Chapter 360 Shock
This made Situ Feng and Gongsun Lian look very uneasy. They had made a promise before they came, thinking that everything would go smoothly. But now that Gu Tengkong had messed things up, it was hard to say whether Jiang Bai would agree or not.
If two people can be happy like this, then something strange is going to happen.
"Gu Tengkong! What do you mean! We keep to ourselves and your Divine Group, what are you trying to do by causing trouble like this!" Situ Feng was no longer polite, coldly staring at Gu Tengkong.
Jiang Bai was also very curious about this. He sat there motionless, sipping his wine and looking at Gu Tengkong in front of him, waiting for his answer.
The people in the group came to invite him, so what about him?
Surely they didn't come here specifically to cause trouble.
"Me? I'm here to invite Brother Jiang Bai. Brother Jiang Bai... I'm now inviting you to join us on behalf of our Divine Group. If you agree, you'll immediately receive the rank of Second-Level Police Inspector. From now on, you'll be one of us. You'll be at our beck and call, not call. The Divine Group won't bother you unless necessary. You just need to lend a hand when needed!"
Gu Tengkong chuckled and then said this to Jiang Bai in a polite and unhurried tone, and the terms were clearly better than those of the other group.
A lieutenant colonel sounds impressive, but in real life, he's definitely not as practical as a second-level police superintendent.
It should be noted that Cheng Tiangang was only a first-level police inspector before, and was only recently promoted to deputy chief inspector.
This clearly demonstrates the high value of the Second-Level Police Inspector title.
Moreover, he only listens to orders, not orders. This means he doesn't have to listen to their random commands or stay there. He can do whatever he wants. He only needs to contact Jiang Bai when there is a mission. He seems much more reliable than that vague lieutenant colonel from before.
For a moment, Jiang Bai was actually tempted.
However, he was not a reckless person, nor was he the naive young man he once was. In the past year, Jiang Bai had made a name for himself and met countless important figures. He was no longer the ignorant young man he once was and would not easily express his opinion.
Before he could speak, Situ Feng, who was on the other side, had already become impatient. He stepped forward, narrowed his eyes, and with a "whoosh," drew a soft sword from his waist, held it horizontally in front of his chest, and twirled it as he said, "Gu Tengkong, what do you want to do? Do you intend to break our previous agreement? If so, then ask this 'Lingfeng Sword' in my hand if it agrees!"
"Oh, so you even got the Lingfeng Sword from the Situ family? Looks like your brother won't be far from inheriting the position of family head. But who are you trying to scare? Don't even mention you, Situ Feng, even if Situ Kuangren from your Situ family came, I wouldn't be afraid of him! If you want to fight, I'll take on both of you by myself!"
Gu Tengkong was no pushover either. He sneered and stood there, showing no sign of weakness.
However, these words were only spoken briefly, and the tense atmosphere lasted less than ten seconds before Gu Tengkong's expression changed, replaced by a smile as he said, "I naturally wouldn't dare to break the rules established between our two families. Those were set by the old men and have been followed for so many years. Even if I, Gu Tengkong, were a bastard, I wouldn't be so ungrateful. Besides, do you really think my power is so great that I can appoint a second-level police superintendent at will?"
"What do you mean! What tricks are you trying to pull!"
Gongsun Lan spoke angrily, not understanding what Gu Tengkong meant by those words.
"It's simple. This was ordered from above. I was just doing the work. As for the reason... Brother Jiang Bai, I heard you were shot yesterday? Tsk tsk, a hail of bullets, and it seems you were even hit by an armor-piercing round?"
Gu Tengkong said with a smile, glancing at Jiang Bai with a half-smile.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Bai's expression immediately changed. Gone was his previous ease; instead, he was filled with fear. How did Gu Tengkong know about this?
It's true that Jiang Bai has "super recovery," but no one should know about it. Jiang Bai also confirmed yesterday that no one was nearby.
It's not surprising that the members of the Human Group came. They know Cheng Tiangang and probably have their own informants. It's not surprising that they know about Jiang Bai's battle with the Seraphim and the killing of Alloy.
But how did Gu Tengkong know about his injury?
Most importantly, he was clearly not talking about his injury, but about something else... such as his recovery.
