Chapter 41

The Bear Kingdom is Now Mine Chapter 41

Chapter 41: Injuries in the Moscow Apartment / Gas and Oil Exploded

"It's been a long time since you visited."

"Have you been well?"

"I've been extremely busy, without a moment's rest."

As Nikolai entered the newspaper office, the editor-in-chief and the staff stopped what they were doing to warmly welcome him.

"Being busy means things are going well, right?"

"The promotional event we ran before had such a great response that our subscribers have been steadily increasing. We've now set up distribution centers across Russia."

"Oh, that's great news. So, the number of subscribers has increased, right?"

"Of course. We can now be considered the largest newspaper in Russia."

The growth has been rapid.

This rapid growth is not just due to the promotional methods Nikolai suggested but also the editor-in-chief's tireless efforts.

"Surely you're not satisfied with this, are you?"

"How could I be? I want to grow even bigger."

"That's why I'm here again."

"Is there a way to increase the number of subscribers even more...?"

The editor-in-chief's eyes sparkled, knowing that Nikolai always came up with innovative ideas.

"We need to create a significant gap that other newspapers can't catch up to."

"I've thought about that, but I haven't found a proper way yet."

It's not something anyone can easily come up with.

"First, let's talk about the payment. As you know, once a brilliant idea is out, it's hard to get its true value."

"Ah, payment. Yes, we need to be clear about that. What percentage do you think?"

"I currently have 15%, so... about 5% more would be good."

20% feels like a nice, round number.

Last time it was 3%, but this time it's 5%.

The newspaper has grown more than tenfold since then, so the percentage difference is significant.

Nikolai, knowing this, asked for 5% before the company grew even larger.

Indeed, the editor-in-chief's frown deepened, as if he had considered this.

...Or not.

"I'll give it to you! 5%."

He called it without any hesitation.

"..."

Nikolai felt a slight regret for not asking for more, but it quickly disappeared.

"Then, let's write up the contract."

"I'll prepare it."

A short while later, after receiving the contract, Nikolai refreshed his throat with cold water and presented a new idea.

"People tend to think only within their own field when doing something."

"I don't quite understand..."

"You run a newspaper, so you only think about newspaper-related things, right?"

"Yes."

"That's not good. I've mentioned this before... you need to broaden your thinking to see a bigger world."

"...?"

The editor-in-chief still looked confused.

"What was the method we used to attract a large number of subscribers initially?"

"...We delivered the newspapers directly to people's homes."

"Exactly. That solved a customer's inconvenience, which led to a significant effect. So, we need to think about solving other inconveniences."

"How so?"

There are many methods, but think about what can be delivered with the morning newspaper.

"Do Russians particularly like milk?"

"Of course. We drink milk daily and use it in various dishes."

"So, we'll offer to deliver milk with the morning newspaper."

"Ah!"

Acquire a small dairy company.

Since the distribution centers are already set up in each city, it won't cost much.

"This way, we can make money from both sides."

"You mean offering the size of milk the customer wants with the morning newspaper?"

Nikolai smiled and gave a thumbs-up.

"Wow, that's a brilliant idea. We should first run ads to attract milk customers, right?"

"Exactly."

"Receiving fresh milk early in the morning will definitely increase our subscribers."

"We'll offer a discount on the newspaper subscription for those who sign up for morning milk delivery. We'll also give gifts like last time."

"Listening to you gives me goosebumps."

The editor-in-chief rubbed his arms, as if he really felt it.

"This strategy combines something completely different from newspapers, like milk, to create a synergy effect."

"Nikolai, you're definitely a genius. Just look at U-Mart and the Ussuriysk apartments."

"Let's see how it goes. If it works, we'll follow the contract."

"Of course. That's only fair."

"By the way, I plan to run some newspaper ads this time. Two of them."

"What kind of ads?"

Nikolai handed over a piece of paper.

"The title is 'The 1st Unicorn Miss and Mister Contest.' The content should be as written here."

The editor-in-chief read the paper and asked.

"Hmm. Why are you holding such a contest? It doesn't seem particularly profitable."

"There are several reasons, but the main one is to solidify an image. Ultimately, it's to make Unicorn more widely known."

"Ah, I see."

"The second ad should be run four days after the first one, so it doesn't get overshadowed by the contest."

"Understood."

The second ad was about recruiting construction workers for Unicorn.

We were severely short of staff to build apartments and various facilities in the Sakha Republic.

While experienced workers would be given preferential treatment, we also decided to accept inexperienced ones.

They can learn on the job.

