Powerful, gemstones adorned the noble; weak, gold attracted hungry wolves
People's attitudes toward the problems in Listoan became increasingly strange. Initially, through internal propaganda, press releases, and appeasement within Listoan, they successfully shifted the blame to the City Hall.
In particular, Neo appeared before the workers dressed in workers' uniforms and vividly fabricated a story that the Group Company was persecuted and unable to complete its transformation, which would inevitably lead to its collapse. This successfully won the sympathy of many people.
The workers even organized several protest marches during the general strike over this issue, right outside the City Hall.
They chanted the mayor's name and placed his portrait alongside those of some of history's tyrannical dictators, leaving the mayor in a very passive position.
But now, things are not the same as before, or rather, the mayor State Government have decided to completely break ties over the Listoan issue.
In essence, this is a very bad thing for both the mayor and the governor, as it gives businessmen a very negative impression.
So much so that if they become candidates for certain projects related to capital power in the future, the capitalists who have the power to make choices will consider their actions today and thus deprive them of the opportunity.
But they had no choice but to do it; Neo had first pushed them to the edge of the cliff, leaving them with no way out.
Between a weak government and a strong government, they chose the latter.
This also made Neo realize that when these rulers start to act shamelessly and disregard the rules, the destructive power they generate is something that a capitalist cannot resist.
The Finance Department manager couldn't resist the friendly treatment from the Federal Bureau of Investigation agents, and even started making baseless accusations at the suggestion of some Senior Agent. This disrupted Neo's plans once again. He thought those people would have some self-respect, but he overestimated himself and underestimated others.
At the same time, Lin Qi also obtained information about the distribution of the Listoan Group's assets in Sabine City and the state.
Listoan is a large local light industry group covering multiple sectors, but if you were to ask people what their impression of the Listoan Group is, they probably wouldn't know much.
However, the various appliances in these people's homes, the clothes they wear, the shoes they wear, the bicycles they ride, the sofas and furniture they own... any item they have on hand, even if it is not a product of the Listoan Group, will still have some materials from the Listoan Group.
The company initially started by making ready-made clothing, when the entire Bayer Federation was undergoing a period of great change and there were not many clothing stores on the streets.
If people want to prepare a new set of clothes for themselves, they either buy the materials and make it themselves, but very few ordinary housewives can independently complete the cutting and making of a garment; they can only sew small things.
Alternatively, they had to go to a tailor shop for services. In fact, many people say that people from that era looked very energetic when they look at old photos.
It wasn't the spirit of the people of that era, but rather that their clothing was tailor-made for them, best reflecting their appearance at the time, which is why they seemed so spirited.
During that era, the young Chairman Olbun received some new ideas from home and abroad and started his own business in the clothing industry.
He collected a lot of data, divided the clothes into several standard sizes, and then mass-produced them. He also gained the approval of the mayor of Sabine City at the time and obtained his first loan.
As Lin Qi flipped through these contents, he couldn't help but sigh. Sometimes, some people are born to create an era. The old man Olbun directly made the Listoan Group the largest garment and footwear manufacturer in Sabine City and even the entire state.
It wasn't until Neo appeared that the company's projects became more numerous and comprehensive.
Although he couldn't see some of the more confidential information, Lin Qi believed that Neo might have already sensed the crisis, which was why he was so eager to expand his business and seek new ventures, though he wasn't very successful.
Making clothes, especially assembly line clothes, has no barriers to entry. It only takes a few ordinary tailors to complete the whole process—cutting, sampling, ironing, shaping, and then mass production.
The lack of barriers to entry also means that others can easily imitate it, coupled with industry competition...
After reviewing this part of the information, Lin Qi began to think about how to quickly bring this Group Company down.
He sat behind his desk, gazing at the dim sun outside the car window, lost in thought. The power of winter had sapped the sun's heat, which used to scorch the skin in the height of summer. As he looked at the withered leaves and the desolate world outside the window, some ideas began to form in his mind.
When he looked away from the distance, more than ten minutes had actually passed, but to him it might have felt like only a few minutes, or he didn't have an accurate sense of time, he just felt that it went by very quickly.
