Landlord in the Arctic

Chapter 333 - 264: Agreement

’What kind of trick is this?’

’What are they really up to, forcing me to look at this road engineering plan?’

’Is there some hidden treasure buried in these plans?’

Feng Mountain grumbled to himself. Though reluctant, he still flipped to the last page of the document.

It was a road survey map, densely packed with various data points and symbols. The highway route was clearly outlined with a prominent line.

Following those lines, one could almost picture what the finished highway would look like.

At first, Feng Mountain only glanced at it casually, not paying it much mind. He was fundamentally opposed to this plan. No matter how it was designed, anything that could potentially pollute the Crown Territory was a bad thing.

But as he kept looking, Feng Mountain’s gaze suddenly sharpened. A grave expression appeared on his face as he discovered a very serious problem.

The highway’s endpoint was supposed to be in Umiat.

After all, the purpose of building the road was to develop the oil field and facilitate subsequent transportation.

But the route on this map was completely unexpected. After reaching Umiat, it curved in an arc and then headed straight for the Crown Territory.

’What is this?’

Feng Mountain snapped his head up, his eyes filled with shock and confusion as he stared directly at Jeff.

Jeff, however, was unhurried. He got up, picked up his chair, and moved it next to Feng Mountain. He began speaking in a low voice as his finger slowly traced the route on the map from its starting point.

Jeff spoke slowly and deliberately. Each word was like a stone dropped into a calm lake, sending ripples through Feng Mountain’s mind.

Jeff continued, a faint look of triumph on his face, as if he were presenting a meticulously planned masterpiece.

"Oil exploration is inherently unpredictable. A new oil field is discovered and reported to the company. But what if, hypothetically, the exploration team used the wrong techniques and provided an incorrect assessment?"

"Then, the petroleum company invests a huge amount of capital to build an oil road. But then the cartographers make another ’mistake’ and mislabel the location, causing the road to deviate into the Crown Territory and damage private land. As compensation, the petroleum company cedes ownership of this oil road to the Crown Territory."

’Brilliant!!’

’Truly brilliant!!’

As Feng Mountain listened, his face first went blank with shock, then lit up with sudden realization.

He gave a thumbs-up in admiration, marveling to himself, ’So this is how they’re playing it.’

It was a perfectly interlocking scheme.

They were exploiting potential "errors" in the exploration and mapping process.

What looked like a series of accidents was, in fact, a carefully orchestrated plan.

And the final result would be the Crown Territory gaining ownership of an oil road for free.

Moreover, it would get unanimous approval from all departments of the Alaska State Government.

The cunning and methods behind this were truly impressive.

Feng Mountain had to admit he was impressed by the Elder Chief’s stratagem.

"So? Wouldn’t you call this a priceless treasure? You don’t have to pay a single cent for any of the construction. All costs will be covered by the North Slope Petroleum Company and the Athena Company. The entire 300-kilometer road will be completed in five months. And in the end, the North Slope Petroleum Company will also give you that plot of land in Umiat."

Jeff looked at Feng Mountain with utmost sincerity, his eyes pleading.

"Chief Welta gave up a lot of benefits in exchange to make this project happen. Its potential value is no less than that of those stocks and ranches. I hope you won’t refuse, because this is the last offer the Wild Bull Tribe can make."

’Refuse?’

’How could I possibly refuse?’

Feng Mountain quickly calculated in his head.

All he had to do was nod, and he would get a highway. For the Crown Territory, this was incredibly significant.

Previously, because the Crown Territory was so remote, transportation was limited. Getting in and out wasn’t convenient; the only option was by plane.

Once this road was built, everything from transporting supplies to people coming and going would become much more convenient. It would be like opening a new gateway for the Crown Territory to the outside world.

This was such a rare opportunity. Only a fool would turn it down.

Without hesitation, Feng Mountain threw an arm around Jeff’s shoulders, his face beaming with excitement. "Buddy, when does construction start? I hope I can witness this great moment."

Jeff smiled.

He smiled so broadly that his eyes narrowed into slits.

His smile held both the satisfaction of a successful plan and genuine happiness that it had all come together.

Everything he and the Elder Chief had racked their brains and painstakingly planned had finally come to a perfect conclusion.

He had been worried about potential hitches in the plan, that Feng Mountain might refuse to budge. Now, he could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

A huge weight was finally lifted from his shoulders.

"I’ll call the Chief right now. He’ll handle the rest. I promise you, the road will be completed in five months."

As Jeff spoke, he eagerly pulled out his phone.

"No rush, no rush. Quality must be guaranteed." Feng Mountain was already picturing himself as the owner of the highway, his mind filled with visions of the convenience and prosperity the completed road would bring to the Crown Territory. He raised his glass and said contentedly, "Let’s have a drink to celebrate."

"One moment."

Jeff replied, having already taken out his phone. In front of Feng Mountain, he turned on the speaker, dialed the Elder Chief’s number, and placed the phone on the table. He stared intently at the screen, eagerly waiting for the Elder Chief to answer.

The phone rang only once before the call connected, so quickly it was as if the Elder Chief had been sitting by the phone, just waiting for this call.

Before Jeff could even speak, the Elder Chief’s tense and urgent voice came through from the other end.