Chapter 3508: Won!

Bernard Arnault clearly understood that, given Ye Chen's identity, background, and his current business and economic strength, he actually didn't care at all about ten or twenty billion US dollars, and even adding a zero wouldn't catch his eye.

Giving him two islands meant nothing to him, and even directly giving him ten or twenty billion US dollars might not catch his attention.

However, Bernard Arnault thought that, since Ye Chen was the actual controller of the Wanlong Temple, he might as well cater to his preferences and spend the money on the Wanlong Temple.

The Blackwater Company was doomed to destruction, and the Wanlong Temple would surely usher in new development opportunities; by sponsoring the Wanlong Temple at this moment, he could definitely help it quickly enhance its strength.

Actually, the Wanlong Temple was not short of money.

The long-term meal tickets Ye Chen found for the Wanlong Temple were not just one or two, and the Wanlong Temple's revenue was very substantial; it had invested a large amount of funds to build its own base, and even communications satellites were progressing smoothly.

However, infrastructure construction always benefits from more money, just like urban planning—when funds are sufficient, building wider roads is never wrong.

Seeing that Bernard Arnault was sensible, Ye Chen smiled and said: "Good, since you're so thoughtful, I'll thank you on behalf of the Wanlong Temple."

Bernard Arnault breathed a sigh of relief and repeatedly said: "Mr. Ye, you don't need to be so polite with me! You've helped me so much, my small gesture is only natural—please don't look down on my modest offering, and I'll be very happy!"

Ye Chen smiled and asked him: "The US government probably now hates you to death—what are your plans next?"

Bernard Arnault hurriedly replied: "Mr. Ye, I actually plan to stay here a few more days—since all stores must close at midnight, I'll hold a nationwide executive meeting tomorrow to arrange follow-up work, and also seek media attention to continue increasing exposure. I estimate that later today, the US government will hold a press conference announcing its disposition of Blackwater Company. If their attitude is sincere, I'll call it quits and return to France in a couple of days; if not, I'll continue to fight them to the end!"

Ye Chen laughed: "Courage commendable—also remember to keep all your stores open until midnight tonight. You're not just in New York Manhattan, are you? Better find the largest store there, personally attend it, let the media stir up another wave—this way, all your stores will likely face a buying frenzy tonight. Money may not mean much to you, but once panic buying becomes a trend, you and your group will hit the trending lists again—your global sales might even skyrocket."

Bernard Arnault blinked slightly, thinking: How did Ye Chen anticipate what I'm about to do?

Still, he put on a look of great delight and said: "Ah, Mr. Ye, your idea is truly fantastic! Thank you so much for the reminder—I'll seize this opportunity to create some buzz!"

After saying that, he didn't forget to flatter Ye Chen: "Mr. Ye, you're truly a business master!"

Ye Chen said calmly: "Alright, stop flattering me—you're so smart, you're likely thinking even more comprehensively than I am; telling you this feels like showing off my skills before an expert."

After saying that, he stretched lazily, smiled, and said: "The three-year losses in the US market will be counted as your experience points—just go wild in the US these two days."

Bernard Arnault took another reassurance pill, smiling: "Understood, Mr. Ye—I will strictly follow your instructions!"

……

Half an hour later, in the White House press hall, reporters gathered in crowds.

Officials had already announced to the world that they would use this press conference to state their position on the Blackwater Company and the White Horse Island incident.

After Bernard Arnault caused a major disturbance in the US, media attention on this matter had surged to unprecedented heights; the entire press hall was packed with people, and the scene was livelier than a temple fair.

Due to the massive scale, the usually confident young female spokesperson, before stepping onto the stage, actually felt unusually nervous.

According to her past conduct and psychological resilience, even if she were to go on stage and spout lies that the whole world would scoff at, she could still remain expressionless and calm.

In her own words, she was born tough and had consistently been tough.

But today's approach was completely opposite to her usual style.

Today, she could not be tough.

On the contrary, she had to apologize.

She had to represent the US government and apologize to the world for the Blackwater Company incident.

At the same time, she would also announce a series of penalties the US government would impose on Blackwater Company.

Just thinking about how, since her debut years ago, she had never bowed her head or yielded, yet today she had to break this habit—she felt deeply dissatisfied inside.

Yet even if dissatisfied, she had no choice—after all, to her, she was merely a spokesperson; every time she spoke, the attitude, wording, and viewpoint were dictated by superiors, and she could only follow orders.

When the time came, she took several deep breaths and stepped into the hall.

The moment she appeared, media journalists' flashlights blinked nonstop, and the continuous shutter sounds echoed throughout the hall.

Arriving at the podium, she adjusted her mindset and began: "Welcome everyone to today's press conference. Before it starts, I must first represent the US government and apologize to the tourists and staff involved in the White Horse Island terrorist attack. We trusted a Blackwater Company executive's self-surrender, assuming this was merely his personal decision unrelated to the company, which delayed the investigation. Please rest assured—we will definitely conduct a comprehensive investigation into this incident!"

Apologizing right at the start—this attitude felt unexpected yet understandable.

The US government's current pressure is indeed great; avoiding the problem only makes it worse.

The spokesperson continued: "Besides expressing regret, we also hope, through this press conference, to announce to the world that, under the President's demand, the FBI has already arrested all senior executives of Blackwater Company, and after the investigation concludes, they will be handed over to the court for prosecution!"

As soon as she said this, the hall erupted in cheers.

Everyone had actually already roughly figured out the truth: they knew the White Horse Island terrorist attack was a Blackwater Company decision, and the US government likely had no involvement; as long as the US stopped shielding them and handled things fairly, everyone would be satisfied in their hearts.

This also meant that Bernard Arnault had personally won his struggle against the US government, earning him greater recognition worldwide.

The spokesperson continued: "The FBI has already sealed off Blackwater Company, suspended all its operations, and the FBI and Department of Homeland Security have jointly established a special investigation team, which will soon be stationed at Blackwater Company for a full investigation. At the same time, we have frozen all of Blackwater Company's accounts and real estate in the US; after the investigation ends, we will calculate the losses Blackwater Company caused to White Horse Island and compensate the victims."

The US judicial system has always imposed heavy penalties on involved enterprises.

Tesla's autonomous driving caused one death and one injury, and US courts directly fined it 2.43 billion USD; Ma Lan had long hoped to experience the United Airlines violent passenger incident herself, and the airline compensated victims with tens of millions of USD.

Although all those who died in the White Horse Island incident were Blackwater Company mercenaries, the incident still caused massive losses to White Horse Island—Bernard Arnault even took a bullet in the leg.

Once the US stops shielding Blackwater Company and handles this terrorist attack case fairly, Bernard Arnault's overseas claims—using hundreds of millions of USD to bribe Maque, compensating guests with tens of millions, and the operational impact from dozens of deaths on White Horse Island—should logically be compensated by Blackwater Company.

If the compensation amount is enormous, to the point that Blackwater Company's cash reserves are insufficient, then only non-cash assets can be auctioned off.

This essentially means that, whether in form or actual strength, Blackwater Company is doomed to never recover!