Chapter 105: Laying Out the Pharmaceutical Market

Three days flew by quickly, and the Apple S2 launch event arrived as scheduled.

Apple Inc.’s launch event was originally supposed to happen a month earlier, but it had to be postponed again and again because of the Butterfly Eye released by Legion Ant Company.

When comparing the two phones, apart from a slight advantage in the processor, Apple had almost no other advantages. The prices were similar, and Legion Ant Company had the Smart Assistant, while Apple did not.

Apple had initially wanted to include the Smart Assistant but was refused by Legion Ant Company. After that, a board member’s suicide occurred, and Apple faced quite a few troubles during this period.

Now, taking advantage of Samsung’s suppression of Legion Ant, Apple saw an opportunity to hold the launch event.

Cook stood backstage, feeling a bit uneasy.

Success or failure hinged on this moment. Originally, this was a chance for transformation, offering Apple another opportunity. However, the emergence of the Smart Assistant caught him off guard.

If this launch event failed, Apple would fall from its pedestal.

The only reassuring thing now was that Legion Ant’s entry into the international market was hindered, giving them a breathing space. Before Legion Ant entered the international market, as long as Apple made a breakthrough with their Smart Assistant, there was still hope.

Composing himself, Cook stepped onto the stage with a smile.

At that moment, a faint stir arose from the audience before it quieted down.

“Good morning, everyone. It’s a pleasure to see you all again. Throughout Apple’s history, we have remained committed to creating more perfect products for everyone…”

Everyone listened quietly to the opening speech. However, what everyone was anticipating was the final reveal of the Apple S2, a revolutionary product as promoted in the news.

After a series of product introductions, Cook paused. The atmosphere in the venue grew still and began to tense.

“Next up is tonight’s phone—the Apple S2.”

As soon as Cook finished speaking, a large image of a phone appeared on the screen behind him.

The glass back was painted with a blue enchantress, and the front screen was flawless. The audience broke into murmurs, which soon turned into enthusiastic applause.

A full-screen display—the long-awaited true full-screen had arrived.

“It is our most perfect creation, as enchanting as the enchantress,” Cook said with a smile. “Its features include a full-screen display, utilizing the latest under-screen fingerprint recognition technology.”

“It is equipped with the company’s latest bionic Smart Chip A14, wireless charging capability, and the newest IOS13 system…”

Full-screen, under-screen fingerprint recognition, camera, glass body, waterproof wireless charging.

The introduction of these features instantly electrified the entire venue. Apart from the hidden camera in the corner of the phone, the rest of the screen had no blank spaces.

The screen had been maximized to the extreme.

Moreover, this time Apple used a 3D glass body with patterns, making its aesthetic appeal second only to Legion Ant’s Butterfly Eye.

It was a pity there was no Smart Assistant! Many Apple fans couldn’t help but sigh.

Only with a Smart Assistant could a phone be called a true smartphone. The incompatibility with the Smart Assistant was the biggest flaw of the Apple iPhone, though it was still very good.

If Legion Ant Company hadn’t suddenly released a Smart Assistant, this Apple S2 would likely have been close to the pinnacle of current technology.

Apple’s launch event instantly became a hot topic in the news.

Such a perfect product almost drove Apple fans wild. Apple Inc. once again showcased its top-tier design capabilities.

After the S2’s release, Apple’s stock began to soar, rising by as much as 6% by the close of the market, recovering all the losses from the previous period.

The exceptional craftsmanship overshadowed the drawback of not having a Smart Assistant.

Following Apple’s phone launch, Xiaomi, Samsung, and Huawei took the stage one after another, each creating a major buzz with their events.

This was a showdown in the smartphone industry, a fierce competition unfolding.

Xiaomi focused on the mid-to-high-end market, with high cost-performance as its standout feature.

The strengths of Samsung and Huawei were similar to Apple’s, though they used different chips. Under-screen fingerprint technology and full-screen displays were also standard for them.

However, their designs fell short of Apple’s, though they were compatible with the Smart Assistant.

