Everyone remained silent. This was blatant coercion. Matsumoto was clearly there to push Yang Ling to take over. If Yuqi didn't give up her position, he wouldn't give her any money to help. But if she did, then the position of acting chairman would be Yang Ling's.
Everyone felt a surge of emotion, as if they'd witnessed a dramatic and unpredictable turn of events. Today had been quite an eye-opener; it seemed they hadn't come to a meeting, but rather to witness a captivating family feud on television. And indeed, it was quite a spectacle. Neither Yang Ling nor Yang Yuqi, this uncle and niece pair, were easy to deal with. If Yuqi could resolve the financial problem, everything would fall into place, and her prestige would instantly reach its peak. However, if she couldn't, all her previous hard work and preparations would be in vain, and she would simply hand over the position she had secured to her uncle, Yang Ling.
Yuqi frowned, about to find another topic to change the subject. In any case, as long as everyone in the meeting got away, the rest would be easy to deal with. However, three hundred million yuan was a bit tricky. Although she didn't understand much, she had worked in finance with Yang Ling for several months and naturally knew what a company's cash flow meant. Even when the Yang family was at its best, it was not an easy thing to come up with three hundred million yuan.
Ling Yun had been quietly watching this scene from the sidelines, a cold smile playing on his lips. He stepped forward and said loudly, "Distinguished shareholders, board members, and leaders of the Yang family, I am but a humble and inexperienced person. I have been appointed as your assistant by Acting Chairman Yuqi. As a newcomer, I have not yet made any significant contributions, and I feel quite ashamed. I just heard Assistant Yang Ling mention that our Yang Group's cash flow is in trouble, with a shortfall of 300 million RMB, is that right, Assistant Yang?" As he spoke, he turned his gaze to Yang Ling.
Yang Ling's face turned somewhat pale. Ling Yun kept calling him "assistant," and in the blink of an eye, he had demoted him from a general manager to an assistant. This was an unbearable humiliation for him. From the moment this kid appeared, he had been ruining his important plans. This was simply intolerable.
Once this matter is settled, I'll see how I deal with you, you little bastard," Yang Ling thought through gritted teeth, and said coldly, "Yes, what, you have three hundred million? If you do, you're a hero and a benefactor of the Yang Group."
Everyone couldn't help but turn their attention to Ling Yun. This young man was unremarkable in appearance, but his demeanor was very profound. Could he really have that much money?
That's 300 million! Let alone 300 million yuan, even 300 million sheets of paper would weigh hundreds of kilograms. The Yang Group is a large and powerful company with stock market value and industries worth tens of billions. But to say that they can directly take out 300 million yuan in cash is simply impossible. It's not that the Yang Group doesn't have the money, but all their money is represented in the form of stock market value or fixed assets, while cash is constantly in various sales and liquidation processes. Simply taking out 300 million yuan that is not idle is impossible. For a company, there is no such thing as idle cost, because that would mean huge waste.
Ling Yun said slowly and deliberately, "I don't have 300 million RMB, but I have 50 million USD. Can that be used to replace 300 million RMB?" As he spoke, he bent down, picked up a heavy leather suitcase from under the table where he was standing, opened the automatic lock on the suitcase with a snap, opened the lid, and gently placed it on the conference table.
Another deathly silence followed, so quiet you could hear a pin drop!
It seems that every time Ling Yun shows something, it causes people's brains to short-circuit, and the more shocking the things he shows become, the longer the brains short-circuit for everyone.
Everyone's eyes lit up. Inside the suitcase were neat stacks of hundred-dollar bills. Judging from the thickness, each stack should be $100,000. There were 500 stacks in total, filling the entire suitcase, totaling exactly 50 million US dollars. Moreover, all of them were in good condition, with no new bills or consecutive serial numbers. Everyone present was shrewd. Some of them had already picked up a stack of bills and examined them carefully, then nodded to indicate that the bills were genuine and not counterfeit.
