Chapter Eight: The Dark Web Transaction
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On the third day after the press conference, orders for Shen New Energy Vehicles surpassed five hundred thousand units, making the company an undeniable legend in the industry. Yet Xu Yunchuan did not allow himself to bask in the joy of victory. His thoughts remained fixed on the anonymous email.
The patent documents attached to the email revealed that Tiansheng Group possessed a technology known as “Intelligent Core Power,” which was claimed to increase the driving range of new-energy vehicles to an astonishing one thousand kilometers—far beyond anything currently available on the market.
“If this is true, then they really do have the means to overtake everyone technologically by taking an unconventional route.” Xu Yunchuan sat in his office, his brow tightly furrowed. He realized that this was not merely a matter of technological competition. Once introduced to the market, the technology could completely overturn the structure of the industry.
What puzzled him even more was that the documents showed the original holder of the technology was not Tiansheng Group, but an obscure small technology company.
Searching for Clues
That evening, Xu Yunchuan went alone to the company archives and searched for information about the technology firm. The company was called Star Micro-Motion. It had been established only three years earlier, with modest registered capital, yet it had invested an astonishing amount in research and development.
“Star Micro-Motion... Could it have been acquired by Tiansheng?” Xu Yunchuan murmured to himself. In the archives, he found the company’s most recent financial statements and discovered that it had abruptly ceased all operations a year earlier, yet had neither liquidated nor deregistered.
Everything about it seemed deeply suspicious.
Determined to uncover the truth, Xu Yunchuan decided to find the person in charge of the company himself. He did not know, however, that this decision would lead him straight into an even greater storm.
An Unexpected Encounter
Two days later, Xu Yunchuan drove to Star Micro-Motion’s registered address. It was an old office building on the outskirts of the city, desolate and run-down.
“Hello. I’m looking for the person in charge of Star Micro-Motion. Is anyone still working here?” he asked the security guard downstairs.
The guard shook his head. “They moved out a long time ago. Every now and then, someone comes back to collect a few things, but I don’t know who.”
Just as Xu Yunchuan was preparing to leave, a middle-aged man in a black trench coat emerged from the building. His gaze met Xu Yunchuan’s for a brief moment before darting away. Lowering his head, he hurried off.
“Wait!”
Sensing that something was wrong, Xu Yunchuan quickly pursued him.
The man in black quickened his pace, but Xu Yunchuan finally caught up with him and blocked his way in a narrow alley.
“Who are you? Why have you been following me?” the man demanded warily.
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“I only want to learn more about Star Micro-Motion,” Xu Yunchuan said calmly. “Were you an employee of the company?”
The man remained silent for a while before finally sighing. “Come with me.”
The Hidden Secret
The man led Xu Yunchuan to a secluded café. He introduced himself as Li Zhi, the former head of research and development at Star Micro-Motion.
“Star Micro-Motion did indeed possess a revolutionary technology,” Li Zhi said, “but it wasn’t developed by our company. We bought it at an underground auction.”
“An underground auction?” Xu Yunchuan frowned. The phrase carried a distinct scent of danger.
“That’s right. The auction brought together many major corporations and investors. It specialized in trading technologies and classified information that could not be made public.” Li Zhi gave a cold laugh. “Tiansheng Group acquired the patent rights to Intelligent Core Power through that very auction.”
Xu Yunchuan’s heart sank. The origins of Tiansheng’s technology were far more complicated than he had imagined. It also meant that if Shen Group did not act quickly, it could be completely suppressed.
“Do you know who organized the auction?” he pressed.
Li Zhi shook his head. “They concealed themselves extremely well, but I do know one thing. If you truly want to uncover the truth, find someone named Ling Yun. He took part in that transaction.”
Ling Yun Appears
To find Ling Yun, Xu Yunchuan drew upon the connections he had built throughout the industry and eventually narrowed down the man’s sphere of activity. It led him to an upscale private club frequented only by the rich and powerful.
That evening, Xu Yunchuan disguised himself as an ordinary businessman and slipped into the club. He soon found Ling Yun—a lean man with sharp eyes—sitting casually at the bar and drinking.
“Mr. Ling, may I have a word with you?” Xu Yunchuan approached him with a polished smile.
Ling Yun glanced at him and gave a faintly mocking smile. “Who are you?”
“I’m simply someone interested in the Intelligent Core Power technology,” Xu Yunchuan replied directly.
Ling Yun’s expression instantly grew guarded. “What do you want to know?”
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“I want to know the technology’s true origin,” Xu Yunchuan said in a lowered voice.
Ling Yun was silent for a moment before replying quietly, “This isn’t something you can afford to get involved in. My advice is to stop digging. Otherwise, you’ll bring serious trouble upon yourself.”
“What if I told you I’m already in trouble?” Xu Yunchuan smiled faintly, a note of resolve shining in his eyes. “Mr. Ling, I don’t believe you want to keep concealing the truth for someone else forever.”
Ling Yun stared at Xu Yunchuan, seemingly weighing his sincerity. At last, he sighed.
“All right. I can tell you part of it, but you’ll have to investigate the rest on your own.”
A Glimpse of the Truth
Ling Yun revealed that the organization behind the auction was called the Deep Blue Alliance, a secretive consortium made up of several multinational corporations. It specialized in high-tech trading and the monopolization of resources. The alliance controlled numerous technologies that could never be brought into the light, some of which even had military applications.
“Intelligent Core Power was a trial run for the Deep Blue Alliance,” Ling Yun explained. “They wanted to see who could use the technology to make waves in the market. Tiansheng is merely one of their pawns.”
Xu Yunchuan listened in shock. He realized that the truth behind the matter was far more complicated than he had imagined.
“Then why are you telling me this?” he asked.
Ling Yun smiled bitterly. “Because you’re different from Tiansheng. I can tell that you’re a man with principles. Besides, I don’t want the Deep Blue Alliance to continue manipulating the world with impunity.”
A New Course of Action
After leaving the club, Xu Yunchuan’s mind was in turmoil. He understood that if he wanted to emerge undefeated from this confrontation, he would have to uncover more of the Deep Blue Alliance’s weaknesses and use them to strike back.
At the same time, Tiansheng Group began taking new action. It suddenly announced that it would hold the world’s first Intelligent Core Power test-drive event in one month, inviting numerous authoritative media outlets to attend.
“It seems our opponent is preparing to launch an all-out attack.” Xu Yunchuan stood before the office window, gazing at the city beneath the night sky. A sharp glint flashed through his eyes. “Then let’s give them a counterattack worth remembering!”
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