Chapter 430: Getting something for nothing?

"Chairman Su?"
"Huh?"
"Are you...are you alright? I called you several times, but you didn't respond."
Su Hao jolted awake, pulling his wandering thoughts back to reality, his eyes refocusing.
That noise just now...was it a gunshot?
At first, the feeling was unmistakable, like someone pulled the trigger next to his ear, but now, calming down and reflecting on it, something felt off.
That sound...how to describe it?
Rather than a gunshot, it was more like a string of cheap firecrackers being lit in some corner, a muffled, somewhat comical "pop."
But immediately afterward, a chilling stench of blood, mixed with a blinding red flash, swept past his eyes in an instant.
But this was enough to prove that a storm was brewing in the distance.
"By the way, I have a question for you..." Su Hao rubbed his temples and slowly began to speak.
"Yes, Mr. Su, please go ahead," Lin Fan replied immediately.
"Is the gun problem very serious in Japan?"
"Gun...problem?" Lin Fan looked as if he had heard something unbelievable, his face practically overflowing with question marks.
Su Hao knew his question was a bit off-topic.
"Yes. For example, the proliferation of guns," Su Hao explained,
"After all, they have those 'Kouyama Group' and the like, right? I was wondering if they ever smuggle arms, like in a Hollywood movie."
"Mr. Su, you don't know this. In East Asia, everyone is terrified of guns, absolutely zero tolerance."
Lin Fan shook his head vigorously.
"Japan, like our country, has one of the strictest gun control systems in the world.
You could get arrested even for buying a toy gun online.
A few years ago, their police did a major crackdown, completely eradicating the weapons of those gangs.
If a shooting happened in a city, it wouldn't be as simple as just a few police officers; the anti-terrorism unit or even the Self-Defense Forces would have to turn the area upside down!"
"So, those gangsters don't dare touch these things easily?"
“That’s right! Whether it’s those thugs or the Kokuyama-gumi, under the continuous high-pressure crackdown from Japan, they’ve long lost their former arrogance. They’re all keeping their tails between their legs now; how could they dare to act so cocky?”
‘So… that commotion just now really wasn’t a gunshot?’
Su Hao’s fingertips hovered above the documents. For a moment, he wanted to touch them again to verify that ominous premonition.
But thinking of that feeling of goosebumps, as if an invisible hand were gripping his heart, he decisively gave up.
That feeling—those who haven’t experienced it can never understand.
Every time he foresaw such a bloody scene, heard that ominous sound, and felt that despair, it was like walking through the gates of hell, leaving him drenched in cold sweat, his energy completely drained.
“But Chairman Su, why are you suddenly concerned about this…?” Lin Fan asked cautiously.
"Oh, it's nothing, just asking casually." Su Hao waved his hand, forcibly suppressing his unease.
"In short, it's safe to say that a daytime shooting is practically impossible in a Japanese city, right?"
"Yes, just like back home, it's perfectly safe."
That's good.
Although his intuition was sending him a horrific 3D horror movie, it conveyed an extremely optimistic signal regarding the overall direction of this investment.
"Let's get back to them in Japan," Su Hao decided, "tell them we're very interested in these terms. Fang Huan is investing!"
"Okay! But...aren't they hoping we'll come up with a 'magic bullet' to reverse their approval ratings? What do we say?"
"Forget it," Su Hao chuckled,
"Those seasoned veterans who've spent half their lives in politics can't come up with a solution, and they expect us finance guys to?
"Tell them the brilliant plan is brewing, and that we need to cultivate the relationship. Get them to show some sincerity, push the investment forward, and demonstrate our willingness to cooperate."
"Understood. So, we're not going to have too high hopes yet, just keeping them hooked?"
"That's true, but there's always a chance of something going wrong.
We still need to do our preparations thoroughly, ensuring the group level is ready for the investment.
Also, carefully study which areas are most worthwhile to target at this crucial juncture in our foray into the Japanese market, and give me a detailed report."
"Yes, Chairman Su!"
...
As Lin Fan expected, Su Hao didn't take the so-called "brilliant plan" seriously at all.
The Liberal Democratic Party offered such humiliatingly generous terms for one core reason:
They desperately needed a brilliant move to turn the tide and reverse their dismal approval ratings.
But the problem was, these people, a bunch of capitalists, knew absolutely nothing about politics. Where could they find a brilliant plan?
"This mess is beyond saving unless a miracle happens," Lin Fan muttered to himself.
While nothing is absolute, this time, he truly didn't think the Liberal Democratic Party had any chance of turning the tide.
***
Japan, Liberal Democratic Party Headquarters.
"Has Fanghuan Investment responded?"
"Yes! They said they are very satisfied with our terms and have expressed a strong desire to cooperate."
"What?!"
In the conference room, the eyes of the Liberal Democratic Party's top officials instantly lit up, and their breathing quickened.
In their view, Fanghuan Investment's acceptance of the proposal was tantamount to admitting they had a solution!
"Did they also send us a strategy that could turn our defeat into victory?!"
However, the next sentence from the reporter was like a bucket of ice water poured over his head.
"Well... regarding the strategy, they... didn't mention a single word."
"Huh? Didn't mention anything? What do you mean by not mentioning a single word? Are you fucking kidding me?"
"Absolutely. Their exact words were that they are very interested in our terms and have already begun preparing for the relevant investment matters. As for anything else, they didn't say anything else."
"Did our people not make things clear?"
"We've made it perfectly clear! We've made it crystal clear, repeatedly, and explicitly requested their help in getting our Liberal Democratic Party through this crisis!"
But the other side didn't even bother with a polite formality, avoiding the core demand and only thinking about swallowing the benefits that amounted to ceding territory and paying reparations?
"This is outrageous! Isn't this just trying to get something for nothing?!"
"That's right! They're treating us like fools! How dare they humiliate us like this!"
The anger of being mocked instantly broke down the defenses of these normally dignified politicians, who were now glaring and spitting as they spoke.
"Gentlemen, please calm down." Prime Minister Yoshida slowly raised his hand, silencing the commotion.
“But Your Excellency Prime Minister! Fang Huan and his gang are clearly only interested in taking advantage, not putting in any effort!”
“Heh, do you think they don’t understand?” Yoshida’s eyes gleamed with cunning.
“They’re not stupid. They know perfectly well that every single condition we’ve set is based on the premise that our Liberal Democratic Party must win the election.
If we lose, won’t all those promises become nothing but empty words?”