What the hell is a private enterprise?

Chapter 468 The Stock God of the Greater Bay Area
If every profession has its natural enemy, then the infamous wolf pack is undoubtedly an indispensable chapter in shipping history.

In the last war, the wolf pack sank nearly 1500 million tons of transport ships, with a record high of over 600 million tons in a single year, which is equivalent to almost two 2-ton cargo ships sinking every day.

Both intercepted cargo ships were ADM grain carriers, with a total of only 20 crew members.

Upon seeing the jet fighters streaking across the sky and the submarines surfacing ahead, they did not hesitate to slow down and turn.

The money belonged to the company, but their lives were their own. Upon seeing the plane, the two captains lost all will to resist.
"We surrender and will do as you say immediately. We've already turned the ship around at full speed!"

Despite the fact that the two cargo ships are hundreds of times larger than the submarine, a single torpedo can sink these thin-skinned, heavily armored vessels to the bottom of the sea. Even strafing by fighter jets from the sky poses a significant threat to personnel.

In addition to maneuvering the planes, they also cobbled together a white flag using white sheets, underwear, and other items, and waved it vigorously at the planes in the sky.

At this time, the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) had been in use for 5 years, and the sudden change in the course of the two cargo ships was clearly displayed on the GPS and automatically uploaded a report.

Twenty minutes later, the Michel and Kirishima, which were dutifully using their anti-aircraft umbrellas in the Gulf of Panama, learned through the intelligence-sharing system that the two cargo ships had been intercepted and turned back by a submarine.

At the same time, the International Maritime Organization issued an emergency global notice, requiring all cargo ships entering Panama from the Pacific Ocean to immediately change their destinations, and the canal route was about to be placed under emergency control!
……

"Fighter jets? Fighter jets that took off from a submarine?"

After confirming this information several times, the agent who came to report had no choice but to nod again:

"The crew members of both ships said they saw the plane take off from the submarine. There are no photos yet, but based on the description, it was a Gnat fighter jet!"

"Oops!"

Wayne immediately rushed to the map, and based on the information he had obtained, he located the U-boat's position. His face began to flush red.
Even with the naked eye, the distance to land is only about 300 kilometers, and based on the previous debris, the one-way range of the mosquito gnats is at least 1200 kilometers.

Several hours have passed since the punitive bombing operation was announced. The first batch of bombers should have just crossed Panama, with five more batches on their way.

The Air Force's escort preparations for bombers are all concentrated in northern Pakistan and a few adjacent areas, but what if the planes come from the sea?

The Empire estimates that the Second Fleet has more than 500 U-boats, with a maximum of around 2. If 50 of them have the ability to launch Gnats, and each submarine launches two fighters, that would be a group of 100 Gnats interceptors!

The number of escort fighters on the way from the mainland to Nanmei is not large, and 100 outdated Gnats also pose a great threat!

He didn't really doubt the authenticity of the intelligence, after all, how much weight does a Gnat can carry, and how easy is it to launch it...etc.

Huai En suddenly stopped, turned around and asked his adjutant:
"The mosquito gnat remains we saw before, didn't they lack landing gear?"

"It seems... there really isn't!"

The two men were stunned. At the time, no one noticed anything wrong with the landing gear, and the wreckage was severely damaged. No one cared about what it looked like.

But looking back now, it seems to imply a key point:
"So, it's very likely that all the Gnats in the Second Fleet are catapult-launched? Or perhaps the improved Gnat is a small aircraft specifically designed for catapult launch from ships?"

The adjutant also realized: "Then we know why air force bases in the rainforest are hard to find. They don't need runways; a small catapult a dozen meters long is all they need to launch fighter jets quickly and conveniently."

"In any case, the formation that will soon pass through Panama will return first, and all bombers that have not yet taken off will be suspended!"

The escort force prepared by Wayne was not weak, consisting of newly equipped F-15s, but even ants can kill an elephant.

When he was making the plan, he never considered that hundreds of fighter jets would suddenly appear from the sea!
……

At 4 a.m. local time, a notice from the International Maritime Organization startled many people awake. By 5 a.m., several shipping companies announced the suspension of routes through Panama, either seeking to dock at the nearest port or returning to port. Only a few cargo ships that were already too wide were not delayed.

凌晨6点40分，帝国海军宣布米切尔号驱逐舰发射了2枚标准2在150公里距离击落一架战斗机，并且已对剩下的潜艇实施攻击。

The Prism Building announced that this was just an isolated incident of a U-boat intrusion, and that the entire canal remains securely protected. The maritime ban will be lifted within 12 hours, and normal traffic will resume.

But the market doesn't listen to them.

At 7 a.m., near the area where another Kolbert had previously been spotted outside the Suez Canal, the same thing happened again: another U-boat surfaced to intercept a merchant ship.

This time, the Empire's response was not as quick as Panama's. It had to urgently dispatch nearby land and air forces and coordinate with a frigate anti-submarine aircraft to follow and resolve the situation.

The nearest ships would take at least half a day to arrive, so a 24-hour warning and prohibition order has to be placed on the canal for the time being.

Amid the lamentations of countless shareholders and investors, numerous shipping companies have been forced to announce that another large number of cargo ships will be unable to arrive on time.

At this time, all major stock exchanges in the world are closed, and Shanghai and Hong Kong will be the first places to open.

……

"Miss Jian, this mushroom and shrimp congee is so delicious! Little Tang is so lucky."

Zhao Hande gulped down a bowl of wine, then leaned back in his chair, still seemingly unsatisfied, staring at Tang Wen, who clearly hadn't slept all night.

"Why stay up so late? What's the point?"

"Of course, it's to make money!"

Tang Wen peeled open the shrimp shells and proudly showed off his spoils:

"To be honest, I put all my money in with 50 times leverage. Now call me a stock market guru."

Zhao Hande: "..."

A few months ago, Tang Wen was making a big fuss about the currency crash, but he spent all his cash and then borrowed money from banks as much as he could, and even transferred a lot of foreign exchange abroad.

"So, they really sacrificed two submarines just to make money?"

"correct."

Tang Wen answered without hesitation, and then started making things up:
"This vote was already approved by us. I'm just contributing to get a free ride. It's a quick and safe way to make money. A broken submarine is only worth a few dollars."

Zhao Hande's mind automatically conjured up an absurd scene: Nanyang and Laoxi were in cahoots, and the way they obtained development funds was by speculating in stocks in this way... It's very strange, but why do I feel a little envious?

Based on the leverage ratio Tang Wen mentioned, it seems the two organizations will be eager to rake in billions of dollars this time.

"Xiao Tang, could you bring this kind of business next time...?"

"That won't do. It would be bad if the news leaked. But if you want to earn some retirement money, you can't go wrong with me."

Tang Wenchao winked at him, which made Zhao Hande think of Hong Kong again. The opening was less than half an hour away, and the real estate market crash and the shipping black swan event... were all the lifeblood of Cheung Kong Holdings.

No wonder Tang Wen was so confident; it turns out he had been absolutely certain of taking down Cheung Kong Holdings for months.
Ruthless, absolute, both ruthless and absolute!
(End of this chapter)