Liu Hui’s two brand-new pharmaceuticals were fundamentally eroding the market share of tobacco merchants and drug dealers, and this erosion was irreversible. As long as people continued to consume the two products manufactured by Starry Sky Group, the cigarette market and the drug market would shrink continuously until ultimately, no one would touch their tobacco or narcotics.

Liu Hui’s actions had deeply harmed the vital interests of these powerful groups. They loathed the Starry Sky Group and Liu Hui with burning hatred. However, they were fully aware of the immense strength backing the Starry Sky Group. Thus, they could only watch helplessly as the Starry Sky Group promoted its products globally under the banner of public welfare, completely unable to halt the sales of these two products in the market.

As for the tobacco companies, although they publicly chanted slogans about quitting smoking and even deliberately highlighted the severe health hazards on cigarette packaging, deep down, they harbored no genuine desire for people to quit. They shouted anti-smoking slogans yet were unafraid that consumers would actually quit, because, in the minds of tobacco merchants, the notion that smokers would ever truly quit was simply a joke.

For a long time, the tobacco market represented an enormous source of revenue. If all smokers quit, who would buy the cigarettes these merchants produced? And from whom would the government collect those substantial excise taxes? Therefore, the ones gnashing their teeth in hatred toward Starry Feast Group and Liu Hui now were precisely the government departments and tobacco magnates in nations where the tobacco industry remained under state monopoly.

Among those who hated Liu Hui was Zhou Hua of Huaxia. When managing the tobacco market in Huaxia, Zhou Hua’s actions were even more outrageous; he scorned even the pretense of anti-smoking campaigns, going so far as to design cigarette packaging so exquisite and appealing that it instantly charmed consumers, completely disregarding international regulations.

But those good days were long gone. Zhou Hua now felt a persistent sense of dread. As soon as he learned that the Starry Sky Group was about to launch "Starry Sky Quit-Smoking Elixir" and understood its precise efficacy, he realized his doom was imminent. He desperately mobilized within the country, frantically networking with his powerful backers, attempting to block the domestic launch and sale of the "Starry Sky Quit-Smoking Elixir."

However, Zhou Hua failed to anticipate that Liu Hui had chosen an upper-echelon strategy within the nation. The intricate web of interests connecting the Starry Sky Group with various domestic factions was far beyond Zhou Hua’s imagination. Consequently, despite his extensive efforts, he could not impede the Starry Sky Group’s progress; the "Starry Sky Quit-Smoking Elixir" was launched domestically as planned.

While long-term smokers, bound by decades of habit, were initially hesitant to quit, younger individuals who had only recently started smoking began experimenting with quitting, as smoking had become a significant financial burden for today’s youth.

As a result, the entire nation of Huaxia saw an immediate drop of one-quarter of its smokers. This declining trend continued, and this reduction was permanent, impossible to reverse by any means.

Following the departure of a quarter of the smokers, the tobacco industry in Huaxia faced a severe crisis. Tobacco products manufactured by merchants began to pile up in massive surpluses, and local governments that heavily relied on substantial tobacco tax revenue started finding their own financial situations strained.

Huaxia, a giant in the tobacco world, suddenly lost a quarter of its smokers, leading to a massive slump in domestic tobacco sales and resulting in substantial tax revenue losses for the nation. Yet, under the firm insistence of the high-ranking officials led by Luo Tianmin, the domestic sales of the "Starry Sky Quit-Smoking Elixir" were vigorously enforced; absolutely no one was permitted to erect obstacles to its sales.

This decisive action by Luo Tianmin, the new leading official, instantly won the admiration of the common people. After all, this leader made no grand speeches, but his tangible actions delivered real benefits to countless citizens.

Against this sweeping backdrop, Zhou Hua, the official in charge of national tobacco sales, began to panic. As the scale of tobacco sales continually dwindled, the seemingly boundless tobacco market once held firmly in his grasp started to crumble. The income of the interest groups backing him, whose ties were linked through the tobacco market he managed, began to sharply decline. As this descent continued, Zhou Hua’s standing in their eyes rapidly diminished.

Zhou Hua’s utility to the factions behind him gradually diminished, and they began to pay him less heed. However, since Zhou Hua still possessed compromising information on many of them, these groups remained wary of him. Thus, during a working meeting discussing strategies to prevent further declines in tobacco sales, Zhou Hua was subjected to the "double investigation" protocol, and during this period of confinement, he committed suicide out of guilt.

Over the span of more than two months, the Starry Sky Group had dominated global media headlines. Thanks to these two new products, the Starry Sky Group had simultaneously demolished two entire industries: tobacco and narcotics.

