Eternal Night Holdings Group in Hong Kong has been expanding at breakneck speed. It’s only been a little over two months since we got help from the Brain of Strategy, but in that short time, so much has happened. We split off from the old Prime Integrity Corp, built the new Eternal Night Holdings, swallowed up the entire Hong Kong entertainment scene, took over the shipping industry, founded Dingfeng Bank, and even dove headfirst into real estate and construction.
With so much going on, and everything moving so fast, it’s no wonder there’s a bunch of messy, not-so-harmonious stuff popping up everywhere.
On top of that, we’ve got to juggle R&D for some black tech (like those protective talismans), set up an intelligence network, and keep an eye out for the Zade Family trying to mess with us. Plus, all this is happening right around the White Night Incident—there’s so much shady business, so much pressure, so much pushback and skepticism. Jack Young doesn’t even have to think hard to imagine the chaos. Honestly, cousin Jonathan Black has really paid his dues to get us this far.
And let’s be real, in the eyes of the big shots upstairs, Eternal Night Holdings Group is probably already on the red list for rising way too fast. If it weren’t for the special location of our headquarters, we’d have been raided and audited to oblivion ages ago.
Still, Jack Young and Jonathan Black came up with a few countermeasures. Sure, playing it low-key and blending in is one way to go, but even the mild-mannered Jack agrees: sometimes you gotta hit hard and fast, lightning-style. If we can lock down Hong Kong solid in the shortest time, we’ll have real leverage. By then, even if trouble comes from all sides, so what?
Of course, a lightning offensive needs strict execution—and a bit of strategic weakness. Tossing Eternal Night’s assets into the mainland and overseas is basically us making a statement: being flashy about showing weakness. On one hand, it keeps Eternal Night from sticking out too much in Hong Kong, and on the other, it helps push our global strategy forward.
For overseas, Jonathan Black is off buying up Mazda’s research institute, which is its own story. As for the mainland, Beijing’s a no-go—the risk is way too high. Chengdu’s a big deal in the southwest, but it’s easier to crack, and throwing money around works there, so Charlie took a squad of senior managers over to schmooze and build stuff. But here in Shanghai? This is the heart of our mainland strategy, so we sent in the most business-savvy, emotionally intelligent guy we’ve got: Bobby Brooks.
But Bobby Brooks’s headache is that even if he wants to throw money around, it just won’t fly.
“The resistance here is insane, seriously!” Bobby Brooks is practically in tears, complaining nonstop: “Before I came, the boss said, ‘Money’s no issue, spend as much as you want.’ I thought it’d be a breeze. Turns out, this place is even more complicated than Hong Kong—there’s not even a way to throw cash around!”
Bobby Brooks’s main job in Shanghai is actually setting up the intelligence base stations. Those black-clad guys who tried to nab Jack Young as soon as he showed his face are members of Charlie’s Special Operations Team. Ages ago, back when Jonathan Black was still running Prime Integrity, he built a security company around Charlie, and the Special Ops Team was hidden inside it. With Eternal Night Holdings Group now in play, that security company’s gotten bigger, and Charlie’s trained tough guys are taking up posts all over.