Agreeing to Create Bad Games, What the Hell Is ‘Titanfall’? Chapter 504: MADE IN HEAVEN! Let the Acquisition Accelerate!

The situation has been growing increasingly strange lately.

Carter Walker, his eyes bloodshot, stared at the latest financial report his assistant had sent this morning, sinking into unprecedented panic, even confusion.

To so extent, he had been unable to sleep for over 72 hours.

Perhaps he had managed to catch a brief two or three hours of shut-eye in between, but now, with his head pounding and mind foggy, he couldn't rember at all.

Currently, Illusion Engine's market value had plumted to rock bottom, with the latest valuation standing at only 11.5 billion dollars.

And as if misfortunes never co singly.

According to the latest reports, a company based in Poland was frantically acquiring their small and dium-sized shares with massive amounts of capital.

Clearly, this company from Poland intended to launch a hostile takeover against them.

The company's market value was collapsing, deteriorating day by day, small and dium shareholders were exiting, equity was undergoing widespread changes, and even capital was attempting a hostile takeover...

All of this was, in fact, within Carter Walker's expectations.

What he hadn't anticipated was that the entity launching this massive acquisition against them would be a completely unknown enterprise.

Poland?

When he first saw the location, Carter Walker thought perhaps Aurora Gas was making a move, planning to absorb them.

But the problem was, after so investigation, this acquiring company had absolutely no connection to Aurora Gas.

It didn't even have a single thread of connection to the "gaming industry"!

Based on the information they currently had, this was a technology venture capital firm founded ten years ago.

The company's scale had never been particularly large; most of its previous investnt projects were in mobile communication technology. Its overall investnt projects were modest, and the company's developnt had been lukewarm at best.

Yet, it was this completely unknown, diocre, utterly unremarkable enterprise that had now set its sights on them.

Though his head was spinning, Carter Walker wasn't completely addled.

This made no sense.

He truly couldn't understand.

You see, typically, hostile takeovers only target companies that have made significant progress within their own field and possess excellent developnt potential.

After all, the purpose of an acquisition is to make money. Who would acquire a loss-making company? You'd want to run away from it as fast as possible.

Of course, he could speculate that this Polish company was acquiring them to obtain their newly released, fresh-out-of-the-oven Phantom Dream V technology.

But the problem was...

Leaving aside the fact that the acquiring company had never been involved in the gaming industry...

Just the current reputation of Phantom Dream V alone didn't seem enticing enough.

After all, everyone was now saying their Phantom Dream VI and Reality Augntation Technology were...

"...garbage, trash not even fit for the stage."

Neon.

Kora Chairman's Office.

"Originally, developing in a direction where you already have relative disadvantages is an effort that yields half the result for twice the work. Moreover, its final outco is unsatisfactory,"

As he spoke, Ito Suke pushed the brewed oolong tea towards the large, oily-faced, greasy-skinned Caucasian man opposite him:

"Please, Mr. Konik."

Indeed!

Just as Illusion Engine was in dire straits, overwheld with troubles!

Konik, the Chief Executive Officer of CloudPower, who had previously spoken of their collaboration's boundless prospects and their intimate relationship, had already crossed oceans to arrive in Toukyou, beginning cooperation negotiations with Kora.

"Mr. Konik's decision is absolutely correct,"

Ito Suke said with a smile:

"It's always better to extricate oneself from the mire in ti than to lose more resources. Cutting off an arm to save one's life, quite comndable courage..."

Ito Suke's words were dripping with schadenfreude.

Even carrying a hint of mocking, kicking soone when they're down.

Admittedly, while CloudPower and Kora were both now under the Vivendi capital umbrella, theoretically "brother" enterprises.

In reality, the covert and overt rivalry between the two factions had never ceased, always competing in the shadows.

After all, both were giants, pillars within Vivendi's gaming industry layout.

Whoever perford better would naturally win more rewards and secure a larger share of resources.

So, Ito Suke's attitude, while unpleasant, wasn't surprising.

It was just unfortunate for Konik.

Having swaggered for half a lifeti, only to be slighted by a "brother" here.

You damn bastard, finally found your chance to mock and sneer, haven't you...

Konik cursed inwardly, silently calling Ito Suke a petty man reveling in his temporary advantage.

Yet, there was nothing he could do about it.

Who told that useless Illusion Engine to be so disappointing!

Originally, the situation was incredibly favorable!

The blockade and price hike were executed seamlessly; they were poised to dominate the sky with one hand!

But in the end, they failed at the last hurdle!

Now, Illusion Engine had been truly abandoned by their "Vivendi faction."

Just as Carter Walker had thought.

From the very beginning, Illusion Engine was rely a pawn in Konik's hand.

Use it if you can, discard it if you can't.

While there were losses, they weren't crippling.

As for Illusion Engine itself...

What did its life or death matter?

"But I heard there's currently a company aggressively acquiring their shares, with a very strong montum,"

Hearing this, Ito Suke spoke up:

"Is there sothing fishy about this?"

Squabbling aside.

The two were, after all, grasshoppers on the sa string. Where there was cause for concern, Ito Suke naturally would promptly display his keen sense of sll.

