I'm a Master in India

Chapter 267: The Great Immortal Modi Called Me "Mr."!

Dute had never encountered an officer like Ajay, who was completely unyielding.

No matter how much he hinted at his connections or promised benefits, it was useless.

The only fortunate thing was that when he was brought into the police station, he was accompanied by a lawyer; otherwise, those young men who were hung up would have been his example.

They looked so miserable, their slender arms and weak legs tied together and hung on their backs, with purple marks seeping blood all over their bodies, and their faces were already swollen beyond recognition.

When Dute came in, they only whimpered softly, not even having the strength to lift their heads.

"I have a lawyer! I apply for bail!" Dute cried out in fear.

"Don't worry, we have plenty of time to talk slowly," Ajay said, popping a milk candy into his mouth.

While they were talking, interrogations continued in the next room and in the corridor.

Throughout the police station, nothing could be heard except the screams of those being interrogated.

There were no roars or questions from officers, only continuous, heart-wrenching howls.

Then Dute heard a dull thud, like a hard object hitting flesh.

His face twitched, and his eyes were anxious, frequently looking at the lawyer beside him.

The meaning was clear: he wanted to leave this hellhole, the sooner the better.

In India, regardless of wealth, people always avoid and keep their distance from police stations.

Especially officers like Ajay, who were simply the bane of the rich.

Those young men had already confessed everything, leaving no room for Dute to quibble.

As mentioned before, he only had two choices: terrorist attack or unfair competition.

To avoid being tortured during interrogation, Dute signed the statement after his lawyer nodded in approval.

In less than five minutes, he was able to leave the police station. After all, he was a wealthy man with some status, so Ajay couldn't torture him like an ordinary suspect.

However, as soon as a relieved Dute stepped out of the police station, he was surrounded by reporters who had been waiting there.

Well, Ajay couldn't really do anything to him, but he could certainly leak some information to the outside world.

A disheveled Dute bowed his head and slipped into the car, remaining silent throughout.

His pathetic appearance appeared on the front pages of major newspapers the next day.

The "terrorist attack" was a false alarm; framing a competitor was the truth!

As soon as the report came out, Gopal Dute instantly became a laughingstock.

Both commentators and ordinary citizens ridiculed and mocked him fiercely.

The previous tense atmosphere of the "terrorist attack" had made everyone miserable; now that the truth was revealed, people breathed a sigh of relief while unanimously nailing him to the pillar of shame.

Kavia, a credited reporter for The Times of India, jokingly called him a 'demolition genius.'

This nickname spread rapidly and by evening, it was featured on Quan Yin Television's news broadcast.

It was truly comical that he came up with such a method to bring down a competitor.

Reporters, eager for more drama, flocked to interview Ron.

Facing their eager, gossiping eyes, Ron merely shrugged, "Su'er Television can withstand any test."

See, this is marketing, winning effortlessly!

When the first "terrorist attack" news appeared, Sur Electrical Appliances made an appearance.

Even saboteurs knew to use Su'er Television to attract passersby, showing how deeply ingrained its brand was.

That evening, many distributors called Sur Electrical Appliances to request additional orders.

Now, it's clear the terrorist attack was fake; the real goal was to tarnish Su'er Television.

The envy of competitors is the best compliment.

Su'er Television, whose popularity had slightly cooled after two months, once again became a hot commodity in the black market.

Facing a flurry of orders, Ron could only sigh in resignation.

There wasn't enough time, truly not enough time; even with four production lines running at full capacity, they couldn't meet market demand.

The fifth and sixth production lines would be activated at the end of the month, which would slightly alleviate the production capacity pressure.

Fortunately, East University technicians helped, otherwise Sur Electrical Appliances alone might not have been able to set up a production line in two months.

To support production in India, East University had dispatched dozens of technicians. Their expenses and subsidies were all paid for by Ron.

Putting everything else aside, just this efficiency alone was worth it.

The workers at Sur Electrical Appliances practically reaped the benefits; they didn't have to bother with installation and debugging at all.

It would probably be until the ninth and tenth production lines that Sur's employees would get a chance to practice.

Now was the time to seize production capacity; every day lost meant money lost, and Ron didn't have the patience to wait.

As the business expanded, the documents requiring his signature alone filled an entire table.

After finally finishing his work, Ron picked up the newspaper on the table and examined it.

This time, Videocon had stumbled; it was rumored that the Toshiba inspection team, which was preparing to negotiate with them, had already returned to Japan.

The complete production line technology Dute once dreamed of would likely fall through, at least not in the short term.

Excellent, Sur Electrical Appliances had one less competitor.

Unfortunately, Onida, who was hiding behind the scenes this time, got away unscathed.

They were responsible for the public opinion war, but it didn't even materialize.

The reporters pre-arranged by Elco Arcade directly defected.

Even if Ajay wanted to inquire, he had no evidence.

