Chapter 614: Dandelion Seeds

Across the ocean, in the Presidential Office of Country M.
“What’s the latest news from Fanghuan Investment?”
“Reporting to the President, they’ve responded to our sanctions, implementing a completely new algorithm that reportedly froze all suspicious Bitcoin assets…”
“…”
Upon hearing this, the current president narrowed his eyes slightly, a hint of amusement flashing in them.
This sanction was a high-stakes gamble in his political career.
The unexpected collapse of his ally had instantly exposed the empire, which had relied on their support, to the biting cold of winter, leaving it in a precarious situation.
What the current president needed to do was strike while the iron was hot!
This was the perfect opportunity to drag them to the negotiating table and force them to sign a humiliating treaty.
Therefore, he had defied all opposition and introduced what was arguably the most severe sanctions bill in history.
“Bitcoin sanctions, indeed, are on the list…” the current president muttered to himself.
To be honest, he hadn’t expected Fanghuan Investment to cooperate at all.
Those guys are the epitome of self-interest; a bunch of ruthless financial tycoons who never do anything that doesn't benefit them.
To get them to voluntarily participate in a sanctions action that could devastate the entire cryptocurrency industry?
That's even more absurd than Somali pirates declaring their love of peace.
"They're actually... cooperating so actively?"
"Perhaps they're trying to give you face, Mr. President? After all, you and Fang Huan have a close relationship."
Secretary-General Celine speculated.
Aiden couldn't help but chuckle.
"Celine, it seems you still don't understand Fang Huan and his group." He shook his head.
"If they really had even a tiny bit of concern for me, they shouldn't have pushed me onto this volcano of re-election."
"..."
The current president was actually filled with anxiety about this maximum pressure sanction; his core advisors had even suggested he postpone the action more than once.
The reason was simple: the current empire was a cornered beast.
Who could have imagined that our allies would collapse in such an avalanche-like manner?
“If it weren’t for Fang Huan Investment stirring up trouble behind the scenes, the Empire would probably be leisurely wearing us down on the battlefield, slowly whittling down our opponents.”
But Fang Huan Investment, this unseen hand, directly ignited a massive internal conflict, wiping out its top leadership in a bloodbath.
So, what choice will the Empire, cornered, make?
“You mean… they might resort to extreme measures?” Celine’s face turned deathly pale.
For the Empire’s president, “extreme measures” doesn’t mean pulling out a gun and pointing it at his temple.
He’s more likely to think, “If I don’t live, neither will you,” and ruthlessly press the red button that could set the entire Earth’s civilization back to the Stone Age.
“Unless…” A glint suddenly flashed in the current president’s eyes, and a startling thought exploded in his mind.
"So, has Fanghuan Investment kept those assets frozen indefinitely, or what?"
"No, Mr. President. According to intelligence, they only froze them for three days.
Because the market reaction was too intense, just now they unfroze the vast majority of the assets, retaining only a small portion."
"Oh? What's the background of that small portion? Has it been investigated?"
"Not yet. Whose assets they are, the outside world has no way of knowing.
But Fang Huan has publicly stated that retaining this frozen portion is precisely to cooperate with our operation."
The Empire appears to be a one-man show by the president, with highly centralized power.
But in reality, what supports his iron-fisted rule is the vast new oligarchic group he personally cultivated.
These oligarchs, who control many of the nation's lifelines, including energy, military, and economy, are a community of shared interests with the president and the cornerstone of his power.
They follow him not only out of gratitude for helping them eliminate dissidents and rise to power in the past, but more importantly, because of a symbiotic relationship of interests.
"But, Celine, it's not just the president who's been driven to a dead end.
Those oligarchs who have their fortunes and lives hidden in Bitcoin are probably even more anxious than the president right now."
A cold smile curled at the corner of the current president's lips.
"Imagine if the president truly went mad and wanted to drag the whole world down with him.
Do you think those oligarchs would just stand by and watch their wealth and status perish?"
More than that illusory imperial glory, they care about their London mansions, Mediterranean yachts, and Swiss bank deposits!
What they seek is to ensure that even if the world is engulfed in flames, they can still comfortably lie on Noah's Ark, leisurely sipping champagne.
“But Mr. President, even for Fanghuan Investment, pinpointing the exact ‘slush funds’ of every oligarch from the vast sea of ​​Bitcoin addresses is practically an impossible task, isn’t it?”
“It’s hard to say. Others might not be able to, but this is Fanghuan Investment!” The current president’s gaze deepened.
“Think about it carefully. First, they froze everything with overwhelming force, then casually unfroze most of it, leaving only a precisely locked-down small portion… What does that mean?”
“Could it be that they’ve really uncovered the entire ledger?” Celine gasped.
If those locked-up assets truly all belong to the empire’s oligarchs…
Then, now it’s their turn to choose.
Will they watch helplessly as their life’s wealth vanishes, accompanying the president toward destruction;
Or… find a way to reclaim everything that rightfully belongs to them!
***
Inside a heavily guarded manor in the Empire.
"What the hell is going on?! Weren't most of the assets supposed to be unfrozen? Why are our accounts still locked?!"
An oligarch roared, slamming his crystal glass to the ground.
"Yes, sir... but... all of our assets remain frozen, locked away."
This news struck like a bolt from the blue, leaving everyone present stunned and pale.
It meant only one thing.
"Fang Huan Investment... has completely exposed us?!
They have precise knowledge of every single one of our Bitcoin assets?!"
"Otherwise, what other explanation could they possibly have performed like a surgical operation..."
"How could they so precisely isolate and target all of our assets from billions of accounts?!"
"Holy shit! How the hell is that possible?! We're not stupid!
Our assets are hidden so deeply, layered and complexly structured, split and transferred countless times, that even a ghost couldn't find them!
How did they do it?!"
Everyone present felt like they were going crazy.
This was something even the most advanced Western intelligence agencies, let alone Fang Huan, couldn't uncover—their true Bitcoin holdings.
Because these assets were like dandelion seeds, fragmented into countless pieces, scattered across the global network.
Only they, possessing countless private keys, could piece together the complete treasure map.