"What do you want to say?" Jiang Bai asked noncommittally.
"Would you be willing to let these two people see your wound? Or perhaps there isn't actually a wound at all, since it has already healed?"
Gu Tengkong chuckled, which made Jiang Bai's expression turn solemn. This God Group had actually reached such an all-pervasive level.
They knew about my injury and recovery?
Is there anything they don't know?
I haven't told anyone about this. At most, Xiao Tian and a few others might have seen it, but they shouldn't know that I've recovered. This is just too shocking...
No wonder Cheng Tiangang is so wary of this divine group.
Suddenly, Jiang Bai began to doubt Gongsun Lan's earlier words. No matter how you looked at it, the God Group seemed to be stronger than the Human Group.
Gu Tengkong's words caused Jiang Bai to change color, as did Xiao Lanlan and Situ Feng, who stared at Jiang Bai with horrified expressions, as if waiting for his answer.
"Not bad, I've recovered. I have a special ability; I can recover from any damage I take."
Jiang Bai's vague answer shocked Situ Feng and Xiao Lanlan.
A master is not scary, but a master who is also a superhuman is scary, especially Jiang Bai's ability, which is extremely weak to ordinary superhumans. It can only restore strength but cannot increase it, so what's the use?
What else can you do besides being a sitting duck?
But the key point is that Jiang Bai is not only a superhuman with special abilities, but also a genuine master, a strongman who has cultivated from traditional Chinese martial arts to the high level of ancient martial arts, and an ancient martial arts master who has been a grandmaster of traditional Chinese martial arts!
Combined with such power, it becomes truly extraordinary; it's practically an indestructible humanoid killing machine.
It's important to understand that the reason why grandmasters of Chinese martial arts are called grandmasters is not because they are ignorant or ignorant in the martial arts world, but because they are truly very strong. Even when disciples of ancient martial arts families first begin their training, they are divided into many levels.
Broadly speaking, the so-called nine ranks of ancient martial arts are as follows: the seventh rank is equivalent to Ming Jin (manifest strength), the sixth rank is equivalent to An Jin (hidden strength), the fifth rank is equivalent to a Grandmaster, and the fourth rank is equivalent to a Great Grandmaster.
The ancient martial arts sects and families in the underworld have a considerable number of members, but very few can actually reach the fourth rank.
Otherwise, there wouldn't be the saying that one can enter the top 100 of the underworld with just a third-rank rank.
More importantly, Chinese martial arts emphasizes practical combat, with the purpose of killing. It originated from the battlefield, and in actual combat, a grandmaster of Chinese martial arts has a significant advantage over ancient martial arts practitioners of the same level, and can easily take on two opponents at once.
It is precisely because Jiang Bai emerged from this level and broke through into the ranks of ancient martial artists that he is so precious, ranking at the third grade, yet able to brutally kill alloy.
Moreover, this third rank is only a rough estimate. Since Alloy is an A-level ability user, it is estimated that Jiang Bai is a master with the strength of a third rank, which is already quite amazing.
Chapter 361 The Highest Bidder Wins
It's important to know that "Alloy" is ranked ninety-eighth in the underworld, and that's no empty title. The top one hundred includes not only ancient martial arts families, sects, and groups from China, but also countless organizations from other countries. Among so many experts, being ranked in the top one hundred speaks volumes about their strength.
Jiang Bai's killing him and taking his place was already eye-catching, which is why the Human Group was so eager to recruit him. Now that it has been revealed that Jiang Bai has such a special ability of "super recovery," it is even more surprising.
This means that Jiang Bai is very difficult to kill. With this ability, Jiang Bai's strength should at least double.
This made Situ Feng and Gongsun Lan's expressions change.
They were unaware of this situation beforehand, which was clearly a major oversight. If we look at it this way, then the treatment they gave Jiang Bai was indeed a bit too low.
To make matters worse, what they hadn't discovered was discovered by the God Group, who then sent Gu Tengkong over.
This is quite troublesome. If there were no competition, everyone could negotiate the price, but now that there is Gu Tengkong who is determined to win, there is not much room for negotiation.
