152: Chapter 152 Mutual Destruction

"Activate the special acquisition funds immediately. You will lead the team personally and take full responsibility for liaising with Wantai Real Estate's asset disposal department and all shareholders."

Jiang Chen tapped his fingertips lightly on the desk, his tone calm but carrying an unquestionable sense of control.

"The permanent operating rights for shops in the ten core business districts and one hundred percent equity in Wantai Commercial Management—take both assets. Not a single thing is to be missed."

"All contract signings, asset transfers, and equity changes must be completed within today. Block all news of the acquisition throughout the process; no external capital is allowed to interfere."

"Under no circumstances should the people at Wantai perceive our true acquisition intentions. Let them think it's just ordinary capital taking over for a cash-out."

On the other end of the phone, Shen Xi had already begun retrieving data simultaneously. Her response was crisp and efficient, without a single word of redundant confirmation.

"Rest assured, President Jiang. I will lead the team and depart immediately. The special task force will interface directly with all parties at Wantai. We will negotiate based on the quote you provided and will not increase the price. All settlements will be completed today without any mistakes."

"Mhm, I'll leave the follow-up entirely to you," Jiang Chen instructed indifferently before hanging up.

He placed his phone on the desk and leaned back into his chair, his fingertips slowly stroking the edge of the phone, his eyes filled with a deep calm.

Wantai Real Estate's fall to its current state was rooted in its own blind expansion and frantic borrowing; it had no direct connection to him.

He had merely identified the market gaps with precision and, as Wantai struggled in its death throes, cleanly harvested the high-quality assets it was discarding.

In the capital market, the law of the jungle was the iron rule.

He was simply following the trend to harvest the returns he deserved, without any psychological burden.

Now, he only needed to maintain the rhythm and wait for Shen Xi to complete the process, and for that 62 million in profit to be safely pocketed.

Wait for the renovation of the Chenxing Capital headquarters to be finished and for it to officially open.

From that point on, his business blueprint would truly begin to unfold.

To him, the slaughter of the capital markets was already a matter of strategic planning, entirely within his control.

Meanwhile, in the Chairman's office of Wantai Real Estate, which was piled high with debt collection documents, it was a different scene entirely.

Dead silence and despair hung in the air like a sealed, dried-up well.

Zhou Wanquan, the Chairman of Wantai who once commanded the wind and clouds, seemed to have had his entire spirit drained in just half a month, suddenly aging by over a decade.

The frost-white hair at his temples was jarring, the wrinkles on his forehead were as deep as knife carves, his eyes were bloodshot, and his eyelids were puffy and dark.

His once-sharp bespoke suit was crumpled on his body, the collar askew, the cuffs frayed, and his tie hung loosely on his chest like some sort of defeated flag.

He sat hunched in a worn-out leather chair with peeling skin, his entire being exuding a sense of dejection and deathly stillness from being utterly crushed by reality, without a trace of his former glory.

On the desk, a mountain of documents was piled up: high-interest penalty notices from banks, asset seizure notices from the courts, joint rights protection letters from suppliers, and work stoppage notices from construction parties.

Every document was a death warrant, the dense black print weighing down so heavily it was hard to breathe.

The ashtray was stuffed with twisted cigarette butts, and the air was thick with the choking smell of smoke and damp mold, making the word 'destitute' tangible in every inch of the room.

Zhou Wanquan sat paralyzed, his hand tightly clutching a long-voided asset self-rescue list, his knuckles turning pale from the force.

The unwillingness and anxiety in his eyes had long since been boiled dry by time, leaving only pure despair and a world-destroying hatred that grew frantically from the depths of that despair.

He stared fixedly at the gray skyline outside the window, gritting his teeth as he squeezed those words from his throat: "Jiang Chen... Jiang Chen!"

Wantai reaching this dead end was never the result of Jiang Chen directly suppressing them.

He had been possessed by greed, frantically borrowing to bet on overseas cultural tourism projects. His funds were completely tied up, and just as domestic debts came due, it triggered this systemic collapse.

It was entirely a case of reaping what he had sown.

Yet even when the crisis first appeared, Zhou Wanquan had still relied on his years of local influence to be arrogant, overbearing, and dismissive of others.

He had learned that Jiang Chen held those fifteen demolition shops in the Old City District.

Those were perhaps the only life-saving assets that could have allowed him to turn things around.

He had never thought about fair negotiation.

He had used crooked schemes, intending to use his connections and power to pressure Jiang Chen into a low-price transfer, grabbing the life-saving chips for himself without any effort.

