Homo Sapiens

May 20th.

Homo Sapiens Company’s subsidiaries, Xingdao Semiconductor and Nanyang Electronics, quickly launched a full lineup of products to the market: 6 smartphone models, 2 tablets, 4 laptops, and 4 desktops.

Simultaneously, they announced customizable telecommunication base stations, servers, and supercomputer solutions.

Instantly, the news sent shockwaves through the market.

However, Homo Sapiens Company gave the outside world no time to react. They immediately began shipping products across the board, while also announcing a complete upgrade and overhaul of all electronics and communication infrastructure within their territories.

The four regions of Luzon, Hongsawaddy, Siam, and Ceylon were already prepared. Spearheaded by Homo Sapiens Company’s local branches, they ran a trade-in program that, almost overnight, wiped out the vast majority of foreign electronic products in these areas.

「Thonburi.」

As one of the few areas within Homo Sapiens Company’s main base of operations that still had a large number of private enterprises, it was a key area of focus for the intelligence agencies of many external powers.

The company ordered its employees and their families to turn in all non-company electronics from their homes for a free exchange with new, self-produced products.

This instantly drove nearly all private telecommunications operators into bankruptcy.

Inside the headquarters of Zhengda Company.

Xie Bin, who had returned from Malaysia some time ago, was in the chairman’s office discussing the future of Zhengda Company with Chairman Xie Zheng.

Xie Bin gave a bitter smile. ”Patriarch, I never expected things to turn out like this.”

”How are things in Malaysia?”

Xie Bin shook his head. ”Deceptively calm. Homo Sapiens Company’s actions there are brazen robbery, and it’s the same over in Java.”

”That Li Qingye is really something else,” Xie Zheng remarked, looking at the newspaper in his hand. It was an analytical piece from East Japan’s Yomiuri Shimbun, published yesterday.

Of course, with his wisdom, Xie Zheng could tell at a glance that America was fanning the flames from behind the scenes; otherwise, the Yomiuri Shimbun would never dare to publish such a story.

After all, the article analyzed the founder of Homo Sapiens Company. Given the company’s current brutality and madness, even the people of East Japan were terrified.

Homo Sapiens Company’s Foreign Affairs Division had also learned of this intelligence but had given no reaction.

After all, Homo Sapiens Company was now operating in the open. As its chairman, Li Qingye couldn’t stay in the shadows forever.

It could be summed up in one simple phrase.

Authority and the instruments of power cannot be entrusted to another.

Using an alias was fine before the company stepped out of the shadows, but once Homo Sapiens Company took the main stage, Li Qingye would inevitably have to step into the spotlight.

And one shouldn’t underestimate the analytical capabilities of the world’s great powers.

From the moment Homo Sapiens Company came to light, intelligence agencies across the globe had been analyzing and digging up every scrap of related information.

This article was the work of Black Ship, merely using the Yomiuri Shimbun as its mouthpiece.

The intelligence within was comprehensive, covering everything from Homo Sapiens Company’s founding in Luzon, to the true identity behind the persona of Jack Zhang, to the entire history of Li Qingye’s family.

Of course, Black Ship’s intentions were malicious; it had secretly woven in plenty of content meant to sow discord.

The moment Xie Zheng saw the newspaper, he knew there would be trouble.

”Sigh... Things have already come to this. We have to find a way to save ourselves.”

”But our roots are here in Siam and Southeast Asia...” Xie Bin said, a troubled look on his face.

Xie Zheng knew this all too well. Homo Sapiens Company had no room for other private enterprises. If Zhengda Company remained in Siam, the consequence would be a slow, grinding death.

Inwardly, he was secretly relieved that his past warning to Qiu Yingle, and his subsequent decision to play it safe, had kept the Xie Family from being swept up in the recent purge.

The Banyu Clan, the Tessos Clan, and others who had colluded with Europe and America had been utterly annihilated.

As for the Huashang Clans who had been scheming behind the scenes, three of them had been torn out by the roots.

These served as bloody warnings. Homo Sapiens Company showed no mercy.