He rearranged the messy documents on the table, making them look neater, and said, "Asier, how many years have you been in Sabine City?"
Asier, who had been waiting nearby, was taken aback for a moment, but he still answered respectfully, "Mr. Lin Qi, I have been here for more than ten years."
"More than ten years..." Lin Qi raised his head slightly and repeated the sentence noncommittally.
Perhaps feeling that his account was too vague, Asier recounted his experiences, making the rather vague "more than ten years" more substantial.
Lin Qi nodded slightly. "During your time here, have you heard of any accidents that have occurred at the Listoan Group?" He flipped his wrist. "For example, production accidents, worker injuries, environmental impacts caused by their wastewater discharge, or people getting seriously ill or dying from inhaling or accidentally ingesting their raw materials?"
Asier didn't answer immediately, but frowned and thought seriously. He valued this job very much. No one except Lin Qi could give him and the Bayer People the same respect. He wanted to repay Mr. Lin Qi with his talents.
After about two or three minutes, he said somewhat uncertainly, "I heard some rumors a few years ago that they used a completely new material, and then something seemed to happen, but I don't know the specifics."
"Besides that, I don't know much. I'm sorry, Mr. Lin Qi." He was somewhat ashamed of his "incompetence," so ashamed that he lowered his head.
Lin Qi raised his hand in a gesture of respect. "You don't need to apologize, Asier. No one is omniscient or omnipotent, not even me."
"I'm giving you a task. You need to find out about any accidents that have happened during Asier's production process over the years, and it would be best to find some victims. Do it discreetly, understand?"
Asier immediately understood. "I know what to do, Mr. Lin Qi."
What Lin Qi wanted most was Listoan's production equipment. As a large Group Company that had just ceased production, this equipment would certainly undergo at least one round of maintenance and repair after the shutdown, in order to await its rebirth.
These are all high-performance machines, and the opportunity to buy them at bargain prices made Lin Qi unable to resist the huge profit margin.
He thought he wouldn't get involved, after all, he had no conflict with the Listoan Group or with President Neo, whom he had never met. His Interstellar Trade Company and the Listoan Group were not even in the same league.
But things just happen so coincidentally. Neo is in deep trouble, and he has a coveted fortune in his hands, so a battle is about to begin! Asier's work did not encounter much resistance from the beginning. It must be said that he is a very hardworking and thoughtful person, which is completely different from the lazy Bayer People.
Of course, this is not to say that the Bayer People are lazy. Laziness refers to their characteristics at work. They only move when pushed or pointed at, and they are not proactive enough.
Asier, the immigrant, was very diligent and hardworking. He spent ten dollars to obtain an important document from the old man in charge of the Labor Union's archives.
There has always been Labor Union within the Listoan Group, and it still exists today. This file also records information about its past organizers.
Asier quickly found some of the older ones and gained their approval by promising them money, thus obtaining information that almost no one in society knew.
For example, more than a decade ago, Listoan purchased a batch of materials that were supposedly the newest type at the time. However, these materials released toxic gases during the heating process, and more than seventy people in the workshop suffered varying degrees of injury as a result. The two most seriously injured died from Organ Failure.
Such production accidents are not uncommon. In a large factory, which comes into contact with a wide variety of chemical products, it is common for accidents to occur when workers lack sufficient chemical knowledge and standard operating procedure training.
However, these incidents were quickly suppressed by Listoan's Legal Department department. They threatened the workers that if they spoke out about these things and caused damage to the company's image, they would be held legally responsible, while providing them with a small amount of money as compensation.
In this situation, most workers have no choice but to comply.
At least if they listen to the company, they can get some money. But if they go around saying bad things, they will not only not get a penny, but also be involved in a terrible and lengthy lawsuit, which they simply cannot afford.
The Labor Union actually played a less-than-honorable role in this, but there was nothing that could be done about it. They couldn't allow more people to face unemployment just to satisfy the needs of one or two people, so they had to "sacrifice" themselves for the sake of the "big picture"!