The Colin Group is a local enterprise in the Shattered Star Ring, making a living from more than a dozen businesses including resource extraction, logistics and transportation, and processing materials production. It is quite well-known. Although it does not reach the level of a large conglomerate, it is still a listed interstellar-level enterprise in this star system. It has cooperative relationships with multiple star system-level civilizations and a large number of planetary civilizations. Its annual turnover is quite considerable. At the same time, this group is also a partner of the Black Star Army, providing the legion with business channels.
These business groups cooperated with the Black Star Army for two reasons: firstly, to secure a spot in the Evolution Cube, and secondly, because they coveted the Black Star Army's local influence. By being recognized as a collaborator with the Black Star Army, they could gain numerous advantages for their own businesses.
For example, many local civilizations are partners of the Legion. They share similar backgrounds and are psychologically more like friends on the same boat. As a result, they will take care of each other to some extent. Meanwhile, commercial organizations that do not cooperate with the Legion will suffer losses and find it increasingly difficult to obtain orders. Over time, the concept of a coalition of interests has emerged. Many commercial organizations are unwilling to fall behind and will also cooperate with the Legion. This is the prototype of the network of interests that the Black Star Army has been cultivating in the Shattered Star Ring for several years.
Colin Group was among the first companies to cooperate with the Black Star Army. Over the years, its performance has been booming and its prospects are promising. However, at this moment, in the conference room at Colin Group's headquarters, all the company's senior executives and shareholders are gathered together. Most of them have worried faces and the atmosphere is heavy.
The group's current leader Colin Dürer, sat at the head of the table, his face grim and his tone laced with suppressed anger.
"The Hiber Civilization and Sedro Civilization have terminated their cooperation with us, not only reclaiming the planetary mining rights we purchased but also canceling long-term material supply orders. I was previously negotiating with the Visser People; if we could secure Visser People orders, the group would gain a new business area. The negotiations were nearing completion, but unexpectedly, the Visser People suddenly overturned the previous terms and cooperated with others. We are now in a very bad situation."
A senior official sighed, "Yes, many heads of civilization departments who used to cooperate well with us have now cut off contact. This is not normal; there must be a competitor pulling strings behind the scenes..."
"Hmph, I know who it is." Colin sneered, his anger rising. "A while ago, the Infinite Financial Group contacted me, expressing their desire to acquire the Colin Group, which I rejected. All the recent commotion within the group is their doing."
"What?! That's how it is?!"
Why didn't I know the Infinite Financial Group contacted us?
Many people were surprised to learn of the situation, while some high-ranking officials remained silent and watched coldly, clearly having known about it all along.
Colin said angrily, "I've inquired. The Infinite Financial Group has been acquiring companies in the Shattered Star Ring recently. Those groups that disagreed have been suppressed to varying degrees. I heard that because of the development of the Shattered World, the Infinite Financial Group has decided to make a large-scale entry into the Shattered Star Ring. They plan to invest heavily in building factories in the Hiber Civilization and Sedro Civilization. There must have been some kind of deal behind the scenes that caused them to terminate their cooperation with us. And the competitor that intercepted the Visser People's order is one of the companies that was acquired by the Infinite Financial Group recently. Everything is related to them."
At this moment, the group's second-largest shareholder, who was at odds with Colin, sneered and spoke up:
"Not only that, several important partners have also stopped doing business with us, several civilizations have stopped approving our loans, dozens of mid-level managers have been poached or resigned, leaving job vacancies, and now the group's operations are in trouble... To date, our business has shrunk by more than 30%, and the group's stock price has plummeted. I said long ago that we shouldn't have rejected the Infinite Financial Group; it's one of the largest consortiums in the entire universe. Becoming a subsidiary brand under them wouldn't have been a bad thing."
Upon hearing this, Colin's face turned ashen.
He also knew that the Infinite Financial Group's influence, financial resources, and brand effect were far beyond what they could match. If they could cooperate with the Infinite Financial Group, some partners would not hesitate to abandon their local business, simply because the Infinite Financial Group could bring greater benefits.
Colin grew angrier the more he thought about it, slamming his fist on the table. The black, protruding bone spur on his hand left a shallow dent in the table as he gritted his teeth.
