Chapter 329

No one could deny that the club was being operated by a socialist monopoly. After all, it was a socialist idea to monopolize and control everything behind the scenes, but there was no spot in the club for China, which had become socialist.

Why did Asia have a financial crisis in 1997? Why was China been consistently kept in check by others? Why was Korea, which was called the dragon and tiger of Asia and the mainstream of the global economy, targeted? Why did the powerful j.a.panese economy, which was seeking global hegemony, begin to decline?

It was because the club had been born in the West. They were destined to be the world’s rulers and needed to consolidate their dominance. The same thing was true for the current Jeonil Club, which had the former Bilderberg club as its predecessor.

It was unlikely that China would respond similarly to the U.S. President, even if the club extended invitations now. Describing the relations.h.i.+p between the club and China as ‘water and oil’ was a simplistic and accurate characterization.

After China had ended its emergence and entered the development stage, it had become a huge and important pillar of the global economy. They likely felt proud of themselves and wanted to confront the club, which could be the reason for their reckless action despite the World Awakened a.s.sociation’s suggestions.

China, of course, knew the connection between the a.s.sociation and the club. Jonathan was the King of h.e.l.l and Joshua was Osiris. However, they were confident that they wouldn’t die alone if that happened. Or they may have a.s.sumed that even if they lost flesh, their bones would remain intact.

I wasn’t talking about nuclear weapons. Indeed, China had a secret weapon that could launch an attack that was as powerful as a nuclear strike on the entire world. Even Kim Cheong-Soo himself wouldn’t have known about this. If he had, then he would have argued with me.

Anyway, people often said that a rat could bite a cat if it was in a predicament. That was why I bought a flight ticket to London so that I could stop China from launching the worst bomb on Earth.

***

The situation at Incheon Airport was better. In advanced countries, they were on emergency alert in case the Awakened used an aircraft. The a.s.sociation announced in the media that the date of registration of the Awakened would be May 1st, and we still had one month left.

Until then, the world’s airports had no choice but to be tense. Although Korea had fewer than five hundred Awakened, the government put up notification posters at Incheon Airport on televisions, radios, and computers. They felt that simply turning on the loudspeaker was not enough.

「 We invite our esteemed Awakened to join us on the date specified below.

Date: May 1st, 2018

Location: Korean headquarters of the World Awakened a.s.sociation.

(Please refer to the map) 」

There was no big reason why I didn’t destroy the gate on the other side of the globe by using the Doom Man’s power. I was even careful when breathing, as I was afraid that one breath could cause Doom Kaos to send another command. If it had a functioning brain, then it would understand the need to wait until the connection was completely established.

This was my first time sitting in first cla.s.s upon my return home. The first-cla.s.s seats were usually unoccupied, but due to the current circ.u.mstances, there were many British returning to their homeland, making this part of the plane more populated. Also, most of them were looking at their laptops on their tables. The noise filling the cabin came from there.

The woman seated beside me was thoroughly engrossed in her monitor. She appeared to be oblivious to the flight attendant’s announcements. With multiple windows open on her screen, her messenger alone seemed overwhelming to her.

I thought she would be an entrepreneur like other pa.s.sengers, but she worked in the media industry. A logo of the Guardian, an esteemed British newspaper, was embroidered on the bag that she had thrown on the ground in a hurry. Yes, it was one of the media companies that was somewhere in my pocket.

The first-cla.s.s cabin was noisy with the sound of typing, and it was overflowing with a combative atmosphere. The flight attendants seemed to respond well to this as they had often experienced such cases lately.

I was the only relaxed one. I turned my head toward the window and closed my eyes.

I opened my eyes as I felt someone glancing at me. The plane was crossing over Chinese airs.p.a.ce according to the monitor attached to the seat. It had only been two to three hours since I closed my eyes.

The white woman next to me woke me up. Even now, chat windows were flas.h.i.+ng on her monitor. She fully utilized the benefits of first-cla.s.s, since this cabin offered the fastest airplane wifi.

She smiled at me. “I’m Carrie. If you don’t mind, could I talk to you for a bit?”

She, of course, used English.

“About what?” I asked.

“Your name is…”

“I’m Ethan.”

“You are the only one sleeping here, Ethan. Are you a Korean businessman by chance? If I’m rude, please let me know. I won’t disturb you anymore.”

I replied, “No, it’s okay. I was bored anyway. You seem busier than me.”

“This is daily life for people like us these days. To be honest, your peaceful mood grabbed my attention because most people cannot afford to even have a break these days.”

“Yeah, that makes sense. I must look like a reader of the Guardian.”

The Guardian readers in the UK had a thread of connection with the left wing of Gangnam in Korea. Since the Guardian was a progressive media aimed at the middle cla.s.s in England, it was the perfect type of humor for a woman working there.

I thought my joke was good considering the circ.u.mstances. After all, ever since I had returned home, all I had done was cause rains of blood. I planned to regain my life on Earth and not make my parents concerned about me before I saw them. Therefore, this attempt at humor was the fruit of my efforts. I still couldn’t give up on humanity even while I was taking a break with Yeon-Hee and making love to her.

“You must be one of our subscribers.”

As expected, the woman gave me a friendly smile with a look that showed that she had finished judging me.

I nodded and replied blithely, “I read everything. The Guardian and the Times. We are in a situation where we need as much information as possible. Problems are not limited to politics, those in the business sector are more pressing and really need resolution.”

It was clear why the Guardian reporter was inquiring about me despite her busy schedule. She was looking for a new source of information related to the current political situation from the perspective of Asians like me. Moreover, my high social status was evident as I was traveling first cla.s.s.

