#253 - Chapter 253 Antitrust Investigation - I have a space station

"Agreed."

"Okay, let's do that then. Let Councilor Chen from the Finance Department and Councilor Pang from the Department of Justice be responsible for the anti-monopoly investigation and come up with a charter as soon as possible," Bai Liji decided.

"Okay."

Three days later, on August 10, 2055, a joint investigation team led by the Finance Department and coordinated by multiple departments arrived in Binjiang to investigate the case of Huatong Chamber of Commerce's suspected monopoly.

"Anti-monopoly investigation? How many people came?" Dongfang Chen asked after hearing Niu Xingwang's report.

"Fifteen people," Niu Xingwang replied.

"It's okay, let them investigate. Our accounts are all independently accounted for, and they won't find any problems," Dongfang Chen said.

"But our source of goods is not clear," Niu Xingwang said.

"For all businesses that are not related to you, just say it's a single-line contact. You can specify one or two safe houses as the delivery location, and tell them that your goods are brought out from the safe houses. As for where the goods in the safe houses come from, you insist that you don't know anything," Dongfang Chen said.

"Okay," Niu Xingwang nodded.

"Well, don't worry too much. Our business is unique in the entire Huaguo, so it is not an exaggeration to say it is a monopoly. As for the profit margin, I control it within 10% on the books, and so far, from the books, the Huatong Chamber of Commerce is still in a state of serious loss, so there will be no major problems. The only result may be a fine. You can talk to them then and use materials to offset it. Just think of it as spending some money to buy a school running qualification," Dongfang Chen said.

"Isn't it too gentle for us to handle it this way? In my opinion, these people are deliberately trying to find fault. What year is it? How many companies are still operating? What's the point of investigating this? Instead of wasting time, why not find a way to solve the people's livelihood problems?" Niu Xingwang said angrily.

"Our chamber of commerce's business has just started, and the penetration rate and influence in the resettlement sites are not enough. It is not appropriate to create complications at this time," Dongfang Chen said.

"Indulging them like this easily makes them feel that we are easy to manipulate. If they taste the sweetness and do this repeatedly, wouldn't we become their cash machine?" Niu Xingwang said.

"It doesn't matter, we have technology, which is the core competitiveness. As long as we raise the price a little, it will come back quickly. How about this, you inform the chamber of commerce branches in each resettlement site later and reduce the price of crystal nucleus recovery to half of the original price," Dongfang Chen said.

That is to say, the original recovery price of a crystal nucleus was 100 points, and now the recovery price is 50 points. That is to say, the value of a 100-point commodity was originally equivalent to 1 crystal nucleus, but after adjusting the recovery price, it becomes the value of 2 crystal nuclei.

Doing so is equivalent to doubling the price of goods on sale.

"That's good too," Niu Xingwang nodded.

Only the Huatong Chamber of Commerce collects crystal nuclei.

Moreover, crystal nuclei play the role of a standard currency in the current economic activities of various resettlement sites. Therefore, fluctuations in the price of crystal nuclei have a direct impact on the entire economic operation.

This move by the council is actually not taking money from the chamber of commerce, but taking money from the entire market through the chamber of commerce.

Dongfang Chen said that he didn't care about this, as long as his profits could be guaranteed.

As for whether the people's living standards have been affected, and how much they have been affected, that is a matter for the council to consider, and it has nothing to do with him.

The investigation team investigated the chamber of commerce for three consecutive days and reviewed all historical accounts.

In the end, unsurprisingly, it was defined as a violation of the "Anti-Monopoly Law" and fined 10 million crystal nuclei.

Niu Xingwang said that the chamber of commerce has been in a state of loss and cannot pay so many crystal nuclei.

The investigation team was also not easy to force too hard, forcing too hard would easily force the hen that lays the golden eggs to fly away. So they proposed a payment plan in installments, allowing the chamber of commerce to complete the payment of this crystal nucleus in 12 installments, but with additional interest.

Niu Xingwang agreed to this plan.

… …

"What did you say? The price of crystal nuclei has dropped by 50%?" Yan Zhengping's eyes widened when he heard the news brought by Yan Fangfang.

Currently, Yan Zhengping is the largest producer of crystal nuclei, and the price of crystal nuclei is the most sensitive to him.

"What is this little Chen doing? Isn't this sitting on the ground and raising the price?" Yan Zhengping was both shocked and helpless.

After all, the value of crystal nuclei is all determined by Dongfang Chen's words.

"He said that the council has launched an anti-monopoly investigation on the Huatong Chamber of Commerce and fined 10 million crystal nuclei. He was also forced to do so," Yan Fangfang explained.

"Anti-monopoly investigation? How come I don't know?" Yan Zhengping said in disbelief.

He thought to himself, this is not fining the Huatong Chamber of Commerce, it is clearly fining himself!

Yan Fangfang spread her hands, indicating that she was not clear either.

Yan Zhengping took out his mobile phone and directly called Bai Liji.

"Bai Liji, I ask you, has the council launched an anti-monopoly investigation on the Huatong Chamber of Commerce?" Yan Zhengping went straight to the point.

"That's right, Lao Yan, this is a joint proposal by several councilors," Bai Liji said.