Chapter 292: The Ignorant Masses

At this moment, the British Empire, whose pride and joy lies in its pharmaceutical industry, stands at a bloody crossroads of transition between old and new powers. An unprecedented reshuffling has begun.
Undeniably, the pharmaceutical industry, in any country, is a pillar industry with formidable, deeply rooted foundations.
However, times have changed.
Those blockbuster, exclusive patented drugs, dubbed "money-printing machines," are seeing their patent protection periods dwindle like candles about to burn out.
Suddenly, generic drugs spring up like mushrooms after rain—no, more like hyenas smelling blood, emerging from every corner of the world, ready to tear apart the flesh of the former kings.
In the Fanghuan Investment conference room, researchers are reporting the latest intelligence on British pharmaceutical companies to Su Hao.
"However, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and AstraZeneca remain the two pillars of the British pharmaceutical industry.
The money they poured into this industrial transformation could practically fill the Thames!
Even if the smaller companies below them desperately try to climb up, they simply can't budge these two mountains."
The two giants of the British pharmaceutical industry are GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and AstraZeneca.
These two companies are no pushovers; they are behemoths formed by swallowing countless smaller companies, their roots deeply embedded in the soil of the entire European continent.
No matter how the situation changes, they always firmly hold their positions among the top four pharmaceutical companies in Europe, their influence reaching far and wide.
"However… this financial crisis has dealt a heavy blow even to a company as strong as AstraZeneca."
Unlike its strong shareholder structure, AstraZeneca's shareholding structure is practically a jumbled mess.
Its shares are dispersed among countless investors worldwide, managed by a group of professional managers.
Most shockingly, its largest shareholder holds less than 8% of the shares!
And this largest shareholder is BlackRock, the world's largest asset management company.
"Didn't the British financial system collapse a while ago?
That scene was like the end of the world!
Funds and institutions were like ghosts, frantically selling off their stocks, running faster than rabbits.
By the time retail investors realized what was happening, they could only cry and scream as they cut their losses and left the market—a stampede-like stock market crash occurred!"
AstraZeneca's stock price naturally plummeted, falling drastically.
Su Hao's gaze fell on the report about AstraZeneca, scrutinizing it word by word.
When his eyes swept over the "pharmaceutical" sector, his almost supernatural intuition began to react.
The name AstraZeneca shone with an incomparably dazzling golden light in his eyes, like a beacon in the darkness, guiding him towards the future.
Driven by an almost instinctive curiosity, Su Hao reached out and gently touched the company name on the report—a name that seemed to be beckon him.
“!?”
In an instant, an incredibly intense and incredibly real image, like a flood bursting its banks, crashed into his mind!
What an image it was!
The entire blue planet was covered by a strange, scarlet virus, spreading wildly!
“…”
Su Hao jerked his hand back, his face slightly pale.
'What...what was that thing just now?'
'Chairman Su, are you alright?' a subordinate's concerned voice came from beside him.
'Ah, I'm fine, I'm fine.' Su Hao took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the turmoil in his heart.
His intuition was never unfounded.
There was only one explanation behind such a terrifying illusion:
A world-shattering event was about to occur!
He composed himself and turned his gaze back to the report:
'If we want to acquire AstraZeneca, is it very difficult?'
'Yes, Chairman Su. AstraZeneca's market value is too enormous, and no single force holds absolute control, making it very difficult to make a move.
However...if there's a way to inflict a devastating blow on it, it's not entirely impossible.'
Su Hao's eyelids twitched; he seemed to have guessed the answer.
"A hard Brexit?"
"Exactly! The British Prime Minister just stepped down, and the political scene is in chaos.
Although there's an interim Prime Minister in place, it will take at least several months to elect a new permanent one.
And those in the EU are eager to sever ties with Britain as soon as possible, so they're determined to push for a 'hard Brexit' quickly, ready to kick them while they're down.
And the interim Prime Minister, at this critical juncture, is even making harsh statements to EU countries."
The scene was somewhat comical.
It's like having your own backyard on fire, the flames almost reaching your eyebrows, and instead of trying to put it out, you're threatening your neighbors with a water gun.
This thought process is truly bizarre.
Su Hao's mind raced, and his finger extended again, this time lightly touching the Union Jack printed on the report.
"...!"
Here we go again!
Another illusion once more filled his vision!
But this time, it wasn't that suffocating blood-red planet.
Instead, it was a frenzied, almost sinister celebration:
Countless British citizens took to the streets, showing no fear or confusion, but rather, as if injected with adrenaline, waving their national flags and cheering wildly for the arrival of a "hard Brexit"!
The scene was like winning the World Cup.
"These incompetent, foolish masses, they've really set themselves on fire..."
Su Hao sighed softly.
He knew that a super storm, capable of shaking the global financial order, had already taken shape!
***
Sure enough, not long after, the EU officially passed the "hard Brexit"!
In an instant, the entire global financial market felt as if a nuclear bomb had been dropped.
"Doesn't this declaration mean that Europe is severing all ties with Britain?"
Was this merely an emotional, retaliatory decision?
Or was it a meticulous calculation that led them to believe that remaining tied to the leaky ship of Britain would inevitably result in the devastating waves of the financial crisis engulfing all of Europe, making a drastic cut to save themselves?
Whatever the reason, there's only one outcome.
Britain is utterly finished.
The market's reaction was more direct and brutal than any words could express.
The British stock market experienced another precipitous crash, faster and more violent than the last!
And this shockwave is spreading rapidly to every corner of the world at a visible speed.
Amidst the panic, even absurd rumors like "war may break out between Britain and Europe" are flying everywhere.
War, of course, is impossible.
But the panic is very real.
It's transforming into a series of butcher's knives, reaping profits ruthlessly in the financial markets!