socalfunplaces Page 145
Page 145
At this moment, the desert is like a giant oven, enveloping the entire desert in scorching heat.
Tony and Ethan looked at each other in bewilderment.
"Hawk! You bastard, even if you don't take me back to New York, you should at least take me to an American military camp!"
"Hey! Come back right now, did you hear me? Leave me in the military camp!"
"No way, big brother? You're really leaving? Don't leave me behind!"
Tony was on the verge of tears; it was so hot in the desert.
Ethan was speechless and said:
"Young Master Hawke, he truly is worthy of being your good friend, Tony!"
They're all equally unreliable.
"Fuck! He actually left." Tony cursed viciously, "That bastard is a real dog!!"
Ethan asked, "Tony, what should we do now?"
"What else can we do?" Tony said, his teeth itching with anger. "Since he's already sent Rhodes the coordinates, we can only wait here."
He plopped down on his bottom.
His body was instantly launched into the air.
"So hot, so hot!"
Tony grimaced and rubbed his buttocks hard.
He felt like his buttocks were about to be scalded.
Ethan cleverly pulled his coat over his head to shield himself from the direct sunlight and sandstorm, saying:
“Tony, let’s find a sheltered sand dune nearby to take shelter. Otherwise, if we just stand here in the sun, I’m afraid we’ll both dehydrate and die before your friends even arrive.”
What else could Tony do?
0 ······Requesting flowers···· ········
Who told that bastard Hawke to play a trick on him, acting first and asking questions later?
The two of them didn't know how long they had been waiting. Tony's head was spinning, and he muttered to himself, "My chilled whiskey..."
Tony is a big drinker. He came to Afghanistan to sell Jellico missiles, starting at $500 million, without any haggling. But after spending $500 million, Tony said he would give him a case of liquor and a safe with a built-in cooling system, which contained Old Maltcask Laphroaig 17-year-old Scottish malt barrels.
What he misses now is the chilled whiskey he brought all the way from New York to Afghanistan.
at last.
..... ...... ....
Tony heard the sound of a helicopter.
Look up at the sky.
It was a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter.
"Damn it, why did it take you so long to get here?!"
Tony was so excited he almost cried.
The helicopter landed, and a group of people dressed as American soldiers jumped out. The leader was none other than Tony's good friend, the future war machine, Colonel Rhodes.
Will I still ride in your happy little jeep in the future?
Colonel Rhodes approached Tony and, seeing that his face was covered in dirt but he seemed unharmed, breathed a sigh of relief. His furrowed brows relaxed, and he chuckled and teased him.
"So I'll be riding in the Happy Convertible from now on?" Tony's mouth was still as stubborn as ever. He said, "Dude, it was just an accident, do you have to mock me like that?! I bet even the great Kennedy wouldn't like the way you talk!"
"You!"
Colonel Rhodes smiled and shook his head.
Then the two brothers embraced each other with great affection.
Afterwards, Colonel Rhodes noticed Ethan: "And this is...?"
“He is Ethan, my savior. Without him, the grass on my grave would have grown long.”
Tony explained with a smile.
Without Ethan's help in making the car battery, Tony would indeed be dead by now after being hit by a shell manufactured by his own company, and wouldn't even have been able to wait for Hawke to come and save him.
265 I... [Please subscribe and give flowers]
While Tony and Ethan were still enduring the high temperatures in the desert, Hawke had already returned to New York.
Hawke was drinking an ice-cold cola in Emilia's office in the newly purchased headquarters building of Lane Financial Group.
"Cool!"
When it's hot, drinking an ice-cold can of cola is truly one of the happiest things in the world.
Emilia, her legs encased in thin black stockings, brazenly placed them on Hawke's lap, pouting, "Where have you been gallivanting off to? Still remembering me? I thought you were dating Jordan."
"What are you talking about? I just got back from a business trip, okay? And! You actually suspect me of having an affair with a man?" Hawke chuckled and pulled Emilia into his arms, planting a hard kiss on her lips.
a long time.
Emilia's lip gloss had been completely eaten by Hawke, who was "597". She was panting and blushing as she nestled in Hawke's arms, burying her head in Hawke's heart and listening to the strong beating of his heart.
Like a little kitten.
"How's things going at the company lately?"
Hawke took another big gulp of iced cola.
“With Goldman Sachs’ assistance, we have greatly increased our influence after integrating all our banks,” Emilia said. “During this period, the restructuring and integration of the entire Lane Financial Group is almost complete. If it weren’t for Goldman Sachs, it would probably have taken us at least one or two years to do it on our own.”
Hawke nodded: "Definitely. After all, Goldman Sachs is a professional, and they also receive commissions. For such a large-scale merger, they take a percentage, which is $500 million. That's not cheap."
