148: Chapter 148: Whatever they limit, I'll make up the difference.

Caribbean Sea, private port.

Manuel stood on the pier, his phone pressed to his ear.

A short while later, he hung up, turned to look at González, and tilted his chin. "Those people from the Ministry of Mines—are the interrogations finished?"

"Finished. We've got it all: bribery records, financial trails, and their email correspondence with Australian Mining."

"Send it out." Manuel put his phone in his pocket. "Send it to the Attorney General's Office and CC all the mainstream media."

González hesitated for a moment. "Boss, will doing this offend the government people too much?"

Manuel glanced at him without speaking and turned back to look at the port.

The government was scary?

Was the new boss, backed by the Americas, not scary then?

...

That afternoon, the Colombian Attorney General's Office issued an announcement: Rodriguez, the Deputy Minister of Mines, had been formally arrested on suspicion of accepting bribes from Australian Mining and illegally revoking mining rights.

Simultaneously, the interrogation records, financial trails, and recordings of hiring assassins in Manuel's possession were leaked to Reuters, Bloomberg, and all local mainstream media.

International public opinion reversed in an instant.

The Australian government immediately jumped out to distance themselves, claiming, "This is corporate behavior and has nothing to do with the government."

Several mines in Colombia where Australian Mining had partnerships were also urgently seized by the local government.

Anyone could see that Harris's political counterattack had completely collapsed.

Harris sat in his office at the Perth headquarters, staring at the news on the screen with a livid expression.

He picked up the phone and dialed the headquarters' number. "Accelerate the implementation of the production limit and price maintenance plan. Leak the news as soon as possible to stabilize market expectations."

Shanghai, Jinjiang Hotel.

Cheng Beixiao stood at the door of the small conference room and took a deep breath.

He didn't engage in a full-scale public relations campaign; he only followed Fu Haoran's previous instructions to precisely target core buyers—the steel mills that had already signed contracts.

The door pushed open. Seated inside were purchasing representatives from Baowu, HBIS, Shagang, and Ansteel, as well as the heads of the two small-to-medium steel mills that had previously wanted to break their contracts.

Everyone's eyes were focused on him.

It would be a lie to say Cheng Beixiao wasn't nervous.

"Giving me such a high salary... it couldn't be just to make me a con artist, right?"

The more Cheng Beixiao thought about it, the more likely it seemed. Otherwise, why would a fresh graduate get such a high salary?

Just as Cheng Beixiao was agonizing, his work phone rang. He picked it up and saw that his salary had actually been paid!

Cheng Beixiao instinctively checked the amount.

"Ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, hundred thousands..."

"50... 500,000?"

"Why is it so much?!"

Cheng Beixiao felt even more panicked and hurriedly checked the details.

"Base salary 70,000, meal allowance, car allowance, travel allowance... commission 400,000!"

"Just signing one order gets a 400,000 commission! How is this any different from picking up money off the street?"

Cheng Beixiao felt no joy; instead, he was completely panicked.

"It's over, it's over. This is definitely a scam company. They haven't even received the final payment and they're already giving this much commission. It's definitely a scam company."

"What should I do? Will I go to jail?"

"Can I distance myself from this?"

"Should I find a lawyer to ask first?"

"Or should I transfer the money away first and then turn myself in?"

...

"Director Cheng? Director Cheng?"

Cheng Beixiao snapped back to reality; someone was calling him.

He began working out of habit, laying out a stack of documents one by one.

They were mining rights compliance documents, government approvals, third-party inspection reports, and the latest announcement from the Colombian Attorney General.

"Leaders, I know what you're worried about." His voice wasn't loud, but it was steady, as if he were also speaking to himself.

"The Australians spread rumors that there were problems with our mining rights, but the Colombian government just arrested their own people. The bribed Deputy Minister has been detained. All the compliance documents for the mine are right here."

He flipped to the last page, which was DYB's supply guarantee commitment letter.

"If you are still uneasy, after the first batch of 50,000 tons of ore arrives at the port, we can prioritize free sampling and testing for everyone. If the grade or impurities don't meet standards, the goods are free. The price-lock contracts will proceed as usual, and the supply interruption compensation clauses remain unchanged."

The conference room was quiet for a few seconds.

Zhang Xiangyang was the first to speak. "Fine, we at Tangshan Iron and Steel are willing to proceed with the contract."

The heads of the two steel mills that wanted to break their contracts looked at each other and also nodded.

Cheng Beixiao's heart was racing. He was actually quite resistant internally, but at the thought of that massive commission, he admitted he was tempted.

"Let's take a gamble. What if it's not a scam company?"

Cheng Beixiao steeled himself, constantly brainwashing and hypnotizing himself: "Everything is real, it's not a scam company."

After the signing ended, the head of Ansteel stopped him.

"Director Cheng, about that machine tool factory matter we discussed last time—when will you have time to go take a look?"

