I Inherited 5,000 Years of Family Property

"How long would it take to find a new contract manufacturer now?" At this point, getting angry was of no use.

"At the earliest, it would take two weeks," Tina said, "But all our component processing is currently done at factories like FutuKang, and even if we finalize a deal with a new contract manufacturer today, they can find all sorts of reasons to delay the process."

"Moreover, if Zhang Menglong has the ability to make companies like FutuKang follow his lead, he could easily persuade other companies to turn down our orders. The liquid portion of his assets is probably already higher than the market value of our Cashew Company."

"Are you suggesting we can only reconcile with him?" Cook said.

"Boss, the situation now is that they can survive without this game, but if we can't find a contract manufacturer, we won't!"

Although it was a difficult fact to accept, the reality was that their financial power could overthrow an entire country. Cashew Company might be impressive, but could they really compare to a country?

"Boss, have you ever considered that this might actually be an opportunity for us?"

"What do you mean?" Cook's eyes lit up. His assistant was a person full of ideas. Since she started working with him, she often proposed very meaningful suggestions, which made Cook willing to listen to her.

"You should be well aware that although our Cashew Company is an internet company, currently over 80% of our revenue comes from hardware sales, with software sales accounting for less than 20%. Among internet companies, this is quite a rare situation."

"Go on!"

"The whole world is resisting Huaxia's games now, but please believe me, my intuition tells me that Huaxia's games will not only prevail but will also rapidly become exceedingly popular worldwide!"

"I have no doubts about that." Cook had also seen the data for "Operation Thunder Strike"; so far, the game's download count had already exceeded 20 million, and the rising trend had just begun to slow down slightly. This download count had even surpassed all mobile games to date! "Imagine, if PC games are like this, to what extent will mobile games be popular?"

"I remember, during the same period, 'League of Legends' had about 9 million downloads in Huaxia, and there was a mobile game from Huaxia called 'Honor of Kings' that had around 13 million, right?"

"That's correct!" Tina continued her analysis, "Its performance has surpassed all the games on the market to date, so its trend will inevitably push towards the whole world. Moreover, the popularization of VR games is absolutely the trend of an era."

"I have no doubts about that!" Cook said, as people's demands for entertainment were rising. Combat in computers and mobiles could no longer meet their entertainment needs, and the emergence of somatosensory games and VR games was a testament to this trend.

"If I were the boss of Thunder Games, I would definitely not choose to suppress the development of this game with those methods. Instead, I would try every possible way to become their distributor. Getting the distribution rights is like tapping into a constant flow of revenue, and we could also get access to part of the code, which would be greatly helpful for our game development level."

"So, how do you suggest we collaborate?"

"They want access to the mobile market and foreign markets, and we have the platform, channels, and resources. We can totally have a win-win cooperation. Going against the market trend has been proven time and again throughout history to be the most foolish choice."

Cook was deep in thought.

The measures taken for this game had indeed been decided after game developers like Thunder Games approached him. As an American, he didn't want to see the gaming industry dominated by Huaxia.

But he had forgotten one thing: he was a businessman, and businessmen need not consider national interests. What mattered to them was simply how much money they could make.

"Help me arrange a dinner with Zhang Menglong, invite him to my home as a guest, the sooner the better!"

...

"Mr. Zhang, that's quite the bold move, gifting them over fifty billion Huaxia currency just like that, you really are generous!" After hearing about Zhang Menglong's actions, both Ma Hua and Ding Sanshi were stunned.

They had thought that at most, Zhang Menglong would use his means and resources to restrict a few contract manufacturers, but little did they expect that he would spend over five hundred billion directly giving those companies' workers a lengthy holiday.

Five hundred billion! Even Ding Sanshi would need to liquidate his entire assets to come up with such a colossal sum of money.

"There's nothing generous about it," Zhang Menglong laughed, "I set a course that requires those workers to travel this month. Since it is travel, they must spend money, and over 80% of the national travel industry is supplied by my company. The money is just moving from one pocket to another."

