Chapter 238: Paid Service (1)
This place, which serves as both the residence and office of China’s top leadership, was packed with high-ranking officials.
anwhile, at Zhongnanhai.
The person presiding over today’s eting was Vice Premier Liu Weigang.
However, the face of Liu—who had been given the special order to resolve this crisis—was clouded with worry.
“We can’t delay any longer! The longer this drags on, the short-selling forces will only grow like a snowball!"
It had been about two weeks since Ha Si-heon’s short-selling declaration.
Initially, hedge funds had been at the center of the short-selling forces, but now various institutional investors had joined in, with the scale surpassing $150 billion.
The Chinese authorities had tried to buy up yuan to block the downward pressure...
“But we’ve already burned through $250 billion! At this rate, we could lose more than half of our foreign reserves within six months!"
For now, they were only putting out fires, but there was no sign of a fundantal solution.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs was also pushing for counterasures.
“The pressure from major trading partners is growing. They’re asking for advance notice if we intend to devalue the yuan…”
So far, China had used all its diplomatic channels to claim that “Ha Si-heon’s short-selling is financial terrorism,” but had remained silent on the possibility of a currency adjustnt.
Neither denying nor confirming it.
However, that very silence was heightening market anxiety.
Now, even allied nations were joining the yuan hedging ga.
In the end, it ant even their allies were participating in the short-selling forces.
Vice Premier Liu gritted his teeth.
“If only we had acted sooner…”
China’s original plan had been a voluntary devaluation of the yuan.
But with Ha Si-heon beating them to the punch, the situation had completely flipped.
“If we lower the exchange rate now… it’ll look like we’re capitulating to Western financial powers!"
Had China moved first, they could have packaged it as a “strategic currency adjustnt to boost exports.”
It would have looked like a bold decision befitting a great power.
But now?
The sa action would carry the opposite aning.
It would appear as surrender to foreign pressure.
“However… we could use this situation to our advantage. It’s a chance to make the West—who are wary of our rise—let their guard down…”
“Are external perceptions what matter right now? We’re on the brink of reliving the humiliating century of sha!"
The “Century of National Humiliation” was seared deep into the hearts of the Chinese people.
The Opium Wars, forced port openings, and brutal subjugation by Western powers…
Now, finally, China had escaped that humiliation and stood tall on the world stage, with national pride soaring.
And now they would bow their heads again?
“How will the people accept that!"
Public unrest would be inevitable.
Until now, the Chinese governnt had maintained near-dictatorial control, tolerated only because of dazzling economic growth.
But if they were defeated again?
And by a re hedge fund, not even a Western superpower?
The nation’s prestige would plumt, and the bla would fall squarely on the governnt.
“So then, are you saying we should maintain the current exchange rate?"
The Deputy Finance Minister asked cautiously.
He continued, his expression hardening.
“You haven’t forgotten why we initially considered lowering the exchange rate, have you?"
A heavy silence fell over the conference room.
“Now that the spotlight is on China, more hedge funds are detecting the presence of the ‘Shadow.’ If they keep digging…”
“The mont the ‘Shadow’s’ true nature is exposed, the market will go into a panic. We must divert attention before that happens."
This was the biggest reason China had considered adjusting the exchange rate.
“To divert attention.”
“Moreover, lowering the exchange rate is the fastest redy to patch this hole.”
If the yuan depreciated, they could quickly attract foreign currency through increased exports.
Faster than waiting for an uncertain economic recovery.
They needed to secure those funds quickly to resolve the hidden issues lurking in the shadows.
Vice Premier Liu let out a deep sigh.
“So in the end, currency adjustnt is unavoidable…”
“That’s right. But if we proceed, we must find ways to minimize the damage.”
The Deputy Minister spoke firmly as he organized his papers.
“For now, the best strategy is to secretly negotiate with the short-selling forces. We should aim to gradually lower the exchange rate through an agreent…”
But at this, Vice Premier Liu scoffed.
“Negotiate? Have you forgotten who we’re dealing with? That Ha Si-heon.”
The Deputy Minister was at a loss for words.
Who was Ha Si-heon?
The very man who had wrecked the Chinese stock market and now declared a currency war.
“As the ancient sages said: never associate with mad dogs.”
Mad dog.
That’s what the Chinese governnt called Ha Si-heon.
And rightly so—who else would dare declare a currency war on China?
Yet here they were, facing the prospect of negotiating with that mad dog.
A rational conversation seed impossible.
At that mont.
