Chapter 492: A Thousand Miles in a Day!

Of course, the Japanese government could choose to be stubborn and ignore the IAEA's warnings.
But the consequences of doing so would be a national credibility disaster.
Once the IAEA officially declares that the Fukushima nuclear wastewater "poses a potential risk," it would be tantamount to labeling all Japanese seafood products as dead, causing a sudden and dramatic drop in global exports.
"Fanghuan Investment precisely calculated this, which is why they handed us that billion-dollar 'persuasion payment.'"
"To put it bluntly, it's a huge bribe! They want us to act according to their script."
"Don't put it so harshly.
Whether the Fukushima nuclear wastewater is truly safe is a matter of internal debate, isn't it?
Besides, looking at Fanghuan's recent actions, we have no reason to push them to the opposite side."
Just recently, Fanghuan, without warning, poured astronomical sums into the desolate Guyana region of South America.
Immediately afterwards, the energy giant Jackson Mobil, based there, suffered a bizarre "terrorist attack."
The finger at the mastermind behind everything subtly points to Fang Huan.
But that's not the point.
“As you all probably know, the former chairman of Jackson Mobil resigned in disgrace, and Fang Huan stepped in to take over the board.
Coincidentally, Guyana has rich uranium deposits underground!
Tying these two things together, isn't the answer obvious?”
“You mean… Fang Huan is interested in nuclear energy development?”
“Not just interested, he’s determined!
One of Jackson Mobil’s subsidiaries is in nuclear power!
Moreover, a large number of China’s top infrastructure companies have already established themselves in Guyana, all of them ‘infrastructure maniacs’ who excel at creating miracles deep underground!”
“However, a nuclear power plant isn’t something you can just dig a hole in the ground to operate; it requires extremely complex surface infrastructure.”
“But if it’s SMR, then it’s entirely feasible.”
SMR—Small Modular Reactor.
Hailed as the dawn of next-generation nuclear energy technology.
Its size is only one-fourth to one-fifth that of a traditional nuclear power plant, requiring less land, causing less environmental damage, and easy to install and dismantle like building blocks.
But its most incredible advantage is that it can be deployed entirely underground!
“Guyana is full of mineral deposits, with countless natural underground caves.
And China is already at the forefront of the world in SMR technology.
Fang Huan is investing heavily in us at this critical juncture. Do you really think they have the world at heart, protecting the marine environment?”
Don't be ridiculous.
Fang Huan, this financial behemoth that never suffers a loss, its ultimate goal is already crystal clear!
Its goal is to enter the nuclear energy industry!
And directly target SMR technology, which represents the future!
Do they really care about the Fukushima crisis after investing this billion dollars?
Of course not.
This is nothing more than a pledge they use to gain entry into the IAEA and, incidentally, to "make friends" with the world's highest nuclear energy regulatory body.
"This is fantastic news for us!
Think about how those idiotic 'denuclearization' politicians have demonized nuclear energy all these years?"
"How much scorn and contempt have we at the IAEA endured?"
The IAEA has never publicly advocated for "denuclearization."
In the hearts of these top scientists, nuclear energy is the only spark to save human civilization from its dire straits.
Yet, the world portrays them as sinners who unleashed the devil, condemning all their efforts as evil.
Those were incredibly long and incredibly stifling dark years.
"But with Fang Huan, with their immense wealth and influence paving the way, the development of nuclear energy technology will surely take flight, advancing by leaps and bounds!"
Take this one billion dollars, for example; this money could be entirely poured into nuclear energy technology research and development.
In the past, governments, fearing nuclear risks and electoral opposition, either cut investment or simply halted research.
But now, Fang Huan, with his unimaginably powerful backing, has appeared!
With it as a backing, those long-stagnant cutting-edge projects can finally be restarted!
Nuclear energy technology, despised by the world and abandoned by politicians, finally has the opportunity to soar through the skies once more!
And the one who ignited this fire is none other than Fang Huan!
“But, Secretary-General… the other party is Fang Huan!”
A senior committee member said worriedly,
“A mysterious organization shrouded in conspiracy theories.
To hand over nuclear energy, this ultimate power…
What if their goal isn't energy, but… something else?”
The Secretary-General smiled contemptuously upon hearing this.
"Come on, let's not jump to conclusions. Why think that far ahead?
Isn't it just worrying they'll build weapons?
Don't forget, no matter how powerful it is, it's still just a company.
What can they do with that stuff?
Is Fang Huan really so crazy as to want to declare war on the whole world?"
***
Inside the headquarters building of Fang Huan Investment.
Su Hao leaned back in his executive chair, listening to the report with great interest.
In the eyes of outsiders, Fang Huan Investment was like a savior.
They always seemed to appear like a divine intervention when companies were on the verge of collapse, pulling them out of the mire of bankruptcy and then miraculously reviving them to glory.
"So, we didn't buy a single share of Jackson Mobil stock, yet they actively came to us asking to be acquired?"
Su Hao listened to Li Huilin's report and found the whole thing a bit surreal.
“Yes, Chairman Su. Jackson Mobil’s market capitalization has plummeted from $400 billion to $200 billion, and internally it’s been in complete chaos.
We were just throwing money around in Guyana, and they proactively offered us a hand, begging us to help them out.”
To buy back shares and stabilize its stock price, Jackson Mobil had already poured in $100 billion, leading to a cash flow crisis. They simply didn’t have the money to repair the facilities in Guyana that had been “attacked” by terrorists.
Desperate and in dire straits, they had no choice but to relinquish control of the operations, asking Fang Huan to intervene and restore the Guyana projects to normalcy.
“In a sense, we got a great deal.
We leveraged a bargain price to seize control of the energy empire that is Jackson Mobil.”
Major funds and shareholders rushed to sell their cheap shares to Fang Huan.
Ultimately, Fanghuan Group easily seized control of this century-old energy giant with a mere 5% stake.
But Su Hao felt a headache coming on.
The energy industry?
He knew absolutely nothing about it. Asking him to manage it was like asking a monkey to fly a space shuttle!
It's a completely different field.
Of course, such troublesome matters were left to Chairman Huang and his group of brilliant executives at headquarters.
"Oh, right, Chairman Su, the IAEA has responded."
Su Hao immediately put the Jackson Mobil mess to the back of his mind.
Right now, this was what he cared about most.
"What did they say?"
"They've sent a formal letter to the Japanese side, indicating they will organize experts to conduct a second, more precise test.
It's estimated that this will put the Fukushima nuclear wastewater discharge plan on hold for at least a year."
Great! Su Hao breathed a sigh of relief.
His biggest concern was the irreversible pollution of the marine environment caused by nuclear wastewater.
While many countries are releasing wastewater, the Fukushima situation was an unprecedented nuclear accident, entirely different in nature.
“Furthermore, the IAEA has made an additional proposal.”
“Oh? What proposal?”
“They proposed a three-way collaboration between Fang Huan, the Guyanese government, and the IAEA to jointly invest in and develop an SMR project.”
“SMR?”
“That's small modular reactors. Our country is absolutely a leader in this field, but previously the focus has been on domestic experimental projects.
The IAEA's idea is that we should take this opportunity to join forces, utilize our technology, and directly launch commercialization globally, making it a large-scale and powerful force!”