Yang Ling stared at the table piled high with US dollars, his mind completely blank. A jumble of thoughts raced through his head, turning into a jumbled mess. He couldn't believe it—Ling Yun actually had cash, fifty million US dollars, no less! It was practically impossible. Did he have some kind of precognitive ability? Did he know he was going to use financial issues to make things difficult for Yu Qi? Even if he did know beforehand, where did this kid get fifty million US dollars from?
Matsumoto Tomoki stared intently at Ling Yun. He remembered clearly that Ling Yun had entered empty-handed. Although he had been standing by the conference table, preventing others from seeing his hand movements, he wasn't a magician. How could he have suddenly produced a suitcase? Did he possess the ability to create things out of thin air? What a joke! Even a god couldn't do that. But besides that, only illusion was possible. However, the scan of the suitcase by his mental energy field confirmed that the suitcase was genuine, and the US dollars were real too.
What was going on? Matsumoto Tomoki was also deeply puzzled. Even if Ling Yun used some kind of illusion technique, it was impossible for him to be fooled. But that was the case. Without him noticing anything, Ling Yun produced a suitcase out of thin air, and the suitcase was filled with genuine fifty million US dollars in cash...
Yuqi looked at Ling Yun with a mixture of surprise and delight, almost wanting to summon the treasure bowl. She wondered what good deeds she had done in her past life to be so lucky as to meet this imposter boyfriend. No matter how dangerous or perilous the situation, it always seemed to be no problem in his hands. He could casually take out an item or show it off and shatter the opponent's conspiracy.
If it weren't for the embarrassment of doing it in public, Yuqi would have loved to give the treasure pot a good kiss. In her mind, the girl had already changed how she addressed her fake boyfriend, from Lingyun to Yun, and then to treasure pot.
Yang Wei and Yang Jun stared wide-eyed at the unbelievable scene. They exchanged bewildered glances, neither daring to believe their eyes. If Ling Yun had offered them millions or even tens of millions of RMB, they might have remained unmoved. What kind of money hadn't the Yang Group seen? But that was fifty million US dollars! Fifty million US dollars! If stacks of that were used to pelt someone, it would probably kill them. Just who was this young man to be so incredibly wealthy?
In an instant, the same question arose in everyone's mind: who exactly is this young man? His move shocked the entire audience, and it was so powerful that people were unable to move. How could such a thunderous method, such a grand gesture that seemed to be able to anticipate the opponent's every move, be just an ordinary student?
Immediately, everyone felt relieved. How could the daughter of the chairman of the Yang Group's board of directors only find a student with no background to be her boyfriend? The so-called "marrying someone of equal social standing" is definitely not just a snobbish empty phrase. Sometimes, if the gap in social status is too large, there is often no basis for a union. Why do so many female celebrities marry wealthy men? It is to find someone who matches their social status. Otherwise, it is difficult to endure other people's disdain and the desire to compare themselves to others.
Ling Yun's unassuming demeanor belies his shrewd and ambitious actions, clearly indicating he's a scion of some prestigious family in the country. Perhaps he was already aware of the Yang Group's financial difficulties and had prepared this sum of money long ago. Yang Ling's every move was entirely within his expectations.
Thinking of this, everyone couldn't help but look at Yang Ling with sympathy. This time, Yang Ling suffered a complete defeat from beginning to end. He originally wanted to make a lot of money for himself during the leadership transition, and even wanted to ambitiously compete for the position of head of the Yang family. But now, Yang Ling knows that everything is beyond saving and irreversible. Next, he will have to face real financial loopholes and a mess of promises that cannot be fulfilled.
Of course, these things weren't the worst of it. The most terrifying thing was that he was no longer of any use to them. Would those Japanese still cooperate with him? Would they treat him the same way they treated the three Yang Chengs, or even kill him silently and dump him in some stinking sewer? Just thinking about this made Yang Ling tremble all over, and he couldn't help but look at Matsumoto Tomoki.
