66: Three joint plans

Li Mo paused, surveying the three men.

“And you, you’re losing.”

These three words landed like three slaps across the faces of Wang Teng and the other two.

Li Mo didn’t give them a chance to retort, continuing, “Since it’s a war, panic and infighting are the lowest forms of behavior. Now, I’m giving you a plan. Whether you listen or not is up to you.”

He held up a finger.

“First, internally. Stabilize your foundation. I don’t care what connections or methods you use, immediately reconfirm whether your monopoly on raw materials is secure. I need 100% certainty that no other force can acquire those core materials. This is our confidence to wage a price war.”

He held up another finger.

“Second, externally. Boost confidence. The stock market is in a panic now, short sellers are rampant, and the snowball has already started rolling. You must immediately step forward, hold a joint press conference, and be assertive and high-profile. Announce what? Announce that the three groups will jointly inject capital and launch the ‘New Star Project,’ extensively signing outstanding new professionals in Linzhou.”

Feng Rui frowned, “Signing new people? What’s the use of that?”

“Idiot.”

Li Mo was blunt.

“This is for the market to see! Especially those two Mythic-level individuals! Approach them at all costs! Give them the best contracts, the most generous terms! Even if you can’t sign them, make a strong impression! Let everyone see that not only have your three companies not been crushed, but you have deep pockets and are expanding against the trend! This small fluctuation is even less important than signing new talent. This is called ‘drawing a pie,’ understand? Use a huge pie to stabilize investor confidence and pull up the stock price!”

“On the other hand, let everyone know that your three companies are united. With the three companies tied together, market confidence will be sufficient, preventing further instability.”

Finally, he held up another finger, three fingers pointing directly at the three men.

“Third, downwards. Dimensionality reduction attack.”

“If I recall correctly, to maintain high profits, your three companies have always strictly controlled the circulation of potions on the market. The inventory piled up in your warehouses is probably an astronomical figure, isn’t it?”

Wang Teng and the other two’s expressions changed slightly.

This was their biggest business secret.

“Now, it’s time for that inventory to see the light of day.”

Li Mo’s voice carried a hint of cold cruelty.

“Starting tomorrow, the three companies will jointly launch a ‘Awakening Season Grand Feedback’ event. All flagship potions, combined, will be sold at a 70% discount!”

“What?!” President Shi shrieked, “A 70% discount?! Wouldn’t we lose a fortune?!”

“Strictly limited,” Li Mo added. “Our battlefield is the legitimate market, Old Ghost Hall is the black market. Our advantage is massive inventory and brand effect. When people in the market believe they can buy genuine potions at a 70% discount, who will go to the black market to buy their goods?”

“When his goods can’t be sold and pile up in his hands, we’ll find people to buy all of his inventory in the black market!”

“As long as our raw material supply is confirmed to be fine, his production capacity and inventory must have limits. We can use our endless inventory to literally hang him! After he goes bankrupt, the event ends, and prices recover. We not only eliminate our opponent but also recover a batch of products at a low price, which we can then resell for a guaranteed profit!”

Internally, solidify the barrier.

Externally, bluff.

Downwards, pull the rug out from under him.

This was a perfect closed loop.

But… “This plan… the cost is too high.” President Shi was the first to hesitate, wiping sweat and muttering, “Just the 70% discount alone means astronomical daily losses…”

Feng Rui also pushed up his glasses, “Moreover, acquiring his goods in the black market is too risky. What if… he has a lot of supply? Wouldn’t we just be giving him money for nothing?”

Li Mo was exasperated.

“Then wait until the black market prices are pushed to cost. No matter how strong he is, his costs can’t be lower than yours, right? That way, you won’t lose either way.”

Wang Teng didn’t speak, but his tightly furrowed brows said it all.

They were still concerned about petty profits.

Li Mo was truly on the verge of laughing in anger.

He looked at these three fools, who guarded a mountain of gold but lacked even the courage to fight to the death, feeling like he was talking to a brick wall.

“Tens of billions.”

He softly uttered three words.

The three men were stunned.

“The opponent is using tens of billions worth of goods to crash your market. They’re crashing your companies, your fortunes, your lives.”

Li Mo’s voice suddenly rose.

“And you’re haggling with me over the depreciation of some inventory?!”

“Have you forgotten, if your companies go bankrupt, you’ll have no choice but to jump from this rooftop!”

He deliberately made his words frightening, precisely to make these three think only of fighting, rather than trying to contact Old Ghost and reconcile with him.

