unlike other developed regions and the Homo Sapiens Company, which could use the fungus crisis as an opportunity for industrial upgrades, Tianzhu clearly lacked the means to do so.
Although the Tokyo fungus had yet to be officially discovered in Tianzhu, Dharma knew that given the administrative incompetence of the people below him, it had likely already spread. It just hadn’t been reported.
Heit Singh, the newly appointed head of the intelligence department, had a face full of worry:
"According to the preliminary research findings released by Homo Sapiens, the Tokyo fungus reproduces fastest in tropical regions. If that’s true, our losses will be catastrophic."
"To completely upgrade and overhaul our industries and power grid..." Dharma felt a sense of suffocation. The cost was simply astronomical.
Tianzhu’s current debt to the Homo Sapiens Company had already climbed to 68.3 billion Jin.
If it were a loan from America, Dharma would dare to drag his feet or find an excuse to get America to forgive a portion of it.
But he didn’t dare default on a loan from the Homo Sapiens Company.
He asked wearily, "Hait, what’s the status of the Homo Sapiens Company’s recent activities within our borders?"
"They’re expanding very rapidly within our borders. Right now, over 86% of farms have partnered with them. On top of that, a large number of urban business owners are also collaborating with the Homo Sapiens Company. If this continues..."
Dharma knew perfectly well what would happen if this continued. They were doomed.
He made a phone call, summoning the head of the electricity department.
A short while later, a white man with a Mediterranean appearance entered the office.
"Ville, you should already know about the Tokyo fungus. Tell me, how do we solve this?"
Ville looked completely helpless. "If we’re to replace all the cables and some of the equipment, it will probably cost 500 billion US Dollars."
Hearing that number, Dharma nearly had a heart attack. He quickly calmed his breathing. "Haaa... Is there any other way?"
Ville wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. "If we do it in stages, we could spread the overhaul over ten years. For the electrical infrastructure that hasn’t been upgraded, we can coat it with inhibitor paint or spray it with a potassium permanganate solution."
But that wasn’t the answer Dharma was looking for.
He wanted to know if there was a cheaper solution.
Ville knew what he was really asking, but he truly had no other options.
"Five hundred billion US Dollars..." Dharma mumbled the figure. ’Where am I going to find 500 billion US Dollars?’
Of course, he had another option: use Tianzhu’s entire power industry as bait to attract investment from other powers.
However, Tianzhu’s previous business environment had already earned it a notorious international reputation. Combined with its nearly bankrupt treasury, not even corporations from America dared to invest casually in Tianzhu.
As for the Far East, the powerhouse of the electricity industry, they were currently busy overhauling their own power grid and had no time to take on outside contracts.
Meanwhile, the Homo Sapiens Company was also in the middle of a comprehensive upgrade of its own power grid and likewise stated they had no time for outside contracts.
No money, no related industries, and an incomplete industrial base—Tianzhu was suddenly backed into a corner.
The cables were much thicker than plastic bags and would probably take about two years to fully decompose, but for Tianzhu, two years was still far too short a time.
Electricity is of paramount importance in modern industry.
If they couldn’t upgrade their power grid, not only would Tianzhu be unable to turn this crisis into an opportunity, but the gap between it and other developed regions would widen even further.
Dharma stared at the map of Tianzhu, his face a mask of helplessness, anger, and anguish. ’Must Tianzhu be destined to fall into ruin? I can’t accept this!’
At that moment, undercurrents began to stir in the various states of southern Tianzhu.
Apparently, there are few truly airtight walls in this world.
The Tokyo fungus incident had been a trending topic on the international internet for three straight weeks. No matter how isolated a place was, some news had more or less gotten through.
Moreover, Tianzhu was not isolated at all; internet companies like Google had numerous customer service centers and branch offices there.
Faced with the sudden fungus crisis, the shrewder people in the various states immediately saw that big trouble was coming for Tianzhu.
If the power grid problem wasn’t solved, Tianzhu’s entire cable system would gradually fail within two to three years.
The states estimated the cost of upgrading the electrical infrastructure within their own borders and realized their finances could not possibly bear the expense of a full replacement.
At this point, some of these quick-witted individuals had already begun looking for ways to save themselves.
Take Tamil Nadu, for example. It had been heavily infiltrated by the Homo Sapiens Company, because the Ceylon District employed a large number of Tamil People.
Those Tamil employees on Ceylon Island had been indoctrinated by Homo Sapiens with all sorts of ulterior motives. They came to believe it was their mission to help the Tamil People in Tianzhu achieve a better life as well.
As a result, Tamil Nadu was riddled with holes from the infiltration.
A large number of industries within its borders were also supported by the Homo Sapiens Company’s Ceylon Branch.
Soon, Tamil Nadu launched an initiative called "Operation Power Self-Rescue," selling off local power industries to capable enterprises to manage.
As for which enterprises were "capable," they were, naturally, the ones that had a low-cost solution to the fungus crisis.
The result was self-evident. Tianzhu’s domestic companies were no match for Homo Sapiens subsidiaries like the Nangyang Power Grid, Ceylon Power, and Development Power.
The Homo Sapiens Company diverted a fraction of its resources and, by hiring a large number of local employees, quickly began the project to upgrade and overhaul the power grid in Tamil Nadu.
Unlike Tianzhu’s previous management model, the Nangyang Power Grid was very strategic. It didn’t bother with initiatives like "power to the countryside" and instead adopted a contract-based system.
The Nangyang Power Grid only wanted direct control over the grids in large and medium-sized cities. The remaining small cities, towns, and rural areas were contracted out directly to local magnates.
Each region was divided into several contract zones. The Nangyang Power Grid charged a flat rate for the power within these zones, and how the contractors chose to bill their customers was their own business.
Through this method, the Nangyang Power Grid rapidly established a foothold in Tamil Nadu.
When other states saw what Tamil Nadu was doing, they immediately thought it was a great idea. They didn’t have the money for upgrades, but the Homo Sapiens Company did!
The power industry wasn’t profitable now anyway. If they sold it to Homo Sapiens, they might even get a piece of the pie. As long as they secured the contract rights for a few areas, they could just lie back and rake in the money.
Previously, Tianzhu’s power industry wasn’t profitable because too many people were stealing electricity.
Now, with it being contracted out by zone, those contractors wouldn’t allow their own wallets to take a hit. They would certainly crack down hard on electricity theft.
For a time, regions all across Tianzhu followed suit.
As for the fact that the power industry was being taken over by the Homo Sapiens Company, everyone was tacitly aware, but no one brought it up.
After all, if they didn’t sell now, they had no money for upgrades. Were they supposed to just sit back and watch their power grids fail?
Since the states had a high degree of autonomy, Dharma had no way to stop them. He could only focus his efforts on protecting the power industry in a few core regions.
And so, 82% of Tianzhu’s power industry fell into the hands of the Homo Sapiens Company.
With the rise of a large number of agricultural, industrial, commercial, and power compradors, the tentacles of the Homo Sapiens Company had now fully penetrated every aspect of Tianzhu.
There wasn’t much time left for Dharma.
Furthermore, unbeknownst to Dharma and the others, their trump cards were also, little by little, falling under the control of Homo Sapiens.