One attendee spoke with a serious expression.
“Why not just eliminate him?"
At the military official’s suggestion, the Deputy Foreign Minister shot up from his seat.
“Absolutely not! Ha Si-heon is a figure under the world’s scrutiny! If he were to ‘disappear’ now, the entire international community would suspect us! With China’s imminent entry into the IMF’s Special Drawing Rights basket, do we really want to set a precedent that ‘anyone touching China’s currency vanishes’? How could we possibly contain the fallout?"
The military official shrugged.
“I didn’t an physical elimination. I was thinking more along the lines of ‘social death.’”
At that mont, Vice Premier Liu’s eyes glead.
He turned to the intelligence bureau chief.
“Co to think of it, you had already started investigating, right? Didn’t you say there were signs of Ha Si-heon embezzling funds?"
It was a hopeful question.
But the intelligence chief looked visibly troubled.
“Well… it wasn’t embezzlent. He was using his personal funds. Moreover, the money was… used to cover dical expenses for uninsured patients with rare diseases.”
Everyone’s faces showed disbelief.
The ruthless speculator who had sparked a currency war was paying hospital bills for rare disease patients?
“And the amount wasn’t small, was it?"
“The rest appears to have been invested in rare disease research. In fact, he poured $1 billion into a moonshot project applying AI to rare disease treatnts…”
The room froze.
The more they dug, the more they uncovered acts of kindness.
“How cunning.”
That was the conclusion of the National Security Advisor.
“He had long prepared ‘good deeds’ knowing that forces would one day investigate him. In my view… this feels like a kind of warning.”
“A warning?"
“He’s sending a silent ssage. ‘No matter how hard you dig, you won’t find anything.’”
“Is it really a warning though?"
“The key is that he has never acted passively, only with calculated precision. Now, do you think a mad dog who proactively declared a currency war would simply stop here?"
“…”
“We must not underestimate his nature. Ha Si-heon is a mad dog who charges in and declares currency war without provocation. What kind of madness will he unleash on those trying to dig into his past?"
No one could predict what kind of counterattack Ha Si-heon would launch.
That was exactly why mad dogs were so terrifying.
“Then… what if we attack his algorithm?"
“Algorithm?”
“No matter how brilliant he is, he couldn’t have built the system alone. He must’ve had help from developers. If we can find vulnerabilities in the system through them…”
Ha Si-heon’s power stemd from his Black Swan algorithm.
But what if that algorithm had flaws?
We could accuse him of disrupting the market with a flawed system.
However, the intelligence officer hung his head heavily.
“Unfortunately, it appears that the developer has already passed away.”
“Were you able to identify him?”
“In early 2014, Ha Si-heon purchased the deceased developer’s laptop for $5 million from the family. He claid he had assigned an important project in the past and was concerned about the potential leak of confidential information.”
In that case... it was highly likely that this developer had indeed created the algorithm.
But now that he was gone, there was no longer a way to uncover any flaws in the system.
“Damn it. If he were still alive, we might have been able to extract sothing.”
Just as the atmosphere was growing gloomier—
Knock, knock!
The door opened, and a young secretary entered.
“Excuse , Vice Premier Liu, there’s an urgent ssage from Washington.”
“I told them to handle diplomatic issues on their own! We have more pressing matters right now…”
“It’s… Ha Si-heon from Pareto Innovation. He contacted the embassy.”
“…!”
All eyes imdiately turned to the secretary.
Vice Premier Liu asked again in disbelief.
“Did you say… Ha Si-heon?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“What does he want…?”
“Well… he’s proposing a ceasefire.”
Everyone’s faces instantly registered surprise.
“A ceasefire?”
***
“The Chinese side proposed a ti and location for a eting. This Thursday, at the Chinese embassy…”
Before the secretary, Nicole, could even finish her report, reactions burst out from all corners of the office.
“The embassy? Absolutely not!”
“Co on… what could they possibly do at the embassy? If anything, they’d try sothing elsewhere.”
“No, think about it! If you were China, would you just let Sean go? Once he steps foot in there, he’ll never get out!”
“Exactly. They’d detain him first and probably start with torture…”
Pareto employees began wildly imagining all the torture thods China might use.
I ignored them and turned my attention to Nicole.
“Was the Chinese side aggressive in their tone?”
“No. They guaranteed safety, and if we’re not comfortable, they’re open to changing the location.”
In other words… they were bluffing.
They were trying to provoke into coming to the embassy.
Of course, I had no intention of going.
