185: Chapter 185 Umbrella

In the virtual conference room, everyone looked at each other in dismay.

Did he actually intend to build a mega-corporation like the Umbrella Corporation from reality?

This was truly a mad company, perhaps even more terrifying than Umbrella. At least the company in the games needed to hide its ambitions, while he was openly building a corporate empire before the entire world?

Regardless, the interests Lin Fang promised moved everyone. There was no reason to refuse something that offered a hundred benefits and not a single harm.

"Since His Excellency the Chairman places such importance on this operation, we will naturally give our all."

The first to agree was actually that German conglomerate: "Regarding the Bayer Group, I can operate through contacts with several family foundations. We should be able to complete the equity acquisition right under the noses of the regulatory agencies."

Noah Sackler immediately stood up to state his position: "The Sackler Family is willing to mobilize all resources to ensure the successful completion of the acquisition tasks in the Americas."

"The James Family is also willing to help..."

In the end, aside from two conglomerates that still had reservations, the other nineteen family clans clearly expressed their willingness to join this acquisition plan. The power they could mobilize was already immense, making it highly probable they could fulfill Lin Fang's requirements.

"Thank you all for your trust."

Seeing the matter settled, Lin Fang's virtual avatar revealed a satisfied smile. "If you need any assistance during the acquisition process, you can contact the Council. The Council's intelligence network and other resources will support your actions throughout."

After the plan was agreed upon, the atmosphere in the virtual conference room lightened considerably. Members began to converse in low voices in small groups, exchanging views on specific operations.

Two hours later, members began to log off.

In the Atropos Tears Manor.

Noah took off his helmet, and the virtual conference room vanished completely. After a moment of contemplation, Noah took a pen and wrote several lines on a piece of paper; these were the resources and contacts he needed to mobilize.

...

Time: One week later.

Location: Los Angeles, Americas, the 'Phiote' Capital building.

A group of people walked into this luxuriously decorated office building today. Leading them were a man and a woman. Facing the receptionist's inquiry, the dignified man replied politely, "We are employees of Third-Party Technology Company. I am Luke from the Business Department, and this is my colleague Sophia."

"Hello," the blonde beauty in professional attire nodded politely, following up on Luke's words, "We have an afternoon appointment with Mr. Phiote. Please let him know we've arrived."

Hearing that they wanted to see her chairman, the receptionist did not dare to be negligent. She quickly checked the appointment records and, after making a phone call to confirm, revealed a professional smile: "Yes, Mr. Luke, Ms. Sophia. Mr. Phiote is waiting in his office. Please follow me."

Luke and Sophia exchanged a glance before following the receptionist toward the elevator.

Luke and Sophia were both from Switzerland and were former employees of the predecessor to Third-Party Technology's Switzerland branch. After Lin Fang acquired the Research Institute, they were both retained due to their good capabilities.

They had come to Los Angeles today because Xu Anqing instructed them that the company wanted to acquire shares of a gaming company from the Phiote Group—and not just the Phiote Group.

Nintendo.

This was an enterprise founded in Yingzhou. From a small workshop initially producing Hanafuda playing cards, it had undergone a century of transformation to grow into one of the undisputed giants of the global video game industry. It owned world-famous cultural symbols like Mario, pokémon, and The Legend of Zelda, and its market capitalization had peaked at over a hundred billion dollars in history.

However, because Journey VR burst onto the scene three months ago, redefining the boundaries of video games with its disruptive brain-computer interface technology and fully immersive experience, the traditional console game market had taken a massive hit.

Nintendo's market value had evaporated by nearly thirty billion dollars in a short period. According to the latest financial reports, Nintendo's current market value barely exceeded fifty billion dollars, a heavy loss.

Led by the receptionist, Luke and Sophia arrived at the top floor and entered the office of Jim Fiore, a legendary figure in the investment world.

Luke couldn't help but feel a bit nervous. He was about to face a financial titan who controlled over 600 billion dollars in capital.

If it weren't for his own company's rapid development in recent years, Luke really wouldn't have had the confidence to come here.

The door opened, and Luke saw an elderly man sitting in a chair before a panoramic floor-to-ceiling window, with the Los Angeles skyline spreading out behind him.

Hmm?

Doubt rose in Luke's heart. The data said Jim was 78 years old this year, but he currently looked only in his early 60s. This financial titan wore a well-tailored dark gray suit, his posture upright without the slightest slouch. Although there were still wrinkles on his face, they glowed with a healthy luster.

The most surprising thing was his eyes—sharp as a hawk's, completely lacking the cloudiness common in elderly people in their seventies.

"Welcome, messengers of Third-Party Technology." Jim rose to greet them.

Luke was overwhelmed by the favor and hurried forward to shake hands. "Mr. Phiote, I am Luke from the Business Department of Third-Party Technology. It is an honor to meet you. You look much younger than the rumors suggest."

"Hahaha..." Jim laughed, then said somewhat meaningfully, "That's all thanks to your boss."

Our boss?

Luke and Sophia were bewildered by these words. To their shame, they had only seen Lin Fang from a distance and had never even spoken a word to him.

"Then let's talk business,"

Jim saw their confusion but had no intention of explaining further. He returned to his desk and got straight to the point: "I can transfer the 8.2% stake in Nintendo that I hold, but I want 8 billion dollars."

"That asking price is probably unrealistic." Luke immediately entered his professional state and instinctively countered, "According to the latest financial reports, our overall valuation of Nintendo is around 40 billion dollars. Based on that, the market value of your stake is about 3.28 billion. We are willing to pay a 20% premium, offering 4 billion for the acquisition. This is already a very generous condition."

Luke paused and added, "Furthermore, as far as we know, you only spent 800 million dollars when you originally purchased these shares. A 500% return is a quite considerable gain in any investment."

Jim glanced at him indifferently and said coldly, "If it weren't for your company, the shares in my hand would be worth much more. You've earned so much; what's wrong with me asking for a bit more?"

These words caused the air in the office to suddenly freeze. Luke felt his scalp tingle. He had expected this scene when he came, because the Journey VR that caused Nintendo's market value to plummet was precisely a product of his own company.