The entire Yahoo company was thrown into sudden chaos. They seemed utterly unaware of what was happening. Jerry Yang made several calls, receiving various pieces of information, but none could be pieced together into a coherent, explanatory answer.
It wasn't until that afternoon that a senior executive finally saw the email stating that all of Google's server data had been wiped. Only then did the outline of the entire situation begin to emerge.
"Google actually acquired a large number of servers, completed the data transfer, and severed ties with us directly!" Seeing the final intelligence summary, Jerry Yang found it hard to believe the outcome.
Why? Why did Google dare to fall out with him?
How did they transfer all the data? Where did they get the servers from?
Countless beads of sweat broke out on Jerry Yang's forehead, not from fear, but from anger. He immediately dialed Larry Page's number and launched into a furious tirade.
He cursed Larry Page for being ungrateful, for daring to betray him, for being untrustworthy, and for the certain doom of Larry Page and Google.
Faced with Jerry Yang's scolding, Larry Page remained remarkably calm. In fact, Larry Page's face was beaming with a smile. The more fiercely Jerry Yang cursed, the happier Larry Page became, as if his mind were not entirely sound.
Of course, upon closer reflection, Jerry Yang's anger meant that the plan to toy with and retaliate against Yahoo had been a resounding success. Larry Page's satisfaction only grew; it would be a miracle if he were upset.
"Are you finished?" Larry Page spoke when Jerry Yang ran out of breath. "Mr. Yang, it is precisely because I know what is good for me that I have done this."
"As for betraying Yahoo, that's a laughable assertion. I don't know who threatened us first using the data we were temporarily holding. Who betrayed whom first? This is something even a fool could figure out!"
"As for me being untrustworthy, that's even more of a joke. I never agreed to Yahoo acquiring Google from the start. All of this was merely in negotiation. Without a signed agreement, there's no breach of trust!"
"Ultimately, whether Larry Page and Google live or die is not for you to decide. The users and the market will determine that in time!" Larry Page retorted to every word Jerry Yang had said without politeness.
At this point, having vented all his anger, Jerry Yang also calmed down a little and felt a pang of regret. Why had he lost his composure just now? He had inadvertently made a spectacle of himself for his opponent.
However, Jerry Yang understood even better that it would be best to acquire Google. So, Jerry Yang said, "Mr. Page, I can agree to your offer yesterday, 3.9 billion dollars… no, 4 billion dollars. Yahoo will acquire Google for 4 billion dollars!"
Jerry Yang was still capable. After calming down, he quickly adjusted his strategy and re-offered, especially since his most significant bargaining chip had vanished.
"Heh heh!" Larry Page let out a couple of cold laughs at Jerry Yang's offer.
"4.5 billion dollars, that's my sincere offer!" Jerry Yang added another five hundred million dollars in one go.
"Mr. Yang, you don't need to do this. Not only does Google have no intention of selling now, but even if we did, we would never sell to Yahoo. I have my pride!" Larry Page said coldly.
"Very good!" Jerry Yang nodded. This response was within his expectations. His offer was merely a last-ditch effort to salvage the situation.
"Since Mr. Page has made up his mind, I assume you are prepared for a war with Yahoo!" Jerry Yang said sternly. "Mr. Page, I guarantee you that I will completely erase Google from the internet!"
"I look forward to that day!" Larry Page said calmly. "If there's nothing else, I'll hang up now."
"Wait, I have one more question for you!" Jerry Yang suddenly said.
"Please ask."
"Where did your servers come from? Which company lent you their server resources? Was it Apple? Or Microsoft, Cisco, Dell, HP Compaq, or perhaps Amazon, eBay?" Jerry Yang rattled off over a dozen names. These were all giants in the current American internet industry who possessed vast server resources and could lease them to Google.
Yes, Jerry Yang was now certain that Google's suddenly acquired server resources must have been leased or lent to Google by other enterprises.
The reason was simple: Yahoo and Google had a falling out only twenty days ago. Before that, their relationship had been exceptionally close. Jerry Yang knew Google inside and out and was aware that they had no surplus servers. This was also why Jerry Yang had suddenly decided to acquire Google.
