Chapter 64

The Bear Republic is Now Mine Chapter 64

064 Google Shares / Three Months Later. Prelude to the IMF

After Nikolai's question, the vice president remained silent for a long time before finally speaking with difficulty.

"…Former President Yeltsin set excessively high production targets. As a result, employees were overworked for several years. If you look at the resignation rates during that period, you'll see that many employees left due to the heavy workload."

"But there were also many new hires, right?"

"We had to replace the number of people who resigned."

"Let's talk about what happened after Former President Yeltsin stepped down."

He asked this because the sharp decline in production began from that point.

"The reasonable production level for this mine is about 50%. So, after Former President Yeltsin stepped down, we adjusted the operation rate to 50%. I made this decision for the employees."

He lowered the operation rate to ensure the mine could continue to operate smoothly.

It was as if he was saying that he had done nothing wrong because his decision was for the employees.

There were other stories, but this was the core of the matter.

Some people seemed to understand the vice president's position from his story.

Nikolai also understood to some extent...

'He's just playing. For the employees, he says?'

To him, this statement sounded more absurd than 'Stalin being a UNICEF ambassador.'

Nikolai did not believe him.

During his time as a journalist, he had seen countless times the empty words and actions of the media and politicians, so he did not believe in words.

He only trusted the results of long-term actions and data.

It's the same now.

The vice president tried to explain his position through words, but Nikolai did not know much about him.

He needed to accurately understand how he had been working all this time.

"Starting from tomorrow, please bring the employees back. We'll meet again at 10 AM tomorrow morning. There are things we need to confirm together. You can leave now."

"…Understood."

After the vice president left, the investigator asked,

"It seems the situation is settled, but is there anything else you need to confirm?"

"So far, we've only checked the internal accounts of Alrosa. We need to check the places the vice president couldn't tamper with."

"What places are you talking about?"

"There's a place where the ore is refined into products. By investigating how much product is produced when a certain amount of ore is mined, we can find out."

To make Alrosa grow even more than in the original history, we need to clean up this time.

We need to dig out the rotten parts and cut off what needs to be cut off boldly.

* * *

When he asked the employees in the morning, their answers were consistent.

"The vice president worked very hard for the employees. Adjusting working hours was inevitable due to the excessive production targets."

The employees knew this.

The vice president was remembered as a grateful person who took the blame for the employees.

He reduced working hours to smuggle diamonds and made the employees completely his allies.

But this belief did not last long.

His misdeeds were exposed when they checked the accounts of the factory that processed the ore into jewelry.

Alrosa and the jewelry factory had different owners, so their accounts were different.

"Looking at these accounts, production has not decreased by 50%, but has increased by more than 200%. How could this happen when the operation rate was reduced to 50%?"

The investigator looked at the vice president with a puzzled expression.

'There's only one explanation for this.'

When everyone looked at the vice president with puzzled expressions, Nikolai's lips curled up.

"Mr. Vice President, I almost fell for it. You've been putting on a great act all this time."

"…"

"A major diamond vein was discovered, right?"

"…"

"Officer, please handcuff the vice president. We have evidence, so it's fine."

"Ha, I thought the vice president couldn't be the culprit when we were staking out together yesterday."

The vice president was strangely silent.

Until now, he had claimed to be innocent and only cared for the employees.

He thought his excuses wouldn't work with the new president, whose grandfather was the president.

"If you have anything to say, it's better to say it now. Once you're in prison, you won't be able to even if you want to."

"…At first, I didn't plan to do this."

"Then what happened?"

"After Former President Yeltsin stepped down, there was no one to properly manage and supervise Alrosa."

From then on, the vice president began to have other thoughts.

He thought that if he manipulated the internal accounts of Alrosa, he could keep the profit without being caught.

Then, a major diamond vein was discovered, which further twisted his mind.

"I lost my head for a moment. I'm sorry."

"By the way, are the site manager, the dump truck driver, and the cafeteria lady involved?"

"What?"

"They seemed very nervous."

"I don't know much about that."

In fact, the dump truck driver and the cafeteria lady were unusually nervous because they were afraid of being suspected.

People have different levels of nervousness, so these two stood out.

The site manager, as the person responsible for the site, was naturally nervous.

"Let's go to the new vein first."

Nikolai got into the car with his team.

Shasha clicked her tongue as she got into the car.

"I also thought the vice president couldn't be the culprit. If he's the culprit, it's too obvious."

"When an incident happens, suspect the person who benefits the most from it. If that person doesn't seem like they would do it, they might be the culprit."

When a husband dies, the wife is the most likely culprit. When a wife dies, the husband, family, relatives, friends, or lovers are the most likely culprits.

Nikolai had already made this assumption and proceeded with the investigation, and it turned out to be correct.