What's even more infuriating is that at this moment, Gu Tengkong chuckled and continued, "Well, super regeneration is also a kind of superpower. It's recorded in the Superpower Codex. Therefore, it can be concluded that Jiang Bai's energy belongs to a type of superpower. So it's not illegal for our God Group to recruit him. He and I are both descendants of the ancient gods! So it's only right that he joins us."
When Gu Tengkong uttered the last few words, "the bloodline of the ancient gods," his face was full of pride, but it made everyone present look rather uneasy. Situ Feng and Gongsun Lan looked at him with disdain, while Jiang Bai was slightly embarrassed.
"Can't you speak properly? You've even brought out some ancient gods. Are you writing a fantasy novel?" Jiang Bai couldn't help but think to himself.
"Pah! Shameless! According to you, we are all descendants of the Human Emperor, practicing the Human Emperor's teachings and establishing human martial arts. Jiang Bai should join our Human Group! It's all nonsense, myth and legend. Only a bunch of narcissistic guys like you would believe it!"
Gongsun Lan was straightforward and didn't give Gu Tengkong any face, directly pointing out his flaws.
Jiang Bai noticed that Gu Tengkong seemed slightly embarrassed when Gongsun Lan said this, but he still insisted, "Who said it's baseless? We superhumans can be traced back to the very end of human history. According to ancient legends, we are the bloodline left behind by the gods on earth. And you have to admit that although all superhumans look exactly like ordinary people, the ancestral genes they contain are not the same. Research shows that we may not actually belong to the same ancestor, but we merged together later due to large-scale intermingling."
This opened a completely new door for Jiang Bai, giving him a new understanding of these so-called superhumans. No wonder there are so many ordinary people, but very few can acquire superhuman abilities; their scarcity is abnormal.
Jiang Bai couldn't understand why, but Gu Tengkong's explanation offered a completely new perspective.
"Stop talking nonsense, Gu Tengkong. Just tell us what to do about Jiang Bai. It's impossible for us to back down. Either you leave, or you can try my Gongsun Jianwu!"
Gongsun Lan spoke up.
After a brief encounter, Jiang Bai also discovered that this girl was very feisty. She hadn't shown it much when she was suppressed by Situ Feng before, but now that Gu Tengkong had arrived, she had completely revealed her true nature.
Gongsun Lan pulled an ancient-looking longsword from a backpack behind the sofa and held it horizontally in front of her chest, looking ready to fight at any moment.
But her self-introduction caught Jiang Bai's eye, and he suddenly remembered a line: "Once there was a beautiful woman named Gongsun, whose sword dance moved all directions."
So it turns out that Gongsun Lan is a descendant of that family.
"Oh, who are you trying to scare? Do you think I'm afraid of the two of you? Gongsun Lan, if it were your sister, I'd be scared, but you? Pshaw." Gu Tengkong sneered, completely disregarding Gongsun Lan.
As he spoke, it seemed he was about to make a move. His body began to flicker, and the surrounding space began to distort. Gu Tengkong appeared and disappeared intermittently, as if he might disappear or suddenly reappear at any moment.
As soon as he did this, Jiang Bai could clearly feel that Situ Feng and Gongsun Lan looked solemn. Despite their fierce shouting just now, they were clearly weak and timid when facing Gu Tengkong!
"Hey gentlemen, you're here to invite me, right? Why didn't you ask for my opinion, the person involved? Besides, it's a bit inappropriate for you to be fighting to the death on my turf. Do you think I, Jiang Bai, am easy to bully and therefore don't take me seriously?"
At this moment, Jiang Bai, the protagonist, suddenly stood up, his aura surging, and the dragon and elephant energy swept over him. He stood up and spoke coldly.
It's not up to these three people to decide where Jiang Bai wants to go or where he doesn't want to go!
"Haha, Brother Jiang Bai is right, I was wrong. Just tell me what you want, and state your conditions. If you're not satisfied with what I just said, no problem, we can negotiate on the spot. Our Divine Group members are very easy to talk to!"
As soon as Jiang Bai finished speaking, the distorted space around Gu Tengkong instantly returned to normal. He stood there, smiling at Jiang Bai.
It was as if nothing had happened before.
Situ Feng and Gongsun Lan's expressions also changed, and they put away their weapons.
