61: Chapter 61 A stroke of genius

It only took two days.

One has to admit.

Chen Fei, whom Shen Du had personally handpicked and who had undergone a crazy transformation, possessed terrifying capabilities when it came to digging up bottom-line intelligence.

The morning of the second day.

A top-secret investigation report, over a dozen pages thick and stripping Fu Zhaonan and Fu Enterprises down to their very last secrets, was transmitted in its entirety to Shen Du's private tablet via Red Phoenix's highest-level encrypted line.

Shen Du sat behind a large mahogany desk, his fingertips sliding rapidly across the screen.

His gaze swept swiftly over the intricate stock pledges, the cooperation contracts that had been tampered with in secret, and the frantic trail of Fu Zhaonan's recent movements.

Until his eyes locked onto the summary in the final line of the report.

At the end of the brief, Chen Fei had highlighted a core piece of shocking intelligence in glaring red font:

"Fu Enterprises shouldn't have collapsed so quickly.

But Fu Zhaonan has the stubbornness of an old-school entrepreneur in his bones.

He would rather shoulder the debt himself than fail to pay the salaries of his tens of thousands of employees and grassroots contractors on time during this crisis.

This action caused the Fu Family's already bottoming-out liquidity pool to be completely drained!

Currently, Fu Enterprises is facing a massive debt that is about to mature.

As long as they cannot secure a 'bridge loan' to keep them alive in the short term.

This ten-billion-yuan real estate enterprise will immediately trigger a default mechanism and face a dead end of forced bankruptcy liquidation!"

Looking at these cold lines of text on the screen, Shen Du took a deep breath and slowly set down the tablet.

This was not just a report on the life and death of the Fu Family.

It was the most perfect and realistic verification of the [Shanghai Survey Map] rewarded by the system!

Shen Du's thoughts stirred, and he once again awakened the Geomantic Map in his mind.

On his retina, the holographic sand table unfolded instantly.

He stared fixedly at the light point representing Fu Enterprises.

Watching the viscous gray spots, two-thirds deep, clinging to the periphery of the light point like bone-eating maggots.

A flash of heart-palpitating realization crossed his eyes.

The underlying rules of the Geomantic Map were now completely clear.

On this sand table, white light represented factions and vitality.

And the gray-black erosion was the commercial strangulation happening in reality!

Being two-thirds eroded by gray spots.

In the real world, it meant that this seemingly massive ten-billion-yuan entity had reached the edge of the cliff and was about to face the final curtain of bankruptcy!

The precision of this Geomantic Map had no fluff; it was a hair-raising one hundred percent!

After thoroughly verifying the terrifying precision of the Geomantic Map, Shen Du's eyes became increasingly deep and cold.

He did not rush to close the holographic projection on his retina, but instead moved his mind slightly, pulling the perspective of the sand table high up to overlook the macro chess game of the entire Shanghai once again.

His gaze crossed over those scattered peripheral industries.

And finally locked firmly onto the huge white main star at the very center of the map, representing the top old-money powerhouse of Shanghai, the "Shen Family."

Just two days ago, when he first received the Geomantic Map, Shen Du had been shocked by the Shen Family's immense, heaven-reaching foundation.

He hadn't carefully measured the area of those shadows.

But now, after witnessing with his own eyes the catastrophe represented by a "two-thirds erosion rate."

As he scrutinized this huge main star again, a fine layer of cold sweat couldn't help but seep out on his back.

Under the "inner world" perspective of this Geomantic Map.

The Shen Family main star, which seemed to still be arrogant on the surface and emitting dazzling white light.

Its underlying foundation had actually been eroded by more than half by those gray-black spots representing the new forces!

Those black veins were like giant greedy pythons, tightly strangling the Shen Family's capital chain, supply chain, and the lifelines of all its major core subsidiaries.

A fifty percent erosion rate.

This meant that this behemoth of the Shen Family.

