Chapter 45: Using Magic to Defeat Magic, Four-Star Inventory Can't Be Sold.

Seoul, South Korea, Samsung Group headquarters building.

Dark clouds pressed against the floor-to-ceiling windows. The lights in the room were off, and the stuffiness made it hard to breathe.

"Bang!"

The titanium alloy golf club swung with a fierce wind, smashing hard into the priceless blue and white porcelain vase.

Shards flew high, slashing Park Min-young's black stockings.

She knelt on the wool carpet, not daring to dodge, her face as pale as freshly applied wall plaster.

She had fled back to her country overnight, and that humiliating price quote was still buzzing in her head.

Lee Jae-yong loosened his high-end tie, his chest heaving violently.

He grabbed the financial report for the Greater China Region from the table and threw it directly into Park Min-young's face.

"You idiot! I told you to throttle Xinghai Technology, and you ended up losing our entire foundation in the Greater China Region!"

Lee Jae-yong gritted his teeth, his eyes flashing with the viciousness of a viper.

"In just one day, all those fence-sitters in the country ran to Shenzhen to sign contracts. Our screen orders have been cut in half!"

Park Min-young's lips trembled as she kowtowed on the carpet.

"Young Master, the retina technology in Lu Jingming's hands is too strange; our screens can't compete."

"If you can't compete, then crush him with money!"

Lee Jae-yong kicked aside the golf club blocking his way and walked to the desk to press the intercom button.

His voice was cold, filled with a desperate madness.

"Notify all distributors in the Greater China Region: cut the price of the three million sets of high-end screens in stock by 40%!"

"Dump them at a loss! I want to drag that crappy factory, Xing Dongfang, to death in a price war!"

Two days later, Donghai City, the top-floor office of Xinghai Technology.

Factory Manager Wang Jingdong sat on the sofa, holding a teacup, ripples shivering across the surface of the water.

He had just arrived from Shenzhen to report on production capacity, and before he could even settle into his seat, cold sweat broke out.

"President Lu, Samsung has gone crazy!"

Chu Xuan burst through the door, clutching a stack of freshly printed competitor price quotes.

His center-parted hair was messy from running, and he was so anxious he kept slapping the table.

"A 40% price cut! Those Koreans are throwing everything away, it's completely suicidal dumping!"

Factory Manager Wang Jingdong stood up abruptly, tea spilling onto his old white shirt.

"This is going to be the death of us! Xing Dongfang just started production, and we haven't brought costs down yet."

He paced around the room in a panic.

"Their price is significantly lower than our already conscientious price, which was 30% cheaper. Those small domestic factories will definitely be greedy and snatch up Samsung's stock!"

In the market, few can resist the temptation of cutting costs in half.

Samsung's price war is just bullying Xinghai Technology because of their thin foundation, trying to use their vast capital to crush them.

Lu Jingming didn't say a word, using a soft cloth to slowly and methodically wipe a glass ornament on the table.

Sunlight shone on his face, revealing no trace of panic.

"President Lu, are we following suit? Should we lower prices too?"

Chu Xuan leaned over and asked tentatively.

"Follow suit, my ass. He wants to be a sucker; why should I burn money with him?"

Lu Jingming threw the soft cloth on the table, pulled out his chair, and sat down.

He raised his eyebrows, looked at the two men, who were as anxious as ants on a hot pan, and sneered.

"Does Samsung think they can win back the market just by lowering prices? In this industry, fighting a price war is the stupidest move."

Lu Jingming pulled a lighter from the drawer and clicked it on.

"Chu Xuan, go to an internet cafe, open up a hundred computers, and mobilize all your internet trolls."

Chu Xuan's eyes lit up, and he hurriedly took out his notebook.

"President Lu, how should I steer the narrative? Should we bash Samsung's quality?"

"No bashing. We're going to popularize some scientific knowledge."

Lu Jingming exhaled a smoke ring, a glimmer of cunning flashing in his eyes.