Situ Feng also spoke up, saying, "The conditions we just mentioned were indeed a bit too low. We didn't know enough about your situation before, which was our mistake. You can tell us what your conditions are, and we can discuss them."
Jiang Bai is a rare master with formidable martial arts skills. Situ Feng sensed that Jiang Bai's aura had likely surpassed that of a third-rank master, making him determined to acquire Jiang Bai.
Such conditions were immediately given.
As soon as he said this, all three people in the room looked at Jiang Bai, as if waiting for him to make a choice or to state his conditions.
"That's simple. I think the highest bidder wins. I don't like being tied down, but seeing how determined you are, I know I can't refuse. But it's fine, since it's a two-way competition, I'll just lay my cards on the table. Since we're both fighting for China, it doesn't really matter which side I join. So, I'll go with whoever offers the best deal."
Upon hearing Jiang Bai's words, Gu Tengkong laughed and said, "Don't worry, our God Group's conditions will definitely satisfy you."
Then it vanished into thin air, disappearing without a trace the moment the surrounding space distorted.
"We'll report this to our superiors! Goodbye!"
Situ Feng and Gongsun Lan also gave Jiang Bai a traditional Chinese fist salute before turning and leaving.
Chapter 362 Disagreements
After the two groups left, Jiang Bai rubbed his temples, thought for a moment, and then called Zhao Wuji to explain what had happened and humbly seek his advice.
Jiang Bai's personal martial arts skills far surpass Zhao Wuji's. Jiang Bai doesn't know what level Zhao Wuji was at before, but one thing is certain: Zhao Wuji was a master before. But even the most powerful master is definitely not as strong as Jiang Bai is now.
However, Zhao Wuji's knowledge, connections, understanding of the world, and his temperament and shrewdness far surpassed Jiang Bai's.
He was also quite close to Jiang Bai, and Jiang Bai would ask Zhao Wuji many questions. Zhao Wuji was happy to be a wise teacher who could answer any question Jiang Bai asked.
After listening to Jiang Bai's account, Zhao Wuji thought for a moment and said, "Personally, I prefer the God Group. There are many superhumans in this world who don't follow the rules because these superhumans weren't trained from a young age. Many of them were just ordinary people before they awakened their abilities."
"Ordinary people are restless and have different identities. Some people are relatively well-behaved after awakening, while others become arrogant after gaining abilities, even disregarding the law and thinking that they can do whatever they want with their abilities. Every country has a control agency for these people, and the God Group is the control agency in China. They are mainly responsible for dealing with those superhumans who refuse to abide by the law and are not under our jurisdiction."
"So the God Group is more challenging, and it's more suitable for you because I know that deep down you are someone who doesn't want to live a mundane and lonely life. The God Group should be more suitable for you."
"Furthermore, the God Group is more loosely organized than the Human Group, with fewer dogmas and rules, which I think you will like."
This was Zhao Wuji's opinion. Later, Jiang Bai consulted Cheng Tiangang, but Cheng Tiangang's opinion was completely opposite.
Jiang Bai relayed Zhao Wuji's suggestion to Cheng Tiangang, who scoffed at it: "Jiang Bai, to tell you the truth, in principle, the Divine Group belongs to the Central Academy, and most of its members hold positions here, with some even joining the police force directly. Logically, our relationship should be closer, and in fact, it is."
"But when the people from the God Group came to me before, I didn't agree to introduce them to anyone. That's why Gu Tengkong rashly came to you on his own. Do you know why?"
These words piqued Jiang Bai's interest. He had suspected this before: even the Divine Group wouldn't have been able to offer such benefits so easily without the approval of Cheng Tiangang, a bigwig in the police force.
It sounds like the members of the God Group all have positions in the police force?
Logically, she should be closer to Cheng Tiangang, so why would Cheng Tiangang send Liu Ruonan with her group of people to see her instead? This doesn't make sense.
As if sensing Jiang Bai's thoughts, Cheng Tiangang slowly said, "Indeed, the God Group is more relaxed and the work is quite passionate, which is much better than the Human Group, which is organized by various sects and families."
"But as a group that monitors the world's top experts, isn't it of any use at all?"
