Chapter 402: Isn't a bit too dark?

“So in the end, everyone's a loser? No…”
Aiden paused mid-sentence.
“With this, natural gas prices are bound to skyrocket. Those energy dealers are probably laughing all the way to the bank right now…”
A name flashed through his mind.
“You just said that Commander-in-Chief Valery received ‘private sponsorship’ to launch the attack? Have you traced the source of the funds?”
“Well… we can’t trace that yet. The other party made large transfers via Bitcoin. We suspect it’s likely one of those oligarchs who have been supporting the small country all along.”
When war breaks out, the first to flee are the incredibly wealthy oligarchs of the small country.
However, seeing that the small country actually held out, they felt a little embarrassed and contributed some money to support the government.
The funds for this operation likely came from that source.
But… who really profited the most from this incident?
“I remember, wasn’t Fanghuan Investment about to sign a major natural gas deal with the European Union?
But the contract fell through because those countries in the East changed their minds at the last minute, right?”
“Ah, yes, Mr. President.”
“And then, at this crucial moment, General Valery received an anonymous donation of Bitcoin?”
“Ah, I think so too.”
These seemingly unrelated fragments were now being pieced together perfectly in a bizarre way.
“Tell me,” Aiden’s eyes sharpened, “that I’m not the only one who finds this suspicious, am I?”
***
The Baltic Sea pipeline explosion, like a bombshell, triggered a violent shockwave across the globe.
Panic spread rapidly, global financial markets plummeted, and everyone worried that this might be a harbinger of an escalating war.
In Fanghuan Investment’s elite trading department, the discussions were in full swing.
"Three out of four pipelines are completely destroyed! The remaining one was already out of service long ago.
Now, the path for those eastern countries to obtain natural gas from the major powers is completely cut off."
All day long, every news channel was broadcasting this incident on a loop.
Expert teams rushed to the scene one after another, attempting emergency repairs, but ultimately reached only one conclusion:
It's beyond saving; completely destroyed.
"Has anyone found out who did it?"
"It's a complete mess. The US says it was the major powers, the major powers counter-accuse the US of colluding with smaller countries.
The European Union has sent several joint investigation teams, but they're still clueless.
In short, no one can convince anyone else; it's a complete mess."
"Chairman Su, who do you think did this?" a young trader asked curiously.
Su Hao leaned back in his chair, his expression nonchalant, as if listening to some gossip:
"Me? How would I know... Heaven knows which madman did it.
Maybe some extremist organization that supports small countries just did it on a whim."
Country M, large countries, small countries, the European Union...
Various factions held their own versions of events, arguing fiercely.
As mere spectators, they had no idea what lay behind this dramatic spectacle, beyond the spectacle itself.
"War is truly terrifying; they're capable of such heinous acts."
"Yes, it's horrific. I heard this massive natural gas leak is a catastrophe for the Baltic Sea's ecosystem."
"Then... Chairman Su...should we donate some money to the environmental organizations there in the company's name?"
"Hmm, that's a good suggestion. Go do it." Su Hao nodded readily.
War is indeed cruel.
But isn't the financial and business world another battlefield without gunpowder?
Just then, Li Huilin walked over quickly, her expression excited.
"Chairman Su! The European Union is calling again!"
"Oh?"
"It's still about the natural gas. They want our natural gas!
The moment the major power's pipeline was cut off, the entire Union was in an uproar.
Their natural gas reserves are critically low. If they can't find a new supply, they'll all be burning firewood this winter."
Back then, because those opportunists in the east suddenly changed their minds and turned to the major power, all the natural gas suppliers, including Fanghuan Investment, suffered huge losses, and their goods became a hot potato.
Only Su Hao, with his uncanny intuition, not only didn't sell off, but instead went against the trend, buying up all the natural gas he could find on the market and stockpiling it!
In other words, at this moment, globally, only Fanghuan Investment can immediately provide a massive amount of natural gas on hand!
Even better, their storage warehouses are located near the European Union, allowing them to quickly flood the entire Union market via sea!
"The market price of natural gas has gone insane! The pipeline explosion caused prices to skyrocket, five times higher than when we quoted them."
Fang Huan Investment originally planned to sell to the European Union for three times the market price.
But now, things are different.
"How much are those bastards asking?"
"They...they still want to buy it for three times the original price."
Upon hearing this, Su Hao's dormant intuition seemed to be gently tickled, as if mocking the naivety and absurdity of the price.
This price? Are they trying to fob off a beggar?
"That's impossible!" Before Su Hao could speak, Liang Haiyuan exclaimed.
"This is outrageous! They promised to sign a contract with us, then turned around and clung to the coattails of a powerful nation, treating us like fools!
Now they're desperate and coming back to us? And they think nothing happened?
Chairman Su, I think we need to teach them a lesson!
Five times the market price! No, I think seven times is fine!"
Su Hao nodded noncommittally, picked up a pen, and wrote a number in his notebook.
"7x."
His intuition didn't register.
He crossed it out and wrote a new one.
"8x."
Still no response.
"9x."
"10x."
Still deathly silence.
Su Hao's brow furrowed slightly, the pen lingered on the paper for a moment, and finally, slowly wrote a new number.
The instant this number was written!
"Buzz—!"
That dormant intuition conveyed an unprecedented sense of satisfaction and certainty.
This is the price!
Su Hao stared at the number on the paper, momentarily stunned.
This price… isn't it a bit too much?
He pushed the notebook towards Liang Haiyuan:
“Just reply to them with this price, but we still need to raise it a bit.”
“Okay, Chairman Su! I also think raising the price is necessary, otherwise they'll really think we… uh…”
Liang Haiyuan said, taking the notebook, glancing at the number, his words instantly caught in his throat, his whole body seemingly frozen, eyes wide, almost unable to catch his breath!
“Chairman Su… you… you… this is eleven times?!”
“Is it a bit much?” Su Hao touched his nose, revealing a slightly innocent smile.
He admitted that this price was indeed ruthless.
But so what?
"I've always been fair," Su Hao said lightly.
"Since they dared to stab us in the back, isn't it only right that they bleed tenfold and taste the pain of having their hearts ripped out?"