"According to the intelligence I've received, Norman Osborn already knows about our massive stock sell-off and will likely take action soon."
Incidentally, if one were to observe closely, the person standing beside Dute at this moment was none other than the female secretary who had handed the report to Norman.
Indeed, the female secretary, who had served Osborn for many years, had also defected. Or rather, she had been Dute's spy planted beside Norman from the very beginning.
It was known that Norman Osborn was not only the chairman but also a scientist. Norman's influence was felt in many of the Osborn Group's research endeavors, and he was even secretly conducting numerous clandestine gene experiments alone.
Dute's intention in placing such a spy by Norman's side was to obtain Norman's research results. Unfortunately, Norman was extremely cautious, and the female secretary had not had the opportunity to act so far, nor had she even figured out what kind of experiments Osborn was conducting.
However, this did not diminish Dute's confidence in success.
He was unaware that the primary reason he had not obtained even a shred of useful information from Norman Osborn for such a long time was that his own informant had turned.
Yes, after years by Norman's side, the female secretary had actually developed feelings for the older man who was several years her senior. Although she hadn't directly revealed her identity as a spy to Norman, she stopped collecting information for Dute, always making excuses.
The female secretary had now returned to Dute's side because Norman Osborn's erratic behavior led her to believe that Norman was no longer a sane person, his mental state reaching the point where he belonged in a mental institution. She reasoned that if she continued to stay by Norman's side, the ultimate outcome would likely be her death at Norman's hands during a fit of madness.
Therefore, the female secretary had no choice but to reclaim her long-abandoned identity and, as a spy, work for Dute once again. As per Dute's instructions, she submitted a report to Norman detailing the massive sell-off of shares by shareholders.
Returning to the main topic.
After Dute finished speaking, Wenger, his old friend, immediately stood up in support, saying, "I've also released news and sold some of my shares. Since the market opened this morning, the Osborn Group's stock price has plummeted."
Indeed, Wenger had sold some shares, but he didn't tell the whole story. The shares he sold had all ended up in Dute's pocket. Coupled with their relationship, these shares were like passing from one hand to another, making no real difference.
However, among those present, there was someone with a quick mind who asked, "Doesn't this make the shares we hold worthless? It's like hurting yourself to hurt the enemy. Isn't this a bit..."
Before the person could finish, Dute interrupted, "Necessary sacrifices are essential to bring Norman down. As long as we can seize control of the group from Norman, all losses will be worth it."
Seeing the other shareholders fall silent, Dute continued, "According to reliable sources, the Umbrella Corporation, which is aggressively acquiring the Osborn Group, has made a commitment that they will inject capital into the group once we gain actual control. At that point, the value of everyone's shares will only increase."
Upon hearing that there would be profit, many raised their heads.
However, someone still, with lingering doubt, asked, "How can you guarantee that the Umbrella Corporation will indeed inject capital? And we've never heard of this company before. Isn't it a deceptive shell company?"
This person's words echoed the sentiments of everyone present. After all, the Osborn Group was a vast enterprise. How could this unheard-of Umbrella Corporation have such grand ambitions to inject capital into the Osborn Group, and how could they be so certain that the other party would definitely do so?
After all, this was all based on Dute's word.
Dute smiled and shook his head, saying, "You can rest assured about that."
With a wave of his hand, a burly man in a suit walked into the conference room. Judging solely by his appearance, the burly man gave the impression of not a businessman, but more of a suit-wearing thug.
The burly man surveyed everyone and then said, "I am the representative of the Umbrella Corporation. You can call me Bruce."
Yes, the burly man's identity was Bruce.
Who would have thought that a former street gang leader would now transform into a company representative? Perhaps even Bruce himself couldn't have imagined such a day.
In Bai Qi's eyes, Bruce might not have been the most suitable candidate, but he was the only available one at the moment.
While Taskmaster and Kraven had their own missions, compared to the impulsive Caitlyn, Bruce's personality was more steady. Perhaps he wouldn't gain much advantage against a seasoned old fox, but it was better than turning everyone into ice sculptures out of anger.
Facing the appearance of Bruce, the shareholders did not show him any courtesy.
"I've never heard of the Umbrella Corporation. Who knows if you, this representative, are just an actor hired by Dute."
Dute's expression turned somewhat grim. Although the person hadn't explicitly stated it, it was no different from saying Bruce was an actor hired by him.
Bruce did not get angry at the questioning. He had anticipated all of this and prepared a countermeasure.
Bruce then took out a large briefcase and placed it on the conference table, saying, "If you don't believe me, open it and see for yourselves what's inside?"
Curious, a shareholder opened the briefcase.
The moment they saw the contents of the box, everyone was dumbfounded. The entire box was filled with diamonds of all sizes, so bright under the lights that they nearly blinded everyone.
The combined value of these diamonds was conservatively estimated to be at least a hundred million US dollars. Although it wasn't enough to buy the entire Osborn Group, the mere fact that a representative dared to bring such a large quantity of diamonds to appear here openly proved the immense capital behind Umbrella.
Not only the shareholders but even Dute and Wenger were startled by the sudden appearance of the diamonds. Especially Dute, who knew that the benefactor behind the scenes had the power to reach the heavens, but he hadn't expected them to be so wealthy, describing them as richer than a nation wouldn't be an exaggeration.
Bruce continued, "It is a foregone conclusion that the Umbrella Corporation will inject capital into the Osborn Group. Moreover, we have already spent a vast amount of money and effort acquiring the Osborn Group. We didn't do this to destroy it, but to rebuild it. Do you understand what I mean?"
Hearing this, everyone present finally believed. After all, the tangible evidence in front of them proved that the Umbrella Corporation had sufficient strength to swallow the lucrative Osborn Group. Before this, many had also noticed a force aggressively acquiring Osborn Group shares, and they presumed it was Umbrella.
Therefore, from then on, as long as the boss of Umbrella wasn't foolish, they wouldn't abandon the mess that was the Osborn Group. Otherwise, the billions of US dollars invested previously would have gone down the drain.