Chapter 517: A Lonely Man Abandoned by All

Those financial demons entrenched in the East!
From the Yellow Vest protests to today's nationwide riots, their shadows are everywhere!
All I did was obstruct their so-called ESG association, and these jackals immediately bared their fangs, using such despicable and shameless means to drag all of Gaul into the abyss!
Do they really think I'll succumb to such underhanded tactics?!
Dream on!
“But, Mr. President, this situation is extremely serious!” The secretary’s voice pulled him back from his anger.
“The number of protesters is still increasing exponentially, and inflammatory rhetoric online is spreading like a virus. We…we’re losing control!”
“Then cut off the source of the virus!” A crazed killing intent flashed in Kmalone’s eyes.
“That ‘picpic’ and that ‘faceweb,’ aren’t they the very platforms they’re stirring up trouble on?
Block all their social media platforms with an executive order!”
“What?! Mr. President! Blocking them won’t solve the problem!” The secretary exclaimed in alarm.
“Various forums and communities have already been infiltrated to the point of being riddled with holes.
Moreover, if we take action to ban the platforms, it’s tantamount to confirming the crime of ‘tyrant,’ being labeled as ‘trampling on public opinion and stifling freedom’!
It will only incite even larger-scale resistance! This is simply adding fuel to the fire!”
Kmalone was no longer listening.
Only one thought remained in his mind.
The culprit behind all this is Fanghuan Investment!
And their weapons for poisoning Gaul are those two social media platforms!
This evil claw must be severed; they can no longer be allowed to manipulate this noble and great nation at will!
"No matter what they shout or how they protest!" Cameron roared,
"Use all presidential authority to completely block all social media platforms related to Fanghuan Investment from Gaul!"
***
A few days later, in Fanghuan Investment's conference room, the atmosphere was as relaxed as a tea party.
International news was playing on the large screen, the headline being Gaul, which had been thrown into chaos.
"Holy crap, five million? The number of protesters has finally soared to five million?!
My God, has the entire population of Paris been mobilized? This number is outrageous!"
A trader looked at the news, clicking his tongue in amazement.
“More than that,” another person chuckled gleefully,
“It’s said that old bastard Cameron was almost dragged out of the Élysée Palace by angry mobs and sent straight to the guillotine!”
These past few days, Gaul has successfully grabbed headlines worldwide.
Unimaginable crowds of demonstrators, heavily armed riot police, even tanks deployed as bodyguards for the president…
Scenes reminiscent of Hollywood blockbusters have unfolded live on a global stage.
“It’s said that the president originally wanted to pull a stunt, invoking Article 49, Section 3 of the Constitution to force the pension bill through without a vote.”
An analyst with considerable knowledge of European politics explained:
“This clause is like the president’s ‘trump card,’ used to handle emergency legislation.”
"But it has a prerequisite: if Congress votes against it with a majority within 24 hours, the bill will be forcibly withdrawn."
"So, he was betrayed by his own people?"
"You could say that. Normally, if the president dares to use this tactic, it means he's already coordinated with the opposition party privately.
After all, the opposition party knows that pension reform is inevitable, and since Cmarone is willing to take the brunt of this huge burden, they're happy to go along with it."
"But they didn't expect the protests to grow so large, scaring them off too?"
"Exactly! Seeing that the fire was big enough to burn everyone to ashes, the opposition party decisively turned their backs and stabbed him in the back.
They voted against it in the veto vote, shifting all the blame onto the president alone.
They then transformed themselves into 'righteous partners who listen to the people's voice.'"
"I heard... even within Macron's own Renewal Party, there's been a rebellion?"
"That's right! The Renewal Party was afraid of being purged, and seeing the situation turning against them, they all jumped ship.
Overnight, Macron went from an ambitious reformer to a lonely figure abandoned by everyone."
Laughter rippled through the room. Su Hao, teacup in hand, listened to his subordinates' discussion, feeling a pang of sadness.
Gallic pension reform was a necessary surgery, painful but crucial to the nation's future.
Macron's choice to bear the blame showed some responsibility.
In the end, he didn't become a hero; instead, he became a public enemy.
Speaking of pensions, this is definitely a perpetual source of pain for politicians in all developed countries.
Reforming carries too much political risk; one wrong move and you're out of office.
Delaying reform means letting the cancer spread, and everyone's doomed.
Most politicians choose the latter, after all, the mess is left to the next generation; as long as they enjoy peace and prosperity during their term, that's all that matters.
So, they comfortably pass this time bomb to their descendants.
“Speaking of which, our Chairman Su is truly amazing!” Liang Haiyuan exclaimed.
“Which developed country in the world isn’t fretting over its pension problem?
But what about us? Our Pangu Fund, a strategic investment of the state, has grown exponentially under Chairman Su’s brilliant management!
Later, news came from the national team that the Pangu Fund’s returns were enough to cover the basic pension payments of the government with 2 trillion yuan annually!”
“Exactly! Now, Fanghuan Investment is practically being hailed as a ‘national hero enterprise’ by the media!”
“Hehe, to be honest, I still have nightmares about it!”
Another veteran employee exaggeratedly patted his chest.
“I still can’t forget the scene when Chairman Su decided to use that astronomical sum of money to short the global market!
My god, my legs went weak. I was so afraid that if we messed things up, we’d be drowned in the spittle of the entire nation!”
Su Hao couldn’t help but smile upon hearing this.
Even now, looking back, he still thinks it was an incredibly reckless gamble.
Even with his "intuition" as a cheat code, it was still a huge sum of national funds at stake!
The thought of that dopamine-fueled, high-wire act, walking a tightrope on the edge of a precipice, still sends chills down my spine.
Of course, along with the chills came the unparalleled thrill and exhilaration of conquering the world afterward.
Fortunately, he won the gamble.
“By the way, what happened to Gaul’s ban on our ‘picpic’?” Su Hao asked.
“It’s been unbanned,” Liu Bo reported.
“After all, it’s a democracy. For the president to ban social media based solely on his personal authority, without going through proper legal procedures, is a huge stunt, practically suicidal.
While our platform was indeed one of the triggers for this incident, it was their various domestic forums and communities that truly ignited the fire.”