120: Chapter 0120 Breaking the Scheme

Felina stood by the window of the second-floor office, gripping several rejection letters so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

She looked at the workers gathered downstairs, her heart feeling as if a heavy stone were pressing down on it.

The wind blew in through the open window, carrying the scent of machine oil and rust, yet it could not disperse the panic in the air.

The telephone on the desk in the factory office building rang incessantly; she knew those were messages demanding goods.

Li Size sat in the chair opposite her, twirling a fountain pen between his fingers, his eyes fixed on the production schedule on the wall, remaining silent.

His brow was furrowed, yet he showed no signs of panic; only the occasional tapping on the desk betrayed his inner anxiety.

Li Size suddenly stopped twirling the pen, the fountain pen coming to a halt in his hand as the metal cap reflected the piercing sunlight from outside.

He looked up at Felina, the corner of his mouth curling into an imperceptible arc:

"What's the panic? Does Dekerus think they can force us into a corner just by cutting off supplies and sweeping up the market?"

His finger lightly tapped the locked drawer under the desk:

Inside lay a secret contract with a certain agency of the Feiting Federation.

According to the agreement, in one week, a large quantity of sorcery crystals would be secretly transported from the Feiting Federation into the country via the Miners Brotherhood smuggling routes controlled by Li Size.

Additionally, Li Size had already reached a deeper strategic cooperation agreement with the Military Department.

According to the requirements he personally proposed during negotiations, the first batch of payment would be fully offset by high-quality oak wood.

This batch of Materials was not only sufficient in quantity but also far exceeded expectations in quality.

Furthermore, the Military Department had ensured that a dedicated transport team would deliver it within seven days. In this way, the issue with the oak supply chain was completely resolved.

As for brass, which had the highest demand, Li Size had already laid out his plan long ago.

Not long ago, he had gained full control of the Miners Brotherhood through Lina; this seemingly loose organization actually possessed invisible networking resources across many metal mines and some secret mineral source channels.

Under Li Size's command, Lina quickly reorganized internally and cleared all hurdles, establishing several hidden and stable supply channels for raw metal ores.

Now, they had already begun to stockpile various metal minerals that could be used in the future.

The supply of brass alone could be said to be inexhaustible, leaving him with no worries at all.

Calvin of the De Kela Si Merchant Guild thought that his move of suddenly raising prices and cutting off raw Materials had accurately struck Li Size's weakness, but he didn't know that Li Size had already seen through it.

As early as when he learned from Payne that a business tycoon intended to target him from all angles, Li Size had calmly analyzed his own strengths and weaknesses and repeatedly simulated various possible attacks in his mind.

At that time, what he valued most and was most concerned about was precisely the supply of raw Materials.

Originally, he had placed all his hopes on getting through the crisis by settling raw Materials through military orders.

The subsequent secret orders from the Feiting Federation and the absorption of the Miners Brotherhood were like divine help, significantly enhancing his risk resistance.

Therefore, in reality, Li Size was not anxious at all regarding raw Materials.

It was just that the sudden cutoff over the past week had forced the factory to temporarily halt production, leading to worker gossip and outside speculation; this scene of wavering morale did indeed make him feel somewhat irritable.

Having made up his mind, Li Size turned and gave Felina a charmingly wicked smile, whispering:

"Since the De Kela Si Merchant Guild has gone mad, let's make good use of this week and play a great show with them."

Felina didn't react for a moment, her eyes widening slightly as she looked at him.

Li Size's lips curled up, revealing a slightly sinister smile as he continued:

"Heh! Let's just go with the flow and publicly announce a temporary production halt!

We'll claim we'll 'resume production once raw Materials are in place,' which will further boost Calvin's confidence, making him think we're really at a dead end.

At the same time, we'll pretend to spare no expense, frantically competing with Dekerus in the market for the three types of raw Materials...

If we're going to act, we must do it thoroughly. We need to completely lower their guard!"

He seemed to already see Calvin's smug face, narrowing his eyes as he added coldly:

"The current price of raw Materials has only doubled; that's far from enough!

We need to add fuel to the fire; the higher the price is driven, the better.

We can ask Chief Editor Lilith for a favor, using the media channels in her hands to spread news of this 'raw material bidding war,' attracting more people's attention and even their participation.

Haha! When the truth comes out, I really want to see Calvin's face when he realizes all his efforts were for nothing!"

Felina immediately understood Li Size's complete plan. Looking at her lover, she couldn't help but show a look of admiration.

She marveled inwardly, wondering how his mind worked; his thinking was so meticulous, and he planned every step so carefully. Being his enemy was truly terrifying.

They probably wouldn't even understand how they eventually failed!

She immediately acted according to the plan:

On one hand, she made arrangements to handle worker reassurance and external explanations during the production halt.

On the other hand, she raised funds everywhere, deliberately and fiercely competing with the De Kela Si Merchant Guild for small batches of sorcery crystals and other raw Materials in the market.

Meanwhile, using Lilith's extensive network in the newspaper industry, she widely disseminated news of this 'raw material war,' causing a double shock to both public opinion and the market.

Before long, people in the streets and alleys were all talking about it:

"Have you heard?

The prices of brass, oak, and sorcery crystals have gone crazy!

They're already at two and a half times the price, and it seems like they won't stop!"

Someone who seemed to know the inside story chimed in:

"Hehe, this is just the beginning.

The De Kela Si Merchant Guild is out to crush the Li Size Machinery Manufacturing Plant, making it so that even if they buy raw Materials, they'll lose money on every vehicle they produce!

I heard the ultimate goal is to forcibly acquire the intellectual property rights of the inventions in Li Size's hands."

Someone nearby who had a bit of knowledge about sorcery crystals did a rough calculation on their fingers and exclaimed:

"Losing money on every vehicle?

Then the raw material prices would have to rise to five times the original!"

Another person sneered and took up the conversation:

"I'm afraid even five times won't stop it!

What kind of financial power does the De Kela Si Merchant Guild have? But don't forget, I've heard Li Size has the backing of exclusive orders from the Military Department. This bitter battle will last at least another month!"

And there's news that the Police Department will also be purchasing little sorcerer donkeys from Li Size!

I heard Li Size publicly announced that even if the intellectual property rights rot in his hands or he contributes them to the Duchy, he will never sell them to the De Kela Si Merchant Guild.

Hehe, the young man is going to fight to the bitter end!"

Everyone looked at each other, the same thought reflected in their eyes:

Business opportunity!

Consequently, many people hurriedly mobilized their friends to snap up the three types of raw Materials together.

It hasn't reached three times the price yet; buy in quickly, and when it rises to five or six times or even higher before selling, how much profit would that be!