189: Chapter 189 The Nuclear Bomb in the News Broadcast

Imperial Capital, Cartier Private Club.

In front of the huge floor-to-ceiling window, the Romanée-Conti red wine in Wang Hao's hand swayed, casting a charming amber hue under the lights.

The wall clock pointed to 6:58.

"Mr. Peter, two more minutes." Wang Hao loosened his tie, his face flushed from a hangover, his eyes filled with fanaticism. "Once it hits seven, the official announcement defining the Xishan mine disaster will be on the news. By then, Huihuang Group will be meat on the chopping block, ready to be sliced however we please."

Peter sat on the leather sofa, cutting a Cuban cigar.

On the coffee table beside him sat a satellite computer connected to the Wall Street headquarters. On the screen, 50 billion USD in short orders had all been placed, like gaping maws waiting to devour the corpse of Huihuang Group.

"The Ross Family appreciates your decisiveness." Peter exhaled a smoke ring, his blue eyes filled with greed. "Once we take down the new energy sector of Huihuang Group, you will be our sole agent in Huaxia."

Wang Hao was trembling with excitement.

The sole agent!

This meant he would truly step into the circle of top financial giants, and stomp Chen Fan, who had once looked down on him, deep into the dirt.

"Chen Fan, oh Chen Fan, no matter how heaven-defying your methods are, under the dual crushing force of the state machine and international capital, you will have to kneel and sing for mercy."

Wang Hao sneered and pressed the remote control for the 100-inch giant screen TV on the wall.

The screen switched to CCTV-1.

The familiar opening theme song rang out on time.

Exactly seven o'clock.

Two anchors with the quintessential 'national face' appeared on the screen, their expressions solemn.

"Good evening, viewers. Today is..."

Wang Hao raised his glass and toasted the screen: "Come on, pronounce the death sentence for Chen Fan!"

However, the anchor's next sentence hit him like a heavy hammer, smashing down hard on his crown.

"Breaking news just received by this station: Our country has achieved a historic breakthrough in the field of new energy geological exploration."

The male anchor's voice was resonant and powerful, filled with irrepressible pride.

"Jointly confirmed by the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Supreme Strategic Committee, a world-class, super-large high-grade nickel matte deposit has been discovered deep in the Xishan mining area of Xishan City. Its purity is as high as 99%, and its reserves rank first in the world!"

Clang!

The wine glass in Wang Hao's hand slipped.

The red wine, worth hundreds of thousands, splashed onto the carpet like a glaring pool of blood.

He froze in place, his eyeballs nearly popping out of their sockets.

"This... this is impossible..." Wang Hao's lips trembled. "It was clearly a collapse... it was clearly a depleted mine..."

The voice on the TV continued, every word feeling like death by a thousand cuts.

"In view of the strategic importance of high-grade nickel in the aerospace and new energy fields, the state has decided to designate the Xishan mining area as a national strategic energy base. Effective immediately, the 'Trillion-Energy Support Plan' will be launched."

"As the sole discoverer and initial investor of this mining area, Huihuang Group has been designated as the state's sole strategic partner, fully responsible for the development and refining project of the mining area."

The scene cut away.

At the Xishan mining site, thousands of pieces of heavy machinery were in operation, with red flags waving.

The massive logo of Huihuang Group shone brilliantly in the sunlight.

"Fuck!"

Peter, who had been sitting upright, jumped up violently. His cigar fell onto his crotch, burning a hole, but he didn't even care.

He lunged at the satellite computer, his fingers frantically tapping the keyboard.

"Cancel the orders! Cancel them quickly! Withdraw all the short orders!"

Peter's voice was as shrill as a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

It was too late.

At the very same second the news was broadcast.

The headquarters of Huihuang Group was brightly lit.

Zhou Ming, whose eyes had long been bloodshot, pressed the enter key at that moment.

"The boss has ordered! Close the gates and beat the dogs! Don't let a single one escape!"

Hundreds of billions in funds, long lying in ambush across various accounts, pounced like tigers released from their cages onto the massive short orders hanging on the board.

Buy! Buy! Buy crazily!

The stock price, which had been smashed to the daily limit by the Ross Family, was violently pulled up by a terrifying wave of buying in just three seconds.

If it were during A-share trading hours, this would be an epic "floor-to-ceiling" reversal.

And in this moment of the futures market and after-hours trading, the Ross Family's 50 billion USD in short orders were like snowflakes thrown into a furnace; they melted instantly without even a sound.

Liquidation!

Account blowout!

Inside the Cartier club.

Peter stared at the glaring red warning box on the computer screen — [Account margin insufficient, position forcibly liquidated].

His legs went weak, and he collapsed onto the floor.

It's over.

50 billion USD, that was one-third of the Ross Family's liquid assets.

Just like that... it's gone?

"You lied to me!!!"

Peter turned his head violently, pounced on Wang Hao with a savage expression, and choked his neck tightly.

"Didn't you say it was a depleted mine! Didn't you say Chen Fan was dead for sure! You damned yellow-skinned pig! You've killed me!"

Wang Hao's eyes rolled back from the choking, his hands weakly slapping Peter's arms.

The system in his mind was sounding a frantic alarm: [Host assets have hit zero! Host luck value has hit zero! System is about to unbind...]

...

Imperial Capital University, boys' dormitory.

Chen Muyang sat at his desk, watching the news broadcast on his computer.

Several other roommates in the dormitory were playing games, completely unaware of what the news just now meant.

Chen Muyang picked up his phone, and a WeChat message popped up on the screen just then.

It was a screenshot of the news.

Sender: Lin Wanqiu.

[Wanqiu: Muyang, I saw the news. Your dad... is really too amazing. This is simply a masterstroke.]

Even through the screen, Chen Muyang could almost see the cool and aloof school beauty blushing and her heart racing at this moment.

A mischievous smile, exactly like Chen Fan's, curled at the corners of Chen Muyang's mouth.

He typed a reply with lightning-fast fingers.

[Chen Muyang: Let me correct you, in the future, this will be your dad too.]

In the girls' dormitory dozens of kilometers away.

Looking at the words on the screen, Lin Wanqiu's face turned red to the roots of her ears instantly.

She buried her head in the pillow, but couldn't help letting out a soft chuckle.

...

The night was deep.

The private room in the Cartier club was in a mess.

Wang Hao lay on the floor like a dead dog, his suit torn to shreds, his face covered in blood.

Peter stood by the window, reporting to the family via an encrypted phone.

A cold, old voice came from the other end of the line, devoid of anger, only a coldness that chilled one to the marrow.

"50 billion USD, to buy a lesson."

"The Ross Family's money is not so easy to take."

Peter trembled all over: "Sir, what about Wang Hao..."

"Trash has no value in existing." The old voice paused. "Since the commercial methods have failed, then we will solve the problem in the way we are best at."

"Activate 'Night Owl'."

"Chen Fan made us lose 50 billion, I want him to pay it back with his family's lives. I heard he just had three children?"

Peter's pupils contracted violently.

Night Owl.

That was the top assassin raised by the Ross Family, with no record of failure.

"Understood." Peter hung up the phone.

He turned around, not even glancing at Wang Hao on the floor, and strode out of the private room.

Leaving only Wang Hao alone, gasping in the darkness in despair.

He knew he had been abandoned.

But the resentment in his eyes was more intense than ever.

"Chen Fan... even if I become a ghost, I won't let you go..."

Outside the window, a black shadow streaked across the night sky like a ghost, silently sneaking towards the direction of the Longwan No. 1 villa.