He had immediately dispatched his trusted subordinates, intending to use threats and bribes to forcibly take the shops.

But he never expected that the men he had carefully arranged would be handled entirely by a single man by Jiang Chen's side named Lu Zheng.

Not only did he fail to harm Jiang Chen in the slightest, but he also alerted the enemy, completely cutting off his last chance to access the shops.

By the time he snapped out of it and wanted to make amends, Jiang Chen gave him no time at all. Relying on the confidence provided by Wealth Intelligence, Jiang Chen continuously accumulated funds, which turned into solid backing for his subsequent capital layouts.

Even the smallest gap for negotiation was completely blocked off for him.

What made it even harder for him to swallow was that just a while ago, the newly established Chenxing Capital under Jiang Chen's name had quietly acquired three entire floors of office space in the Wantai headquarters building.

The blade had precisely sliced into the core asset heartland of Wantai.

And now, that blade was very likely to fall even further.

Directly harvesting Wantai's last remaining operating rights and commercial management equity, completely cutting off Wantai's final breath.

Bank debt collections, court seizures, creditors surrounding the building, employees resigning.

All paths were blocked.

Zhou Wanquan was powerless to change the situation. Wantai Real Estate's bankruptcy liquidation was a foregone conclusion, with no possibility of a comeback.

Half a lifetime of hard work, destroyed in an instant.

From the high-spirited Chairman of Wantai Real Estate to a stray dog that everyone avoided.

The arrogance when trying to seize the shops, the frustration when the plan failed, and the despair of being at a dead end.

These three emotions twisted into a red-hot iron chain in his chest, crushing his last shred of reason into powder before being completely swallowed by a torrential hatred.

He couldn't save Wantai, and he couldn't turn things around.

Even his last bit of dignity had been ground into dust.

However.

Since it had come to this.

Then there was no need to care about anything anymore.

If he couldn't live, Jiang Chen shouldn't think he could smoothly harvest the fruits of victory!

Why should Jiang Chen be the one to reap the benefits?

Why should he expand his business empire by stepping on his Wantai?

Zhou Wanquan suddenly clenched his fists, his nails sinking deep into his palms, unaware even as blood began to seep out.

A frantic desire to go down fighting surged in his eyes, and a shrill, hideous smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

He had nothing now.

He was no longer afraid of anything.

Even if he were smashed to pieces, he would drag Jiang Chen down with him.

Even if he couldn't destroy Jiang Chen's capital layout, he would make him pay a price and ensure he had no peace!

He reached out with trembling hands, picked up the phone that had long since run out of power, and haphazardly plugged in the charger.

The moment the screen lit up, his eyes suddenly became frantic and obsessive.

He began to frantically search through his contacts for any connections he could still use, his mind filled with only one thought.

Going down together.

Jiang Chen, you want to swallow Wantai's assets peacefully?

It won't be that easy.

Even if I am completely finished, I will take you down with me. I'll never let things be easy for you.

Clinging to the obsession of mutual destruction, Zhou Wanquan stared fixedly at the lit-up phone screen, a final spark of madness erupting in his cloudy eyes.

He took a deep breath, forcing himself to suppress the venom and hostility in his heart.

His former bossy and high-and-mighty posture was gone, replaced by a humble and fawning expression squeezed onto his face.

His fingertips trembled as he opened his contacts, searching for those connections he used to look down upon but who now held resources.

These people were either business peers or old acquaintances in relevant departments.

Back when he was in his prime, they had all crowded around him with flattery, desperate to forge a connection.

He was certain that even if he was down and out now, he could always win over one or two helpers. Even if they couldn't topple Jiang Chen, they could still cause him massive trouble.

The first person he called was a local boss in the building materials business. Back then, this man had made his fortune through Wantai's supply orders and had always been extremely respectful to him.

As soon as the call connected, Zhou Wanquan immediately lowered his posture, his voice fawning and hoarse: "President Wang, it's me, Zhou Wanquan... I have something I'd like to ask your help with, we..."

"Zhou Wanquan?"

The man's tone on the other end of the phone instantly became contemptuous. Before he could finish, the man interrupted, his voice full of undisguised mockery.

"Oh, I was wondering who it was. So it's Chairman Zhou of Wantai? What, now that you've become a stray dog, you still have the face to call me?"

"When you were in your prime, you didn't exactly go easy on me. Now that you're bankrupt, you remember to ask for my help? Let me tell you, not a chance! I wouldn't dare touch a mess like you, lest I get dirty myself. Good luck to you!"

