Homelander Comics

"I absolutely cannot accept the price of $600 million. This is too insincere. How about this, I'll take a step back and offer $950 million? What do you think?"

"Impossible! It's at most 650 million US dollars. The Osborn family's money didn't come from the wind. It's impossible to pay such a high premium for something that is not worth anything..."

Next, the business negotiation teams of both sides started a group fight, spitting saliva at each other.

finally.

An acquisition agreement was reached for US$750 million.

Since then, Mercury Media has acquired a newspaper with brand power.

While Bai Ye was browsing Twitter, he saw three jokes from hell:

The virginity rate of Tokyo junior high school girls has fallen below 50%; Japan's population growth rate is still negative, and many elementary schools have been closed indefinitely due to lack of students; among East Asian countries, Japan's population growth rate ranks first.

Chapter 114 Did you do it on purpose or accidentally?

Careless!

"Ikana is getting more and more powerful. His tongue is as sharp as a knife. Every time he opens his mouth, he can hit the opponent's pain point. I am afraid that he will die here because of a burst blood vessel."

Bai Ye looked at Arthur Carter and his group who left after signing the contract, and said to Ikana with a smile.

"When doing business, we have to fight for the benefits we should strive for. If it weren't for the fact that Mercury Media is a new start-up and what we need is brand power and credibility, I have the confidence to cut the purchase price by another $50."

Ikana is also quite satisfied with the business he has done, because it can help him promote the brand of Mercury Media. A media company needs to establish its own brand value, including corporate image, reputation, and popularity. These are the company's intangible assets and can bring the company more business opportunities and long-term benefits.

To put it bluntly, for a qualified media company, the best asset must be a large TV station. Unfortunately, that is too expensive, costing hundreds of billions of dollars, which is unaffordable. So, the next best thing is to pursue coverage through newspapers, magazines, movies, the Internet and other channels, which is inevitable.

Even if a media company wants to become a real giant, it needs to have huge traffic channels, such as search engines, social media, online advertising, etc. These channels can bring more traffic and revenue to the company. However, Bai Ye also has a snap company, so Ikana does not need to let Mercury Media develop into an Internet media for the time being. When the scale of several companies is large enough, it will be natural to integrate resources and form a group.

"And you only saw the half-day of negotiations between him and me, but you didn't see how much information I read about the New York Observer before we started negotiating. I knew the financial statements, executives, historical development, loss points... I even knew Arthur Carter's current situation. If it weren't for the fact that this old man's real estate company had funding problems and he frantically sold off some non-core assets, it wouldn't have been so easy for us to take over the New York Observer."

"I know you've worked hard. Well, the negotiations are done. Let's go have a big meal together and reward yourselves."

Bai Ye invited with a smile.

Appointing Ikana as the president of Mercury Media was not a wrong choice. Although she may not have earth-shattering political talent, she is a qualified professional manager who can capture market trends and business opportunities and has good leadership skills. The most important thing is that she can always maintain a positive and enterprising attitude and work tirelessly to achieve her goals.

This is enough.

Ikana looked at her watch and said:

"Okay, just keep it simple and solve it within 30 minutes. I have to go to the New York Observer this afternoon to officially take over the newspaper and appease and motivate these employees."

"OK, you have the final say."

Bai Ye had no objection.

After getting in the car, Ikana was still chatting with Bai Ye about The New York Observer:

"For the first business, I think The New York Observer can work with Snap, because Snap was founded not long ago and needs influence, and The New York Observer can help Snap become famous among the wealthy elites in Manhattan. Of course, The New York Observer itself is suffering from heavy losses and also needs advertising business. The two sides can complement each other completely."

“We can also have The New York Observer cooperate with Snap to jointly launch an online section of The New York Observer to capture the attention of young people…”

"Alright, alright." Bai Ye quickly stopped talking and said, "I have no objection to what you said, because I don't care about these trivial matters anyway. The matters of Galaxy Capital and Sun Bank are enough to keep me busy. As for the matters of the media company, you can discuss them with the CEO of Snap when the time comes."

