I can become stronger by paying salaries. I have one billion employees!

Chapter 682 Another 1000 million US dollars? Do they really think I have a printing press?
The following morning, Huxiu IT revealed key details of Xiaomi's Series C funding round: DST, Sequoia Capital, and Tiger Global jointly invested $8.6 million, bringing the post-investment valuation to over $280 billion.

Xiaomi successfully entered the first tier of the domestic mobile phone industry as a result.

However, in the eyes of outsiders, Lei Yijun is no different from Zhou Hongyi, Ding Lei, Wu Hongxin and others; he is just one of Chen Yansen's many underlings.

After all, Xiaomi phones share the same operating system with Orange phones in terms of processor, touch screen, smart voice assistant and other hardware and software supply, as well as manufacturing and after-sales service.

Regardless, it is an undeniable fact that Xiaomi has secured substantial funding and risen to become a super unicorn company.

Meanwhile, the road movie "Breakup Buddies," co-produced by Orange Interactive Entertainment, Huaying Film, and Pegasus Motion Pictures, announced its release date: previews will begin on September 16, and the official release will take place on September 30, clearly targeting the National Day holiday market.

Immediately afterwards, Momo announced that it had submitted an IPO application.

Half an hour later, Huawei launched the Xiaoyi smart speaker, becoming the third technology company to enter the smart speaker field after Orange Technology and Xiaomi.

……

……

Abyssinia, a suburb of Hamra Province.

On the empty Gobi Desert, there were a dozen or so military green rain shelters, and dozens of pickup trucks of various models were parked by the roadside, with heavy machine guns mounted in their beds.

As trucks passed by, drivers would feel a chill run down their spines and immediately floor the accelerator to escape, fearing that these people might pull the trigger at any moment and shoot them.

Leggi was a middle-aged man in his early forties with dark skin, a buzz cut, and a scar about the thickness of a thumb and seven or eight centimeters long above his forehead.

Those were marks left by stray bullets from the Central Military Commission's regular army.

He was wearing an olive green camouflage uniform, with a Glock pistol tucked into his waistband, staring expressionlessly at Asfa across from him.

“Leggieri, you wanted $1000 million in compensation, and I gave it to you; you wanted the copper mines in Tireg State, and I gave them to you as well. But what did you mean by attacking the Tireg Front’s branch? Do you really think I wouldn’t dare to kill you?”

Asfa was dressed in a sharp suit, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, and even had a Shiny Orange X2 Plus in his pocket.

Ordinary people in Abyssinia live a very hard life, with most earning less than 500 yuan a month. This is why Zhou Jinling, Jin Xu, and others can hire a driver, cook, and nanny for only 2000 yuan a month.

But poverty at the bottom doesn't mean poverty at the top.

Otherwise, did the 90 Orange phones that Orange Technology sold in Abyssinia last year simply disappear into thin air?
Asfa doesn't resemble the head of an armed front; he's more like a high-ranking executive in a multinational corporation, dressed impeccably and exuding an elite demeanor.

But the moment he opened his mouth, his ruthless and vicious nature could no longer be concealed.

"You have amnesia? If you hadn't kept causing me trouble, I wouldn't have bothered with you at all."

Leggi laughed in exasperation and glared at Asfa viciously.

"But haven't I already paid compensation? You launched an attack without warning, how are we going to settle this score?"

Asfa argued illogically.

"It seems you haven't come to terms with reality yet. If you're not satisfied, we can always continue fighting."

Although Leggi can be considered a representative of the moderates, that is only in a relative sense. Being able to control an armed force of five or six thousand people, his personality could not possibly be truly humble and gentle.

Upon hearing this, Asfa's expression suddenly froze.

He never expected that Legge, who was always all smiles, would be so tough this time.

He paused, forcing an awkward smile: "Legeji, are you really willing to watch your people die in vain, only to benefit the Hamra people in the end?"

In the eyes of people like them, ethnicity always comes first, and their sense of national identity is extremely low.

As for "Abyssinia," it's just a name imposed on this land from the outside.

The three ethnic groups of Omoro, Hamra, and Tireg have been fighting each other for decades, and each group has overseas capital secretly supporting it.

