Inheriting a dilapidated ranch in North America, he became a billionaire through animal taming and t

Chapter 155 Rumors Surge, Orders Suddenly Stall

"Now that you mention it, I remember."

"Someone put a piece of paper on the door of my shop yesterday evening, and I tore it down."

"It says something like 'hormone-treated beef' or some other nonsense on it."

"I thought it was a prank and didn't pay any attention."

"We will continue to operate normally, and meat will be sold as usual."

"If anyone asks, just say that all beef has official quarantine reports, which you can check at any time."

"Okay, I'll do as you say."

Su Chen hung up the phone and headed towards the main house.

Emma was sitting at the dining table in the living room.

The laptop was on, and a stack of documents was spread out next to it.

She looked up at him, her expression not looking good.

"Su Chen, I just compiled the order statistics for the past few days."

She turned the screen around to show him.

"The three partner restaurants sent messages saying that they would temporarily postpone restocking."

One company says they have enough inventory, while another says they'll wait for market feedback.

One company didn't give a reason at all, just saying, "Wait a few days."

Emma turned a page in her notebook.

"Two private clients have also postponed their bookings."

"One of them is an investor from Wall Street, who said he would observe further."

""

"One is from Hollywood; the assistant replied that the boss's schedule has changed, and the delivery time is undetermined."

Su Chen glanced at the screen and sat down.

"Anything else?"

"Anderson called the Whitefish Town Ranch Alliance this morning, but I didn't answer."

"He probably wants to know the situation."

Emma had barely finished speaking when Su Chen's phone vibrated.

The screen displays: Anderson.

"Mr. Su, have you heard what's being said in town?"

Anderson's voice was very low, as if he was avoiding people.

"I've heard about it. How exactly did the rumor spread?"

"I went to town to buy animal feed today, and someone stopped me and asked me questions in front of a bar."

"If I were to cooperate with you, would my cattle also be injected with hormones?"

"I explained for ages, but they were still only half-convinced."

Anderson sighed.

"My wife went grocery shopping today, and someone pointed at her and said it was that ranch that partners with Chinese people," the look in their eyes was definitely off.

"How's your ranch doing now?"

"Customers have raised many questions, but I haven't lost any orders yet."

"But at this rate, we won't last more than a few days."

"Mr. Su, you need to think of a solution quickly."

Su Chen nodded.

"It's already being processed."

"Okay, I believe you."

After hanging up the phone, Emma received another message.

Three small and medium-sized ranchers in the alliance sent messages one after another.

We need to find out what happened and whether it will implicate them.

Su Chen instructed her to give a unified reply:

It's being handled, don't worry. Just keep a consistent story and don't spread rumors.

Emma typed a reply, and Su Chen stood by the window looking out.

On the pasture, cattle grazed peacefully, Black Fang squatted by the fence, and Ling Feng circled in the sky.

Everything seemed the same as usual.

But the winds have shifted in the town.

"Check the surveillance footage."

Su Chen turned to Emma and said.

"All the data from the outskirts of the ranch and the town area in the past few days have been retrieved."

Emma opened the monitoring system and pulled up the records from the perimeter of the ranch for the past three days.

The screen was filled with images from twelve cameras, and she checked each area one by one.

Su Chen stood behind her and watched.

"here."

Emma pointed to a picture and zoomed in.

The footage shows three unlicensed pickup trucks parked on a dirt road outside the ranch fence.

They stopped for about ten minutes, then turned around and drove away.

The license plate was covered by a cloth, so the road was not visible.

"The timestamp is yesterday afternoon."

Emma looked through the records.

"These three vehicles were seen in different locations around the ranch, and none of them had license plates."

Su Chen stared at the screen for a while.

"Continue investigating the towns."

Emma switched to the surveillance camera in the town center square.

In the picture, two people wearing hoodies are standing next to a bench in the square.

Holding a stack of papers, he handed them to passersby.

"Flyers?" Su Chen asked.

"It should be."

Emma zoomed in on the image, but couldn't make out what was written on the paper.

Another surveillance video shows people handing out flyers at the supermarket entrance.

The security camera at Leah Supermarket captured the front view.

The flyer had several large characters printed on it, which were barely legible even when enlarged.

Is "Sunset Beef" really safe?

There was another line of smaller text below, but it was too blurry to read.

Su Chen saved the surveillance footage.

Hei Feng called out from outside the door, his voice urgent.

Su Chen walked out, and Hei Feng stood by the fence, his nose close to the ground, sniffing back and forth.

It walked along the fence for several dozen meters, then turned back, letting out a low whimper.

Su Chen squatted down and looked at the ground.

There were several sets of footprints on the dirt road, not cow hoof prints, but human shoe prints.

There were also tire tracks.

Black Fang continued sniffing forward, walking about two hundred meters before stopping and pawing at the ground with its claws.

Several sheets of paper were scattered on the ground.

Su Chen picked it up.

The paper was rough and yellowish in color, unlike the printing paper commonly found in town.

The contents of the paper were the same as Emma had guessed:

Sunset Ranch beef contains hormones and excessive antibiotics, its spring water is contaminated, and the animals have been abused.

The layout is rough and the sentences are not fluent.

But the core message is clear: Sunset Ranch is not safe.

