Chapter 156: Lin Feng's Counterattack

Inside the Lin family mansion, Lin Feng had already gone upstairs to handle the situation, while the remaining members of the Lin family lingered in the grand hall. They were still digesting the information Lin Feng had just revealed, many aspects of which were so shocking that they had yet to process them.

"Old Master, I truly never expected Lin Feng to have grown to such an extent. Because of this maneuver by outsiders, it is actually our country that ends up suffering the loss!" Lin Chuanming spoke up, though his words represented the standpoint of national interests.

"Indeed! Who knows what those people were thinking? Ah, in the end, they certainly could not have imagined that Lin Feng would strike back in this manner!" Lin Chuanyan could not help but chime in at that moment.

Old Master Lin, however, took things the most calmly. Hearing his two sons sighing in lament, he could not help but glare at them before standing up and walking toward the study to inquire about the latest news.

Xia Ruoxi still remembered Lin Feng's recent instructions and began taking out her phone to send notifications to Future Technology Company in Zanhai City, preparing for subsequent control of the company should genuine problems arise.

Lin Feng went upstairs quickly and came down just as fast. In roughly ten minutes, Lin Feng descended from the upper floor. At that exact moment, Old Master Lin emerged from the study with a face ashen and grim.

Upon seeing the old master's expression, the Lin family members already had their answer in their hearts, though Lin Chuanming still asked, "Old Master, how is it?"

"Hmph, they really are going to make their move. Old Xie just called to inform me that he, along with the Chairman and the Premier, tried their utmost, but they could not withstand the overwhelming majority of the opposition faction. Many neutral factions chose to sit on the fence and refused to intervene, which is why this situation escalated so rapidly." Although Old Master Lin had already anticipated this outcome, learning that it had truly come to pass still filled him with profound anger.

Meanwhile, inside the Wang family mansion, Old Master Wang was brimming with excitement, continuously praising Wang Wang and saying, "You rascal did a good job this time! Haha, let's see how the Lin family handles this now. We must seize the right opportunity to secure a substantial share of benefits from Future Technology Company." In Old Master Wang's eyes, Lin Feng's company already belonged to them.

Wang Bowei was also quite thrilled. His son's plan had not only earned the old master's praise but would also secure immense wealth for the family, ensuring that their father-son status within the Wang family would rise even higher.

Only Wang Bowiyi remained completely calm—though calm was no longer an adequate description of his state of mind; icy was far more fitting. His heart had truly grown cold toward this clan.

Disregarding the enthusiastic chatter between Old Master Wang and Wang Wang, Wang Bowiyi stood up numbly, interrupting them. He looked at them with cold detachment and said, "Old Master, starting today, I am moving out of the Wang family. From now on, everything concerning the Wang family has nothing to do with me. I warned you: if you dared to target Lin Feng, I would leave the Wang family. I refuse to be dragged down to ruin along with all of you."

Having said that, ignoring Old Master Wang's livid face, Wang Bowiyi resolutely turned around and walked out the front gates of the Wang estate. During this, Wang Bowei had attempted to dissuade Old Master Wang from letting him go, but the old master ultimately made no move to stop Wang Bowiyi.

Compared to the jubilation within the Wang family, the Murong family was shrouded in a heavy silence.

"Sigh, who knows whether this step we took was right or wrong? I no longer have the face to speak with Old Master Lin," Old Master Murong said in the grand hall, letting out a long, heavy sigh.

"Grandfather, things have already reached this point. We are riding a tiger and cannot dismount; we can only press forward. Besides, the current situation looks very promising and continues to work in our favor." Murong Xue was the instigator, and she was the one who had dragged the Murong family into this muddy water. She now spoke up to comfort Old Master Murong.

Unfortunately, Murong Wenjun refused to buy Murong Xue's reasoning. Unlike the old master, he lacked such patience and directly berated Murong Xue and her father: "How do you even have the face to say that? If not for the scheme you two pulled off, would our family have ended up like this? Even if we manage to profit from the Lin family, who in the future will ever dare to cooperate with the Murong family again? Who wouldn't fear being stabbed in the back?"

"This..." Murong Xue could not produce a rebuttal, nor did she dare meet Murong Wenjun's eyes.

Murong Wenwu, however, deeply resented these words and would not tolerate anyone lecturing his daughter. He immediately snapped back at Murong Wenjun, saying, "Eldest brother, your words are unfair. I know you military men despise these tactics, but look around—which family in Yanjing hasn't relied on backstabbing to rise to power?"

In response to Murong Wenwu's sophistry, Murong Wenjun slammed the table beside him and cursed once more: "You think you've already won? How much do you really understand about Lin Feng? Do you have any idea that the two of you are going to drag the entire Murong family to their deaths?"

Old Master Murong had been silently observing the debate between his two sons, but plagued by a foul mood and disinclined to speak, he simply let them continue their quarrel.

The other prominent families experienced a similar mix of joy and anxiety.

Back in the Lin family hall, Xia Ruoxi received a transmission from the company in Zanhai City. Those parties had unilaterally torn up the order agreements previously signed by the Premier and Lin Feng. They were now refusing to pay for the batches of goods they had already received. Furthermore, multiple law enforcement departments had jointly raided and sealed off Future Technology Company. Having suffered one closure a year prior, the company found itself locked down once again.

Upon receiving this information, Xia Ruoxi felt a chill grip her heart. She raised her head and looked coldly at Lin Feng, seeking confirmation of his final decision.

