Chapter 318: Strike Two at the Enemy First

When Charles Kessick arrived at the company's conference room, all the senior executives were already present, with only him, the executive director, missing. He nodded to everyone, took his seat, and directed his attention to the CEO, Barton Hardman, who nodded back. Barton's gaze then swept over the other directors, each with varied expressions.

"Time is of the essence, so I'll keep this brief," Barton began.

"Yesterday, our company's stock price experienced a minor decline. However, after the market opened today, our stock price plummeted dramatically. Analysis shows that institutions are clearly manipulating our stock price, and the short-selling trend is extremely aggressive. So far, the stock price has dropped to HKD 9.6 per share, and we've lost twenty million in market value! Our total market value is now 480 million!"

"I've sent people to investigate the cause. We should have answers soon…"

Knock, knock…

As Barton was speaking, he was interrupted by a knock at the door. He frowned and said in a deep voice, "Come in!"

"President, we've found the cause. It's all here."

An employee walked in with some documents and newspapers, bowed slightly behind Barton, and placed the files in front of him.

Barton's attention sharpened as he quickly reviewed the documents. The other directors also leaned in, their interest piqued.

The more Barton read, the darker his expression became. He addressed the employee in a low voice, "Prepare copies for each director."

"Got it!"

In no time, the employee returned and distributed the same materials to everyone present.

The directors, who had been eager to see the documents, immediately began to read. Their faces grew grave as they absorbed the information, and Charles Kessick couldn't help but curse under his breath.

"Gentlemen, we're in big trouble!" Barton Hardman said with a serious face.

Everyone nodded in agreement, the atmosphere in the room growing increasingly tense.

"There's no doubt about it. Nine Ding Securities is behind this!" said CFO Liu Mingtao.

"It's definitely those bastards!"

"What do we do now? They've set their sights on us. What should we do? Moreover, public opinion is turning against us, and we have no way to refute it!"

The other directors chimed in, their moods worsening.

Their positions were a testament to their capabilities, but upon seeing the documents provided by the employees, they understood how tricky the situation was.

The documents included two items: the latest issue of *Nine Ding Daily*, published by Nine Ding News, and a new securities research report released by Nine Ding Securities' research institute.

The *Nine Ding Daily* did not explicitly mention Yihe Air Cargo Station, but it had a significant impact on their company, and they couldn't refute it.

The newspaper featured a research report on the global transportation industry, detailing the changes in the industry over the past decade.

Hong Kong, being an island city, has limited land transport, so it relies heavily on two sub-industries: maritime and air transport.

These two sub-industries are in competition and can replace each other. When the maritime industry thrives, the air transport market declines, and vice versa.

The article discussed the peak of the maritime market from 1973 to 1975 and the downturn from 1975 to 1978.

But suddenly, the article stated that the maritime industry was on the rise again, predicting a new peak period for maritime transport. It provided rigorous survey data and theoretical support, making the prediction very convincing.

The latter part of the article addressed Hong Kong's air transport industry, noting that the largest air cargo terminal at Kai Tak Airport had only been in operation for two years and had yet to recoup its investment. It then proceeded to discuss the planned new round of expansion.

However, as the maritime industry was about to rebound, the air transport industry's market would face pressure. The article expressed concern about the revenue of air transport-related enterprises and elaborated further.

It even mentioned the decline in Hong Kong's manufacturing sector, which also affects the air transport market. Many electronic products and textiles manufactured in Hong Kong are transported worldwide by air, but a set of data showed that Hong Kong's manufacturing sector was being squeezed by the real estate industry and the broader environment, leading to a downward trend. This would significantly negatively impact the air transport industry due to reduced customers and transportation volume!

The summary of the article was essentially this: the maritime industry is promising in the coming years, while the air transport industry is expected to decline. The entire article was well-supported with evidence and was highly persuasive.

While the article was well-written, it was disastrous for those in the meeting.

The air transport market in Hong Kong was directly monopolized by their company, so any impact on the air transport market also affected them.

Although the news didn't mention their company by name, it was clearly about them!

The more convincing the article was, the worse it would be for their stock price!

If the *Nine Ding Daily*'s news was aimed at the general readers, the securities research report from Nine Ding Securities was targeted at financial professionals and had even greater impact.

The securities research report explicitly downgraded Yihe Air Cargo Station's outlook, claiming that its stock price was too high and recommending selling. It also lowered the company's rating.

This was a blatant signal to industry peers and investors that Yihe Air Cargo Station's stock price was going to fall, urging them to sell quickly!

Given Nine Ding Securities' impressive track record, even though the research institute had been established for a short time, their reports were highly sought after, and their high-quality reports garnered strong trust from users!

So, this report would undoubtedly have a significant impact, which was extremely detrimental to Yihe Air Cargo Station!

The stock price had already fallen 4% and was continuing to decline!

And those present knew that this was just the beginning. As the news and research report continued to spread and reach more people, Yihe Air Cargo Station's stock price would fall even more sharply!

The *Nine Ding Daily* and Nine Ding Securities' research report were like two sharp knives stabbing viciously into Yihe Air Cargo Station, causing its stock price to bleed out rapidly!

At that moment, the atmosphere in the conference room was incredibly heavy.

"Damn it, we need to come up with a solution quickly. We can't let the stock price keep falling!" Charles Kessick said with a fierce expression, his anger boiling, especially towards Xia Yu!

And this problem was particularly tricky!

"Exactly. We must stabilize the stock price. We need to hold a press conference immediately to express our stance and minimize the negative impact as much as possible."

"Additionally, prepare funds to support the stock price. We absolutely cannot let it continue to fall, or it will attract more institutions to join in, and then it will truly be over!"

Barton Hardman said.

"But Barton, our company's accounts don't have much money—only about 14 million. If we use it to support the stock price, it's definitely not enough!"

CFO Liu Mingtao reminded.

This statement made everyone's faces turn even graver. With no money, how could they support the stock price?

All eyes involuntarily shifted to Barton Hardman, the CEO, who felt the immense pressure. His gaze also turned to Charles Kessick, and others followed his lead, looking at Charles Kessick.

Barton Hardman was nurtured by Charles Kessick's grandfather and was a key figure in the Yihe conglomerate. He represented Yihe Pacific Company in managing Yihe Air Cargo Station.

Yihe Pacific held 35.85% of Yihe Air Cargo Station's shares. As the largest controlling shareholder, they had to take responsibility, and among those present, the one who most represented Yihe Pacific was not Barton Hardman, but Charles Kessick!

Charles Kessick understood their implication. He nodded vigorously, saying, "I will immediately return to the family and find a way to bring in funds. However, we cannot bear the costs alone; I hope you will also contribute funds to get through this crisis!"

Although Yihe Air Cargo Station was part of the Yihe conglomerate, it was not a wholly-owned subsidiary. It would be unfair for only Yihe Pacific to provide funds; everyone needed to contribute!

Upon hearing this, other shareholders and directors frowned, but under Charles Kessick's and Barton Hardman's piercing gazes, they could only nod in agreement.