"All right……"

Ikana stopped talking, still unsatisfied.

Because the framework of Mercury Media is getting more and more decent, Ikana's grand plan for her career has gradually become a reality, which inevitably makes her a little excited - the taste of power is 100 times better than sex, and she can't stop from then on. You can live without love, but you must have power. Love is just a condiment on the road to power and profit. You can enjoy it if you have it, but it is impossible to compromise for love.

Bai Ye and Ikana found a Japanese restaurant and ate Wagyu beef together.

The highest quality A5 Miyazaki Wagyu beef is used, which is thickly cut and cooked to perfection, super tender and full of fat.

It is also covered with summer truffles, which are black truffles from Australia. The slices are also very thick, with a solid texture and a fragrant aroma!

The wagyu beef is also seasoned with truffle salt.

The environment inside the box is also very comfortable and spacious. In addition, the green plants inside are real and very fresh and comfortable.

"How's the Spider-Man movie going now?" Bai Ye asked.

"The project is being prepared steadily." Ikana said, "Usually, the preparation period of a Hollywood film is 3-4 times that of the shooting period. 'Long preparation time and short shooting period' is the winning formula of Hollywood producers who are careful with calculations. The rigorous production plan will be accurate to the day and to each scene."

"Because only by formulating a rigorous production plan can we ensure that the film is successfully completed within the budget and shooting period. Moreover, the preparation time is long, and the more thorough and comprehensive the preparation is, the smoother the shooting will be, the more guaranteed the quality will be, and the shooting efficiency will be greatly improved..."

"Is that so?" Bai Ye frowned and said, "We should try to get them to speed up the process. If something can be solved with money, don't waste time. It is very important for the strategy I have planned for Mercury Media to quickly become an influential media company. So, don't be stingy with money. Galaxy Capital can always allocate large sums of money to Mercury Media."

Ikana: "I know you are a big shot, if you are willing to pay, then of course there is no problem with me."

The two of them enjoyed the food while chatting about company issues.

Bai Ye also briefly mentioned Tangtang's matter. Ikana rolled her eyes at Bai Ye in annoyance and didn't say much. Because when she decided to rekindle her relationship with Bai Ye, she had already prepared herself mentally. This playboy was not someone she could restrain on her own. In that case, there was no need to make a big fuss over such a thing and lose Bai Ye's love.

"Okay, lunch is over. Please take me to the office address of The New York Observer." Ikana wiped her mouth with a tissue, stood up, and said, "While chatting with you, I also notified my assistants to go there together. We have a tough battle this afternoon!"

"No problem." Bai Ye nodded, but his hand pretended to accidentally touch his mobile phone, and it fell to the ground with a "click".

"Bai Ye, you are always so careless in doing things."

Ikana turned around helplessly, bent down, and picked up Bai Ye's phone.

Because she was facing sideways to Bai Ye, Bai Ye could clearly see her long, voluptuous legs wrapped in black stockings, and the curves outlined by her tight hip skirt...

Bai Ye is a standard capitalist, but he feels that he is still a capitalist with a conscience and is not completely black-hearted. He does not need to let Ikana go to work right after dinner. As for the matter of the New York Observer, let's talk about it later.

……

About an hour and a half later, Bai Ye drove Ikana to the door of The New York Observer.

"Okay, come on down, we're here."

Bai Ye opened the car door for Ikana.

"You did this on purpose, didn't you?" Ikana got out of the car, holding a bottle of mineral water in her hand, rinsing her mouth, and glared at Bai Ye fiercely: "You clearly knew that I had such an important matter this afternoon, but you wasted so much of my time, and... don't tell me you were careless?"

Bai Ye said very confidently: "I was careless on purpose!"

Ikana: “…”

"I'm really impressed by you!" Ikana took another big sip of mineral water, rinsed her mouth, and then spit out the water, breathing towards Bai Ye: "Tell me yourself, are you going too far?"

Bai Ye immediately took two steps back and stretched out his hand to stop Ikana from approaching.

After seeing Ikana's contemptuous look, Bai Ye coughed:

"Hey, don't joke about ethics."

