Chapter 285: Not Buying, Not Patriotic
Johnny recuperated in Kandahar for more than a month before he slowly recovered.
Most of the shrapnel in his body was smaller than a coin, but it almost took his life.
Every time he moved his body or turned his head, he felt a sharp stinging pain and broke out in sweat.
He also had wounds on his hands that healed, leaving dead tissue on his knuckles, stiff and numb.
That was tissue damaged by the extreme cold and it was impossible for it to truly heal. It would probably cause a dull pain every winter from now on.
After a few months in Arabia, Johnny became thinner and was no longer as strong as before he set out.
However, his body and his heart became stronger and more able to endure hardships.
When they returned from Babayang, they bought a batch of arms and planned to smuggle them into Mumbai.
That kind of real weapon, not the homemade pistol used by killers.
They wrapped the guns in cloth, tied them into several bundles, and asked several locals to transport them out of the country.
Johnny rode in a different carriage from them and did not say hello to them from beginning to end, but he was always thinking about the smuggled goods.
They need these things because they have a little revenge waiting for them in Bombay.
No one knew about Khad Khan's death, including the several gangs he left in Mumbai.
Once the news leaks out, the leaders in charge of different businesses will definitely have other ideas.
Without Khad Khan to suppress it, an internal conflict might break out.
This will make the situation chaotic and will also create obstacles for Johnny and his team to eliminate the traitors.
So few people knew about his return to Mumbai, and he came to Ron first.
"We're out of money. The few dollars we have left were all spent on weapons at Babayang." Johnny twirled the wine glass in his hand. "But I can't go to Majid and the others. It would arouse their suspicion."
"Did they know your route before you set out?" Ron asked.
"No, it's top secret. But everyone can guess that we will enter the country with Baba Sheep."
According to the original plan, they would take a train or a car to reach their destination, but due to betrayal by a traitor, the ISI chased them all over the territory of Babayang.
Many supplies could not be collected in time, and the personnel were dispersed. In the end, they had to ride camels in the mountain valleys for more than a month.
This distance would only take a few hours by train, but they wasted too much time.
The Inter-Services Intelligence also reported their information to Kandahar, which led to the armed raid on the cave camp.
Johnny believed that the culprit for Had Khan's death was the traitor's tip-off, and he was filled with anger.
"Why didn't Hardhan take you all with him when he left?" Ron frowned.
"He was too proud. He thought it was his private matter and he wasn't willing to force them."
"Pride got the better of him," Ron sighed.
"Yes." Johnny was a little depressed.
"So what help do you need?"
"Money, one million rupees. I need to find some good hands. The original ones are not trustworthy."
Johnny didn't dare to approach his old friends, and decided to hide himself until the traitor was dealt with.
Everyone knew that he and Khader Khan were inseparable, and if they asked, "How is Khaderbhai?"
Johnny was worried that he wouldn't be able to hold on. He couldn't answer calmly and might eventually be exposed.
"You know what the Bombay mafia will do after the news gets out, right?" Ron looked at him.
"Of course." Johnny replied firmly.
"The money will be delivered to you later."
"Thank you, Ron."
"I don't want to see chaos in Mumbai. I'm a businessman."
"I promise that this matter will not affect your territory, and it will not happen in the future."
"Live well, man." Ron patted his shoulder and stood up.
One of my old friends is gone, and I don’t know if we will have him again in the future.
The path of gangsterism is indeed full of risks. It is not surprising that it will backfire on you if you are surrounded by violence all day long.
He cut off the gray business early because he was worried that he would get too deeply involved and lose control of himself.
Since both of them are making money, why not choose the legitimate one?
Johnny left, carrying a black travel bag.
Ron didn't ask what his plans were, nor did he intend to get involved.
If he wanted, he could certainly take advantage of the opportunity to take over the underworld of South Mumbai.
There is one less person in this city that he fears, and he can definitely become another Black Emperor.
But there is no need, his level has already exceeded the upper limit of Hadhan, and he looks down on the world full of insects.
Khad Khan once made $4 million a year by smuggling gold and exploiting exchange rate differences, but he now makes more than that in a week.
Why should he dirty his golden body for such a small profit? He was determined to become the sun god.
Oh, by the way, speaking of business, it’s time to resolve that antitrust case.
Ron first spread the word through the newspaper: under pressure from several competitors such as Onida and Videocon, Sur TV sets may have to raise prices.
Are affordable Sur TVs going to increase in price? Why?
The antitrust charges against Sur Electric were originally limited to discussions among the upper echelons, such as editorial commentators, press spokespersons, and business owners.
