There was nothing else but a painful sense of defeat left on the leader’s face. He realized that there was no strength left in his legs when he got up from the chair, so he sat down again. Then, he crumpled the reports in front of him and threw them on the floor.
Xiang Yu[1]’s decision to commit suicide was justifiable, given that he was unwilling to accept the prospect of defeat. If the outcome of a single defeat had the potential to drastically alter the course of a nation for centuries to come, then his suicide might not have been considered a significant event.
The leader pondered what desperate measures could be taken to alter the precarious state of China’s fate. From the start, the gold standard currency reformation had been counterattacked. Also, even if they exerted pressure on global companies impacted by economic sanctions, such as the manufacturer of A-phone that had factories located along China’s coast, these companies only feigned compliance.
At this pace, China would be attacked by the occupation forces instead of co-destructing with the world.
“I’m Odin. I’ll pick up my stuff sooner or later.”
As the cold voice lingered in the leader’s mind, a man came in quietly. Having been a friend of the leader for fifty years, he began to collect the documents that the leader had thrown. If the aliens hadn’t tried to invade Earth, he would have been appointed deputy prime minister in charge of economic affairs at the State Council by now.
Thanks to him, it was possible for the nation to have China's Dream[2] and proceed with the New Normal[3]. This brought a stable growth trend in their economy.
The leader said bitterly, “I’m ashamed that you have to see me now.”
The other man apologized, “I’m sorry. I should have dissuaded you more.”
The leader shook his head and closed his eyes. “You have done enough.”
The leader’s office was spacious, but it felt as if the dark air was stifling. It felt more stuffy than a confined area. In fact, the guy was loosening his tie, trying to catch a breath.
As the man read through the reports, time seemed to slow down for the leader, who was immersed in his own thoughts. The documents detailed the failure of the Golden Fish project and the measures that were to be taken after the incident. Many options were available, but only one appeared to be a viable solution.
With holdings of 1.2 trillion dollars in U.S. bonds, China was the largest foreign creditor of the United States. It seemed likely that they would shock the Federal Reserve (FED)’s interest rate policy if they began to sell the bonds to the market. The U.S. FED had already declared its intention to gradually reduce interest rates, a move that was evidently aimed at reviving the global stock market.
Their actions had the potential to disrupt the work, but it would only be a minor disruption, nothing more and nothing less. Even if they proceeded with it, the problem was that one of the capital forces that defeated the Golden Fish had the unimaginable financial power to release an astronomical amount of one trillion dollars to Awakened.
So even if we sell U.S. government bonds to the market, they will defend themselves in the same way with money. There is no need for other defense policies as money alone is enough to protect them. The West ended up giving birth to a monster…
The monster went by the name of Monopolistic Capital, and there was no need to search for it from afar. Across the sea, the Korean Peninsula served as a miniature representation of the global dominance of monopoly capitalism.
Ever since the 1990s financial crisis, Korea has been occupied by foreign capital. The giant conglomerate ‘Jeonil,’ which devoured existing conglomerates, emerged and controlled the country’s economy. In fact, Korea was in a miserable state that couldn’t be called a ‘country.’
As the man contemplated the possibility of China falling victim to the same fate, his expression became hardened, causing the leader to lose some of his own energy.
***
The leader was a formidable presence who possessed a cunning mind like a fox and fearless courage like a bear honed over decades. This made him a warrior who had seized the throne amidst the dark and treacherous struggles of his predecessors.
The leader and the man had a long conversation, but the more they talked, the more the man became aware of the emptiness within the leader. He felt as though all the years he had spent assisting the leader had been in vain.
Therefore, the man’s words were mixed with anger and sorrow.
“It’s not done yet, sir. Don’t hand over the gold, and…”
The leader shook his head. “I just finished a call with the owner of the club.”
The man couldn’t help but close his mouth.
The owner of the club!
The leader had mentioned the individual who wielded the most power in the world and had brought monopoly capitalism to fruition. This led him to conclude that only Odin, the Awakened, had the ability to confront the owner of the club. Given that even the ruthless supermen were often intimidated by the name ‘Odin,’ that meant he was the only one capable of taking on the person who had achieved the pinnacle of financial success.
“Oh, you did?” he asked eagerly.
“All our comrades agreed with you that we shouldn’t hand over the gold. That’s why I informed him that we have no intention to do so. Then, he told me that he would come and get his stuff by himself.”
“Does he mean that the war will break out soon?”
The question ‘only because of the gold?’ rose to his throat. If an armed war between China and the world began, then gold was nothing compared to it. Shiny metal would be meaningless in a world contaminated with radioactivity.