A short while later, when Nikolai arrived at the mine, he continued down to the open-pit mine that resembled a snail shell.

The employees, seeing the vice president in handcuffs, gathered with wide eyes.

"Here it is."

Nikolai went to where the vice president pointed and asked a worker,

"Does a lot of diamond ore come from here?"

"Yes, no other place can match it. This vein continues in several branches."

"I see."

He could see many sparkling things in the rocks.

With such things coming out endlessly from the ground, the vice president must have lost his mind.

"Thank you for your hard work. I'll make sure to improve the safety and comfort of your work, so please bear with it a little longer."

After checking the new vein, he calmed his trembling heart and headed to the cafeteria to eat.

* * *

After lunch, the employees gathered in an open space.

Curious about what the new president would say, their eyes sparkled.

"First, I deeply appreciate all your hard work. As the new president of Alrosa, I plan to completely reform the company's system."

To quickly boost the company's morale, he decided to take emergency measures.

"Starting this month, I will increase your salaries by 50%."

For employees, a salary increase is the greatest joy.

The murmurs among the employees grew louder.

"In a year, I will increase it by another 50%."

Suddenly, the murmurs turned into cheers that filled the open space.

Wow!

"Mr. President! You're amazing!"

"The president's grandson is definitely different."

This was not all.

Nikolai continued to speak about what he planned to do.

"I will immediately replace all the equipment used on-site with new ones."

Despite the old and inefficient equipment, a considerable amount of diamonds were still mined.

With the latest heavy machinery and improved work methods, what would happen?

'Alrosa will become a cash cow like Gazprom.'

Nikolai was overjoyed to have not only become the owner of Alrosa but also to have discovered an unexpected major diamond vein.

This mine is like a cash-printing machine.

"I will build employee apartments and a U-Mart here, just like at Gazprom. I will also make Mirny a specialized city where all diamond-related work can be done."

Nikolai spoke like a campaign promise, but he would definitely keep this promise.

His words had been kept many times before.

The employees, who knew what kind of person the new president was through TV, were even more enthusiastic about his promise.

On Saturday morning, a group dinner was held, inviting all the employees and their families.

"Mr. President, let me pour you a drink."

"Mr. President, please take my glass too."

Drinking vodka over 50 degrees was a real ordeal, so even though Nikolai drank only a little, his stomach felt like it was on fire.

* * *

As Alrosa was reborn, the police reported to Nikolai about everything they found that the vice president had hidden.

"The vice president will be in prison for a long time. Even if he gets out, he will be an old man."

"Thank you for your hard work."

"I learned a lot from this case. Thanks to you, I got a promotion. Thank you."

"You deserve it. Congratulations."

After that, Nikolai worked with the construction vice president to plan the urbanization of the area.

"Proceed with everything at once. As you know, we have plenty of funds, so don't hold back."

"You're right. Since diamonds pour out as soon as we dig, we don't need to worry about construction costs. Ha ha. It's easier to build a city from scratch here."

It's harder to build a new building in a crowded area, but in an almost empty plain, there's nothing to get in the way.

The construction vice president showed enthusiasm, as if he was already energized.

Nikolai looked at the newly appointed vice president.

He was a good talent, having passed multiple rounds of verification.

Still, to prevent him from having other thoughts like the previous vice president, he completely reformed the company's system.

"From heavy machinery to what the employees need for their work, discuss with the construction vice president and replenish everything as soon as possible."

"I will follow your instructions."

"In the future, Alrosa will be a company that can rival Gazprom. I will make it so, so please take pride in your role."

"Understood. And Mr. President, thank you for appointing me as vice president."

"If I see you're not qualified, I'll fire you immediately. So, don't let any problems arise in the company."

"I will do my best to repay you."

Thus, 'Alrosa' embraced Nikolai, offering him an unexpected windfall.

* * *

As Nikolai worked tirelessly, time passed quickly, and two months went by.

November 1, 1996.

GUM Department Store opened nationwide, showing the people a new world different from U-Mart.

"Oh, that Chanel bag is really pretty. Should I buy one?"

"Isn't it too expensive?"

"My husband works at Gazprom. We can afford this. Look, he even gave me a card."

While credit card usage was gradually increasing in Russia, Nikolai, who knew the future, firmly advised the government not to issue credit cards indiscriminately.

While the department store did not generate explosive sales like U-Mart, sales would increase as the Russian economy improved.

He also reformed the education system.

He added discussion and creativity classes to the lecture-based lessons.

He adjusted various exams to focus more on students' creative thinking rather than rote memorization.

To match this, he assigned two teachers to each class.

One teacher assisted the main teacher.

The assistant teacher had to complete a certain period of service to become a main teacher.

He also created a law to increase civil servants' salaries in line with inflation.