The reason Leggi was so eager to curry favor with Senlian Capital was that he had figured out the trick: multinational corporations in Europe and America only wanted to keep them fighting endlessly, so that their people could only make a living by herding and mining for generations.

But Senlian Capital is different!
The other party offered 1.5 times the salary and even set up a special Chinese language learning class. As long as you can learn it, your salary will double again.

Based on this calculation, one can earn 1500 to 2000 yuan per month.

Although this amount of money is still pitifully small, in Abyssinia it represents three or four months' wages for an average person.

Senlian Capital may not have had any purely good intentions, but at least they gave their clansmen better treatment.

"The lives of our people? Asfa, last year you sent the young men of the Tireg tribe to work as laborers in mines run by Europeans and Americans. Many of them didn't even survive the rainy season!"

Working 12 hours a day, 30 days a month without a break, and earning only 2000 birr (equivalent to 100 US dollars), while you? You earn 80 US dollars per person per month just from the price difference! You don't even care about your own people, yet you think you care about the Omorro people?

Leggi curled his lip, looking disdainful, as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world.

These words were like a poisoned dagger, precisely striking Asfa's sore spot.

His face darkened further, but he said, "That's to raise money for the Tireg Armed Front to buy weapons! Without funds, how can we fight the Hamra people? How can we protect our people?"

Leggi smiled and shook his head.

He knew very well that he and Asfa were not on the same path at all.

In fact, the core members of the surrounding Tireg armed front did not care at all when they heard this.

Because they also have a share of that '80 US dollars', why would they easily give up the benefits that are already in their mouths?
It doesn't matter if the people below suffer a little hardship or fatigue.

On this plateau in East Africa, the tribesmen are like teff, growing one generation after another, never ceasing.

But the conversation between Legge and Asfa was quite loud. Among the outermost Tireg armed members, some still chose to believe Asfa, while others gradually developed doubts and wondered to themselves: Isn't there financial assistance from the Tireg Business Association for buying weapons and equipment?
Why cut back on the already meager income of your own people?

The seeds of doubt immediately took root and sprouted.

"1000 million US dollars, plus the operating rights to an iron ore mine. Otherwise, I guarantee you won't get a good night's sleep until the rainy season is over."

Leggi, too lazy to argue with Asfa, simply presented the conditions for this peace talks.

Another 1000 million US dollars?
Asfa's brows furrowed instantly, his teeth itching with hatred, and he almost pulled out his pistol to shoot Leggeji on the spot.

You fucking know I only make $80 from each person!

They keep asking for 1000 million US dollars, do they really think I have a money printing machine?
"Legoji, don't go too far!"

Asfa's voice suddenly rose, his eyes flashed with a fierce light, and his fingers quietly slipped into the inside pocket of his suit, where a small Beretta pistol was hidden.

As if he hadn't heard his roar, Leggi slowly pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, took out two, put one in his own mouth, and handed the other to Asfa.

The lighter clicked, the orange-red flame highlighting the scar on his forehead, making it look particularly menacing: "Asfa, don't play dumb with me! Last month you got 800 million US dollars in management fees from the European and American mines, and that ocean-view villa you bought in Dubai is worth no less than 300 million US dollars. 1000 million is nothing to you." A 300 million US dollar ocean-view villa?

real or fake?

Upon hearing this, the Tireg militant member holding an AK47 paused slightly in surprise.

It's important to know that an average Abyssinian, even if they didn't eat or drink for a year, wouldn't earn $2000.

The price of a single sea-view villa is equivalent to the total annual income of 1500 ordinary people!

"The Omoro people are indeed surrenderers! Not only do they fawn over the Hamra people, but they also shamelessly grovel before the Chinese. Now they even dare to slander our leader. They are truly despicable!"

Most of the Tireg militants refused to believe Leggi's words, assuming he was just making up lies.

However, they overlooked one fact: Abyssinia is rich in mineral resources, and its livestock and coffee industries are also quite large.

As long as Asfa firmly guards its trade within its sphere of influence, it can easily amass a fortune.

To him, the idea of ​​fighting for the freedom of the Tiregs was just empty rhetoric, a pretext to fool the fools below into working for him and making money for him. It was no different from saying "hello" or "Amitabha."

Aspha's primary objective is to make money, and make a lot of money.

In his view, a life of several decades is too short, so one should enjoy it to the fullest.

