Chapter 319: Blackmailing the World

"Fang Huan?"
The president had heard this name so many times lately he was practically sick of it.
Especially from the mouths of top conglomerates.
"Fang Huan's bizarre investment activities can be traced back to shipping.
Back then, a shipping alliance suppressed Fang Huan, stealing their business.
But then, a massive explosion occurred at a port, uprooting that alliance completely."
"Is Xia Guo involved behind this?"
"Yes, there are rumors that Fang Huan has intricate connections with Xia Guo. That alliance, oblivious to its own danger, kicked a hornet's nest and was purged overnight."
"The problem is, afterwards, Fang Huan accurately predicted oil price fluctuations, stockpiling oil in advance and becoming a leader in the shipping industry.
Then they went on a buying spree, becoming the absolute king of the seas.
And the first company they targeted was TSMC, almost single-handedly destroying the entire semiconductor market."
The president remembered this.
The collapse of chip companies was a devastating earthquake for the global semiconductor industry.
"After TSMC fell, the Jiang Jin Group seized the opportunity to absorb the entire semiconductor market, causing significant turmoil for Nvidia as well.
Fang Huan, meanwhile, acquired AMC, leveraging the power of the Jiang Jin Group to aggressively seize market share."
"The server crisis happened around that time, right?"
"Yes. That was a collaborative masterpiece by Fang Huan and Jiang Jin."
"Then why did we stand idly by?"
"That's because... you've never been particularly fond of Nvidia.
From the moment you started your selection process, they've consistently and publicly supported your competitor.
Of course, most tech giants are like that."
The Jiang Jin Group...
The President knew that Fang Huan's shadow was also behind it.
"So, we've been turning a blind eye to some of their outrageous behavior all along.
But when we saw them using their control of social media and streaming platforms to successively cripple certain industries in Japan, France, and the UK, we truly felt the crisis."
Those lunatics even used the terrifying power of social media to incite the "Yellow Vest" movement in France, directly forcing the Králové government, which attempted to sanction Fang Huan, to its knees in surrender!
"And the subsequent financial turmoil, was that also their doing?"
"Yes. They used Brexit to first severely damage London's financial markets.
Then, Singapore, Hong Kong's biggest competitor, did nothing, yet was inexplicably dealt a blow, and its financial markets still haven't recovered."
The president listened to the report, his eyelids twitching.
This...is this really something a single company could do?
If all of this was orchestrated...
The depth of their planning and the precision of their calculations probably surpass even artificial intelligence!
"It was precisely because Fang Huan's influence became so overwhelming that the EU ultimately intervened and dismantled their shipping empire."
"But even that matter... was Fang Huan involved?"
"Yes, judging from the current outcome, there's no doubt about it.
Fang Huan used a scheme against them, deliberately allowing himself to be dismantled and his assets to be sold at exorbitant prices, all for..."
Today, buy them all back at an extremely low price.
Turn the whole thing into a short-selling deal that slaps the EU in the face.
From this perspective, doesn't it mean that even this change of heart…
Fang Huan knew about it in advance?!
How did they know this secret intelligence?
"What about the China Strategic Investment Fund?"
"Our analysis suggests that it's likely just a smokescreen.
A… shield.
After all, a madman who shorts with hundreds of billions of dollars will be hated by the whole world no matter what.
And now all the public opinion and criticism will be focused on the China Strategic Investment Fund, not Fang Huan hiding behind the scenes."
"Damn, these guys, after all this scheming, are they planning to flit through the flowers without getting a single petal on them?"
"I believe we must stop Fang Huan before they grow too powerful."
"Do we have any legal grounds to punish them?"
"Well... although they engaged in large-scale short selling, because they diversified their bets across the global market, it's difficult to define it as market manipulation.
However, excuses can always be created, can't they?"
Yes, create an excuse to punish them.
The President, for the first time in a long time, agreed with his advisors.
But a thought rose in his mind like a ghost.
A monster capable of orchestrating such a massive scheme,
Could it be that he didn't anticipate the US government getting involved?
***
Fanghuan Group, Chairman's Office.
