Chapter 343 - 194: One Step Ahead, Every Step Ahead

Chapter 343: Chapter 194: One Step Ahead, Every Step Ahead

"Boss, what do you think they’re talking about?" Raymond asked, gazing through the floor-to-ceiling window at the two men in the garden. "With Arthur Morgan’s status, there’s no way Charles will go against his word. You know the Morgan family is also a shareholder in BlackRock."

"How would I know? Maybe they’re discussing the acquisition price. Isn’t that right, Mark!"

Su Chen’s abrupt change of topic startled Mark, who was in the middle of calculating his potential commission, and he shot to his feet.

"Mr. Su is right!" Mark’s tone was incredibly resolute.

Even though Mark had been daydreaming and hadn’t quite heard what Su Chen said, he figured he couldn’t go wrong as long as he agreed.

Neither Su Chen, Raymond, nor the others had expected such a big reaction from Mark, and they all turned to look at him.

Seeing their expressions, Mark’s heart sank. ’Did I say something wrong?’ he wondered, asking nervously, "Uh... was I wrong?"

Snapping out of it, Raymond and Chen Fei all smiled, nodded, and said, "No, you were spot on."

At that, Mark smiled as well.

A smile touched Su Chen’s lips as he watched Mark’s self-satisfied expression.

After about ten minutes of idle chatter, Charles walked in briskly. "Mr. Su, we’ve finished our discussion. Young Master Arthur asked me to come get you."

Without a moment’s delay, Su Chen stood up and headed for the garden.

As soon as he sat down, Arthur spoke. "Mr. Su, we are offering three billion US Dollars to acquire Longteng Technology and all patents related to the new weak AI technology. What do you think of that?"

"Three billion?" Su Chen didn’t accept immediately. He knew the value of this new weak AI technology was immeasurable in the current market, but he also knew that someone else would eventually develop it, perhaps in a month, perhaps in a year.

The key was who could use this new technology to seize the market first. Once the technology was brought to market, even if latecomers surpassed it, it would still hold the first-mover advantage. After all, the customers would have already grown accustomed to it.

So, Su Chen began to wonder if the price was too low and if he could ask for more.

As if sensing Su Chen’s hesitation, Arthur picked up the teapot, poured tea for them both, and said, "Mr. Su, you must be aware that many companies have invested heavily in weak AI. As far as I know, NVIDIA is also on the verge of a breakthrough. When that happens..."

Of course, Su Chen understood the implication, but he wasn’t someone who could be so easily bluffed.

"Arthur, let’s not beat around the bush. We both know how important this technology is. Even if other companies are on the verge of a breakthrough, they’re only *on the verge*."

"Even with only a one-month lead, the technology I have is still the most advanced weak AI technology in the world right now."

"I’m sure you and Mr. Charles understand the principle that ’a step ahead keeps you ahead’."

Su Chen picked up his teacup, took a sip, then looked at the two men across from him. "So, let’s lay our cards on the table. I don’t care what you two discussed privately. My final price is five billion US Dollars!"

"This price should be well within your acceptable range. Besides, once you have this technology, you’ll earn that money back in a month or two at most, won’t you?"

Having said his piece, Su Chen ignored the expressions on Arthur’s and Charles’s faces and went back to sipping his tea.

Arthur hadn’t expected Su Chen to be so sharp, but he had to admit the man was right. With just a one-month head start, all the research done by other companies would be for nothing.

After a long silence, a wry smile appeared on Arthur’s face. "Mr. Su, your insight is truly exceptional."

A smile bloomed on Su Chen’s face. He knew Arthur had just agreed to his price.

He raised his teacup toward Arthur and said, "Cheers!"

Arthur also raised his teacup, simultaneously giving a pointed look to Charles at his side.

And just like that, the three men’s teacups gently clinked together in the air.

This gave Su Chen pause. He realized Arthur wasn’t trying to take the whole pie for himself, which made sense. As one of the world’s largest foundations, BlackRock’s shareholders included all the top financial consortiums. The Morgan family couldn’t possibly devour a cake this big on their own.

Sharing the wealth was the only way to ensure long-term success.

The rest was simple. Raymond had professional lawyers on his team, and they quickly drew up the acquisition agreement.

Just as Su Chen was about to sign, a thought struck him, and his hand froze.

"Mr. Su?" Arthur asked, his brow furrowing slightly. He thought for a moment that Su Chen was about to jack up the price at the last minute.

"I just wanted to ask... do I have to pay taxes on selling the company’s shares?" Su Chen asked, looking genuinely puzzled.

It was common knowledge on Blue Star that there were three surefire ways to court disaster: tax evasion in the land of the Bald Eagle, taking hostages in the Bear Country, and drug trafficking in Huaxia.

In the land of the Bald Eagle, it didn’t matter if you were an ordinary citizen or a wealthy tycoon; if you dared to evade taxes, the IRS would be on you relentlessly. The tax agency’s power was immense—even the famous FBI was basically its junior.

Besides, taxes in the land of the Bald Eagle were notoriously high. For a sale like this one, the tax rate could reach as high as 39.6%. If Longteng Technology was sold for five billion, they might only see three billion of it in the end.