Chapter 382: How the hell can we defend against this?

Meanwhile, at the Indonesian Presidential Palace.
“Those damned bastards! How dare they?!”
Indonesian President Joko Widodo, a known strongman known for his tough stance, was trembling with rage, almost tearing the report in his hand to shreds.
He had thought that as long as he fortified his defenses domestically and kept a close watch on every corner, Fang Huan, no matter how powerful, wouldn't be able to get his hands on him.
He never expected that Fang Huan wouldn't even bother with a street fight; instead, he launched a devastating attack from the outside!
The Suez Canal, the lifeline of global shipping, had been strangled!
Who could have predicted this?
How the hell are we supposed to defend against this?
“These guys are too ruthless! To force us to submit, they're willing to paralyze global shipping?
This…this is simply a crime against humanity!” The Vice President, standing nearby, was also ashen-faced.
"Is there any evidence yet? Damn it! Aren't they afraid of playing with fire and getting burned, being condemned by the whole world?"
"They're still investigating... but the captain insists it was an operational error, repeating the same few sentences over and over.
As always, they can't find any direct evidence.
But what a coincidence! Just when we're desperately waiting for a vaccine to save our lives, the canal got blocked!"
Joko nodded slowly, slumped back into his chair, feeling a wave of weakness wash over him.
"Could it... really just be an accident?" He still held onto a sliver of hope.
The Vice President ruthlessly shattered his hopes:
"Mr. President, there are reports that Egypt has requested technical assistance from Fang Huan, but Fang Huan's response...
is extremely lukewarm, they're just playing games."
"What? At a time like this, shouldn't they move the ship immediately and restore navigation?"
"Why rush to end a show they've orchestrated?
Besides, this time it's their arch-rival MSC Shipping that caused this trouble.
This is killing two birds with one stone, a perfect opportunity to both intimidate us and destroy their rival. How could they possibly let it slip by?"
What a brilliant double whammy!
Joko was furious, his heart aching. What frustrated him even more was that he knew the other side was behind it all, yet he was powerless to do anything about it.
"The most critical issue right now is the vaccine!" The Vice President's voice was filled with anxiety.
"According to the original plan, it should arrive in port within a few days, and the nationwide vaccination program can begin.
But now the ship is stuck in the canal. If they hold onto this incident and delay indefinitely, our vaccine supply will be completely cut off!"
Fang Huan had orchestrated this scheme from the very beginning. They firmly controlled the global transportation channels for the second wave of vaccines, forcing everyone to rely on their sea freight.
At the time, the Indonesian government felt they had gotten a huge advantage; after all, the capacity of one ship was equivalent to dozens of airplanes, and the money saved was substantial.
But they never imagined that this convenient and efficient network would one day become a noose around their own necks!
"What about air freight? Contact them immediately, we'll pay extra for air freight!" Joko Widodo urged.
"I'm afraid... it's too late." The Vice President shook his head bitterly.
"Even if we're willing to pay exorbitant shipping fees, Fang Huan can easily find an excuse like 'insufficient vaccine production capacity' to delay us."
"They could even... just stop supplying us altogether, like they did withhold payments."
An eye for an eye.
This resounding slap landed squarely on the Indonesian government's face, stinging painfully.
"Then... what should we do?" Joko's voice held a hint of despair.
The Vice President took a deep breath and uttered a few humiliating words: "Give them... what they want."
"Nickel ore?! They've created such a huge mess, really just for a little bit of nickel ore?!"
"Mr. President, haven't they been aggressively expanding their influence in Canada lately?
And Canada happens to possess world-leading nickel ore processing technology.
They're laying the groundwork for technology, and then they're snatching raw materials—do you think it's a coincidence?"
The implication was clear: they had politely offered to buy the mines, but you refused, stubbornly refusing to listen.
Now, be prepared to have them demand back their money with interest, and you'll have to kneel and offer it up!
“…” Joko's chest heaved violently, his eyes bloodshot, like a caged lion.
After a long silence, he spat out a single word through clenched teeth.
“Give it!”
“…Mr. President?”
“Nickel mine! Give those bastards what they want! Mine it all for them, in the quantities they demand!
Once you give them the mines, they should at least give us the vaccines, right?
Are we just going to watch the tourism industry completely collapse?”
A torrent of anger burned within him, but it could only transform into humiliating submission.
Because he dared not gamble. If he continued to resist, who knew what even more outrageous methods those lunatics would resort to!
At that point, the entire country could be dragged into the abyss!
***
Fanghuan Investment, in Su Hao's office.
"What? The Indonesian government has backed down?"
"Yes, Chairman Su. They said... they're willing to sell us all their nickel ore at cost price, as much as we want..."
Li Huilin, who was reporting, herself felt this was a bit surreal.
"So sudden?" Su Hao was also somewhat surprised.
"Yes, at first I thought it was a translation software error. I checked it several times, it's written clearly in black and white.
They're only partially opening up nickel ore exports to Fanghuan!"
This matter had a sinister edge.
You have to understand, the Indonesian government was previously determined to be a "mining monopoly," ignoring all the threats and inducements from developed countries, even their joint international lawsuits.
“I bet…it’s probably related to the Suez Canal issue,” Li Huilin analyzed.
“With the canal blocked, their vaccine supply is essentially cut off. They’re in a real bind; no wonder they’re anxious.”
“So, they want to use nickel ore in exchange for us delivering the vaccines quickly?”
“Most likely. They even attached an expedited request to their letter, asking us to provide the vaccines as soon as possible.”
Su Hao couldn’t help but chuckle upon hearing this.
They probably thought he would use the vaccines as leverage to extort a large sum from them.
Using human lives as bargaining chips, playing such despicable tricks—he, Su Hao, wasn’t that low.
In fact, the moment he learned of the canal blockage, he had already ordered the vaccine factory to increase production and began contacting air transport channels.
“Fortunately, Chairman Su, you had the foresight to anticipate potential outbreaks of the mutated virus in other countries and arranged for additional production in advance.
Therefore, we have ample inventory and can arrange shipment within two days.”
“By air freight, can you send it all over?”
“No problem! Although oil prices have skyrocketed and air freight is outrageously expensive, the Indonesian government isn't concerned about that right now.
They said they'll cover all the shipping costs!”
Not only are they paying for the shipping themselves, but they're also offering up the nickel ore without hesitation.
This whole thing was unexpected; they hadn't planned to do it this way, but it turned out to be a lucky break, with all the benefits coming their way.
“Then arrange the shipment immediately,” Su Hao instructed.
“Alright! We’ve already contacted the airline, and they’ve even paid. All we need to do is load the goods on.”
“Yes, the sooner the better. We don’t want the virus to spread further.”
“Understood! Oh, by the way, Chairman Su, what about the nickel ore…”
“Didn’t the Indonesian government say they’d give us as much as we wanted?”
“Yes… that’s what they said.”
Su Hao’s lips curled into a genuinely benevolent smile that even a capitalist would admire.
“Then why be so polite? Our Indonesian friends are so generous, of course we’ll… take as much as we can.”