Chapter 345: Acquisition
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Curing AIDS was just the beginning of Xing Hai Technologies’ entry into the medical field, and it had made a lot of money from it already.
In the following two years, Xing Hai Technologies overcame terminal illnesses such as motor neuron disease (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), cancer, leukemia, rheumatoid arthritis, and others, using their excellent technological advantages. Th
Including AIDS, every single one of the “5 major incurable diseases” identified by the World Health Organization had been conquered by Xing Hai Technologies.
Ten branches of Xing Hai Hospital, which were under the control of Xing Hai Technologies, had been opened worldwide to specially treat those terminally ill patients. However, there were very few patients who were eligible to enter Xing Hai Hospital. There were only a few hundred thousand patients admitted each year. It was because the fees were too expensive!
The $300,000 needed to treat AIDS was considered to be on the cheap side. Charges for other terminal illnesses readily increased to $500,000, $1 million, $5 million or even higher … Only the rich could afford it.
Of course, Xing Hai Technologies did not only serve the rich, but the company also had to leave some room for other hospitals to survive! The medical industry was a windfall industry. Xing Hai Technologies had eliminated all the terminal illnesses and in the process, destroyed a large piece of the pie. It would be strange if those remaining businesses in the medical industry did not go crazy and start creating trouble for Xing Hai Technologies.
If not for the huge size and influence of Xing Hai Technologies, it could be expected that some medical organizations would use underhand tactics to bring down the company.
Chen Jin could only raise the hospital’s prices to leave some business for other organizations and reduce the conflict.
In addition, since the establishment of Xing Hai Hospital, employees and their families working for Xing Hai Technologies could receive free treatment if they were struck with a terminal illness. This was a major welfare benefit and had greatly increased the loyalty of Xing Hai Technologies’ 200,000 plus employees. It had also greatly reduced the job-hopping rate, which was now almost zero.
Employees from other companies were infinitely envious. Countless talented workers did everything they could to gain a position at Xing Hai Technologies.
“The company that provides the best benefits in the world”: this was everyone’s evaluation of Xing Hai Technologies.
However, the energy and attention of Xing Hai Technologies had only been focused on one thing in the past two or three years, and that was desert administration. Xing Hai Technologies was very interested in this cause.
The company had invested nearly one trillion worth of funds into the 50,000 square kilometer desert in just three years. Its huge profits were all invested in that project. All the best desert transformation technologies had been applied to it, with almost no cost considerations. After all, it was said that miracles were born from huge efforts!
With such crazy investments, Xing Hai Technologies achieved in three years what other desert management inst.i.tutions would take 30 years to achieve.
Green.
A large expanse of green had appeared in the northeastern part of the Taklimakan Desert, which had previously been named “The Sea of Death”.
It was just like a miracle. No plants had grown in this desert for thousands of years, yet large areas of gra.s.sland had now appeared, together with rows and rows of trees. It was as if a carpet had been spread across the desert as greenery overflowed.
The comparison photos taken by the satellites made netizens exclaim. Had some sort of spell been cast on the land?
It was green.
Although it was far from the completion date of the transformation program, Xing Hai Technologies had basically greenified the entire desert of 50,000 square kilometers in just over three years.
This gave all environmentalists great confidence. With the efficiency and technology of Xing Hai Technologies, eliminating the deserts of the world was just around the corner!
But it also caused other domestic investment inst.i.tutions involved in desert management and governance to become envious and resentful. They even launched complaints against Xing Hai Technologies and denounced the company.
“This is not fair!”
“Xing Hai Technologies, you have used millions of robots in your transformation of the desert. But what we’re using is human labor. Robots don’t need to eat, drink, sh*t, p*ss or sleep. They don’t expect to be paid. We have to spend money on all aspects when we hire humans. The cost is at least triple that of using robots.”
“In addition, there’s the electricity bill. Xing Hai Technologies has its own solar and wind power plants. They can solve any power issues on their own. We can only buy electricity at 35 cents per watt (the domestic artificial sun has been put into use, but its current power generation only accounts for 15% of all electricity used) The cost of electricity also contributes significantly to the cost difference.”
