Chapter 296 Squid Capital Comes Knocking
Compared to the Squid Capital in America, the Squid Capital behind DHL in Europe was significantly weaker.
However, they still had impressive connections across Europe.
Although DHL was just one of the major companies under their control, it was by far the most promising.
If DHL could grow into a global logistics giant, their entire consortium would see its power surge.
Since their inception, in just over a decade, they had successively conquered many national markets, establishing dominant positions in various regions.
Thus, they had placed high hopes on DHL's success.
Their venture into the British market wasn't their first attempt.
Ten years ago, they had already begun laying the groundwork.
However, due to Britain's already mature logistics industry, progress had been slow.
This year, they decided on a more aggressive strategy—massive capital injection to rapidly penetrate the UK market.
Behind this decision was their impatience with slow organic growth.
Hearing the suggestion of trying to acquire Supplee Company, the Squid Capital representative fell into deep thought.
Indeed, taking control of Supplee would be a victory in itself.
After Lin Haoran's intervention, they had conducted a thorough investigation into his background.
They learned about his cooperation with Citibank and other public information.
However, they couldn't access details like his dealings with Jardines Matheson, because their intelligence network wasn't as strong as the American Squid Capital's.
Many participants at the meeting began to discuss the acquisition idea seriously.
Ultimately, many supported the proposal.
After all, they had already invested tens of millions of pounds into Britain's market.
Giving up now would mean a massive loss and a market share far below expectations.
"Find out the current market value of Supplee," the Squid Capital representative ordered.
A few minutes later, someone reported,
"As of three minutes ago, Supplee's market cap has risen to £148 million.
The Times article has sparked massive investor interest, with trading volume very high."
The representative frowned. The price was getting a bit too high.
"If we want to negotiate with Lin Haoran to sell his shares, what price should we offer?" the leader asked.
Another round of discussions began.
Their consensus was:
Leverage their local influence and connections to persuade Lin Haoran to sell.
In their eyes, Lin Haoran, like themselves, was an outsider with no real roots in the UK.
His acquisition of Supplee was an accident, not a strategic plan.
Thus, convincing him to sell shouldn't be too difficult—the key was the price.
Moreover, they had several influential allies within the British government, including members of both the House of Commons and House of Lords.
These connections had helped them dominate Britain's logistics market through predatory practices, forcing many local companies into bankruptcy.
If necessary, these powerful politicians could pressure Lin Haoran indirectly.
That would surely make him reconsider holding on to Supplee.
Thus, the meeting concluded with a plan to approach Lin Haoran.
Meanwhile, at Supplee Company headquarters, Lin Haoran stretched lazily in his chair.
Glancing at his watch, he saw it was past 3 p.m.
Just moments ago, his team reported that Supplee's stock price had reached an unprecedented £150 million.
Although this wasn't impressive by UK stock market standards, it was enough to rank Supplee among the top 100 listed companies.
Indeed, only the top 100.
Britain's economy was massive compared to Hong Kong, and its stock market far larger.
Nonetheless, for a logistics company that had struggled for months, this rebound was extraordinary.
The British stock market had been booming since last year, even amid global oil crises and inflation-driven recessions in major industrial countries.
Supplee's stock, having crashed earlier this year due to DHL's aggressive tactics, was now simply rebounding to match the broader bull market trend.
Still, reaching £150 million in market cap was cause for celebration.
Just as Lin Haoran was about to leave the office, the phone rang.
Thinking it might be for Bill Stevens, he picked it up casually.
"Hello, Mr. Stevens is not here right now. May I take a message?"
"Sorry, I'm not looking for Mr. Stevens.
I'm looking for Mr. Lin Haoran. Is he available?" a middle-aged voice replied.
"I'm Lin Haoran. Who's calling?" Lin Haoran asked, surprised.
"I'm Altair from DHL.
You've probably heard of me.
Would you have some time to meet?"
Altair?
Lin Haoran was surprised.
Of course he had heard the name—Altair was a key figure at Squid Capital, the true power behind DHL.
Was Altair coming to negotiate peace?
If so, that would be ideal.
Lin Haoran didn't really want a prolonged price war against a Squid Capital-backed giant.
Although Squid Capital wasn't invincible—and Lin Haoran's own financial strength was considerable—he knew better than to underestimate the solidarity of the Squid families across Europe and America.
"Of course, Mr. Altair.
Where shall we meet?" Lin Haoran replied calmly.
"I'll let you choose the location," Altair said graciously.
"Let's meet at Tang Tower in Chinatown," Lin Haoran proposed.
"I'll head over now—should take about half an hour."
Tang Tower was the safest place he could think of.
The local Triad's headquarters was nearby, and Uncle Tang had strong ties with them.
"Good.
See you in half an hour," Altair agreed.
After hanging up, Lin Haoran exhaled deeply.
Clearly, spreading rumors about expanding into West Germany had worked.
If they could reach a settlement with DHL, Lin Haoran wouldn't even have to burn through the £10 million he had raised—Supplee could return to profitability almost immediately.
However, Lin Haoran had no idea that Altair's real purpose wasn't peace, but acquisition.
Taking Li Weidong, Li Weiguo, and Henry, Lin Haoran quickly headed from the South Bank to Chinatown.
Half an hour later, they arrived at Tang Tower.
Inside, Altair was already waiting.
"Uncle Tang, could I borrow a private office for a meeting?" Lin Haoran asked Tang Kun, who was enjoying tea.
"There's an empty office on the third floor—use whichever you like," Tang Kun said, smiling.
He didn't recognize Altair and didn't pry.
Lin Haoran led Altair to the same office he had used for private calls previously and shut the door behind them.
Facing Lin Haoran, Altair immediately launched into polite flattery:
"Mr. Lin, you are truly a remarkable young man.
The more I learned about you, the more curious I became.
It's an honor to finally meet you in person."
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