Becoming an Emperor Starting from the World of The Wandering Earth

Several minutes passed before he finally looked up.

"Ms. Betty, isn't this range of motion... a bit too much?"

Betty looked at him without saying anything.

Sofia spoke again: "It's big, but if we don't adjust it this way, the problem won't be solved."

He leaned back and clasped his hands over his stomach.

"Furthermore, we can add a buffer period. For example, we can gradually increase it over three months, with a 10% increase in the first month and a 15% increase in the second month, giving those small factories some time to adapt."

Sofia nodded and added, "Furthermore, we can also provide some supporting subsidies. For example, companies with more than fifty employees can apply for a partial refund of their electricity bills if they promise not to lay off any workers. This would be easier to explain to both the public and the government."

"And we don't need to rush. We can start by trying it in the industrial areas around Houston. As long as there are no major problems, we can gradually implement it. Even if there are problems, I believe that Houston's Merck Energy can solve them."

Upon hearing this, everyone present gasped in shock.

What does it mean that "Mo's energy can solve this problem"?

No matter how powerful a company is, it can't possibly maintain the electricity prices for hundreds of thousands of people in the entire city. Everyone present isn't stupid; this move is undoubtedly retaliation, only the cost is a bit high.

The meeting room was silent for about ten seconds.

Douglas closed the file, placed it on the table, and sighed.

"Alright, since everyone has said so, I agree in principle. But let me make this clear from the start: if anything goes wrong, don't expect me to take the blame alone."

Betty smiled.

"Don't worry, Mr. Douglas, I will take responsibility if anything goes wrong."

The technical department representatives in the corner exchanged glances and nodded in agreement.

Two hours later, the meeting room door reopened.

Betty walked in front, Linda followed half a step behind, while Sofia and Mia came out side by side.

The group exchanged glances in the corridor without speaking, but they all saw the same thing in each other's eyes.

It became.

Indeed, Betty and her team, while not the top management in Texas, still wield considerable power.

Betty is one of the representatives of the UEG Energy Affairs Committee in Texas.

Sofia oversees power transmission, while Mia is the coordinator of the Energy Affairs Office.

Moreover, they are not acting alone.

Betty oversees a group of technical officials and approval offices, Sofia holds the power to dispatch the power grid, and although Mia's position is not top-tier, her role as "coordinator" allows her to intervene in various peripheral matters.

These interwoven networks greatly amplify their influence.

Of course, their proposed plan was not intended to affect the entire state of Texas in one fell swoop.

That would be too foolish and could easily provoke a huge backlash.

They were only focusing on the few industrial areas surrounding Houston.

This area, while not particularly large, is precisely within the edge of Betty's authorized access range.

Moreover, Betty's reasons were reasonable.

From a politically correct perspective, it's all for the sake of UEG's grand plan.

It is a fact that the power grid load has increased, it is a fact that the planetary engines are occupying electricity quotas, and it is also a fact that the equipment is aging and there is a lack of money for maintenance.

When Betty presented the data at the meeting, who dared to say it was wrong?

Who would dare to say they don't support UEG's grand plan in front of so many people?

If you dare to say you don't support it, do you have ulterior motives?

Are you a rebel? Do you want to destroy human civilization?

Who can withstand such a heavy accusation?

Moreover, Murphy has been secretly working hard these past few days.

Through various banquets or private meetings, he controlled four or five more people.

Unfortunately, unlike Betty, they were not alone and helpless in this place, and their personalities were not extreme.

So even though Murphy planted a seed of suggestion in their hearts, they were not as loyal as Murphy, even to the point of sacrificing their lives.

However, these people together still form a huge network.

Three days later, the UEG Texas Energy Affairs Commission published an announcement on its official website.

"In order to further optimize the allocation of energy resources and ensure the long-term stable operation of the regional power grid, after extensive demonstration and careful research, it has been decided to make reasonable adjustments to the electricity price structure in Houston and the surrounding areas, effective immediately."

"After the adjustment, the basic electricity price for residential use will increase by 10%, with the tiered price increasing by up to 70%; the price for industrial electricity will increase by 20%, and a 15% maintenance fee will be added for high-energy-consuming enterprises. The adjustment will be implemented gradually over three months, and detailed implementation rules can be found in the appendix."

At the end of the announcement were seventeen signatures and seals.

Betty Warren's name is listed first.

………………

Southeast industrial area of ​​Houston.

Murphy stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window on the third floor of the factory, holding a glass of warm water in his hand, his gaze fixed on the densely packed factory buildings in the distance.

The sound of Skynet came from the speakers.

"Master, the electricity price adjustment announcement has been officially released. According to calculations, there are a total of 37 small and medium-sized enterprises in the Southeast Industrial Zone whose electricity costs exceed their current affordability. Among them, 19 are in the machinery processing industry, 11 are in the materials processing industry, and 7 are in other categories."

A map marked with red dots then popped up on the screen.

"The companies marked in red are those that are expected to be forced to shut down or reduce production within three months due to the inability to bear the additional costs; the companies marked in yellow are those that may barely survive by downsizing; and the companies marked in green are those that are able to absorb the cost increases. There are four such companies, including Mo's Energy."

As Murphy listened to the Skynet report, a slight smile appeared on his lips.

Outside the window, a heavy truck was driving past the factory gate, its cargo bed filled with newly produced energy storage units.

In the distance, several smoking chimneys were working hard, but Murphy knew that some of them would soon fall silent.

One week later.

Southeast Industrial Zone, Rodriguez Machine Shop.

Rodriguez, the boss, stood at the workshop entrance, clutching the electricity bill he had just received, his face ashen.

"They've gone mad, they've all gone mad."

He threw the bill on the ground, turned and walked towards the office, but stopped after a couple of steps and looked back at the old machine tools still running in the workshop.

There are five machine tools there, three of which he bought from a second-hand market ten years ago. He has repaired and patched them up and they are still in use today, barely able to get anything done.

The other two are slightly newer; he bought them two years ago with a loan, and he still hasn't finished paying off the loan.

"Boss, what do we do?"

At this moment, the workshop foreman walked over with a worried look on his face. "The electricity bill this month is more than double that of last month. If this continues, we won't be able to last two months."

Rodriguez didn't say anything, but just stared at those machine tools for a long time.

Then he turned and went into his office, picked up the phone, and dialed a number.

"Hey, Shaq? It's Rodriguez. Can you tell me something? How much did your electricity bill go up? ...Twenty-eight percent? Mine's twenty-two percent. Yeah, it's impossible to work anymore. I'm thinking of stopping the night shifts next month, and if that doesn't work, I'll have to lay people off."

"What? You think so too? Sigh, this life."

He hung up the phone and dialed another number.

The same conversation was repeated several times.