69: Chapter 69 A balance of hundreds of billions, enough to blind your eyes!

Seeing that Lu Chen did not speak, the contempt in President Ma Jianping's eyes was practically overflowing.

He leaned back, skillfully twirled the pen in his hand between his fingertips, and tapped it on the table with a 'click'.

"Factory Director Lu, silence cannot solve the problem."

President Ma Jianping sighed earnestly, as if he were instructing an ignorant junior.

"You have to understand the bank's difficulties. Morgan's ban is global. Anyone with a normal IQ can see that it is just a matter of whether the production lines of Chenguang Electronics Factory will stop in a few hours or a few days."

"Rather than ending up with a seizure and liquidation, it is better to sign the papers now with dignity and leave a way out for both of us."

The Lobby Manager standing beside President Ma Jianping quickly chimed in, "Exactly, General Manager Lu. President Ma Jianping is just following protocol. You had better recognize reality early. If you fight against international giants, not even your bones will be left. By then, let alone paying wages, you won't even be able to afford the rent for this room."

Lu Chen still showed no reaction. He slowly pulled a silver frosted lighter from his pocket. With a 'snap', a ghostly blue flame leaped up, illuminating his expressionless face.

He did not light a cigarette; he just carelessly twirled the lighter between his slender fingertips.

The sound of the lighter's metal casing hitting his knuckles seemed exceptionally jarring in the deathly silent office.

"You said my employees are manure-making machines?" Lu Chen lifted his eyelids, his gaze piercing through the dancing flame to look directly into President Ma Jianping's eyes.

President Ma Jianping felt guilty under that gaze, but then he reconsidered: Lu Chen was now just a useless person whose chips had been cut off by foreigners, so what was there to be afraid of?

So, he sneered and decided to speak plainly.

"Isn't that right? Without chips, why are you keeping those ten thousand-plus college students and migrant workers? To let them play with mud on the assembly line? Or to let them eat up those tens of billions in deposits in the cafeteria?"

"Lu Chen, I am helping you stop the losses. As long as you sign, I can apply to the head office to leave you a few private accounts to pay out severance packages, which will be enough for you to live as a wealthy man for the rest of your life."

"President Ma Jianping, are you done with your act?" Lu Chen released the lighter, the flame went out, and the light in the office dimmed for a moment.

President Ma Jianping was stunned for a moment, then flew into a rage and slapped the table.

"What do you mean? Let me tell you, security is right outside the door! As long as I press the bell, they will immediately escort you out. Moreover, this afternoon I will apply to the court to forcibly seal the factory, freeze all your fixed assets, and turn you into a complete deadbeat!"

Lu Chen chuckled, his laughter full of disdain. He turned his head and whispered to Wu Dong behind him.

"Wu Dong, President Ma Jianping is getting old, and his eyesight is not very good. We need to help him."

Wu Dong had been suppressing his anger. Upon hearing the order, a cruel curve appeared at the corner of his mouth.

He pulled a custom military-grade tablet from his chest pocket, his fingers sliding rapidly across the screen, entering a string of complex dynamic keys.

"General Manager Lu, the joint regulatory corporate account for The Big Four Banks that was just opened yesterday at Hall 2 of the Auto Show has been successfully connected."

Wu Dong's voice trembled, not because of fear, but because of extreme excitement.

"Project it onto the big screen," Lu Chen instructed.

"Understood!"

Wu Dong pressed a button, and through the office's built-in wireless projection protocol, he directly took over the hundred-meter multimedia screen on the wall of the meeting room.

President Ma Jianping frowned and looked at the big screen, "Lu Chen, stop playing these tricks. No matter which backyard bank you are affiliated with, as long as it is in Jiangcheng, it must be under our supervision..."

Before President Ma Jianping could finish his sentence, his throat felt as if it had been tightly gripped by an invisible hand, and he could not utter a single syllable.

On the big screen, four familiar icons flashed with brilliant golden light: Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, Agricultural Bank of China, Bank of China, and China Construction Bank.

Those were the four heavenly kings of the domestic banking industry. Below each icon hung the words "Highest Level Black Gold VIP Corporate Joint Account."

President Ma Jianping's heart skipped a beat. He was also in finance and knew very well what this meant.

For this kind of account, even if a leading state-owned enterprise in the province wanted to apply, the process would take three months, and it required extremely high transaction credit.

With a crisp 'beep' notification sound, the joint golden logo interface of The Big Four Banks slowly unfolded.

In the most prominent position in the middle was a numeric box representing the available current account balance.

The first digit to appear was "4".

President Ma Jianping narrowed his eyes, and immediately after, a string of zeros flooded out like a sluice gate that had been opened.

"One, ten, hundred, thousand, ten thousand..."

The Lobby Manager standing to the side subconsciously counted along with the rhythm of the screen's flickering.

Its voice was originally sharp, but as it counted further, it became lower and lower, finally ending with a sobbing tone.

"...hundred thousand, million, ten million, hundred million..."

President Ma Jianping's pupils shook violently. He stood up abruptly, his hands gripping the edge of the mahogany table so tightly that his fingernails dug into the wood seams due to the excessive force.

"One billion... ten billion..."

When the Lobby Manager counted to this point, its legs seemed to have been drained of bones, and with a 'thump', it collapsed onto the floor.

Its eyes were fixed on that number, its mouth wide enough to fit a fist. Due to the extreme shock, it was completely unaware that white foam was spilling from the corners of its mouth.

45,000,000,000.00 Yuan!

A full forty-five billion!

Moreover, it was not over yet.

The system log at the bottom of the screen refreshed automatically, and lines of "Stacked Critical Benefit" that were deposited by the system punctually every morning at dawn began to aggregate in real-time.

Because Lu Chen now had over ten thousand employees on the payroll, and their loyalty was completely maxed out, the daily cash-back and critical hit amount had reached a level that would drive a mathematician crazy.

Total available balance: 59,482,710,000.00 Yuan!

Approaching sixty billion!

Moreover, it was all current cash!

No mortgages! No debts! It was the strongest currency that could be withdrawn at any time and thrown into any market at any time!

The expensive pen in President Ma Jianping's hand dropped to the floor with a 'clatter' at this moment, but he did not even blink. He stood there, petrified, frozen in place.

"This... this is impossible..."