"Of course. But if Senator Kennedy's appetite is always this large, then I think it will be very hard for us to keep cooperating."
"After all, the first rule of doing business is to act within your means."
"I assume Senator Kennedy would not want his business partner to be a greedy vulture, either."
Looking at Kennedy in front of him, Killian continued.
"Perhaps. Or perhaps Mr. Killian has an even better proposal."
At this moment, Kennedy replied noncommittally.
"Twenty billion dollars for five percent of the shares."
The moment Killian's words fell, Kennedy's voice exploded at once.
"Impossible!!"
"Twenty billion for five percent of the shares? For God's sake, you must be insane, young man. You need to understand something. Even the currently red-hot tech aristocrat, Stark Industries, is nowhere near as expensive as what you're suggesting."
"Even Microsoft, the most influential company in the world, is only worth six hundred billion. You can't seriously think that just because of one Baymax, you can surpass them, can you?"
"You should understand that the five percent you're talking about implies a market valuation of four hundred billion dollars. I hope you know what you're saying."
After the initial outburst, Kennedy calmed down and then looked at Killian with a gloomy expression as he spoke.
One had to know that after Tony Stark announced that he had taken control of Stark Industries, the company had won many orders through various military technologies and cooperation with the military, becoming a money tree in the eyes of investors. But even then, its valuation was only in the tens of billions, and that was already inflated.
Now a little-known small company was suddenly claiming a four-hundred-billion-dollar valuation. Forget Kennedy, if it were anyone else sitting here, their reaction might have been even more exaggerated than his.
Someone more extreme might have stormed off on the spot.
"Of course I know what I'm saying."
"Senator Kennedy, if all you care about is Baymax's technology, then I can establish another subsidiary under AIM, a robotics company specifically responsible for Baymax."
"In that company, if Senator Kennedy wishes to invest, then twenty percent for three billion dollars, I can treat that as making a friend."
"But Senator Kennedy, are you willing?"
Looking at Kennedy, who had already lost his composure, Killian spoke calmly.
For Killian, what mattered most about Baymax was influence. Making money from it was secondary. And if he could use just twenty percent of the shares to win over what amounted to half of America's upper government circles, then for Killian, no, for anyone, that would be an enormous profit.
And despite how untouchable Stark Industries looked in the movies, despite openly and secretly going against the military and the government many times, even eventually refusing to work with the military at all, why was it still able to stand firm?
Because among the company's shares were countless government-related investors, large and small.
And those people had invisibly formed a force specifically to shield Stark Industries.
After all, if Stark was targeted and suffered, that would mean someone was touching their money.
And in a capitalist society like the United States, if your money is threatened, then don't expect to live peacefully.
"What do you mean?"
After hearing Killian's words, Kennedy unusually calmed down, stared directly at him, and asked.
Clearly, he had understood what Killian was implying.
AIM definitely had more in reserve.
"AIM is a private investment think tank that has existed for nearly ten years."
"Our core business includes, but is not limited to, joint external project development, internal mechanical development, chip development, biopharmaceuticals, and involvement in various cutting-edge fields."
"And as everyone knows, when a company releases its first-generation product, that alone is enough to prove that it already has second-generation or even third-generation products in hand."
"And from the very beginning, I said that AIM is a true high-tech company. It will never be limited to a single project."
"Believe me, Senator Kennedy, five hundred billion dollars would not be a loss."
"And AIM will never go public. The only people who will profit from this company are our real insiders."
At this moment, Killian met Kennedy's gaze and spoke word by word, calm and composed.
"Not go public? Then how are you supposed to make money?"
"Even if you have Baymax, how much can that really sell for in a year? If you went public, you'd get returns dozens or even hundreds of times greater."
After hearing Killian's words, Redman, who had remained silent the entire time, finally spoke up.
And after hearing Redman speak, Kennedy said nothing more. He only turned his head and looked at Killian, as if waiting for his explanation.
"That's right. I admit that if we went public, then even if we did nothing else, just the first wave alone would let us make a fortune."
"But you need to understand, that only applies to ordinary companies."
"First, we are a technology company. If a company goes public, then its information must be transparent and open."
"And for a company that holds many high-tech secrets, that would be fatal. So we cannot go public."
"Second, by not going public, we can ensure that the shares in the hands of our own people remain pure and are never diluted. And whatever I give out will not be lightly taken back."
"Third, and most importantly, though I cannot disclose this point because of commercial confidentiality, believe me, Senator Kennedy and Senator Redman, if you join us, you absolutely will not lose out. In fact, you'll feel it was worth far more than the price."
Killian said.
"How do I know you aren't lying to us? That's five hundred billion dollars. No person or power could possibly hand that over casually."
After a long silence, Kennedy stared hard into Killian's eyes, as if trying to see through his heart, and asked.
"First, I am a businessman, and I am also a scientist."
"Whether for profit or for reputation, I would never be foolish enough to challenge a group that influences half of America."
"I'm not stupid."
"Second, isn't Baymax itself enough proof already?"
"I can say it plainly. Baymax is at least twenty years ahead of the world's current technological level. I believe you understand that better than I do. Otherwise, we wouldn't be sitting here right now."
"Third, if I really wanted to scam money, then I could easily keep you hanging first, and then use your names to approach successful people all across America."
"Believe me, the moment the relevant news came out, I could raise even more money."
Looking at Kennedy, Killian knew the man was already tempted, so he continued.
(End of Chapter)
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