Chapter 268: Chapter 203: The Capitalist’s Identity, the Entity Connected by Lines of Interest (2)
Afterward, Jingang stood guard outside Qiao Xi’s director’s office.
No one knew what Liu Xuan and Qiao Xi had discussed inside the office.
The news swept through Alliance City with incredible speed.
This was the first time Qiao Xi, the Neutral Director, had taken a stance on an isolated incident.
Although she hadn’t publicly sided with the Liu Clan, meeting with Liu Xuan at this time all but declared her stance.
The other directors, the major corporations maneuvering behind the Asia Political Zone Advanced Pharmaceutical Enterprise Summit, and even Si Pharmaceutical, all received the news.
A small meeting was quickly convened in Alliance City.
The corporate heads vying to carve up the spoils quickly gathered. Even Si Li personally attended the meeting.
"Why would Director Qiao Xi suddenly get involved in the Liu Clan’s affairs? Hasn’t the council already tacitly agreed to sacrifice the Liu Clan to quell the corporate war in the Asian Political Zone?"
"Director Qiao Xi is backed by the Intercontinental Stability Trauma Emergency Company. If a corporate war were to break out, they would actually stand to gain more."
"Could it be that Director Qiao Xi doesn’t want this to be resolved peacefully? Is that why she’s trying to save the Liu Clan?"
"Not necessarily. We’re in the Asian Political Zone, which is very different from the others. Even if the Liu Clan is saved, or even if they defy the Big Business Alliance’s resolution and threaten war themselves, a real war might not actually break out."
"Here in the Asian Political Zone, mutually assured destruction isn’t so simple. Isn’t that right, Old Si?"
All eyes turned to Si Li.
Their expressions were openly sarcastic.
There aren’t many major pharmaceutical corporations in the Asian Political Zone—only five, including the Si Clan.
The Si Clan had been the most powerful of them all, a position built on both their ability to cultivate S-Class Alchemists and the stable supply chain of Extraordinary Materials the Liu Clan had established for them.
The heads of the other four pharmaceutical giants in attendance had no idea why the Si Clan had fallen out with the Liu Clan, their staunchest ally.
But it had happened, and they didn’t need to know why. All they wanted was to carve out their share of the spoils.
For instance, the Liu Clan’s supply chain, or even Liu’s Heavy Industries itself.
Or the Si Clan’s S-Class Pharmacy Literature—all things they coveted.
"The Si Clan is different."
At that moment, Si Li disdained to say more. ’In Si Pharmaceutical’s heyday, he wouldn’t have given these so-called pharmaceutical giants a second glance.’
’They can’t even cultivate S-Class Pharmaceutical Researchers. Even as major corporations, it’s only a matter of time before they’re obsolete.’
"That’s right, the Si Clan is different. A single word from you, Si Li, and you have the Big Business Alliance believing you can incite a corporate war. Don’t tell me you handed over your S-Class Pharmacy literature?"
"What’s done is done. Let’s stop mocking the Si Clan for now and figure out our next move. Director Qiao Xi is not someone to be trifled with."
"What can we do? Spit out the meat we’ve already got in our mouths? But if Director Qiao Xi’s true goal is a corporate war, then..."
As they spoke, the expressions of the four corporate heads turned cunning as they looked at Si Li.
The implication was obvious. They had all gathered here; they couldn’t let the time and effort go to waste.
If they couldn’t take a bite out of the Liu Clan, well, the Si Clan was a tougher piece of meat, but not one they couldn’t sink their teeth into.
Si Li remained silent, simply letting the four of them stare.
This meeting was doomed to be inconclusive.
The four corporations, for all their posturing as a wolf pack, actually had a very murky understanding of the situation.
They hadn’t even grasped the true nature of the incident.
This wasn’t a power play between major corporations, but a struggle between Intercontinental Influences.
In fact, more than one Intercontinental Giant Corporation was involved.
The Si Clan was merely a pawn.
The final outcome would depend on the power plays at the very top.
