Chapter 317.5: Buy them all!

Those days of living like zombies have finally come to an end.
Whether it was General Manager Du Yuanhang or every senior executive present, their faces radiated a long-lost glow.
Just a short while ago, they were like prisoners stripped of their strength, going to work each day like going to a funeral, always ready to be thrown out.
That lifeless atmosphere made even the air seem frozen.
But now, the air is once again filled with a burning passion called "ambition"!
Du Yuanhang surveyed the faces, now brimming with renewed fighting spirit, and asked in a deep voice, "How's the situation now?"
A senior executive abruptly stood up, his voice brimming with barely suppressed excitement:
"Mr. Du! We've investigated. Those companies that took over our shipping businesses are all in dire straits, practically lining up in the ICU waiting to be pulled!
Back then, we sold them the shipping businesses piecemeal at the highest price in the industry!"
"Oh? You mean, they were too caught up in the hype when they took over, and they overextended themselves?"
"Overextended themselves! They practically sold their pants!
Most of these companies, to raise enough money for the acquisition, not only exhausted their bank credit lines, but probably even dabbled in shady private capital!"
The reason these hungry wolves were so frantic, willing to pounce at any cost, was because, in the market environment at the time, Fang Huan's shipping assets were indeed worth that price, arguably among the world's best core assets.
So, it wasn't that those unfortunate souls were blinded by mere greed, but rather based on a commercial value universally acknowledged at the time.
However, no one could have predicted it.
Who could have imagined that in this technologically advanced 21st century, a global economic upheaval would descend upon humanity like an ancient curse, plunging the world into an ice age!
“So, now, every single one of those companies is teetering on the brink of bankruptcy!
Several have even been listed for auction, ready to be sold at rock-bottom prices!”
Du Yuanhang's eyes narrowed: “If we were to buy them back now, what price would we get?”
“You might not believe it,” the executive's voice laced with glee,
“less than 20% of what we sold them for! This isn't just a 50% cut, it's a further 50% cut!
Those phoenixes that were sold at exorbitant prices are now nothing but drenched chickens that nobody wants!”
“It's that exaggerated?” Du Yuanhang was also somewhat moved.
"Absolutely true! The entire shipping industry is buzzing with one thing: shipping is dead.
With the pandemic, borders were closed, factories worldwide shut down, and ships at sea were just burning fuel and wasting air—utterly useless!
But the daily maintenance costs, port fees, and staff salaries—those expenses haven't decreased at all. They're like money-devouring beasts; who the hell can withstand that?"
Hearing this, Du Yuanhang felt a chill run down his spine.
If it hadn't been for the combined pressure from the EU and other countries, forcibly dismantling Fang Huan's shipping empire… what would things have been like?
With his domineering style of "the more the merrier, accept all comers," he would be like an insatiable beast, frantically swallowing up more shipping companies and buying more giant ships, pushing this snowball to its physical limits.
Then… with a "boom," Yi Qing erupted.
The result was obvious.
What happened to those bankrupt companies now? Fang Huan Shipping would suffer the same fate, perhaps even a hundred times worse, ultimately self-destructing amidst overwhelming debt, turning into dust of history.
"So… Chairman Su, this time, he was right again?" an executive murmured, his voice filled with awe and fear.
"More than right, this is practically a miracle!
It's beyond human comprehension. To be honest, I'm a little scared.
President Du, do you think… Chairman Su really foresaw even this step?"
Du Yuanhang couldn't answer this question either.
He didn't know, he really didn't know.
On the surface, it was the EU and various national antitrust agencies that dismantled Fanghuan Shipping; Fanghuan was a passive victim from beginning to end.
“But Mr. Du, think back, when Chairman Su abandoned shipping, wasn’t it a bit too decisive?”
Another executive raised a question that everyone had shared:
“That was his life's work, built from scratch! And he didn’t even struggle; he just let go.
At the time, we all felt something was very wrong!”
These words also jolted Du Yuanhang awake.
Yes, he also felt at the time that Su Hao abandoned it too quickly, irrationally quickly.
It was as if he were dealing with a company completely unrelated to him.
“Do you think… it could be… like that?”
A young executive, his eyes gleaming with fervor, as if he had discovered a new continent, lowered his voice and asked.
"What?"
"Chairman Su... he actually foresaw this day!
So, he deliberately created the illusion that the company was 'forced' to dismantle!
This way, he could not only gain the world's sympathy but also conveniently sell the assets for an unprecedentedly high price!
Then, he quietly waited, waiting for an opportunity like today to arrive, and then use a fraction of the original selling price to buy everything back...
!"
"Alright! Stop spouting nonsense!"
Du Yuanhang stood up, looking around at his group of highly motivated subordinates,
"Everyone, perk up!
Chairman Su said it's time for us to get to work!
You've all been so idle lately, not even having to work overtime, just collecting your salaries, you're practically useless now, aren't you?
Now! Make up for all the work you owed, with interest!
Everyone, prepare to work through the night!"
If you ask what office workers hate most, "overtime" is definitely at the top of the list.
But at this moment, in this conference room, when these men heard the order, "Don't even bother sleeping, work like there's no tomorrow!"
not only did they not utter a single complaint, but they all revealed wolf-like smiles, their eyes burning with rage!
Du Yuanhang waved his hand, like a general commanding his troops:
"Immediately! Right now! Give me a list of the companies that need to be taken back first!
Also, is nobody daring to touch this mess that's shipping?
Yes! That's it!"
"When they're almost dying of thirst, we'll bring them a bowl of water, just a sip, keep them alive! Understand?"
"Understood!!"
After herding these energized generals back to their respective battlefields, Du Yuanhang remained alone in the empty conference room, letting out a long sigh.
"Was it deliberately...to dismantle the shipping company?"
The young executive's raving words now echoed in his mind like a demonic whisper.
If...if all of this was truly a grand scheme orchestrated by Chairman Su for today...
"Chairman Su, just how far into the future does he see?"
Du Yuanhang felt his mouth go dry, swallowing hard.