"The advantages of the Human Group are enormous. First of all, there is one thing that the God Group cannot compare to. In order to fight against the God Group, which has a large number of members, the major families in the Human Group implemented reforms. Each sect and school contributed some of their family's secret techniques and some elixirs as an incentive to the Human Group. As long as members of the Human Group make contributions, they can obtain benefits based on their contributions."
"Your cultivation level has been achieved step by step. If you want to advance further, you will inevitably need to learn from the strengths of various schools and consume elixirs and miraculous medicines."
"The human group can provide all of this, but the divine group cannot."
"The God Group is composed of people with superpowers. Some of their abilities are innate, while others are awakened later. However, they are all dead and cannot be taught or passed on. They can only improve their abilities on their own. No elixirs or magic pills can help them."
"Joining the God Group will only give you some freedom, but it won't do you any good. Besides, if you want more freedom, the Human Group might not agree!"
After hearing Cheng Tiangang's words, Jiang Bai fell silent.
Both the Human Group and the God Group have their merits. Zhao Wuji supports Jiang Bai joining the God Group, while Cheng Tiangang supports Jiang Bai joining the Human Group.
This made it difficult for Jiang Bai to make a decision for the time being.
At that moment, Cheng Tiangang's words immediately dispelled Jiang Bai's idea of joining the God Group.
After a moment of silence, Cheng Tiangang said, "Jiang Bai, let me tell you some breaking news. Zhao Wuji probably doesn't know yet. After all, that guy has lost all his strength in recent years and hasn't had much contact with this place. There are many things he doesn't know. Just yesterday, the person with the highest position in the God Group retired, and Li Qingdi took over as the group leader."
"Damn it!" Jiang Bai couldn't help but curse after hearing this.
Lee Cheong-di to take over as team leader?
Does that mean Li Qingdi has become the leader of the God Group?
Although Jiang Bai didn't understand why Li Qingdi was a member of the God Group, he didn't care at all. This Dragon of the Capital was not friendly to Jiang Bai and would not stop trying to kill him at any time.
Moreover, according to Wu Tianxi's information last time, Li Qingdi is likely one of the masterminds behind the Seraph incident. Jiang Bai going to the God Group is like walking into a trap!
"Hehe, are you excited after hearing this news? Do you want to go?" Cheng Tiangang chuckled.
"Go to hell!" Jiang Bai cursed inwardly, decisively rejecting the suggestion.
Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he asked, "Li Qingdi is also a superhuman? And he even took over as the leader of the God Group? You still have the nerve to mock me? I think your days with Wu Tianxi and Zhao Wuji won't be easy from now on!"
The God Group is powerful. Cheng Tiangang had previously said that he was very wary of the God Group. Now that Li Qingdi has taken over as the group leader, it may not be a good thing for him.
"Tch~ So what if Li Qingdi takes over as group leader? It's true he's a superhuman, but he's not the most powerful one. He only got the position through cunning. You know the central government wouldn't hand over this organization to an unmanaged superhuman. Li Qingdi is the group leader, but he wouldn't dare use this national treasure against us."
"In the end, all our fighting is about tactics and strength. The God Group doesn't count as Li Qingdi's power. As long as I don't intend to kill him, he won't dare to flaunt the God Group."
"Otherwise, do you think Yang Wudi wouldn't dare to fight him with the Human Group? Instead of worrying about me, you should worry about yourself. Anyway, whether you join the God Group or the Human Group, you'll definitely have to spar with Li Qingdi."
"Given your relationship with me, Zhao Wuji, and Wu Tianxi, if you go to the God Group, Li Qingdi will definitely make you suffer. If you go to the Human Group, it will be even better, adding insult to injury. Jiang Bai, you should have some fun with him... Hahaha."
Cheng Tiangang laughed and hung up the phone, leaving Xia Jiangbai speechless.
Chapter 363 Unrealistic
Although Cheng Tiangang's words were crude and clearly meant to make Jiang Bai look foolish, they still revealed a lot of information to Jiang Bai, such as the inside stories of the Human Group and the God Group.
For example, the true trump card of that dragon of the capital.
And that Northwest Wolf actually has a huge influence on the human group, etc.
However, Jiang Bai didn't want to care about these things anymore. Situ Feng and the others would go back and discuss it, and it wasn't something that could be decided in a day or two. Jiang Bai still had time to consider it.