Take the Xingdao Li Family, for example. Though Li Gu Ming was now the manager of the Xingdao Branch, he held very little actual power.

Furthermore, the pro-European and American factions within his family had been completely wiped out. He, at least, knew his place and readily handed over the family fortune to Homo Sapiens Company, thereby managing to save many in his own lineage.

When it came to ruthlessness, Li Qingye was utterly merciless on certain matters.

Especially when it came to the great clans and private enterprises, he always went for the kill.

Xie Zheng didn’t think his reputation would count for anything with Li Qingye. The thought of the tangled history of favors and feuds between Li Qingye and the people from back home, in particular, forced Xie Zheng to face reality.

Having come to this realization, Xie Zheng said, ”Let’s make a clean break. Our past cooperation with the Qingye Group, plus the heads-up I gave Qiu Yingle, means that as long as we don’t cause trouble, they won’t target us directly.”

”You mean we should pull out of Siam and Southeast Asia?” Xie Bin exclaimed in shock, quickly trying to change his mind. ”Patriarch, think it over! Surely things haven’t reached that point!”

Xie Zheng waved a dismissive hand. ”I’m merely proposing we shift the family’s focus to XX, move most of our physical assets to countries in East Asia. We can retain some of our import-trade businesses in Southeast Asia.”

”But... many in the family won’t agree to that,” Xie Bin pointed out.

Xie Zheng’s gaze was resolute. ”If they want to become employees of Homo Sapiens Company, they’re free to stay behind. As for acting as a bridge, Homo Sapiens Company has no need of us.”

”Why? If we acted as a bridge, wouldn’t we be invaluable for easing the tensions between Homo Sapiens Company and East Asia?”

Xie Zheng glanced at his somewhat naive cousin. ”Ah Bin, that idea of yours was never viable. Have you not been paying attention to what’s been happening recently?”

”Recently?” Xie Bin sank into thought.

”It wasn’t just companies in Europe and America that hiked semiconductor prices for Homo Sapiens Company.”

It dawned on Xie Bin instantly. He then recalled how, over the past half-month, An Nan, Canglan, and Kampuchea had been in frequent contact with other major powers, discussing military and economic cooperation at length.

Clearly, An Nan, Canglan, and Kampuchea were also scared to death by Homo Sapiens Company. They were scrambling to find other major powers to back them up, hoping it would make Homo Sapiens Company think twice before acting.

Kampuchea, Canglan, and An Nan quickly banded together for mutual protection. They threw their markets wide open to other major powers, giving foreign capital the green light to enter.

Desperate, An Nan, Kampuchea, and Canglan were clutching at straws. Though they worried about letting a wolf in the door, compared to what Homo Sapiens Company was doing, the other major powers looked like saints.

After all, once Homo Sapiens Company established a branch with full authority in their territories, the local warlords, powerful clans, and private businesses would be completely wiped out.

For these ’Celestial Dragon People,’ accustomed to their lofty positions, this was a fate worse than death. They weren’t about to sit back and wait for the end.

As for why they didn’t just align themselves directly with America...

On the one hand, anti-American sentiment was prevalent in the region. On the other, America’s recent, brutal exploitation of its own allies and subordinate nations made it seem like a poor choice.

Furthermore, from a geopolitical standpoint, An Nan, Canglan, and Kampuchea were now surrounded on three sides by territory under Homo Sapiens Company’s control; only their northern borders were free.

If, instead of introducing capital from other powers, they chose to align with America, they would be well and truly screwed.

After all, Homo Sapiens Company would not tolerate them siding with America and building military bases on its doorstep. This would be forcing Homo Sapiens Company’s hand, compelling them to deliver a killing blow.

Moreover, they knew their own value. It was the perfect time to play both sides against the middle. It was a dangerous game, but fortune favors the bold. If all else failed, they could just grab their assets and flee.

Xie Zheng, however, knew that trying to play both Homo Sapiens Company and the other major powers against each other was a path to certain death. He had made a decisive choice: to take the family’s core capital and seek development elsewhere.