290: Chapter 290 The Battle to Protect Time-Honored Brands

"The defensive line has completely closed."

Inside the master control hall on the top floor of the Huihuang Building, the indicator lights shone steadily. The edge defensive line of the Pangu Computing Power had finished restructuring, and the enemy's micro-account intrusion channels were completely sealed off.

Chen Fan watched as the data trends on the screen stabilized.

"Take over the market monitoring," Chen Fan ordered Chen Muyang, who was beside him.

Chen Muyang nodded and placed his hands back on the keyboard.

Chen Haoyu strode to the side of the master control console and handed over an emergency briefing from the Jiangcheng branch with both hands.

Chen Fan took the briefing and opened it. Lu Feng's physical intrusion had been severed, but the festering sores he left behind had erupted. The vicious debt collection and supply cutoff strikes by Yuanfeng Capital earlier had directly drained the capital chains of twelve time-honored pharmaceutical companies in Jiangcheng. Tongyuan Pharmaceutical and Yunhe Hall were the first to bear the brunt, facing the desperate situation of liquidation today.

Chen Fan closed the briefing. He turned and strode toward the tactical conference room next door.

"Connect to the real-time holographic surveillance of the Tongyuan Pharmaceutical factory area," Chen Fan said as he pushed open the conference room door.

The massive screen on the wall lit up. The image transmission was clear.

In the spacious concrete courtyard of Tongyuan Pharmaceutical, hundreds of factory workers were packed together. The courtyard was quiet and oppressive. The Old Shopkeeper of Yunhe Hall was wearing a blue cloth gown, his white hair disheveled by the wind. Supported on the left and right by two factory managers, he stood in the center of the factory gate, his figure swaying. The workers whispered among themselves in the back, panic spreading through the crowd; everyone was waiting for the impending verdict of unemployment.

Three black Mercedes-Benz cars drove directly into the courtyard, the sound of braking breaking the deathly silence.

The car doors opened. Zhang Fugui, a director of the local Jiangcheng Chamber of Commerce, stepped out. He was wearing an expensive suit, clutching a stack of overdue debt contracts left behind by Yuanfeng Capital. Surrounded by bodyguards, he walked to the front of the crowd.

"Time is up," Zhang Fugui said, shaking the contracts so they rustled loudly. "If you can't come up with the money, we liquidate today."

Relying on the local speculative capital behind him, Zhang Fugui had his eyes on this fat piece of meat.

"Ten million," Zhang Fugui said, holding up one finger. "I represent the Chamber of Commerce in acquiring the trademarks and land of your twelve pharmaceutical companies as a package deal. Sign, and take this money to pay severance. Otherwise, after today, the court will seal the factory, and you won't get a single cent."

Several pharmaceutical factory heads were trembling with rage.

"Zhang Fugui, you're dreaming!" The factory manager of Tongyuan Pharmaceutical pointed at him and cursed, "Our land and the traditional Chinese medicine inventory in the warehouse alone are worth hundreds of millions. Ten million? This is daylight robbery!"

Zhang Fugui threw his head back and laughed.

"Hundreds of millions? You can't even pay your utility bills now!" Zhang Fugui's gaze swept over the crowd. "Your public accounts have been frozen tight by Yuanfeng Capital; you won't even be able to turn on the machines tomorrow."

Zhang Fugui stepped forward twice and raised his voice toward the workers on the periphery.

"Listen up, everyone! Your wages have been delayed for three months. If the factory isn't sold, your whole family will be left with nothing to eat. Mergers are the only way for these broken factories to survive!"

The courtyard erupted in chaos. The restlessness and anxiety of the workers were completely ignited, and some began to quietly urge the factory manager to make a decision.

Seeing this, Zhang Fugui pressed his advantage. He walked to a tin table in the center of the courtyard and slammed the acquisition contract down on the surface. He pulled a signature pen from his suit pocket and forcefully shoved it toward the Old Shopkeeper.

