Chapter 425: The Cruelest Strike

"So, they're trading 'FaceWeb' for our full support of their chip project?" Su Hao instantly grasped the crux of the matter.
"Yes, Chairman Su. We believe this is the only reasonable explanation.
Otherwise, they have no reason to suddenly turn so ruthless against their own son."
Politics, after all, is just a back-and-forth exchange, occasionally putting on a show of mutual benefit.
Business is the same.
"So, what can we do?"
"The specific details of the project haven't been released yet. But what we can foresee is:
First, they will invest astronomical sums; second, they will require the winning company to build an unprecedented cluster of chip factories within the United States."
"Looks like we need to secure some land in advance," Su Hao said calmly.
“Yes. But the problem is, we have absolutely no idea where they'll choose to build the factory.
Before the official announcement, it's top secret in the US.”
That's normal. The project hasn't even been finalized yet; if the location of the land were leaked first, wouldn't the land prices there skyrocket?
The construction costs would be terrifying.
Su Hao had originally planned to wait patiently until the US announced the news before making any plans.
However—
Just then, an inexplicable intuition, like an electric current, surged through his body.
“…”
Su Hao, almost unconsciously, had his subordinate pull up an electronic map of the entire US.
His gaze slowly swept across the map, and suddenly, as his finger traced a certain state, a tingling, trembling sensation ran through his fingertips. The premonition instantly became incredibly clear!
“Arizona…” he murmured to himself.
"Hmm? Chairman Su?"
"Ah...nothing." Su Hao withdrew his finger, pondered for a moment,
"Help me check the land in this state. Let's say we want to build a large-scale factory there, see if there's suitable land. If so, have headquarters buy it directly."
"Okay, but the US hasn't announced anything yet..."
"What if they let us choose the site freely?" Su Hao smiled faintly, "Consider it advance planning. Do as I say, if there's a suitable one, just buy it immediately, no need to wait."
"Yes!"
Su Hao's intuition had never been wrong.
Since it reacted to this area, it meant that this was the eye of the future wealth storm.
"There's one more thing, Chairman Su. The higher-ups have contacted us as well.
They've invited Fanghuan's senior management to attend a closed-door strategic meeting next week in Beijing on 'The Impact of the European Union Energy Crisis on the Global Supply Chain.'"
"Oh?"
"This is a very high-level meeting; leading companies in several key sectors will be participating.
As you know, our previous actions to stabilize energy prices not only saved Europe but also indirectly stabilized the domestic economy, with a huge impact.
The higher-ups hope we can share our experience and lead discussions on how to address the risk of a global economic recession and ensure the security of the domestic industrial chain."
Clearly, the higher-ups see Fanghuan as a trump card in dealing with global economic turmoil.
“But these meetings are too mentally taxing and time-consuming. Let Chairman Huang go; he's better at handling these official occasions than I am.”
“Understood! I'll contact headquarters immediately.”
All the pieces are in place.
Now, only the final move remains—checkmate!
“Chairman Su, regarding the acquisition price… how much are you planning to offer? I mean, to buy all of Markberg’s shares.”
Price?
That was once a company worth trillions of dollars.
Even if it's now worth less than a hundred billion, its inherent potential, its user data, and its technological patents are still priceless.
If the price is too low, Markberg will probably rather die than surrender.
Su Hao calmly picked up a pen and slowly wrote a number on a piece of white paper.
***
The camel's back is never broken by the last straw, but by every single one before it.
Even the European Union succumbed to Fang Huan's investment, joining forces to crush FaceWeb, causing the company's stock price to completely collapse.
Yet, even so, Mark Berger stubbornly persisted.
He clung tightly to his shares, refusing to let go.
Because he still had one last lifeline—the current president, Aiden!
Back then, he and his small group had unequivocally supported Aiden, vehemently criticizing the former president.
In return, the US had helped him settle several lawsuits, even the "data scandal" that nearly ruined him had been averted.
After all, the US couldn't just stand by and watch him fail, could it?
"...What did you say?"
However, what awaited him was the final mountain that crushed him.
"They want me to...hand over the company?!"
"Yes, sir. They've informed me that if you don't comply, the Department of Justice will intervene immediately.
Meanwhile, the company's other shareholders are preparing to file a shareholder derivative suit against you."
His last glimmer of hope was shattered.
His strongest backer had stabbed him in the back!
Mark Berg's eyes instantly turned red: "Never! This company is my life's work, I will never hand it over to anyone!"
However, it wasn't just the United States that betrayed him.
"Mr. Markberg, it's time for you to wake up."
In the conference room, his most trusted executives looked at him with icy eyes.
"If you continue to act this way, we'll have no choice but to initiate legal proceedings and forcibly remove you from the CEO position."
"You...you guys?!"
"The shareholder derivative suit you heard about was spearheaded by us.
The reason is simple—as the company's top decision-maker, you failed to protect the company's interests, causing irreparable losses to all shareholders."
"Bastards! You bunch of traitors! Even if we go to court, I'll drag it out until you're all dead! We'll all go down together!"
"We know. In that case, you won't get a single penny and you'll be out.
Then you'll face countless claims from shareholders, the amount of which will be so large that you won't be able to pay it off even if you lose all your current wealth."
Every word from the board members was like a cold awl piercing Markberg's heart.
"So, while the company's still worth something, sell your shares! This is your last chance!"
Mark slowly surveyed the conference room. The once familiar faces were now filled with indifference and greed.
Not a single person was on his side.
Judging by this, if he didn't sign today, he probably wouldn't even be able to leave this conference room.