Chapter 337 - 235: The Summit (1)
Among this group of small businesses, besides Xiao Gu, only a few people from larger-scale enterprises like Yuan Hong had Lin Qi’s contact information.
Contacting Lin Qi before the summit was a way to leave a stronger impression on him.
After all, with the precedent Xiao Gu had set, more people wanted to take the initiative to build a good relationship with Lin Qi.
Lin Qi didn’t put on any airs, responding to each one and arranging to meet with the leaders of these enterprises later at the summit venue.
The venue for the Asia Political Zone Advanced Pharmaceutical Enterprise Summit was on the 399th floor of the Alliance Mansion, in the Intercontinental Exhibition Hall.
This exhibition hall was essentially the most prestigious venue in the Asian Administrative Region, with the value of its facilities and equipment alone reaching ten figures.
The venue not only supported in-person attendance but was also equipped with top-of-the-line holographic equipment, allowing those who were invited but couldn’t attend in person to participate remotely via the cyber network—though this came at a hefty price.
This fee would ultimately go to the Big Business Alliance.
The Alliance Mansion itself was the property of the Asian Political Zone Big Business Alliance and didn’t belong to any single large corporation.
After finishing his email replies, Lin Qi freshened up.
He changed into a formal suit and pinned the badge for United Pharmaceutical to his chest. This was part of the summit’s explicit dress code, which Liu Xuan had just explained to Lin Qi in an email.
In the email, besides informing Lin Qi of these minor requirements, Liu Xuan had also told him:
"I’ve already entered the Alliance Mansion. Let’s meet later at the exhibition hall on the 399th floor."
Once he had finished getting ready, it was 8:15 AM, forty-five minutes before the summit was scheduled to officially begin.
This time, Lin Qi didn’t arrive at the last minute. After all, this wasn’t just showing up for work; he needed to show respect to the summit’s organizers.
The organizers were the Permanent Council of the Big Business Alliance. Never mind that Lin Qi was only Tier Three; even if he reached Tier Four, he would still have to show a certain degree of respect.
The weakest members of the Permanent Council were S-Class Implanters on par with Jin Yuanxi, and Aishwarya was far from their only Tier Four Extraordinary.
Together with Brother Green Hair, he took the elevator to the 399th floor of the Alliance Mansion.
Activating his Spiritual Vision, Lin Qi locked onto Liu Xuan’s figure.
At this moment, Liu Xuan was also dressed in a formal suit, in a style nearly identical to Lin Qi’s.
The moment she met with Lin Qi, Liu Xuan gave him the latest update. "The summit’s schedule isn’t too complicated. First, we need to go to the circular conference hall, where a member of the Permanent Council will give a speech. As for which council member it will be, I don’t know."
A member of the Permanent Council personally organizing the first part of the summit demonstrated the importance the Big Business Alliance placed on the event. More importantly, it signaled that the pharmaceutical sector in the Asian Administrative Region was about to undergo a massive shake-up.
Lin Qi nodded, said nothing more, and followed Liu Xuan into the exhibition hall.
"Chairman Lin, Chairman Liu, a pleasure to meet you!"
"Chairman Lin!"
As soon as they entered the summit venue, quite a few people came forward to greet Lin Qi and Liu Xuan.
These people, of course, were not from any of the large corporations. They were members of the Small Business Alliance and partners of United Pharmaceutical.
Lin Qi and Liu Xuan gave them a slight nod in acknowledgment.
Not far away, Xiao Gu of Rotor Pharmaceutical had also arrived.
But unlike the others, Xiao Gu didn’t rush forward to greet them. He simply nodded when his eyes met Lin Qi’s.
Lin Qi nodded in return.
In an instant, Lin Qi and Liu Xuan became the center of attention.
According to the summit’s requirements, each company had two representatives: a business representative and an academic representative.
The former was typically the company’s leader, while the latter was an A-Class Pharmaceutical Researcher.
Over 270 companies were participating in the summit, with a total of more than 500 people in attendance.
Of those, over 170 had formed strategic partnerships with United Pharmaceutical.
In other words, nearly two-thirds of the attendees were showing goodwill toward Lin Qi and Liu Xuan.