Was currently experiencing a brutal and breathtakingly crazy strangulation in the depths of the invisible dark web against a pack of unscrupulous wolves!

Shen Du frowned.

His gaze continued to wander along the light veins on the periphery of the Shen Family main star, landing on several subsidiary light points he was very familiar with.

Those were the industrial light points belonging to the families of "The Three Young Masters of Shanghai": Young Master Jie, Zhou Wennan, and Zhu Shuyan.

As the top second-generation circle in Shanghai, their families' stance naturally belonged to the Shen Family faction.

Sure enough, in this all-out encirclement against the conservatives, the industries of the Three Young Masters' families had not been spared either.

Around the periphery of these light points, there were also circles of gray halos attempting to take root inwards.

But the state of these three light points was completely different from the dying and collapsing Fu Enterprises.

Shen Du discovered with surprise.

The gray halos on the periphery of those three families were not only failing to spread inward, but were actually retreating outward at a slow but steady pace!

Shen Du's brain whirred like a supercomputer.

In just two seconds, he grasped the underlying logic.

It was JD.com!

Not long ago, Shen Du had forcefully set up a scheme, dragging these Three Young Masters of Shanghai to invest heavily.

Deeply binding them to the rapidly advancing JD.com logistics and e-commerce ecosystem.

It was this immensely huge emerging industry dividend and the clean, powerful liquidity pool.

That had unintentionally forged an indestructible modern commercial moat for the three of them!

In the face of this absolute open strategy and the dividends of the era.

The petty gray-market tricks cooked up by the new forces simply couldn't breach their defense and could only be forced to retreat.

Watching this scene, the corners of Shen Du's mouth slowly curled into a sharp arc.

An arrogant yet incredibly clear strategy to break the stalemate gradually took shape in his mind.

He decided he would no longer be an outsider looking on coldly!

It wasn't that he had suddenly developed a kind heart and wanted to meddle, or wanted to deliberately fawn over a top aristocratic family with whom he had no apparent connection on the surface.

Shen Du's logic of conduct always belonged to that cold-blooded and precise weighing of pros and cons typical of a top-tier hegemon.

For sentiment, during this period, he had intentionally or unintentionally used the invisible "tiger skin" of the "Shen Family."

To stir up trouble and layout plans freely in the top circles of Shanghai, avoiding countless open and hidden arrows.

Since he had borrowed the influence of this great Buddha.

Now that they were being besieged by a pack of wolves, he had to pay some price to repay this karma.

More importantly, for reason!

This was the core motivation that drove Shen Du to choose to enter the game without hesitation.

Shen Du's ambition was to build a trillion-yuan business empire spanning the internet, local services, and logistics ecosystems.

And to let this invincible giant ship sail smoothly, he needed a large environment that followed rules and had commercial bottom lines.

Although the old-school forces seemed stubborn.

They were precisely the founders of this socio-economic order and the anchor of the sea.

If one day, the traditional conservatives led by the Shen Family truly collapsed.

And let that pack of unscrupulous wolves—the "new forces" who specialized in money laundering and malicious short-selling on the dark web—take over Shanghai.

Then the entire upper-tier circle would be completely rotten!

Once the business environment turned into a lawless jungle with no rules whatsoever.

Then his Jiyuan Technology and Meituan would inevitably become the next piece of fat meat for the pack of wolves to covet and tear at.

His future development would face disorderly strangulation a thousand times more difficult than it was now.

Therefore, the Shen Family absolutely could not fall!

In Shen Du's eyes, the Shen Family was the best and thickest natural barrier for his trillion-yuan empire on the surface!

Shen Du clearly recognized his current situation.

Although he held a position with a hundred billion in cash flow, his biggest shortcoming was also a fatal weakness known to everyone in the circle.

He had no family foundation!

He was like a lone wolf that had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, without any backer he could absolutely rely on.

While Red Phoenix might have a loud name and be able to summon wind and rain in the Shanghai underground world.

