Chapitre 300: Chapter 300: Someone's Making Trouble
William White felt a bit bored. The situation at the nuclear power plant caused quite a stir, and it certainly wasn't a good time to go out for fun.
At that moment, someone on another continent was causing him more trouble.
"What did you say? Are you sure?"
"Yes, sir. Our business in Sierra Leone and South Africa has been affected. Only the Congo is relatively calm."
"That's definitely not right. Before we dig deeper, make sure everyone's safe. Were there any casualties?"
"Five people were injured, one of them seriously. A private plane has already been arranged."
"Investigate and find out who did this."
"Understood," Max replied.
As Max left, William White remained puzzled; he didn't remember anyone with such power in Africa.
At that time, diamond trading hadn't developed into the structure it would later take. If luck was on your side, you could get quite a few good things from the local chiefs.
By the late 1990s, such transactions would no longer exist. Good quality stones would all go to Antwerp, which became a more suitable center for processing and trading.
Some people said that diamond trading was essentially a marketing scam -- those stones weren't worth nearly as much as they seemed.
Alright, there's some truth to that; the rare stones were indeed those particularly large ones. As for those under a carat, the production was still quite considerable.
Of course, William White wasn't interested in those small stones; he was focused on fancy colored diamonds and large rocks.
In fact, he had even tried to acquire the famed Sierra Leone star diamond.
Unfortunately, it seemed the locals intended to keep it as a last resort and had no plans to sell.
William wasn't sure if that stone was the source of the trouble. If it had some bad karma attached, he had little interest in it.
The top-ranked diamonds in the world were built on countless bones. Without the loss of dozens of lives, one might never see these gems.
...
"Kidnapped the son of a big player? Are you sure you haven't messed this up? They are worlds apart."
"They have connections with many tribes; it's not hard to check."
"Is this madness?"
Seeing Max hesitate, William chuckled bitterly. "Speak up; I'm not blaming you."
"Sir, this might not be about the diamonds. We're not the only ones being attacked."
"Ah, I see. You're saying this is related to the operation in Gold Valley."
"That's probably it. They can't benefit openly, so they must retaliate elsewhere."
"Well, I'm quite fed up. As a country, shouldn't we be more above board? Sure, there's no harm in getting a little dirty, but don't put all your eggs in one basket."
"Looking at it now, the situation in Africa is indeed unstable."
"I'm going to look into it. Our people don't need to get involved directly; let's use intermediaries for trade."
"Okay, sir. Should we ramp up security?"
"Of course. Not just there; we need to strengthen security here in the U.S. too. When you have someone who's always looking to play dirty, you never know what might happen."
William had little patience for the Gold Valley fiasco. If you weren't going to provoke them, then just leave them alone; otherwise, blow it all to smithereens. What was with this half-hearted approach?
In fact, once the Hunter family's oil wells were confiscated, it would be time for serious action. The result of constant concessions was that others were taking advantage.
...
"William, are you sure there's a connection between these two?"
"Of course it's a connection! This guy is in legitimate business, what do you think?"
"Then that means Gold Valley is useless."
"Since the decapitation operation failed, it means it's worthless. The problem is, this guy is completely innocent."
"Alright, I'll bring your concerns to him, but I can't control anything else."
"That's natural. Besides, it's not just me being affected."
In the oval office, a group of pompous big shots finally shut their ridiculous mouths.
The so-called scalpel may seem powerful, but it didn't solve the fundamental issue.
What's the purpose of going to war?
Put plainly, it was just about profit. Those notions of justice were just nonsense -- better left unsaid in such company, or you'd be looked down on.
Without ground forces, what could you achieve with all the bombing? Did they really think they could act with impunity like a certain little dictator? This was supposed to be a civilized society.
The outcome of the discussions among the big wigs was, of course, sanctions. William had long anticipated this outcome. At this moment, the power dynamics between the U.S. and the Soviets were eerily similar. The efforts of the lower ranks were useless -- the upper echelons were all incompetent.
In fact, William had somewhat misjudged things. Those high-ups weren't as weak as he imagined. They actually thrived in Africa's chaos.
Whether it was the Soviets or the Americans, both treated Africa as a testing ground. Vaccines, weapons, systems -- you could find places for all kinds of experiments there.
Think the locals feel discriminated against?
Then we'll support you.
Democracy?
We can give you that.
Weapons?
We can provide that too.
South Africa discriminates against our fellow brothers.
Fine, we'll back you up. Anything you want, we'll make sure you get it -- as long as you stay on this continent.
William White faced this very situation. So, that continent would never be peaceful. Severe droughts and famine only aggravated the tensions.
Having grasped these realities, he felt a mix of emotions. He wasn't some bleeding heart; the plans of those big figures weren't his to interfere with.
But why should his interests be jeopardized?
...
"Old man, is that it? Are we just going to let this go?"
"That's likely how it ends. That place has become a real mess; it could get even worse."
"Well, no wonder the Hunter family isn't too upset."
"Hmph, they never really invested seriously back then. What can they do if it gets confiscated? Still, it seems William White isn't interested in running a business."
"Africa? Who would dare go there? That guy has to be crazy."
"Haha, maybe not so much. Let's be honest, the devaluation of the dollar is a done deal. Since gold is off the table and silver too, he would naturally be interested in things that hold value. But why abandon oil?"
What Bush Sr. couldn't figure out was this. William White wasn't incapable of seeing oil's value but deliberately avoided that sector. Instead, he went after something as obscure as diamonds.
That choice was truly baffling.
"Oil? He said it before; he couldn't take on the old timers, so best to keep his distance."
"Does he still need to be wary of anyone?"
"If I had that much money, I wouldn't mess with oil either. He probably doesn't like being under someone else's thumb. Look, this guy is a big shot no matter what industry he's in; why should he play second fiddle?"
"Haha, maybe that's it."
Bush Sr. disagreed with his son's take. He believed the traditional industries were still the most reliable.
*****
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