Although, they couldn’t possibly do that; what difference would such reconciliation be from begging for mercy?

However, he didn’t mind a little guidance, just in case.

The door closed behind Li Mo.

“Bang.”

A soft sound, yet in the dead silence of the conference room, it echoed a thousand times.

Li Mo left.

With that condescending demeanor, he left decisively.

He left behind a plan.

A plan that sounded perfect, yet reeked of blood everywhere.

“Seventy percent… seventy percent…”

President Shi’s lips trembled, his plump face devoid of color. He repeated the number like a curse.

“Isn’t that cutting our flesh? That’s like stabbing a knife into our hearts!”

“Every day… how much money will we lose every day… My god…”

Feng Rui pushed up his glasses, his fingers behind the lenses rubbing his aching temples.

“It’s not just about losing money. This plan is too risky.”

“Once launched, there’s no turning back. Whether our cash flow can last until Old Ghost Hall is bled dry is an unknown.”

“How is that possible… If our three companies combine our efforts, even Chen Ao would have to think twice! What gives his Old Ghost Hall the right? His potions can’t be endless, can they?”

“Enough!”

Wang Teng roared, his large, fan-like hand slamming onto the conference table!

“Clang!”

“Li Mo is right, let’s do it!”

The entire mahogany long table shook, and the teacups on it jumped, falling to the floor and shattering.

Feng Rui’s breathing quickened. He adjusted his glasses, and the lingering hesitation he had was completely overwhelmed by the instinct for survival.

“Do it!”

He squeezed out a word through gritted teeth.

President Shi looked at the desperate madness on Wang Teng and Feng Rui’s faces and knew he had no retreat.

He slumped in his chair, his face ashen, mumbling, “Do it… let’s do it…”

It’s better than jumping off a building.

“Good!”

Wang Teng sat down heavily, and the atmosphere in the conference room finally shifted from desperate silence to a desperate, almost reckless, excitement.

“Since we’re going to do it, we’ll do it thoroughly!”

Feng Rui’s mind raced, and he quickly found a blind spot in Li Mo’s plan.

“Old Wang, Li Mo’s plan is an overt scheme. It’s about crushing him in the legitimate market using our scale advantage.”

“However, Old Ghost Hall is in the shadows, in the black market. We can’t just fight on the surface.”

Wang Teng understood immediately.

“You mean… Chen Ao?”

“Yes,” Feng Rui nodded. “We were desperate before, which is why we thought of going to Chen Ao to fight him to the death. But now, we have a plan, so our purpose in finding him is different.”

“Asking him to take action and dismantle Old Ghost Hall isn’t realistic. We don’t have that much pull, and he won’t break the rules of the black market for our small matter.”

“But…” Feng Rui lowered his voice, “Paying for information, that should be possible, right?”

“Who exactly is that Old Ghost? Does he have anyone behind him? Where do his goods really come from? Chen Ao couldn’t possibly not know these things!”

President Shi also leaned in, hope rekindled in his eyes.

“Yes, yes, yes! Know yourself and your enemy, and you will never be defeated! As long as we figure out his background, we won’t be like blind men anymore!”

Wang Teng pondered for a moment, then slapped his thigh.

“It’s not just about buying information!”

“Aren’t we eventually going to the black market to buy Old Ghost’s inventory at a low price? This matter can’t bypass Chen Ao. No matter what, we have to pay our respects first and get his nod.”

“Alright! It’s settled!”

Wang Teng stood up and began assigning tasks, the authority of a group chairman finally returning to him.

“As for Chen Ao, I’ll figure something out! Even if I can’t reach him personally, his subordinates who manage things can surely be spoken to! We’ll throw money at them until they talk!”

His gaze turned to Feng Rui.

“Old Feng, you’re in charge of the ‘New Star Project’ Li Mo mentioned! Immediately! Right now!”

“Those reporters who are still following the trend should still be around, perfect! We’ll even save on publicity costs! Create a huge buzz for me! The bigger, the better! Let everyone in Linzhou know that not only are our three companies fine, but we’re also making big moves!”

“Old Shi, you, return to the company immediately! Inventory the warehouse! Get all channels ready!”

“Have the operations department work overtime tonight to come up with a plan. Tomorrow morning, on the official website, all offline stores, our three companies’ flagship potions will be 70% off! Limited supply!”

“Remember, make a strong impression, but don’t open the floodgates too wide. The goal is to pull customers back from the black market and suffocate Old Ghost’s goods in his own hands!”

“Understood!”

The two spoke, and the three got to work.