Chapter 499: World-Destroying Weapon?

“But… Fanghuan Investment, precisely at this critical juncture, opened its doors wide as if completely unguarded, watching helplessly as the mole and the American conspirators gathered, then buried them all alive with a ‘perfectly timed’ earthquake…”
Anthony’s breathing became rapid.
“Then there’s only one explanation left. Headquarters knows!” the subordinate interjected, his face more ashen than a corpse.
“They knew from the very beginning that on that day, at that moment, that land would face disaster!”
That makes sense now.
Looking back now, no wonder everything seemed so bizarre.
Before, he found it strange that headquarters clearly knew that once the classified information leaked, Fanghuan would face utter destruction, falling into an abyss of no return!
Yet they ignored the American conspirators’ relentless pressure, even dismantling the most basic defenses, and even opening the doors to lure them in!
So, all of this was the final curtain, a trap to lure them in!
For this lavish, breathtakingly grand funeral!
But, from which step did Fang Huan Investment begin this elaborate scheme?
Was it deliberately establishing its headquarters in Turkey, an earthquake-prone region?
Was it knowing there were problems, yet still recruiting those employees destined to become moles?
Or did they allow the opposition forces in the US to fester from the beginning, simply waiting for them to unite, and then… wipe them out in one fell swoop?
All of this, all the forbearance and planning, was for this earth-shattering final blow!
Perhaps, this plan was already written into the script by Fang Huan Investment before the "Wildfire" organization was even formed!
"But boss, didn't CAI already make a conclusion?
Neither strategic weapons capable of artificially triggering super earthquakes, nor technology that accurately predicts earthquake dates, exist in conspiracy theories and science fiction novels; they simply don't exist in the real world!"
Conspiracy theories about earthquake weapons are as numerous as hairs on a cow.
But countless investigations and studies yielded a strikingly consistent conclusion: it was science fiction, not science!
"Could it be that headquarters... truly possesses this kind of world-destroying weapon that only exists in science fiction novels?"
"Who knows?" Anthony shook his head bitterly.
"Didn't we thoroughly investigate all organizations that might be connected to Fanghuan Investment before?"
"Yes, boss. The final investigation result was... absolutely no connection, chillingly clean.
They don't have any secretly operating subordinate organizations under their name."
"That's right." Anthony's eyes deepened with fear.
"In other words, it's not that they don't have any.
It's that their methods are incredibly sophisticated; their secretly operating organizations are so well-hidden that we can't even glimpse them!"
Since the establishment of "Wildfire," he had been secretly observing, trying to see if Fanghuan Investment was operating other similar black gloves like "Wildfire."
The result was nothing.
It was this "utter failure" that plunged Anthony into despair.
These seasoned, elite agents couldn't find a single hidden piece on Fang Huan's chessboard!
But those unseen pawns, in some unknown, dark corner, obeyed Fang Huan's will, unleashing this earth-shattering, world-destroying calamity!
"Boss, to be honest, I'm... terrified." The subordinate's face was deathly pale, his lips trembling.
"Headquarters... what kind of game are they playing?
How deep have their tentacles reached?
How vast and secretive are their pawns?
What kind of horrific things are they planning to do?
We... we're like a bunch of blind men, we know nothing!"
Anthony didn't speak, but his clenched, white fists betrayed him.
He tried to appear calm, but his churning stomach and pounding heart made him want to vomit.
He had once arrogantly believed that there was no secret in this world he couldn't uncover.
But now, as a powerful general under Fang Huan Investment, he sadly discovered that his understanding of this behemoth was less than the tip of the iceberg.
Fang Huan Investment, like a god high in the heavens, coldly surveyed everything.
Surrounding "Wildfire,"
Surrounding them, these self-important pawns,
And also surrounding Anthony's…
growing sense of awe!
***
Meanwhile, at Fang Huan Investment, in Su Hao's office.
"What?! A 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Turkey?!"
A look of shock and grief appeared on Su Hao's face.
A powerful earthquake in Turkey?!
Could there be anything more absurd?
And right at this critical moment when the US sent people to "inspect" Wildfire's headquarters!
This is simply… a tragedy!
“Yes, Chairman Su! News just came from Turkey.
It's said the casualties have exceeded 100,000, and the entire city has been almost completely razed to the ground; it's a horrific sight.”
“What about our wildfire headquarters?” Su Hao asked.
“The wildfire didn't spare them either. The entire building, along with the surrounding buildings, collapsed.
The collapse triggered a chain of explosions; the scene… is extremely horrific.”
“Then… what about the staff who opened the door and guided the way, and… those action teams from the US…”
“Yes, Chairman Su, unfortunately, according to the assessment from the scene… it's determined that they have all perished.”
“Sigh—!”
Su Hao sighed deeply, closing his eyes as if mourning the lost lives.
He simply wanted to cooperate with the investigation as quickly as possible, and the US side readily agreed, swiftly finalizing the schedule.
But who could have imagined that at that critical juncture, fate would play such a cruel and devastating joke?
Even more tragically, those "outstanding employees" who voluntarily opened the door and led the way to "cooperate with the investigation" were also buried under the rubble.
It's truly...heartbreaking to hear, and heartbreaking to see.
"Immediately, in the name of the company, issue the highest level of compensation to the families of all employees who perished in this incident.
The company will cover all their funeral expenses; make sure it's a grand and dignified affair."
"Yes..."
"Also, those international friends who traveled from the United States and unfortunately lost their lives...their families must also receive generous compensation!"
"Chairman Su, this...we don't really need to..."
"Of course we do!" Su Hao interrupted righteously,
"Although it's a natural disaster, it happened on our company's territory after all!
Think of their families, how heartbroken they must be!
Use all resources to comfort them and meet all their reasonable requests."
"Understood, Chairman Su."
Money can't wash away the sorrow, but Su Hao sincerely hoped that this money could bring a small measure of comfort to those broken families.