"Legoji, you're spreading rumors! I've never been to Dubai, let alone bought any villa!"

Asfa stuck out his neck and retorted confidently.

"So, the woman and child in that villa in Dubai have nothing to do with you? Send two people over there and take care of them."

Leggi leaned back, sinking into his seat, and turned to give instructions to Melaku beside him.

“Yes, boss.” Meraku replied, a cruel smile playing on his lips.

Upon seeing this, Aspha's heart sank, and he panicked completely.

"Legeji, since you're looking for death, then let's fight!"

Asfa threatened sharply.

He couldn't understand where Leggi had gotten this private information from.

"So there's no room for negotiation? Asfa, you'd better stay in the bunker and don't come out, or else—hmph!"

Leggi slowly stood up, uttered a single sentence, and then left with his subordinates.

Asfa remained where he was, his face ashen, his hands clenching unconsciously.

Several times he wanted to reach for the gun at his waist, but when he thought of the consequences of firing it, he held back. He felt a surge of anger burning in his chest, making him tremble all over.

After Omoro found a patron, his power did indeed increase!

Soon after, Legggi's convoy kicked up a cloud of dust and quickly disappeared at the end of the road.

After a moment's thought, Asfa immediately wanted to call his seventh wife, but as soon as he took out his phone, he caught a glimpse of several pairs of suspicious eyes out of the corner of his eye.

"Do you have any questions?" Asfa asked in a sinister tone.

the other side.

As soon as Meraku got into the car, he handed the note from his pocket to Leggi.

“Boss, this is from Dajim of the Tireg Armed Front, who asked me to give it to you,” Meraku explained.

Dajim is an important figure in the Tireg Armed Front, controlling half of Tireg's armed forces.

Leggi unfolded the slip of paper with amusement. On it was a phone number. He then muttered to himself, "He's a bit smarter than Asfa. He knows when to find a way out."

Although he was greedy, his food was much better than Asfa's.

Whether they are mid-level or low-level armed members, they can all get a substantial share of the profits.

Furthermore, Leggei's partnership with Senlian Capital has secured stable buyers for Oromia's livestock products and cash crops.

If you can make money honestly and straightforwardly, you won't need to cut corners anymore.

That evening, the Omoro forces launched another raid, successfully breaching a Tireg stronghold and capturing more than 600 members.

This battle significantly weakened the overall strength of the Tireg Armed Front.

More importantly, the branch that was breached happened to have members who were all armed forces directly controlled by Asfa.

The following day, a shocking change occurred within the Tireg armed front.

Asfa was executed by Dajim for a seemingly legitimate reason: colluding with European and American capital, withholding wages from his tribesmen, and embezzling mining profits.

When the news reached the camp of the Omoro Armed Front, Leggi was sitting in a makeshift tin shack, holding a tablet computer. The screen showed the troop deployment of the Northern Region of the Central Command, with even the location of the heavy machine guns at each stronghold clearly marked.

If Tireg could take it down, then he certainly can too.

Meraku stood to the side, his tone tinged with emotion: "I heard that when Asfa was executed yesterday, the lowest-ranking soldiers in Tireg were all shouting 'Good riddance!'"

Dajim distributed the withheld pay and mine profits from Asfak to the soldiers' families on the spot, and now the men almost regarded him as a savior.

“A savior?” Leggi scoffed, tossing the tablet on the table and squinting as he said, “There are no saviors in this world. To put it bluntly, it’s just a struggle for interests, a dog-eat-dog fight.”

After receiving support from Senlian Capital, he stopped pretending and decided to first take over the northern region, then join forces with Dajim to bring control of northern Abyssinia under his own control.

……

……

Thousands of miles away in Luzhou, Chen Yansen spent the entire morning in his villa before finally mastering the function of the circular lines in his eyes.

Before this, even if he just casually looked at the air, he would inexplicably see more than a dozen transitional color levels that ordinary people could not see, always giving him a visual illusion.

However, it is now certain that there is nothing wrong with his eyes; he simply saw more dimensions and details in things.

At 3 p.m., Huang Boxiang drove a Hongqi L5 and parked it in front of the villa.

After Chen Yansen got into the car, Lao Huang sped off towards the government district.

(End of this chapter)