Chapter 493: Victory

"Do you think I'll let you make a fool out of me without my consent?"

"If you want to stand firm, you need to be ruthless. Do you really think I'm easy to deal with? Since that's the case, don't blame me for being harsh with you. One way or another, I'll deal with it!"

"This also saves me the trouble of buying up stocks everywhere!"

Wang Qi sneered, then quickly instructed his trusted aides on a few matters. His subordinates, energized, went off to execute the orders.

"Hehe~"

…

Upon receiving the news, the Sakage family naturally couldn't be unaware. When Sakage Kohei learned that the Otowa Group was raising 10 billion yen, he exploded in anger, even smashing his beloved antique cup, a clear sign of his fury.

After his outburst, Sakage Kohei convened Sakage Ichiro and Sakage Seitaro for a discussion.

The Sakage family trio was already in a difficult situation, and with the Otowa Group preparing to take advantage of the chaos, they were even more incensed. But they had no choice but to find a way to respond.

They understood their own situation; in the short term, it was certain that Ichikawa Group would be profitable. They originally planned to increase their holdings to stabilize the stock price, and now they had to be even more resolute.

It would be disastrous if they won the lawsuit but then found a tiger within their own ranks! 

The Sakage family knew well the importance of avoiding short-term pain for long-term stability. They decided to take the initiative, increasing their shareholding to over 51% to thwart the Otowa Group's sinister intentions.

This decision was reflected in the stock market, with a dramatic increase in buy orders!

This sign was noticed not only by Jiuding Securities, which was monitoring the situation in real-time, but also by the Otowa Group, which had already started buying at higher prices, forced to pay more to grab shares.

The high cost was worth it if the strategic plan succeeded. Short-term high costs could be recovered in the long run.

As the two sides clashed, Ichikawa Group's stock price rose against the trend.

However, Wang Qi wasn't worried. Instead, he used the opportunity to continue placing sell orders, using up the remaining stock. As long as he could sell at high prices, he could still profit!

Even when representatives from the Otowa Group came to buy shares, Wang Qi didn't refuse, selling part of his stock at high prices to avoid it being taken by Ichikawa Group on the market.

The best time to suppress the stock price hadn't yet arrived. Simply crashing the stock price without considering the timing and the overall situation would be the most foolish and costly move. Wang Qi wasn't that foolish!

As time passed, the impact of Jiuding Animation's appeal continued to intensify.

The viewership of the "Dragon Ball" anime aired by Japanese TV stations kept rising, reaching the top spot for animation viewership in the country.

Seeing the clear benefits, Japanese TV stations were reluctant to let go. Yusuke Sakurai specifically called Ma Tengdong and got a firm guarantee from him, so the TV stations were at ease.

Subsequently, the Japanese TV station reported to its higher-ups at the Yomiuri Shimbun Group, which owned the most widely circulated daily newspaper in Japan, "Yomiuri Shimbun," with a daily circulation of 8 million.

"Yomiuri Shimbun" acted as a barometer. With its substantial and fair reporting, public opinion in Japan turned around, becoming increasingly unfavorable toward Ichikawa Group.

Soon, the court date arrived.

Early in the morning, before Tokyo Court opened, the entrance was already filled with reporters from major media outlets.

The presiding judge, Eiro Yoshikawa, was recognized and surrounded by reporters as soon as he got out of the car.

After much effort, Yoshikawa finally escaped into the courthouse. Once inside, he wiped the sweat from his forehead and said with some relief, "It's a good thing the trial started early. Otherwise, given the current media frenzy, we would have been attacked by the press."

Thinking about the case that was about to start in just over an hour, Yoshikawa recalled the evidence submitted by both sides and couldn't help but shake his head slightly, revealing an inexplicable expression.

As time ticked by, media and notaries began to enter the courtroom. Ma Tengdong, representing Jiuding Animation, took his place as the plaintiff.

For the defendant, Ichikawa Group, it wasn't Sakage Ichiro but Sakage Kohei who stood in the defendant's seat.

