Chapter 72: Bomb Attack!

Top-Tier Trading Department.
Su Hao leaned back in his ergonomic chair, staring blankly at the ceiling, his heart pounding with anxiety.
"Brother Huang...he should have arrived safely, right?"
A direct flight to Riyadh, ten hours' journey; judging by the time, he should have landed by now.
The intense premonition he felt yesterday was something he'd never experienced before.
How to describe it?
It was as if every hair on his body stood on end in an instant, cold sweat instantly soaking his back, a fear from the depths of his soul almost suffocating him.
That's why he rushed forward without thinking, grabbing Huang Fengwen's arm tightly.
He blurted out, "Don't go to the Middle East!"
He even made up some utterly ridiculous excuse like "let's play games together."
Sure enough, Huang Fengwen laughed immediately, patting him on the shoulder and scolding him for spouting such nonsense.
"Hey kid, stop joking around with me! Don't you know how important this trip is?"
That's what Brother Huang said at the time.
Su Hao persisted, pestering him a few more times, until Huang Fengwen patiently explained the importance of this business trip to him, like coaxing a child.
He said Saudi Arabia was practically a promised land flowing with milk and honey; even a moment's delay could mean missing out on hundreds of millions!
Su Hao understood these principles perfectly well.
He knew even better that compared to those international financial giants, their "Fanghuan Investment" was just a toddler learning to walk.
To overtake them, they had to be more astute, faster, and more ruthless!
That was how they could seize the initiative and get a share of the pie.
But damn it, his damned intuition, of all times, sounded the red alert at this crucial moment. What did that mean?
He himself couldn't explain it.
Perhaps this premonition was simply a reminder that there was a project in Saudi Arabia worth paying close attention to?
Or perhaps it was simply a warning to avoid any investment related to Saudi Arabia?
Or maybe it was some other completely unrelated reason?
Who knows!
So, in the end, he couldn't bring himself to pester Brother Huang to stay.
What if he was just being overly anxious, and his unreliable "predictions" delayed Brother Huang's important matter, causing the company to miss this golden opportunity? Then he would become the company's culprit.
"Sigh, I really should have persisted a little longer..."
Su Hao scratched his head in frustration.
But the more he thought about it, the more uneasy he felt.
That inexplicable anxiety crawled around in his heart like countless ants, making him restless all day, unable even to focus on the stock market.
Of course, his department's funds had long been invested in Swiss francs for hedging, so frankly, there wasn't much of a job to do, and he was bored out of his mind, which made him more prone to overthinking.
"Ugh! So annoying! I should have been more shameless, even if I had to cling to Chairman Huang's coattails, I should have kept him here!"
Su Hao slammed his fist on the table in frustration.
To put his mind at ease, he even went online to research Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, thoroughly examining everything from security to counter-terrorism, and the conclusion was always the same:
Everything was normal, calm and peaceful. The probability of something going wrong was lower than winning the lottery jackpot.
Could it be that he was under too much pressure lately and was hallucinating?
"Could it be... that I'm just scaring myself?"
Su Hao leaned back weakly in his chair, staring blankly at the ceiling.
Just then—
Knock knock knock knock knock—!
A rapid, urgent knocking sound, like a death knell, suddenly shattered his thoughts!
"Who is it? Come in!" Su Hao frowned.
"Mr. Su! Did... did you see the international news alert that just popped up?!" It was Li Huilin who rushed in.
Seeing her expression, Su Hao's heart skipped a beat; an extremely ominous premonition instantly overwhelmed him.
He frantically grabbed his phone and opened the news app.
A bold, black headline, like a red-hot branding iron, seared into his eyes:
[Breaking News! Suicide Bomb Attack in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Causes Heavy Casualties!]
"!!!"
Su Hao felt a buzzing sound, as if a bomb had exploded in his mind, and his vision went black instantly!
Riyadh?!
The Saudi capital?!
Isn't that where Brother Huang was headed?!
Immediately afterward, a commotion erupted outside the office, and colleagues from other departments rushed in, crowding Su Hao's director's office to the brim.
"Director Su! You saw the breaking news, right? Goodness, the market is going to explode! Everything was calm before, but now… the impact is huge!"
"Yeah, yeah! As soon as this news comes out, I reckon the foreign exchange market will plummet!
Even Saudi Arabia, the safest place in the Middle East, has been bombed. If Iran did it, the Americans will definitely roll up their sleeves and get involved themselves…!!"
The exclamations and discussions of his colleagues flooded Su Hao's ears like a tidal wave, but he couldn't hear a single word.
Only two words remained in his mind: Riyadh.
Brother Huang…Brother Huang is there!
"Could it be…no way…"
That damned, sudden sense of foreboding, could it be…because of this?!
Su Hao felt his hands and feet turn ice-cold, a chill running from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. His hand holding the phone trembled uncontrollably!
"Mr. Su? Are you alright?" Li Huilin asked worriedly, noticing his pale face.
"I…I need to make a call…you guys…"
Su Hao's voice was dry and hoarse, as if forced out from his throat.
"Ah, okay, okay, we'll go out first, you go ahead with your work."
Everyone sensed the awkward atmosphere and quickly left the office, considerately closing the door behind them.
Only Su Hao remained in the office.
He shakily unlocked his phone, found the familiar number in his contacts, and his fingertips trembled several times before he finally managed to press the dial button.
"If only... if only I had fought to the death to stop him!"
Endless regret, like a cold tide, instantly engulfed him.
If only he had known it would turn out like this, he should have shamelessly clung to Brother Huang's leg and refused to let go, even if he was considered crazy!
No! He couldn't think like that!
He had to think positively!
Even if Brother Huang were really in Riyadh, he might not be so unlucky as to be caught in a bomb attack...
Yes, that must be it!
“…”
Su Hao closed his eyes tightly, clasped his hands together, and prayed frantically in his heart:
Please! Please! Please don't let anything happen!
The long wait felt like an eternity.
He didn't know how much time had passed—perhaps only a few seconds, perhaps several minutes—when finally, a voice came from the other end of the phone—