But in the end, in that kind of top-tier aristocratic family game that could determine the fate of a city, she was still just at the very bottom, not even in the league.

Since there was no backer on the surface, then he would be the chess player stirring up clouds and rain in the dark web himself!

Shen Du stood up, his gaze looking sharply at the Shanghai skyline outside the floor-to-ceiling window.

He would use this Geomantic Map in his hand.

To forcefully stabilize this dead end that was on the verge of collapse for the Shen Family, in a domineering manner that no one would know about!

Shen Du did not hesitate at all; he directly picked up the private phone on the table and dialed a very special number in his contacts.

The phone rang only once before it was answered instantly.

From the receiver came the hearty and familiar laughter of one of "The Three Young Masters of Shanghai," the eldest young master of the Zhou Family, Zhou Wennan.

"Oh, Young Master Shen!

The sun must have risen from the west; it's been a while since we last spoke!"

Zhou Wennan's attitude was extremely low, and his tone carried an undisguised fanaticism and reverence.

Ever since he followed Shen Du and drank a mouthful of rich soup from that earth-shattering game of JD.com.

Now, Zhou Wennan had a blind, prostrate worship of Shen Du's vision and wrist.

He paused, keenly sensing something, and immediately cut to the chase boldly:

"I heard that Young Master Shen recently started a project called 'Spark,' and the commotion is terrifying.

What, is the layout too aggressive, and you're short on cash flow?"

Without even needing Shen Du to ask for a loan, Zhou Wennan directly patted his chest and took full responsibility:

"Young Master Shen, I don't care if others are short on money.

But if you need money, just say the word!

No matter how much you want, I, Zhou Wennan, will supply it to you in full at the lowest interest rate!

Even if I have to rob my old man's private treasury, I will stack the money up neatly for you!"

Listening to Zhou Wennan's resounding statement, a faint smile flashed in Shen Du's cold eyes.

This was the core value of him supporting this group of second-generation heirs.

"I don't need money."

Shen Du directly interrupted the other's grand words, his tone calm but carrying an unquestionable pressure of a superior:

"I just want to ask you for a favor."

On the other end of the phone, Zhou Wennan immediately restrained his laughter, his expression turning serious: "Young Master Shen, please command!"

"You should know the details of Fu Zhaonan's Fu Enterprises.

They are extremely tight on funds recently and are about to reach a dead end."

Shen Du didn't waste a word, hitting the core directly: "He is currently in urgent need of a life-saving bridge loan.

You come forward and approve this money for him."

As soon as these words were spoken, Zhou Wennan, who had seen his fair share of storms, couldn't help but be stunned.

That mess of the Fu Family that was about to collapse—who in the Shanghai circle who had even a slight clue about the situation would dare to touch it?

That was a bottomless pit that could be uprooted by the new forces at any time!

But before he could raise any questions.

Shen Du's resolute voice came again.

Like an anchor, it firmly suppressed all of Zhou Wennan's concerns:

"This money, I, Shen Du, will personally guarantee it!

If Fu Zhaonan can't pay it back when the time comes, I will cover this debt!"

Immediately after, Shen Du changed the subject, his tone becoming cold: "But there is one hard requirement.

This matter must be kept absolutely confidential.

Even if Fu Zhaonan asks you personally, you must not reveal a single word to him that I am the one protecting him from behind the scenes, understand?"

If it were someone else wanting to guarantee for the Fu Family, Zhou Wennan would absolutely curse them as crazy, or even hang up the phone directly.

But the one speaking was Shen Du!

It was Young Master Shen, the one who could turn his hands to summon clouds and rain, the one who led them to establish a ten-billion-yuan industry!

Once he heard that it was Shen Du personally using his own reputation to provide an absolute safety net, Zhou Wennan didn't even have the thought of asking "why."

He even skipped the most basic procedures like drafting a mortgage contract and made the decision on the spot without hesitation:

"Okay!

