Chapter 642: Flash Delivery Orders with Compensation for Delays

Fanghuan Investment, Strategy Department.
Externally, this is a ghostly department that doesn't exist;
Internally, even long-time Fanghuan employees only remember it as "a bunch of pretentious geeks sitting in top-secret offices drinking coffee all day."
Whether these people are actually drinking tea and reading newspapers, or plotting bloodshed, no one knows.
However, only Fanghuan's core leadership knows that this isn't about PowerPoint presentations and Excel spreadsheets, but rather the kind of "dirty work" that could make the old men on the UN Security Council's hearts stop!
What exactly is this place?
To put it bluntly, it's Fanghuan's black glove, the shadowy side handling all the unspeakable matters, and one of the core cornerstones supporting Fanghuan's vast financial empire.
Spending too much time in this place will repeatedly shatter and rebuild one's values, until you become numb to any shocking news.
One can only marvel at how ferocious and terrifying, and how—fascinating—this behemoth, Fanghuan, is!
But today...
"This...this is an April Fool's joke, right? Is today April 1st? Huh?"
As the head of the strategy department, Zhou Yi prided himself on his composure, able to remain unfazed even in the face of a collapsing mountain.
But now, he sprang from his leather executive chair as if springs had sprung from his seat, his eyes nearly popping into the coffee cup in front of him.
"What did you say? What did those lunatics from 'Wildfire' get their hands on? A nuclear briefcase?"
Zhou Yi's voice trembled, not from fear, but from the absurdity of it all.
"You mean that red button that can blow Earth back to the Stone Age? Not that cheap model from Taobao?"
"Yes, Mr. Zhou. And there's more than one." The subordinate swallowed hard, lowering his voice.
"One for the Empire, one for Gao Li. Two nuclear briefcases in total, confirmed to be in 'Wildfire's' hands."
"No...this, how the hell is this possible..."
Zhou Yi stammered, swallowing his words halfway through, feeling his brain boiling.
Wait a minute, think about it carefully, how is it impossible?
That's "Wildfire"!
That top-tier organization that gathers the world's most twisted, scum, and elite intelligence personnel.
If it were those lawless old monsters, those war dogs who treat "impossible missions" as daily pastimes, doing something like this seems...
very logical?
For enough money, these guys would probably take on any delivery order, even if it meant blowing a hole in the moon, with a guaranteed late delivery.
And the one controlling these humanoid beasts is none other than the man standing on a cloud—Su Hao!
If this is Chairman Su's order, then it seems perfectly reasonable for "Wildfire" to do something that threatens to tear a hole in the sky.
"This…is this an order personally given by Chairman Su?" Zhou Yi cautiously lowered his voice.
"We can't confirm the specific source of the order." The subordinate smiled bitterly.
"But considering 'Wildfire's' nature, they wouldn't dare to go this far without the tacit approval of the highest authority."
Although "Wildfire" nominally reports to the Strategic Department, in reality, they are like an alien army kept in Su Hao's backyard.
Aside from Su Hao himself, no one knew what shady dealings they were up to.
This was the most bizarre aspect of Fang Huan.
From the very beginning, Su Hao's attitude towards "Wildfire" was: plenty of money, obedience, and free rein.
This near-tyrannical indulgence led Fang Huan's higher-ups to believe Su Hao was under a spell.
"Wildfire," a violent organization capable of destroying small-country regimes, had an extremely lax, even chaotic, funding approval process.
Su Hao simply transferred money, in staggering amounts, with no upper limit and no financial audits whatsoever.
This was practically handing money over to those thugs; ostensibly funding, but in reality, it was blatant indulgence.
Even if those guys used the money for fuel, Fang Huan never questioned it.
Why?
Because Su Hao never ordered an audit.
Furthermore, if some reckless finance person were to investigate "Wildfire's" accounts, what they uncovered would likely cause the entire board of directors to have a collective heart attack.
"The operating funds of 'Wildfire' are top secret.
Besides the huge appropriations on the books, the illicit funds transferred to its subsidiaries are astronomical.
This messy accounting is something the finance department can't investigate, and even… dares not investigate.
After all, if they were to uncover even one or two tax-inclusive invoices for 'purchasing nuclear weapons,' the consequences would be dire."
For this reason, even the Xia Kingdom's intelligence agencies turn a blind eye to "Wildfire."
Fang Huan's wall of money has kept all prying eyes out.
But now, Zhou Yi seems to have caught a glimpse of the truth.
Since the Xia Kingdom isn't investigating, and Fang Huan isn't asking, it means everything is under Su Hao's control.
"They won't report all the specific details about the wildfire to us... but there must be a direct line to Chairman Su?"
Zhou Yi stroked his chin, lost in thought.
"That's for sure. Unless we're crazy enough to directly ask Chairman Su, this is a black box."
Ask Su Hao?
Zhou Yi shuddered.
Stop messing around.
"No need. Both 'Wildfire' and our Strategic Department were personally created by Chairman Su for Fang Huan's ambitions."
Zhou Yi decisively waved his hand, a profound expression on his face.
"But one thing is certain: those who know too much usually don't survive more than a episode or two.
Just remember, everything is for Fang Huan to rule the world, not for us mere employees to uncover the truth of the world!"
"Yes! President Zhou, I understand!"
"So, what's 'Wildfire' planning next? To collect all seven nuclear briefcases and summon the dragon?"
"No, they have a logic behind it."
The subordinate opened a file and analyzed.
"Now that they have the nuclear button, they intend to use it as leverage to forcibly maintain a terrifying balance of power among the various factions.
As long as they have those two boxes, the major powers won't dare to act rashly, and a full-scale nuclear war can be contained in the short term.
'Wildfire' clearly hopes that the two countries maintain their current state of division, the so-called...balance in chaos."
Zhou Yi nodded; this indeed aligned with the consistent thinking of those warmongers.
Once those two behemoths unite, they become an uncontrollable beast.
Only by smashing them into a pile of fighting dogs can a financial tycoon like Fang Huan reap the rewards with ease, without fear of their backlash.
"Then, by using the secret operation of the wildfire at a crucial moment, he can prevent those warlords from defeating each other, keeping them forever bleeding from internal strife...
This move of using one tiger to devour another is truly masterful."
Zhou Yi sneered,
"Those guys, when they're together, they're a pile of shit; when they're scattered, they're a complete mess. It seems this was definitely Chairman Su's doing!"