After leaving the newspaper office, Nikolai headed to the TV station.

* * *

Ten days later.

'The 1st Unicorn Miss and Mister Contest'

After the newspaper ad, the contest received explosive attention from Russians.

When the interest surpassed a certain level, the TV station approached Nikolai.

- We'd like to broadcast this contest.

- That would be great, but is it possible?

I asked, thinking it might not fit the socialist sentiment, but the producer's response was surprising.

- The government has approved it. They requested it after you visited the TV station and the newspaper ad ran the next day.

- If the government approved it, then the president?

- It's on TV; how could we do this without the president's approval?

Thus, the contest was broadcast nationwide.

The contest had many unique aspects, one of which was the judges.

"Why are you going to reflect 70% of the audience's opinions?"

"If we leave it to the judges, they'll pick based on personal preferences. We need to select people that most Russians will like. That's why I made this bold change."

Sasha nodded, seemingly agreeing.

"What will the winners do?"

"They'll become models for the Unicorn Group, appear in TV ads, and attend various events. They'll have many opportunities."

The audience received a sheet of paper each.

During the first hour of the broadcast, they would score several questions, and the scores would be collected and calculated.

The contest lasted a total of 5 hours, so there was plenty of time.

The broadcast was a 1.5-hour recording.

Nikolai also attended as a judge, but the judges' scores only counted for 30%, so it didn't have much impact.

If Nikolai were to pick, the candidates would likely reflect a very Korean perspective.

To give more weight to the majority opinion, the audience's score weight was significantly increased.

"Yes! The '1st Unicorn Miss and Mister Contest' has begun. The candidates are coming on stage one by one. Let's hear from Nikolai Yusupov, who organized this event. Hello."

The female host handed the microphone to Nikolai, who spoke naturally.

"Hello."

"Is this the first and only contest, or will it continue?"

"It will continue. We plan to hold it annually around this time."

"The benefits for the top 10 men and women are unprecedented. In addition to the prize money, a 35-square-meter apartment in Moscow is prepared as a bonus. When will it be completed?"

"It will be completed within 2.5 years at the latest. We already have the land and the design is finalized."

"I see. When we talked earlier, you mentioned that it would surpass the Ussuriysk apartments. I'm really looking forward to it."

After the conversation, Nikolai returned to his seat and began the judging.

The 5-hour contest ended, and 10 men and 10 women were selected.

* * *

The first place Nikolai took the selected participants was Gazprom in the Sakha Republic.

He considered taking only the women but decided to bring everyone to introduce them to the female employees and the families of male employees.

The vice president and staff were speechless.

"Mr. Yusupov, are these the winners of the contest?"

"How do you think? Did we pick well?"

"I didn't know Russia had such beautiful people. It's refreshing to see."

The male employees also smiled brightly, like children.

The female employees couldn't take their eyes off the male models.

Nikolai felt he had made the right decision by focusing the judging on the audience.

He had seen many beautiful women in the future, but these were no less stunning.

"Wow, that man is really handsome. If I were a bit younger..."

Middle-aged women, regardless of the country, praised the man.

"By the way, I was just about to contact you."

"Is there something wrong?"

"Yes, 4 hours ago, the ground in the 3rd field collapsed a few meters, and two people working nearby were taken to the hospital."

"Oh... What's their condition?"

"They weren't physically injured but haven't regained consciousness yet."

"What did the hospital say?"

"They said it might be due to gas inhalation. We investigated, but there were no signs of gas leakage."

The vice president's face showed disappointment.

They had been waiting for over 5 years for the gas to be discovered, and this hope had vanished.

But Nikolai knew.

This incident was a signal.

'A signal that the gas is about to come out.'

Suppressing the urge to cheer, he said,

"I want to organize a performance to comfort the hardworking staff. Think of it as a morale-boosting show."

"Ah, then we should pick an appropriate holiday and prepare for it."

"Let's do that. Also, we've recruited more construction workers, so many people will be coming here soon. Unicorn construction workers."

"Understood."

Nikolai spent three days with the models, boosting the morale of the staff.

Five years of neglect and indifference had closed the hearts of the staff, but with Nikolai as the new CEO, their hearts were quickly opening up.

* * *

As Nikolai predicted, a construction boom hit the Sakha Republic.

With the simultaneous construction of apartments, U-Mart, and irrigation facilities, a massive influx of labor and materials began.

The construction started, and on June 3, 1995,

an unprecedented discovery occurred.

Oil was found in the 1st field, and gas in the 3rd field.

What he had seen in the newspaper became a reality.