He has more important things to do now.
For example, eating and sleeping!
And there's something even more important to do tomorrow.
Jiang Bai even asked the school for half a day off for this.
Tomorrow is the Imperial Enterprises' monthly meeting, where they will summarize the work of the past month, plan for the work of the next month, and, more importantly, Jiang Bai hopes to develop new projects.
He hadn't forgotten his mission; the mission of "I am the King of Tiandu" was still ongoing, and Jiang Bai's assets near Tiandu were far from meeting the required standard.
The total assets of the Empire's enterprises now amount to only four or five billion.
Of course, this is only temporary, because Jiang Bai has been investing continuously before this, and money has been invested in many industries that cannot be counted as assets.
It is foreseeable that while Empire Logistics and Empire Online continue to expand, the actual benefits to Jiang Bai are limited. Currently, they are only in the expansion phase, and all the meager profits are invested.
Despite its continuous expansion, it has not had a significant impact on Jiang Bai's assets.
Unless Jiangbai immediately goes public and raises money in the market, given the excellent ratings of the two companies, they can quickly obtain a large amount of funds, causing Jiangbai's assets to skyrocket.
However, Jiang Bai was reluctant and unwilling to share such a valuable asset with others.
More importantly, who knows... what kind of task the system will give us after this task is completed?
If it's still an asset-related task, then that would be troublesome.
On the other hand, the booming development of Empire Entertainment and Empire Films has brought in a lot of funds, but it has had limited benefits for Jiang Bai's asset increase, especially the increase in assets near Tiandu.
Preliminary estimates suggest that after six months, the two companies can help Jiangbai increase its assets by about 2 billion yuan, which is already the limit.
The Empire's import and export volume can increase Jiang Bai's income by about one billion.
The most profitable one is Empire Real Estate, which is operated by Ma Changyang. Empire Real Estate has not yet officially opened for sale, and Jiang Bai and his group are hoarding it and holding back sales.
According to Ma Changyang's previous report, sales would begin two months later, around the time the main structure was completed.
It is estimated that within two months, it can help Jiang Bai increase by about 3 billion.
Furthermore, the substantial commercial aspects can also be considered as assets of Jiang Bai.
Portugal can provide some additional funding, and the Imperial Construction can also provide some, but the funding is limited. Portugal's dividends are paid at the end of the year, so even if he asks for them in advance, it will only be around a few hundred million.
Imperial Construction is in an even worse situation. Cheng Tiangang helped them secure a successful bid, but construction has just begun. They're already doing well by not increasing their investment, let alone trying to plunder their funds.
That's utterly delusional.
Although the Imperial Hotel is profitable, it uses all of it to pay off debts, so the profit is negligible.
All companies have reached their expected targets, but Jiangbai still has a shortfall of around 8 billion yuan, or even more.
Therefore, he must expand his business significantly.
As for funds, he can just take out a bank loan. He has good credit here, so getting a loan is very easy.
His new target is communication and social networking software represented by TT. Jiang Bai had this idea when he went home for the Chinese New Year, but he never had the time to do it. Now that he finally has some free time, Jiang Bai decided to start implementing this strategy.
Of course, it may be difficult to start making money, and it will be even more difficult to fill such a large gap.
However, Jiang Bai was just trying his best. He didn't care much about whether he succeeded or not. At worst, he could sell his shares in Portugal and exchange them for assets in Tiandu. He believed that countless people would flock to it.
Wasn't Khun Sa willing to pay a high price to buy it back then?
There are plenty of people in the world who would be willing to do that.
As long as Jiang Bai speaks up, Mr. He will definitely take the deal without hesitation, even if it's at a 50% premium.
Moreover, Jiang Bai possesses "god-level gambling skills," so at worst he can travel to other casinos around the world. Although he might make countless enemies, money can easily solve the problem.
After a good night's sleep, Jiang Bai went to the Empire's headquarters after breakfast the next day. During the meeting, all the bigwigs from various companies were present. After listening to everyone's reports, Jiang Bai shared his thoughts.
"Social software? This is a good direction for development. The competition in this industry is fierce. Right now, TT is the leader, with conservative estimates that it has more than 100 million users, and it is growing rapidly every month. It is estimated that the number of users will exceed 500 million in the future. It will not be easy for us to enter this market now."
