Chapter 422: Regulatory Act

The aide slowly said:
"In fact, it was Fang Huan who proactively extended an olive branch to us.
They sent a message through a third party, saying, 'Considering the excessively high price of natural gas, which may severely impact your country's economy, we suggest you prepare a new cooperation proposal for discussion.'"
The Prime Minister of Deguo laughed out loud in anger.
What kind of talk is this?
The culprit who created this whole mess is now putting on a compassionate act, hypocritically playing the good guy?
Is there anything more shameless in this world?
"I understand your anger, Prime Minister. But this is reality; Fang Huan currently holds the absolute advantage.
We cannot act impulsively; we must remain calm and abandon our emotions, otherwise, Deguo will truly be finished."
The Prime Minister of Deguo took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the surging anger within him.
"Tell me, what does Fang Huan want? They haven't said it outright; are they trying to make us guess?"
"According to our intelligence, Fang Huan is currently attempting to acquire the world's largest social media platform—FaceWeb."
"And then?"
"To acquire FaceWeb, its founder, Mark Zuckerberg, must voluntarily relinquish controlling interest.
But that guy is a tough nut to crack; he absolutely refuses to budge.
Conventional methods won't work, so there's only one option left—completely destroy FaceWeb!
And we can help with that."
The Prime Minister's mind raced.
What's the fastest and most ruthless way to destroy a business empire?
It's the law! It's regulation!
It's using Guo Jia's machine for a devastating attack!
It's a precisely tailor-made, targeted bill to target FaceWeb!
"Are you sure this is what Fang Huan wants?"
"Fang Huan can't just come to us and say, 'Hey, help me pass a bill to take down FaceWeb,' can he?
That's why they're using this indirect approach, pretending to let us propose new negotiation directions, but actually, they're giving us the answer."
"Wait..." The Prime Minister's pupils suddenly contracted. "You mean, they offered eleven times the price of natural gas, but from the beginning, they never intended to actually sell at that price?"
"Yes, Mr. Prime Minister.
If we take the initiative and push the European Union to pass a regulatory bill specifically targeting FaceWeb;
and in exchange, obtain a significant reduction in natural gas prices from Fang Huan...
Then it will prove your guess was completely correct.
That exorbitant price, from beginning to end, was just bait."
This... what a terrifyingly elaborate scheme!
Eleven times the price of natural gas, merely bait, a lever to manipulate the entire European Union!
Just to target a social media company?
This game... isn't it incredibly ambitious?
The question is, does FaceWeb really have that much value, worth giving up such astonishing profits?
"It is," the advisor replied decisively.
"Fanghuan is promoting their 'Fanghuan Coin' globally, and for that, they urgently need a platform with a massive user base.
And FaceWeb, with nearly four billion users, is the unique and best platform!"
"So, they're going to promote Fanghuan Coin on FaceWeb?"
"That's right! Once Fanghuan Coin circulates on the FaceWeb platform, it will experience explosive growth!
Its future value will far exceed the current profits from natural gas!"
Hearing this, the Prime Minister's mind completely calmed down.
His anger had vanished without a trace.
In its place was an unprecedented emotion.
A fear, and a chilling cold, shot from his feet to his head.
When exactly did these monsters begin their scheme?
Natural gas, nickel mines, small-nation wars, pipeline destruction…
All of it, all the globally significant events, were just to pave the way for their damned virtual currency?
"I...now I understand why even Country M can't do anything about them.
These guys are truly beyond imagination...terrifying."
"Yes, Mr. Prime Minister.
They devise and execute plans that mortals simply cannot comprehend. Their methods are ruthless, their schemes far-reaching, utterly unpredictable.
And most insidiously, they never leave their opponents with a choice."
Just like Country D now.
The Prime Minister of Country D knows very well that they have no choice now.
“They’re using the fate of our country to blackmail us. What can we do but accept it?” The German Prime Minister waved his hand wearily.
“But what grounds do we have to suddenly target FaceWeb? We can’t just attack them without a reason.”
“There is.” A glint of light flashed in the aide’s eyes.
“Do you remember the Cambridge Analytica data breach scandal from a few years ago?
Markberg even attended a hearing because of it.
Although it’s an old case, its influence remains.
We can use this to our advantage, under the pretext of ‘protecting personal information security,’ to enact the strictest regulatory legislation in history, completely cutting off all its advertising revenue in Europe!”
This was indeed a brilliant idea.
“Won't Fang Huan's PicPic be affected too?”
“Fang Huan definitely considered that. But for them, losing some advertising revenue is negligible compared to successfully promoting Fang Huan Coin. They can easily afford this collateral damage.”
“What about persuading the European Union?”
“The European Union knows very well that if our country falls, they will collapse like dominoes. Persuading them isn't difficult. After all, the entire European continent is tied to the same cause.”
“…Alright, then get on it immediately.”
“Yes, sir!”
After everyone had left, leaving only the Prime Minister of the country in the office, he slumped into his chair, a deep sense of powerlessness engulfing him.
“Unbelievable, just because of… a small virtual currency… the world is about to be turned upside down?”
He felt the world was becoming increasingly insane.
***
At this moment, Mark Berg, the founder of FaceWeb, was like a general defending a lone city, stubbornly resisting attacks from all sides.
The financial giants, led by Wall Street, have long since become Fang Huan Investment's lackeys, attacking FaceWeb's defenses in various ways.
Questions about his leadership, pessimistic predictions about FaceWeb's future, rampant short selling, and fabricated financial crises...
But Mark Berger persevered.
Despite burning through astronomical sums of money and suffering a major setback due to his obsession with the elusive concept of the "metaverse," he remained steadfast in his belief that he could weather the storm!
FaceWeb's foundation remained intact!
They even launched the globally popular Instagram!
Although ultimately defeated by Picpic, as long as he, the lord, didn't surrender, no one could breach the castle!
"Just hold on... just hold on a little longer... FaceWeb's potential is limitless, we will definitely return to the top!"
Mark Berger firmly believed that today's dormancy was for a more magnificent future leap forward!
Fang Huan's ruthless pursuit of it stemmed from their shared recognition of this potential!
As he was encouraging himself, the office door was suddenly flung open.
"Boss...boss!"
A group of executives rushed in, their faces ashen, as if the sky had fallen.