“This money was well spent. By the way, Stella sent me an email about a project seeking funding. It’s in an area we haven’t worked in yet. She thinks this area can help expand the reach and influence of her social media platforms. Do you want to take a look?” Emilia opened her email and placed it in front of Hawke.
Although the Ryan Group, Ryan Financial Group, Ryan Media Group, and the soon-to-be-independent Umbrella Corporation are managed independently, as businesses of the Ryan family, they naturally have a great deal of business dealings and cooperation.
"hiss--"
Hawke picked up the computer, and as soon as he saw the company's name, he gasped: "Riot Games? The game is called 'League of Legends'?"
Emilia asked curiously, "You've heard of it? Stella's proposal to me said that they've already tried out League of Legends internally and gave it high praise, calling it a groundbreaking game. When it's released, they can ride the wave of World of Warcraft's popularity and maybe make a lot of money. And if it really becomes popular, we can also prepare to hold our own League of Legends tournaments."
"Our own competition?" Hawke frowned and said, "Isn't there already a WCG?"
WCG, the World Cyber Games, is a global esports tournament founded in 2000. It is organized by Korea International Electronic Marketing Corporation and sponsored by Samsung and Microsoft.
“WCG is, after all, someone else’s business, owned by Samsung and Microsoft. How can we hand over our weakness to others?” Emilia said. “If League of Legends really becomes a huge success, as long as we operate it properly, it will be more than enough to support a League of Legends tournament and maximize the game’s influence.”
Hawke thought for a moment. He didn't watch esports competitions much, but he knew that League of Legends did have its own World Championship (S-series). Later on, many esports fans compared WCG and S3 to the difference between the Olympics and the World Cup.
While the Olympics may have the rightful and legitimate status, the World Cup is still the best choice for reflecting the will of the people.
When we don't think things through deeply, we can only see the surface phenomena. Is the reason why "League of Legends" has become a game that everyone is obsessed with? Is it really because of its superior quality that it can crush all others?
Actually not necessarily.
Penguin's powerful marketing capabilities are perhaps even more important.
Hawke recalls that Tencent fully acquired Riot Games in 2011, the same year the World Championship (S-Series) was launched. This means that Tencent acquired Riot Games first, investing heavily to give Riot Games the resources to organize the World Championship, which led to the increasing influence of League of Legends and its transformation into a cultural phenomenon. Only then did Tencent reap a huge financial reward.
"It's not League of Legends that made Tencent successful, but rather Tencent that made League of Legends successful?"
Hawke seemed thoughtful...
If Tencent hadn't acquired League of Legends, they might have been able to use their resources to create another phenomenal game to replace it.
Capital determines everything.
This is like many popular celebrities who receive over 100 million yuan in salary for a single film, but is all that salary really going to them?
Are investors really that stupid?
I guess the probability of it being a case of identity theft is higher.
Most of those salaries only pass through the hands of popular celebrities before ultimately ending up in the pockets of capitalists. As for why so many popular celebrities evade taxes…
I guess the amount that passed through their hands was too large, and the taxes they had to pay were too high, so they didn't keep much for themselves, and that's why they were so resentful.
"Are you planning to organize your own League of Legends esports competition?"
“Yes,” Emilia said. “I’ve already calculated it. Holding a League of Legends tournament every year would only cost around ten million dollars, which is not a problem at all.”
Hawke thought for a moment and said, "Okay. You decide what to do. It's only ten million dollars at a time. As for the financing, you can discuss it with Stella. Spend more money and take control directly."
Emilia remarked that working for a big, burly boss was a breeze.
A mere ten million dollars... 4.8...
They always want to take control of other people's shares...
She liked Hawke's attitude of not treating money like money at all.
So handsome!
Hawk patted Emilia's shapely bottom and said:
"I'm supporting you so much, is there any benefit for me?"
Emilia gave Hawke a flirty wink, then went back to her office room to change her clothes.
She transformed from a professional black stockings outfit into a black lace lingerie set. Her fair skin seemed to shimmer under the lights, her charming face, delicate collarbones, subtle cleavage, slender waist, and long, beautiful legs encased in black stockings made her breathtakingly beautiful.
Emilia walked gracefully to Hawke, breathed into his ear, and whispered:
“I…”
266 A dozen or so beautiful female military officers? [Seeking flowers and subscriptions]
Inside the airport.
Pepper Potts, dressed in a professional business suit and with her makeup perfectly done, was already waiting. Behind her was a stretch Lincoln belonging to Tony.
With a cascade of blonde hair falling over her shoulders, a beautiful face, and an air of shrewdness and competence, she truly deserves to be the woman who takes such good care of Tony's life and work.