"Putting aside our lack of funds, even if we had plenty of time, it would be impossible to defeat TT. They have almost a monopoly now, just like our Empire Online. They have monopolized this field, and it is very difficult for us to enter. Even if we have money, we may not be able to defeat them."
Zhang Yang, who knew this industry best, spoke up after Jiang Bai proposed the idea.
He was not interested in Jiang Bai's suggestion to develop social networks, and even opposed it, because he felt that Empire Enterprises might not be able to win in entering this market.
What do you think?
Jiang Bai nodded, but instead of offering his own opinion, he turned his gaze to the others and began to ask for their opinions.
For a moment, whispers and murmurs began to circulate around them. However, most people then expressed their opinions, not supporting Jiang Bai's entry into this field. They believed that starting from scratch in this industry would be very difficult and a waste of Imperial Enterprise's funds.
After hearing this, Jiang Bai remained silent for a long time, then suddenly remembered something: "What if I wanted to buy them!"
"Buy them? They currently have at least 100 million users, and their valuation is very high. I heard they want to go public, which would cause their assets to skyrocket, even exceeding the entire Empire Corporation. Buying them seems a bit unrealistic."
Jiang Bai's idea surprised everyone around him. Yao Lan cautiously said that she did not think highly of the suggestion.
However, she did not immediately and firmly reject Jiang Bai, after all, Jiang Bai was the real big boss. She was testing Jiang Bai's attitude to see how resolute he was.
"Yes, boss, that's unrealistic. Based on their current valuation and the valuation from their third round of financing, they've already surpassed Empire Enterprises. Of course... mainly because we're unwilling to accept the financing and valuation, but their value is really high. I estimate that to acquire them fully, it would cost at least 20 billion to 25 billion."
"More importantly, the financial backers behind them are not short of money. Like us, they are optimistic about this market. It won't be so easy to buy back those shares from them."
Zhang Yang frowned and began to explain to Jiang Bai.
In short, this is unrealistic and a pipe dream.
Chapter 364 Hotel Expansion Plan
Based on the other party's valuation, even if Jiang Bai mortgaged the entire Empire Enterprise to the bank, it would be difficult to acquire it in its entirety.
Let alone a full acquisition, becoming a major shareholder is extremely difficult.
These were things Jiang Bai hadn't expected. It was just an idea he had before, and he thought he could find a way to make money. Now it seems there are just too many smart people out there.
Too many people are eyeing TT, and others have acted earlier and more ruthlessly than Jiang Bai. Now, it won't be so easy for him to break in.
Jiang Bai hadn't thought much about it when he first mentioned it, nor had he asked Xiao Tian to conduct a detailed investigation. He just brought up the idea as soon as it came to mind. Now, with so many people opposing him and so many practical problems arising, Jiang Bai felt slightly embarrassed.
"If that's the case, it's impossible for us to acquire it with our current strength. But I want to invest in this company, or even take control of it. What should I do?" After thinking for a moment, Jiang Bai still said this.
Based on Jiang Bai's experience from his previous life, the value of social networks far exceeds what TT's current market value can reflect. There is huge potential for appreciation, and with further development, its value will definitely be astonishing.
"Then we can only acquire shares in the market through capital. However, TT has huge potential, just like our Empire Online. Too many people are eyeing it, especially after the third round of financing some time ago. Those small shareholders who hold shares have already seen the value. It will probably be very difficult for us to buy these shares from them. Even if we succeed, the price will be extremely high."
"I believe this is not in our best interest. Instead, we can put the money into other areas that would be more beneficial to the development of our group, such as the luxury hotel chain plan that Mr. Chang mentioned before."
By this time, Yao Lan had obtained enough information and the opinions prepared by her secretarial team. After thinking for a moment, she expressed her thoughts to Jiang Bai in front of her.
"I see..."
Jiang Bai fell silent. Yao Lan's words made sense. If they acquired it at a high price and then increased the price on top of the current market value, even if TT went public in the future, the benefits that Empire Enterprise could plunder would be limited.
With so much money, it would be better to do our own thing. With the connections and influence of the Empire Enterprises in Tiandu, whatever we develop with this money would be better than investing in TT.