With those words, the call was hung up, leaving only the cold dial tone in the receiver.

The fawning expression on Zhou Wanquan's face froze instantly. The hand holding the phone wouldn't stop shaking. He was trembling with rage, yet he didn't dare lash out. He could only grit his teeth, the hatred in his eyes deepening.

Unwilling to give up, he dialed a second and third number. Those so-called 'friends' and 'partners' who used to revolve around him had all changed their faces now.

Some hung up immediately and blocked him; some were cold, stating they weren't close and telling him not to harass them again; some even mocked him to his face, their words cutting like knives.

"President Zhou, everyone knows Wantai is finished. You're just a fallen phoenix who's worse than a chicken now, and you want me to help you? Don't make me laugh!"

"When you were being arrogant and overbearing, you suppressed us plenty. Falling to this state now is exactly what you deserve. I'm being nice just by not kicking you while you're down!"

"Help you? I don't want to get involved in court seizures and debt collectors. You made this mess, you deal with it!"

One cold and biting sentence after another smashed into Zhou Wanquan's heart through the receiver.

He made countless calls, going from low-voiced pleading and various forms of begging to eventual numbness and rigidity, the color draining from his face bit by bit.

He finally understood that connections and friendships were worth absolutely nothing in the face of absolute interests and crisis.

He was no longer the Chairman of Wantai who could command the wind and rain.

Now, he was just a stray dog that everyone avoided and mocked, abandoned by all, unable to grasp even a single life-saving straw.

After the last call was hung up, Zhou Wanquan could no longer hold on. He suddenly slammed his phone hard onto the floor; it shattered instantly, the screen going pitch black.

He let out a shrill and desperate roar, clutching his hair with both hands and slamming his forehead hard against the cold desk, making a dull thud.

"Why... why is everyone bullying me! Jiang Chen! And you bunch of opportunistic villains! I hate you! I won't let you go even as a ghost!"

Despair, hatred, humiliation, and resentment—all his emotions erupted completely.

He slumped in his chair, tears streaming down his face, looking like a madman, but he no longer had any strength left to resist, leaving only boundless silence and despair.

Meanwhile, on the other side, the office of the Municipal Criminal Investigation Detachment was brightly lit.

Leng Yue, dressed in her police uniform, stood tall with a cold and stern expression.

She sat at her desk, which was covered with various documents and evidence files. Her fingertips lightly tapped the desk as her sharp eyes stared at the investigation materials before her.

Ever since she had assisted Jiang Chen with the wanted criminal reward and encountered the economic investigation case related to Wantai Real Estate...

She had relied on her professional intuition to quietly launch a background investigation into Zhou Wanquan.

Following the clues to dig deeper, old cases from years ago and shocking pieces of evidence gradually surfaced.

Leng Yue picked up the pieces of evidence, her brow furrowing, a cold glint flashing in her eyes.

Years ago, when Zhou Wanquan had just entered the real estate industry, he had colluded with local underworld forces to seize core plots of land.

He had used illegal means such as violent threats, intimidation, and even intentional destruction to force original shopkeepers and residents to relocate.

This had caused multiple incidents of personal injury, which he then used his connections to suppress, forging evidence and shielding the culprits.

In the subsequent development of his enterprise, he was involved in multiple criminal acts, including tax evasion, fraudulent bidding, commercial bribery, embezzlement of public funds, and illegal seizure of others' assets.

To monopolize the local real estate market, he had repeatedly instructed his subordinates to commit acts of provocation, extortion, and malicious suppression of competitors.

His hands were stained with many illegal acts, causing countless families to become homeless and businesses to lose everything.

These crimes had been covered up for years by Zhou Wanquan through layers of connections and forged documents.

With the collapse of the Wantai Group and the dispersal of his associates, the clues, witnesses, and physical evidence were finally verified one by one by Leng Yue, forming a complete chain of evidence.

Leng Yue picked up a pen and solemnly signed her name on the file. With a determined gaze and a cold tone, she spoke to the colleague beside her.

"All evidence has been verified. Zhou Wanquan is suspected of organizing and leading underworld forces, intentional injury, commercial fraud, tax evasion, and multiple other crimes. Apply for an arrest warrant immediately and apprehend Zhou Wanquan. We must not let him remain at large!"

She had already discovered that Zhou Wanquan's previous harassment of Jiang Chen was also a continuation of his illegal activities.

Now that the other party was desperate enough to try to take others down with him, he was very likely to do something extreme. He had to be controlled immediately to eliminate all hidden dangers.