240: Chapter 241 A Bloody Scheme to Leave Only 30% Profit! Dismantling Europe's Ironclad Defense with Just a Few Words

"Tap." The sound of a knock instantly cut off Jean-Pierre's condescending and long-winded interrogation.

Shen Du did not engage in any roundabout diplomatic tactics; he didn't even bother with the polite pleasantries that the European old money circle was accustomed to.

His deep eyes swept directly across the four faces inches away from him, which represented the highest power in Europe.

"Gentlemen, there is no need to beat around the bush here. Our goals have been aligned from the very beginning."

Shen Du's voice was not loud, but it carried an unquestionable penetrating power that struck directly at everyone's absolute weak spot:

"Everyone is sitting on this snow-capped mountain that could be disconnected at any moment. You are simply looking to squeeze more profitable returns than gold out of this piece of broken silicon—semiconductors."

Jean-Pierre frowned, just about to open his mouth to refute such vulgar remarks that lacked any aristocratic decency, but he was pinned to his seat by Shen Du's gaze.

Shen Du did not give anyone a chance to interrupt, and cleanly and decisively revealed his trump card:

"Right now, the fundamental market of over a billion people in China has been completely covered by Jiyuan Technology alone."

He leaned forward slightly, crossing his hands on the narrow tabletop, and approached the four men with extreme aggression:

"As for the profits from the overseas market, my appetite is not that big. I do not need to take everything. Therefore, the answer I am giving you all by sitting here today is very simple."

Under the extremely tense gazes of the four oligarchs, Shen Du slowly held up three slender fingers, his tone as calm as if he were discussing something trivial:

"I will only take thirty percent of the global overseas market profits. You can distribute the remaining seventy percent however you like."

The small round table conference room instantly fell into a deathly silence.

If it were a traditional industry, the dominant party taking only thirty percent would sound like a pathetic compromise.

But these four European giants sitting there knew better than anyone else in the world exactly what kind of monster they were currently carving up.

Semiconductors are the true underlying lifeblood of the future world.

From the constant iteration of basic appliances to the absolute prevalence of computers and smartphones.

This inconspicuous silicon chip is destined to be the "modern industrial blood" that will be second only to human food in the future, and even far exceed food in terms of unit value.

The representative of the Munich Germanic Heavy Industry Alliance, Heinrich von Klenze, had no intention of refuting him.

This cold German businessman just tilted his head slightly, cast his gaze over the teacup in front of him, and swept a meaningful look at his three companions.

For the European Heavy Industry Alliance he represented, a seventy-percent profit pool was unfathomably deep.

It was enough to support Europe's dominance in high-end manufacturing for the next few decades.

Paul van der Berg, sitting diagonally across from him, also made a decision in a very short time.

The actual controller behind ASML, whose back had been tense to the point of stiffness, leaned back against the chair imperceptibly.

He had originally thought that Jiyuan Technology would wield the big stick of the "Cold Etching Machine" to wipe them out.

But Shen Du's seventy-thirty split proposal was like a shot of adrenaline, instantly dispelling all his panic.

This seventy percent of the profits was enough for his lithography consortium to continue reigning supreme under the rules of the new era.

Faced with this monstrous wealth that could buy several medium-sized countries, the two industrial giants were instantly pacified by Shen Du with the simplest and crudest numbers.

However, Arthur, the spokesperson for the Geneva Financial Syndicate sitting to the side, had his hand holding the teacup frozen in mid-air at this moment.

Shen Du watched this old fox, who had prepared a bellyful of financial strangulation tactics, with cold eyes.

On this round table less than a meter across, he clearly captured that Arthur's face, which always wore a hypocritical smile, was turning gloomy at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Arthur had obviously figured it out.

This was not the generous concession of an Easterner at all, but a vicious open conspiracy!

Seventy percent sounded unimaginably huge, but this piece of meat was not being fed to one wolf.

This seventy percent of the benefits would be fought over frantically by the four parties present, as well as the entire European old money consortium behind them.

Once they started tearing at each other internally, even if they used all the despicable financial means available, the share that each family could ultimately hold would definitely not exceed thirty percent.

Shen Du had nonchalantly thrown out a seemingly reasonable distribution plan, and without shedding a drop of blood, he had instantly transformed the external conflict of "China-Europe confrontation" into a bloody internecine struggle among the European giants.

Arthur stared fixedly at Shen Du's eyes, which were full of certainty and mockery, his jaw muscles twitching slightly from the effort.

Shen Du easily read the words "cunning Easterner" that had been forcibly swallowed from Arthur's frustrated eyes.

But Arthur did not dare to say another word.

In this small space where interests were paramount, if he dared to open his mouth now to demand a squeeze on the thirty-percent bottom line in Shen Du's hands, he would immediately be besieged by Heinrich and Paul, who were already satisfied with the "seventy-percent market share."

