The initial reaction from the British industrial establishment was disbelief, followed by outrage. They had dismissed Adav as a mere curiosity, a local eccentric patronized by a misguided civil servant. Now, "Adav Steel" was an undeniable force, stealing their most lucrative contracts, producing a superior product at an impossible price.
Their tactics began subtly. Whispers circulated in the British clubs of Bombay and Calcutta: rumors of unfair labor practices, of dangerous working conditions, of hidden subsidies from illicit sources. Adav, through his expanding network of agents and the [Social Analysis] module of the Codex, tracked every rumor, every article in the British-owned press. He countered each one with transparent audits, public tours of his meticulously maintained factory, and testimonials from his well-paid and content workforce. His calm, irrefutable rebuttals only deepened their frustration.
Then came the direct attacks. British-controlled banks suddenly found reasons to deny loans for Adav's expansion plans, citing vague "market instabilities." British shipping companies mysteriously "lost" consignments of Adav Steel destined for key clients. These were acts of economic warfare, designed to strangle his growth.
Adav's response was cold and calculated. He did not retaliate directly. Instead, he systematically acquired smaller, struggling Indian banks and shipping concerns, injecting them with capital and transforming them into efficient, Adav-loyal entities. He formed direct, long-term contracts with his clients, bypassing intermediaries. He began to build his own logistical network, ensuring that Adav Steel, and soon other products, could reach their destination unhindered.
The British industrialists, who had for so long enjoyed unchallenged supremacy, now faced a new kind of enemy. One who did not complain, did not beg, but simply adapted, absorbed their blows, and emerged stronger. Adav, a mere teenager, was no longer a curiosity. He was a threat. A formidable, silent, and increasingly ruthless competitor, charting a course that would fundamentally alter the economic landscape of the Raj. Their suspicion hardened into undisguised hostility, a low, simmering resentment that promised future confrontations.