Chapter 390: Long-Term Planning

The international situation took a dramatic turn, and a large-scale military conflict erupted without warning.
A military superpower launched a swift and decisive full-scale attack on its neighbor.
The news sent shockwaves through the world.
The European Union nations, especially those who had been observing from the sidelines, were caught completely off guard.
"Holy crap, they really attacked?!"
In the conference room, the faces of these usually pampered world leaders were filled with disbelief.
Previously, despite the tense situation, all mainstream analyses believed that the cost of a full-scale war was too high and that it was impossible.
This was almost a consensus.
However, reality delivered a resounding slap in the face.
"Now is not the time to shift blame! The flames of war have been lit; we must immediately devise a countermeasure!"
These words brought the atmosphere in the conference room to an extremely tense standstill.
The European Union, usually rife with infighting and mutual dislike, was now in dire straits, forced to sit down and desperately discuss countermeasures.
"What else can we do? We can't just send troops, can we?"
"Of course not! Sending troops could easily trigger a multi-nation war!"
According to international law, providing weapons and ammunition is humanitarian aid.
But sending troops to fight in a real war is "participation in a war"!
The nature is completely different!
"So… all we can do is provide some weapons?"
"Take in some refugees; that's doing our part."
"Then… all we can do is impose economic sanctions?"
After a heated debate, the Union nations finally reached an agreement:
They would strongly condemn the invasion and, in conjunction with the superpowers, impose comprehensive economic sanctions on the country that initiated the war.
In their view, this unequal war would soon end.
A small country facing a powerful nation is like a mantis trying to stop a chariot; its demise is only a matter of time.
The sanctions imposed now are merely a political statement; everything can be discussed again after the war.
What they care about most is never the life or death of that small country.
But rather, the chain reaction brought about by the sanctions—the supply of energy and key raw materials!
"However, once the sanctions are implemented, that powerful nation will inevitably cut off our energy supply!
Natural gas and the strategic metal 'nickel,' both are in their hands!
If they shut off the pipeline valves, we'll all be starving."
The Alliance, a massive economy, relies on that powerful nation for more than half of its natural gas supply.
That transcontinental pipeline is their lifeline.
"The problem now is, if the war drags on, how long will our reserves last? Where can we find alternative supplies?"
"Speaking of places that currently hold massive reserves of natural gas and nickel… there is indeed one."
"Where?"
"Fanghuan Investment."
Upon hearing this name, the expressions on everyone's faces in the conference room turned strange.
I thought things had calmed down, but unexpectedly, that nightmarish name has resurfaced once again.
"Fang Huan Investment? How can they have so many strategic reserves?"
"Have you all forgotten? A year ago, a large number of long-term natural gas contracts were torn up, and massive amounts of spot goods were dumped."
"And then... Fanghuan Investment bought them all?"
"Yes, not a drop left, a complete sweep!
They also conveniently bought up Canada's largest natural gas storage warehouse, stockpiling all the goods there.
Not only that, whenever natural gas spot goods appeared on the market, they quietly bought them up and stored them in warehouses around the world."
And all of this happened a year ago!
"That's not all! While they were frantically buying up natural gas, they also somehow managed to acquire astronomical amounts of nickel ore from Indonesia."
"Indonesia?! Unbelievable! Didn't that country already ban the export of raw ore?"
"Yes. But nobody knows what kind of magic Fang Huan Investment used to get that notoriously difficult government to agree to give them as much as they wanted.
There are even rumors circulating that the recent Suez Canal blockage was a staged event orchestrated by Fang Huan Investment to extort money from the Indonesian government!"
"Wait... the Suez Canal incident... it wasn't an accident, they did it?!"
The bigwigs present gasped.
These guys are still as ruthless and unreasonable as ever! They can even manipulate the notoriously difficult Indonesian government!
"So, the biggest player in the global natural gas and nickel markets right now is Fanghuan Investment?
And they started laying the groundwork a year ago?"
"Yes. Back then, we were all wondering why Fanghuan Investment was hoarding all this stuff.
Now it seems… they might have accurately foreseen this war a year ago.
So, from the Game Station incident onwards, they've been orchestrating a massive, far-reaching scheme!"
If this is true, then Fanghuan Investment and their ilk can't be described as merely "shrewd"—they're practically monsters!
The depth of their cunning and the length of their planning are chilling!
Everyone thought Game Station was just a financial market frenzy, a victory for retail investors.
Who could have imagined that it was just a smokescreen thrown out by Fanghuan Investment, a meticulously designed game to conceal their true intentions!
Game Station, the retail investors caught in the crossfire, even the "Robin Hero" trading platform that collapsed as a result—from beginning to end, they were just pawns on their chessboard!
"Hmph, these guys are too ambitious! If that powerful nation ends the war quickly, all that stuff they've stockpiled will be useless!"
The EU's biggest concern has never been the survival of smaller nations.
It's natural gas and nickel!
If sanctions are imposed on a major power, these two crucial resources will be cut off.
