Professor Parkinson slowly sat back down, his anger receding from his face. He then naturally forced a smile and said, "Mr. Bick, I apologize for my earlier outburst. Please forgive an old man. As I age, I tend to lose control sometimes!"
"Professor, you don't need to say anything more. I understand perfectly. You are my boss, and your word is law. I have no complaints whatsoever!" Bick said intelligently, and the two immediately reverted to their former affectionate father-son demeanor.
Professor Parkinson was certainly not the type to readily admit fault. However, he suddenly realized that Bick had been fully aware of the situation from the very beginning. Bick had likely seen through all of Jiangnan Group's strategies.
This man was an unparalleled business genius, and the burden of dealing with Jiangnan Group might very well fall upon his shoulders in the future. After all, Professor Parkinson would be turning eighty in two years, and he wouldn't be able to hold the position of CEO of Gold Sachs for much longer. The future ultimately belonged to capable young people. After all, it was through the hard work of these intelligent individuals that his family could continue to acquire immense wealth from the company.
"Professor, you don't need to worry too much. As long as this pipeline is built on American soil, everything will remain firmly under our control. No matter how many tricks Jiangnan Group has, they'll be like catching fish in a barrel!" Bick continued. "Actually, I believe that allowing Jiangnan Group to proceed with construction, while letting them have a fleeting moment of triumph, will ultimately result in us gaining the greater profit in the long run!"
"What do you mean?" Professor Parkinson asked eagerly.
"Firstly, even though all the necessary procedures have been approved, it's still quite simple to manipulate this pipeline. We just need the legislative bodies to enact a few more restrictive laws."
"Once relevant laws are in place, we'll have new ways to put the squeeze on them. It will merely involve a bit more paperwork!" Bick chuckled.
"Exactly!" Professor Parkinson nodded, a smile returning to his face. Right, if the procedures were gone, they could always be reinstated. How had he not thought of this? It seemed he had been too soft.
"And we haven't sold the shares of the United Super Vacuum Pipeline Railway Company of America yet, have we? If they really intend to build it, then we'll change our approach. We'll keep the shares of the United Super Vacuum Pipeline Railway Company of America in our hands and, at the same time, take advantage of the current low prices to acquire them in large quantities!"
"As long as Huang He actually builds a portion of the pipeline, the United Super Vacuum Pipeline Railway Company of America will immediately rebound to its previous valuation of 60 trillion US dollars. This investment will then yield tens of thousands of times its return. Isn't that fantastic?" Bick asked with a smile.
"Yes!" Professor Parkinson nodded again. Indeed, it was incredibly fantastic!
"And you mustn't forget, Professor, we still have the National Security Act! Lastly, once the pipeline is completely built, we can immediately invoke the National Security Act, declaring this major artery that runs north-south to be a pipeline that seriously threatens national security. It must be opened to more shareholders and cannot be controlled by a single enterprise!"
"At that point, with just a few words, we can strip Jiangnan Group of their controlling stake in the entire company and consolidate power firmly into our own hands. This would be equivalent to Jiangnan Group working for us for free. They would toil diligently for over a decade, only to have all the rights and control seized by us in the end. Wouldn't that be splendid?" Bick said with a final grin.
"..." Professor Parkinson was speechless at this point. He was even worried about what would happen if Huang He didn't choose the second path. Thus, he finally asked with a hint of hesitation, "Between the two paths, which one do you think Huang He will choose?"
"That will depend on what happens after the market opens tomorrow!" Bick mused for a moment. "If the stock price rises very slowly after the market opens tomorrow, or even fails to return to a market capitalization of 300 billion US dollars, it would indicate that the American public is not optimistic about the company's prospects and future. In that case, Huang He is likely to choose the first path, which is to drag out the process."
"But if tomorrow's market experiences a surge, even breaking through the 500 billion US dollar market capitalization mark, it would mean that our people have forgotten their past troubles and have regained confidence in the United Super Vacuum Pipeline Railway Company of America. This also implies that when the United Super Vacuum Pipeline Railway Company of America continues to issue new shares, our citizens will be willing to pour more of their hard-earned money into Huang He's hands, giving Huang He the confidence to choose the second path!"