The man realized that things had truly gone wrong. He immediately suggested, “Now, find Odin and ask him to mediate…”
The leader asked back with a smirk, “Are you talking about the Awakened Odin?”
“Yes, sir. It has already been confirmed from the economic sanctions that the club’s owner has the power to move the world. We will engage in armed conflict with the forces that are compelling us to surrender the gold, but it will stop immediately. No one in the world wants World War III, and the World Awakened Association won’t overlook it. So, we should ask a man named Odin to mediate and make a table of negotiations.”
The leader sighed. “I thought this same way until I found out who the owner of the club was. Who do you think he is?”
The leader gazed at the man with a stiff expression, and their eyes met each other. Soon, the man’s eyes shook. When the leader nodded while making eye contact with him, the man realized why the leader had greeted him so helplessly earlier. Odin was the club’s owner.
“H…how could such… a thing…” he stuttered.
The leader grimaced. “Odin will be here soon. Will you welcome him with me? As you know, this isn’t something that the military should take care of. Our attacks don’t work on him.”
The man was clutching his pants with both hands. He was holding back his fist as a dangerous word was about to come out of his mouth. However, the leader was the one who uttered the term.
“All the Awakened said that a nuclear attack wouldn’t even be able to harm one hair on Odin;s head.”
“Ah…”
The leader continued, “It’s risky to test things like his lightning power, absolute battlefield, and gates.”
The man had to agree with that.
“There is nothing to stop him if he comes. Even more so if he comes as the owner of the club, not as an Awakened.”
The man nodded. “Yeah, I think we have left some room for negotiation. When did he say he is coming?”
“He didn’t say anything about that. It was a short phone conversation.”
What a freak.
The man’s head was already throbbing. Thinking that Odin focused on money power instead of physical force, the packs of hyenas would rush in after smelling the money. He needed to schedule a meeting with Odin as soon as possible, but that didn’t seem possible.
Who would back out now that the victory had been confirmed? Odin was determined to seize all the spoils, and in truth, the leader was more afraid of Odin as the owner of the club than as an Awakened, as he had never experienced the Stage of Advent. He was actually fearful of the fate that Odin might bring upon China.
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***
The value of the dollar had stabilized as before in the past few days. The battlefields around the world had completely turned in our favor. Then, a series of intense new battlefields began to emerge, arising not only from my aggressive purchasing on the New York Mercantile Exchange, but also from the hedge funds that had incurred massive losses during the Day of Advent.
They came together and launched various attacks, just as they did toward Asia in the 90s. Everyone was now bent on ripping China apart. The depletion of Chinese authorities’ foreign exchange reserves was gaining momentum, and Chinese companies were succumbing to bankruptcy at an increasing rate.
On a day not long before China’s Moratorium[4] declaration, I turned my head while checking the data that Kim Cheong-Soo gave. His office was busy with clients as always. Elite employees who wanted to be hired by the group came in with portfolios, and there were many financial firms who also hoped that the group would invest in them.
The title of the portfolio would be this: Global Financial Crisis Caused by China.
There was a rumor circulating from Wall Street, and it wasn’t by any Chinese spies. Considering the vast global financial network, the collapse of China’s economy impacted other countries. In particular, since China was a country that was aiming for the world’s number one economic power, the crisis would spread globally.
Despite the economic sanctions, the lingering sentiment that humanity had overcome formidable adversaries outweighed all the negative news. Nonetheless, if China were to declare a moratorium, then the world would finally comprehend the true extent to which the global economy had deteriorated.
The world would follow the same bad method as it did during the 2008 subprime crisis, so now was the time to revive the world economy. Recovering stocks after driving the economy into a pit would only strain the flow of capital.
The taming phase was over, so I decided that it would be better to boil China as a whole.
When Korea received the IMF bailout, the world’s capital forces went crazy saying that a super-special bargain sale had appeared and that it would never come again. It was China’s turn now.
The leader called one of the club members, the head of the IMF. That old lady was chosen as the commander of a spearhead to send to China. She was to use every means in her power to completely open up the Chinese market and keep him informed of all that is happening in the country to secure her next term.
1. Xiang Yu was a prominent military leader who played a significant role in the overthrow of the Qin Dynasty and the establishment of the Han Dynasty. However, after losing a series of battles, his power and influence waned, and he ultimately committed suicide. ☜
2. A term coined by Xi Jinping that refers to his vision for a strong, prosperous, and rejuvenated China that reclaims its position as a global superpower. ☜
3. China’s economic transition towards a slower but more sustainable growth model, with an emphasis on innovation, consumption, and services. ☜
4. A temporary suspension or delay of an activity, often used in a financial context to refer to a national bankruptcy. ☜