Chapter 97: Legal Storm in Mingsha County

“So what’s the final claim amount? Once that video goes live, the trending hashtags, likes, and comments will be off the charts!”

Xu Hao couldn’t help but glance at Zhu Qiang.

The more he listened, the more he realized that this lawyer Zhang’s style was strikingly similar to one back on Earth.

“Nanjiang News is claiming a compensation of 2 billion, while all the other self-run media outlets combined are adding up to about 200 million.”

Zhu Qiang pointed at the computer screen as he spoke.

“Twenty-two billion?”

Xu Hao slowly leaned back in his chair.

Mingsha Tourism had worked hard for months and even generated a fair bit of buzz, yet its accounts only showed a little over 2 million. Now, one lawsuit was demanding over 2 billion in compensation.

What does over 2 billion really mean? A company of this caliber ranks among the top ten in Su Province’s private enterprises.

And what scale does Nanjiang News have on its own?

Even if you sold the entire website, it probably wouldn’t fetch 2 billion.

“Brother Hao, however, Lawyer Zhang mentioned this is just our claim amount. The actual compensation will depend on the final ruling. The only certainty is that not one of those websites that reposted the content will get off scot-free!”

Seeing Xu Hao’s and Luo Peng’s reactions, Zhu Qiang couldn’t help but laugh.

Honestly, when he first saw the claim, he was equally stunned. If Mingsha Tourism ever received a payout of over 2 billion, the pace of construction on the Desert plot would skyrocket to an astonishing level.

“As long as they can’t escape, leave the rest to Lawyer Zhang!”

“Yeah, Lawyer Zhang seems pretty invested in our case. He said that after all, when a company invests in a struggling western county, you can’t just stand by while some shady media mess things up! He even added that I wouldn’t have to worry about the lawsuit—just appear in court when needed.”

Zhu Qiang continued,

“Once the trial wraps up, make sure to invite Lawyer Zhang over so we can properly thank him. And don’t forget to arrange for the necessary litigation fees—no one should work for nothing.”

Xu Hao nodded in agreement.

Even if we file a lawsuit here, it will take some time before the court even opens the case, and for non-criminal matters they usually try to mediate first. Only if mediation fails do they proceed to trial.

“Brother Hao, don’t worry—I’ve already made the arrangements!”

“Good!”

Jiangcheng – Neon lights flickered.

Standing by the panoramic window of the Riverside Tower, taking in the night scenery along both banks of the great river was normally a delight, but at that moment, Sun Da just couldn’t feel any happiness.

“It’s just a county news report—how did it cause such a mess?!”

After a long silence,

Sun Da slammed his fist onto the desk.

An hour after Long Kingdom TV News Channel finished its interview in Mingsha County, officials had arrived and sealed the computer with a tape.

They claimed the company was involved in manipulating public opinion and slandering local authorities among several other charges, and that no staff were allowed to leave the office zone.

Now, as officials outside were inventory-checking the computers, everyone inside was ordered to remain at their desks and offices without moving around.

“This can’t go on like this!”

After a long pause, Sun Da cautiously glanced outside before slowly retrieving an earbud and a cube-like communication device from under a loose board in his desk.

Even though his phone had been confiscated, this gadget was still at his disposal.

He quietly inserted the earbud and pressed a few buttons. Moments later, a response crackled through.

“Chairman Chen, they’ve sealed off my area. Think of a way to fix this, will you? Even if it means paying a fine, I’m game. No one expected Mingsha County to get this serious.”

He added, “Look at it this way—even if my news wasn’t out, they wouldn’t have had such a chance to promote themselves.”

Casting a furtive look toward the door, Sun Da urged in a low voice.

“Ah, Little Sun, this isn’t just about the money. You might have to spend some time inside.”

After a brief pause, a somber voice came through his earbud.

“Me? Spend some time in there? Chairman Chen, don’t scare me! With your connections, a few months ago you effortlessly took down the Xu Family. Helping out with this should be a piece of cake, right?”

Sun Da’s voice suddenly grew louder, only to be promptly subdued.

“Take down the Xu Family? That happened overseas; things are different at home. This situation is totally different. Do you have any idea how many agencies were calling the authorities in E Province right after the interview ended?”

The somber voice sighed.

“Mingsha County?”

“Aside from the official notice sent from Mingsha County, several agencies in Su Province, the Long Kingdom Ancient Architecture Institute, and even an important department in the Second Ring area of Yan City have all called in.”

“An important department in Yan City’s Second Ring? How can a struggling western county attract so much attention? If they had that much clout, they wouldn’t be struggling at all!”

Sun Da was completely stunned.

“The specifics aren’t clear, but it’s obvious that multiple agencies are involved—either connected to the head of Mingsha Tourism or linked to that Tengwang Pavilion livestream host.”

The voice on the other end grew even graver.

“Is there any way to quietly apologize to Mingsha County? Any amount would do?”

“Forget that. The nature of the trending news has changed, and you saw Mingsha County’s stance for yourself.”

“Then…”

“Bottom line: you just got unlucky and landed on a hard nut to crack!”

“But, Chairman Chen, isn’t it true that my news work was partly due to your advice and support? Now that you’re in trouble, you can’t just sit back and do nothing!”

Sun Da grew genuinely anxious.

“Little Sun, what are you afraid of? Just spend two days in there and when you come out, your support funding will be doubled. Plus, if you stick to the angle of chasing clicks and don’t overcompensate on the civil liabilities, the issue shouldn’t be too severe. I’ve got some other matters to attend to now.”

“But…”

Before Sun Da could say another word, the earbud fell silent.

Whoosh! At that moment, Sun Da’s face drained of all color. Gone was the old fire he had when crafting stories—he slumped back in his chair like a man lost in thought.

If given another chance, he would never again tangle with a struggling western county.

Under a hazy night sky and the relentless sea breeze over the vast ocean, in New Country…

At a villa in a coastal resort, Old Master Xu, Xu Hongfei, was frowning as he gazed into the distance through the window.

“Dad, what do we do now? Our old clients have all canceled their orders at once. It’s obvious someone’s deliberately targeting us.”

After a long silence,

Xu Chen, unable to bear the oppressive atmosphere behind him, finally broke the silence softly.

Months ago, the Xu Family had been ambushed by a mysterious foreign capital predator in the overseas forex market. They were forced to offload their prime domestic light assets, barely holding onto a brand apparel OEM with only tens of millions in scale in New Country.

Maybe because some viewed the Xu Family as having fallen out of favor, in recent days several longstanding clients announced the cancellation of their orders for the latter half of the year.

OEM relies entirely on orders; without them, the factory can’t last long.

If this last hope collapses, the Xu Family will be finished for good!

With that in mind,

Xu Chen couldn’t help but feel a surge of urgency!