"Chairman Ito needn't worry about this,"

Taking a sip of tea, Konik waved his hand indicating no need for concern:

"We noticed this developnt as soon as it showed signs of erging,"

"After all, logically, investors would be fleeing from a company in such a precipitous decline,"

"But after our investigation and understanding,"

"The entity launching the acquisition is just a diocre, ordinary investnt group that previously had no involvent in the gaming industry whatsoever, nor any connection to gaming-related industries,"

"Probably trying to pick up a bargain,"

"After all, back in the day, Manhattan's Forton Capital picked up the nearly bankrupt Terps Real Estate Group, which led to its current scale,"

"In the capital's playground, every investor believes they are the one and only chosen one,"

"Greater profits and gambles attract them like moths to a fla,"

"Perhaps Chairman Ito is sowhat unfamiliar with this situation, but in fact, this kind of thing happens every day in the world of capital,"

"Moths burned by the flas are countless,"

"As long as it's unrelated to the gaming industry, we have no need to worry."

After hearing Konik's words.

Ito Suke shrugged, tacitly accepting it.

Who was Konik? What kind of group was CloudPower?

When it ca to hostile takeovers, capital operations, in the entire gaming technology industry, how many could claim to be more familiar than them?

This was CloudPower's specialty, their bread and butter!

Since Konik had already said so, he had no further reason to worry.

Thinking this, Ito Suke nodded.

And with this nod.

Illusion Engine's "Vivendi faction ally" had utterly, ruthlessly abandoned it.

"In this regard, Mr. Konik is the expert. I was just being overly cautious,"

Saying this, Ito Suke set his mind at ease, waving a hand dismissively with a smile:

"It's hard to imagine why a technology investnt group would—"

...

"Information change?"

A re week later!

Carter Walker finally managed to get a good night's sleep.

Just yesterday, as one of the major shareholders holding 12% of Illusion Engine's shares, the well-known gaming technology industry investnt group Laira Capital announced its withdrawal.

That self-proclaid mysterious Polish investnt company finally, with 30% of the shares, gained complete initiative and stood ready to launch an acquisition offer for Illusion Engine at any mont.

At that mont, all the anxiety and panic finally settled, turning into a helpless sigh.

Nine months.

A nightmare-like experience.

The once influential, wildly successful, hailed by many industry dia as the "promising flagship" Phantom Dream engine had ultimately t the tragic fate of being hoist by its own petard.

Very dramatic, very swift.

Perhaps when their market value was as high as twenty billion, no one would have imagined that such a gaming technology group would fall into an irrecoverable predicant in less than a year.

Watching their market being carved up, their flesh being devoured, until finally becoming a dried-up skeleton at ho.

One mont soaring to wealth, the next plunging into destitution.

Wall Street never believes in perpetual prosperity.

So-called market value is all virtual; once collapse begins, it will be like a towering building toppling, spilt water impossible to retrieve.

Perhaps from the group's founding to seizing opportunities for frenzied appreciation, Illusion Engine didn't take too long, just a few short years.

Perhaps from the group's founding to seizing opportunities for rapid appreciation, Illusion Engine didn't take too long, just a few short years.

But once the illusory bubble burst, the speed of the collapse and disillusionnt that followed was evidently much faster.

《Gone Are the Days! Phantom Dream Overall Stock Price Crashes, Vivendi Remains Silent!》

《Major Shareholder Announces Exit! Laira Capital Withdraws Shares, Adding Frost to Phantom Dream's Snow!》

《Mysterious Company Takes Over from Laira Capital, Shareholding Exceeds 30%, What Are Its Intentions?》

《From Darling to Abandoned Piece: Phantom Dream's Nine-Month Nightmare》

...

One pessimistic report and piece of news after another ca pouring in.

Oh no, to be accurate, not "pessimistic."

After all, Phantom Dream's dire situation no longer required any exaggeration or embellishnt.

After all, even if he didn't accept it, there was nothing else he could do.

But strangely enough.

When all hope had been shattered, he, as the company's helmsman, beca rather more composed.

He was wearing a formal, crisp suit because that mysterious Polish company would arrive in the United States today to issue them an acquisition invitation.

Soon, the secretary notified him that the other party's negotiation representative had arrived at the conference room.

Carter Walker also nodded, let out a long sigh, stood up, and headed for the conference room.

However!

Just as he pushed open his office door and walked towards the conference room!

An assistant ran over, informing him that just monts ago, this Polish company had actually issued an announcent about an information change!

The latest news brought by the assistant made Carter Walker sowhat dazed, his steps slowing slightly:

"...You're saying... this Polish company about to launch an acquisition offer for us just underwent an information change? What kind of change? Shareholders? Or so high-level personnel change?"

"...Neither,"

The assistant shook his head, looking equally confused, and handed the materials to Carter Walker:

"They changed the company's slogan and... the company na."

Hearing this!

Carter Walker took the materials with a frown, muttering in low, puzzled confusion:

"Visual Rendering"

"Physics Computation"

"Artificial Intelligence"

"Sound Reverberation"

"Network"

"Security and Stability"

"Reality Augntation..."

As he reached this point!

The conference room door opened!

Carter Walker's gaze finally fell upon the great na of this mysterious Polish company—!

【MADE IN HEAVEN】

Made in Heaven!

And the next mont!

He heard the already waiting representative of Made in Heaven slowly rise and speak:

"Good morning, Mr. Carter Walker. Our ti is limited,"

"Let's speed up this acquisition."