Chapter 889: Up The Rooftop
Korea had always been a magical country. Perhaps because of its awkward geographical location, it has been dependent on China since ancient times.
In the past few hundred years of history, it was almost always a subsidiary country of China. It was only in recent times that it broke away from the control of China and went into the arms of America because it had global hegemony.
However, due to various historical issues, in the New Era, even though its economy had become more developed, and it had long entered the ranks of developed countries, like j.a.pan, it did not have complete sovereignty.
Till date, it was the corporations or America behind the corporations that controlled the entire country.
With the presence of America, it was not a problem to call it an alternative colony of the new era.
j.a.pan, which was also known as the “colony” of America, suffered a great disaster not long ago. This made the tyc.o.o.ns of Korea feel uneasy, fearing that they would suffer the same fate.
This was especially so when Su Yang publicly announced on Weibo that this operation was considered as revenge for the country. Although all the tyc.o.o.ns in Korea thought that it was just a “pompous excuse” and that it was just the self-styling of the victor, there were many dirty deeds done by Korea and China in recent times. They were also afraid that Su Yang would replicate it in Korea. Hence, this trip to j.a.pan came about.
When they arrived in j.a.pan, the representatives of the financial groups saw a scene of devastation. The bustling city had now become desolate. The streets that were filled with people were now spa.r.s.ely populated.
In the past, j.a.pan’s welfare might have suffered, but at least they had a glimmer in their eyes. But now, all of them seem like they have lost weight.
The original plan of the visit was to pay a visit to Honda’s president, who was close to them, to understand the situation. However, after walking all the way there, they realized that they already had a certain understanding of the situation in j.a.pan.
They couldn’t help recalling the information that they received. Su Yang’s ma.s.sacre of j.a.pan had dealt a huge blow to j.a.pan’s economy, industry, imports, exchange rates, and stock market.
Especially in industries that focused on information, finance, and automobiles, almost all of them went 10 years back in time.
This included big companies like Toyota and Honda. Although they did not suffer much losses, and were still rich and powerful… However, because they were tricked by Su Yang, they did not get any new energy batteries, so their capability was greatly reduced.
Many experts and corporations from other countries had a.n.a.lyzed that once Su Yang’s electric vehicle was actually pushed into the world, these big players would fall very quickly.
Therefore, even though the valuations of these companies were very low due to the economic crisis, none of the companies or banks came to save the situation or take over.
Companies were operated by liabilities. The collateral was usually stocks, and the result of low stock prices was insufficient collateral. Companies needed to mortgage more stocks or increase other collateral.
This was actually very dangerous for the company.
Those few companies were the best in this crisis. After Su Yang ma.s.sacred j.a.pan, the international capital was like a shark that smelled blood. All of them gathered in j.a.pan and started a new round of destruction, leading to a new crisis in j.a.pan.
The money in the hands of ordinary citizens had been plundered, and the factories had gone bankrupt. Many tyc.o.o.ns and financial groups had suffered heavy losses and had no choice but to walk up to the rooftop.
On the other hand, the visiting group from Korea did not only want to learn about j.a.pan, but they also wanted to help these companies.
However, they were not trying to help their neighbors out of kindness. After all, the two of them were old enemies. And j.a.pan was their “father”, so how would they help him?
They mainly felt that these companies were still very valuable. Now that the whole of j.a.pan was in ruins, if they lent a helping hand, not only would they be able to get some partners, but they would also be able to get many benefits at a low price.
With the company’s purpose in mind, the Korean group’s car continued to speed along. Soon, the group arrived at the villa where Toyota’s president lived.
As it was nearing the beginning of autumn, the courtyard was filled with fallen leaves, making it look rather bleak.
One of them knocked on the door, and the group arrived at the courtyard with the help of the maid. The president of Toyota was arguing with someone. Based on the sound coming from afar, it seemed to be related to some Southeast Asian tourism.
Seeing that everyone had arrived, the president of Toyota stopped talking and waved for the person to leave first. Then, he smiled and greeted him, “You’ve arrived, Lee-kun.”
