The Tyrant Billionaire

At this point, the political system of the Dominion had essentially been established.

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Temporary Governor's Office.

Chief Minister Peter Smith and Minister of Economic Affairs James Ryan were reporting the situation during this period to Hardy.

"Your Excellency, the construction of the Governor's Office has already begun recruiting teams. Five design firms from the United States and the United Kingdom are participating in the bidding."

Hardy nodded.

The site selection for the Governor's Office wasn't arbitrary, the land, located in the Malacca region, had a slightly elevated terrain backed by a mountain and facing the sea. It spanned an area of 1,100 acres.

The main building was not very large; most of the area was reserved for gardens.

"Your Excellency, there are currently twelve confirmed corporate projects, including the construction of new ports in Penang and Malacca. Once completed, these will provide local freight port facilities and offer refueling, supplies, and goods transfer services for passing ships."

In fact, Hardy had an even better port project planned for the 50 square kilometers of land in Singapore, but that was a Hardy Group project and separate from the business of the Penang and Malacca Dominion.

"For now, the government office will temporarily use the former administrative building. Plans are underway to construct a larger government facility."

"The court, prosecution office, and police station have all been established and are operational."

"Immigration numbers have surged significantly during this period. This month alone, over 2,000 individuals have relocated here, with the majority being Malay businessmen and well educated university graduates. Additionally, a handful of British farm owners have also moved in, though only a limited number of open minded Chinese individuals seem ready to embrace the opportunities of capitalism."

"The investment company has signed agreements with more than 60 business owners and estate owners from Malaya. These factories and estates, spread across Johor, Kedah, Kelantan, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, and Perak, have a total value exceeding $34 million."

Chief Minister Peter Smith smiled and said, "There's an interesting phenomenon: all the signed business and estate owners are businessmen who are being prosecuted by corrupt Chinese officials or exploited by struggling Malay sultans seeking to extort them."

Abdullah Hussain Idris, the head of the Idris family, perceived the risk and proactively offered 40% of the family's assets as protection money—a bold move.

In fact, many others were making similar choices.

With word of mouth among the businessmen community, the rapid chain reaction led to over 60 businesses joining the Hardy Group within a month.

This wasn't a case of Hardy forcibly seizing assets.

It was mutual benefit.

One side sought protection; the other sought assets. It was entirely consensual, a win win situation.

However, some people, after hearing Hardy Group's terms, turned away. In their eyes, handing over most of their assets for free was nothing short of robbery, albeit a refined one.

Each to their own.

Hardy did not insist.

He believed that when problems arose for these individuals in the future, they would understand the advantages of cooperating with the Hardy Group.

By then, many would come begging, crying, for Hardy to accept their shares and assets.

After listening to the report, Hardy said, "In the future, businesses here should not focus on heavy industry since there's no foundation for it. Instead, we should focus on processing industries and high tech fields. Southeast Asia produces a variety of gems and jade; the Dominion should aim to become one of the world's leading gem processing centers."

"As for immigration, we must continue to increase promotional efforts. The Dominion will need a lot of labor for future development. With only 600,000 people, it's still far from enough. Even 6 million would not be too many."

"The message about immigration should be promoted not only in Malaya but also in Indonesia, Cambodia, Thailand, and Myanmar. Advertisements and articles should be published in local newspapers, highlighting the Dominion's abundant job opportunities and its safe, stable environment for investment."

After giving his instructions, Chief Minister Smith and the Economic Secretary left. Hardy's assistant entered the room.

"Boss, we just received a telegram," the assistant said, handing over the document.

The telegram was from the United States.

It contained a simple message:@@novelbin@@

"Hans Pharmaceuticals is collapsing."

Hardy thought for a moment and instructed his assistant, "Make arrangements; I need to return to the United States."

"Understood, Boss." The assistant left.

...

The next day, Hardy flew to the United States.

Upon disembarking, Hardy was greeted by Andy, who gave him a hug before they got into the car.

Inside the car, Andy handed Hardy a copy of that day'sLos Angeles Financial Times. The front page was dedicated to Hans Pharmaceuticals.

The headline blared: "A Colossal Scam: Hans Pharmaceuticals' Stock Market Myth Exposed as Fraud."

"Hans Pharmaceuticals' fraud has been confirmed. Its so called miracle drug causes severe side effects and is far less effective than advertised, not even as good as the existing drug streptomycin. Investigations reveal fabricated data from trials conducted in Africa. Hans Pharmaceuticals is nothing but a scam company defrauding investors."

The article detailed the journalist's investigation.

Last year, Hans Pharmaceuticals announced it had developed a miracle drug for tuberculosis.

By mid year, reports surfaced of successful Phase II trials in Africa, transitioning to Phase III trials.

During this period, Hans Pharmaceuticals' stock began to soar, transforming from a penny stock to a star performer, reaching over $100 per share.

Earlier this year, several Japanese financial investment firms took over Hans Pharmaceuticals' shares. Andy gradually released the circulating shares in his possession, leaving retail investors holding the bag.

Through this operation, Hardy earned $380 million in cash.

The aftermath was left to Andy and Henry. With Hardy busy with Dominion matters in Penang and Malacca, he had put this issue on the back burner.

Now, the timing was ripe.

Andy and Henry deliberately exposed the massive scandal.

It was a premeditated maneuver.

"Did you short it?" Hardy asked.

"Of course," Andy replied with a grin.

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AN: Regarding the businessmen selling their assets to the Hardy Group in Malaya, most of these individuals are living in other domains either controlled by the Chinese Party or Malay sultans. Historically, both have persecuted businessmen and effectively destroyed the business environment in Malaya. In contrast, the Hardy domain strictly adheres to British business rules, making it a safe investment environment. Businesses there are not forced to sell assets to the Hardy Group for protection and only pay taxes. Those who do sell their assets are typically seeking the Hardy Group's assistance in entering the international market. After re-reading the text, I realized I didn't mention this point, so this is just a small clarification.

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