Cheng Beixiao thought for a moment and said, "Once I'm done with the work here, I'll head over to coordinate as soon as possible."

Cheng Beixiao walked out of the conference room, his legs a bit weak.

It wasn't from nerves; it was from fear.

He pulled out his phone and glanced at the bank deposit notification again—500,000, not a cent missing.

"Something's wrong. This is definitely wrong."

He squatted in a corner of the hallway and began flipping through his labor contract.

"Base salary 70,000, commission at 0.05% of the contract amount... 20 million tons of ore, annual supply volume..."

Cheng Beixiao pulled out a calculator and pressed the buttons once.

2,000 tons? No, it's 20 million tons.

0.05%... 0.05% of 20 million tons... is 10,000 tons?

No, no, it's calculated based on the contract value.

How much is one ton of ore? At the Australian long-term agreement price of 145 US dollars, that's about 1,000 yuan in RMB.

20 million tons is 20 billion RMB.

0.05% of 20 billion... is 10 million?

Cheng Beixiao threw the calculator aside.

"It's over. Am I going to prison?"

He stood up, paced back and forth in the hallway three times, and then made a decision: go to a law firm.

...

In the law firm's reception room, Cheng Beixiao sat on a sofa opposite a middle-aged lawyer wearing gold-rimmed glasses.

"Lawyer Huang, I want to ask—if a company paid me a 500,000 salary, but I suspect the company is a scam, would receiving this money constitute a crime?"

The lawyer pushed up his glasses. "Did you actively participate in the fraud, or were you unaware?"

"Unaware! Completely unaware!" Cheng Beixiao almost stood up. "I'm just an employee. I do whatever the boss tells me to do."

"Then what did you do?"

"I... I signed a contract."

"What kind of contract?"

"An iron ore supply contract."

"What was the amount?"

Cheng Beixiao swallowed hard. "20 billion."

The lawyer's glasses almost fell off.

"You, an employee, signed a 20 billion contract?"

"Yes."

"The boss told you to sign it?"

"Yes."

"Is the contract real?"

"It should be real... right?" Cheng Beixiao wasn't even sure himself.

The lawyer was silent for a few seconds, took off his glasses to wipe them, and put them back on.

"Young man, I've been in practice for twenty years. I've seen people get scammed, but I've never seen anyone get scammed like you."

Luodi Buju says: Read this book!

"Your boss is either an idiot or he's truly not short on money."

Cheng Beixiao: "So which one is he?"

Lawyer: "What do you think?"

"It's already this obvious, is there even a need to doubt?" the lawyer said as if it were a matter of course.

"For a 20 billion contract, giving you 500,000 is just a drop in the bucket, and incidentally makes you the scapegoat."

"What?!" Cheng Beixiao's mind went blank. Hearing the lawyer say it made everything suddenly click.

"Right, why didn't I think of that? High salary, high benefits—it's all to find a scapegoat."

"Otherwise, why have I never seen a single colleague from beginning to end? Even the HR people aren't from their company!"

Realizing this, a terrified Cheng Beixiao asked, "Lawyer Huang, what do I do now?"

"My suggestion is..." The lawyer stood up and patted his shoulder. "Go back, get some sleep, and then go to the police station to turn yourself in."

"Perhaps if you're not deeply involved, you'll be out in a few years."

Cheng Beixiao walked out of the law firm despondently. Standing at the door, looking at the deposit notification on his phone, it still felt unreal.

Cheng Beixiao finally made a difficult decision. He took out his other phone and, suppressing a sob, dialed a number. "Hello, Mom, it's me."

"Xiao Cheng? Why did you suddenly think to call Mom?"

"Nothing, it's just that I've been too tired from business trips lately. I want to come home and rest."

"Okay, your dad and I will prepare more of the dishes you love. We'll wait for you to come back."

Hanging up the phone, Cheng Beixiao wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes and bought a plane ticket home.

...

Imperial Capital, National Security Bureau classified conference room.

Old Zhou slapped a full set of documents regarding DYB's response to the three-pronged Australian counterattack onto the table.

"This kid doesn't just have mines; his connections, methods, and foresight are all top-tier."

"The three-pronged encirclement the Australians prepared for half a month—he dismantled it completely in three days. These kinds of methods are simply not something an ordinary new energy boss could have."

"Aside from anything else, how he acquired the mine is very suspicious. Our people have confirmed the mine does exist, but records show it was in a semi-abandoned state."

"Even if production resumed, it would be impossible to produce such a high volume of ore in such a short time!"

"You mean this is fake?" Qin Zhengfeng asked.

Old Zhou shook his head and said, "No, the mine is real, and the ship is indeed on its way. Judging by the speed, it can arrive exactly on time."

Qin Zhengfeng was a bit confused. The mine itself could be fake, yet the goods on the ship were real.

