Chen smiled.
"Good. Our interest rate is 4%. You borrow 5 million, and when you pay it back, you'll owe 7 million."
"So, you need to sign a promissory note for 7 million first."
"Also, you need to provide something of equivalent value as collateral. A house, a factory, a car—anything works."
Zhang pretended to hesitate for a moment, then took out the property deed from his pocket.
"This house is worth over 5 million. It should be enough collateral for your headquarters, right? I also have a 300k Mercedes. If I can't pay back, you can take it."
This was the first time Chen had encountered such a straightforward client, so he quickly took the property deed to have a look.
After confirming the house details, he felt even more satisfied.
Based on the current market value, the house could easily sell for around 5.5 million. Plus, with the car, this deal would definitely be profitable for him.
However, Chen still acted a bit dissatisfied and shook his head.
"Mr. Zhang, this house is only worth about 4 to 5 million at most. But if I give you 5 million, I'll be losing money here."
Zhang's face turned pale, and he quickly said,
"Boss Chen, you've got to help me out! I really need the money right now."
"As long as you can transfer the money to my account today, I only need 4.5 million!"
Chen and Hu exchanged glances, both of them grinning.
This was exactly the kind of business they thrived on—taking advantage of people who were desperate for money.
"This deal isn't really worth it," Chen said, pretending to hesitate, but in the end, after some bargaining, they agreed on 4 million.
However, Zhang insisted that the money had to be transferred to his account today.
Though the lending company was notorious, they worked fast. Within no time, Zhang's account had the 4 million in cash.
Zhang couldn't help but laugh inwardly.
For Chen, this was basically like "a dog biting a piece of meat, it's gone for good."
As he left, he glanced back at the building, a faint smirk forming on his lips,
"They're such good people, just handing me money to spend."
From that moment on, Zhang and Chen, along with Hu, would never cross paths again.
In fact, it was highly likely that they would all meet their end in the upcoming "end-of-the-world cold front" in a month's time.
Now, Zhang had nearly 9 million in cash. That was more than enough for him to carry out his plan.
With this, he could pay for anything using advance payments, and that 9 million had the purchasing power of tens of millions!
He decided he didn't need any more money.
But if he did, he wouldn't mind squeezing a little more out of some online lending platforms.
Zhang drove over to Tianhai City's famous Dragon Security Company.
Dragon was one of China's largest security firms, specializing in providing high-end security services for the rich and famous.
Sometimes, even high-ranking government officials would hire them for protection.
Zhang had sought out Dragon because he had heard that they once built a top-tier, 10-billion-dollar doomsday-proof safe house for a rich heir in Jiangnan Province.
That family, who made their fortune in real estate, had been living quite comfortably during the apocalypse, largely thanks to the safe house built by Dragon.
Upon arriving at Dragon Security, Zhang explained his purpose at the front desk.
Soon, a representative from the business department escorted him into a lounge, and the female receptionist brought him a cup of freshly brewed coffee.
Before long, a burly man with a crew cut walked in, dressed in a black suit.
He looked like a "suit thug," someone who could break out of his clothes any moment, but there was something reassuring about his presence.
Clients always felt safer when they saw someone like him.
"Hello, sir, I'm Wu, the business department manager. How can we assist you?"
Wu sat next to Zhang and asked.
Zhang took a sip of coffee and said,
"I need you to build me a doomsday-level safe house."
Wu's expression immediately became serious.
Most people would have laughed at such a request, but not Dragon Security.
After all, the wealthiest and most powerful people were often the most afraid of death.
Years ago, some billionaires had spent billions to build their own doomsday shelters, and over time, more and more wealthy people followed suit.
"Mr. Zhang, Dragon is a world-class security company. We can certainly meet your requirements."
Wu said with confidence.
Zhang continued,
"If I ask you to fully remodel a house on the 24th floor, can you do that?"
Wu looked a little surprised.
Typically, doomsday shelters were built in standalone villas or underground bunkers.
It was rare for someone to want one in an apartment building.
But since the client had made the request, they were more than capable of fulfilling it.
"No problem!"
Wu grinned. "At Dragon, we have the technology to handle whatever you need."
Zhang already had a plan in mind.
If that's the case, he decided to turn his own apartment into a safe house.
He was staying behind for a reason—to watch firsthand as those who had wronged him met their end in the apocalypse.
Wu handed Zhang a tablet.
"Our services are fully customizable. You can select whatever you need and see the prices listed."
Zhang took the tablet and began scrolling through the available services.
It was clear that Dragon Security was a professional company—almost any request could be fulfilled.
They even offered options like building shelters 100 meters underground or even underwater.
However, Zhang wasn't interested in these traditional options.
Given the tight timeline, he knew he had only one month to get everything done, and he couldn't afford to waste time.