Chapter 195: Ultimatum, New Strategy

After taking a deep breath, Thomas explained in a low voice, “I have already done my investigation, and it seems that this matter is related to the destruction of the Kingsley family.”

Bang!

“It seems? Are you making guesses here? I want everything to be accompanied by evidence, not making assumptions. What if you are wrong? If we deal with the wrong target, and the real target stays in the dark, and keeps on sabotaging our plans, what would happen?

You should know, the moment that the plan is launched, it cannot afford to be sabotaged. Otherwise, things could get out of hand.” Hudson slammed on the desk as he furiously gazed at Thomas.

Despite Thomas having met with Hudson several times already, he really did not know much about this person. But one thing he knew was that, this person was very dangerous.

He did not know why he usually liked them to meet in a dark office like this, and always had a cap on all the time. Regardless, he understood that he could not afford to anger this person.

“Boss, the Green family was dealt with today. But, there is still one person from the Green family that was not arrested, despite him having committed several crimes.

I have already sent several of my people to get him. But for some reason, each and every time that we try to get to him, we end up being blocked.

There was even a time that he had been captured successfully, but just as we were taking him to a hideout, he was rescued on the way.

So, I believe that everything that is happening, this kid called Kevin might possess the information that we need. It is just that, with the current resources that I have, it is difficult for me to be able to deal with him.”

Even Thomas himself was shocked when he heard the information. Previously, when he heard that the Green family had been arrested, he was obviously infuriated.

He even thought of the possibility of a traitor being within the core members of the gang. But in the end, each and every person around him was one that he trusted.

His trust was not something that was gained easily. He had already done an investigation on all those people around him, including their interactions with other people.

This way, he was able to verify that neither of them could betray him. Additionally, just to be sure, he had a leverage on them.

Moreover, he did not really have many people around him. It was just a total of four people, who were considered as the core members of the gang.

Unless one of them ended up revealing the plan, it was impossible for the plan that they had to be exposed. Even though the actions that they had been taking recently might attract attention, it was impossible to be able to tell what they were planning.

So, the issue with the two families that were crucial for the plan being taken out was something that caused them quite a headache.

As for the issue regarding Kevin, that was yet another thing that made him feel quite a headache. He was not sure who it was that was protecting Kevin, but they were extremely skilled.

It was just that, he could not understand why they were doing this. If they did not want Kevin to reveal their secrets, they could just silence him, or even send him to prison.

Of course, it would take quite a while for him to be sent to prison, as he needed to be taken to court first. And during that time, Thomas was sure that he could obtain the information that he wanted.

But Kevin was not arrested, but the perpetrator was not allowing them to get him either. This was something that was quite troublesome to deal with.

He had already sent several skilled people to deal with the issue, but they all ended up being beaten up. It was clear, the one behind this was someone with greater resources.

Hudson could not help but frown when he heard Thomas’s words. He had also not anticipated something like this would happen.

“Don’t tell me that it is impossible for you to be able to get the information from a youngster just because of some people protecting him?

Okay, I’m going to give you tonight. I don’t believe that they can protect him 24/7. So, tomorrow morning I’m expecting answers. If you fail me, then you will have to vacate your position and suffer the consequences of hindering my plans.” Hudson said, his tone one of finality.

Despite the shiver that he felt running down his spine from Hudson’s words, Thomas still hurriedly nodded his head as he responded, “Yes, boss.”

…

The following morning, Michael woke up feeling refreshed. After freshening up, he ate the breakfast that was prepared by Adrian, before he began delving into the acquisition of skills.

The number of skills in the world was quite overwhelming. So, even though currently Michael already had over 60 skills, they were but a drop in the ocean of skills that existed in the world.

With the determination of completely acquiring Vanguard corporation by the end of this month, he needed to work extra hard.

Initially, he needed 26 days. But if he could squeeze an extra skill that could be pushed to the expert level per day, bringing a total of five skills per day, he could reduce the number of days to 21 days.

Of course, this made it impossible for him to be able to acquire enough SP by the end of the month. After all, it was already 20th of August 2025, with only 11 days to go.

Since he needed 106 skills to be pushed to the expert level, even if he could manage six skills per day, it would still not be sufficient to be able to complete everything by the end of the month.

Still, Michael thought of another possibility. He would not just focus on using SP. If it was possible, he wanted to use money.

He believed that as long as the price was right, quite a number of shareholders would be willing to sell their shares.

For that reason, he planned to wait until he had gathered sufficient SP, by the end of the month, then fill in the gap by making the purchase using money.

There was 10% shares available for the public, then there was the 20% shares from the private capital. As for the 14% shares that were in the hands of the executives of the company, that was something that could be acquired through the system.

Regardless, as long as he could acquire the 30% shares, plus his own, that would bring the shares under his control to 44%. And if he acquired the 10% from the partners, that would make it 54%.

That implied that he would need 340,400 SP to be able to acquire the remaining 46% shares.

And if each skill granted him 6,011 SP, he would need 11.4 days to be able to acquire enough SP. Of course, he could potentially squeeze another skill in between several days, so that he would be able to complete everything by the end of the month.

But just to be sure, Michael suddenly paused going through the information on criminology before he asked, “Onyx, can you help me in calculating the probability of me being able to acquire some shares of Vanguard corporation, to boost my total shares to at least 54%. Additionally, calculate the money that I might be required to spend.”

“Yes, give me a moment.” Onyx responded.

Several seconds later, a holographic screen was projected from the smartwatch that was on Michael’s wrist, containing different statistics.

At the same time, onyx’s voice sounded, “According to the data that I have obtained, I have made the following calculations.

Your current holdings are 14%. If you target 54% shares of Vanguard Corporation with the market value of $74 billion, you need to follow these considerations.

The founder’s 26% is immovable under all voluntary scenarios. Executive Control Trust and Private Capital, collectively thirty-four percent, are highly resistant; acquisition from these blocks requires significant incentives.

Any purchase must include a premium above the market price, likely ranging from forty to sixty percent, to persuade these shareholders to part with their stakes.

The flexible blocks include Partners, Long-Term Holdings, and Minor/Public float, have a total of thirty-six percent. These are the most accessible; acquisition probability here is moderate, contingent on strategic timing and tailored offers. Maximum realistically acquirable shares through voluntary transactions alone: approximately thirty percent.”

The projection shifted, highlighting potential paths.

“Direct majority acquisition at market value is not feasible. To reach fifty-four percent ownership, staged strategies are required: partial block capture of flexible holders, and potentially structured share issuance.

Estimated capital expenditure, including necessary premiums to convince resistant shareholders: roughly thirty to thirty-five billion dollars above the market value of the shares targeted.

Probability of successful acquisition, assuming founder non-participation and partial alignment of flexible holders: thirty to forty percent.

Recommendation: pursue incremental influence combined with strategic negotiation; full control is attainable, but requires precise orchestration rather than a unilateral approach.”

As the holographic screen disappeared, Michael fell into a moment of thought, before he made a decision.

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