"Across the entire internet, I want you to hype up a concept called 'Retina PPI'."

He tapped his knuckles on the table, enunciating every word.

"Tell the netizens that any screen below 326 PPI is just a big-pixel mosaic that hurts the eyes and damages eyesight."

"Create a chain of contempt. If you buy a phone without checking the PPI, you're just making a joke of your own eyes."

Chu Xuan swallowed hard; this tactic of swapping concepts was vicious.

"Popularizing science isn't enough."

Lu Jingming turned to look at Factory Manager Wang Jingdong, a mischievous smile curling the corner of his mouth.

"Old Wang, go order a batch of shiny gold stickers. Just print a few words on them: 'Xinghai Retina Certified'."

Factory Manager Wang Jingdong was stunned.

"President Lu, what's the use of these stickers?"

"They're very useful. As long as the phone manufacturer gets their supplies from Xing Dongfang, this gold label is free."

Lu Jingming crossed his hands under his chin.

"When they leave the factory, tell them to stick the gold label in the most conspicuous place on the phone's packaging box."

This wasn't just handing out stickers; it was handing out amulets.

Chu Xuan's brain worked fast, and he slapped his thigh, jumping up in excitement.

"I get it! Use magic to defeat magic!"

Chu Xuan grinned from ear to ear and ran out, clutching his notebook.

"Once netizens are brainwashed, they will only recognize this gold label. Whoever dares to use Samsung's discounted screens isn't taking the consumer's eyes seriously!"

The power of the internet, under Chu Xuan's orchestration, spread like a virus.

Within two days, the term 'Retina PPI' had gone viral.

Major digital forums were filled with educational posts and comparison charts.

Samsung's high-end screens, which they were so proud of, were examined frame by frame by netizens with magnifying glasses and mocked as industrial garbage.

Donghai City center, the headquarters of Bolang Mobile.

Fatty Xu had just been discharged from the hospital, holding a freshly brewed cup of goji berry water.

The procurement manager stood in front of the desk, sweating profusely, holding Samsung's latest price quote.

"General Manager Xu, this batch of Samsung goods is a few hundred yuan cheaper than Xing Dongfang's. Should we pick up a bargain?"

The manager rubbed his hands, his eyes shining.

"If we install these in our new phones, our profits will double!"

Fatty Xu's hand holding the cup paused, and he looked up at the manager with a sidelong glance.

"Pick up a bargain? Is your brain filled with paste?"

He turned the laptop on his desk around and pointed at the headline on Jifeng Forum.

It read in bold letters: "Beware of Black-Hearted Big Manufacturers! Phones Without Gold Label Certification Are All Cheap Foreign Garbage!"

"Look at the trend online!"

Fatty Xu was so angry he slapped the table, spit flying everywhere.

"Now, when ordinary people buy phones, the first thing they do when they enter the store is look for the Xinghai gold label on the box!"

He crumpled Samsung's price quote into a ball and threw it hard into the trash can.

"This Samsung screen is now a hot potato. Whoever uses it is a black-hearted profiteer, and the brand's reputation will be ruined!"

Fatty Xu gritted his teeth. Although he felt stifled, he could still distinguish the pros and cons.

"Call Factory Manager Wang Jingdong immediately! For Bolang's new phone, we only use screens with the Xinghai gold label certification! Even if it's more expensive, we have to bite the bullet and accept it!"

The price war had completely become a joke.

Domestic phone manufacturers were as clever as monkeys.

They would rather spend a little more money to buy Xing Dongfang's screens and stick on that certification label that could serve as a gold-lettered sign.

They absolutely dared not touch Samsung's dirt-cheap light-emitting components.

Seoul, South Korea, Samsung headquarters board meeting.

Around the spacious oval conference table sat all the veterans and executives of Samsung.

The atmosphere was as oppressive as a graveyard.

Lee Jae-yong stood in front of the projection screen, his tie pulled crookedly.

He stared fixedly at the sales battle report from the Greater China Region that had just been sent back, his vision swimming with black spots.

