Fox reported:
"Eight hundred million!"
"Adding the previous five hundred million, we've borrowed shares worth eight hundred million in pre-drop market value."
"When news of Tony's return and his press conference broke out, Stark Industries' stock actually went up a bit, but now it's plummeting."
"However, because of Obadiah's statements, quite a few institutions and individuals are still watching, thinking the order won't pass the board and be implemented."
Hearing her words, Smith thought for a moment and said:
"Since some still have faith and others are hesitant, clear out all Stark shares on hand as fast as possible to further depress the price."
"Once that's done, keep selling and buying lower, continuously shorting it."
"At a certain point, I'll tell you when to go all in and start collecting Stark Industries stock."
Fox nodded and said:
"We're already clearing the shares, but the overall drop needs time."
Smith knew this was inevitable, so he brought up another matter.
"Fox, help me find a large enough piece of land and buy it as our new base and headquarters."
"This place is too small now, and there's no room for Bulma to build my hypergravity chamber."
Fox thought for a moment and replied:
"I'll have people search for a suitable site, but most of our cash is tied up in the stock market right now. Buying and building will have to wait until this round is over."
"We need a new source of revenue. The Assassin Alliance has some industries, but their earning capacity is weak."
"When the High Table was destroyed, we only took over a portion of its cash assets, and with the Continental Hotels converted to branch offices and outposts, most of the money was reinvested."
Smith also began to ponder.
Although the Assassin Alliance wasn't poor, that was only relative. With the lab, gravity chamber, and base construction coming up, the cash burn was obvious, especially since the lab was a money sink before it produced any profit — and the things he needed were hardly cheap.
Currently, the Assassin Alliance's biggest assets were real estate, followed by antiques and jewelry, all passed down over centuries. Their actual business operations were minimal — the textile mill still ran mostly out of tradition but didn't earn much.
The only really valuable thing was the wax bath, which could be a decent revenue stream if promoted globally through the old Continental Hotel network and positioned as a luxury service.
But that would take time to generate profit. Another way would be to teach gun-fu to other organizations, but Smith didn't like that idea.
After thinking carefully, Smith came up with a good idea. He remembered in the original story, Bulma had once repaired a broken scouter. If he gave his scouter to Bulma, could she replicate it?
It didn't need to be as good as his — even a bare-bones version would suffice.
Then he could market these stripped-down scouters as extraordinary equipment, probably fetching a high price.
He knew that S.H.I.E.L.D. and many other agencies and organizations would be very interested.
After a few seconds' silence, Smith said:
"I already have two good ideas for new revenue streams."
Then he took out the scouter and said:
"Fox, take this to Bulma and have her focus on researching it for now."
"She can cut some functions to produce a low-end version."
"It will be our next big product."
Fox's eyes lit up when she saw the device and said:
"Great! I've always wanted a scouter myself."
"I'll take it to her right away. But seriously, I've never seen anyone as smart as her."
"She's only sixteen, and even Tony Stark at that age wasn't as good as her."
Smith just smiled and didn't comment further.
······
Elsewhere.
The Hand's headquarters was holding a meeting convened by Madame Gao.
The Five Fingers of the Hand — Alexandra, Madame Gao, Botu, Sowande, and Murakami — were all present. They were former elders of K'un-Lun, but were banished after using dragon bone fossils to extend their lives.
Botu looked at Madame Gao and asked:
"What matter could possibly require all five of us here?"
Madame Gao looked around at them and said:
"I've recently been cooperating with New York's Kingpin and moving high-grade 'flour' through the Rand Corporation."
Hearing this, the others weren't too interested. This didn't sound like a big deal — perhaps the Rand building was finally ready for underground excavation?
Madame Gao continued:
"At Kingpin's, I learned an intriguing piece of news. One of our old enemies, the Assassin Alliance, recently destroyed the High Table and is making waves again."
Murakami frowned slightly and said:
"Even if the Assassin Alliance destroyed the High Table, that hardly warrants calling us all together."
"As far as I know, their bloodline has only three members left and can barely compete with us."
Madame Gao smiled faintly and said:
"No need to rush. If it were only that, of course I wouldn't have summoned you all."
Seeing everyone looking at her expectantly, Madame Gao slowly said:
"But in looking into their war with the High Table, I discovered something very interesting."
"Dragon Balls — and a full set of seven."
Everyone gasped at the words:
"What? Impossible!"
Having come from K'un-Lun, they knew just how important Dragon Balls were. In all these centuries since being cast out, they had collected many dragon bones, but never once seen a Dragon Ball. The dragon's essence was entirely contained within them; even when a dragon died in K'un-Lun, its Dragon Balls were preserved to strengthen the successor. As former elders, they had never laid eyes on one.
The power of the Dragon Balls wasn't just about extending life — more importantly, they could greatly enhance one's strength. And seven? That meant more than enough for each of them.
If they really got them, their strength would soar and they could crush the Chaste under Stick with ease.
Alexandra's breath quickened as she asked:
"Are you certain this is true?"
······
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