Following the decision to evaluate the pharmaceutical companies, Chen Mo had asked the Ink Girl to perform a comprehensive analysis. Once her valuation aligned closely with that of the investment consultants, he was ready to greenlight the acquisitions.
"Merce, the value assessment is complete," the Ink Girl reported.
Moments later, three detailed evaluation reports popped up on the desktop.
Chen Mo compared her findings with the ones Zhao Min had provided earlier. He nodded in satisfaction. The valuations were similar, though the Ink Girl's were about 20% higher.
That was to be expected. The Ink Girl could access internal databases, financial records, R&D reports—virtually everything. Human consultants, in contrast, could only analyze public disclosures and guess at the rest.
In a world of asymmetric information, slight differences in evaluation were normal. More importantly, both reports agreed on one thing: the companies had potential.
Satisfied, Chen Mo called Zhao Min.
"Go ahead and acquire Jianghe and Lanhong Pharmaceutical, full ownership, based on your valuations."
"You finished the reports already?" Zhao Min chuckled. She had just returned to her office when the call came in.
"I did," Chen Mo replied simply.
"Alright. I'll have the acquisition team reach out immediately."
Once the call ended, Chen Mo returned to his shelf and pulled out a few books, quietly diving into them.
Meanwhile, the internet buzzed with the latest mobile phone pre-sale reports. The four tech giants had all released new flagship models, and comparison charts were everywhere.
In the Chinese market, Apple edged out Huawei. Black Rice followed in third. Samsung, unsurprisingly, came in dead last. Most Chinese consumers had long since abandoned the brand. In fact, seeing someone use a Samsung phone these days was like spotting a panda in the wild.
Internationally, however, Samsung was still a strong contender, hot on Apple's heels. This time, Apple had released a near-perfect phone—everything but the smart assistant. That missing feature was its only blemish.
While the world obsessed over mobile phone wars, the Marching Ant Company made two quiet but decisive moves.
They had completed the acquisition of two pharmaceutical companies and officially entered the medical industry—without so much as a press release.
Later that day, Chen Mo and Zhao Min entered a conference room inside the company headquarters.
"Those two pharmaceutical companies had hit a wall. Their R&D burned through funds without any breakthroughs, and business was flat," Zhao Min explained. "Profitable, yes—but barely. Their holding groups were already planning to offload them. Our offer was reasonable, so there weren't many roadblocks."
Inside the room, managers and research leaders from both acquired companies stood respectfully as Chen Mo entered.
"This is Chairman Chen Mo," Zhao Min introduced him.
A quiet murmur passed through the room.
Most of them had only ever heard of Chen Mo's name. Seeing the young man in person—so young, and yet already the head of one of the most formidable tech companies in the country—left quite an impression.
Zhao Min gestured toward the group. "This is Hou Youliang, head of Jianghe Pharmaceuticals. And this is Tan Yong, from Lanhong Pharmaceuticals."
"Welcome to the Marching Ant family," Chen Mo greeted them.
Hou Youliang hesitated. His face twitched slightly with anxiety, and he looked like he was debating whether or not to speak.
Chen Mo noticed.
"Manager Hou, is there something you'd like to say?"
Hou Youliang hesitated a moment longer, then finally spoke. "Chairman, will the two companies be merged? And… will there be layoffs?"
Chen Mo looked toward Zhao Min, signaling for her to respond.
"The merger will happen, yes—but not abruptly. Initially, only the research departments will integrate. We'll appoint both leaders to collaborate on new drug development," Zhao Min explained. "As for the business and management departments, we'll observe your teams over the next quarter before making structural changes."
She paused, then added, "Now, if people are just here to collect salaries and not contribute, yes—those people will be cut. But if your team is competent and hardworking, you've got nothing to worry about. We'll likely be hiring more, not fewer."
The room visibly relaxed.
"Good," Hou Youliang said, clearly relieved.
"You are now part of our first wholly-owned pharmaceutical subsidiary," Zhao Min said, addressing the room. "We expect trust and cooperation as we expand into new territory."
Chen Mo looked over the group. "There's no need for long speeches. Just listen to Zhao Min and do your jobs well. Now… who heads the research teams?"
Two men stood up from opposite ends of the table.
"I'm Xu Minsheng, head of new drug research at Jianghe," said the first—a man in his forties, with glasses and a calm, scholarly demeanor.
"I'm Shi Lin, from Lanhong's research division," said the second. He was older, with a neatly groomed beard and sharp eyes.
"Dr. Xu has a PhD in oncology and pharmacology from Hopkins University. Dr. Shi specializes in traditional Chinese medicine and holds a doctorate from Nanfang Medical University," Zhao Min added.
Chen Mo nodded and gestured for them to follow him.
They arrived at Chen Mo's private lab.
The two doctors looked around with visible surprise. They hadn't expected to find a high-level biochemistry lab tucked inside a tech company's HQ.
"I have a drug formula I'd like you both to review. This will be your first project under Marching Ants," Chen Mo said, handing over a document labeled: Human Thoracic Developmental Pharmacy.
No further details were listed on the cover.
Shi Lin flipped through the ingredients list. "Aloe vera extract… evening primrose… sage… ylang-ylang…" His brows arched. "This looks… similar to breast enhancement oil. Is this a breast development formula?"
"Sharp eyes, Dr. Shi," Chen Mo smiled. He placed a test sample—a small vial of clear liquid—on the table.
"I found the formula in some old medical texts. I don't have clinical experience, so I'll need your teams to verify and improve its effects."
He handed them a more detailed breakdown of the drug.
"Chairman," Xu Minsheng asked curiously, "you… developed a breast enhancement drug by yourself?"
Chen Mo's mouth twitched as he scratched his cheek. "Well… sort of. I read a lot. Materia Medica, Jin Shu's sketches, pharmacology basics. I came across it and thought, 'Why not?' Call it curiosity."
He obviously couldn't admit the real source—the Science and Technology Library in his brain.
"If this works," Xu Minsheng said with a laugh, "you might end up benefiting thousands of women."
"And making a boatload of money," Chen Mo added dryly.
"No doubt," Shi Lin said. "This could be huge. We'll begin analysis and trials immediately."
"Good. I'll send materials and samples to your labs," Chen Mo said. "But keep this formula strictly confidential. No fourth party should know of it."
There were other, even more valuable formulas in his possession—like human-assisted reproductive drugs—but he wasn't about to dump everything on the table all at once.
After sending them off, Chen Mo returned to his office.
He didn't open the Tech Library today.
He simply picked up a book and continued reading.
Just a few more to go.
Only a little more effort until the thousand-book task was complete.