Just seconds ago, the directors on either side of the long table were nodding in agreement, their faces beaming with confidence.
The next second, several dull thuds echoed in the conference room as people collapsed to the ground.
Several pens rolled off the table and landed with a thud near their owner's head.
The boardroom fell into a deathly silence, with only the hum of the equipment breaking out.
The gray-haired director sat on the ground, breathing heavily, trembling as he touched his smooth head.
I almost died just now!
Chen Mo stood by the long table, glanced down at the small bloodstain on his hand, and showed a hint of disgust on his face.
"Tsk." He wiped his hand on the expensive suit of the person next to him. "Is this suit rented? Oh well, it's not mine anyway."
The young representative knelt down, his forehead pressed against the carpet, his hands flat in front of him, and he remained completely still.
The older representative next to him wiped his sweat and lowered his head.
"Damn, thank goodness you reacted quickly!"
"Shut the fuck up, you idiot!"
Several quick-thinking directors also knelt on the ground, their movements becoming increasingly practiced.
They finally understood one thing.
Homelander doesn't mean Vought lost his teeth.
It has someone protecting it now, and someone even stronger than before!
Ashley stood by the door, her legs starting to feel weak again.
Although I had suspected it while in the office, seeing it in person still made my legs go weak.
Chen Mo slowly walked around the long table and stood in front of the young representative.
The younger representative pressed his forehead even lower.
"Stop kissing the carpet." Chen Mo glanced at him. "It looks really awkward to me."
The young representative managed to squeeze out a small sound.
"Yes, I understand."
"Quite sensible."
Chen Mo raised his hand and patted the back of his head lightly, "Much better than those stupid heads from before."
A cold sweat instantly broke out on the young representative's back.
He didn't even dare to look up to see if it was a compliment.
Edgar stood beside the main seat, his expression unchanged.
With Chen Mo present, the direction of this meeting was already predetermined. He raised his hand to straighten his cuffs, then looked at the remaining directors.
"Now that the invalid noise has been cleared away, the meeting shall continue."
Upon hearing this, the faces of the kneeling directors turned even paler.
Continue? How can we continue like this?
Those people lying on the ground had also wanted to continue the meeting.
Now look what's happened, everyone's all gone!
Chen Mo walked back to the end of the long table, casually pulled out a chair, and sat down.
He raised his chin.
" Old Ai, continue."
"Of course, sir."
Edgar raised his hand and tapped the control panel.
The giant screen at the front of the conference room lit up again.
This time, the names of the board members extended outwards, forming a network of interests involving hundreds of people.
The young representative secretly raised his eyelids by half an inch, and after just one glance, his expression turned even more unpleasant.
Because he saw his superior's name.
And there's more than one.
Chen Mo looked at the screen and stroked his chin.
"Whoa."
He sounded a little surprised, "You guys are pretty capable, aren't you? You managed to pull out a whole quilt from a single thread."
Edgar walked to the side of the screen and began to explain.
"These directors are just the entry point, or, in your words, the first thread. Behind them are at least three military procurement lines, two moles within regulatory departments, and several secret Foundation responsible for transferring and receiving experimental data."
On the screen, a red line is magnified separately.
The trail extends from the Vought board to a senior advisor, then twists and turns into several seemingly insignificant biotech companies.
Ultimately, it ended up in an overseas account.
"They originally planned to transfer some data on Compound V and V1 residue samples before the joint review began."
Edgar looked at the kneeling directors.
"In other words, you guys are not only planning to betray Vought, you're planning to betray him twice."
One of the directors knelt on the ground, his face twitching.
"Wait! Mr. Edgar, I can explain!"
"No need."
Edgar calmly interrupted him, "The value of an explanation depends on whether the audience still has patience."
The director immediately shut up.
This is because Chen Mo has already looked over.
"Alright, explain it then." Chen Mo leaned back in his chair and said with a smile, "I'm actually easy to talk to, it's just that sometimes my hands are faster than my brain."
The director's lips moved slightly.
Finally, he lowered his head again.
"I... I have nothing more to explain."