When Huang Fengwen inquired, Su Hao simply recounted that he had instructed Wu Jianlin to reverse his position and go long at the last minute.
Recalling the incident, when Wu Jianlin called to say he was preparing to close his positions, Su Hao had subconsciously glanced at the global stock market's candlestick chart with his "intuition."
It was a curve that everyone believed would continue to sink indefinitely.
But in his vision, the end of that curve wasn't the cold core of the earth, but a spring compressed to its limit.
He could even see a fleeting illusion:
In the next instant, this spring would spring upwards at a speed that tore through spacetime, piercing the clouds!
Therefore, he gave that advice:
Clear all short positions and buy in with all your capital according to the investment portfolio he provided!
“You little rascal,” Huang Fengwen couldn’t help but laugh and scold,
“Those guys practically treat you like a god now. What do you say? They wouldn’t dare disobey!”
Although Huang Fengwen laughed heartily, Su Hao could sense that the atmosphere in the office wasn’t actually relaxed.
“So… how bad is the situation outside?” Su Hao asked.
Lin Fan beside him straightened up:
“Very pessimistic. The news we’re getting is that not only the EU, but even the US has started a detailed background check on us, trying to find out our background and that of the China Strategic Investment Fund.”
“Legally, do we have any leverage that could be used against us?”
“If you have to say, no.
We built our positions over a long period, and our methods were very covert. We didn’t cause any obvious market disruption, let alone stock price manipulation.
But… the number three trillion is the biggest original sin itself.
If they want to target us, they can always find a reason.”
Huang Fengwen nodded silently, his eyes filled with determination and resolve as he looked at Su Hao.
“Hao, don’t worry.”
“Huh?”
“If anything goes wrong, I’ll take the blame! You’re just following my orders.” Huang Fengwen’s voice was resolute.
“They want an explanation, they want a scapegoat, and I’ll be that scapegoat.”
Su Hao jumped to his feet. “Brother Huang, how can you do that! Absolutely not!”
“The current situation… is unusual,” Huang Fengwen said calmly.
“These hungry wolves will never give up unless they throw out a sufficiently large ‘prey’ for them to tear apart.”
He, Huang Fengwen, planned to take all the blame upon himself, just like Wu Jianlin had done.
But how could Su Hao let that happen!
‘There must be a way… there must be another way!’
Su Hao’s mind raced.
His intuition, though it stirred up countless storms, never truly placed himself or Huang Fengwen in danger.
This meant that this time, there must be a way out, a key to breaking the deadlock, hidden in some unknown corner…
But… he hadn't found it yet.
Just then, Lin Fan seemed to suddenly remember something and spoke:
“By the way, Chairman Huang, Chairman Su, there’s something.
I heard that AstraZeneca has already started mass production of the vaccine with funding from various countries…
It’s said that our research and development progress is at least twice as fast as any other company?”
“Yes, that’s right.” Su Hao nodded.
“So that means that, to avoid astronomical economic losses, those countries must, and can only, buy the vaccine from us, right?”
AstraZeneca’s vaccine had completed Phase II clinical trials.
The result was unprecedented success.
The success rate was as high as 95%!
“Furthermore, according to the WHO report, even if the vaccine is highly effective, because the virus will continue to mutate, it will take at least three to four years for the world to fully return to stability.
Until then, we must continue to provide them with booster shots, right?”
“Theoretically, that's correct.”
“By then, most of the politicians in power who are currently trying to undermine us will have reached the end of their terms, and a new government will be in power, right?”
Upon hearing Lin Fan's words, a faint current seemed to rise slowly from the soles of Su Hao's feet.
Found it.
That path to survival!
Lin Fan calmly adjusted his glasses, unleashing his final trump card:
“So, how about we take the vaccines and ‘negotiate’ with those countries that want to cause us trouble?
We can provide them with a stable and rapid supply of vaccines at a very fair price.
There's only one condition: don't you dare mess with us until their countries are stable again!”
“…?”
The moment Lin Fan finished speaking, the faint electric current that had been stirring only at Su Hao's feet suddenly erupted, coursing through his entire body!
Huang Fengwen suddenly realized: “You mean, we're going to use vaccines… to blackmail the whole world?”