For a moment, the hall was filled with people lost in their own thoughts and speculations.
Meanwhile, a group of people who had originally joined the Medical Small Business Alliance but had chosen to withdraw after yesterday’s "intimidation" incident gathered together.
"How did United Pharmaceutical build up so much momentum?"
"Did that many companies really choose to partner with United Pharmaceutical? How is that possible?"
"Aren’t they afraid of the four great legacy pharmaceutical corporations? If we small businesses offend even one of them, we’re done for—and not just commercially, but physically as well."
"From what I hear, that bastard Xiao Gu roped in dozens of companies by himself. The final number of businesses that partnered with United Pharmaceutical likely exceeds one hundred, so of course they have a lot of momentum."
"What good is momentum? You think that alone will get them an advantage at the summit? Dream on!"
"But what if United Pharmaceutical actually succeeds? Wouldn’t that mean we..."
"There is no ’what if.’ Just watch. Even with Liu’s Heavy Industries backing them, this is the pharmaceutical sector. The Liu Clan’s influence is useless here. The four legacy corporations will teach United Pharmaceutical that it’s not so easy to jump into a new industry."
Envy, jealousy, anxiety.
A mixture of these emotions permeated the summit venue.
But soon, the gazes of the crowd shifted once again.
Two men in formal suits stepped through the entrance of the hall.
They were from Kudou Human Body Engineering Company, one of the four great legacy pharmaceutical corporations.
As one of the leaders of Asia’s pharmaceutical industry, the true head of Kudou Human Body Engineering Company would naturally not attend the summit in person.
However, the man who came also bore the Kudou surname; he was a member of the Kudou Clan.
Kudou Gen, the youngest son of the current head of Kudou Human Body Engineering Company. With him was one of the company’s A-Class researchers, who also shared the Kudou surname.
Whether intentionally or not, he walked right up to a spot not far from Liu Xuan and Lin Qi.
In a rather odd accent, he said, "Some people will never understand a truth that has been passed down in the Eastern Alliance for a thousand years: a wise man submits to the circumstances."
He wasn’t looking in Lin Qi and Liu Xuan’s direction, but anyone with eyes could see his remark was a veiled insult.
Lin Qi’s brow furrowed slightly as he activated his Spiritual Vision to examine them.
His Spiritual Power passed through them easily. The two from Kudou Human Body Engineering Company weren’t Extraordinary Professionals, just ordinary people.
The man with the strange accent and the small mustache was just an L-Class Implanter, without even a single A-Class component installed.
’Who is this guy?’
Lin Qi glanced at Liu Xuan.
Liu Xuan spoke up. "Some people try their hardest to join the Eastern Alliance, but they’re completely looked down upon. Even if they studied Eastern Alliance culture for another hundred years, it would still be nothing more than a pathetic imitation."
Lin Qi shot her a curious glance upon hearing this.
’Kudou Human Body Engineering Company, a leader in the Asian Administrative Region’s pharmaceutical industry, is obsessed with cozying up to the Eastern Alliance, and the Alliance wants nothing to do with them?’
’Interesting.’
Liu Xuan’s words were blunt. Though she hadn’t mentioned them by name, even an idiot could tell she was insulting Kudou Human Body Engineering Company.
Kudou Gen’s expression instantly turned cold.
He looked toward Lin Qi. "Next time, you won’t be dealing with blanks."
His gaze and tone carried a clear threat, clearly intended to intimidate Lin Qi.
Liu Xuan subconsciously took a step forward, positioning herself in front of Lin Qi. "Losing tens of billions in orders overnight can’t feel very good, can it?"
Liu Xuan was firing back; she had already enacted her initial retaliation for Kudou Human Body Engineering Company’s actions.
Kudou Human Body Engineering Company had suffered a major blow in the prosthetic engineering sector overnight, an unacceptable setback to their expansion plans.
Watching this unfold, Lin Qi showed little reaction on the surface, but deep down, he committed the man with the small mustache and the name of his company to memory.
With that, Lin Qi gently took Liu Xuan’s hand and said, "There’s no need to say anything more. We’ll settle things at the summit."