PCJ – Chapter 698 Surprise

An eco-industrial park was being developed with two major factories: one pharmaceutical plant and another specialized steel factory. Both are considered highly polluting industries, and placing them together would seem strange anywhere else. However, at this point, even if someone like Gao Zhanlin tried to stir up opposition again, the residents near Bishui Lake wouldn’t believe him anymore. Because with the establishment of the Meishan Pharmaceutical Plant, the number of outsiders around Bishui Lake visibly increased. Many cancer patients from all over the country couldn’t wait for Meishan’s products to be launched and rushed to Bijiang City, hoping to be among the first to receive treatment.

Bijiang City responded quickly and immediately began construction of a tumor hospital in the Bishui District, aiming to have it ready by the time the first batch of Meishan’s drugs hit the market. They also signed an agreement with Meishan Pharmaceutical: the first batch of anti-cancer drugs would be prioritized for the Bishui Tumor Hospital.

Even though the hospital was still under construction, a large number of patients were already lining up to be admitted. In fact, one hospital wasn’t nearly enough. All major hospitals in Bijiang were rushing to expand in preparation for the coming wave of patients.

Compared to the pharmaceutical plant, the Meishan Special Steel Plant drew less attention. There are plenty of special steel plants across the country, but very few can produce high-standard special steel—most of it is imported.

The special steel from Meishan won’t be available to the public in the short term, as it will be used internally to meet the Group’s needs for specialized equipment—such as the special excavators introduced earlier.

When Zhang Jiaohua first proposed the eco-industrial park, very few officials in the city believed he could succeed. Wang Zongxian was one of the few who did. But even he never expected Zhang to take it so far.

When residents initially protested the Meishan Pharmaceutical Plant, Wang was concerned. But once the project became irreversible, and patients started pouring in from all over the country, filling every hotel in Bishui District, he knew the park wouldn’t just succeed—it would become a tremendous success.

Wang wasn’t particularly concerned with the “eco” part of the industrial park. Truth be told, officials these days care only about development and GDP—who bothers with a bit of pollution? And in the eyes of Bijiang’s officials, the local environment was strong enough to withstand a bit of pollution. As long as it boosted the economy, it was worth the cost.

One pharmaceutical plant was already enough to boost the city’s service and medical industries. What kind of businesses would come next? Wang was full of anticipation.

“Mayor Zhang, what kind of enterprise is this special steel plant? What impact will it have on our city?” Wang asked.

“This plant holds world-leading technology in special steel manufacturing. Initially, its products won’t be sold publicly but used internally. Meishan Group plans to build a large special-equipment manufacturing facility in the park—for excavators, tunnel boring machines, and other large machinery. Bijiang will soon hit a peak in road construction. I think we should be more forward-thinking in our planning. In some places, building mountain roads is no longer feasible—better to dig tunnels. These heavy-duty machines will dramatically reduce our road construction costs,” said Zhang.

“Dramatically reduce?” Wang asked, puzzled.

“Our city is mountainous. The two biggest issues in road construction are breaking through rocky terrain and digging through tall mountains. But with this equipment, it becomes much easier. The cost largely depends on the machinery. Soon, Meishan’s machines will be deployed at construction sites. You’ll see for yourself,” Zhang replied.

“I look forward to it!” Wang still didn’t fully understand, but Zhang’s explanations gave him a clearer idea. Still, without witnessing it firsthand, it was hard to grasp the true power of such machinery.

Part of the industrial park’s land included a rocky wasteland full of jagged stones. Without clearing this, the park couldn’t be unified. But leveling it would be extremely difficult—ordinary equipment would take forever to chip away. That’s why Zhang initially chose Biyun District, which was much flatter.

A few days later, Kong Fangzhou dispatched several newly-built heavy machines. At first glance, they looked similar to standard medium-sized equipment. Wang came to see them on the first day—they were still being assembled, and nothing stood out.

“Mayor Zhang, where are the pharmaceutical and steel plants being built? What about those rocky hills?” Wang asked.