This was because one of the biggest problems in Russia was corruption among civil servants.

However, if a civil servant received a bribe or if complaints on the city's website reached a certain level, they would be thoroughly investigated and could be forced to resign in disgrace.

"Indeed, things are progressing so quickly and satisfactorily with you in charge."

President Zakhary, seeing how well Nikolai handled the tasks he was given, decided to entrust him with any future problems.

* * *

On November 10, a welcome guest arrived from the United States.

"Moscow has changed so much. It's very different from my childhood memories."

His parents, like Sergei's, were amazed.

"Thanks to Mr. Nikolai, we got our visas easily. Thank you."

"Since my grandfather is the president, I should do at least this much."

"I was also surprised. A lot has happened since we last met. I've heard a lot about you in Moscow."

Nikolai brought Sergei, who would create Google, to the Black Hole office.

"Have you heard of Yandex?"

"Yes, it's really well-made. Actually, a friend recently showed me a similar program."

His friend was Larry Page, who would become a co-founder of Google.

In the original history, Google opened on September 17, 1998, while Yandex appeared in 1997.

So, Yandex was created about a year earlier.

Nikolai brought Sergei here to accelerate the launch of Google, just as he had done with Yandex.

"What do you think? About creating an English version in the United States."

"My friend is almost done, but he lacks funds…."

Funds?

Nikolai, who had plenty of investment money, casually asked,

"What if I invest?"

"…Really?"

"Don't you know who I am?"

"Sorry, I was just surprised…."

Would the president's grandson lie?

"In return, I would like a generous share of the company."

"…I'm sorry, but I can't decide that."

"I understand. Discuss it with your friend and get back to me. I'll send someone over."

"Sure."

Nikolai treated Sergei and his parents well during their stay in Moscow.

Since he would be a new source of income, he went out of his way to show hospitality.

They were moved and returned to the United States in good spirits.

And.

-My friend will transfer the shares.

"How much will he transfer?"

-Isn't it common knowledge that Mr. Nikolai bought 30% of Yahoo's shares? So, we agreed to transfer 30%.

That would mean the three of them would share equally.

This was acceptable, so he accepted it immediately.

He could always buy more on the market later.

"How much do you think?"

-What about $1 million?

Knowing that Yahoo received $1 million in investment, he didn't ask for more.

He would have given more if asked.

"Alright, let's do it. We'll send someone from Black Hole."

-Okay, I'll wait.

With Yandex, Google would soon appear in the world.

During his time as a journalist, in the original history, Alphabet (Google) was the 4th largest company in the world.

1st was Apple, 2nd was Microsoft, 3rd was Saudi Aramco (oil company), and 5th was Amazon.

Excluding the state-owned Aramco, Google was essentially 3rd.

Now, if he secured shares in Microsoft, he would hold four out of the top five companies in the world.

Apple (45% shares).

Google (30% shares).

Amazon (30% shares).

He also held 30% of Yahoo, which would later lose its strength.

A single company's GDP is comparable to that of a typical OECD country, so with three such companies...

And with Gazprom and Alrosa as well...

* * *

In the new year of 1997, while Nikolai was at the Alrosa diamond mine in Mirny, he received a call from Denis.

"Did you arrive in the U.S. safely?"

-It was good to see my family after a long time. My father now sees me as a successful businessman, which feels great.

"Come back often if there are no problems."

-That's what I plan to do. But my mother has changed a lot.

"She has to look after herself more since she travels with the president."

-That's true. Oh, I just got a call from Senator Charles.

"Who is he?"

-One of the U.S. senators we lobby.

Nikolai knew who would become the U.S. president, but he also knew that the president couldn't do everything as they wished.

That's why he had been lobbying quite powerful senators and representatives.

-He said to carefully observe the Asian countries.

A U.S. senator said this?

Nikolai sensed that the time had come.

But he pretended not to know and asked,

"What does that mean?"

-I asked him, but he didn't know the details. He said that if we observe the changes in Asian countries carefully, we might see something.

"Tell him thanks and give him a little something."

-Is that what it was? I thought there was something real.

"Still, if you hear anything from the senators or notice any changes, let me know. I'll make the judgment."

-Sure.

After hanging up, Nikolai thought of the 'Asian Financial Crisis.'

'The Asian countries were devastated by this.'

South Korea was hit by the nuclear bomb called the IMF.

In the original history, Russia also declared a moratorium (payment suspension).

This event would cause suffering to hundreds of millions of people.

But it was a golden opportunity for Nikolai.

The opportunity was gradually raising its head.

And.

The 'World Ball,' which was drawn every Wednesday and Saturday, still had no first-prize winner.

The total first-prize amount, carried over, was $975 million.

In the original history, Powerball had a record of being carried over 40 times, but 'World Ball' had not reached that point yet.