"Don't even think about it. The Colin Group is my life's work, and I will not agree to the Infinite Financial Group's acquisition request!"
"Then how are you going to solve the current problem? If there's no way, the group will go bankrupt sooner or later. Everyone here is a shareholder. If you want to ruin the entire group out of spite, you'll have to ask us first." The second shareholder said with a sneer.
Colin frowned, remained silent for a moment, and then shook his head. "I can't do anything about it right now..."
The second-largest shareholder stood up, pulled out a document, slammed it on the table, and sneered, "Since there's no other way, then sign this share acquisition agreement."
Colin's expression changed, and he stared intently at the second-largest shareholder, "The Infinite Financial Group has already bought you out?!"
"Bribery? I'm only thinking about the future of the group."
The second largest shareholder chuckled, then glanced at the executives present, some shocked and some calm, and gave them a meaningful look.
Another major shareholder, understanding the implication, stood up and advised, "Colin, agree to the Infinite Financial Group's offer. It's difficult for us to compete with a cosmic-level consortium, and besides, their acquisition price is quite good. Perhaps after joining the Infinite Financial Group, our business can develop even further with their support."
This seemed to be a signal, as many of the high-ranking officials present began to offer their advice.
"You, you guys..." Colin stared in shock. He knew perfectly well that the high-ranking executives who were speaking had basically been bought off by the Infinite Financial Group. Their combined shares were enough to kick him out of the game.
Unbeknownst to many, the decision-making level has been infiltrated to this extent!
The remaining wavering executives also showed some interest, staring at Colin with hopeful eyes.
Colin's expression shifted between anger and rage, his teeth clenched. "If I don't agree, are you planning to sideline me?"
The second-largest shareholder said calmly, "That depends on whether your decisions are rational. If your decisions will lead the group into an abyss, then we will have no choice but to save ourselves."
Colin stared at the acquisition document on the table, gritting his teeth. After weighing it for a long time without saying a word, he grabbed the document and carefully read through it. Finally, with a gloomy face, he silently signed the agreement.
"Clap clap clap..."
Suddenly, a round of applause rang out, the door opened, and a person walked in, clapping as he did so, a confident smile on his lips.
"A wise choice."
Colin frowned and looked over, but before he could ask any questions, the second-largest shareholder began to introduce himself.
"This is Mr. Madick, a high-ranking member of the Infinite Financial Group."
"Oh, so it was you who bribed my men," Colin said sarcastically.
"Hehe, there's no need to be so hostile towards me. From now on, the Colin Group is a subsidiary of the conglomerate, and we'll all be colleagues."
Madick chuckled and waved his hand. "I'm here to tell everyone that the original decision-making structure will not undergo major changes, and you will remain the core of the group's senior management."
The crowd reacted with varying expressions and remained silent; some were relieved, while others were indifferent.
Madick glanced at it and said calmly, "However, our business strategy needs to be adjusted. I need you all to immediately terminate your cooperation with the Black Star Army."
"Why?" Colin asked, puzzled.
So what if it's an acquisition? What does this have to do with the Black Star Army? Why abandon such a good partner?
"Hehe, our Infinite Financial Group has already signed a cooperation and development agreement with the War Realm. The War Realm plans to emulate the Black Star Army and create its own interest alliance, so it needs many organizations to join. Every company we acquire will have to switch to the War Realm, providing them with their own channels to expand their business."
Madick's smile remained calm.
Colin frowned, his expression suddenly changed, and a look of surprise and uncertainty flashed in his eyes.
He had also attended the Black Star's Gathering recently and met Sorokin, but Sorokin had invested in the War Realm and turned against the Black Star Army's collaborators. As a native of the Shattered Star Ring, considering all this, a bold conjecture arose in Colin's mind:
--No... The Infinite Financial Group doesn't simply want to enter the Shattered Star Ring. On the surface, they're acquiring companies like ours, but their real target might be the Black Star Army!
We may just be pawns caught in the crossfire!
The Colin Group is just one example. During this period, many local companies in the Shattered Star Ring were acquired or controlled. Some companies were directly overwhelmed by the power of money and were happy to join the Infinite Financial Group. The executives left happily with the money.