Matsumoto Tomoki completely ignored him, his gaze fixed intently on Ling Yun. Even though Matsumoto couldn't sense Ling Yun's mental aura, he knew this young man was strange and definitely not normal. It seemed that if he had acted sooner, or used a technique like group hypnosis to force everyone to pass Yang Ling's election as chairman of the board, everything would have been settled. But now, things were beyond repair, and this young man was the culprit who had ruined everything.
Ling Yun looked back at Matsumoto Tomoki without flinching and smiled slightly: "Mr. Matsumoto, this is an internal meeting of the Yang Group. Unauthorized personnel are not allowed to enter. Since the Matsumoto Group has nothing to do with this, please leave. We have important matters to discuss. Sayonara!"
Matsumoto Tomoki's face was ashen. Just now, while Ling Yun was speaking, he had twice launched invisible mental control attacks on Ling Yun, trying to control the boy.
But a strange thing happened. When the mental control, which had been condensed into a line, was about to hit Ling Yun's position, it suddenly pierced through Ling Yun's chest without any obstruction, as if it were passing through the air.
Although Ling Yun himself was standing there speaking perfectly fine, in Matsumoto's eyes, Ling Yun had completely become an illusion, as if he were a projection from an extremely distant world, only his voice was synchronized. This suddenly gave Matsumoto a sense of absurdity, as if Ling Yun himself did not exist, and everything was an illusion born in his mind.
No, even this meeting doesn't exist; it's all an illusion. All the real memories only remain from the moment he controlled Yang Ling—that's the true memory replay.
"Yang Ling! Tell me what's going on!" Matsumoto Tomoki instinctively realized something was wrong, but he didn't know where the problem lay, so he roared in a moment of crisis.
Yang Ling walked over under everyone's watchful eyes, his face, which had become somewhat plump from proper care, was full of fawning smiles: "My master, what are your orders?"
"Kill him!" Matsumoto Tomoki shouted hoarsely, pointing at Ling Yun.
"Yes, Master." Yang Ling said with a smile, and as if by magic, he took out a rope that was already tied in place, and suddenly threw it forward, tightly tying it around Matsumoto Tomoki's neck. Then, his plump body nimbly moved behind Matsumoto Tomoki, and with a pull of his hands, he tightened the knot, and the sturdy white nylon rope immediately dug deeply into the flesh of Matsumoto's neck.
Matsumoto was both shocked and furious. He tried to use his powers to fight back, but to his horror, he discovered that he had somehow become an ordinary person, and he couldn't even muster his mental energy. He gripped his neck tightly with both hands, but the rope tightened more and more. Countless golden stars appeared before Matsumoto's eyes, and a hot, suffocating feeling washed over him. His consciousness began to blur...
Chapter 236 Thunderclap
Xiao Rou stood silently on a wine table. Even so, her height of 1.75 meters was only enough to make eye contact with all the berserkers. A mental field surged from her incomparably beautiful body, condensing into a layer of mercury-forged battle armor on her body surface, even covering her head. It formed a butterfly-shaped mercury mask on her exquisite face, with two phoenix hairpins on each side, revealing only her smooth and shiny black hair.
With a flash of silver light, the telekinetic spear once again took shape in Xiaorou's hand. However, this time the shape of the telekinetic spear had changed. The silver spearhead split into two sharp, diamond-shaped spikes, and the spearhead itself shone with silver light, transforming into six constantly rotating barbs, resembling an electrified drill bit that inspired fear. The edges of the six silver diamond-shaped blades gleamed with a cold, metallic light, and every time the spear trembled, the diamond-shaped blades emitted a heart-palpitating swishing sound.
The tassel was entirely a ball of bright red flame, but the core of the flame was pure white, meaning that this spear not only possessed incredibly powerful attack capabilities, but also terrifyingly high temperatures. The spear shaft was slender, covered with threads for easy grip, and the butt was shaped like a strikingly artistically designed Qilin head.
