I am a Big Player
Chapter 478 - 472, Headless Dragon Group (First Update)_1

Chapter 478: 472, Headless Dragon Group (First Update)_1

As things stand today, the Qinghe Faction’s pace of branching out into the entire internet is extremely rapid, with various apps belonging to the Qinghe Faction starting to appear on people’s smartphones. Weibo is the most dazzling presence, while the communication app TQ has subtly integrated itself into people’s daily lives.

It’s unclear when it started, but TQ’s viral effect began to spread. Because of its convenience and multifunctionality, it started to conquer the entire market.

That’s how social media apps work—if one friend thinks an app is good, it’s very likely that all the people around them will start using it, as long as it’s interesting enough.

Qinghe Mall has also started to go online, drawing in all retail industries with difficulty and slowly integrating logistical resources. The head of Qinghe Mall will always remember what the boss once said, "In the internet era, the more convenient something is, the easier it is for people to accept it."

This is also the core tenet of the Qinghe Faction: to facilitate the Chinese way of life.

Thanks to the help from Luohe Group, which now has expanded to 72 large commercial complexes, Qinghe Pay developed even more swiftly than Ren He had imagined. Many people were talking about something new and interesting—walking into Luohe’s pedestrian streets with just a mobile phone meant there was no need to carry cash.

People slowly started to get used to waking up and instinctively checking TQ and Weibo first thing in the morning—to see if friends left messages on TQ, to check for interactions on one’s social feed, and to see if anyone commented on the journal entry posted the day before.

They also got used to checking Weibo for the latest fun events and celebrity news.

The integration of these things into daily life was slow yet rapid. It’s called slow because the base of users is so large but rapid because it’s developing quickly.

However, it was at this time that industry insiders suddenly sensed that the Qinghe Faction’s momentum had begun to slow, as if they had reached a crossroads and did not dare to move forward without guidance.

The Qinghe Faction of the past was not like this. Back then, the Qinghe Faction was sharp and decisive, conquering territory with lightning speed wherever they aimed.

Previously, the communication industry was fragmented, and TQ was only ranked in the top three. But now, the user group of TQ alone surpasses that of the entire communication industry combined. A true behemoth has risen on the internet, and what’s most frightening is that this behemoth is just a part of that empire shrouded in clouds.

But now, the bigwigs of the Qinghe Faction no longer attend public events, no longer make public statements, and no longer aggressively expand their territories. Suddenly, some were puzzled; didn’t this situation seem a bit like a dragon without a head?

The reality was precisely that, and even Xu Nuo was clueless as to what had happened to Ren He. Calls went unanswered, online messages got no reply, and suddenly, the executives of Qinghe even found that someone was tracing their activities over the network.

What was the meaning of this? The executives were confused. The approach from the network was not aggressive, and Xu Nuo single-handedly dealt with it. This left Xu Nuo equally bewildered, not knowing what had actually happened.

When they tried to trace the source of this cyber presence, the adversary cut off all traces and paths.

The adversary was a master, a rare talent in the network field, and it’s difficult to judge who was stronger or weaker since there was no direct confrontation. However, Xu Nuo felt that the adversary was at least on par with Qinghe’s technical team.

What Xu Nuo did not realize, though, was that the adversary was a massive state apparatus.

The Qinghe Faction’s big boss seemed to have evaporated from the world, and there were numerous strategic decisions that needed Ren He’s input. Pioneers could indeed stand on their own, but the direction of expansion needed the big boss’s decision.

At this time, all sorts of specters surfaced, crazily trying to make contact with the bigwigs of Qinghe Group. They wanted to understand the real situation within the Qinghe Faction and even hoped to carve out a piece of the pie for themselves, offering high salaries to poach talents.

Poaching talent wasn’t uncommon at all—in fact, it was well known outside that executives of Qinghe didn’t even have non-compete agreements that forbade them from working in the same industry after leaving.

In fact, not a single executive from the Qinghe Faction had engaged with such poaching attempts. Salary was not what they were after. If it were just about money, they could have left when Qinghe was reformed.

They were now shareholders of the Qinghe Faction, not mere employees. This was what they were most satisfied with about Ren He.

The young man had never been stingy in granting them money, fame, and status—all things that they needed most. Yet Ren He’s vision seemed to be even loftier. When higher goals were achieved, wealth and fame became just things that could be had with a wave of a hand.

Now was the time for the Qinghe Faction to unite and grow stronger. No one was willing to give up the imminent success for a fresh start, and certainly not for just a little bit of salary. How could any salary compare to future billions in shares? Thus, this matter became something of a joke within Qinghe.

During executive meetings, they would tease each other about which company had offered how much money, and another would stand up to playfully slap back that it wasn’t much, boasting that their own price was higher.

Since everyone was frank about things they were prepared to talk openly about, those were not the matters to worry about. The concerns were about the things nobody talked about.

Like where the big boss had gone.

Everyone was frustrated and could see that even Xu Nuo did not have an answer when questioned. They could tell Xu Nuo truly didn’t know.

Everyone’s faces were now clouded with worry. Could the big boss have run into trouble in the U.S.? Otherwise, where did the cyber attacks come from?

However, the events that erupted in the U.S. news seemed to have little to do with the boss—shootouts and fistfights; how could those possibly be linked to the boss, who appeared so refined and genteel...

At first, everyone still hoped for a turn of events, but as time dragged on, the unease grew heavier in their hearts. Some started to suggest that they should go to Luohe Group to inquire about the boss’s mother, Mrs. Ren, about the situation. It wasn’t beneficial to keep waiting indefinitely!

However, who should go became a question. Mrs. Ren was almost like the Empress Dowager in their hearts. Some of the executives who had dealt with Mrs. Ren were a little scared of interacting with her. They could fight tooth and nail with others, but dealing with the Empress Dowager put them at a natural disadvantage. How could they argue with someone who had given birth to such an impressive son?

In the end, it was unanimously decided: Xu Nuo should go and ask!