“Those guys really are incorrigible, still so overbearing.”

Su Mo rubbed his forehead. He'd seen arrogant people, but never this arrogant.

“They're just being domineering because they're strong. There's nothing you can do about it. It's really troublesome that they're not admitting it now. I heard a lot of people were captured. Those guys are even using the Star Ring Forum to demand exorbitant ransoms in the name of pirates. They say anyone who doesn't pay is tortured to death, and they post the videos of the torture on the Star Ring Forum.”

Tang Yao explained with resentment.

“Has the Federation government responded to this?”

Qiancheng Xue asked after a moment of silence.

“The Federation government has issued a new decree strictly forbidding anyone from paying ransom. Because there's a real chance of war breaking out. Paying ransom to them now would be like giving them weapons, wouldn't it?”

Tang Yao explained hesitantly.

Su Mo rubbed his head, feeling a huge headache coming on. It was hard to catch a break.

......

Half an hour later, Su Mo and the others returned to the company.

Qiancheng Xue said directly, “All senior executives to the conference room immediately for a meeting.”

Although they had managed to escape this time, it didn't mean things were over. The real trouble had just begun.

“Understood.”

Tang Yao responded quickly.

Soon everyone arrived in the conference room.

Qiancheng Xue calmly said to all the sisters present, “I don't think I need to say more about the Blue Whale being hijacked. You should all be very clear about it. All the goods the company was transporting have been lost, but fortunately, most of the people are fine, which is the most gratifying thing for me.”

Tang Yao asked Qiancheng Xue with concern, “Sister Xue, what about the losses? If the Federation investigates, how will we ever be able to compensate?”

“Don’t we have insurance?”

Sun Li said quickly.

Su Mo coughed and said, “Having insurance doesn't make it all better. The entire Blue Whale sank. Not counting the compensation for the casualties, just the goods on board are probably worth at least tens of billions. Do you think any insurance company is so generous that they can cover all of that?”

Hearing what Su Mo said, everyone’s faces turned bitter.

“What do we do then? Won't that mean we're in breach of contract? What if we have to pay liquidated damages?”

Chen Meng asked worriedly.

This was no joke. They had signed a contract with the Federation. If the Federation acted strictly according to the agreement, they would be in trouble.

No matter the reason, if Morning Star Group delayed delivery, they would face enormous liquidated damages.

“Normally, the Federation shouldn't do that. If they did, few companies could bear it. They might all go bankrupt. Besides, the insurance company for the Blue Whale is said to have a very deep background. Even if they can't cover everything, they should compensate part of it. I'll handle this matter.”

Qiancheng Xue comforted everyone.

“But even if the Federation doesn't pursue it, our group's funds are running out. How are we going to operate next?”

Tang Yao said worriedly.

“I'll think of something. Zhao Han, you'll be responsible for the treatment of the injured sisters and for providing psychological counseling to all the sisters who were frightened.”

“Okay.”

“Thank you all for your hard work during this time. That’s all for the meeting.”

Qiancheng Xue replied calmly.

“Okay.”

Everyone got up and left.

Qiancheng Xue rubbed her forehead, feeling a little tired. Everything had been going wrong lately.

Su Mo walked over and sat down beside Qiancheng Xue, smiling as he said, “Worried about the money?”

“No, I can handle it. Don't worry.”

Qiancheng Xue gave Su Mo a faint smile.

“Okay, but if you really can't handle it, don't carry it all alone. I'm here too.”

Su Mo didn't say much. Everyone had their own pride.

“Okay! You should go and rest too. Thank you for your hard work during this time.”

“Okay.”

Su Mo then left the conference room.

After Su Mo left, Qiancheng Xue picked up her phone, took a deep breath, and began to contact the Morkos Insurance Company of the Goga Republic.

Although she knew the hope was slim, she still had to try.

Unfortunately, the reality was cruel. Qiancheng Xue made dozens of long-distance calls, but no one answered.

Qiancheng Xue tried searching for the company's current situation on the Star Ring City forum and instantly, thousands of the latest updates popped up.

More than 100,000 people had surrounded the Morkos Insurance Company building in Star Ring City, and the entire building was completely blocked off.

At the same time, a large number of soldiers had arrived at the scene to maintain order.

Morkos Insurance Company was one of the oldest capital giants in the Goga Republic. It had a very long history, and it not only underwrote the insurance for the Blue Whale, but also underwrote the insurance and wealth management for a large number of enterprises and people within the Goga Republic.

Therefore, if this company was severely damaged, it would also be a huge blow to the Goga Republic.

Qiancheng Xue continued to browse the relevant information, and the more she read, the dimmer her expression became.

“Morkos Company CEO, Kerngie, committed suicide by jumping off a building yesterday!”

“Morkos Company shareholder, Galu, committed suicide by poisoning two days ago!”

“The head of financial affairs at the Central Bank of the Goga Republic, Dicko, suddenly died of a heart attack!”

.......

In just over ten days, more than 132 senior officials, dignitaries, elites, and others had died subjectively or accidentally.

Most importantly, an insider secretly revealed that the Morkos Group was secretly filing for bankruptcy and preparing to liquidate its assets. All the assets would be used to pay off outstanding employee wages, loans, debts, compensation, and so on.

Qiancheng Xue rubbed her forehead. The fall of the Blue Whale was like a chain-locked bomb, and its subsequent side effects were beginning to emerge.

She took a deep breath, basically confirming that there was no hope. She didn't know how long it would take for Morkos to complete the bankruptcy liquidation process, and she didn't know how much compensation she would be able to get by then.

So Qiancheng Xue reorganized her thoughts and called the credit manager of the Federal Bank to see if she could borrow some money.

......

A few days later, Su Mo entered Qiancheng Xue's office with a meal.

He saw Qiancheng Xue communicating with someone.

“Vice Minister Zhao, I understand the situation you’re describing very well, but you also have to consider the current situation of our group. It’s not that I’m unwilling, but there’s just absolutely nothing I can do...”

......

After a long time, Qiancheng Xue sighed and hung up the phone.

At this time, Su Mo pushed the meal in front of Qiancheng Xue and said with a smile.

“Eat something.”

“Yeah, you probably haven't eaten either, let’s eat together.”

Qiancheng Xue looked up at Su Mo and replied with a smile.

“Okay, did you encounter any trouble on the phone just now?”

Su Mo sat down and had a meal with Qiancheng Xue.

Qiancheng Xue didn't hide anything from Su Mo. She said to him, “The Federation’s latest policy has been released. Because this was a group of irresistible factors that led to the breakdown of the procurement contract, the Federation decided to be lenient. They won’t pursue our liability for breach of contract, and we don’t need to refund the advance payment either.”