Si Li believed that a certain someone at Ninghang Technology was now even more anxious than he was.
This would determine whether Ninghang Technology could become the twelfth Intercontinental Giant Corporation in the Asian Political Zone. In other words, it would decide if Ninghang Technology could truly break free from the Asian Political Zone Big Business Alliance’s control, expand its corporate presence across continents, and make a quantum leap.
...
The events in Alliance City hadn’t spread far yet. At least, they hadn’t affected a certain Tier Four Martial Artist who had traveled all the way to New Reid City, donned a mask, and become a top-tier outlaw.
’Modi Group? What a garbage corporation. No wonder the Eastern Alliance can’t stand them. Even the S-Class Prosthetic Bodies used by their own S-Class Implanters overload and self-destruct.’
’Guang Ling is too damn cautious. He drew up this whole detailed plan just to lure away two of the three S-Class Implanters.’
’The last one saw me and immediately activated that damn bootleg Divine Iron Bull. Son of a bitch, this Cyber City is so damn jinxed!’
Compared to the intricate scheming and backstabbing in Alliance City, Master Ma’s approach in New Reid City was direct and brutal. He’d start a fight over the slightest disagreement.
After all, the Modi Group wasn’t protected by the Eastern Alliance or the Asian Big Business Alliance.
The Cyber City of New Reid was arguably the biggest oddity in the entire Asian Political Zone.
During the last corporate war, the corporation controlling the city had championed a policy of "leaving Asia for Europe." On top of that, the people of this Cyber City had managed to offend far too many major corporations.
As a result, the Cyber City had become a truly lawless zone.
The Modi Group was resilient, though, managing to hold on to this day by maintaining a firm grip on the low-end of the Black Market with its cheap weapons.
As long as there wasn’t major turmoil, the Modi Group’s annual revenue wasn’t actually that much lower than the top corporations in the Asian Political Zone.
But for some reason, Ninghang Technology had chosen them as one of its partners.
Clearly, Ninghang Technology was serious about becoming an Intercontinental Giant Corporation, so much so that they wouldn’t pass up support even from an outlier like the Modi Group.
And that was precisely what gave Master Ma his opportunity.
He traveled a great distance to New Reid City, all on his own.
Following Guang Ling’s plan, he easily dealt with an S-Class Implanter, smashed his way through the Modi Group’s headquarters, and snatched a Ning Xinzi sample right under the nose of the ashen-faced project lead that Ninghang Technology had assigned there.
After leaving New Reid City, Master Ma was just about to contact Guang Ling.
But before he could, he received an email from Capitalist.
Qiao Xi: "After you’ve dealt with the Modi Group, I’m personally inviting you to Alliance City."
"Wizard is also in Alliance City. And according to his intel, that old flame of yours is here too."
Master Ma frowned as he read the email.
That’s right—Master Ma and Capitalist were old acquaintances.
The number of Tier Four Extraordinary Professionals in the Asian Political Zone was limited; you could count them in the double digits.
What’s more, Master Ma was a Martial Artist, which wasn’t a difficult fact for Capitalist to uncover.
With the Highest-Level Mercenary Corps making the introduction, it wasn’t long before Master Ma and Capitalist were formally in contact.
Ever since their first in-person meeting, Master Ma had come to respect her.
She spared no expense.
She had directly boosted Master Ma’s combat power by half a tier and outfitted him with plenty of high-end S-Class gear.
He even had an Immortal Level S-Class Prosthetic Body now.
It was just as Capitalist’s code of conduct dictated: mutual benefit was the only way to build a lasting relationship.
Thus, Capitalist and Master Ma had collaborated on numerous occasions outside of the Mercenary Corps, and both parties had reaped handsome rewards.
As for the matter between Master Ma and Baili Xueyuan, Capitalist had only found out about it during the Greenfield City incident.
Master Ma replied to the email: "Why would the Assassin Alliance’s Blood Robe Faction get involved in Alliance City? Did someone there collude with an Intercontinental Influence? Wait, don’t tell me it’s you."