Since Young Master Shen has personally given your golden word to guarantee it.

I, Zhou Wennan, will handle this money personally today and will absolutely approve it with the fastest speed!"

Subsequently, Zhou Wennan very tactfully changed the subject, not saying a single extra word that shouldn't be asked:

"When Young Master Shen is done with this period, we must get together properly.

There are many things regarding the next development line of JD.com that we brothers want to ask Young Master Shen about in person."

"Fine, you pick the place, and I will arrive on time."

Shen Du replied calmly, not refusing this gesture of goodwill.

The phone hung up.

A desperate counterattack sufficient to determine the life and death of a ten-billion-yuan real estate giant in Shanghai was thus, by this Shen Du who had no background.

In a short two-or-three-minute phone call, understatedly and domineeringly forced onto the right track.

Less than thirty minutes after the phone hung up.

For this kind of super-large bridge loan involving hundreds of millions or even over a billion yuan.

Normal commercial approval processes would take ten days or half a month, which would be considered fast.

But under the absolute will of the top power brokers in Shanghai, as long as the rules gave way, the efficiency of real-world capital turnover was terrifying.

Accompanied by the Zhou Family's massive and clean cash flow, which was injected into the Fu Enterprises account in secret like an adrenaline shot.

A micro-management miracle that would be recorded in the commercial history of Shanghai unfolded shockingly on Shen Du's retina!

"Buzz—"

Shen Du had never closed the holographic projection.

He watched with his own eyes as the light point on the Geomantic Map representing "Fu Enterprises."

Suddenly erupted with a strong energy fluctuation.

Immediately after, the viscous gray spots that had been biting hard on the periphery of the light point and were already two-thirds deep.

Seemed to have encountered some terrible nemesis and began to stop squirming rapidly.

Under the crushing pressure of absolute capital power, those gray-black eroded areas were forcefully pushed back.

From the extreme near-death state of 66%, it was forcibly pulled back and stabilized above the 60% safety warning line!

But this was far from the most shocking part.

The truly terrifying part of this Geomantic Map lay in its holographic deduction of the underlying logic of the entire commercial ecosystem!

As the crisis of the Fu Family main star eased, the capital chain that maintained the livelihood of tens of thousands of people regained its vitality.

Looking along the white light veins, one could see the massive downstream industrial chain closely connected below the Fu Family.

Dozens of light points of building material wholesalers and contractors who had been completely swallowed by the gray light and were on the verge of bankruptcy and jumping off buildings because they couldn't get paid for their engineering projects, were like experiencing sweet rain after a long drought!

The gray spots covering their surfaces shattered and dissipated in large areas in a very short time.

Patches of brilliant white light, representing vitality and foundation, lit up frantically along the capillaries of the industrial chain.

Instantly illuminating this entire area that had originally been lifeless!

Watching this scene, a spectacular miracle like "a god's finger forcefully stopping a great avalanche."

Shen Du took a deep breath, the starry sky reflecting in the depths of his profound eyes.

Until this moment.

He truly, thoroughly understood what kind of terrifying trading power this 'Shanghai Survey Map' possessed!

This was not a map at all, but the ultimate console that controlled the fate of this city!

Shen Du slowly clenched his fists.

Feeling the sense of control of holding trillion-yuan capital and the life and death of aristocratic families in the palm of his hand, the corners of his mouth curled into a sneer of disdain for everything.

He didn't need any century-old aristocratic family bloodline foundation, nor did he need to wag his tail and beg anyone.

As long as he held this trump card in his hand that could see through all the surface and inner lifelines of Shanghai.

As long as the strength of his Spark and Meituan continued to expand...

Then, in the future, wanting to stir up clouds and rain in this super city would just be a matter of time!

Just at this moment, the system issued a reminder: "Special Mission: 'Encroaching Mountains and Seas' initiated.

Main Mission: Support Faction Tendency.

For every ten percent increase in a faction, you will receive a special reward."