Huawei, Samsung, and Apple competed in the high-end market, with average prices above 6,000. Xiaomi’s Black Rice aimed to capture the mid-to-high-end market. These four companies, taking advantage of Legion Ant’s struggles, began fiercely reclaiming their original market shares.

The outside world was bustling with activity, but Legion Ant Company remained unusually quiet, with everything proceeding step by step.

In the office area.

Zhao Min was reporting the company’s situation to Chen Mo, particularly the issues with the Butterfly Eye Phone. Samsung’s sudden halt in supplying phone screens to Legion Ant Company had caught them off guard.

The high-end Butterfly Eye Phones were already sold out.

Samsung’s move created a supply gap for their phones, and then they launched new models to strengthen their own position, leaving Legion Ant at a disadvantage.

“What was BOE’s response?” Chen Mo asked.

“BOE said that the production capacity for flexible OLED screens is insufficient. Their output has already been pre-ordered by other companies, and new production lines are still under construction. They won’t be able to supply us until the new lines are operational by the end of the year,” Zhao Min replied.

“Samsung’s plan is quite clever,” Chen Mo said, taking a sip of water before looking at Zhao Min. “What are your thoughts?”

“We are currently contacting companies like Toshiba to diversify our phone screen supply channels. We can’t put all our eggs in one basket anymore,” Zhao Min said. “The major companies have already held their launch events, but we don’t know the outcomes yet.”

“The outcomes don’t concern us. With Huawei and Apple in the way, Samsung won’t be able to dominate in Huaxia,” Chen Mo said.

Samsung had already disappointed Huaxia users with the Note7 incident. Combined with public boycotts of Korean products and a series of other issues, Samsung was destined to exit the Huaxia market.

Legion Ant Company could remove the Smart Assistant and respond to Samsung by licensing it out. But he didn’t do that because it would trigger a conflict between the two sides—a lose-lose situation.

Moreover, he had no plans to license the Smart Assistant to others, at least not before the Butterfly Eye Phone entered the international market.

When Huawei’s M9 was released, Samsung had also cut off screen supplies, causing Huawei to suffer a setback. Later, Huawei learned its lesson, which is why the impact wasn’t as severe this time.

Now, with BOE rising domestically, Samsung didn’t dare to act as arrogantly as before. However, this time, Samsung used the same tactic, targeting Legion Ant.

Compared to those giants, Legion Ant was not large enough to act impulsively. They had to swallow this setback for now and repay it later.

“Let’s set the phone market aside for now. Stop production of the high-end Butterfly Eye and continue with the low-end version. While everyone’s attention is on the four companies, go acquire a few pharmaceutical and cosmetics companies,” Chen Mo said after some thought.

“What?”

Zhao Min looked at Chen Mo in surprise, wondering if she had heard correctly. Was Chen Mo planning to enter the pharmaceutical and cosmetics markets?

“You heard right—acquire a pharmaceutical company and a cosmetics company,” Chen Mo said, immediately understanding her thoughts from her expression.

“Enter the pharmaceutical and cosmetics fields now?” Zhao Min was still somewhat uncertain.

“Laying the groundwork,” Chen Mo said. “By expanding into other markets now, I hope to build Legion Ant Company into an all-around corporation in the future.”

Breast Enhancement Drugs, Aphrodisiacs, whitening powders—all were potential sources of revenue.

They would inevitably venture into the biopharmaceutical field in the future. It was better to lay the groundwork early while everyone’s attention was focused on the competition among the major companies.

Drug research was different from other products; even after development, clinical trials were required, and the cycle was too long. They could only prepare in advance.

“Quite the ambition,” Zhao Min remarked.

“When I first met you, I already said this was an aggressive Legion Ant,” Chen Mo said with a laugh.

“Alright,” Zhao Min agreed immediately.

She had to follow Chen Mo’s lead. This man, a few years younger than her, had a mind she couldn’t fathom. He mastered whatever he learned—a terrifying genius.

Most media outlets were focusing on the competition among the four major phone companies. They didn’t know that the dark horse they feared was already preparing to invade other fields.