Chapter 172: Unexpected! Too Terrifying!

Once the top conference room of Liston, it now felt rather empty.

At Liston’s peak, even without extra chairs, shareholders willingly stood during meetings to listen to Neo and the board members speak.

Though they couldn’t speak or move freely during meetings, they accepted it gladly.

Now, many chairs sat empty, and amid rumors outside, a hard-to-describe tension spread among a few in the room.

Gap adjusted his glasses and sat at the end of the table. As a key partner in the group, he had been invited by President Neo to this closed-door meeting.

No minutes would be kept. In other words, nothing from this meeting would leak through official or unofficial channels. Even if it did, no one would acknowledge it.

This meeting would never appear in Liston’s history, which meant it was different.

Neo glanced at his watch. The security guard downstairs checked his as well.

The expensive watch and the cheap one both showed the same time. The guard closed the door, and Neo’s face showed a slight smile.

He looked at the employees seated around the table—Liston’s important staff, each holding secrets about some aspect of the company.

His gaze settled on Gap at the end. He chose him first because Gap didn’t look sideways, a subconscious sign of neutrality.

Looking selectively at one person creates a feeling of targeting, but looking straight ahead does not.

Feeling Neo’s gaze, Gap smiled humbly and bowed slightly in submission.

Neo nodded without comment and began the meeting. “You all know the rumors circulating outside—they’re true.”

“I have submitted the company’s relocation application to the governor. Approval should come within about a month, and we expect to complete the move by the first half of next year.”

His tone was calm and clear, exuding confidence and composure. “Many are confused about recent events. I’m telling you now—this has all been planned.”

The atmosphere shifted slightly. Due to rifts with the mayor of Sabin City and the governor, Liston’s stock plunged, losing 40% of its value in just a week.

Even the Baylor Industrial Index’s rise was dragged down, causing growing pessimism about Liston.

Then, Neo, on behalf of the board, submitted a delisting request. Stocks plunged again, but Neo and his team took advantage of the low prices to repurchase over 70% of shares this week.

About 20% of shares remain dispersed among long-term investors and dormant accounts.

Some investors bet on the company, not the stock. Others gamble Liston will relist someday.

Regardless, the delisting is unstoppable, and Neo is ready to proceed.

He said this to discourage those harboring doubts.

These people are hard to give up on. Neo would prefer not to maintain contact with most of them, but their ties to him and the company are too strong to ignore.

Take new partner Gap—he helped audit and amend many ledgers to eliminate irregularities.

They appear to be partners due to effort and skill, but really, they hold company secrets. The company must give them high status and rewards to ensure their loyalty.

These people are like vampires; the company can’t just cast them off. If one were to self-destruct, the entire group would fall into the abyss.

Neo needed to steady their minds, making sure they wouldn’t try to trade secrets for new opportunities. He would offer opportunities directly.

“The company’s performance has been poor for years. We’ve sought breakthroughs and maintained steady growth technically.”

“Our latest chance came from EverBright Group. If we could acquire key parts of EverBright, we could quickly reverse our situation. But as you know, talks with city hall and the governor broke down.”

“If we don’t change soon, we’re finished. So the board and I have decided to shed all burdens and start anew.”

He lowered his gaze, picked up a document, skimmed it, then looked around. “Some of you may have opinions, but that doesn’t matter.”

“What matters is that when we relocate, we will cut at least 4,400 direct employees and about 7,000 indirect employees.”

“This is Liston’s heaviest expense—most profits go to paying their wages.”

“Once rid of these expenses, even without EverBright’s core businesses, we can transform easily and regain glory.”

He set the paper down, looked at the attendees again. “After our plan succeeds, Liston will reapply to list. Your shares will become especially valuable.”

A faint, ironic smile appeared on Neo’s lips. The room’s mood brightened.

His tone eased. “In gratitude for your loyalty during this time, I will award additional shares based on your seniority, rank, and contributions.”

The atmosphere softened further; many smiled. Those in high positions fear a sudden fall most.

The more controversy outside, the more uncertain they feel.

Fortunately, President Neo explained the reasons. They even imagined excuses Neo hadn’t given—like him keeping secrets to avoid leaks, not to disregard them.

The human mind is strange—sometimes it creates excuses without prompting.

Regardless, this was good: stable life and more benefits, just in a new place.

Next were detailed instructions to maintain departmental stability, interview key members, and await further orders.

The meeting was brief. After it ended, Neo’s secretary brought a list.

The confident smile was replaced by cold anger.

Four people hadn’t attended. Like Gap, they held possibly illegal evidence about the company and had been involved in questionable dealings.

Such challenges are common in large corporations.

Some can be handled through normal business competition or external challenges.

But some are harder to solve—irrational people among the masses or cases like those Gap managed that require skillful handling of inhuman problems.