She commented, “You must be a businessman.”

“Yeah, something like that. Is that the article for tomorrow’s newspaper?” I asked while glancing at her laptop. The article was obviously about China’s economic sanctions.

She responded immediately, “The U.S.-led economic sanctions against China are outrageous in this situation. The government will never be able to convince the public. This is a huge problem, so I was wondering if I could get any information about it from you.”

I stated, “The liberal nations guaranteed freedom for the Awakened, but China and other hostile countries did not. What do you think the reason is? They are considering the Awakened as military weapons.”

She replied, “The World Awakened a.s.sociation is using ‘peace among humanity’ and ‘leap into a new era’ as their slogans. The world wouldn’t want to fall into chaos again because of a few of them. It would be reasonable to think of the matter as an inevitable sacrifice and leave things be.”

She paused and then continued, “I heard that there are many Chinese Awakened fleeing across the border. They may be entering South Korea by now from North Korea. The situation in North Korea is unknown due to its secretive nature, but it can be a.s.sumed that it would be like a warzone at the moment. Anyway, a group of Awakened there must be strong. In that context, is it valid to regard the Awakened that are being detained in China as weak? Wouldn’t it be illogical to call them threatening military weapons?”

“Is that what you think, Ms. Carrie?” I countered.

She shrugged. “It’s what the public thinks. That’s why people think it’s ridiculous that the world is imposing ultra-strong economic sanctions on China.”

I snorted. “The public doesn’t think that deeply.”

“Our readers are thoughtful people like you, Ethan. The public is the same to me. As a reader of the Guardian newspaper, how do you view China’s economic sanctions from the United States?”

“Not as an Asian, but as a reader of the Guardian?” I asked.

She nodded. “Yes.”

“I hope the U.S. wins since they started it,” I answered.

“Even though it is a pyrrhic victory?” she probed.

I smiled slightly. “I should have told you earlier, but I work for Jonathan Investment Finance Group.”

The woman raised her thin eyebrows. It wasn’t just her, but all the pa.s.sengers who were listening to our conversation began buzzing. There were thousands of people directly involved in the Jonathan Group, but there were only a few who could travel first cla.s.s.

“I am confident that we will win again this time,” I stated confidently.

She narrowed her eyes slightly. “What kind of victory do you mean?”

“A victory such that the world won’t be impacted by China’s economic sanction. Of course, there will be a war of attrition. But we protected our global market even on the Day of Advent. As for China? They are nothing compared to that. They would have to be prepared for this.”

“Can I consider this as confirmation that Jonathan Group is involved in this situation? Then, does that mean it will spread to a financial war?” she asked.

I shrugged. “What are you going to do if I’m faking it? Just write it down as an anonymous source. This is not the official position of our group, anyway. It’s just my personal opinion as a businessman.”

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“Let me summarize all this. It was shocking that an alien civilization invaded our human race, but how the entire world is agreeing with the U.S. to impose economic sanctions on China is also something we never imagined. China isn’t Iraq in the 90s. They have an enormous influence on the world’s economy, industry, and financial sectors, and they are competing against the U.S. over supremacy.”

I nodded. “That is true, but I’d like to tell you something.”

The woman leaned over.

I said, “This is not a secret. It was proven that those capital forces, including our group, that kept the resistance up on the Day of Advent, made the right decision. Monsters were completely defeated by the returned Awakened. Thanks to them, we restored peace, but the global financial markets have been completely blocked.”

“Yes, they are strained.” She nodded thoughtfully.

I explained, “It was because the stakes of companies around the world were monopolized by such a small number of capital forces. It was an unprecedented situation regardless of their n.o.ble purposes.”

“There might be some disagreement regarding their purpose being ‘n.o.ble,’ but… please continue.”

I continued, “Those who sold their a.s.sets on the Day of Advent must have regretted their actions. It could be a huge capital force, or it could be anyone who’s on board here. Everyone was so terrified at the moment. Thus, ordinary investors had no choice but to dispose of their a.s.sets as soon as possible.”

She conceded, “That’s true.”

“But what happened after that? They must now regret selling and are eagerly awaiting a chance to buy it back, as they wait for the capital forces to put their shares back on the market. They must be tearing their hair out and desperately looking at the market. They are probably frustrated and hoping to regain what they lost by selling at a low price.”

Only my voice filled the air in the first cla.s.s.

“Did you see the global stock market rebound slightly yesterday?” I asked.

“Yes, of course. Jonathan Investment Finance Group did a big deal.”

“What you witnessed yesterday was the outcome of a major transaction, as some owners.h.i.+p shares have become available and spread globally.”

“You are talking about Jonathan and the Gillians, right?” she asked.

I nodded. “Yes, but that’s only a fraction of what’s in their pockets, and they are not fools. They are the best strategists and owners of world capital. They wouldn’t just watch their a.s.sets dry up in their pockets. Yesterday’s trillion-dollar deal is clear evidence.”

I added, “Everyone who seceded from the market is hungry. They only wish for the stake to be released. Here’s the conclusion, Carrie.”

“Yes.”

I smiled slyly. “What blows up your mind more? The impact of the sanctions on China, or the stocks that have just begun to roam around the world? I’m not saying this with confidence only because I’m from the Jonathan Group. I personally see more money on the latter.”

I turned toward the eyes that were focused on me and spoke as if I ordered them.

“A lot of shares will start to be released soon. The worst concern is gone. Therefore, it will be easy for even a child to predict the dramatic rise in share prices. So hurry up, everyone. Invest in stocks. A boom that is unprecedented in financial history will begin soon. If I were you, I would go all in.”

After my last word, the cabin became noisy again with the sound of typing.