"Old Shopkeeper, accept your fate. Take the money and leave; leave a way for everyone to survive," Zhang Fugui said in a mocking tone.

The Old Shopkeeper's eyes turned red. Looking at the workers around him waiting for their lifeline money, he was filled with grief and indignation. The Old Shopkeeper reached out with trembling hands, preparing to take the pen.

The onlookers, old employees, lowered their heads to wipe away tears, their sighs blending together.

The tip of the signature pen was about to touch the paper.

"Stop."

A highly penetrating male voice erupted simultaneously through the broadcast speakers in the four corners of the factory area.

Zhang Fugui's hand shook, and the pen tip skidded off the contract.

The captain of the Jiangcheng branch Shadow Guard strode forward, pushing through the crowd. He held a military communication tablet with both hands, bypassed Zhang Fugui, and held it directly in front of the Old Shopkeeper.

In the center of the screen, Chen Fan's face appeared clearly.

"Zhang Fugui," Chen Fan said, his gaze piercing through the screen directly at the other man. "Playing the 'snake swallowing an elephant' game with low-level debt claims—you should take a look at how big your own appetite is."

Zhang Fugui froze in place. He feigned composure and retorted, "Chen Fan! Stop bluffing here. You are far away in the Imperial Capital dealing with a global financial war, unable to even take care of yourself; where would you get the funds to plug the hole of Jiangcheng's physical debts? Can you actually cough up the money for this mess right now?"

Everyone in the venue stared at the tablet. The Old Shopkeeper was incredibly astonished. The high-and-mighty behind-the-scenes controller of the Earth Federation was actually personally intervening in a traditional pharmaceutical factory on the verge of bankruptcy.

Chen Fan completely ignored Zhang Fugui's clamoring. He turned his head and looked at Chen Haoyu in front of the master control console.

"Execute the compensation order," Chen Fan said in a cold tone.

Chen Haoyu pressed the execute key with both hands. The sound of the enter key was crisp.

Thirty seconds later.

In the Tongyuan courtyard, the Old Shopkeeper's phone rang. Immediately afterward, the text message notification sounds of the heads of each pharmaceutical factory rang out one after another.

Chen Fan publicly announced to the holographic camera, "The Federal Bank under the Huihuang Group has fully compensated for all default debts of the twelve time-honored brands. At the same time, the Huihuang Group is officially acquiring all affected pharmaceutical companies at a premium."

The lawyer accompanying Zhang Fugui lowered his head to operate his phone, checking the corporate accounts.

Three seconds later, the lawyer's face drained of color, and he leaned in to whisper rapidly into Zhang Fugui's ear.

Zhang Fugui's face turned pale. A massive amount of funds had flooded in instantly, wiping out all the debts.

Chen Fan's voice continued to spread throughout the venue via the broadcast.

"The acquisition is complete. The twelve century-old prestigious brands will remain untouched. The original management will be fully retained. The Huihuang Group will not lay off a single soldier or worker." Chen Fan issued his final instruction, "Pangu Medical will inject exclusive R&D funds and superconducting purification technology to assist you all in completing the modernization and reshaping of your ancient prescriptions."

As soon as he finished speaking.

The entire venue erupted in earth-shattering cheers. The workers threw their hats high into the air with force.

Zhang Fugui gripped the signature pen, his legs going weak. Amidst the deafening cheers, he turned around, took his bodyguards and lawyer, and slinked into the Mercedes-Benz, backing out and fleeing the courtyard.

The Old Shopkeeper pushed aside the support of the factory managers on either side and straightened his blue cloth gown. He bowed deeply toward the screen.

The workers in the courtyard excitedly embraced one another, celebrating their new life.

The Huihuang Group's move to save traditional medicine turned into countless data streams rushing onto the global network; their social prestige climbed rapidly, and the hearts of the people were completely won over.

Chen Fan watched the pharmaceutical factory reborn in the holographic screen and reached out to press the cutoff button on the panel.

The screen went dark. The offline defense battle in Jiangcheng was declared a perfect conclusion.