Chapter 559: The Most Soft Spot

Su Hao sighed softly, feeling the suffocating security atmosphere around him.
Inside the company, guards were stationed every few steps, a group of burly men in black suits standing like terracotta warriors in every corner.
Each of them had eyes as sharp as an eagle, a calm and collected demeanor, and exuded an aura that warned others to stay away.
And this was just the company.
His home had now become a heavily fortified fortress.
Before entering, there was a minefield to clear; before leaving, a reconnaissance mission was required. Prior security assessments and route planning were ironclad rules for any place he went.
Even more outrageous was that every time he went out, he was followed by a long line of black escort vehicles—a spectacle more extravagant than a presidential motorcade in a movie.
“Chairman Su’s safety is paramount; we completely understand.”
The company’s internal surveillance had also been upgraded several levels, which should have caused employee dissatisfaction, but surprisingly, not a single person complained.
Everyone took it for granted and even cooperated willingly.
"How's the Fanghuan Exchange in South Korea going? Did it launch smoothly?" Su Hao rubbed his temples and asked.
"Yes, Chairman Su. Very smoothly. The South Korean government gave it the green light all the way, and the Fanghuan Exchange is now officially operating in South Korea.
Now, anyone with a mobile phone can download our app and trade."
Setting up an exchange in South Korea is technically effortless.
As long as the government approves, buying servers and setting up the network is a piece of cake.
"Then, the grain should have arrived by now, right?"
"Yes. After they accepted the negotiations, our fleet set sail immediately to transport the grain.
However… whether the grain we provided will truly solve South Korea's problems remains to be seen."
South Korea, once known as the "Miracle on the Han River," has a small territory and an extremely low food self-sufficiency rate.
This year has been particularly unlucky.
The financial crisis severely damaged its export-oriented economy, leading to large-scale unemployment and hyperinflation.
A deadly crisis plunged this heavily import-dependent country into an unprecedented shortage of supplies.
Even importing from other countries was prohibitively expensive for ordinary people, akin to wishful thinking.
This batch of grain from "Fang Huan" was a lifeline offered during their most desperate time.
"Chairman Su, the Strategic Department has a suggestion," Li Huilin reported cautiously.
"They suggest that our grain aid should be delivered in batches with extended intervals."
"Why?"
"For...security. They're worried that if we deliver all the grain at once, South Korea will immediately renege on their promise.
After all, they can cripple our servers with a flick of their fingers and shut down the exchange at any time.
Therefore, the Strategic Department believes that until an absolutely reliable 'security lock' is established, the grain should be used as leverage, delivered little by little, to prolong the battle."
Hearing this, Su Hao's brows furrowed instantly.
"We're playing mind games and engaging in power struggles with them here, but who will bear the consequences?
Won't it be the innocent civilians?"
They can't even get enough to eat right now, they're desperate for rice to cook. Are we just going to watch them starve to death for our own benefit?
That's no different from being a bastard who takes advantage of someone's misfortune!
"This…" Li Huilin was speechless for a moment.
"Pass my message to 'Fanghuan' Shipping, immediately!
No delays whatsoever, get all the grain, every single grain, to them as quickly as possible!"
Su Hao didn't want to accuse the strategy department of being ruthless.
Their duty was to maximize the company's profits and mitigate all risks.
In their eyes, sending all the grain at once was tantamount to giving up their most important bargaining chip, a highly risky move.
From a purely business perspective, their suggestion was flawless.
However, Su Hao had his own bottom line.
Even if the South Korean government were to stab him in the back and shut down the stock exchange...
He would never use countless lives as bargaining chips on his chessboard to exchange for so-called "commercial interests."
"..."
Even so, just in case, Su Hao slowly closed his eyes, his mind sinking into a state of clarity, awaiting the final judgment from his intuition.
How much time had passed?
"!"
That mysterious intuition seemed to also find the Strategic Department's calculations too cold-blooded, causing Su Hao's fingers to tremble!
It was as if it were an angry accusation: Those guys in the Strategic Department are utterly inhuman!
"Do it this way!" Su Hao opened his eyes, his gaze clear and firm,
"Pass it down immediately! And report to me in real time, ensuring that every ship of our grain enters South Korean territory accurately!"
"Yes! I'll take care of it right away!"
This time, even if he were truly betrayed, it wouldn't matter.
Su Hao gazed out the window, his heart calm.
As the saying goes, time will tell.
Even if it means taking the longest route, even if it means bearing misunderstandings...
He believed that this burning sincerity would one day be understood by the world!
***
Wildfire Base
"Boss, our infiltration of the South Korean military has begun gradually.
However, reports from the front indicate that a large number of blindly loyal diehards remain, unwilling to be bought off."
"That's normal. For them, as long as their own and their families' wealth and status remain unaffected, the number of deaths among their subordinates is irrelevant."
Anthony's smile turned cruel.
"But... what if their most beloved son or daughter is facing mortal danger in a foreign land?"
"You mean...?"
"Go, compile a list of the generals and officers we need to recruit.
Also, their children, every single one of them—which country they're studying in, which apartment they live in, what car they drive, who they're dating...
Dig up all that information!"
It's common knowledge that countless descendants of South Korean elites and powerful figures are enjoying a life of extravagance overseas.
And these "second-generation" figures flaunting their wealth abroad are precisely their parents' softest spot, their most fatal weakness!
Loyalty that money can't buy will be obtained through more primitive and brutal methods!
At CAI, he was bound hand and foot by countless shackles of so-called human rights, laws, rules…
But here, in “Fang Huan,” under that man’s will, the only rule is—
To achieve the goal, any means necessary!
“I’d like to see,” Anthony’s eyes gleamed with a devilish light,
“Which is harder, their loyalty to the tycoons and the country, or their heart as fathers to their own flesh and blood?”
“But, boss… using children as hostages to coerce them, even if they cooperate temporarily, it probably won’t last, and the consequences will be endless.”