Su Chen folded the flyer and put it in his pocket.

Ling Feng swooped down from the sky, landed on Su Chen's shoulder, and barked twice.

It took off again and circled towards the town.

Su Chen understood its meaning: There are people at the entrance of the town.

He went back inside and asked Emma to pull up the surveillance footage from the town entrance.

The footage shows two people standing on the side of the road at the entrance of the town.

Holding a thick stack of flyers, he handed them out to everyone he met.

Su Chen took a screenshot and saved it.

The phone rang.

Mayor George.

"Mr. Su, the town government has received five inquiries and complaints from residents."

"They're all asking if the beef from Sunset Ranch is safe."

George's voice was calm, but tinged with obvious worry.

"I told them that the ranch has official quarantine reports and certifications, so they can rest assured."

"But the leaflets were being distributed everywhere, causing widespread panic."

Su Chen said, "I am currently gathering evidence and will submit a joint verification application tomorrow."

"The Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Agriculture, and the Animal Protection Association will conduct a joint investigation and issue a formal report."

George paused for a moment.

Are you sure?

"The joint investigation will cause quite a stir; once it starts, the whole town will know."

"We want the whole town to know."

"After the investigation, the report will be released, and those who are innocent will be cleared of all charges."

"Okay, come to the town hall tomorrow, and I'll help you with the fastest process."

Su Chen thanked him and hung up the phone.

Sheriff Cole called in.

"Mr. Su, I haven't received a formal police report yet, but public opinion has already spread."

"It's all over town, and people stop me and ask me questions whenever I'm on patrol."

Cole lowered his voice: "Do you have any leads?"

"There are surveillance cameras, leaflet samples, and records of suspicious vehicles."

"I'll organize everything and file a police report tomorrow."

"Okay. I'll keep an eye on things here, and I'll deal with any suspicious individuals."

The veterinarian came directly to our door.

He pushed open the door, carrying a file bag in his hand.

"Mr. Su, I've heard what's been going on in town."

"This is a compilation of all the health records, quarantine reports, and vaccination records of the cattle herd on this ranch for the past six months."

He placed the file folder on the table.

"Whether you want a joint verification or a retest, I will cooperate fully."

"I know the quality of the cattle at Sunset Ranch better than anyone else."

Su Chen took the file bag and flipped through it.

The records are complete, the timeline is continuous, and the data is detailed.

"Thanks, Ben."

"Of course."

Su Chen asked Emma to call a meeting for everyone.

Old Tom, Juan, Louis, John, and the veterinarian Ben were all present.

Su Chen stood in the middle of the living room, explained the situation, and then gave instructions.

"The breeding area, Lingquan core area, and cold chain area will be under complete lockdown starting today."

"No one may enter without my permission."

Old Tom nodded.

"I'll go lock it now."

"Juan, you'll be in charge of perimeter security for the breeding area. Black Fang will assist you."

"Louis, you're in charge of the core area of ​​the Spirit Spring, Dazhuang will assist you."

"John, you keep an eye on the cold chain section, and White Fang will be with you."

Juan and Luis responded simultaneously.

"Visitors, deliveries, and tours all take place in public areas."

"We can't even let people look at the core area, to prevent people from taking things out of context and filming videos."

Old Tom added, "The ranch entrance registration system also needs to be strengthened; everyone entering must have their identity verified."

"No one is allowed in without an appointment."

Su Chen nodded.

"Do as instructed."

Emma has already compiled all the quarantine reports, test reports, and supply records.

A thick stack of documents from the past six months, arranged chronologically, each labeled.

"These can be made public at any time," she said.

Su Chen flipped through it and placed it on the table.

John stated, "I will not remove the meat from the store shelves."

"If anyone questions me, I'll post the quarantine report on the wall for them to look at."

Luke called and said he had heard the rumors.

They stated that they had never supplied Sunset Ranch with any prohibited drugs or feed and were willing to cooperate with any investigation.

Bank manager Smith also called to ask if financial stabilization was needed.

For example, publicly disclosing the ranch's asset status and cash flow demonstrates sound management.

Su Chen refused.

"It's not about money now, it's about trust."

"Let's wait for the test results."

Smith didn't try to persuade him further, only saying that he should ask whenever needed.

Su Chen stood by the window, looking at the grassland.

The setting sun turned the grassland golden.

The cattle grazed peacefully, Black Fang squatted by the fence, and Ling Feng landed on the roof.

The system panel flashed before my eyes.

[Regional Reputation: Fluctuating]

[Current Reputation Level: Whitefish Town - Top (Unstable)]

[It is recommended that the host clarify the facts and restore trust as soon as possible.]

Su Chen turned off the panel.

Three steps: detection, disclosure, tracing the source, and accountability.

Obtain the official report first, then release all the data publicly.

Then find out who's behind this and make them pay the price.

He picked up his phone and sent a message to Emma.

"Go to the town office first thing tomorrow morning to submit a joint verification application."

Emma replied instantly: "Okay."

Su Chen turned off the light.

In the distance, towards the town, lights were sparse.

The rumors haven't stopped, but he's not in a hurry.

The truth only takes a single sheet of paper to shatter all lies.

the next day.

When Su Chen and Emma arrived at the town hall.

George was already waiting in his office.

......