"So, everything hinges on tomorrow's stock market fluctuations. That's my personal prediction!" Bick concluded.
"Good!" Professor Parkinson nodded and then said, "Bick, you are currently in charge of Lockheed Martin's business in India, correct?"
"Yes, Professor!" Bick quickly nodded.
"Excellent. Then let's wait and see. If Huang He acts according to your prediction, then I won't let your talents be wasted managing the Indian market. I will directly transfer you to headquarters and make you a Vice President specifically responsible for matters concerning the United Super Vacuum Pipeline Railway Company of America!" Professor Parkinson said calmly.
"Thank you, Professor. I swear by God that I will live up to your cultivation!" Bick said excitedly.
—
"Boss, have you really decided to build the pipeline in the United States?" Little Swift asked softly, sitting beside Huang He.
At this moment, Boss Huang was diligently assembling a model. It was a recently released, large, red mecha from a manufacturer called Da Ban. Although it was clearly a product pirated from Bandai, its good quality and a price tag that was only 1/5 of Bandai's made it an instant hit in the model kit community. Boss Huang had gone to great lengths to get a box and was now happily assembling it, not even looking at Little Swift or acknowledging him.
Only after a part of the model he was holding was assembled did Huang He casually say, "I originally just wanted to profit a little, but I didn't expect them to give me such a big, even bigger benefit, and even proactively resolve all potential obstacles for us. So, why wouldn't I build it?"
"But those guys hold significant power. If they want to make things difficult for us, they'll have plenty of ways to do so later. I'm worried..."
"It's fine. Anyway, I don't plan to use our own money. If it gets snatched away in the end, we'll have already profited enough!" Huang He chuckled. "By the way, I remember the US stock market has opened. Help me check our company's total market capitalization."
"Alright!" Little Swift nodded, then pulled out his terminal and, after a moment of operation, exclaimed in surprise, "My God! It's only been two minutes since the market opened, and the total market capitalization has already returned to 150 billion US dollars. Nearly doubled in two minutes, it's terrifying!"
"Not enough!" Huang He shook his head. Little Swift helplessly continued to watch.
Then, in just another three minutes, Little Swift cried out in amazement again, because the total market capitalization had already surpassed 200 billion US dollars. This was followed by 300 billion, and then 400 billion.
It wasn't until the 38th minute after the market opened that Little Swift couldn't help but exclaim, "It's 500 billion US dollars! It has returned to the 500 billion US dollar market cap!"
"Still a bit short!" Boss Huang put down the part he was holding and said after a moment of hesitation.
"Boss, what exactly is the threshold you're aiming for?" Little Swift couldn't help but ask. Huang He didn't answer, but instead resumed assembling the model. Little Swift, resigned, continued to act as the announcer.
One hour and thirty-two minutes later, the total market capitalization returned to 600 billion US dollars. However, the entire stock market then experienced a violent fluctuation. According to trading data, a large number of shares were being sold in batches, listed for sale.
"Those guys finally couldn't hold back. Seeing 600 billion US dollars, they want to retreat. They are selling their shares in large quantities, and the stock price might be pushed down again!" Little Swift said nervously.
As Little Swift had feared, with the emergence of a large number of short orders, market panic began to intensify. Many people who had just bought stocks also started selling them amidst this situation. Consequently, the stock price of the United Super Vacuum Pipeline Railway Company of America began to decline at a visible rate, quickly returning to a market capitalization of around 400 billion US dollars, even briefly approaching 300 billion US dollars.
However, at this very moment, Little Swift was astonished to discover another force emerging in the market, aggressively absorbing the shares being sold and stabilizing the market capitalization of the United Super Vacuum Pipeline Railway Company of America.
"Who is it, entering the market at this time? Such boldness!" Little Swift was himself quite surprised.
"It's a truly intelligent person. Enough of the act. Invest all the funds you have. With 666.6 billion US dollars as the total limit, as long as the total market capitalization does not exceed this price, you will buy stocks indefinitely!" Boss Huang finally commanded, and then the model in his hands made a crisp snapping sound as a connecting piece was broken off.