Chapter 45 — The Lines Connect Themselves
The plot of land outside Huaihai's provincial capital was a sea of mud and steel. Excavators groaned, cranes swung overhead, and workers in yellow helmets moved with the rhythm of an orchestra.
Chen Hao stood with a rolled-up blueprint in hand, pretending to study the layout.
"Bigger cold storage means bigger bills," he thought, satisfied.
The facility was designed with capacity far exceeding current demand. Officially, it was to "future-proof Horizon's supply chain." In reality, Chen Hao intended it to be an expensive overbuild — a perfect sinkhole for funds.
But as weeks passed, something began to happen.
Zhang Wei, head of logistics, walked into Chen Hao's office with a strange smile.
"Boss, we've been testing the transport routes between Huaihai and our home province hubs… and we found that if we use the same refrigerated trucks for both La Stella Italiana and Patriot Burger shipments, we can cut idle time by almost 40%."
Chen Hao raised an eyebrow. "And?"
"That means lower cost per trip. The trucks we thought would be underutilized are actually going to be… profitable."
Chen Hao hid his sigh.
"Profitable. The one word I don't want to hear."
Still, he didn't stop the plan.
Two more properties in Huaihai were purchased for future restaurants — one near the new commercial district, another beside a soon-to-open sports arena. His managers clapped him on the back for his "foresight."
Even in the original three provinces, Horizon was quietly filling in gaps, buying prime corners in cities where rents were climbing fast. Officially, these were "strategic moves to avoid future leasing costs."
Chen Hao thought of them as future vaults to bury money in.
At night, when he was alone in his apartment, the system's cold, mechanical voice would appear:
[Expansion fund credited: 30 million RMB. Use exclusively for business development.]
It was the one reassurance he had — that his private fortune wouldn't be bled dry.
With each new infusion, his hope returned:
"This time, I'll spend it all faster than it comes in."
By the end of the year's first quarter, the cold storage facility in Huaihai was already halfway done, and the logistics network between the four provinces was… disturbingly smooth.
Even as Chen Hao plotted his next "loss-making" move, he could feel it — the lines between provinces were connecting themselves into something powerful.