"If Jiang Hai clearly doesn't support us, this matter is going to be quite troublesome."
Sitting on the sofa in the room, a middle-aged man who had just met Jiang Hai today tugged at his tie, his expression tinged with frustration.
To be honest, the current state of chemical plants is really embarrassing. Aside from some old local industries, developed countries generally won't allow new chemical factories to be built on their soil.
This was true not only in Europe but also in some Asian countries. The only places where companies could confidently build factories were third-world countries—some Southeast Asian nations, parts of Africa. But the problem was, local consumption in these places wasn't enough. They had to export their products, and the tariffs, along with miscellaneous fees, gave Celanese a real headache. They were just a "small" company, with an annual revenue of $5.9 billion.
They weren't top-tier like Dow Chemical, who could afford to build factories in the U.S. Dow Chemical was even stronger financially than DuPont, but for Celanese, building in the U.S. was difficult—except there was a loophole.
The U.S. was a fully developed country, but its uniqueness lay in the fact that each state had its own independent government. One state might forbid the factory, while another might allow it. Currently, they had secured strong coverage in the central states.
Now, they were waiting to break into the eastern market, which they still valued highly.
New York was absolutely out of the question—they simply couldn't afford to build there, even if asked. New Jersey had outright refused.
The only viable state left was Massachusetts, their final target.
So, no matter what, they couldn't afford to lose this place easily. Even though the richest man and the mayor of this town had made their opposition clear, they were still ready to push forward. If there was even a sliver of a chance, they wouldn't let it slip away.
Since they planned to build a factory here, they had long studied the situation. Naturally, they knew how the townspeople felt about Jiang Hai. If Mayor Wallis opposed them, they were about 70% confident they could still build the factory.
But if Jiang Hai opposed them, their chances might drop to only 20%. There was no denying Jiang Hai's influence in the town had surpassed Mayor Wallis's. After all, Jiang Hai's life was deeply intertwined with the townspeople's livelihoods.
The townspeople relied on Jiang Hai to make a living. A direct confrontation with him could end badly...
"What do you think of this Jiang Hai?" Peter—******, the team's nominal supreme commander, lightly tapped his chair and asked the people in front of him.
"If we want to take this place, Jiang Hai is a big problem. I suggest trying to bribe him." A young man spoke up first after considering the leader's words.
In fact, shady money dealings existed not just in China but abroad as well. But here, the penalties for accepting bribes were harsh. For example, if someone bribed another person, the bribee could accept the money, then report the briber. This way, the bribee could keep the bribe, receive compensation, and the briber would go to jail—without any obligation to return the favor.
If someone bribed Jiang Hai with $10,000, Jiang Hai could take the money, report the briber, keep the original $10,000, and the briber would have to pay another $10,000 plus face jail time. Jiang Hai wouldn't have to do anything in return. This was how bribery punishment worked in the U.S.
This high level of distrust naturally discouraged bribery.
"You're from here. Do you think Jiang Hai can be bought?" Peter—****** didn't respond directly to the young man but turned to Augustine Wilson, an undercover among the townspeople.
"Unlikely. Jiang Hai is much richer than you think. His manor alone is worth $280 million. Last year, he sold 10,000 cows—I heard the revenue was over a billion. I don't know the exact figure, but next year his taxes will be in the hundreds of millions. So even if he could be bribed, it wouldn't serve our purpose." Augustine hesitated as he spoke, looking at Peter—******.
He was telling the truth. Although he disliked Jiang Hai, Augustine couldn't deny his achievements.
"Hiss..." Everyone inhaled sharply.
They had thought Jiang Hai was just an ordinary wealthy man, but he was actually a billionaire.
He might not have as much as Celanese overall, but Jiang Hai was a single individual.
He earned over a billion a year, while Celanese's money wasn't theirs to share.
For them, spending a few hundred thousand was feasible, but for Jiang Hai, that was pocket change. This was a real problem...
"If spending money won't work, what else can we do?" Peter—****** looked around, dismissing the bribery idea outright. The group exchanged uneasy glances.
"I have an idea. Maybe we can drive a wedge between Jiang Hai and the townspeople. After all, Jiang Hai is Chinese." A middle-aged white man stood up and addressed the group.
"Go on." Peter—****** nodded, encouraging him to continue.
"Everyone knows that although racial discrimination is officially gone in the U.S., it still exists beneath the surface. Jiang Hai is an Asian and hasn't yet obtained American citizenship. We might exploit this, stir up discrimination among the townspeople." Encouraged by Peter—******'s gaze, the man spoke more confidently.
"That won't work. The townspeople aren't fools. They know their lives improved because of Jiang Hai. He invested in the town, attracted tourists. Without him, there'd be no growth, no visitors. They won't turn against him." Before the man could finish, another interrupted.
Although the strategy was harsh, people were not naive, especially when money was involved.
"We can send people to lobby the townspeople, telling them they can get these benefits without Jiang Hai. We can paint him as a vampire exploiting them!" The man, clearly unwilling to give up his plan, spoke loudly.
"Okay, Mod, that idea is a bit extreme. As Kus said, the townspeople are far from gullible. Maybe some will be, but not now. Still, your plan isn't without merit." Peter—****** waved his hand to calm the excited man, then stroked his chin thoughtfully.
They couldn't outmatch Jiang Hai in money—his own or the people's.
They'd seen the town's development through tourism. Even if the chemical factory hired everyone, how much income could that bring? Toxic and risky, the highest salary their company could offer was about $5,000 a month. That meant $60,000 a year if working nonstop. Now, those same people earned over $100,000 annually with much less effort.
For the town, the chemical factory was just another source of income, not a vital one like tourism. Competing against that was foolish.
The U.S. wasn't like China. Jobs in China were serious matters; tourism wasn't.
But in the U.S., no job was considered more or less serious. Making money legally was the only goal.
"We can do this..." Peter—****** looked around at his team.
Everyone's faces brightened. This might be their best option.
After setting the plan, most of the team went to rest, preparing for their next move.
Only one member stayed behind in Peter—******'s room—a quiet man who never spoke and always kept to the corner. Few noticed him.
If Bell, Azarina, and the others were here, they would surely be wary of him.
"If this plan fails, it's up to you. Understand?" Peter—****** said softly.
The man nodded and left.
"Jiang Hai, let's see if you can stop us!" After everyone left, Peter gazed at the starry sky and chuckled. He was used to dealing with situations like this.
The next morning, two pieces of news spread through the town almost simultaneously.
One was from the town government: Mayor Wallis had met with Jiang Hai last night. Jiang Hai made it clear that he absolutely opposed any chemical companies entering the town. If one did, he would withdraw from Winthrop and close all his associated businesses.
The other piece of news was... (To be continued.)