Nie Yunsheng silently closed the webpage, then informed the vice president of the Public Affairs Department to tell their internet army to stop.

The battle was decided; further resistance would only lead to a more humiliating defeat.

Boss Pei had already predicted everything, executed a perfect “luring the enemy into a trap” maneuver, and completely foiled all the schemes and plots of the anti-Tenda alliance!

Moreover, using this incident, he had successfully promoted all of Tenda’s gaming-related businesses at once!

The “End of the Road Project” indie game incubator, Morning Dew Gaming Platform, “Millet Departure” project… all of them rode this wave to soar high, saving at least tens of millions in promotional expenses.

Even more terrifying was that when Nie Yunsheng tried to reexamine the incident from Boss Pei’s perspective, he could only feel one thing: a chill down his spine!

Boss Pei had begun plotting this very, very early.

At that time, there hadn’t been many conflicts or frictions between Tenda and Shengyun Group, Zhujia Group, or most of the companies in the anti-Tenda alliance.

Back then, Tenda had already established an unparalleled and unique position in the domestic gaming industry, enjoying unprecedented popularity.

In such a situation, following normal thinking, if someone had done so many good deeds through the “End of the Road Project” indie game incubator and Morning Dew Gaming Platform, and invested so much money and resources, they would definitely want to publicize it.

Even without exaggerating or self-promotion, at least letting people know about their good deeds would be reasonable, right?

Even if they didn’t intentionally promote it, there was no need to keep it so strictly confidential!

But Boss Pei had held back. Not only did he not say anything himself, but he also prevented Qiu Hong, Yan Qi, and other managers from revealing anything to the outside world!

When reporters from the official platform had visited the incubator and thrust microphones into Qiu Hong’s face, he still hadn’t revealed a single word.

What others thought or guessed was their business, but since Boss Pei required secrecy, he maintained absolute secrecy!

Boss Pei had been quietly setting up his chess pieces, weaving this vast web like a spider, silently lurking, waiting for his enemies to walk into his trap.

Nie Yunsheng wondered how the actions of the anti-Tenda alliance must have appeared in Boss Pei’s eyes.

Like putting a noose around their own necks while threatening, “You’re done for”?

No wonder there had been no response from Boss Pei’s side. Perhaps Boss Pei was afraid that if he opened his mouth, he wouldn’t be able to hold back his laughter!

And Boss Pei could have sprung the trap much earlier.

When many people online were using “Millet Departure” to attack Tenda, Boss Pei could have immediately revealed the truth and eliminated the impact, but he said nothing.

When people online started taking clear sides, even resorting to personal attacks with increasing hostility, Boss Pei could have sprung the trap after identifying who were friends and who were enemies, but he still said nothing.

He was determined to wait until the incident reached its climax, until the anger of players and supporters peaked, until the anti-Tenda alliance thought they saw the light of hope, before finally springing the trap!

Even more frightening was that Boss Pei didn’t even spring the trap himself.

Because if he had published these things himself, it would have seemed somewhat artificial, forced, and deliberate.

He could win, but the win wouldn’t be perfect. Most people wouldn’t care, but someone with obsessive-compulsive disorder probably couldn’t stand it.

Had he arranged it with the official platform? That didn’t seem likely either.

It appeared that Boss Pei was simply waiting patiently.

He knew that the information disclosure system had gone online last month. As the heat continued to build, more and more people wanting to know the truth would eventually dig into the backgrounds of the incubator and Morning Dew Gaming Platform.

And once they did, the truth would be revealed!

In other words, it didn’t matter who exposed this information as long as it wasn’t Tenda itself.

Even if it was just an ordinary passerby or player who exposed it, various media would certainly follow up, and the final result would be the same.

It just so happened that the chief editor of the official platform frequently dealt with Tenda, understood Tenda quite well, and had previously interviewed the incubator. He already had his suspicions, so it was a perfect coincidence, adding extra dramatic effect.

It turned what would have been a 100-point outcome into a 120-point one.

Nie Yunsheng’s current feeling could be summarized in four words: life has no meaning!

After all his machinations, he thought Boss Pei’s expression would be fear, anger, or helplessness. Instead, it turned out to be the look one gives to a fool…

It was truly hard not to break down.

Nie Yunsheng leaned back in his executive chair, deep in thought.

…

Outside Nie Yunsheng’s office, several vice presidents were gathered, whispering among themselves.

They didn’t dare speak too loudly, afraid that Nie Yunsheng might hear them.

As for why they had come to Nie Yunsheng’s office door… obviously because they had received news of their complete defeat and wanted to ask Nie Yunsheng what to do next.

But when they reached the door, no one dared to knock, because they all knew Nie Yunsheng was surely still angry. If they knocked now, they would likely become his punching bag and get a severe scolding.

Not daring to go in, but also not daring to leave, they could only gather at the door, whispering among themselves.