Yet, in just over twenty days, Google had transferred all its data. Was it possible for Google to purchase, transport, install, debug, and then transfer data within twenty days?
Impossible. This was absolutely impossible. Therefore, the only possibility was that Larry Page had found a helper who possessed a large number of idle server resources and acted as a successor for Google's data.
And this successor must be an American network enterprise, as the internet in countries other than the United States in the Americas was still in a relatively primitive stage of development, making them incapable of taking over such a task.
European network enterprises were a possibility, but the transatlantic cable connecting the Americas and Europe meant that transferring data through it would take at least two to three months.
Furthermore, according to the latest information from his backend, the data anomalies began six days ago. This meant that the other party had transferred all the data in just six days. Only top-tier storage servers from American domestic network enterprises could achieve such efficiency.
Jerry Yang was extremely eager to know who dared to secretly sabotage Yahoo and interfere in his competition with Google. Yahoo intended to crush them both completely!
Well, Microsoft was an exception. Yahoo couldn't crush Microsoft, and it would be good enough if Microsoft didn't crush Yahoo. Jerry Yang prayed that Larry Page wouldn't mention Microsoft's name, as that would put him in an awkward position.
Unexpectedly, when Larry Page heard his words, he couldn't help but laugh. "Leased? Mr. Yang, you actually think I leased them. Would Google make the same mistake again and hand over its fate to others?"
"No, absolutely not. These servers were purchased by us; they are Google's own property. We don't need to lease servers from anyone!" Larry Page stated.
"You purchased them? That's impossible. You're lying to me. You didn't have enough time. Where did you get..." Jerry Yang's words caught in his throat because he heard another voice from the phone, speaking in Chinese, a language he both knew and didn't know well.
"Old Yang, it's me, Old Huang!" the voice said cheerfully.
"Old Huang?" Jerry Yang was stunned for a moment, then a figure instantly flashed in his mind, and he exclaimed, "Huang He, is that you?"
"Indeed, it is me!" Huang He chuckled. "Ah, Old Yang, to be frank, your invitation to the shooting range last time was thoroughly enjoyable. How about I treat you this time? Still at the same club, shall we have a few shots?"
"Huang He, did you sell your servers to Google?" Although Huang He didn't mention servers at all, Jerry Yang, being a shrewd individual, immediately understood that all of Google's servers were sold to him by Jiangnan Group.
"It was me!" Huang He chuckled again.
"You have quite the nerve!" Jerry Yang thundered.
"Ah, Old Yang, you're saying that all wrong. I'm a server seller; whoever places an order, I sell servers to them. Mr. Page specifically sought me out and sincerely wanted to buy my servers. As a businessman, how could I refuse him?" Huang He said cheerfully.
"You..." Jerry Yang was speechless.
"Oh, right, there's something I must thank you for. That is, thank you for rejecting our bid. So, the first batch of servers we transported in advance for the bid can be resold to Google at the fastest speed. After Google placed their order, we delivered the goods in just one day."
"So, Mr. Page is very grateful to me and has indicated that all of Google's future server orders will be procured from our Jiangnan Group. I truly have to thank Old Yang. It was Old Yang who helped us find such a stable customer. The entire Jiangnan Group is grateful to you..."
Before he could finish speaking, Jerry Yang hung up the phone. He was about to explode.
Fortunately, Jerry Yang was not prone to explosive outbursts. Even in his extreme anger, he wouldn't resort to looting like some individuals; instead, he roared a few times in his office before finally quieting down.
Now, the matter was completely clear. Larry Page had indeed acquired a large number of storage servers from Huang He. After all, given Google's previous financial situation, they could likely only afford servers made in mainland China.
So, if he hadn't rejected Jiangnan Group's bid back then, and instead given Jiangnan Group a symbolic order of tens of millions of dollars, could he have acquired that batch of storage servers from Jiangnan Group in advance? Then Google wouldn't have been able to build its own server room at all?
Some things in this world are frightening precisely because they can be pondered. And they are even more frightening when pondered clearly. Once understood, one realizes it would have been better not to ponder at all.