The consequences of offending the United States were self-evident.
Especially concerning their security agencies.
It was practically a trivial matter for them to bring down the Asman Company.
The current chairman of Asman Company, wiping sweat from his brow, stammered, "Our Asman Company has always adhered to U.S. regulations and has not sold lithography machines to Great Xia…"
As a company from the Netherlands, they were actually following U.S. rules. The CEO of Asman Company didn't even find anything unusual about it.
The senior official frowned and threw down a few photos. "This De Vries, he's a director in your company, isn't he…"
"He sold a lithography machine to a Great Xia person named Meng Hao…"
"The price was 10 million U.S. dollars per unit…"
It was clear.
The U.S. intelligence agencies weren't entirely incompetent.
"What?"
The Asman Company board members present were stunned.
After a long pause, the chairman slowly spoke. "Sir, have you perhaps misunderstood something…"
"De Vries is indeed a member of our board, but he was only reluctantly given a nominal position because he is the descendant of a certain Duke…"
"His main job was to handle the company's scrapped products… to put it bluntly, he was just a scrap dealer!"
"Oh?"
The high-ranking U.S. official raised an eyebrow, his expression softening considerably. "De Vries is not an important figure at all, which is why he was stationed in Hawaii City…"
"There, we have four lithography machines, with their core components completely removed…"
"His task was to dispose of these four scrapped lithography machines, stripped of all their core parts, by melting them in a steel mill furnace…"
"Oh?"
The senior official even showed a slight smile.
Scrapped lithography machines.
Sold for a high price of forty million U.S. dollars.
It seemed.
Great Xia was so desperate for lithography machines that they were willing to grasp at straws.
Spending forty million U.S. dollars, equivalent to about three hundred million Great Xia currency, to purchase a pile of scrap metal.
Great Xia had certainly taken a huge loss.
"I see."
"It seems you have indeed adhered to the U.S. requirements and regulations."
"Well done."
"By the way, you can contact that De Vries and ask him to try his best to delay Meng Hao!"
Seeing the crisis averted.
The Asman lithography chairman, who had been sweating profusely, finally relaxed.
As for why the high-ranking U.S. official requested that Meng Hao be delayed, it didn't seem to be within his scope of consideration; he just had to comply.
Speaking of which.
De Vries had earned the company forty million U.S. dollars this time, so he deserved a reward of a million.
The remaining money would naturally go into the company account, for them, the executives, to split!
Smugly, the Asman chairman, after seeing off the U.S. senior official, took out his phone and called De Vries.
...
Meng Hao politely declined De Vries's offer.
After personally witnessing the four scrapped lithography machines being loaded onto a long-haul cargo ship, he planned to stay one more night before taking a flight back the next day.
With twenty million now in his account… and having received Meng Hao's promise to pay the remaining balance after the cargo ship officially set sail, De Vries unceremoniously went to a nightclub to party.
Heh heh.
Even if Meng Hao held back the remaining twenty million U.S. dollars, he had still made a fortune.
In a bar booth, De Vries, tipsy, received a call.
It was the chairman.
This top executive of Asman Company, who usually wouldn't even give him a second glance, why was he calling him now?
The call was connected.
The voice on the other end was extremely polite.
"De Vries, you've done good work…"
He started with praise.
This immediately made De Vries nervous.
Sudden politeness often signaled trouble.
"De Vries, we heard you sold four scrapped lithography machines to Great Xia and received forty million…"
"This is excellent work. Please deposit the funds into the company's account as soon as possible. The board has decided to reward you with one million U.S. dollars…"
"Oh, and one more thing, an official from a U.S. security agency has notified us, asking you to try and delay Meng Hao…"
"Hmm?"
De Vries's slightly tipsy mind cleared instantly, and he became much more alert.
"What is this?"
"Are these four lithography machines, which were supposed to be melted down in a steel mill, company property?"
"So, I helped the company make a deal?"
"And I have to deposit the forty million proceeds into the company account… and then I get rewarded a million?!"
"Excuse me."
"Did I hear that right?"
"Is there such a ridiculous thing in the world?"
De Vries's tone instantly became assertive.
"Mr. Chairman, I don't know where you got your information…"
"Those four lithography machines, which were no different from scrap copper, I personally watched them melt into scrap metal…"
"I'll forward you the electronic receipt from the steel mill later. Forty million? Good heavens, where did you imagine these four pieces of scrap could sell for forty million…"
Clearly.
De Vries had no intention of admitting responsibility.
Besides.
These were four scrapped lithography machines that the company had designated for disposal as waste.
If he managed to sell this pile of scrap, it was a miracle.
To turn over forty million U.S. dollars to the company?
Had this chairman's brain been kicked by a donkey?
"Damn you, De Vries…"
"That's forty million U.S. dollars…"
"You're not thinking of pocketing it, are you…"
"Let me tell you, if you don't hand over the funds, you, you, you can expect to be fired…"
The chairman.
After stuttering for a long time, he seemed unable to find any grounds to sue or sanction De Vries.
Finally, he managed to blurt out a threat of dismissal.
"Oh?"
"Fire me?"
"Good heavens, that's wonderful."
"Remember, my dear chairman, it's not that I'm resigning, it's that you're firing me… so the severance pay, none of it can be less!"
After receiving the remaining twenty million from Meng Hao, De Vries had already planned to quit.
Now, the other party was offering to dismiss and fire him.
As a board member of Asman, his severance pay would likely be no less than two to three million U.S. dollars.
Heh heh.
That handsome young man from Great Xia was truly his lucky star.
Thinking of Meng Hao, De Vries suddenly remembered something. He immediately hung up the phone with the furious chairman, found Meng Hao's number, and dialed it!
"Damn it, they want me to keep my dear Meng!"
"I'm afraid those guys are up to something bad again!"
"I have to notify Meng Hao to leave quickly!"