Though technically on U.S. soil, an embassy is practically Chinese territory.
If sothing were to happen, they’d likely claim it wasn’t illegal under Chinese law.
“In that case, we’ll choose the location ourselves.”
But even as I said that…
No suitable location imdiately ca to mind.
“It’s impossible to completely rule out the risk of abduction.”
Safety had to be the top priority, but the eting also needed to be discreet.
However, discreet places were precisely the kind where abductions were easiest to carry out.
As I was lost in thought…
Gonzalez suddenly spoke up.
“Shall I look into it?”
Honestly, I was hesitant.
Gonzalez’s interests typically revolved around pleasure, gambling, and playing the rogue.
It was hard to expect a place chosen by soone like him to be proper.
However—
“There’s an agency my family always uses when we visit the U.S.”
That was… sowhat tempting.
If it was trusted by a wealthy South Arican family, it couldn’t be too bad.
“Alright, I’ll leave it to you.”
A few hours later—
A large man walked into the office.
He had a muscular build, and faint scars peeked out from beneath his sleeves—clearly no ordinary individual.
Gonzalez grinned and introduced him.
“Tim Slayer. He’ll be responsible for Sean’s safety throughout the eting.”
Then Gonzalez rattled off Slayer’s impressive resu.
Forr U.S. Special Forces, deployed in South Arican cartel crackdowns, veteran of private military operations in the Middle East.
‘This guy’s practically a walking weapon.’
Just his presence exuded a certain deadly aura.
A chilling vibe, like soone all too familiar with taking lives.
Anyway, Slayer spread a large map out on the table and got straight to the point.
“New York is one of the easiest cities in the world to carry out a kidnapping. If soone ordered to kidnap you, I’d say it’s possible—no matter where the eting takes place. You could vanish without a trace amid the high-rises or the crowds.”
His confident words sent an involuntary shiver down my spine.
“In kidnapping scenarios, the key isn’t prevention—it’s retrieval. For that, you need wide-open visibility. Think of a vast plain with not a single tree.”
“Are there places like that near New York?”
“There are similar places.”
He pointed at the map.
A blue-shaded area.
“The ocean.”
Two days later.
The eting was finally arranged.
The location: a yacht adrift in the open sea.
Per Slayer’s plan, the eting procedure was deliberately complex.
First, the yacht would sail to a predetermined coordinate and anchor.
Both our side and the Chinese side would approach separately in different boats.
Upon arrival, both security teams would board the yacht and conduct a thorough safety inspection.
All crew mbers were verified and transferred to our vessel.
Finally, the Chinese delegation and I boarded the yacht.
In other words, only myself and the Chinese representatives remained onboard.
Two Chinese officials had co.
A calm, gentlemanly man and a middle-aged man with sharp eyes.
The more pleasant-looking man extended his hand.
“Ambassador Yang Weiqing. And this is…”
“I know. Vice Premier Liu Weigang, correct?”
The Vice Premier attending personally signaled how serious this matter was.
“At this level, they should have plenty of authority…”
For , that was good news.
Today, I intended to both persuade them and make a small request.
If it were just the ambassador, I’d have to wait for higher approval.
But the Vice Premier could make decisions on the spot.
However—
“Pleasure to et you.”
I extended my hand with a bright smile.
But the Vice Premier stared at coldly and spoke in Chinese.
“@(@#$(@)#.”
He spoke curtly, and the ambassador quickly translated.
“He says since this isn’t a pleasant occasion, let’s get straight to the point.”
“Not a pleasant occasion… It seems my ssage wasn’t fully understood. I proposed a ceasefire, after all.”
“@#$()#$%(^.”
As my words were translated back and forth, I studied the Vice Premier’s expression.
He looked bored—until a sharp gleam flickered in his eyes.
“The Vice Premier says there are only two reasons soone proposes a ceasefire: when defeat is certain, or when victory is certain. But neither is the case now.”
The ambassador continued, watching closely.
“That leaves one possibility. You may be hiding a trump card.”
Indeed, politicians weren’t fools.
They had already reasoned this far.
“A trump card…”
“Don’t you have one?”
“I do have sothing powerful, but I wouldn’t call it a ‘weapon.’ It’s not for attack.”
As the ambassador began to translate, I suddenly interrupted.
I t the Vice Premier’s gaze directly.
“I know about the Shadow.”
In that mont, silence fell over the cabin.
I saw a slight twitch in the Vice Premier’s facial muscles and smiled.
“You do speak English, don’t you?”
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