The surname Lee was very common in Korea, but at that position, there was only one family that could be welcomed by the president of Toyota so warmly… The Lees from Samsung.
As a well-known tyc.o.o.n in the world, the Lees of the Samsung Group was one of the most famous tyc.o.o.ns.
The Chairman was the richest man. His son was the third richest man. From screws, plastic particles, to skysc.r.a.pers, military workers, hospitals, securities, clothing. There was nothing Samsung could not do. There were so many departments and employees that they could not be counted accurately. Half the car production was stopped because the state was worried it was getting too large-scaled.
A company accounted for more than 20% of GDP. The president of a company made even the president of the country bow to him, which was Samsung!
There was only one financial group in the world, and they had such power in their own country.
Therefore, the people of Korea would always describe Samsung as “a company holding up a country” and “the life and death of everything except for the Sun and air were in their hands”.
On that day, the only son of the Lees, Young Master Lee Jaerong, had arrived.
The president of Toyota greeted Lee Jaerong warmly and invited him and his group to sit down in the courtyard before having the servants make tea.
Sitting on the futon, Lee Jaerong studied the courtyard. Even though the interior of the courtyard was cleaner than the exterior, there were still many fallen leaves that made the place seem a little broken.
He looked away and said, “Toyota-kun, you guys haven’t been doing well recently. I don’t think you even cleaned the courtyard.”
The president of Toyota was the fourth generation eldest grandson of the Toyotas. His name was Toyota Akio. He was about 10 years younger than Lee Jaerong, but they were of the same generation.
He glanced at the courtyard, and an awkward expression appeared on his face. He explained, “It’s autumn now. This is what it would seem like everywhere. So, we’re only following nature’s course and enjoying the autumn.”
Lee Jaerong smiled and said impolitely, “Samsung lives differently, we can turn every season into spring.”
The courtyard fell silent.
Toyota’s president opened his mouth but did not refute him. Instead, he changed the topic. “Lee-kun, what are you here for?”
Lee Jaerong picked up his teacup and took a sip of tea. His handsome face was filled with determination and ambition. “We came here because we realized that the j.a.panese people are in trouble, so we’re here to lend a helping hand.”
“We at Samsung hope to cooperate with some high-quality enterprises and create glory together.”
President Toyota was not surprised when he heard what Lee Jaerong said. Obviously, he had already guessed it.
His fingers tapped lightly on the table. After a while, the tapping stopped, and he asked, “Which company are you interested in then, Lee-kun?”
“We’re interested in electronics, technology, finance and all the leading companies in various industries,” Lee said. “We’re even interested in some valuable brands, like… Clothing industries.”
When President Toyota heard Lee Jaerong mention the clothing industry, his eyes lit up. Then, he smiled and said, “If you’re interested in the clothing industry, it’s best that we talk about it now. Otherwise, we might not make it in time.”
“Oh?” Lee Jaerong asked, “Is it because other families are looking to cooperate with Yagawa-san?”
Upon hearing Yagawa Masaru’s name, Toyota’s president took a sip of water and said with a faint smile, “That’s not the case. it’s not been up to Yagawa Masaru-san to decide the fate of the clothing industry since long ago. We don’t even know if he can survive this…”
…
At the same time, in the Kanto region…
As one of the most prosperous cities in the world, Kanto was undoubtedly prosperous.
Even in j.a.pan, there were dozens of towering buildings.
The most famous of these tall buildings was probably the Mid Tower.
Mid Tower was jointly built by j.a.pan’s top designers and architects. Back then, it cost nearly 4 billion yuan and took five years to complete.
The building complex took up 6.9 hectares and was made up of five buildings. It had hundreds of high-quality shops, restaurants, luxury hotels, various exhibitions, hospitals, and parks. It was like a small commercial city.
At that moment, Yagawa Masaru was taking the elevator to the highest building in Mid Tower.
Arriving at the top floor, Yagawa Masaru followed his previous impression of the place and circled around to reach the rooftop.
Different from before, the rooftop used to be open for visitors, but now, there was a sickly old man guarding the door.
The old man looked like he was from j.a.pan. He was not tall, about 1.6 meters. He was wrinkled and looked like he was in his 70s.