For example, if the Imperial Hotel expands nationwide, Jiang Bai could clear all of the Imperial Hotel's debts, then take out a loan from the bank in the name of the Imperial Group to turn this high-end hotel into a chain and expand it nationwide.
Chang Shiyun had spoken to Jiang Bai about this matter twice before, and Jiang Bai was in principle supportive, but had not yet taken any action.
Compared to the investment in TT, Chang Shiyun's hotel development plan is obviously better and more stable. Although it cannot reap huge profits, it is more stable.
"Actually, if you really want to, boss, you might actually succeed."
At this moment, Zhang Yang, who hadn't spoken for a long time, suddenly raised his head, shook his phone, and said this.
It immediately drew everyone's attention.
Zhang Yang didn't keep him in suspense and waved his phone: "A friend just messaged me saying that Ji Mingjie, the founder of TT, is in some trouble and is now trying to find connections everywhere to help resolve it. My friend just asked me if I had any ideas."
"Ji Mingjie is the founder and largest shareholder of TT. Despite three rounds of financing, he still holds 57 percent of TT's shares. If we want to invest in TT, he is the best choice."
"Compared to those three troublesome international investment institutions, Ji Mingjie should be much easier to deal with."
"I see. Zhang Yang, go and contact your friend first to see what's going on."
Zhang Yang's words made Jiang Bai's eyes light up.
Jiang Bai is not afraid of getting into trouble at all. If he has any trouble, he will help him solve it. Jiang Bai is very good at this!
He was confident that there were few things in China that he couldn't accomplish.
"Yes, boss, I'll go right away."
Zhang Yang nodded, then turned and left to make a phone call.
Jiang Bai, on the other hand, didn't dwell on this issue. Instead, he brought up Chang Shiyun's suggestion that Yao Lan had mentioned earlier: "Old Chang, I've thought about what you said before and consulted others. Although it's impossible to make huge profits and the investment is large, it's stable. I think it's feasible. Just tell me how much money you need. Although the company doesn't have much money, we have a solid reputation. With my relationship with the banks, I can get a lot of loans."
"Well... my suggestion is to develop our Imperial Hotel into a high-end chain brand and expand it to major cities. I think we should first build four high-end hotels in Guangzhou, Beijing, Suzhou, and Hong Kong. I have already studied these places, and the market is very promising. Once we build them, the business should be quite good."
"However, the only headache is that the investment amount is huge. If we build it ourselves, the construction and decoration will cost about four billion. In addition, the land price is also a big expense. We need land in prime locations, and there are quite a few of them. These lands will be auctioned off, which is the main expense. The preliminary estimate is at least five or six billion."
Chang Shiyun said in a low voice.
His face flushed slightly after he said this, and he knew that the amount was a bit too much.
Given the situation of Imperial Enterprises, they simply cannot come up with that much money. Even if they were to borrow from a bank, it would be an extremely large sum, and they might not be able to get it approved.
However, the best plan is to launch simultaneously in four major cities, establish a reputation, and then expand to other areas.
Of course, there are backup plans, such as opening a branch in the capital, etc. Jiang Bai will have to make the decisions on these.
"So that means 10 billion? Although it doesn't have to be taken out all at once, isn't this pressure a bit too much? You know, although this 10 billion isn't taken out all at once, it must all be in place within one or two years, which will put a lot of financial pressure on our company."
Before Jiang Bai could speak, Yao Lan spoke first, frowning.
She did support Chang Shiyun's plan, but the amount of money was beyond her expectations.
"Money is not a problem. Imperial Enterprises doesn't need to worry about it. I'll find a way to get the money. Ten billion, right? Lao Chang, you get to work on it. Eight billion will arrive within a month, and the remaining money will be handled by the group."
Jiang Bai had already made up his mind. He would leave the Empire alone for now, but he could use his shares in Portugal as collateral. He believed that no bank in the world would refuse a loan secured by his Portuguese shares.
"If that's the case, there's no problem with the group. The shortfall of around 2 billion can be made up in two years, and it won't have any impact on the company."
Yao Lan nodded in agreement, although she was very curious about where Jiang Bai's money came from.
That's eight billion, not eighty dollars.