"Clever."
Chen Mo nodded in satisfaction. "The most valuable quality in a person is self-awareness."
Edgar ignored the fear of the people in the conference room.
He continued to expand the network diagram.
"Sir, according to the original plan, we could first deal with the joint investigation, delay their takeover of core assets, and then make further plans."
Chen Mo looked up at him.
"Oh? It sounds like you have a second plan."
"Yes."
Edgar nodded. "Instead of waiting for them to investigate Vought from the outside, let them become a part of Vought."
In the conference room, Ashley closed her eyes and made the sign of a cross on her chest.
"My God."
Edgar raised his hand and tapped on another image.
The list now includes more job titles and organizational nodes, instead of just a few board members.
"These are key power nodes in the government, involving various departments. You don't need to replace all of these people. You only need to control a few core individuals and let them make appropriate suggestions at the right time. External pressure will then become an internal resource."
As Chen Mo listened, his eyebrows slowly rose.
"You mean, you want to turn these people who come to steal my job into food delivery workers?"
Your description is very apt.
Edgar's tone remained calm. "They have the budget, the channels, the scale, and the unique ability to acquire samples globally."
"If run properly, this could become a global supply chain."
Chen Mo glanced at Edgar for two seconds, leaned back in his chair, and burst out laughing.
" Old Ai, sometimes I really think you're wasting your talent if you don't play villains."
Edgar lowered his head slightly.
"Sir, I am merely someone who manages your business."
Chen Mo waved his hand.
"Alright, whatever you say is fine." He then looked at the few survivors kneeling on the ground. "Let's start with the company's governance now."
Several board members visibly stiffened.
Chen Mo raised his hand, and several thin black and red tentacles extended from his fingertips, wrapping around the wrists of several directors.
Some people instinctively tried to dodge.
"Take it easy."
Chen Mo smiled. "It's just upgrading your work system to ensure you don't experience disconnections during meetings."
Black and red tentacles pierced the skin.
Several directors shuddered simultaneously, their fear replaced by a brief blankness.
A flash of dark red light appeared in their pupils, then quickly returned to normal.
A few seconds later, the group looked up again.
Chen Mo retracted his tentacles and nodded in satisfaction.
"Good."
He turned to Ashley. " Ashley, where are the files?"
Ashley snapped back to reality.
"Ah? Oh, here, right here."
She walked over carrying a tablet and a stack of paper documents, almost tripping over a former director.
Chen Mo glanced at her.
Ashley steadied herself immediately and forced a smile.
"Sir, I'm alright."
"I can see that now." Chen Mo nodded. "You just almost scared yourself to death."
Ashley didn't dare to reply.
She handed the board the documents that would maintain Edgar's original position.
Several directors took the pens, signed their names smoothly, and the motion passed unanimously.
The young representative knelt on the ground, watching helplessly as the board meeting transformed from a coup attempt into a power reshuffling within Vought.
It only took a few minutes in total.
This company is still officially called Vought International.
But in reality, Vought has become a one-man show.
The person was now sitting at the end of the long table, looking down at the snacks on the conference table.
Chen Mo picked up a small cookie, looked at it, and then put it back.
"Is this what the board of directors usually eats?"
Ashley quickly explained in a low voice, "These are low-sugar, gluten-free healthy cookies."
Chen Mo looked disgusted.
"No wonder these people aren't very bright; they eat way too much vegetarian food."
He pushed aside the cookie box, stood up, and walked over to the young representative.
Just as the young representative was about to press his forehead back onto the carpet, Chen Mo reached out and grabbed him by the back of his collar, forcefully pulling him up.
"Stop kneeling."
The young representative's legs were still a little weak, and he didn't even know where to look.
Chen Mo patted him on the shoulder.
I admire you; you're a smart person.
Chen Mo looked at him, his smile devoid of warmth, as several tentacles pierced into the bodies of the two representatives.
"When you get back, find out exactly who's behind this trouble. I'll handle it personally."
A red glint flashed in the young representative's eyes as he respectfully replied.
"Yes, sir."