Chapter 199: Chapter 182: 1.575 Billion, Fourth in the Country, A Narrow Victory Over Apple

Hu City, Rockefeller Mansion.

As the representative for the Three Passes and One Reach, Chen Dejun called Chen Yansen for the first time. He never expected the other man’s first words to be:

"Who is this?"

Chen Yansen didn’t have Chen Dejun’s number saved in his contacts. Although he guessed the caller was one of the bosses from the "Tongda" delivery companies, he couldn’t tell fortunes and know exactly who it was.

"Chen Dejun, from Shentong Express."

Chen Dejun’s face stiffened, the confident aura he had built up instantly deflating.

He glanced at Lai Haisheng, Yu Weijiao, and Nie Tengyu, as if to ask, ’Didn’t I just introduce myself?’

"Oh, so it’s President Chen. I’ve heard much about you! Cloud Speed wants to grab market share, and Shentong wants to defend it. A price war has always been the most effective way to seize market share. You’re a senior in this industry, and I can respect you for that, but you can’t stand in my way. Understand?"

Chen Yansen leaned back in his chair and replied nonchalantly.

The market was only so big, and everyone wanted a piece. Cloud Speed was a latecomer, so it naturally had to play hardball to crush the competition.

Only by forcing the Three Passes and One Reach out of the market could Cloud Speed increase its market share.

Cloud Speed would definitely raise its prices again in the future, but first, it needed to conquer half the express delivery industry.

"Don’t be so aggressive, young man. If we fight a price war, the only ones who benefit are the customers. Why can’t we just sit down, agree on terms, and make money together?"

Chen Dejun took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his anger as he tried to persuade him calmly.

"How would we talk? I want half the market share of the Three Passes and One Reach. Are you in a position to make that decision?"

Chen Yansen asked with a laugh, his words blunt and uncompromising.

"Is there no room for negotiation?" Chen Dejun asked again.

"How about this, President Chen? Sell Shentong to me as a package deal for 1.5 billion. Then we won’t have to fight a price war anymore. What do you think?"

Chen Yansen was being sincere with this offer.

Competing with the Tongda companies meant Cloud Speed wouldn’t be profitable for at least the next three years. It would be better to just spend the money to buy out Shentong.

Not only would it save time and money, but he could also swallow Shentong’s eighty-thousand-plus delivery couriers in one go. At that point, the monthly Human Dao Fire would be at least fifty or sixty thousand wisps.

"You little bastard! If you want a fight, you’ve got one! Let’s see who dies first!"

Chen Dejun’s eyes were bloodshot. Unable to control himself any longer, he roared into the phone.

Shentong’s assets and valuation premium were worth at least around 3 billion.

Although he had no intention of selling, Chen Yansen’s condescending tone made him lose his composure instantly.

Chen Dejun’s shout startled Yu Weijiao of Yuantong Express, who was standing nearby.

Shentong was the big brother of the Tonglu-based Tongda companies, stronger than his own. In 2011, the scale of Yunda and Zhongtong was only slightly larger than Quanfeng.

CRACK!

Chen Dejun slammed his phone onto the desk. The screen instantly shattered, a testament to the fury raging within him.

"It seems this Overseas Dragon from Huian Province doesn’t give a damn about us Tonglu folk," Nie Tengyu of Yunda Express snorted coldly.

"That idiot Chen Feilei should have hired someone to run Chen Yansen over and kill him! Instead, he’s the one who ended up in trouble, and he didn’t even manage to take out Liao Wei," Yu Weijiao cursed.

Since Chen Yansen had refused to negotiate, they had no choice but to fight Cloud Speed with everything they had.

Over the past two years, the Three Passes and One Reach had successively secured financing and had just started enjoying the good times when Cloud Speed appeared out of nowhere, leaving them no room to breathe.

"Enough talk! Let’s just see who can last the longest," Chen Dejun said with a sigh, his face ashen.

Lai Haisheng of Zhongtong Express and Nie Tengyu of Yunda Express exchanged a glance, suddenly unable to sit still.

In a price war, they would definitely be the first ones knocked out.

But panicking was useless. Chen Yansen and Liao Wei were a pair you couldn’t negotiate with and couldn’t fight directly.

Right after Liao Wei’s "accident," Zheng Shengyu from the Postal Association had called to warn the four of them. If they tried any more underhanded tricks, he would crush whoever stepped out of line.

After all, Zheng Shengyu held their express delivery business licenses in his hands. For him, killing off a courier company was a trivial matter.

「Meanwhile.」

Liao Wei, who had just been discharged from the hospital, had also received Zheng Shengyu’s warning. But he couldn’t swallow his anger. Chen Feilei was locked up, but Speed Peak Express wasn’t dead yet.

He was determined to destroy Speed Peak!

’Why should I take a punch and not be allowed to hit back?’

’Is that fucking fair?’

Before taking action, Liao Wei made a point to call Chen Yansen for instructions. A moment later, Chen Yansen gave an ambiguous reply: "You’re the CEO of Cloud Speed Express. You decide what to do."

The very next day, three of Speed Peak Express’s stations—in Hu City, Jinling, and Yiwu—were dismantled overnight.

Dismantled in the most literal, physical sense.

Scanners, signs, sorting equipment, and transport vehicles were all taken apart and thrown in a heap at the station entrances.

The tires and wheel hubs were stacked neatly, so there was no real property damage. It was purely to disgust and intimidate them.

The couriers who participated that night were taken to the Inspection Institute the next day, but were bailed out soon after.

Liao Wei gave each of them a 10,000 yuan "Competitive Expense" bonus and sent out a company-wide notice praising their actions.

It was an act of extreme arrogance!

He had almost lost his life. If he didn’t crush Speed Peak now, anyone would dare to step on Cloud Speed in the future.

Agencies, headhunters, and Cloud Speed’s own HR department worked in concert, using generous compensation packages to poach Speed Peak Express’s station managers and couriers.

During this time, due to Cloud Speed’s targeted suppression, Speed Peak Express lost a massive amount of business.

Seeing this, the couriers at the bottom didn’t hesitate for a second. They took off their Speed Peak uniforms and grinningly put on the work clothes of Cloud Speed Express.

A base salary of 3,000 yuan a month, plus a housing subsidy equal to 20% of their monthly salary—it didn’t matter if you were renting or not, everyone got it.