Chapter 31: The Capital's Butcher Knife

What is the cruelest thing in the world?

Is it a war-torn battlefield?

No!

It is capital!

Capital is an invisible butcher knife. When this knife is raised, the wealth accumulated by generations of a country can be destroyed in an instant. Similarly, when it is raised, the efforts of several generations can turn into a mere bubble.

Banks are not just fair-weather friends, lending you an umbrella when it's sunny and taking it back when it rains. Banks are the wielders of this knife. They won't just take back the umbrella during the storm; they'll strip you of your clothes and drain your blood and flesh.

Karl knew this better than anyone, which is why he wanted to sell his company.

"Li, Mr. Li, I, I..."

As sweat continuously beaded on Karl's nervous forehead and his lips trembled, Li Yi'an ruthlessly exposed his facade.

"Right now, Karl Metal Company is a losing proposition in your hands. Yes, the company not operating means no taxes, but as long as it remains yours, you must pay property tax. How much was last year's property tax? Can you afford it? When you default on your property tax, the judge will order your company to be seized. Then what? There will be an auction in the judge's office with a few hyenas participating. They'll bribe the judge and buy everything here for a few hundred dollars. The bank will then continue to chase you for the debt because taxes take precedence over debts. What will you have left by then?"

With that, Li Yi'an took a gold cigarette case from his pocket, offered a cigarette to Karl, then one to Gambino, and lit them both with a lighter.

"Smoke it. Maybe this is your last cigarette."

Hearing this, Karl's fingers trembled, and his blue eyes looked at the Chinese man in front of him in astonishment. He didn't even notice the cigarette falling from his mouth.

As the cigarette fell, Li Yi'an caught it and placed it back in his mouth.

"Smoke it, Mr. Karl. After this, you'll only be picking up cigarette butts."

Then, Li Yi'an lit his own cigarette.

And Karl? He stood there like a fool, his eyes vacant as he looked at the person in front of him. What this guy said was exactly what he feared. In fact, he had spent the past year trying to find someone to take over his company.

But who would take over?

Everyone was waiting for the day he couldn't hold on any longer. In the end, just as this guy said, he would lose everything, left with nothing but debt. At that point, his only option would be jumping off a building.

After his final pretense was stripped away, Karl realized the other party had done their homework. He thought for a moment and said,

"One hundred thousand dollars. The company is yours, including all the debts. I can assure you that all the debts combined are not worth more than this company..."

"That's not important!"

Li Yi'an said bluntly.

"Because I won't pay a single penny!"

After his experience in London, coercion and plundering were a breeze!

"What!"

Karl's body trembled, nearly collapsing to the ground. His last hope was gone...

Seeing the tottering Karl, Li Yi'an said,

"But now I can give you a choice. Transfer the company to me completely, and you can manage it as the general manager. I will pay you a monthly salary of $1,200! When you retire, you'll get a decent pension."

Thanks to the system's "cost accounting function," which thoroughly exposed Karl Metal Company, he dared to make such a bold demand.

Acquiring a company without spending a penny. This company, unlike North Borneo under the Japanese, had real assets.

Coercion and plundering were easy!

Actually, it was just coercion and plundering. Did Karl have any other choice?

"This, this..."

Karl opened his mouth to argue but ultimately said nothing.

He knew this might not be the best option, but it was his only option!

...

"Alright, if you have no objections, please sign the contract!"

Standing in the conference room, Zhang Weilun looked at the people present, finally turning his gaze to Li Yi'an, feeling as if a storm was raging inside him.

How many days had it been?

He actually managed to acquire such a large factory without spending a single penny.

It was unbelievable.

But the other party had done it. Who would believe it without seeing it with their own eyes?

Feeling emotional, Zhang Weilun looked at Mr. Karl and his lawyer, who were reviewing the contract.

"We have no objections."

After getting the desired answer from his lawyer, Karl signed his name on the contract. God knew that at the moment of signing, he felt a sense of relief because he no longer had to worry about those debts.

No more worrying about bankruptcy, no more thinking about his wife's suffering after he jumped off a building.

"Congratulations, Mr. Li. You've acquired this company."

Faced with Karl's congratulations, Li Yi'an shook his head and said,

"No, Mr. Karl, congratulations to you. How does it feel to be debt-free?"

Karl, who had been looking solemn, suddenly laughed.

"Haha, boss, you saw through me. But boss, you must manage the company well; after all, it's my pension!"

How could it be like this!

Zhang Weilun was stunned. Was this the reaction of someone being "coerced and plundered"?

Shouldn't he be furious? Shouldn't he be outraged?

How could this be the reaction?

Li Yi'an smiled and said,

"After cutting your losses, this bit of money is nothing!"

With that, he signed his name on the contract. Almost instantly, the screen flashed.

"Congratulations, user, for using available information and psychology to force the opponent to submit, acquiring a company worth $2.7835 million at zero cost. Comprehensive reward: 600,000 experience points."

The next moment, the screen displayed fireworks.

"Congratulations, user, for successfully upgrading to Level 3!"

He leveled up, indeed he leveled up.

Li Yi'an's heart was cheering. He finally leveled up!

Upgrading was that simple!

You didn't even need to spend a penny!

Just "zero-dollar acquisition."