Their gazes met. Sakage Kohei's expression was emotionless, but his eyes revealed a heavy sense of unease.

In contrast, Ma Tengdong looked relaxed, even sporting a slight smile.

Such a stark contrast was captured by the reporters present, who immediately started taking pictures.

"Bang!"

"Order in the court!"

As the time hit, Eiro Yoshikawa took his gavel and struck it once. The courtroom fell silent immediately.

The atmosphere in the courtroom became solemn and serious.

The proceedings began, and then they moved directly into the trial phase.

"Plaintiff representative Ma Tengdong, please present your case…"

"Defendant representative Sakage Kohei, please present your testimony…"

…

With the formalities completed, everyone in the courtroom had a clear understanding of the court's impartial attitude.

"Before the trial, both parties have provided the relevant evidence. According to internal discussions of the trial group, this court announces the preliminary judgment result: The court declares!"

As Yoshikawa announced this with a blank expression, almost everyone present held their breath, especially Sakage Kohei, who clenched his fists, clearly extremely anxious.

In contrast, Ma Tengdong remained calm, and this scene only increased Sakage Kohei's unease.

As everyone waited in anticipation, Yoshikawa did not delay and announced the result in a loud voice.

"The plaintiff wins!"

"Wow…"

"How is this possible!"

"Jiuding Animation actually won! What evidence did they provide?"

"Don't be impatient. Since the court has made this ruling, the relevant evidence will surely be revealed soon. Just wait and see."

"Quick, take pictures! Sakage Kohei's face is ashen. This shot is too classic to miss!"

"Click, click…"

With Yoshikawa's announcement of the preliminary judgment, the courtroom instantly erupted.

Other notaries were relatively calm, but because this case was a media storm, many media outlets were present. Despite their relative restraint, there was still some confusion.

Yoshikawa initially allowed some leniency but, seeing no signs of calm, had to pick up his gavel again to restore order in the courtroom.

"Defendant, if you have any objections, please provide a statement!"

Yoshikawa looked at Sakage Kohei, who was anxiously trying to argue, and said expressionlessly.

"Respected Judge, we do not accept the verdict…"

Sakage Kohei's top lawyer immediately started to argue.

However, as the trial group began to unveil the evidence submitted by both parties, the atmosphere in the courtroom continued to shift.

Sakage Kohei's evidence was domestic Japanese patents approved just two days ago, which caused some journalists to sneer.

But when the international patents provided by Jiuding Animation, which had been approved months ago, were presented, Sakage Kohei's face turned pale, and he blurted out, "Impossible!"

"Wow!"

"International patents, they're actually international patents!"

"Ichikawa Group obtained Japanese patents, but the international patents take precedence. The Japanese patents are naturally invalid. It's unclear what the Japanese Patent Office was doing. They approved international patents months ago but still reviewed patents for Ichikawa Group. There's definitely an issue that needs to be exposed!"

"That's right, this is big news. There's corruption and foreign exploitation involved. Even if we don't report it, Jiuding Media Company's newspapers will."

"It's a pity. Oh…"

…

With the evidence revealed, Sakage Kohei had no chance for a reversal. The trial group rejected Ichikawa Group's appeal and directly maintained the judgment, concluding the case.

As Tokyo Court announced the end of the trial, Ma Tengdong was surrounded by a swarm of media. Having won, Ma Tengdong enthusiastically addressed the media and gave a victory speech.

Meanwhile, Sakage Kohei was also surrounded by a crowd of media, but his mind was in chaos. He was reluctant to face them, pushing through the crowd and heading towards Ichikawa Group.

The trial result quickly spread throughout Japan, and public opinion shifted dramatically, with overwhelming criticism directed at Ichikawa Group.

As for Jiuding Animation, it received various commendations and evaluations. Ma Tengdong was well-prepared and provided content to major media outlets.

Especially "Yomiuri Shimbun," which, for its own interests, praised Jiuding Animation, causing its reputation to soar once again.

Ichikawa Group's stock price plummeted in response, and the downward trend was unstoppable!