Before heading to the Pacific Bug Nest, Chen Changsheng still needed to make some preparations. For one thing, buying a decent ship was essential.
The Umbrella Corporation had grown large and powerful, and in fact, it really did need an ocean-going vessel. That would make things much more convenient.
At this point, Chen Changsheng's stock account was worth a fortune thanks to Tony Stark's speech. However, it was only worth a fortune on paper. Before he cashed out, it was all just numbers.
Many people were interested in the Stark Industries shares Chen Changsheng held. After all, Tony Stark had proclaimed to the media that Stark Industries had already grasped the key to the future.
However, Chen Changsheng did not want to sell the shares off casually. As Tony's good friend, Chen Changsheng believed Tony would definitely be interested in the shares he held.
Therefore, Chen Changsheng decided to seek out Tony first.
During this period, Chen Changsheng had been too ashamed to visit Tony because of his secret manipulation of Stark Industries' stock. He still had some sense of shame. As for Tony, he had been busy with his research and had conveniently chosen to ignore Chen Changsheng's existence. After all, Chen Changsheng was his lifesaver—what else could he do? Just endure it.
When Chen Changsheng arrived at Tony's mansion, Tony was still studying his Iron Man Armor. This time, however, Tony had no intention of sparring with Chen Changsheng again. There was no other reason. He simply had not finished making an armor that could counter Chen Changsheng yet...
When Tony heard that Chen Changsheng wanted to sell some Stark Industries stock, he immediately became interested. Tony already held 40% of the shares. With a few more, he would secure the power to cast a veto on the board.
Moreover, Tony had never known how to repay Chen Changsheng for saving his life twice. Since Chen Changsheng wanted to sell his Stark Industries shares this time, Tony wanted to give him some benefits. Of course, at that point, it was hard to tell who was helping whom.
Tony Stark and his father, Edward Stark, had controlled Stark Industries ever since its founding. The wealth they had accumulated over the years was substantial. Thus, Tony wanted to buy the Stark Industries shares Chen Changsheng held, achieving a win-win situation for both sides.
Chen Changsheng held 30% of the shares. Although he was nominally the second-largest shareholder, they were actually rather useless. Aside from their high current value, they served no other purpose.
The remaining 30% was divided among S.H.I.E.L.D., the government, and the military. Naturally, no one else could hope to obtain even a single share. Tony held another 40%, so no matter what other plans Chen Changsheng had, they would be nothing more than a pipe dream. He might as well sell the shares back to Tony. Not only would he make a huge sum of money, but he could also deepen his friendship with Tony.
Thirty percent of Stark Industries' shares were truly worth a fortune. Even a billionaire like Tony Stark could not swallow them all in one bite. In the end, Tony bought 5% of Chen Changsheng's shares at market price. Even that 5% was worth tens of billions of US Dollars.
Looking at the current value of his Stark Industries shares, Tony was both happy and speechless. The higher the value of Stark Industries' stock, the higher his own net worth became, but it also made buying the shares back much more difficult.
Now that Chen Changsheng had a relationship with Tony and money in hand, he tried asking Tony for a set of Iron Man Armor.
Tony Stark said that he had no time at the moment. He was busy studying and testing his ideas. Once he had time, he would custom-build a suit of armor for Chen Changsheng.
After receiving Tony's promise, Chen Changsheng was quite pleased. At the same time, he promised Tony that once Tony completed his armor, Chen Changsheng would give him a surprise.
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With Tony's introduction, Chen Changsheng found a shipbuilding company. The company had recently lost a major deal and was on the verge of bankruptcy after a customer defaulted on an order for a luxury cruise ship.
The abandoned cruise ship was now gathering dust in the shipyard's warehouse, while the shipbuilding company was desperately searching everywhere for keyboard warriors...
The abandoned cruise ship had a remarkably futuristic design. Its main selling points were modularity, assembly, and upgradability. It had a gross tonnage of 237,000 tons, with a displacement far exceeding that of an ordinary aircraft carrier. The cruise ship was 362 meters long, 64 meters wide, and had eighteen decks in total. Any design module one wanted could be added. Everything about it was excellent except for the price. It was worth over a billion US Dollars, and that was after a discount.
Looking at the behemoth in the brochure, Chen Changsheng came up with an idea. It was modular and upgradeable, and Dr. Otto's Nuclear Fusion experiment was about to succeed. If he installed a Nuclear Fusion Reactor in this yacht, wouldn't it take off?
Therefore, Chen Changsheng decisively bought the luxury cruise ship. He also invested a sum of money in the shipbuilding company and acquired some shares, laying the groundwork for when he might need them in the future.
Thinking of Dr. Otto, Chen Changsheng transferred 100 million US Dollars to Otto's laboratory. His goal was to let Otto continue conducting his Nuclear Fusion experiments and strive for an early success.
After Dr. Otto recovered, he had immersed himself in deducing the Nuclear Fusion experiment. Since Chen Changsheng had been slow to provide funding for the next experiment, Dr. Otto could only continue refining his experimental plan, making it as perfect as possible and striving to succeed on the next attempt.
If Dr. Otto really succeeded, then Stark Industries would not be the only company holding the key to the future.
While secretly snickering, Chen Changsheng also mourned for Stark Industries. Repeatedly stabbing Stark Industries in the back like this made him genuinely feel a little guilty. But for some reason, why did he always feel so happy inside? He was practically about to laugh out loud...
Since he had given Dr. Otto 100 million US Dollars in experimental funding, Chen Changsheng naturally would not play favorites. He likewise allocated 100 million US Dollars to Dr. Connors's gene fusion laboratory, allowing it to accelerate its research and conduct customized genetic recovery experiments.
Speaking of which, Dr. Connors was truly disappointing. After all this time, he still had not made any progress. It seemed Chen Changsheng would have to step in. However, now was not the time, as Chen Changsheng had other matters to handle. Once the matter under his command was finished, if Connors still had no results, Chen Changsheng would help him out. When that time came, they would have to discuss the profit-sharing arrangements again.
Dr. Otto's Nuclear Fusion experiment seemed to be on the verge of success, so Chen Changsheng also had to put investing in the energy industry on his agenda. Max from Osborn Industries was a good choice. He could independently design half of New York City's power grid. With his help, Chen Changsheng believed they could establish a stable power supply network.
After having Miss Gwen, the current secretary to the chairman of the Umbrella Corporation, send Max an email, Chen Changsheng continued preparing his own affairs.
Yes, Gwen was no longer interning at Stark Industries. The previous battle between Iron Monger and Iron Man had made George realize that Stark Industries was not a safe place either.
Thus, Chen Changsheng transferred Gwen to his side, where she became the secretary to the owner of the Umbrella Corporation. Although it was called an internship, the position was hardly any different from that of a CEO. After all, Chen Changsheng was absent from the company most of the time, so Gwen was the one who handled matters.
Moreover, the professional managers at the Umbrella Corporation had all been hired by Chen Changsheng at great expense. Their professional ethics were naturally guaranteed, so Gwen's main job at present was still learning.
Well, even a top student like Gwen could keep up with her university studies while continuing to improve at the insurance company...
That was truly enviable. Although Chen Changsheng felt he could do the same, what could he say? She was a top student, after all.
If you think this book is good, remember to add it to your bookshelf so you can find it next time.
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