Chapter 377: Horrifying Uses

Joko's heart skipped a beat.
He had long suspected this donation was unusual, but he hadn't expected it to be such a blatant threat!
"The Xia Kingdom government and Fang Huan have always been in cahoots.
You could even say Fang Huan is the Xia Kingdom government's most vicious mad dog!
Japan is a prime example!"
A flicker of fear crossed Yaman's eyes.
"Japan pressured Xia Kingdom on raw materials back then, and what happened?
Fang Huan ruthlessly intervened, single-handedly turning Japan's financial market upside down, causing chaos and ultimately leading to economic collapse!
In the end, the Japanese cabinet was forced to collectively bow down and admit fault to the Xia Kingdom government!"
Joko was, of course, intimately familiar with that earth-shattering financial war.
“Moreover, in recent years, whenever Fang Huan has stirred up trouble internationally, it's always this Fang Huan Foundation that spearheads it!
They always appear under the guise of 'charity' and 'donations,' and then…
…stab you in the back?”
“That’s right! Nominally relief funds, but in reality, this money becomes their weapon for infiltrating and controlling target areas.
They’ll use this money to secretly buy people’s hearts, support proxies, and even…
ultimately control any area they want!”
“Then what can Fang Huan do with this money in Indonesia?”
“So many things!” Yaman’s voice trembled.
“Besides giving themselves a boost in image… this money could very well…
fall into the hands of those terrorist organizations that are creating chaos within our borders!”
“Wh-what!?”
This deduction sent chills down Joko’s spine.
He never imagined that charitable donations could be used in such a horrifying way!
How do these people’s brains work?!
“I even suspect they might have been colluding with those people all along.
Don’t you find it strange that since our conflict with the Xia Kingdom government became public, domestic terrorism has suddenly become rampant!”
“You mean… Fang Huan is funding those terrorist organizations that attacked us?”
“No evidence, Mr. President, only speculation.
But sending money at this critical juncture undoubtedly sends us a signal that couldn’t be clearer.”
“If we don’t do as they want…” President Joko’s voice was somewhat dry, “they will use this money to create a huge mess in our country?”
“Yes! And, given Fang Huan’s style, we simply cannot predict from what angle or in what bizarre way they will attack us!”
Joko’s hands clasped tightly together, and he fell into a long silence.
"Fang Huan... these lunatics, why do other countries just let them run rampant?
Especially the United States! With their power, they couldn't possibly be unaware of Fang Huan's background.
With America's strength, eliminating Fang Huan and his group shouldn't be difficult, right?
Why are they still living so comfortably?"
This has always been his biggest question.
Why would those superpowers tolerate such a bug-level financial behemoth rampaging recklessly on the world stage?
“Mr. President, perhaps to us it seems that Fang Huan’s chairman and his executives are orchestrating all this, but the truth is probably not so.”
Aman’s voice carried a hint of awe.
“They are very likely just pawns, puppets acting on orders. Fang Huan Investment itself is not the true ‘main body’!”
“The real mastermind is behind Fang Huan?”
“Yes. If any company dared to threaten America’s fundamental interests, they would have acted long ago.
But you see, even the previous White House didn’t dare touch a hair on Fang Huan’s head!
And the current White House is even more closely aligned with them; this clean energy project is the best proof!”
There are only two possibilities. Either Emily has been infiltrated by the mysterious force controlling Fang Huan;
or, even if they wanted to take action against Fang Huan, they are afraid of the mysterious entity hidden deeper within, and therefore dare not act rashly!
"Based on our intelligence, the latter is more likely.
Neither Emilia nor any intelligence agency in the world has, to this day, figured out who is pulling the strings behind Fang Huan!"
That's why no one dares to confront Fang Huan directly!
"Because everyone understands that even if these 'puppets' on the surface are eliminated, without finding the mastermind, it won't help; it will only enrage the other side and invite even more ferocious retaliation!"
If the pawns are gone, just replace them with new ones.
Without eradicating the root cause, everything is in vain.
“So…” the president looked up, his eyes bloodshot, “What’s your suggestion?”
“Mr. President, let’s pay that contribution.”
“Just like that?”
“This is money we’re owed.
Now, immediately halt all ongoing contingency plans and pay Xia Guo the money.
At least, getting that high-speed rail project up and running is better than losing everything!”
His original plan was to first find a way to steal the technology, delay payment as long as possible, and then negotiate slowly.
But who could have imagined that the other side wouldn’t play by the rules and would directly overturn the table!
“What if… you don’t pay?”
“Then…” Yaman took a deep breath, “we’ll have to prepare for a storm that may come from nowhere…”
President Joko felt a splitting headache.
Typhoons, earthquakes, plagues…
The entire country was already groaning from natural disasters and man-made calamities.
Terrorists are still wreaking havoc, and social order is sliding into a deep abyss of chaos.
If Fang Huan were to resolutely intervene in this quagmire, completely muddying the waters…
The consequences would be unimaginable.
“Hoo—!”
The President exhaled a long breath, as if trying to release all the pent-up frustration in his chest.
“How much…we should pay?”
“Twenty billion US dollars.”
“Transfer it to them!”
“Yes! You have made the wisest decision, Mr. President.”
The national treasury was already strained; spending this money made Joko’s heart bleed.
But it's better than watching the country be thrown into chaos!
"..."
However, even after issuing the payment order, Joko's ominous premonition grew stronger.
Two billion US dollars.
This amount of money—an astronomical sum for an ordinary country—was probably not even enough to fill a tooth gap for that financial behemoth called "Fang Huan."
Would they... go to such lengths to orchestrate such a massive scheme for a mere two billion US dollars?
"Could it be..." An even more terrifying thought arose in his mind,
"Those guys from Fang Huan, using the high-speed rail as an excuse, what they're really after... something else?!"