"Mr. Mavi, regarding the acquisition price, this is our offer. What do you think? 90 million USD… Can you accept it?" The president of Alifa Oil Company asked Mavi with respect.
His company, based in the UAE, owned two small oil fields nearing depletion, an oil refining and processing plant, a complete sales network, and an established transportation system with extensive logistics experience.
Originally, this entire industry chain was valued at over 220 million USD. However, due to the exhaustion of the oil fields and the lack of new sites for development, its worth had significantly decreased. As a result, the company was forced to sell at a discounted price.
"Ninety million dollars? That works for me." As the saying goes, "Having connections in high places makes things easier." Mavi didn't even need to think twice before agreeing to the deal. His team had already conducted an appraisal before arriving, and this price was undeniably a bargain!
If it weren't for the Dubai prince stepping in and driving away those meddlesome EU competitors, Mavi figured today's bidding process would have cost him significantly more—and might not have even been successful.
After successfully acquiring the assets of Dubai's Alifa Oil Mining Company, Mavi's Ma V Oil & Energy Company made a massive leap forward, instantly positioning itself as a formidable player in the Russian energy industry. Now, he had the strength to compete with the world's top three oil giants.
---
### Aboard the A380
On the plane, Mavi's butler, Ivan, handed him the latest intelligence report. "Young Master, the first round of bidding for the Caucasus oil fields will begin in two weeks. Almost every major Russian oil company is preparing to compete for these plots."
"According to the Russian government's surveys, one of the richest areas reportedly contains at least $332.5 billion worth of crude oil! Winning this bid could bring the company tens of billions in profits."
Due to the vast amount of oil and gas reserves in the Caucasus, exploration had to be conducted in stages.
In 2001, the primary exploration methods included seismic surveys, gravity surveys, and magnetic surveys. Each had its strengths and weaknesses and could only serve as references rather than providing absolute certainty.
After all, the oil and gas exploration industry was never a guaranteed success. For example, a certain oil company once gained massive fame due to impressive survey results in a Norwegian oil field. However, over the next few years, they drilled 22 wells, all of which turned out to be dry. The entire industry was left stunned.
In short, oil exploration was similar to gambling on jade stones—but with far higher stakes. A single project could involve tens of billions of dollars, with the potential to either make someone unimaginably wealthy overnight or completely bankrupt them.
"Do you have the geological distribution map for the first batch of oil fields? Let me take a look."
Mavi wasn't exceptional in many ways, but he had an excellent memory. Plus, in his previous life, he had a habit of reading up on current events and international affairs.
He seemed to recall seeing an oil and gas distribution map of the Caucasus region online. However, its accuracy was uncertain, so he needed to cross-check and analyze it carefully.
"Yes, Young Master." The butler immediately handed him a printed map, with deep red and light red markings indicating the oil-rich areas in the first batch of exploration sites.
Mavi noticed that the $332.5 billion oil field looked slightly different from what he remembered. He thought back, piecing together details from past news reports, and gradually formed a decision.
At the moment, Mavi only had $1.5 billion in total capital—far from enough to bid for the most lucrative oil fields.
Fortunately, his two U.S.-based companies were about to go public in a few days. Once that happened, funding would no longer be an issue.
---
### Five Days Later
The two companies Mavi had acquired in the U.S.—Blizzard Entertainment and Marvel Studios—finally launched their IPOs on the NASDAQ stock exchange.
The results? A massively successful listing that raised a staggering $104.5 billion in investment capital!
This hundred-billion-dollar fortune was essentially handed to him by American investors—free to spend, no repayment required.
Of course, for the long-term stability of his companies, Mavi couldn't just recklessly splurge this entire sum. The majority of the funds had to be strategically reinvested into the companies' development.
Still, around 10% of the funds were available for flexible use.
For example, he could use $6 billion under Blizzard's name to invest in his Ma V Oil & Energy Company. Similarly, he could allocate $4.5 billion from Marvel Studios into the energy sector.
This meant that for the upcoming oil field auction, Mavi had $11.9 billion to spend freely—enough to crush his competitors in the Russian oil industry.
---
Since both companies were now publicly traded on NASDAQ, their financial transactions and investment decisions had to be disclosed to shareholders. These records appeared on their official websites and financial reports for investors to review.
However, what was supposed to be a routine investment disclosure quickly turned into a media controversy.
For example, one online media outlet ran a headline:
"Blizzard Entertainment is a gaming company. Just days after going public, they're using shareholders' hard-earned money to invest in Russia's energy sector? Is this really okay?"
They continued:
"The energy sector is notoriously complex, and Blizzard has no experience in this field. Furthermore, their newly created energy subsidiary is less than two months old, yet they've allocated 10% of their total capital into it. Isn't this a bit reckless?"
---
Similar articles began flooding the internet, clearly targeting Ma V Group. It was obvious that some competitors, unable to compete fairly, were now turning to media manipulation—trying to stir public opinion to shake the stock prices of his companies.
But Mavi was no stranger to dirty tactics like these. When you reach his level, friends multiply—but so do enemies.
The only way forward? Keep climbing higher, never make a mistake, and never give your enemies a chance to drag you down.
---
### Two Weeks Later – The Russian Ministry of Natural Resources
In front of the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources, a fleet of bulletproof luxury cars slowly rolled into the government district.
The owners of these vehicles? The top executives of Russia's largest oil companies.
Among them were industry giants like:
- Rosneft (Russia's state oil company)
- Lukoil
- Surgutneftegas
Mavi's bulletproof Mercedes SUV also arrived at the ministry's headquarters, joining the sea of elite oil tycoons in the parking lot.
At that moment, a black armored Bentley Mulsanne parked nearby, and a stocky middle-aged Russian man stepped out.
This man was Maksim, chairman of Rosneft, the Russian state oil giant.
With a heavy build and a commanding presence, Maksim's competitive instincts immediately flared up when he spotted a tall, slender man stepping out of a Maybach S600 bulletproof sedan.
With a smirk, Maksim called out in a loud voice, "Well, well! Isn't this Mr. Oleg, President of Lukoil? What brings you here today?"
(End of Chapter)