"You were the one who joked with me first!" Ikana really wanted to kick Bai Ye: "I have to go to other companies to give lectures later. If I open my mouth and smell bad, how will others see me in the future? I will lose all my prestige as a president."

"It's not that serious!" Bai Ye said, "You have rinsed your mouth so many times along the way. It's okay. Don't worry, you are just competing with yourself."

"Then why don't you dare to kiss me again? You are a man who says one thing and means another!"

Ikana looked at Bai Ye with disdain, picked up her Prada bag, and walked towards the company building.

Bai Ye smiled, and after Ikana reunited with her men, Bai Ye drove away towards a prison in the suburbs of New York.

The prison is built in a vast valley, surrounded by dense forests and surrounded by tall walls. These walls are very tall and strong, and are densely packed with patrol monitoring facilities and observation towers. The entrance to and from the prison is very low-key, with steel plates and iron bars on the door, and full of keyholes and alarms.

The prison is very spacious and divided into several areas, each with different purposes. Some areas are used to detain serious criminals, where the cells are very narrow, dark and damp. Some areas are used to detain minor criminals, where the cells are relatively spacious and bright. There are also some areas for education and rehabilitation, with classrooms, libraries, sports fields and other facilities.

There are also many guards and prison guards inside the prison, who patrol between various areas to ensure the safety and order of the prisoners. These prison guards have undergone rigorous training, have superb fighting skills and vigilance, and can deal with any emergency.

When Bai Ye drove to the prison gate, an Asian man in a suit and tie, leading the senior management of the prison, came to greet Bai Ye.

"Master Bai Ye."

The suited thug Gao Jin bowed his head slightly and said respectfully:

"Everything has been arranged for you."

Well, this thug in a suit was picked up by Bai Ye when he was in Siam. Bai Ye saved his life, so Gao Jin now regards Bai Ye as his benefactor and works for him. So Bai Ye brought him to this prison under the Osborn Family Foundation and let him serve as the warden.

Bai Ye likes younger brothers like Gao Jin who are grateful, loyal to their boss and have good abilities. Moreover, Gao Jin has no moral obsession. As long as Bai Ye gives an order, there is no one he dare not kill. He is also a good hand for Bai Ye to do dirty work.

Of course, Bai Ye had no intention of treating Gao Jin unfairly. His salary and benefits were all at a high standard, and he also solved his green card problem. You know, it is not easy for ordinary people to move from Siam to America. Even in China at this point in time, there were still many people who believed that the air in America was sweet.

"Thanks for your hard work."

Bai Ye smiled and patted Gao Jin's shoulder.

"It's not hard. It's my honor to work for you, young master."

Gao Jin bent his body a little lower to make it easier for Bai Ye to pat his shoulder.

"I've told you that when you talk to me, don't be so serious. Relax a little. I'm not the kind of person who cares about little things."

Bai Ye saw that Gao Jin just smiled and said nothing, so he didn't force it:

"Let's go in and have a look."

This prison is a private prison of the Osborn family. Unlike the national conditions in China, many prisons in the United States are private prisons. As of now, there are more than 100 private prisons in the United States, which have helped the US government detain hundreds of thousands of prisoners, with annual revenue of approximately US$50 billion!

The private prison here is known as a "paradise" for the rich, with luxurious single rooms, 24-hour hot water, access to the Internet and TV, and a variety of fruit juices to choose from.

Forced labor?

nonexistent.

As long as you have money, you can enjoy yourself in the private prisons in the United States. How can this be a place to punish criminals? It is simply a prison version of the "Hilton" five-star hotel.

But as the saying goes, one thought leads to heaven and one thought leads to hell. If you are poor, private prisons in America can really become their "hell", where all kinds of dirt, long hours of forced labor, and fights are the norm.

The American population accounts for 5% of the world's total population, but contributes 25% of the global prison population. Against this backdrop, the United States has three major private prison giants, namely CCA, GEO and MTC, of ​​which CCA and GEO were successfully listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

The reason why private prisons are run in general is that they can make a lot of money, from protection fees from the rich, manufacturing from the poor, and subsidies from the US government. As for Osborne running a prison... it is because Osborne is a medical giant, and the number of human experiments cannot be too much. Private prisons usually have death targets...