Ding Sanshi and Ma Hua exchanged looks and then simultaneously rolled their eyes. Wealthy people could certainly be enviable.

"Oh?" Zhang Menglong chuckled as he looked at his phone.

"What is it, Mr. Zhang? Any good news?"

"Cook invited me to visit his home this weekend," Zhang Menglong said with a smile.

"Visit? Does he know you were the one behind the factory incident?"

"No way? He actually invited you to visit? Shouldn't he hate you to death by now?"

Ding Sanshi and Ma Hua were both somewhat puzzled, wondering if Cook was planning to throw in the towel. They had dealt with Cook before, and he was a very proud person, never admitting anyone was better than him, let alone showing any sign of submission.

"At least this Cook has some brains, unlike that idiot named Michel."

"Mr. Zhang, do you plan to go?"

"With your current capabilities, can you promote the game across the country and even around the world without relying on the Cashew platform?" Zhang Menglong asked in return.

Even for Zhang Menglong, it wasn't feasible to have that capability in a short amount of time.

Using a smartphone has become a habitual part of one's life, a necessity, unlike games, which are entertainment items. It was similar to Zhang Menglong's own transition from using QQ to WeChat, which also involved a significant change.

Until a platform emerges that can compete with Cashew in China, before users' habitual behaviors change, this is the reality.

To launch the game successfully, they currently couldn't do without Cashew.

Ding Sanshi and Ma Hua also shook their heads, unable to think of any solution.

"Isn't that settled then?" Zhang Menglong said with a smile, "But since we are going to talk business, I have ways to maximize our profits. After all, if this game doesn't work out for me, it's just a plaything anyway. It would be quite easy for me to crush Cashew."

Ding Sanshi and Ma Hua were on the verge of tears. Yes, if this game doesn't work out for you, it doesn't matter, but not for them. With internal and external troubles in the Huaxia game industry, Zhang Menglong's plaything was their last lifeline.

"Don't worry, I'll bring back good news!"

...

True to the style of the Sect Leader of the Cashew Company, Cook arranged to meet Zhang Menglong on a private island of his, which contained a very large top scorer area, Cook's favorite place to visit when he was alone.

Zhang Menglong's private plane landed at the capital's airport in America, and then a helicopter arranged by Cook took him to the small island called Santoia.

"Mr. Zhang, I'm overjoyed to have you here!" Cook greeted Zhang Menglong as if they were old friends, opening his arms wide.

Of course, with Cook being so courteous, Zhang Menglong also had to play along a bit, showing a look of disdain as he hugged Cook.

"Let me introduce you, this is my girlfriend Lu Yiyao."

"I've long heard about Mr. Zhang's beautiful girlfriend. Today I see she is much more beautiful than many Hollywood actresses!"

Cook wasn't just paying compliments; Zhang Menglong had gotten quite a few treasures for Lu Yiyao from the Super God Academy. With the nourishment of these rare treasures, her skin had become radiant and smooth, and even her facial features had grown more perfect.

"You flatter her too much, Mr. Cook," Lu Yiyao responded with the grace of a well-bred lady.

"This is my pet, Wang Cai. I hope Mr. Cook won't mind that I brought him without notifying you first."

"Hahaha, I don't mind at all, I really enjoy keeping pets. I have quite a few of them in my estate, and I will have someone take good care of it later."

"This is my gift for Miss Lu, a welcoming gift," said Cook as his supermodel girlfriend, not yet thirty years old, handed over a box with a strand of diamonds necklace inside.

It was a rare blood diamond, nearly 4 carats in weight, worth over 12 million US dollars. This demonstrated just how much Cook had invested in today's meeting with Zhang Menglong.

Cook thought he had given Zhang Menglong enough face, and expected Zhang Menglong to be delighted; but unexpectedly, Zhang Menglong put on a straight face.

"I apologize, Mr. Cook, but my girlfriend isn't interested in loose diamonds!"