Chapter 563: The Unscrupulous Audience in the VIP Box

In the "Wildfire" command center, Anthony Watson scratched his head, staring blankly at the latest orders from headquarters.
"What exactly did headquarters say? Repeat it again!"
"Headquarters ordered us to escort an even larger shipment of grain than last time, by sea, to... multiple ports in South Korea."
"We, 'Wildfire,' are going to escort it?"
"Yes. And, for the first time ever, we've received permission from the South Korean government to be fully armed throughout the journey.
In some areas, their navy will even be deployed in advance to guide and escort us."
That country with such a strong sense of pride, that even the M-army base protests daily, is actually allowing a fully armed foreign mercenary force into their territorial waters?
It seems they've truly been driven to the brink.
"Wait... don't you think... something's a little off about this?"
Anthony suddenly sensed something was amiss.
On the surface, dispersing the grain across multiple ports is to avoid it being wiped out all at once again.
"This logic makes perfect sense."
"What if... those ports they 'think' they can control are also being targeted by other forces with ulterior motives?"
The adjutant paused, then gasped. "You mean... this batch of grain will become new bait?"
"That's just the first layer! Under the guise of escorting ships, our people can openly infiltrate every corner of the Korean coast.
This practically opens the door to our future underground operations!"
Anthony pointed to the astonishing numbers marked on the map.
"And look at the sheer quantity of this grain. Imagine what would happen if we scattered so much 'military rations' across Korea?"
"Just as you said, it will immediately become a tempting target for all ambitious individuals, and they will stop at nothing to seize this supply!"
"That's right! That's the word—supply!"
Anthony stood up, as if he could already see the smoke and fire billowing over the peninsula.
Since ancient times, military strategists have held a profound truth: An army marches on its stomach!
The first element of victory is supply, the second is supply, and the third, damn it, is still supply!
Without supplies, even the most elite army is just a flock of lambs to the slaughter.
The reason Park Sung-hwan of Busan was able to rally so many followers was precisely because he held that crucial supply of food that could determine life or death.
"Fang Huan's investment group understands this better than anyone.
They know that even if this batch of grain reaches the Shou'er government, it will never be distributed entirely to the people.
Their first reaction upon receiving the grain will not be to open the granaries and distribute it, but to hold onto it tightly as a strategic resource to stabilize morale and suppress rebellions.
At this critical juncture, grain is the army, is territory, is the throne!"
"So… Fang Huan is… deliberately sending grain to the mouths of potential rebellious forces in various regions?"
"Yes, not just deliberately, but intentionally!" Anthony's eyes deepened with awe.
"They're even charging only cost price. This isn't selling grain!
This is clearly paying all the anti-corporate soldiers!
It's encouraging them: Brothers, grab your weapons and let's fight!"
"I've prepared all the provisions for you; now it's up to you whether you dare to take them!"
What's even more outrageous is that Fang Huan suffered almost no loss by doing this.
They had anticipated all of this, heavily shorting the South Korean stock market beforehand and making a fortune.
The money lost from selling the grain was negligible compared to their profits!
"But... can't the South Korean government see through this open conspiracy?"
"How could they not?" Anthony sneered, "But that's the most terrifying thing about an open conspiracy!
They see it more clearly than anyone else! But do they have a choice?
Fang Huan practically gave away the grain for free; could they refuse?
Impossible! They would accept this grain at all costs and then fight tooth and nail to protect it.
Meanwhile, countless hungry eyes would be fixed on this grain, desperately trying to seize it.
One side wanted to defend, the other wanted to seize.
What would the result be?
The adjutant murmured, "...A larger-scale, more brutal...bloody conflict."
"Fang Huan, from beginning to end, was like a heartless spectator sitting in a VIP box!
While munching on sunflower seeds, he cheerfully tossed torch after torch onto this land about to burn!"
And those South Korean troops, their heads bruised and bloodied, were nothing more than monkeys on a stage, their backsides scorched by flames, spinning wildly.
The Shou'er government, fully aware of this but powerless to do anything about it, was probably burning with rage.
But what could they do?
The sparks Fang Huan threw had already fallen into the flames.
The fire that has swept across South Korea has spread like wildfire.
***
"Chairman Su, something terrible has happened! Incheon Port... a military conflict has broken out at Incheon Port too!"
"What?!" Su Hao nearly dropped his purple clay teacup.
"Even the gateway to the capital region... how is this possible?!"
What kind of place is that?
Incheon Port, the economic lifeline protecting South Korea, is one of the most dazzling hearts of the entire country!
Everyone thought that even if the sky were to fall, that pillar of stability would never waver.
The Blue House would protect it like the apple of their eye.
However, the most improbable thing has become reality in the most violent way!
“It wasn’t an external attack,” Liang Haiyuan’s voice trembled slightly.
“It’s…it’s the government troops stationed there fighting amongst themselves!
A portion of the army defected and joined the coup forces in Busan!
Besides, alarms are sounding from military bases all over South Korea. The defections are spreading like wildfire, completely out of control!”
Just recently, when news of the coup forces occupying Busan Port arrived, Su Hao was convinced it was nothing more than a minor ailment.
A government controlled by conglomerates could easily crush those clowns with a turn of events.
After all, South Korea is a country where conglomerates are tightly bound to power.
They had spent astronomical sums of resources to forge a supposedly unbreakable political-business-military alliance.
To collapse such a massive alliance? That’s more absurd than teaching a husky calculus.
However, reality is that absurdity meets absurdity, and it’s absurdity to the extreme.
That seemingly impregnable fortress was crumbling from within at an unbelievable speed.
"We all thought...we all thought the Blue House would have the swift and decisive means to suppress it.
But now it seems...Soo-eun is completely paralyzed."
Liang Haiyuan's voice grew increasingly hoarse.
"Now all sorts of rumors are flying around, bizarre and outlandish.
Some say the current president has been betrayed by the military and is dead;
Some say he's been secretly imprisoned and made a puppet;
There are even rumors that he's already secretly fled to Japan on a US military helicopter...
It's hard to tell what's true and what's false, and everyone is filled with fear!"