Chapter 505: Tetris

A deathly silence fell over the conference room.
Reason told them it was absurd, utterly unbelievable.
Manipulating a natural disaster, inciting a rebel army… it sounded like something out of a third-rate movie.
But the truth weighed heavily on their hearts, making it hard to breathe.
Because all the evidence pointed to a chilling conclusion.
It all seemed like a pre-written script.
From Turkey onwards, Fruit had stepped into a meticulously designed trap, every step calculated.
“What’s even more outrageous is that before our disaster report was even released, the media had already gotten ‘insider information’!
They’re bombarding us with reports that our new product launch is hopeless, attacking our leadership for flawed decisions!
Their synchronized approach is like a performance based on a press release from Fang Huan’s marketing department!”
Fruit felt more wronged than Dou E.
The earthquake wasn’t their fault, and the trouble at sea wasn’t their fault either.
If there's any fault, it lies with that devil called Fanghuan Investment!
They caused the earthquake, they manipulated the weather, they instigated the rebels!
All of this was a colossal conspiracy orchestrated by those damned bastards!
"So… Mr. Tim means that Fanghuan Investment did all this to… acquire us?"
An executive asked in a barely audible voice.
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!" A finance executive immediately jumped up.
"What's the market capitalization of Apple? Three trillion US dollars! Three trillion!
They think they can devour us? Aren't they afraid of breaking their own teeth!"
Another executive added insult to injury:
"Just today, after the media's frenzied pessimism, our market capitalization has... almost fallen back to two trillion."
"That's still an insurmountable mountain!" the finance executive insisted.
"A setback in new product launches is painful, but not enough to cripple Apple!"
"Asia and FaceWeb thought the same thing back then." Another chilling voice rang out.
"They were both once giants with market capitalizations exceeding one trillion."
Upon hearing this, the air in the conference room instantly froze.
Yes, those two giants, once on par with Apple, representing different peaks in the US technology sector, are now nothing more than Fang Huan's prey.
Not to mention industry giants like Disney and Jackson & Mobil, which have long been firmly controlled by Fang Huan Investment.
"The most terrifying thing is that every single thing Fang Huan has done is enough to get it dismantled a hundred times over under antitrust law, yet it remains unscathed.
And now, even the Antitrust Bureau, the last line of defense, has collapsed!" Tim Hook surveyed the crowd, asking each word clearly.
"Do you still think that Fruit is safe?"
***
Unlike the tense atmosphere and widespread anxiety within Fruit, Su Hao was leisurely sipping tea in Fang Huan Investment's office.
He used to spend almost every day at the company, but since the Guyana incident, troubles have been piling up like Tetris blocks, one after another, unstoppable.
"Still no news from the Panama Canal?" he asked casually, blowing on the steam rising from his teacup.
“Yes, Chairman Su. They insist it's due to the drought, and in the short term, transport capacity can only be maintained at 50%.”
“What about Suez?”
“The ‘wildfire’ security team has taken over the escort duties there. The Yemeni militants suffered heavy losses in the initial firefight and have all withdrawn.”
The Suez Canal returning to normal is finally good news.
“Can we take advantage of the fruit shipments?”
“I'm afraid it's difficult, Chairman Su. All our resources are focused on Jiangjin Group; we simply don't have the manpower to help the fruit shipments.”
“Well, then pay the penalty.” Su Hao waved his hand dismissively.
“Okay. But this isn't our responsibility after all. The legal department will ‘communicate’ with them about the specific amount of compensation.”
“Forget it, no need to argue. Just pay the agreed price.”
Su Hao didn't want to haggle over such a small matter.
Although it was force majeure, it was still a breach of contract.
The spirit of the contract must be upheld.
“Yes, Chairman Su. There’s one more thing…” Li Huilin hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“Hmm?”
“There’s a very strange rumor circulating wildly on Wall Street right now.”
“A rumor?”
“Yes. It’s said… it’s said that Fanghuan Investment deliberately orchestrated this series of disasters in order to acquire Fruit…”
Upon hearing this, Su Hao almost spat out the tea he had just drunk, his face a mixture of amusement and exasperation.
"Us?"
"Yes. Although it sounds absurd, this claim is spreading like wildfire, and many people believe it."
"Wait, these people's imaginations are running wild!" Su Hao felt it was ridiculously absurd.
"They mean that Fang Huan can unleash natural disasters and remotely control rebels just to stop them from transporting a few boxes of junk parts?
Besides, we don't actually hold that many shares of Fruit Group."
"Um... well, actually we do have a little," Li Huilin explained, "It's held at the group level, not by our trading department."
But this is purely a long-term value investment that Fang Huan Group bought years ago; it has absolutely nothing to do with acquisitions.
That's normal; which investment company on the market doesn't hold some Fruit Group stock?
"Why would they have such an absurd misunderstanding?"
"Because the losses to the fruit company this time were just too devastating.
The Turkish earthquake destroyed the entire factory, billions went down the drain;
And now the shipping disaster has completely ruined the new product launch.
It's no wonder this chain of misfortunes has fueled conspiracy theories."
Su Hao rubbed his temples helplessly.
Since taking this position, he's taken the blame more times than he's eaten a meal.
Being misunderstood before was one thing, but this time they're saying they caused a natural disaster to acquire the fruit company!
Damn, at first glance, it sounds like they're filming a classic Chinese novel.
It's truly laughable.
"Normally, I can't be bothered with these trivial matters.
But not this time. Letting the rumors fester might hurt Jiang Jin."
Jiang Jin and the fruit company are both bitter rivals and interdependent partners in the supply chain.
If they were to be sown discord at this critical juncture, it would be a significant blow to Jiangjin Group.
“Issue an official statement,” Su Hao instructed.
“Say that Fanghuan Investment has absolutely no interest in acquiring the fruit company.
Besides, this doesn't make sense. How are we supposed to acquire a behemoth with a market capitalization of two or three trillion US dollars?”
“Yes! I’ll take care of it right away!”
“Hmm, the sooner the better. Don’t make things difficult for Jiangjin.”
Li Huilin took the order and left. Su Hao picked up his teacup again, finding it increasingly absurd.
Fanghuan, acquiring the fruit company?
What a joke!