Chapter 488: Priceless Fireworks

"What exactly happened? Is what the news is saying true?
Did those guys in Venezuela really make their move?"
Su Hao, a man who could theoretically sleep until the wee hours every day, unusually appeared in Fang Huan Investment's top-floor office at the crack of dawn today.
Normally, as long as the market didn't cause any major upheavals, Lin Fan would handle the company's daily affairs, and he was happy to relax.
But today, that wasn't the case.
Because just a few hours earlier, off the coast of Guyana in the Caribbean Sea, in the center of that azure treasure trove, a priceless "firework" born from a terrorist attack bloomed.
"As for Venezuela, they're shaking their heads like a rattle-drum, refusing to admit it to the death."
Liu Bo was reporting animatedly,
"However, intelligence indicates that before the attack, two of their warships did indeed sneak across the security line like thieves.
Even so, these guys still stubbornly protested their innocence, insisting, 'It wasn't me, I didn't do it, don't talk nonsense.'"
That sea area was a treasure trove of oil that Jackson Mobil had spent years and astronomical sums of money on;
From exploration to infrastructure, step by step, they had painstakingly "carved out" oil from the seabed.
The money invested could fill the treasury of a small country, and now they were just sitting back and counting their money!
For the Guyanese government, this place was their lifeline, a huge gold mine fallen from the sky.
The oil produced there not only allowed them to share in the sales revenue, but also served as a directly usable strategic reserve, playing a decisive role in how strong a country's military was.
This precious gem of a company was completely destroyed!
And the perpetrators were incredibly ruthless. A series of violent explosions, like a raging sea god, tore the steel facilities to shreds;
Followed by a hail of bullets, the production line, worth millions daily, was utterly crippled!
“What’s the reaction from all sides now?” Su Hao asked.
“Public opinion is almost unanimously against Venezuela, placing the blame squarely on them.
After all, M country itself is in complete chaos, with political infighting raging.
The analysis is that Venezuela calculated this, thinking that even if they stirred up a hornet's nest, the M military wouldn’t be able to intervene quickly.”
However, even a weakened camel is bigger than a horse; no matter how weak M country is, it’s still M country.
The M fleet stationed in the nearby waters, upon hearing that its domestic company’s oil field had been bombed, was understandably furious.
They immediately charged forward like they'd been injected with adrenaline, howling.
"Most of the attackers escaped, running faster than rabbits.
Only a small group of unlucky ones were sent to meet their maker by the M army on the spot.
And guess what?
These guys weren't regular Venezuelan soldiers, but rather desperate criminals making a living along the Venezuelan-Guyana border—basically a bunch of professional thugs."
"So, someone paid someone to stage this whole thing?" Su Hao's lips curled into a playful smile.
"Yes! Analysts are arguing like crazy, offering all sorts of interpretations.
One group believes it's because the Guyanese government, in conjunction with our 'Wildfire' security company, recently launched a devastating crackdown on criminal groups in the border region, and these desperate criminals, harboring resentment, are retaliating.
The other group firmly believes that Venezuela is behind this, using them as a pawn!"
The first reason sounds plausible, but upon closer inspection, it's riddled with flaws.
Even if these desperate criminals were incredibly audacious, going against the government forces is one thing, but why would they provoke Jackson Mobil, a completely unrelated entity?
What's the point? Are they tired of living?
From any perspective, Venezuela should bear the blame.
"So, the border is now tense, the air thick with the smell of gunpowder.
While the US government is internally in chaos, this incident directly touches upon their core interests and the security of their allies, making it a different matter.
The communists are also getting restless, clamoring to teach them a lesson and have already approved sending additional fleets."
"It seems Venezuela has really bitten off more than they can chew this time."
"Yes, Chairman Su. Although there's no concrete evidence that they were responsible, this commotion has thoroughly fueled the US's anger.
The Guyanese government can now sleep soundly. The real victim is Jackson Mobil."
As the old saying goes, when gods fight, mortals suffer.
This saying is practically tailor-made for Jackson Mobil's current situation.
"This loss will likely bankrupt them.
After all, the initial investment is there, and repairs will probably cost more than rebuilding.
What's worse, didn't Jackson Mobil recently spend a whopping $60 billion to acquire a new energy company?"
Indeed, Jackson Mobil has been like a lottery winner lately, frantically acquiring various energy companies and spending money like water.
This has stretched the company's cash flow to the limit.
"After all this turmoil, the company's accounts are practically empty.
And then, at this critical juncture, trouble struck from within, a devastating blow!"
The shareholders aren't fools.
In this information age, information transparency is terrifyingly high. Even without access to financial statements accurate to two decimal places, it's easy to get a rough estimate of a listed company's financial situation.
They all know perfectly well: Jackson Mobil is running out of money!
"Jackson Mobil dared to invest so recklessly because they firmly believed they could monopolize Guyana's oil market.
But now? Oil fields bombed, facilities destroyed, the myth of safety shattered—this is tantamount to announcing to the world—
This place is unsafe! You could lose everything at any moment!
With this news, it's no wonder the stock price plummeted."
The oil giant, once firmly holding a market capitalization of four hundred billion US dollars, is now experiencing a freefall, its stock price plummeting dramatically.
"It's said that even within Jackson Mobil, they're stunned. They completely unexpected this black swan event, and now they're in complete chaos, unable to even come up with an effective response plan."
"Preliminary estimates suggest the direct and indirect economic losses could reach hundreds of billions."
"So, the real show is yet to come?"
"Yes, Chairman Su! Jackson Mobil is in an uproar.
That descendant of the Rockefeller family, obsessed with replicating his ancestors' glory, has overreached and backfired.
Now, whether it's the fund investors or the company shareholders, everyone is complaining and wants to devour him whole."