Qin Zhengfeng pushed up his glasses and flipped through the documents, remaining silent for a long time.

"Stop investigating," Old Zhou said as he closed the folder. "Find an opportunity to make contact with him."

"Regardless of everything else, just by virtue of him breaking the Australian iron ore monopoly, he's one of us."

Qin Zhengfeng nodded.

As Old Zhou was seeing Qin Zhengfeng out, he suddenly stopped.

"Old Qin, how do you think that kid got his hands on that mine in South America?"

Qin Zhengfeng didn't speak.

He was also thinking about that question.

A boss of a new energy vehicle company who was worrying about loans a few months ago had, in the blink of an eye, wiped out the largest drug lord in South America, obtained three high-grade iron mines, and even opened up channels with the CIA, the Colombian government, and Caribbean ports...

This could no longer be explained by merely having vast influence.

"Do you think there's someone behind him?" Old Zhou lowered his voice.

Qin Zhengfeng glanced at him. "Whether there's someone or not, what he's doing now is beneficial to us."

"But what if..."

"There is no 'what if'," Qin Zhengfeng interrupted him. "Until he does something that threatens national security, we only observe and do not act."

Old Zhou nodded and didn't ask further.

...

On the other side of the ocean, in a hotel room, Fu Haoran sat on a sofa, his phone connected to Jimmy's call.

"Boss, the platts index has dropped another five percent. The Australians have dumped another billion dollars to short it. Many traders have already started panic selling, and the market is full of low-priced spot goods."

Fu Haoran didn't panic.

He had calculated the accounts.

The Australians had dumped 2.5 billion dollars, and the platts index had fallen from 145 to 95.

Their cost line was around 40 dollars, whereas the mining over at the Hive City... only required energy bars and water.

After all, Genestealers didn't need salaries; they only needed food and faith.

So if they kept dumping, the first one unable to hold out wouldn't be DYB.

"It's time to use Rojas's money. Jimmy, prepare 1.5 billion dollars," Fu Haoran said. "When the index drops to 90, go all-in to buy the dip."

"In addition, have Manuel release some news: the mine's second ship with 100,000 tons of ore will depart for East Asia in one week."

Jimmy immediately understood.

Use solid supply expectations to blow up the Australians' short positions.

Suddenly, an encrypted communication came in.

It wasn't a phone call, but a communicator from the Warhammer World.

"My Lord, Ronan's modification surgery has been completed... although it was successful, the situation is not optimistic."

"According to my statistics, the success rate for ordinary adults is only 38.5%."

"I do not recommend you undergo the surgery unless it's paired with alchemical potions to increase the success rate."

"Lucifelle said we need to observe for another month before proceeding with the subsequent steps. Over with Tychus, the surgery hasn't been scheduled yet; he's still waiting for compatibility testing."

The news brought by Kallen was undoubtedly bad news.

But becoming a Space Marine was a vital part of the upcoming plan.

If he couldn't become a Space Marine and was merely a Planetary Governor, he wouldn't even have the qualifications to be remembered.

"If possible, I wouldn't want to gamble either, but the modification experiments must proceed."

"Kallen, continue to improve the success rate. Ask for whatever support you need, but our time is running out."

Ending the call, Fu Haoran leaned back on the sofa and closed his eyes for a moment.

Troubles in the 2K World came one after another, but what truly kept him awake was the Warhammer World.

The Imperium's fleet would arrive in six months, and his Space Marine modification plan was still stuck at the first step.

A 38.5% success rate was too low.

If a hundred people underwent surgery, over sixty would die on the operating table.

He couldn't afford such casualties.

Just as he was thinking, his encrypted phone vibrated twice simultaneously.

The first was an emergency call from Jimmy: "Boss! Something happened! We got inside information—Australia's Rio Tinto, BHP, and FMG are in joint negotiations with Brazil's Vale. They plan to cut global iron ore production by 30% starting next month to maintain prices and stabilize the market!"

"The news has already been leaked, and the formal announcement is in the works."

"Wall Street has also spoken up, preparing to dump another 5 billion dollars to short us. They want to fight us to the bitter end!"

"Also, the EU is following Australia's lead and is going to launch a compliance investigation into our mines!"

Fu Haoran frowned.

Production limits and price maintenance—this was the Australians' ultimate killing move.

Global iron ore trade volume is 1.5 billion tons annually, with Australia and Brazil accounting for 70%.

If they truly joined forces to cut production by 30%, global supply would instantly decrease by 200 million tons.

Rarity makes things expensive; prices wouldn't fall, they would rise.

When that happened, the low-priced ore in his hands would instead become a target for 'disrupting market order.'

"They're trying to back me into a corner," Fu Haoran sneered.

"I understand."

"Let them scramble. We'll continue doing what we're doing. The second ship of ore will depart on time; there can't be even a moment's delay."

"Whatever amount they limit, I'll make up."