Jean-Pierre, sitting on the far left, had obviously seen through this open conspiracy as well.

This arrogant Frenchman silently withdrew his previously aggressive leaning posture, lowered his head without a word, and his eyelids flickered rapidly.

Obviously, he had completely given up on the joint interrogation of Shen Du and had begun to frantically calculate in his mind how Paris Composite Capital could carve out the biggest piece of the cake in the upcoming infighting.

The unbreakable European alliance disintegrated on this small round table in just these few seconds.

Shen Du watched these four oligarchs, each with their own hidden agendas, with cold eyes, not giving them enough time to secretly calculate or coordinate with their eyes.

He bent his knuckles and knocked "tap, tap" on the small wooden tabletop twice.

These two crisp knocks instantly forcibly interrupted the internal calculations that were fermenting wildly on the round table.

All eyes were once again forced to focus on Shen Du.

"I know what you are thinking." Shen Du met Arthur's gloomy gaze without flinching, his words pressing step by step:

"You might think that I already have the huge market of over a billion people in China in my hands, and that I am being too greedy by forcibly taking away a full thirty percent of the global market share."

Shen Du's voice suddenly turned cold, carrying an irrefutable technical deterrent that pierced everyone's nerves:

"But you had better get one thing straight. The thirty percent I am taking is not just a dividend to put into my own pocket. It is the financial lifeblood for the subsequent endless technical iterations and process upgrades of the Cold Etching Machine."

He stared aggressively at the two industrial giants, Paul and Heinrich, sealing the bottom line firmly:

"I cannot let the technology remain at today's level forever. If you want to continue maintaining your monopoly in high-end manufacturing in the future, you must rely on the cutting-edge equipment I have that is constantly iterating. If even this thirty-percent R&D bloodline cannot be guaranteed, then there is no need for me to have traveled halfway across the globe to this snow-capped mountain to have tea with you today."

Immediately afterward, Shen Du calmly threw out the unfathomable background chip from China:

"In addition, I might as well reveal my trump card more thoroughly. I am not eating alone in the Chinese market. Behind me, there are eight other forces sharing that profit."

He spread his hands, looking at the four European old money figures in front of him who were too shocked to speak. The corners of his mouth curled into a cold, sharp arc:

"So, after the accounts are completely laid out, you should understand. The core profit I personally end up with is, at most, only about ten to twenty percent. I have already pushed the price to the bottom line. Whoever wants to squeeze another penny out of my hands is demanding the life of Jiyuan Technology."

Shen Du's words were like a heavy hammer, smashing to pieces the last sliver of hope in the hearts of these old foxes to jointly suppress the price. The bottom line was completely drawn; there was no room for bargaining.

Shen Du's words landed heavily on the small round table, and the entire conference room was instantly left with only the heavy and rapid breathing of the few people.

Without giving them any room to continue stalling, Shen Du made the final judgment with actual action.

He reached out, picked up the plastic water bottle on the table, and screwed the cap on slowly and unhurriedly.

"Click." The crisp sound of plastic friction announced the complete end of the external negotiations.

"Anything less than thirty percent, and Jiyuan Technology does not mind letting the global semiconductor supply chain come to a complete halt immediately, and we can all go back to the Stone Age together."

Shen Du held the water bottle, leaning back slightly, his spine resting against the hard back of the chair.

His entire person was completely withdrawn from the center of this gunpowder-filled round table.

He leaned back in his chair, his gaze sweeping calmly over the four people in front of him:

"I have drawn the red line. As for how you intend to slice the remaining seventy percent of the cake, and how many cuts you make, that is your own family business as Europeans, and I will definitely not interfere."

After speaking, Shen Du crossed his hands over his abdomen and closed his mouth completely.

With the posture of an onlooker, he watched the situation with cold eyes.

The focus of the game at the round table, with Shen Du's withdrawal, instantly underwent a drastic reversal.

These four European power brokers, who just a few minutes ago were trying to form an ironclad alliance and put unified pressure on Shen Du, had now completely shed their masks of allies in the eyes they exchanged.

Heinrich's cold gaze locked directly onto Arthur's throat, while Jean-Pierre straightened his back, guarding against Paul beside him with hostile eyes.

On this micro-round table with no concealment, the decency belonging to the nobility was torn to shreds.

Nothing remained but the most primitive and naked greed and wariness.

Shen Du had withdrawn from the quagmire without shedding blood, but he had left behind a deadly trap on the table that was bound to see blood.

The main battlefield in the future would no longer be a technical strangulation against Jiyuan Technology, but would turn into a bloody internecine struggle where these four top European wolves would tear at each other to the bone in order to fight for that seventy percent of the profits.