A slender, snow-white hand gently held this cold weapon, formed purely from a mental energy field, upside down. The spearhead was spinning continuously, emitting a whistling sound, and bursts of lightning occasionally flashed from the barbs at the tip.
With a crack, the wine table beneath Xiaorou's feet suddenly shattered under the weight. Dozens of cracks rapidly expanded outwards from her slender feet, which were enveloped by her mental energy field. Then, the sturdy wooden wine table exploded into pieces with a bang. But strangely, Xiaorou's body did not fall down; instead, she stood up in mid-air.
The berserkers had all fully entered their berserk state, their violent emotions filling the cramped space of the underground bar. The air, thick with a stench of decay, seemed to solidify. In their berserk state, the berserkers had completely abandoned what little reason they already possessed. Like drunken madmen, they were filled with explosive killing intent, as if they possessed an invincible power, advancing fearlessly even against gods.
It must be said that this kind of passionate heroism is quite awe-inspiring at times, and it is a heroic spirit of "I will go even if there are thousands of people against me". In the battle between equals or between strong people, only berserkers can perform the most visually impactful and passionate battle chapters. The straightforward head-on collision is full of the passionate feeling of "the brave will win when they meet on a narrow road".
However, if the strength is mismatched or it's a trap set by a schemer, then the berserker's passion can only be seen as a pathetic, exploited folly. Passion isn't always a good thing, and if it's used, it's even more tragic, as it can potentially harm oneself unpredictably. Sometimes, schemers actually desire opponents like berserkers. They simply need to lay down a pile of upside-down daggers in front of them after they go berserk. With their passion, the berserkers will stomp on them without hesitation, only to have their feet severed by the blades. Once they lose their balance and collapse to the ground, the berserkers will be shocked to discover that they are no longer able to fight.
Pain does not represent an illness, but rather a warning. Without pain, living beings often die faster; this is true for humans, and it is also true for berserkers.
A whoosh! Suddenly, a berserker drew a heavy axe from his waist, drew a circle in the air with a gale, and then hurled it fiercely at Xiaorou. The axe was not a modern steel axe, but a crudely made granite axe. It was so bad that it could not even be recognized as an axe at all, and was at most a club.
It's not that berserkers don't want to use steel axes, but rather that even the heaviest axes made with modern technology are too light and small in their hands. Furthermore, no one in modern society would be foolish enough to create weapons for a group of barbarians—a pointless endeavor that could be fatal. Therefore, the vast majority of berserkers are unarmed; their fists are their indestructible weapons. Only a very small minority use granite as weapons, which can also be used as hunting tools.
Xiao Rou's body suddenly and silently leaped into the air, narrowly avoiding the rapidly flying stone axe. The strong wind from the axe made her beautiful hair flutter, which, combined with her flawless figure, made her look like a silver phoenix in the night.
A silver spear suddenly thrust forward, stabbing fiercely into the chest of the nearest berserker. The berserker, unarmed, did not know how to dodge. He simply roared with wide eyes, and his two large, fan-like hands suddenly came together, making a fierce move. He used his hands to clamp the tip of the silver spear.
The next moment, countless bolts of lightning flashed blindingly brightly between the berserker's palms, as if a kilowatt gas lamp had been lit in his hand. The lightning spread like golden snakes, rapidly flowing through every part of the berserker's body, and the intense heat that passed through it instantly turned his living skin into black charcoal.
With a swishing sound, the berserker's hand had become a charred, indistinguishable mass of flesh and blood. The sharpness of the diamond leaf was comparable to the sharpest weapon in the world. Although the berserker had extremely strong defensive capabilities, it was still as soft as tofu in front of the diamond leaf. After its pair of huge hands were cut into pieces, the high temperature immediately melted the outlet of the blood vessels, and not even a drop of blood flowed out.