Of course, Osborn couldn't go too far. Many human experiments still had to be conducted in Africa and Hengsan, lawless places. The cost was much lower than in private prisons in the United States, and the effect was much better.

Under Gao Jin's guidance, Bai Ye came to the deepest part of the prison and saw Kurt Connors, who was tied up with chains and had a collar around his neck.

He still maintains his lizard man form.

Bai Ye couldn't help but feel lucky for Connors. Fortunately, he was in an American prison instead of Hengsan Prison. Otherwise, Bai Ye would have to respectfully call Connors "Third Sister-in-law" when he saw him.

"Dr. Connors, we meet again."

Bai Ye pulled over a chair and sat opposite Kurt Connors.

The guards around had been driven out, and only Gao Jin was guarding the door.

"Who are you?" Connors raised his head slightly, and his green eyes saw Bai Ye and turned around: "Little Osborn?"

"I didn't expect you to recognize me, Dr. Connors?"

Bai Ye smiled.

"Why did you come to see me?" Connors said expressionlessly, "I have nothing to say to you, the Osborn family."

"Wow, Dr. Connors, you still hold a grudge against our Osborn family?" Bai Ye spread his hands and said, "I remember that the riot this time was caused by your own illegal experiment with lizard serum. With your intelligence, you should know how bad the impact of your presumptuous behavior has been on our Osborn Group. I don't hold a grudge against you, but you hold a grudge against me?"

"So are you done? If you are, you can leave and don't disturb my sleep."

Connors said without giving any face.

Yes, generally speaking, most of the responsibility for the Lizardmen's attack on New York lies with him. It was caused by his hasty experiments. But leaving the facts aside, don't you, Osborn, do anything wrong?

If you, Osborn, had not fired me, but instead provided me with enough resources to allow me to conduct experiments, perhaps I would have already made a perfect version of the lizard serum. I would probably be nominated for the Nobel Prize in Medicine and enjoying the admiration of all Americans, instead of being a prisoner like I am now, with my life and death in the hands of others. Doesn't he have any reason to hate the Osborn family?

"Okay, you hate me and don't want to talk to me, but what about Parker? Parker, are you going to ignore me too?" Bai Ye said.

"Parker?" Connors frowned and looked at Bai Ye: "Parker is here too?"

"No." Bai Ye said, "Dr. Connors, you should still remember that it was you who transformed Parker into a lizard man. He still looks like a monster and cannot be restored to his original state. How much damage has this caused him? Now, in order to resume a peaceful life, Parker is doing his best to develop drugs that can control the lizard man's mind and transform freely into humans."

It's true that Connors hated Osborn, but he also felt very sorry for Parker in his heart. After all, everything had nothing to do with Parker. It was he who reached out to Parker in the state of Lizard Man...

“Parker…”

Connors was silent for a moment, then said bitterly:

"I wanted to create a world without disability and pain, so I just continued the lizard serum matter in private. I didn't expect that things would come to this."

"There are many things in this world that have good intentions but always end up with unsatisfactory results." Bai Ye spread his hands and said, "It doesn't mean that if you want to do good things, others will have to pay for your deeds. Even the law punishes evil behavior, not evil thoughts. Who cares what you want to do? Only you know what's in your mind, and maybe... even you don't know. The fact is, doing the right thing is far more important than doing things right!"

"Maybe... you are right. I'm sorry about Parker. Is there anything I can help you with?" Connors sighed and said, "If possible, can you arrange a meeting between Parker and me? I should be able to help Parker with something."

Connors knew his situation and no longer expected to be free.

"It's impossible for them to meet. Parker himself is in a difficult situation. If you are involved, things will only become more troublesome." Bai Ye said, "But Parker did encounter some problems in the process of drug development, and he needs to ask you, a professional, for help."

As he spoke, Bai Ye took out a stack of A4 paper.