“Just flatten them. Not a problem,” Zhang replied casually.

“Flatten? Mayor Zhang, do you know what kind of terrain that is? Beneath a thin soil layer, it’s all stone,” Wang warned, thinking Zhang was unaware.

“Relax, Secretary Wang. You’ll understand soon enough,” Zhang said with a smile.

Once the machines were unloaded, they roared toward the rocky hills. They raised their massive shovels and smashed into the hills—surprisingly, they easily dug in and lifted huge chunks of stone, as if the rocks were soft like tofu.

The rocky wasteland crumbled like loose soil in front of this machinery.

Some of the extracted stones were sent to be crushed for cement, while larger pieces were carved into sculptures by Meishan’s cultivators to be used as park decorations—or even sold for profit. Far from being an obstacle, the rocky land turned into a treasure trove.

“Mayor Zhang, can these excavators also be used for road construction?” Wang finally understood how this machinery would reduce costs. With this equipment, road construction would no longer be an issue.

“But aren’t tunnels a different challenge? These excavators probably won’t help much there,” Wang asked.

“They’ll help, just not as the main force. In tunnels, the heavy-duty boring machines will take over,” Zhang replied.

Land preparation for the park—originally expected to take months or years—was completed in less than a month. Soon, they entered the planning and construction phases.

In under six months, the park had become a spectacular, fully green industrial zone. Every company bore the “Meishan” name, as they were all subsidiaries of Meishan Group. Without Meishan, no one would’ve invested in a place like Bijiang. Meishan had essentially taken over the whole park.

Meishan Pharmaceutical officially began production, and the first batch of nearly 10,000 doses of anti-cancer drugs was snapped up by Bijiang hospitals. Meishan’s own hospital took the majority, followed by the city’s tumor hospital. Other hospitals received minimal shares.

Each dose was worth its weight in gold—essentially a life-saver. Though priced at ¥50,000, they were sold on the black market for ¥1 million. Still, even that price was cheap compared to foreign treatments like monoclonal antibodies, which cost hundreds of thousands of yuan per session without curing the disease. Meishan’s drug, even at black market prices, was a bargain.

The company strictly banned resales. Any hospital caught reselling would lose its qualification. Final retail prices were capped at a 50% markup. Despite the tight control, the high profits drove some to take the risk.

The limited distribution angered many cancer patients nationwide, who argued Meishan should distribute nationally, not just within Bijiang, and that every patient should have equal rights.

Some even resorted to violence to secure treatment slots, making the situation in Bijiang tense.

Meishan quickly announced a second batch of drugs—this time 100,000 doses—with production ramping up to meet national demand by year-end. Priority would go to critically ill patients.

This appeased the domestic public. Less serious patients were willing to wait their turn.

But foreign patients were not happy. They accused China of selfishness, claiming that science and medicine should be without borders. Meishan should release its formula to the world.

Chinese netizens pushed back: science has always had borders. Western countries had long blocked China’s access to tech and medicine. Why should China now share its breakthroughs for free?

Meishan responded that global distribution wasn’t feasible yet due to limited capacity and high R&D/production costs. Domestic prices were subsidized for various reasons. Exports would cost more. Also, the drug hadn’t yet been approved in Europe or the U.S. As for releasing the formula, Meishan’s spokesperson just laughed: “If everyone shared their tech, what’s the point of patent law?”

Meanwhile, U.S. company Pfizer announced it would begin developing its own cancer cure. Their research was progressing rapidly, and they expected to launch a drug soon.

Following this, Pfizer’s stock surged nearly 50% in days.

But Zhang Jiaohua and Mei Qing weren’t worried.

“Worried? They can’t even crack our tech. Even if they did, so what? We’re not relying on overseas markets. And if they try to copy us, it won’t be easy,” Zhang said, smiling.

“Unless they also have spiritual springs, they can’t recreate our results,” Ji Jiaxin added.

Mei Qing laughed. “Even if they had springs, our spiritual herbs are unique. Not every sect in China even has what we do.”