Of course, sour rebukes were never in short supply."Hmph, you're all marveling at his money and prowess, but has nobody questioned the source of his fortune? What if it came from illicit channels? They'll lock him up in the end, hmph!""Precisely! I heard in his freshman and sophomore years he was just a broke loser. Didn't you hear Mr. Johnson mention he was a mere Tiktoc summer intern before this semester? Then suddenly he's rolling in dough? There's definitely something fishy going on!""Yeah, I'm in his class, I can attest - he used to be utterly destitute, depressingly so. No idea where all this money materialized from.""..."Evan paid no heed to the raucous murmurings as he strode toward the stage, Adam deferentially retreating behind him with a hushed "Mr. Smith."Evan cast him a sidelong glance before taking the microphone. "Well, first off, I thank Mr. Johnson for this honor!" "However, I must stress that I've done little to deserve such recognition. I merely interned at
"Indeed, I knew the $50 million, privileges, and lovely hosts would prove immensely alluring!" Evan gave a faint nod. "From this moment, mobilize all personnel from Tiktoc, YouClub, and our entertainment branches. Embark on an acquisition blitz across Lumina City's enterprises - scale and capital are no objects. We're firing the opening salvo to secure commercial dominance over this city!""Now?" Adam gaped."Yes, time is short - fund it all through my accounts!"A roguish grin played across Evan's lips. "Once your acquisitions are underway, we shall thoroughly vanquish any remaining holdouts unwilling to join our fold! Ah, but Clark Group's assets in Lumina are to be left untouched for now.""Um, very well. But shouldn't we at least notify Lumina's mayor? Such a massive takeover is bound to raise governmental alarms!"Evan's gaze drifted into the distance as he murmured, "No need. I suspect they'll be coming to me before long."The afternoon hour struck three.Adam hastened back to T
The balding man scoffed derisively. "And which arrogant enterprise boasts such brazen folly – employees neglecting their duties to pursue acquisitions? Is your employer a tycoon of mythical wealth?"This naive little girl amused him far more than any mobile game. Toying with her simple mind would provide ample entertainment.Entertaining such thoughts, the balding owner swiveled his phone upon the counter, squinting as he continued, "Might I inquire, young lady, where you attend university and who your employer is? You seek to acquire my establishment, yet I sense you lack the authority to broker such a deal. Allow me to propose an equitable solution – I am the proprietor here, and your superior is a proprietor as well. A dialogue between equals would be fitting.""You wish to converse with my employer? Does this imply a willingness to sell?" Hailey, naive in worldly affairs, failed to detect his mocking tone. "Yet I know not my employer's number, only Mr. Matthew's contact."The bald
"Certainly. Matthew is quite amiable.""Was that Matthew's voice earlier? He sounds remarkably young.""No, they mentioned Mr. Smith, though I'm unfamiliar with him. Yet the voice seemed so familiar...""..."Tucking the contract safely into her bag, Hailey forwarded the balding man's bank details to the finance department. Less than three minutes later, his phone alerted him to a $700,000 deposit.Then, within a minute, another message arrived from Tiktoc's official number: "Mr. Smith acknowledges your struggles. As a gesture of goodwill, an additional $100,000."The shopkeeper gaped at this message, awestruck."Tiktoc truly is affluent!"Simultaneously, a flicker of trepidation stirred within his pupils. "If Tiktoc acquires even insignificant establishments like mine, what are their ultimate intentions?"Matthew's intern Hailey made swift progress, securing Tiktoc's auspicious first acquisition.After all, her assigned southwestern district belonged to Lumina City's older quarters,
"Hah, such arrogant boasts from a mere brat!" The leader scanned the onlookers before fixing his mocking gaze upon Evan. "Your companion started off equally full of bluster, swaggering into our territory. No sooner had he planted his backside in Mr. Turner's office, legs insolently propped, than he demanded outright acquisition of our establishment. Behold his current state.""His current state?" Evan's piercing stare demanded elaboration, word by measured word."Why, ejected by Mr. Turner, of course!"Under Evan's relentless scrutiny, the man suppressed an involuntary shudder, glancing nervously at the surrounding masses. After a prolonged pause to steady his nerves, reassured by the protective crowd, he mustered false bravado. Stepping forward, spittle flew as he sneered, "Take your lackey and begone. Seek competent psychiatric care – you both appear gravely afflicted!""Indeed." A glimmer of icy menace flickered in Evan's eyes. "Perhaps I neglected to mention – I despise excessive
"This prime location commands premium value – every inch of this coveted ground is a fortune. I have surveyed our environs; you lack adequate space to establish a rival retail endeavor!""Did you not aspire to acquire my enterprise? What stratagem remains if I refuse to sell? Fair competition?" He scoffed derisively. "Granting you represent Tiktoc, your vaunted reputation appears greatly exaggerated!""Adam!" Evan disregarded him basking in his glory, addressing Adam instead. "One, implement Plan B effective immediately. All Tiktoc employees shall remain in their assigned regions, visiting local vendors to persuade them to cease supplying the original mall. Offer any sum necessary; we at Tiktoc will purchase their entire inventory!""Two, hire six or seven moving companies for Starlight Mall. Before the mall closes today, I want every item purchased and relocated to our development zone to be sold for $1 apiece - a wholesale liquidation!""Three, acquire ten surrounding residential to
His words detonated like a bombshell amid the throngs, instantly igniting fervent commotion. Onlookers witnessed a youth scarcely twenty commanding a mall tycoon's submission and forcing Mr. Turner's public genuflection.Moreover, this selfsame adolescent deployed $100 billion to spark a price war directly challenging Lumina City's commercial pinnacle - a feat of seismic audacity!"The development zone? The place this lad mentioned is the development zone? Fortunate I ventured out today, else I would have remained oblivious to such monumental events!""Incredible, our Lumina City indeed harbors formidable talents. A mere child has humbled Mr. Turner while effortlessly conjuring $100 billion. Whose scion could he be? Perhaps an illegitimate offspring of our nation's paramount billionaires? But how did he arrive in Lumina City?""Nevermind his pedigree, hurry home for sacks! This presages financial warfare! Rush to seize provisions - the longer this price war rages, the more we commoner
Myriad diffident undergraduates, lacking standing room or vacant phones, migrated outdoors to leverage their mobiles, contacting vendors within their assigned territories. For it was now past five in the evening - most Lumina City enterprises nearing closing - yet their exertions remained unyielding and rambunctious.This zeal stemmed from Evan's unequivocal mandate to Adam and Sean: uphold the promised incentive structure. Thus, every employee harbored supreme conviction - whoever secured exclusivity over a Lumina City firm's complete supplier portfolio, inducing defection to Tiktoc's embrace, would receive thirty percent of post-acquisition profits.Substantial rewards breed valorous souls! Former veterans shed their prior dejection while newly recruited thousands brimmed with impassioned optimism, all inspired by Tiktoc's audacious vision to conquer Lumina's commercial dominion. Yet this feverish intensity at Tiktoc headquarters contrasted starkly with an ominous, brooding stillne