If they tried to feed fifty thousand people using only Shiyuan's current output, that would be completely impossible. One only had to look at the current state of the facility to see the limitations. With the limited patches of vertical farmland and the severe lack of enough feed for the existing livestock, the numbers simply didn't add up. Even if every worker followed perfectly divided roles and squeezed every last bit of productivity out of the soil, the whole of Shiyuan could barely sustain twenty thousand people at most.
That estimate didn't even account for the heavy dividends they had to pay out to the people in this room, nor the twenty percent of the produce that had to be stored away in the emergency bunkers. Those requirements cut the available food supply down even more.
Jing Shu's promise to take responsibility for everything wasn't exactly wrong in a logistical sense, but the "food included" part of her proposal was a serious problem. Feeding fifty thousand people? Even if they combined both phases of Shiyuan, it wouldn't be enough. They would have to pay out of their own pockets and deplete their private reserves just to make it work.
Managing the food, water, and basic needs for that many people was a daunting prospect. The administrative burden was already a nightmare with ten thousand residents, and she was talking about fifty thousand now. The shareholders looked at her as if she were telling a bad joke.
"Bugs? What bugs? You mean those bugs can feed fifty thousand people?" The shareholders all turned their collective gaze toward Jing Shu. Even though Qian Duoduo looked as if he were in on a secret, the rest of the group couldn't understand what she meant.
She smiled and said lightly, "More or less. It's not just that single batch of bug meat; we can expand the business and figure out ways to produce more food. Turning the bugs into worm patties would also save a massive amount of resources. Either way, there's no reason for the government to reject the proposal if we can actually feed fifty thousand people."
Compared to the government's original plan of resettling twenty thousand people, if the second phase of Shiyuan could take in fifty thousand and also handle their daily meals, that would solve one of the authorities' biggest headaches.
"How much bug meat would it take to feed fifty thousand people a day?"
Lao Xu tapped his fingers on the polished wood of the bar and looked up at her, his eyes narrowing. "If the government agrees, and the second phase's output belongs to us, how do you plan to make a profit? How can you still guarantee dividends for the shareholders while feeding fifty thousand people at the same time? You are not planning to run this at a loss, are you? And if your food supply chain breaks down, what happens then?"
He hit the heart of the issue with clinical precision. From everyone's perspective, there was simply no profit to be found in this deal. No matter how the math was calculated, it looked like a catastrophic loss. If the food supply ever got cut off, what would they feed fifty thousand starving people?
There was no extra food to be found anywhere else now. If things went south, Shiyuan wouldn't be finished.
Jing Shu chuckled softly. The chances of her supply chain breaking were close to zero, and she had multiple backup plans to ensure that remained the case.
"As for profit," she said calmly, her voice steady in the quiet bar, "I will only say this much. Breeding those new species of bugs costs resources too. They also need large amounts of fresh fruits, vegetables, and grains to stay alive and grow. So I think trading a few luxury goods for double the amount of bug meat, which can feed more people, is worth the cost. It's mutually beneficial. Besides, I'm also one of Shiyuan's shareholders, and I'm happy to protect our collective interests."
Some shareholders frowned, but the quicker minds in the room were already catching on to her logic. They could trade Shiyuan's high-value fresh produce for a much larger volume of bug meat, which in turn could feed a massive number of laborers.
"As for your worry, Mr. Xu," Jing Shu smiled faintly, "do you really think I would have no solution if the supply chain ever broke down?"
Most of the shareholders didn't know that she owned the Red Nematode Factory and was producing worm patties in a secret partnership with Qian Duoduo. Even if the main food supply was cut off, she still had tons of stockpiled worm patties ready to go in her warehouses. That was her ultimate insurance policy.
Qian Duoduo nodded seriously, the clicking of his walnuts finally stopping. "You don't need to worry about that. Even if her food supply chain gets interrupted, she has the means to fill the gap. What I want to know is, do you really have enough bug meat to feed fifty thousand people? When will the first batch be ready for production? If you are serious about this, then the rest will fall into place. Shiyuan won't let you take a loss."
Jing Shu coughed lightly. "Almost ready. I will add a few other ingredients to stretch the meat further. The first batch is already in Wu City. You can start production anytime you want."
"Good! Good! Good!" Qian Duoduo said excitedly, repeating the word three times as he slammed his hand onto the table. "Here's what I think. The daily production from the second phase, after we give out the required shareholder dividends, everything else goes to you. Sound fair, Jing Shu? If it isn't enough, we can even reduce our dividend share to make it work."
He knew from her tone earlier that there was definitely profit to be made here, but he was still willing to make concessions to secure the deal. Even if bug meat wasn't as valuable as fresh rice or crisp vegetables, it was still food. It was still life-sustaining. In this starving world, that was a priceless commodity.
Even Lao Xu spoke up. "I'm fine with reducing my dividends. As long as we keep getting something tangible, it's better than those worthless virtual coins."
"Yeah, I agree," several others chimed in.
Jing Shu smiled at the group. "There's no need to cut dividends. Let's keep the distribution the same as before. But I will be taking the rest of the produce to exchange for the bug meat."
She had originally planned to just act as a middleman in this transaction, but things had worked out better than she expected. The government had thrown Shiyuan a problem, and now Qian Duoduo and the others had no choice but to compromise. This handed her a perfect opportunity to secure a steady stream of high-quality produce.
With her eyes half-closed, she was already thinking about how to best use the surplus of fresh food she would receive.
"I didn't expect Jun Bao to keep the details from Jin Tianci," she thought with a flicker of amusement. "Otherwise, he would've known how much these bugs could really produce. I wonder if Jin Tianci will regret it later." She knew the government didn't have many supplies left, and their own eco-zones couldn't produce nearly enough fresh food to meet the demand.
"Alright then, it's settled," Qian Duoduo said cheerfully. "Let's raise a glass to Jing Shu's generosity and cleverness for helping us solve this massive headache." He finally lifted his glass for the first time, letting out a satisfied breath. "Now, let's go see that first batch of bug meat and have a proper talk with Jin Tianci. I bet he'll be thrilled."
Qian Duoduo immediately sent his people to receive the first batch of two hundred giant gastropods. When those massive creatures were transported to the second phase of Shiyuan and filled the entire first-floor hall, hissing menacingly and leaving trails of thick slime on the stone, most of the staff nearly pissed themselves.
The chefs in the cafeteria, who had been told to prepare a new and exotic dish, were trembling so hard they couldn't barely hold their knives. The heavy, musky scent of the creatures filled the wide hall, and the sound of their vibrating shells echoed off the walls.
They were cooks, not executioners!
The bugs were enormous, easily the size of young elephants, with sharp, gleaming legs that reflected the overhead lights like polished blades. Just looking at the slow, powerful movements of their bodies made the workers' hearts pound. No one doubted that if anyone tried to kill them, the bugs would fight back—and they might even win.
"They are alive? How the hell are we supposed to turn these into cooked food?"
"Weren't we told to cook? Nobody said anything about slaughtering monsters."