Chapter 190: A Shocking Chess Game

Qin Han showed not a trace of surprise, because it sounded utterly absurd.
“Nonsense, isn’t it?”
“Chairman, under normal circumstances, this would be absolutely absurd.
But don’t forget, Deutsche Bank was also implicated in the 1MDB scandal.”
“Those guys have been arrested for money laundering more than once or twice, haven’t they?” Qin Han scoffed dismissively.
“Yes. So the US has clearly stated that it will fine Deutsche Bank, estimated at around $1 billion.”
“A mere $1 billion is nothing to Deutsche Bank.”
“Of course. But the problem is, the US is currently settling old scores from the 2008 Lehman Brothers crisis, issuing hefty fines to financial institutions that sold toxic assets and exacerbated the crisis!”
Qin Han remembered; that was indeed the case.
Deutsche Bank sold a lot of junk products back then, and the US certainly wouldn’t let it off the hook.
"The latest news is that the US plans to impose another $14 billion fine on Deutsche Bank.
It's said that it wasn't originally going to be this severe, but because of this sovereign wealth fund scandal, the US feels it's been played, so it's settling old scores with new ones!"
"$14 billion?! In US dollars?!" Qin Han was genuinely shocked this time.
That's nearly 100 billion RMB!
"Wait... Deutsche Bank is one of the three giants in Europe, right? They can't even come up with $14 billion?"
However, Wang Ming's next words froze the air in the entire conference room.
“Chairman, if it were HSBC or BNP Paribas, although they would be severely damaged, they could grit their teeth and weather the storm.
But Deutsche Bank… it’s always been known for its ‘bloated’ financial situation; it doesn’t have that much real capital.”
“Isn’t there the German government?”
“That’s right. If Deutsche Bank collapses, it would be a European version of the Lehman Brothers crisis, and the German government can’t just stand by and do nothing.
But the problem is… the current German government itself is also struggling financially.”
Wang Ming sighed and began to recount Germany’s predicament over the years.
"During the 'dieselgate' scandal, a mysterious short-selling force swept through the market, causing widespread devastation in the German stock market and leading to the collapse of numerous companies. The German government then implemented a massive bailout."
"Then came Brexit, disrupting trade;
next, shipping companies from various countries engaged in a price war, seizing the EU market and severely damaging the German shipping industry;
before they could catch their breath, oil prices skyrocketed, and Fang Huan seized the opportunity to buy up all the major orders, essentially crippling the German shipping industry."
"And that wasn't all. Then came the 'Global Shipping Route Plan,' the final straw.
Fang Huan again took advantage of the situation to devour the remaining market share.
The German government, in order to save the market, implemented another round of financial assistance."
Those once-massive shipping companies are now relics of the past.
To stabilize the situation, the German government has had to repeatedly empty its national treasury.
"So, the Deutsche Bank bomb is about to explode, and the German government is in a real bind.
Although the US hasn't officially announced it yet, this hefty fine is definitely going to hit in the next day or two."
"And the most...most fatal thing is..."
Wang Ming took a deep breath and dropped a bombshell:
"Someone, right at this crucial juncture, has started...frantically buying up Deutsche Bank's CDS!"
CDS are traded over-the-counter and are theoretically confidential.
But there are always exceptions. When someone buys a huge amount of a company's CDS, the institution selling the CDS will inevitably engage in other investment operations to hedge its risk.
This causes the news to spread like wildfire, and the price of CDS will skyrocket.
Just like before Lehman Brothers went bankrupt, its CDS price once surged!
"A soaring CDS spread means the market believes the company is at extremely high risk of bankruptcy."
And this panic is contagious.
"Wait...you mean, Deutsche Bank, this time, could really go bankrupt?" Qin Han's voice was hoarse.
"Chairman, under any circumstances, I would say absolutely not.
But, the massive $14 billion fine, plus the German government already being emptied several times over...
Now, the probability is probably fifty-fifty.
What's more, its CDS spread is skyrocketing at an alarming rate!"
One of Europe's three giants has actually reached the edge of a precipice.
Even more terrifying is that someone is behind it all, amplifying this panic infinitely through a frenzy of CDS buying.
Once the panic spreads, Deutsche Bank's depositors will start a run on the bank.
At that point, once the bank run officially occurs, even a miracle won't save it.
"Who on earth has such a large sum of money and such audacity..." Qin Han muttered to himself.
Just then, a young man's face flashed through his mind.
He suddenly stared at Wang Ming: "Old Wang!"
"Yes."
"During the emissions scandal, didn't you tell me privately that Fang Huan was likely the one who made a fortune in the German market?"
"Yes."
"Then this time with the CDS..."
"I can't be sure. But, from the emissions scandal to controlling shipping, to using the 'Global Shipping Route Plan'...
All these events are inextricably linked to Fang Huan's investments.
If Fang Huan is also the one buying large amounts of CDS this time..."
Wang Ming swallowed hard.
"That means... Fang Huan was designing all of this from the very beginning of the emissions scandal, or even earlier!"
"...!"
Qin Han suddenly looked up, his eyes no longer filled with shock, but with a kind of fear and collapse as if he had witnessed a miracle.
His entire being seemed to have had its soul ripped out, staring blankly into the void.
No.
That's not right.
All the clues, all the fragments, all the seemingly unrelated moves, converged at this moment, forming a complete picture that sent chills down his spine!
This scheme, from the initial hints of the emissions scandal, to the turmoil in the shipping industry, to the sovereign wealth fund's detached observation, and finally to the all-consuming CDS black hole before him…
So grand, so intricate, each link connected to the next, like a web woven by the gods!
This was not Fang Huan's doing at all. That Huang Fengwen didn't have the guts, much less the brains.
This is fucking... from beginning to end, it wasn't a multi-party game at all!
This is Su Hao!
It's Su Hao alone, orchestrating a colossal chess game!
This isn't a business war; it's a hunt he launched against a vast empire!
Fang Huan, from start to finish, was merely a blade he borrowed to slaughter!
And this grand scheme, from the very beginning, wasn't about capturing a few pieces...
What he wanted was—
To slay the dragon!!
That dragon he was relentlessly pursuing, about to strangle—Deutsche Bank!