When he saw Yagawa Masaru walk over, he raised his head to glance at him and reached out his shriveled hand. “500 yen.”
Yagawa Masaru stopped and was stunned. He opened his mouth to say something.
The old man waved his hand and said impatiently, “It’s going to cost me to call the police and clean the ground, so that’s not a lot of money, is it?”
Yagawa Masaru thought about it and felt that what the old man said made sense, so he took 500 yen out of his pocket.
As the wealthiest man in j.a.pan, he usually did not bring any cash with him. But now that he had declined, his secretary and a.s.sistants had all been fired. Hence, he had to rely on himself, including preparing his own money.
He took out five 100 yen coins from his pocket and handed them to the old man.
The old man took the coins and waved his hand, indicating that he could go over. Then he continued to sit there listlessly.
Yagawa Masaru looked at the old man again and sighed. He pushed open the door and walked up to the rooftop.
When he arrived at the rooftop, Yagawa Masaru realized that there were already quite a few people there. They were all frowning. They were either staring into the distance, mumbling to themselves, or crying. Obviously, they were not in a good mood.
When they saw Yagawa Masaru, the people looked over, but they quickly averted their eyes and returned to their own world.
Yagawa Masaru looked around the rooftop, wanting to find a seat that belonged to him.
Before he could find it, he heard a loud “Ah!” before someone jumped off the stage.
The tower was 268 meters tall, so there was no chance of survival if one jumped down from it. Obviously, that person was not there to play some kind of extreme sports, but to commit suicide.
Or rather, most of the people on the rooftop were there to die…
Hearing the man’s shout, the people who were originally standing next to him seemed to return to their senses. They ran to where the man had jumped and looked down.
From afar, the loud yell turned into a shrill scream.
Following that, there was a m.u.f.fled sound, and moments later, there were screams from the crowd!
The people on the rooftop witnessed this scene. They were all dumbstruck, as if they had seen their own future…
Those who came to the rooftop were either bosses or radicals that had gone bankrupt during the economic crisis in j.a.pan.
Ordinary people used their savings to invest in stocks. When they encountered an economic crisis, they only lost their savings. However, these bosses and aggressive investors would use high leverage. So, when the stock market collapsed, not only would they lose everything, but they would also owe huge debts.
If they did not die, their families would be implicated.
However, if they died, at least their family would be safe.
Therefore, they had no choice but to sacrifice their lives for their family.
However, humans were all afraid of death. Even though they had been mentally prepared for several days, they were still hesitant when they were about to die.
Seeing this person jump to his death, the others who were already hesitating could not help but feel nervous.
Among them, Yagawa Masaru was the most indifferent.
As the richest man in j.a.pan, he had long predicted the possibility of an economic crisis, so he was prepared for it. However, he never expected that Su Yang would set him up before he left. Su Yang even hinted that Yagawa Masaru was his “accomplice”.
In this economic crisis, j.a.pan needed a scapegoat. Who could be more suitable than Yagawa Masaru, the richest man in j.a.pan, and Su Yang’s “partner”?
Therefore, even though all the tyc.o.o.ns and wealthy men in the country knew that Yagawa Masaru had been framed, he was still pushed out and surrounded.
After all, if the richest man fell, many people would be saved.
Very soon, all the companies under Yagawa Masaru were dismembered and its shares divided. He tried his best to maintain them, but it was to no avail. After a few months, there was only one empty sh.e.l.l left in the entire sales group.
Thankfully, he had already transferred several hundred million dollars before the economic crisis. This could be the last resource for his family’s comeback. However, this was the last thing he could leave behind.
In order to prevent his family from being implicated, he had no choice but to go up to the roof…
At that thought, he glanced at the mountains and rivers in the distance before walking to the rooftop.
The other people on the rooftop were still shocked by the person who jumped off the building just now. A few of the timid ones had already given up and were sneaking out of the place.
From afar, Yagawa Masaru could still hear the old man who had charged the entrance fee earlier “advising” those cowards.
“There are no refunds even if you don’t jump.
“But…
“I could give you guys a note so that you don’t have to pay when you decide to jump another day…”