Otaku Translation: Blackstone Code Chapter 159

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The three people arranged to meet at a lakeside villa. On the outskirts of Sabin City, there was a large natural lake. Years ago, a real estate developer recognized the scenic beauty and development potential of this area, purchased a sunlit section of the land, and built a high-end all-villa residential compound around the lake.

Initially, the developer didn’t plan to sell all his villas immediately. Given the situation in the past few years, the price of lakeside villas would only appreciate due to the environment and affluent neighbors.

Some villas were sold to notable individuals at relatively reasonable prices as a favor, while the others remained under his control, waiting for the property prices to gradually increase.

He also rented out the vacant villas, promoting them with the slogan “Spend holidays boating on the lake with your family and get close to nature,” turning some villas into short-term rental properties for wealthy middle-class families looking for an outdoor retreat.

This real estate developer had a very keen eye. During those years when the scenery was beautiful, the place was almost always crowded on weekends, and an economic atmosphere naturally developed around the residential compound.

Food trucks would gather here starting every Thursday, providing cheap food or renting out equipment and materials for outdoor barbecues and cooking for those enjoying their weekend.

But now...

The walls still had some remnants of torn paper and adhesive, and occasionally, faded flags could be seen in the treetops.

The place had a desolate, abandoned feel to it. The streets were completely empty, and even the houses that had been sold appeared particularly rundown due to a lack of maintenance.

In the guardhouse at the entrance, there was a security guard who looked to be in his forties or fifties, with already white hair, dozing off. He didn't even hear the sound of the car engine.

Undoubtedly, this place was done for. The residential compound, once touted as an investment that could support three generations, was now dead.

The driver honked the horn a few times, startling the security guard awake. He stood up abruptly, looked around, and only remembered his job when his eyes focused on the car outside the barrier.

The barrier lifted, and the car slowly drove in. The guard, overcome with drowsiness again, fell back into a heavy sleep.

“You arrived earlier than I expected.”

When Lynch knocked on the door of villa number "006," Joegleman immediately came out to greet him. Perhaps because he had tidied up a bit, the villa didn’t seem as lifeless and had a touch of warmth.

This was Joegleman’s villa. As the head of bank loan services, he had maintained good relationships with real estate developers. Today, Lynch was meeting with the developer of this land, which was why they chose this location.

On one hand, it was to show Lynch their strength; on the other, it was to evoke some sympathy. These goals were not contradictory.

Lynch smiled, shook hands with Joegleman, and walked into the room.

The spatial layout of the entire house was quite good, very spacious and bright, with ample natural light. When the sunlight shone through the glass into the room, it gave a magnificent and resplendent feeling.

Of course, there were also shading devices outside. In the summer, which was now, they would be effective, keeping the sunlight out while the inside remained bright.

“What would you like to drink?” Joegleman asked as he walked to the bar.

Lynch glanced around and casually said, “Coffee.”

Since they still had business to discuss, he thought it was inappropriate to drink alcohol. Joegleman quickly made a cup of coffee for him, explaining slightly, “I don't know how to use a grinder, so this is instant coffee. I hope you don't mind.”

Instant coffee, made from pre-prepared coffee powder packets, was not easy to control in terms of quality. Some people found that instant coffee tasted impure and could have a noticeable sourness due to improper roasting.

Lynch nodded indifferently. He wasn’t there to taste coffee. After they sat down for a few moments, Joegleman began to introduce the buyer.

The buyer, who was a real estate developer, had lost quite a bit of money recently. However, he had found a new project. Although this project didn't make money quickly, it had the advantage of being stable, and many people were interested in it.

Currently, many funds within the Federation were like headless flies, seeking reliable projects to safely weather the economic downturn.

Sometimes, simply presenting a plan could quickly attract investment.

This situation led to an increase in scams, including Fox Junior's alumni, who were essentially scammers. They would pitch a lousy script and claim that investing in them would yield doubled profits. It seemed like a foolish scam, but many fell for it.

Time passed quickly in silence. About ten minutes later, a middle-aged man who looked about thirty-eight or forty walked in, laughing heartily.

He had an average build, not fat but with broad shoulders, and a face resembling heroic characters in films, giving him a “righteous” look.

With meticulously groomed hair and a few but exquisite accessories, this was a man who paid great attention to detail.

“Hart, nice to meet you, Mr. Lynch.” Before Joegleman could introduce them, Hart had already introduced himself and firmly shook Lynch’s hand.

“Lynch, nice to meet you too, Mr. Hart.” Lynch smiled warmly and matched his enthusiasm. If Joegleman didn’t know it was their first meeting, he would have thought they were old friends reuniting.

After they released their hands, both men sat down, and Joegleman fetched a glass and some wine for Hart. As the host of the house, it was only natural for him to provide services.

The two men casually chatted about the current situation in Sabin City, inevitably touching on the poor economic conditions.

As they talked, Hart sighed, feeling somewhat melancholic and reflective. “Mr. Lynch, you must have seen the situation outside when you arrived, right?”

From the moment Hart entered and sat down, Lynch had been observing him. What intrigued Lynch was that Hart didn’t seem shocked by his youth nor did he belittle him for it. This was quite interesting.

Lynch nodded and echoed, “Indeed, it looks almost abandoned.”

Hart bitterly recounted his failed investment. It wasn’t his fault; no one could have predicted the current situation. Even large corporations with many think tanks couldn’t avoid falling into the trap.

“I have a new plan now and am very interested in the land you own. To be honest, I might not be able to come up with a lot of cash right away...” As he spoke, Joegleman brought over a glass of wine and handed it to him.

After thanking Joegleman and taking a sip, Hart continued sincerely, “I plan to develop a new residential area on your land. The presidential cabinet passed a new bill this week encouraging developers to build ‘affordable housing’ with policies and subsidies!”

This bill was genuine. Given the current economic pressure on Federal citizens, many families had to sell their houses to sustain their lives.

Once they lost their homes, they would become homeless, wandering from place to place.

Not only would they be unsafe, but society would also become unsafe with a large number of homeless people on the streets.

When people started to hate and resent their current situation, some would easily turn to crime.

Experts and scholars from the presidential cabinet, the Conservative Party, the Progressive Party, and the Socialist Party concluded that this economic downturn would likely last a long time. Before finding a way out, the first step was to ensure every citizen's rights, and building affordable housing for such people was a good solution.

Studies and surveys showed that when a family had even a temporary private space that couldn't be easily infringed upon, their social stability would significantly increase.

Developers building affordable housing would be exempt from all land use fees, completely tax-free, and receive additional tax credits and a series of policy supports, including long-term government subsidies.

More importantly, the various standards for these affordable housing would be appropriately relaxed. For example, the per capita space could be smaller, allowing the area that could only accommodate one apartment to fit one and a half or even two.

The government would cover part of the rent and expenses for each resident. More families in less space meant more subsidies, making it a profitable deal.

At least for now, this business could work. There was no need to worry about that deal being a loss; it was just that the profit would come more slowly. But in the current economic environment, as long as it could be profitable, who cared if it was slow?

Lynch nodded occasionally. It was indeed a good business. With local government cooperation, even homeless people could move into these affordable housing.

Moreover, Mr. Hart wouldn’t need to sell his houses but just rent them out. When the economy recovered, and property prices rose, he could sell these apartments. After living there for at least four or five years, the residents would likely be eager to buy them.

It was a good project, but the downside was that Hart lacked funds, so he planned to negotiate the deal using other methods.

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