Chapter 268: Why is he trying to mess with me again?

"Boss, something terrible has happened!"
But reality is often harsh; even the grandest dreams have their stumbling blocks.
The question is, how big is this stumbling block? Can it be kicked aside easily, or will it trip him up and shatter his entire dream?
"What did you say?!" Musk nearly jumped out of his chair upon hearing his subordinate's report. "The battery supply is down? What does that mean?!"
What is Tesla's most crucial element?
Undoubtedly, it's the battery.
Tesla, a pure electric vehicle manufacturer.
No matter how futuristic or amazing a car is, without the battery that makes it run, it's ultimately just a pile of flashy but useless scrap metal.
And now, their lifeline, the company responsible for supplying batteries, Shimatsu Electric, has suddenly and unexpectedly stopped production!
"To be precise, boss, it's the massive logistical paralysis in Japan that's halted their production.
Furthermore, even the batteries already produced can't be shipped to the US.
Add to that the economic crisis triggered by the YCC collapse, and the whole of Japan is in complete chaos."
Tesla's batteries have always been exclusively supplied by Shimatsu Electric.
Although Tesla has built a factory in Nevada, the problem is that to produce finished batteries there, core components must be shipped from their Japanese factory.
Without those core components, no matter how many or how large the factories here are, they're just for show.
"What is all this nonsense? I haven't been paying attention to the news for days, what the hell is going on?"
Musk has indeed been somewhat oblivious to the outside world lately.
All his energy has been focused on the first test launch of the Starlink project.
Fortunately, the launch was a complete success.
He was currently leading his team testing the satellite-to-ground connection when, to make matters worse, someone set fire to his backyard.
"So, you mean someone's deliberately targeting Japan, trying to destroy them?"
Musk's mind raced, connecting the dots instantly.
"Yes."
"If I'm not mistaken, the culprit is 'Fanghuan Investment'?"
"That's right."
Fanghuan again!
Just hearing that name made Musk's teeth clench, and he felt uneasy all over.
Not because of Fanghuan Company itself, but because of the man behind Fanghuan, manipulating everything like a ghost.
"What are the Japanese authorities doing? Their logistics have been sabotaged like this, and they're not taking any action?"
"It's said... the Japanese authorities not only didn't resist, but they're actively cooperating.
They say Fang Huan's side proactively extended an olive branch, promising to acquire their two nearly bankrupt shipping companies and even help restore order to the ports."
"And the Japanese just stupidly agreed? Even a pig could see that Fang Huan is feigning concern to use them!"
"There's nothing they can do, boss. The Japanese authorities are also in a mess right now, willing but unable.
The collapse of YCC is already nearly crippling their economy; if logistics are completely paralyzed as well, it'll be beyond saving.
So, they've simply gone all in and entrusted all national logistics control to Fang Huan."
This is precisely why Shimomatsu Electric's logistics needs have been indefinitely postponed.
Musk could imagine the frustration of the Japanese government.
The YCC incident was a global financial storm.
And at the eye of the storm, all rumors pointed to one name: Fanghuan Investment.
According to Musk's own investigation, it wasn't just a rumor, it was a fact!
The reason those short-selling funds could simultaneously pounce on Japan like mad dogs, striking with pinpoint accuracy, was because they were following in Su Hao's footsteps.
Now, he finally understood Su Hao's true purpose in detonating YCC.
His goal was to completely destroy Japan's last remaining maritime defenses and then seize them.
In this way, he would possess a super weapon that could threaten all Japanese companies at any time.
This line of defense was something the Japanese government should have fought tooth and nail to hold.
Unfortunately, the YCC financial bombshell exploded too hard, leaving them no chance to even struggle, forcing them to surrender.
Su Hao outwardly claimed, "I'm here to help," but in reality, Japan was essentially letting a wolf into the sheepfold.
A smooth road leading to the inner workings of Japanese companies, allowing them to be "dismembered" and "devoured" at any time, had been paved.
"But damn it... why is he targeting me again?!"
Shimomatsu Electric, in fact, had a tumultuous history.
Repeatedly defeated in the fields of home appliances, solar energy, and electronic components, they were battered and bruised by competitors, once teetering on the brink of bankruptcy.
Just when they were in despair, the electric vehicle revolution saved them.
Their power batteries gained worldwide recognition, making them Tesla's exclusive supplier.
Of course, they also supply other car companies, but without a doubt, if Shimatsu Electric is attacked, the first and most severely affected will be Tesla.
Because other automakers can simply go back to making gasoline cars, but Tesla has staked its entire future on electric vehicles.
"Could it be... he wants to take down Shimomatsu to acquire it?"
"Probably not, boss. We haven't received any information that Fang Huan intends to acquire Shimomatsu.
I'm afraid... their goal is to directly harm Tesla by disrupting our supply chain."
"Why? What did we do to him?"
"This... I don't know either..."
Countless possibilities flashed through Musk's mind.
If it's not about acquiring Shimomatsu, then this attack is clearly aimed at Tesla.
Why? What is the reason?
Could it be because he made Su Hao travel all the way to the US for their last meeting, and he's still upset?
No, that's not right...
Could it be because of the stock manipulation case last time, which implicated Fang Huan?
But in that investigation, didn't Musk take all the blame? Fang Huan got away scot-free!
"Ugh..."
I can't figure it out, my head is throbbing.
Damn it, what did I do wrong to catch that devil's eye?
At least give me a reason!
Even a phone call to yell at me would be fine!
"Have you contacted Fang Huan? Isn't there any other way?"
“Yes, we can use other shipping companies to transport the parts.
But that would drastically increase the cost.
And… when we sent inquiries to Fanghuan Shipping, they just brushed us off with standard diplomatic language like ‘we're unaware of the situation.’”
In short, there's only one way to solve the problem.
“This whole situation looks like they're openly signaling me to go see them, right?”
“Uh… boss, let’s just say their intentions are blatantly obvious; it’s a naked attack on our company.”
Musk let out a long sigh.
He had to see Su Hao again.
This was no pleasant task.
Was it because Su Hao was manipulating Tesla stock, switching between bullish and bearish positions with great enthusiasm?
Hmm… not quite.
Thanks to Su Hao, he also managed to clear out a large number of annoying short sellers, so in a way, he helped out.
Why was she so resistant to meeting Su Hao?
To put it bluntly, it was a kind of... instinctive, inexplicable fear.