“The other key area is water. Our water is pumped from the central area of the province of Tibet. Not only is the supply unstable, but the construction cost of the pipeline is very high. Although we don’t have to pay for the water, the comprehensive cost of pumping the water is more than twice what Xing Hai Technologies pay!”
“To sum up, Xing Hai Technologies needs $15 million (the initial cost is very high) to transform 1 square kilometer of desert. We must invest at least $50 million.”
“Compared to Xing Hai Technologies, we are not compet.i.tive at all! So this is very unfair!”
“Xing Hai Technologies should sell some of their robots and a portion of the fresh water from Lake Baikal to us! Only with that will we be at the same starting point in this compet.i.tion! Otherwise, we will never be a match for Xing Hai Technologies.”
Many capitalist organizations grew angry and jealous. Xing Hai Technologies had too great an advantage. How could they compete with Xing Hai Technologies in terms of desert transformation?
Moreover, Xing Hai Technologies was not sharing the fresh water from Lake Baikal, or their robots which could be used to replace human labor. They were too selfis.h.!.+
Xing Hai Technologies had its own explanation.
“The Worker 1 robot is a product developed by Xing Hai Technologies that cannot be introduced to the ma.s.s market for the time being. At present, people have certain fears and doubts about ‘humanoid robots’. There is a certain risk of improper use, so it must be well supervised and subjected to long-term testing. It’s not convenient appropriate to sell them to other companies. Actually, Xing Hai Technologies wants to make money from selling this product but what if there is a problem?”
Hence, the company could only perfect them as they used them.
“With regards to the freshwater from Lake Baikal, the diameter of the pipeline we laid is 3.5 meters. It can only pump a maximum of 15 billion tons of water per year which is just enough for ourselves. If you want to use it, then go to the Russians to talk about it and lay down another pipeline. Xing Hai Technologies can help you lay the pipeline, and we will only charge $30 billion.”
However, many capitalists could not accept these two explanations by Xing Hai Technologies at all. Instead, they felt even angrier and more dissatisfied.
“I have never seen such a thick-skinned and brazen company!”
“They are secretly using robots and they don’t want to sell the water either. They even told us to go to the Russians for negotiations. It would be a miracle if the Russians sell the water to us for less than $10 a ton!”
“Xing Hai Technologies, why are you so selfish? Everyone here is contributing to the cause of environmental protection. Why not help us so that the desert can be treated and managed at a faster rate?”
“Hypocritical! Very hypocritical! I bet that Xing Hai Technologies are acting on their own selfish interests. Protecting the environment is an excuse. The truth of the matter is that this is a futile attempt to loot the land for the sake of their own interests. For their own interests, they are even preventing others from engaging in real environmental protection.”
“Xing Hai Technologies is a hypocritical liar!”
In opinions expressed by the public, some even directly exposed the true nature of the company and the secret selfishness and purpose of Xing Hai Technologies.
This caused an uproar and forced Xing Hai Technologies into a pa.s.sive position in this situation.
…
In the Xing Hai building, Ling Jundong frowned. “President Chen, those investment organizations are hitting us very hard. Every day, they are trying to scam us by demanding compensation for nothing and blackening the company’s reputation. Should we send a lawyer to sue them for libel?”
“For three years, we put in the investments but saw no results. We’ve thrown three years of money into the desert. Those capitalists only want to earn a quick buck, so of course, they can’t stay silent.”
Chen Jin shook his head. “It seems that must be a problem in their funding chain. They can’t continue with their expensive projects anymore. It’s almost time for us to make our move. We’ll acquire them since they look so pitiful. Xing Hai Technologies will be picking up their messes. Surely they won’t complain about that?”
Chen Jin spread his hands. He had already seen through the nature of the capitalists and how they do things. Three to five-year investments were their limit, and they had no interest in a long-term investment of 20 years. They could never achieve anything great.
“Acquisition?”
Ling Jundong’s eyes lit up. So his boss had expected it.
With regards to the desert in the northwest, the capitalists were mere guests. Only Xing Hai Technologies would be the final master.