"Proceed according to the original plan. Since they refuse to let us have a peaceful New Year, then everyone can go down together. No one gets to enjoy it," Lin Feng said with utter indifference, having already let go of his concerns in just a brief moment.

Had this been in the past, Old Master Lin would never have allowed Lin Feng to throw such a reckless tantrum, as it would cause public panic and potentially trigger social unrest. But at this moment, he too felt utterly numb.

The closure of Future Technology Company was the first to send shockwaves through the online community. Netizens flooded various platforms with comments and discussions, demanding that the authorities release an official explanation for the shutdown.

The nation's top leadership seemed to have anticipated such a reaction and promptly slapped fabricated charges of tax evasion and tax fraud onto Future Technology Company.

This infuriated Lin Feng and Xia Ruoxi to no end. Xia Ruoxi, in particular, flew into a rage, whipped out her phone, and called the company's public relations department directly, instructing them to publish those exact prepared statements onto the company's official website.

Among the netizens, many rational individuals refused to believe that Future Technology Company would engage in tax evasion. They continuously flooded the company's official website, demanding that its senior executives come forward to provide an explanation.

Unfortunately, they did not wait for an executive explanation; instead, an official government announcement was released.

The announcement contained only a few brief lines, yet anyone who read it gasped audibly, sensing that the very heavens were about to change. The statement declared: Effective immediately, all employees of Future Technology Company are placed on leave, all manufacturing plants are suspended indefinitely, and the date for resuming operations remains undetermined. Effective immediately, Future Technology Company will be restructured into a foreign-owned enterprise, with all domestic entities in the Huaxia region relegated to branch offices, and the new global headquarters established in Iraq. All server data belonging to Future Technology has been fully transferred to Iraq, domestic databases have been permanently destroyed, and the office building currently under construction by Future Technology in Zanhai City is up for sale.

The moment the announcement was released, it spread like wildfire as netizens frantically reposted it, quickly reaching Yanjing. At that instant, everyone in Yanjing lost their composure. In particular, the families and high-ranking officials who had conspired against Lin Feng were gripped by panic and sheer terror.

The Chairman and the Premier had no choice but to hastily convene an emergency high-level meeting in response to the announcement made by Future Technology Company.

"Bang!" The Chairman slammed his fist onto the table the moment he took his seat. Throughout his political career, he had never lost his temper like this; this was the first time sheer greed on the part of these individuals had driven him into such an embarrassing predicament.

"Speak! You thought you were so powerful, didn't you? Now tell me how you plan to handle this mess! We finally managed to produce a crown jewel like Future Technology Company in our country, and now it has been converted into a foreign enterprise, with all its technology slipping completely out of Huaxia's hands!" Having reached his boiling point, the Chairman glared directly at the arrogant representatives who had previously pushed for this outcome, slamming the table once more.

"How could Lin Feng dare to do this? If he pulls a stunt like this, our country will be thrown into absolute chaos!" cried out one of the representatives who had previously shouted the loudest, his voice trembling with panic.

This time, the Premier took over the response. Having also lost his usual mild temperament, his face ashen, he stared coldly at the man who had just spoken and retorted, "How could he not? The company belongs to him; he can do whatever he pleases with it. When you people pushed things to this extreme, why shouldn't he?"

The Premier's words left those individuals entirely speechless. Stripped of their previous arrogance, they sat there cowering, not daring to utter another syllable.

Witnessing this scene, the Chairman felt a splitting headache coming on. Ultimately, this colossal mess would still fall squarely upon his shoulders.

Over at the Wang family residence, Wang Wang was paralyzed by terror, kneeling on the floor and begging Old Master Wang for salvation, while his father stood nearby, bitterly pleading with the old master to find a way out.

"It's too late. Our Wang family cannot escape disaster this time. I never imagined Lin Feng's influence had already reached such heights! He hid his capabilities deep enough, likely anticipating a contingency plan all along and remaining perpetually on guard against factions like ours. By forcing his hand this way, we essentially provided him with a smooth excuse to walk away. As the primary instigator, the Wang family will undoubtedly have this entire debt pinned on us by the state," Old Master Wang said with utter despair, his eyes hollow as he gazed at the two men in the hall.

The moment Old Master Wang's voice trailed off, Wang Wang collapsed completely onto the floor, utterly limp.

Within the Murong family, Murong Wenjun was cursing aloud in the grand hall, Murong Xue was kneeling before Old Master Murong weeping uncontrollably, and Murong Wenwu sat quietly in a corner, too terrified to speak.

"You thought you were so clever, didn't you? I warned you never to underestimate Lin Feng! Did you honestly think Murong Xue was the smartest person in all of Huaxia? Look at it now! Do you have any idea how massive a loss the country has suffered because of this stunt? This is no longer a matter that can be measured by mere money! If Lin Feng's company truly walks away and becomes a foreign entity, I am telling you, Murong Xue, you will go down in history as a perpetual sinner, and our entire Murong family will be branded as criminals against the state!" Murong Wenjun shouted furiously at the kneeling Murong Xue.

This time, Murong Wenwu did not dare to utter a single word in defense.

After venting his fury for a while, until sheer exhaustion set in, Murong Wenjun wearily slumped down onto the floor. Lowering his head, he cast a glance toward Old Master Murong and asked, "Old Master, what on earth do we do now?"