Ron heard that they had signed an import contract with JVC from Japan, so their main competitor for Sur Electrical Appliances would likely be them in the future.

Once their production line is established, the cost of various parts will inevitably drop significantly.

At that time, low prices will no longer be an exclusive tactic for Su'er Television, and competitive pressure will naturally arise.

However, Ron didn't take it too seriously; while competitors were advancing, Sur Electrical Appliances wasn't idle either.

Along with the fifth and sixth production lines, East University's picture tube production line also arrived.

After placing a super order for 200,000 sets of core components, East University finally agreed to the transfer of picture tube technology.

Ron didn't have time to research the technology now, so he could only buy ready-made production lines directly, buying four at once.

Each production line cost 500,000 dollars and could produce 300,000 picture tubes annually. This price was much higher than that of the assembly line.

After all, it was a core component, and its technical density far exceeded that of the assembly line, so it was reasonable for it to be more expensive.

Progress had also been made on the idea of adapting NEC color tubes from East University, and a batch of samples was expected to be sent over soon.

As long as the trial production was problem-free, he wouldn't hesitate to use the idle color TV production lines of the joint venture.

Sur Electrical Appliances was expanding rapidly, but it also had a drawback: it was too expensive.

The 10 million dollars previously exchanged through Swiss Bank had already burned through 9 million, leaving less than 1 million in the account.

That's over 300 million rupee, spent in just three months, averaging 100 million rupee per month.

The result of this heavy investment was seven new factory buildings in Sur Industrial Park and fourteen production lines that would gradually arrive.

All the money was converted into means of production; this was the foundation of the business.

Sur Electrical Appliances had become the largest television manufacturer in Mumbai, and it would grow even larger in the future.

This wasn't the only gain; the total profit from televisions sold in September and October was 350 million.

Including air coolers and electric fans, and previous deposits, they could probably gather 500 million rupee.

This was the ammunition for Sur Electrical Appliances, Ron's confidence.

With money, the first thing he wanted to do was not enjoy himself, but to continue expanding production capacity.

A month ago, Ron had already dispatched the company's sales personnel to survey markets in various states.

Tamil Nadu, Orissa, Gujarat, and Punjab were all key targets for consideration.

These regions generally had economies above the average level of India and relatively higher industrialization.

Sur Electrical Appliances was in preliminary contact with local governments, primarily to sound out the conditions they offered: land, loans, labor—anything.

Whoever offered the most favorable conditions would be chosen, it was that simple.

India was at the beginning of market liberalization, with investment promotion everywhere.

A well-known brand like Sur Electrical Appliances was fully qualified to pick and choose among cities nationwide.

Perhaps their Chief Minister would even personally receive him, Ron thought gleefully.

Ring, ring, ring...

The phone on the desk rang, and Ron picked up the receiver.

"May I speak to Mr. Sur?" a strong, resonant voice asked.

"Yes, this is he."

"This is the Indian People's Party office in Gujarat. We understand you're considering investing in Gujarat?"

"You could say that; we're currently surveying the market."

"Then you must come and see Gujarat. We have the most complete industrial facilities in India. If you set up your factory here, you can enjoy all sorts of conveniences."

"I'll consider it," Ron said noncommittally.

"If you have any plans, please contact me in advance: Narendra Modi, Secretary-General of the Indian People's Party in Gujarat."

"Wait!" Ron, who had been distracted, suddenly perked up. "What did you say your last name was?"

"Modi," the voice replied, still full of confidence.

"May I ask something presumptuous?" Ron's eyes darted around.

"What?"

"Do you have a very stylish beard?"

"..." The other side fell silent, then after a while, answered, "Yes."

"I'm going to Gujarat this month!"

"I look forward to our meeting, Mr. Sur," the voice sounded somewhat pleased.

"I look forward to it too," Ron said, smiling as he hung up the phone.

Look, the Great Immortal Modi called me "Mr."!

I really didn't expect that the Great Immortal was already making a name for himself in politics at this time.

Secretary-General of the Indian People's Party, this is not something an ordinary person can do. Besides capability, he must also be a trusted confidant.

The Great Immortal must be in his forties now, and in terms of political potential, his future is boundless.

I just didn't expect him to call personally.

Gujarat was worth Ron's personal trip.

He didn't delay; almost a week after receiving the call from the Great Immortal Modi, he set off for Ahmedabad.

This was Gujarat's largest city and the most important economic and industrial center in the entire state.

After getting off the plane, Ron's first impression was spaciousness.

It was hard to imagine that there could be well-maintained six-lane roads in India.

The car sped along, and upon reaching the city, the road gradually narrowed to four lanes, then further to two lanes.

There were protest processions everywhere, ranging from dozens to hundreds. They held orange battle flags, waving them vigorously, and shouting slogans.

Ron finally understood why Gujarat had contacted him so actively.

The state general election was two or three months away.