Unlike previous occasions that drew condemnation and censure, the destruction of these two industries this time earned unanimous praise. After all, nobody favored smokers or drug addicts. The eradication of both groups by the Starry Sky Group was viewed as a positive development for the world. Amidst this global acclaim, researchers studying the Starry Sky Group were stunned. In the mere two months since their launch, the two products had sold a combined total of 120 million units of "Starry Sky Quit-Smoking Elixir" and "Starry Sky Quit-Drug Elixir," netting the Starry Sky Group a colossal revenue of 120 billion US dollars, with further increases projected for the future. These researchers were deeply envious; while some global enterprises struggled to break the 100 million dollar sales barrier, Starry Sky Group’s products easily surpassed the 100 billion milestone.

Liu Hui had deliberately released the "Starry Sky Quit-Smoking Elixir" to avenge Yue Wang, and had concurrently introduced the "Starry Sky Quit-Drug Elixir." He had not anticipated that both products would bring him such tremendous unexpected rewards. Not only did they generate immense revenue for the Starry Sky Group, but they also achieved Liu Hui’s original goal: to obliterate the domestic tobacco market and reduce Zhou Hua to a destitute outcast.

Just as Liu Hui predicted, Zhou Hua did become a pariah. However, before Liu Hui could make his own move, Zhou Hua was eliminated by the very interest groups supporting him. Liu Hui felt a flicker of regret, but he quickly shifted his focus away from Zhou Hua, as the Starry Sky Science Research Institute had produced new breakthroughs.

Inside Dean Chen Changsheng’s office, Liu Hui was observing a surveillance video playing in the room.

“Dean Chen, this is the excavation site for that massive undersea iron ore deposit, correct?” Liu Hui inquired, pointing at the video.

Chen Changsheng smiled. “Boss, this is the monitoring footage from the super large iron mine site. What you are witnessing is the entire process of iron ore extraction.”

Liu Hui exclaimed in astonishment, “If you hadn’t specifically pointed it out, I never would have guessed that this mining vehicle, which looks quite unremarkable, can scoop up a thousand tons of iron ore with a single pass of its massive shovel. It truly deserves the title of Undersea Behemoth.”

On the surveillance feed, the mining vehicle appeared unimpressive. Due to the lack of a clear reference object, Liu Hui initially mistook it for a standard, small-scale engineering vehicle. Upon learning that the shovel in front of this vehicle could lift a thousand tons in one scoop, confirming its status as a true Undersea Behemoth, he was greatly startled.

“Boss, ever since you provided the high-grade energy stones as the core power source, combined with the novel materials reinforced by the formation array, we have made tremendous strides in the manufacturing of heavy machinery. Large equipment like the one you just saw, capable of scooping a thousand tons per pass, are numerous, though we keep them off the ‘Starry Sky City’ due to security protocols. The machinery currently in use on ‘Starry Sky City’ possesses only one-tenth the power output of these Undersea Behemoths,” Chen Changsheng explained.

Liu Hui stroked his chin thoughtfully. “No wonder Anqi said this complex of undersea factories can produce ten billion tons of steel annually. Without the aid of these Undersea Behemoths, achieving such output would be impossible.”

Chen Changsheng affirmed, “Correct. It is precisely with the assistance of these Undersea Behemoths that we can expedite deep-sea mining operations. In this single super iron mine excavation zone alone, there are one hundred deep-sea mining vehicles like the one you just saw. We are continuing to manufacture these ultra-large mining vehicles; within six months, their projected number will reach one thousand.”

Liu Hui chuckled. “One thousand units! If each vehicle shovels a million tons of ore per pass—just contemplating that scale is terrifying. Right, how many undersea trains do we have operational now?”

Chen Changsheng replied, “We have worked overtime these past few months and currently possess twenty undersea trains. Each train has a transport capacity of 450,000 tons. If these twenty trains are deployed simultaneously, they can move up to nine million tons of material in one trip.”

Liu Hui did some quick calculations and shook his head. “Although the capacity of these undersea trains is considerable, their sheer number is far from sufficient to meet our transportation demands.”

Chen Changsheng stated, “In the next phase, we will intensify the production of undersea trains. Currently, these trains are barely enough to haul the iron ore and steel produced by this massive iron mine, let alone accommodate the planned extraction from the undersea oil fields and that super large copper mine.”

Liu Hui nodded. “You have the authority to manage these matters, Chen. Just adhere to one guiding principle: do not allow any delays to the construction schedule of ‘Starry Sky City.’”

Chen Changsheng assured him, “Rest assured, Boss. Miss Anqi has already drafted a long-term blueprint for us; the construction of ‘Starry Sky City’ will absolutely not be compromised.”