As a result, as soon as the price increase report came out, consumers immediately began to pay close attention.
They don't care about low-price dumping, but price increases will hinder them.
Because they are the ones who pay the bill, not the few elites.
Many people are beginning to feel dissatisfied. After just a few days of good times, they are going back to the previous high-price era.
The slogan of Sol Electric Appliances, "Everyone can afford it", is still vivid in my mind. This is the vision of most ordinary people.
Wouldn't it be better to sell home appliances at a lower price? With a TV, a rice cooker, and a juicer, you're a true middle-class family.
Sur Electric has single-handedly raised the indicators of middle-class families in India. It is a very conscientious enterprise!
As a result, some bad people did not want the people to live a good life and forced Sur Electric Appliances to raise its prices.
They are traitors, lackeys of the British, and everything they do is to make everyone pay for their expensive imports.
Dissatisfied masses spontaneously organized demonstrations to protest against so-called antitrust charges and boycott imported foreign brands.
More people began to rush to buy Sur TVs, 14-inch, 18-inch, black and white, color, all were sold out.
After more than half a year, Sur TVs have once again become a hot-selling item on the black market.
You should know that after the expansion of production capacity, there are 16 final assembly lines in Mumbai alone, with a monthly output of more than 200,000 televisions of various models.
This does not include the four lines put into operation in Gujarat, the 20 lines under construction in Tamil Nadu, and the 10 lines that are about to be completed in Uttar Pradesh.
Such terrifying production capacity still cannot meet the strong domestic demand.
People are afraid that the price of Sur TV sets will really increase, so they would rather spend an extra 1,000 or 2,000 rupees to buy them on the black market.
Because there are rumors that the government will order Sur electrical appliances to increase prices, at least to the same level as other brands, which is a minimum level of 8,000 rupees.
Who could bear the doubled price from 3999 rupees? Many ordinary people started to become profiteers.
They went to various shops to buy Sur TV sets, and then sold them to black market bosses for a thousand rupees more, who then sold them to panic-stricken buyers at an even higher price.
The economy is circulating like this, which is good for GDP!
The Bombay Electrical Appliances Industry Association had to come out and clarify in the face of the overwhelming public opinion.
Some parts in the television industry are expensive to import. They price it at 8,000 rupees, which is already a low profit margin and high volume sales. The profit on each television is only a few dozen rupees.
They also publish so-called production cost reports, insisting their figures stand the test of history.
Sur Electric's low-price dumping is completely destroying the Indian television market.
Before the matter could escalate, Sur Electric responded. They did not directly refute it, but published a report in the newspaper.
The content is an introduction to the independent production line of Suer Electric Appliances, which includes core parts such as cathode ray tubes and circuit boards, as well as scraps such as knobs and casings.
All the reports say one thing: none of the parts of Sur TV are imported, and they are 100% locally produced.
As the official spokesperson, Ashish boasted: Sur TV is fully developed and they have fully mastered the production technology. They are the first TV manufacturer in India to achieve a breakthrough in core technology.
Now you know why Sur TVs are so cheap?
Sur, master the core technology!
Then why can't other brands do it and need to import from abroad?
That's their incompetence! They can only shift the high costs onto consumers, letting the general public pay for it.
This is a blatant slap in the face, but Onida can't refute anything.
Don’t forget that a few years ago, the Congress government was still implementing the so-called “import substitution” policy. Indira Gandhi said:
"The public sector should be the foundation of Indian industry. Only then will the country have more machines, more steel. Only then can India's independence and freedom be guaranteed. Dependence on imports has compromised India's independence."
After economic liberalization, public sectors are no longer the main body of industry, but private enterprises also bear this responsibility.
What Sur Electric did is in line with the national interests. What qualifications do comprador companies like Onida have to blame others?
Yes, Sur Electric Appliances has become the pride of domestic products, and other competitors are compradors!
Bah, shameful!
After the report was released, more and more people supported Sur Electric.
Many fanatical supporters shouted: Not buying Sur is unpatriotic.
The whole farce lasted until May, and no notice was issued by the Mumbai court.
The antitrust allegations against Sur Electric seem to be non-existent. Perhaps the local court is still waiting to hear the case, and Sur Electric has not yet reached its turn.
No, that's not the case. A judge from the Supreme Court came to Ron these past two days.
But it was not for official business, but he was looking for it secretly. He wanted Ron to help him solve a problem.
In Mumbai, judges sometimes cannot guarantee the safety of their own interests, and the so-called judicial system is non-existent.
He has to turn to a parallel justice system, but instead of the gangsters, he has to turn to the good guy Mr. Soul.
(End of this chapter)
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