Chapter 103: One Wave Unsettled

At the Altice Group headquarters, Kang Bomin was feeling quite unhappy after learning that the people from Legion Ant Company had already returned to their country.

Originally, the cooperation with Legion Ant Company was almost complete.

He had used the second-generation Butterfly Eye Phone, especially its Smart Assistant, which was a very useful piece of software. It allowed people to completely leave behind the era of using their hands to control phones. Plus, with the elegant design of the Butterfly Eye, it was a step above the Apple iPhone.

If they had successfully cooperated with Legion Ant Company, their Altice Group would definitely have been able to gain more market share in telecommunications.

But at the last moment, the board of directors unexpectedly disagreed with this cooperation, and even told him to propose acquiring shares in Legion Ant Company.

They had all underestimated Legion Ant Company’s determination.

The moment the share acquisition was brought up, it was refused without any hesitation. The people from Legion Ant Company returned to their country overnight, and they didn’t even show any intention to continue negotiations.

He had a feeling that they might really lose a very important partner this time. Sighing softly, Kang Bomin took out his phone and dialed a number.

The news of the failed cooperation between Legion Ant Company and Altice Group quickly spread back to their home country.

During this time, Legion Ant Company had developed very quickly. Domestically, it had continuously expanded its market share in the high-end phone market and was now preparing to enter the international market. The failure of Legion Ant Company’s European trip this time became a hot topic for the media. Almost as soon as the news broke in Europe, it was reported by various media outlets back home.

“Legion Ant’s Internationalization Steps Blocked” – Global Times.

“Europe Fears the Invasion of the Eastern Army Ant!” – Finance News

“Reuters: Altice Group and Legion Ant Company Cooperation Ends in Failure” – Phoenix News.

Various articles appeared online, and experts from different fields came out to comment on Legion Ant Company’s failed cooperation.

Up until now, Legion Ant Company’s path had been very smooth. This was the first time they faced rejection for cooperation, and it was their first step outside the country.

In recent years, the domestic market situation had become rigid. Major markets were occupied by big giants, making it harder for small companies to enter.

The sudden emergence of Legion Ant Company was like a fierce group of ants, charging around left and right, forcefully breaking this rigid situation. Among young entrepreneurs, Legion Ant Company had already become a legendary benchmark.

Now, Legion Ant Company was a miracle in domestic company development. Every move was under the spotlight of the media. This European trip was the first time Legion Ant Company had hit a wall.

This meant that Legion Ant Company’s entry into the international market would be slowed down.

At that moment, outside Legion Ant Company, a group of reporters were anxiously waiting. When they saw Zhao Min’s car approaching the company, the reporters rushed forward.

“President Zhao, why did Altice Group refuse to cooperate with you?”

“What is Legion Ant Company’s next step?”

“Will Legion Ant cooperate with other telecom operators?”

“When does Legion Ant Company plan to go public? Do you have anything to say about this failed cooperation?”

All kinds of questions were shouted out, not caring whether Zhao Min heard them or not.

Zhao Min quietly looked out the car window at the reporters being held back by security.

She hadn’t expected that only one day after their return, the news of their failed cooperation with Altice Group would leak out and even spread back to their home country.

However, this matter didn’t have much impact on them.

Legion Ant Company was not a listed company, so it wouldn’t be affected by public opinion or stock market fluctuations. This was just the first failed step in entering the international market; it didn’t have much impact on the domestic market.

After parting the crowd of reporters, Zhao Min’s car slowly entered the company.

In Chen Mo’s office area.

“Brother Mo, I found the information you needed.” Ink Girl’s childish voice sounded.

Chen Mo looked at the several documents that popped up on the desktop. They were all information about European telecom operators and European financial groups.

Vodafone, France Télécom, Orange, Deutsche Telekom, Altice.

These were all the telecom companies that participated in blocking their entry into the European market. These few companies almost monopolized the main telecom markets in Europe.

All the European telecom companies had refused to cooperate with them. There was definitely something fishy going on. After Ink Girl obtained information through surveillance investigation, things seemed a bit clearer.

Behind the major operators, there were also the shadows of several large financial groups.

They had just tried to step into the European market when they were targeted by these oligarchs. It was indeed a land of capital, and the waters were unimaginably deep.

For now, in the short term, it would probably be impossible to enter the international market. After all, outside, it was a world controlled by capital. Where there was profit, those oligarchs would definitely fight for it.

“Brother Mo, Zhao Min is here. She is already outside the Experimental Zone.” Just as Chen Mo was looking at the information, Ink Girl interrupted him.

As soon as Zhao Min entered Chen Mo’s office, Chen Mo was already sitting on the sofa. Seeing her come in, Chen Mo pointed to the seat opposite.

“Why not rest one more day?” Chen Mo asked.

“One day of rest is enough. There are quite a few matters in the company right now.” Zhao Min took a sip of water handed to her by a robot and leaned back on the sofa.

“This time I really feel a bit unwilling. We were about to sign, but they suddenly changed their tune at the last moment. Now the news has even leaked. They probably did it on purpose.”

“We should be glad we hadn’t signed yet. If they had caused trouble after signing, it would have been more of a headache,” Chen Mo said. “For now, let’s focus on domestic development. Don’t think about the international market for the time being.”

The main markets for high-end phones currently were Huaxia, North America, and Europe. The European market was now inaccessible, and the North American market was even more impossible.

Many regions were markets monopolized by capital.

Most market resources were controlled by big capital and big financial groups. If anything happened that didn’t suit their interests, they would use their monopoly power to kill the threat.

“There’s no way to go abroad for now. In foreign capital markets, unless we give enough benefits to feed those jackals, it’s difficult for an outsider like us to enter the game. It’s harder than you’d think,” Zhao Min said.

She understood capital better than Chen Mo.

In recent years, newly emerged companies were either blocked, acquired, or controlled through shareholding. They simply couldn’t escape the grasp of the major giants.

If Chen Mo had agreed back then, Legion Ant Company would just have ended up being acquired.

In the domestic market, with government oversight, some companies occasionally managed to grow big. Like the suddenly emerging food delivery apps and shared bikes, but they still couldn’t escape the hands of the major giants.

Outside, that capital was even more unrestrained.

The structure of big capital in The West was already solidified. Once a threatening force appeared, they would join forces to kill it and divide it up.

Either submit or die.

If Legion Ant Company had started outside, it would probably have been devoured long ago, leaving not even a bone behind. Now, whether at home or abroad, many large capital firms were eyeing Legion Ant Company’s shares.

“When are you planning to show this Robot to people?” Zhao Min pointed at the robot behind Chen Mo.

This robot was a good thing. If it could be launched into the market, it would undoubtedly cause a huge sensation and definitely spark global discussion.

Chen Mo glanced back at the robot. “It’s still early. Its hardware and software technology aren’t fully mature yet. A lot of data is still being tested. It’s impossible to release it to the market for now.”

The robot was currently controlled by Ink Girl. It was easy for Ink Girl to write an intelligent software, but there were still major problems with the hardware, especially regarding the battery and the chip.

“Alright. Let me know when its technology matures.”

After discussing some company matters with Chen Mo, Zhao Min left his office.

Time slowly passed, and the heat surrounding the failed cooperation between Legion Ant Company and Altice Group gradually faded.

Just as this wave of attention subsided, another storm arrived.