Just as they were hesitating, the office door opened, and Nie Yunsheng walked out.

The vice presidents quickly stood at attention: “President Nie!”

Nie Yunsheng frowned, scanning them with his eyes: “What are you all doing here?”

Before the vice presidents could answer, he continued: “Alright, immediately contact representatives from other companies. I want to hold a conference call with as many people as possible!”

The vice presidents immediately nodded: “Yes, President Nie!”

They all breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that President Nie had not been crushed by this tremendous setback but had quickly come up with a countermeasure.

After such a devastating defeat, the entire anti-Tenda alliance was in a state of uncertainty. If Nie Yunsheng didn’t immediately step forward to reassure everyone and maintain the alliance, it might quickly fall apart.

They hadn’t even implemented various follow-up measures against Tenda yet. The vanguard had just provoked Tenda a bit and was immediately scattered and annihilated. This was devastating for morale!

If they really disbanded now, there was nothing more to say—they would just wait to be picked off one by one by Tenda.

So, seeing Nie Yunsheng quickly pull himself together and step forward to stabilize the situation, the vice presidents were very relieved, even happy.

Because they discovered that Tenda’s strength had actually ignited President Nie’s fighting spirit!

In fact, when Nie Yunsheng first established Shengyun Group, he was a general who conquered territories and won every battle, someone whom countless competitors feared.

But as Shengyun Group grew larger and larger, they felt less and less threatened, so Nie Yunsheng’s fighting spirit gradually receded. He lost his sensitivity to conflict and gradually forgot the cruelty of struggle.

And now, encountering a true dragon slayer like Tenda, Nie Yunsheng finally remembered the passion he had during the critical early days of his company!

Not just Nie Yunsheng—actually, all those CEOs and founders of major companies in the anti-Tenda alliance had once been formidable.

Although they might have reached their current positions due to capital favors or good luck, it was undeniable that they were all capable, not foolish, and had strong methods. When necessary, they could be ruthless.

If Nie Yunsheng could awaken these people, then this painful defeat might actually become a turning point!

…

The conference call began on time.

To Nie Yunsheng’s surprise, more people attended this time than any previous meeting!

Obviously, this devastating defeat had indeed hurt most of the companies in the anti-Tenda alliance.

The more committed companies, like Nie Yunsheng, urgently wanted to reassure everyone and find a solution; while those companies that were wavering were eager to understand the attitudes of other companies, ready to flee at the first sign of trouble.

So almost everyone who was invited attended.

Even if some company bosses couldn’t attend due to other commitments, they sent deputies.

There were over three hundred companies, large and small!

Of course, many of these companies had joined out of self-interest, just tagging along and unable to be counted on.

But regardless, this was still a massive alliance covering almost all sectors.

This alliance was established under the leadership of Shengyun Express, Zhujia Group, Zhaiju Food Delivery, and several other large group companies. Some investment companies played a role in connecting them, but this was after all a loose alliance, not like Tenda which could easily control its various departments.

Nie Yunsheng knew very well that if what he said made sense and gained the recognition of most people, then this alliance could be maintained.

But if what he said was not recognized, then the entire alliance would inevitably split.

This was the first major crisis the anti-Tenda alliance had faced since its establishment. If not handled well, it might collapse on the spot, leaving only a joke behind.

So he couldn’t take it lightly!

Logically, this defeat was devastating—a complete annihilation that even cost them extra. The blow to morale was certainly significant.

A series of operations fierce as a tiger, only to end up becoming Tenda’s wedding dress—all those present would likely weigh their options and decide where to stand.

They wouldn’t want to be enjoying good food and drink with Tenda while starving nine days out of three with the anti-Tenda alliance!

But Nie Yunsheng was, after all, a person who had seen major storms. He understood clearly that sometimes a crisis is also an opportunity; the key was how to spin—no, how to interpret it.

Nie Yunsheng coughed lightly and said somewhat heavily: “Everyone already knows about the recent events.”

“First, I want to apologize. This failure is my responsibility. I used ordinary thinking to speculate about Boss Pei, thus making the error of taking things for granted and inadvertently walking into Boss Pei’s trap…”

Nie Yunsheng didn’t shirk responsibility but frankly admitted it, then gave a complete review of this failure.

Because he knew very well that anyone else could pass the buck, but he absolutely could not…

The entire alliance was already fragile. If the leader started passing the buck, who would dare to be the vanguard, the suicide squad? Who would still be willing to give their all?

By then, it would truly be a case of the army collapsing like a mountain.

But he also didn’t intend to take all the responsibility on himself, as that would make him seem incompetent, which would be very disadvantageous for the struggle for discourse power that would follow.

After a simple review, Nie Yunsheng changed his tone: “But I feel this is not a bad thing; in fact, it could be considered a good thing.”

“It makes us more aware of how dangerous our current situation is and fully proves the necessity of this alliance!”