Fanghuan Investment has precisely recognized this, which is why they stockpiled goods in advance, preparing to profit from the war.
But all of this is based on the premise that the war will be "protracted."
"That's right, we absolutely cannot let those guys at Fanghuan Investment make a fortune!"
If the powerful nation ends the war quickly, all the problems will be solved.
Although a swift victory for the powerful nation will bring other troubles, at least one thing is certain.
That is, Fanghuan Investment would lose everything; their mountain of stockpiled natural gas and nickel would become the very boulder that crushed them!
***
When that war broke out, almost everyone instinctively thought: that small country is finished.
Even Su Hao initially thought the conflict would end with lightning speed.
But soon, the situation developed beyond everyone's expectations.
Under the tenacious call of the small country's leader, the will of the military and civilians to resist soared to unprecedented heights, managing to withstand the first and most ferocious wave of attacks.
The defenses, initially considered vulnerable, miraculously held firm.
In the conference room of Fanghuan Investment, everyone is discussing the latest developments.
"The situation... is a bit off. What was initially thought to be a one-sided massacre now looks like it's turning into a protracted war."
"This puts the European Union and the superpowers in a very difficult position.
They were originally planning to take advantage of the chaos, but now, with immense public pressure, they have no choice but to increase their aid."
A month later, military experts and politicians worldwide were utterly astonished.
What was initially thought to be a war that wouldn't last a week has now dragged on for over a month, showing no signs of ending and instead escalating.
"It's now a full-blown protracted war! Weapons from around the world are pouring in."
"Chairman Su, I heard that Google has donated $15 million separately. Shouldn't our charitable foundation... consider it too?"
This isn't about funding the war, but rather providing humanitarian aid to help civilians suffering in the war.
Su Hao's hand gently rested on the document representing the foundation.
"...!"
An incredibly strong intuition struck him!
It seemed his special intuition wasn't entirely cold-blooded.
It was guiding him to reach out to those truly in need!
“Isn't our foundation's mission precisely to deal with situations like this?”
“Yes, Chairman Su. As for the amount…”
Su Hao picked up a pen and wrote a number on a piece of paper until the intense intuition subsided.
“500 million US dollars.”
“That much!”
“You should know that in the face of war, 500 million US dollars might not even make a ripple.”
A natural disaster can cause billions of dollars in losses, let alone a brutal war between nations?
The losses would far exceed hundreds of billions!
“Understood, I'll get on it right away!”
Su Hao silently prayed: I hope my small token of appreciation can be of great help.
And I hope this damned war will end soon.
Besides that, all he could do was pray.
***
In the European Union's conference room, no one was in the mood to praise the small country that had created a miracle.
"Natural gas prices have skyrocketed by 40% in a month! Nickel prices too!
That powerful nation shut down all pipelines, halting supply; prices will only continue to soar!
The most critical issue is that there simply aren't enough reserves on the market to meet the entire Union's needs!"
The problem now is that resource supplies have been cut off!
From natural gas to nickel, the prices of countless raw materials have shattered astronomical levels!
"Not only that, food prices are skyrocketing! The world's two major grain-producing regions are engulfed in war, exports are completely disrupted, and it's no wonder the global supply chain is crumbling!"
The troubles extend far beyond energy and metals.
A food crisis—this is the real problem shaking the very foundations of the nation!
Wheat, in particular, has reached an alarming price.
Energy crisis, resource crisis, food crisis… a triple blow is upon us.
The French president sat at the conference table, nervously swallowing.
He hadn't forgotten that the French Revolution, which devastated the country, was sparked by a surge in bread prices!
"So, gentlemen! Whether it's food, natural gas, or nickel, to extinguish this fire, we urgently need to find new supplies immediately!"
"You mean…!"
"We must… seek help from Fang Huan Investment."
A chorus of heavy sighs filled the conference room.
They recalled how, during the pandemic, they had repeatedly humbled themselves and sought help from Fang Huan.
They watched helplessly as those guys manipulated the European Union market, amassing astronomical fortunes.
They had sworn never to let those greedy individuals leech off them again!
But today, this humiliating scene was about to repeat itself?!
“Now is not the time for pride! I admit, I hate those guys too, but the fact is, right now, the only one who can help us is Fanghuan Investment!”
However, everyone was baffled.
How did those guys foresee all of this?
No one could have predicted the war would break out so quickly, and no one could have imagined it would last this long!
“I heard… recently, Fanghuan Investment’s charitable foundation donated $500 million to that suffering country…”
“What?! Five hundred million… dollars?!”
This figure left everyone petrified.
Even the world's largest corporations donate only tens of millions.
His family donated $500 million?!
The enormous question that had been swirling in everyone's minds seemed to have found its answer at this moment.
"I knew it! How could this war have dragged on for so long..."
Immediately, a chilling, almost suffocating thought surged into their minds.
"Good heavens... that small country is actually backed by Fang Huan Investment!"