Chapter 335: An Unprecedented Moment

Inside the conference room at Fanghuan Shipping.
"How's it going? Any results?" Du Yuanhang asked.
The employee who came to report swallowed hard, seemingly still processing the astonishing news. After a pause, he said:
"Reporting to President Du, everyone… Levante and the others have followed!
They've submitted a bid, slightly higher than our 30 billion US dollars."
"Slap!"
Du Yuanhang slapped his thigh, a bright smile spreading across his face.
"Good! Excellent!"
"Phew…" The other executives in the conference room also breathed a collective sigh of relief.
30 billion US dollars—anyone who bets on that is a fool.
This was a meticulously planned gamble, a spectacular bluff, designed to trap the opponent.
Now, Levante, this tiger, has plunged headlong into the trap they dug!
“But…is this really a good thing?” someone timidly questioned.
“Beirut Port…is, after all, an extremely important strategic location. We’ve essentially handed it over.”
These words instantly chilled the atmosphere.
Yes, while they’d made the Levant a sucker, they’d also lost a crucial port.
With this as a base, fueled by the oil dollars, the Levant’s rise would be unstoppable.
For a moment, a hint of worry mingled with the joyful atmosphere.
Du Yuanhang waved his hand, his expression regaining its usual composure:
"Don't forget our ultimate goal!
From the very beginning, our objective wasn't to take over the port, but to drive up their costs as much as possible, saddle them with an unbearable burden from the start!
Chairman Su's strategy isn't just about the immediate gains or losses of a single city or territory!"
Another vice president in charge of intelligence analysis chimed in:
"That's right. According to intelligence, if we raise our bid any further, the financial consortium behind them might give up.
The 30 billion USD approval this time is already their maximum bid after intense internal negotiations!"
"Is that so? Haha, although I haven't met those Middle Eastern tycoons, those Middle Eastern guys must be itching to tear us apart right now."
"Absolutely. A project that could have been settled for 10 billion was driven up to over 30 billion by us. That's enough to make them ache for years.
Now, they probably want to devour us whole."
The thrill of successfully outmaneuvering their opponents was unparalleled.
But at the same time, a hidden worry quietly emerged.
The Levant, this enraged beast, after paying such a heavy price, what terrifying growth potential will it unleash?
"But speaking of which, since Chairman Su chose to only stir things up without getting involved, abandoning Beirut, he must have a more sophisticated backup plan, right?"
"Heh, how could we mortals possibly fathom Chairman Su's thoughts?"
President Du surveyed the crowd, his tone becoming serious and solemn.
"But one thing is certain: he definitely has a much bigger scheme."
The Fanghuan Group is now incredibly wealthy.
The vaccine business is expanding globally, raking in money daily;
The Fanghuan Exchange and all its subsidiaries are operating at a loss, all running 24/7 super money-printing machines.
In short, Fanghuan has no shortage of money!
If Chairman Su truly believed the Port of Beirut was priceless, he could easily have amassed a massive amount of capital and crushed his competitors with money.
The fact that he didn't do so suggests one thing:
In his eyes, the Port of Beirut might not be worth that much at all, or even…
It's possible that it's a huge trap!
"Regardless of Chairman Su's plans, before he issues any new instructions, our task is to safeguard this legacy and elevate the company to new heights!
Don't let those Middle Eastern bastards have any chance to catch up with us!"
Du Yuanhang's gaze burned as he surveyed everyone present.
"Back then, we were all discarded veterans. It was Chairman Su who overruled all objections, pulled us out of the mire, and gave us everything we have today!
We must repay this kindness!"
Upon hearing this, a fierce fire ignited in the eyes of all the executives, who nodded emphatically.
"Alright, everyone get back to work! Keep a close watch on the Levant's every move!"
"Yes!"
The crowd dispersed, leaving Du Yuanhang alone by the window, gazing into the distance.
Beirut… truly a strategically vital location that makes one sigh with regret.
But since Chairman Su orchestrated this scheme and then abandoned it, he must have a backup plan.
But what exactly is that backup plan?
***
Fanghuan Investment, Top-Tier Trading Department.
Su Hao was quietly watching the market charts before him, the atmosphere in the trading room so heavy it seemed ready to melt away.
The traders stared intently at the wildly plummeting candlestick on the screen, barely daring to breathe.
Suddenly, Liang Haiyuan sprang up from his chair, screaming:
"Broken, broken! Negative ten dollars! Oil prices have fallen below negative ten dollars!!"
"..."
Dead silence fell over the trading room.
Realizing his lapse in composure, Liang Haiyuan quickly apologized, "I'm...I'm sorry, Chairman Su, I..."
"It's alright," Su Hao's voice was calm as still water, as if the sound he'd just heard was merely a bird's chirp outside the window.
"It truly is a shocking historical moment."
In human history, oil prices have plummeted, they've crashed, but never have they turned negative!
And today, WTI crude oil futures prices, the lifeblood of industry, have magically plummeted to -$10.
This is an unprecedented moment, a panic-driven stampede that could force all financial textbooks to rewrite!
"Who could have imagined that those two reckless fools, Saudi Arabia and the Russian Bear, would escalate things to this point just to save face!"
Liang Haiyuan muttered to himself.
Saudi Arabia and the Russian Bear themselves must be stunned.
They might have anticipated a drop in oil prices after the production cut agreement collapsed, but they never imagined that oil prices would freefall in such a horrific way, crashing through the earth's crust and directly into negative territory!
"Right now, traders all over the world are going crazy, calling everywhere begging and pleading, especially our Fanghuan Shipping – our phones are ringing off the hook!"
Li Huilin reported.
"I heard we recently acquired a lot of oil storage facilities, and now they're begging us to take the crude oil away, even offering to pay them."
Traders who went long on crude oil futures are currently suffering in hell.
The contracts are about to expire, but they can't sell their positions. This means they'll have to take delivery of the physical crude oil themselves!
But where were these traders, sitting in their offices typing away on keyboards, going to find space to store thousands upon thousands of barrels of crude oil?
It wasn't just the traders who were panicking. Even ordinary investors were completely dumbfounded.
The companies that used to handle crude oil were either closing down or raising their prices drastically.
Because the pandemic had caused global oil demand to plummet, their own warehouses were nearly bursting, and even if there was space available, the rental fees were astronomical!