For companies that refuse to comply, the Infinite Financial Group has many other methods at its disposal.
For example, they might exploit conflicts within the decision-making level to divide the upper echelons, consolidate minority shareholders to overthrow majority shareholders, launch hostile takeovers, or bribe key personnel. Alternatively, they might invest in factories to win over civilizations and indirectly hinder the business of some companies. They could also directly seize market share with their own high-quality products, as the Infinite Financial Group boasts superior production technology and product quality, along with a loyal following and a strong brand presence throughout the universe. Or they could directly use financial manipulation against listed companies. The Infinite Financial Group is experienced and has dozens of combined strategies. After a single round of attacks, many companies would not be able to withstand it.
Even if they refuse to compromise, they will eventually be suppressed to the point of near collapse, and being acquired at that point would be even more disadvantageous.
The Infinite Financial Group couldn't directly shake a behemoth like the Black Star Army; it could only gradually erode it. For some small and medium-sized enterprises in the star field, this kind of cross-star field, top-tier cosmic consortium was a giant crocodile that was simply impossible to contend with, not a match in the same dimension.
These local businesses are wealthy, but the Infinite Financial Group... is exceptionally wealthy!
Through this operation, the Infinite Financial Group, which had been brewing for several months, acquired many local companies, quickly gaining numerous business channels, forcefully entering the Shattered Star Ring market, establishing a foothold, and attracting widespread attention and vigilance.
Meanwhile, the War Realm and the Infinite Financial Group jointly issued a statement announcing their joint development. The War Realm stated that they would expand their business and transform their power, aiming to become a diversified interest alliance organization... Although it was not explicitly stated, everyone in the Shattered Star Ring knew that the War Realm was imitating the Black Star Army.
"The Infinite Financial Group and the War Realm have entered into a deep collaboration?!"
In the Chief Affairs Officer's office at Legion Headquarters, Sylvia stared at the report in her hand, a solemn expression on her face.
"Your Excellency, the War Realm is trying to steal our business. A conflict of interest has arisen between the two sides. The organizations acquired by the Infinite Financial Group have terminated their cooperation with us and joined the War Realm instead," the secretary beside him said, shaking his head with some concern.
"They don't want the Evolution Cube slots anymore?" Sylvia frowned.
"Well... I'm not sure either, but these are all private organizations that were acquired, so their need for Evolution Cube might not be that great."
Upon hearing this, Sylvia nodded.
That's true. Those private organizations are different from civilizations. Even if they needed evolution slots, they had basically bought them all in the past few years. The ones that remained to cooperate were mainly for the influence of the interest group. Now that they have been acquired, they can only act according to the wishes of the Infinite Financial Group.
Normal business competition is about power, financial resources, and influence, not about force. Moreover, the War Realm itself is Beyond Grade A power, of equal rank, and both are allies of the empire. The Infinite Financial Group using it as a shield makes things very difficult.
The teacher was right; the Infinite Financial Group was indeed up to no good.
Sylvia gave a silent snort and carefully read through the report.
Although the Infinite Financial Group has great power, it is impossible for it to fight against all the companies in the entire star field on its own. Needless to say, those civilized forces will not give up their cooperation with the Evolution Cube. The Infinite Financial Group can only start with private organizations, but acquisitions also cost money. Larger organizations have not been targeted for the time being.
The Infinite Financial Group is a very powerful force, but even the strongest have limited resources. Currently, it has only dealt with a small number of companies and established a foothold in the Starfield market. Even if it wants to acquire more organizations, it will have to do so step by step.
So far, although the Black Star Army has lost some business channels, it is far from being crippled. Only peripheral businesses have been affected, while core businesses such as Evolution Cube, Shattered World development, and resource planet mining remain as stable as Lagi.
However, this trend... must be guarded against.
The Infinite Financial Group's investment in the War Realm is a problem. If the War Realm becomes successful enough to rival the Black Star Army, then the Legion's partners will decrease, meaning the Legion's size will shrink. This will restrict the Legion's development speed and affect the blueprint set by the Legion Commander, with serious consequences.
With this in mind, Sylvia's expression turned serious, and she took out her communicator.
I must inform the teacher immediately.