Inside a luxuriously decorated top-floor office.
SMASH!
An expensive Cuban cigar was smashed fiercely onto the costly handmade rug, sending sparks flying.
A middle-aged man in a bespoke suit stared intently at Evans’s unhurried face on the screen. He couldn’t figure it out. He couldn’t figure it out at all! How could his flawless plan and interlocking fatal traps be so easily dismantled?
From warming up public opinion to delivering the decisive blow with hard evidence, every step had been meticulously calculated by countless people. The attack started from obscure forums and then spread to major video platforms. Public opinion took time to ferment, but it would take a company even longer to understand the situation and make a response.
He had accurately predicted Verdant’s reaction time and calculated the public’s emotional triggers. He had even arranged for people at the Food and Drug Administration to be ready to file complaints at any moment. He had also planted plenty of people at the press conference, ready to detonate the bombshell at a moment’s notice.
According to their pre-written script, Evans should currently be overwhelmed at the press conference, unable to defend himself against the interrogations of countless reporters. Verdant’s stock price should have plummeted accordingly, and their commerce department’s phones should have been ringing off the hook with distributors demanding to cancel their contracts.
But what about now? Not only had Verdant avoided sinking into the quagmire, but they had also used this opportunity to put on an earth-shattering public relations show! Taking the initiative to admit it! Presenting ironclad evidence! And then initiating a voluntary recall! After this combination of punches, not only did Verdant avoid being labeled as selling toxic products, but they also established a perfect corporate image of being responsible, accountable, and powerful!
The winds on the internet had completely shifted.
"Verdant is awesome! This is the true caliber of a major corporation!"
"The haters must be dumbfounded, right? They tried to ruin someone else using an information gap, but they got counter-killed!"
"I’m officially a fan! Just based on their attitude towards the recall, I’ll buy Verdant’s products with my eyes closed from now on!"
Reading these comments, the middle-aged man trembled with rage.
"Lunatic!! Absolute lunatic!!!"
"Tens of millions of dollars worth of products recalled just like that!"
This time, he had completely shot himself in the foot! Not only did he fail to destroy Verdant, but he also single-handedly elevated his rival onto a pedestal!
"Sir..." the assistant nearby spoke up with trepidation.
The middle-aged man turned his head impatiently. "Can’t you see I’m annoyed? What are you making a fuss about?"
The assistant swallowed hard at the sight of the bloodshot veins in his boss’s eyes. However, considering the importance of the matter, he still struggled to speak. "The people below are asking, do we still continue with the plan?"
Hearing this, the middle-aged man laughed out of sheer anger. Mid-laugh, he grabbed the ashtray on his desk and hurled it viciously at the assistant.
"Continue? What is there left to continue?!" the middle-aged man roared. "The narrative of public opinion on the internet is already firmly in their grasp! What use is it to enter the fray now!!!
"Immediately! Right now! Have all the paid trolls stop! Wipe away all our traces on the internet completely! Hurry!"
"Y-Yes, sir!" The assistant scrambled away to make the calls.
But it was all too late.
Just as they frantically tried to destroy the evidence, Verdant Group’s legal department, cooperating with a professional cybersecurity team, had already acted like a school of sharks smelling blood. They precisely locked onto a massive number of posting accounts and the MCN agencies behind them.
A massive net woven by the law was quietly tightening.
Inside the Titan Engine office.
Wendy Lynch’s phone buzzed lightly in her pocket. She took it out and saw it was a text message from Evans. The content was extremely simple, consisting of only two words: "Thank you."
Just as Wendy was about to reply with a "You’re welcome," another notification popped up at the top of her phone screen. This time, it was a deposit alert from the bank.
[XX Bank]: Your debit card account ending in XXXX completed a wire transfer transaction at 17:15 on September 24. Amount deposited: 500,000.00 dollars. Counterparty: Verdant (Asia) Co., Ltd. Transaction Postscript: Business consulting fee.
Wendy’s movements froze completely. She stared at the screen in shock, then picked up her phone and carefully counted the amount digit by digit.
Ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands...
Five hundred thousand! A full five hundred thousand dollars!
Wendy’s heart began to pound wildly, and her blood seemed to rush straight to her head. Honestly, she had originally thought that this piece of future information might not bring any monetary gain, perhaps only making Evans owe her a small favor. She never dreamed that just by making a single phone call to give him an advance warning, she would actually receive a reward of five hundred thousand dollars!
She thought this money was way too easy to earn. Evans was incredibly generous!
"Holy crap! Did you guys see Verdant’s stock price? As soon as the press conference ended, it shot up eight points in late trading!"
"That’s insane! This wave of reverse marketing is a stroke of absolute genius! Not only did they avoid a disaster, but they also completely maxed out their brand reputation and user goodwill!"
"I just checked their flagship store. The pre-sales for the newly upgraded essence have already exceeded thirty thousand bottles! They are making a killing!"
"Verdant Group’s reaction was way too fast, and every single move hit right where it hurts."
Her colleagues in the same group were gathered around, discussing enthusiastically while looking at a computer screen.
A male colleague spoke up sourly, "Sigh. We’re both in public relations, but look at Verdant, and then think about the proposal our company made for Forrest Quinn..."
"True. If Forrest Quinn didn’t have their own backup plan, our company would have likely been humiliated!"
Everyone’s eyes subconsciously flicked toward the direction of the Forrest Quinn special project team, their gazes full of ridicule and disdain.
Wendy listened to all of this in silence. She lowered her head and took a sip of water, keeping her monumental contribution completely hidden.
Time flew by.
That night, just as Wendy finished taking a shower, Evans called her.
"Good evening, Miss Lynch. This is Evans." Evans’s smiling voice came from the other end of the line. He sounded like he was in a great mood, completely lacking the exhaustion and solemnity from noon.
"Hello, Mr. Evans."
"Thank you again for your warning this afternoon. You bought Verdant the most precious amount of time." Evans didn’t exchange too many pleasantries and said in a sincere tone, "I applied to the company for that consulting fee. I hope you don’t find it too little."
Wendy’s mouth twitched. Five hundred thousand dollars... and he hoped she didn’t find it too little? She truly didn’t understand the world of the rich.
"I’m calling you today not only to express my gratitude again but also for an even more important matter." Evans paused for a moment before speaking solemnly. "On behalf of Verdant Group, I would like to officially extend an invitation to you. We wish to hire you as Verdant’s special consultant for internet public opinion in the Cygnus Region."
Wendy was stunned, her heart skipping a beat.
"Your insight is incredibly sharp. The opponent’s attack this time was hidden exceptionally well. If they hadn’t launched it, absolutely no one would have noticed.
"However, even under such secretive circumstances, you still discovered it in advance!
"Therefore, I believe you must possess an acute perceptiveness far stronger than an ordinary person’s to detect potential public opinion risks ahead of time.
"Currently, the salary for this position is twenty thousand dollars per month. In addition, there’s also..."