A 40% price cut.

Millions of sets of light-emitting components, and not a single one was sold!

"Young Master, our warehouses in the Greater China Region are overflowing."

The sales director bit the bullet and stood up, his voice trembling like a leaf in the wind.

"Those foundries even returned the free trial samples. They said that without the Xinghai gold label, the machines simply won't sell."

A buzzing sound echoed in Lee Jae-yong's head.

His price-cutting butcher knife, which he was so proud of, had struck a ball of cotton, and the rebounding force had shattered his internal organs.

In the Greater China Region market, Samsung's screens had completely become a rat crossing the street.

Not only did they fail to drag Oriental Screen to death, but they also caused Samsung to accumulate a massive amount of dead stock.

These tens of billions in losses made even a multinational giant like Samsung feel the pain.

"Lu Jingming... you despicable liar!"

Lee Jae-yong's eyes bulged, filled with terrifying bloodshot veins.

He suddenly raised his hand, pointing at the image of the Xinghai retina gold label on the big screen.

His lips trembled for a long time, but he couldn't manage to curse a single word.

His chest felt as if it were being pressed by a thousand-pound boulder.

An uncontrollable, metallic taste of blood surged in his throat.

"Pfft—"

A mouthful of fresh blood sprayed onto the white projection screen, a shocking sight.

Lee Jae-yong's legs went weak, and he fell straight backward.

The back of his head hit the solid wood chair with a dull thud.

"The Young Master has fainted! Call an ambulance quickly!"

The entire board meeting turned into a mess, and the veterans rushed over in a panic.

Samsung's arrogant myth shattered into pieces at this moment.

Donghai City, the president's office of Xinghai Technology.

Lu Jingming leaned against the floor-to-ceiling window, looking at the brilliant city night view outside.

Deep in his mind, a mechanical notification sound exploded like a booming bell.

[Ding! Detected that the Young Master of the multinational giant Samsung Group has vomited blood and fainted!]

[Samsung's panel ecosystem has suffered a devastating blow, and the executive group's mental fortitude has completely collapsed!]

[Congratulations to the host! Triggered an epoch-making defense-breaking critical hit, gained defense-breaking points: 1,000,000!]

One million points.

Adding the remaining fraction from before, the number on the system panel was already shining with gold, dazzling to the eyes.

A satisfied smile curled Lu Jingming's lips.

This move of using their own strength against them had effectively uprooted Samsung's foundation in the country.

The solid wood office door was pushed open.

Shen Qingqiu walked in wearing high heels, holding a thick stack of financial summary reports.

Her cold, beautiful face was now filled with undisguised excitement.

Her eyes behind her gold-rimmed glasses were glowing.

"Lu Jingming, Samsung's defensive lines in the country have collapsed across the board."

Shen Qingqiu placed the report on the coffee table with a soft sound.

She looked at the man standing by the window, her breathing slightly rapid.

"Xing Dongfang's orders are lined up until next year, and our own xinghai gen 2 is sold out every single day."

"The cash flow in our accounts is now so much that I feel dizzy just looking at the report."

Lu Jingming turned around, casually took the report, and flipped through two pages.

"One million defense-breaking points received; this battle was quite satisfying."

He muttered under his breath and threw the report back onto the table.

Shen Qingqiu didn't hear the first half of what he said, only staring at the zeros filling the ledger.

"President Lu, this warehouse full of cash—if we don't spend it, it's really going to get moldy, isn't it?"

Her tone carried a hint of teasing while also hiding a probe about the next move.

Lu Jingming dusted off his hands, a flash of fanatical light in his eyes.

"Moldy? That won't do."

He strode to the door, opened the solid wood door, and turned back to raise an eyebrow at Shen Qingqiu.

"Go call the armored cash trucks. Tell the bank to send a few more."

Lu Jingming laughed arrogantly.

"Tomorrow, we'll let all the brothers in the factory see what it means to treat money like dirt."