Reborn in 1950: Shorting the Federal Reserve at the Start

On the hands-free call, the US president's voice was hoarse, as if he were swallowing a mouthful of shards of glass.

Gone was his former arrogance, and the majesty of a superpower leader. At this moment, he was as humble as a homeless man begging in the cold wind, even his breathing trembling with despair.

"Director Shen, on behalf of the United States of America, I formally submit this request to you."

"We are willing to unconditionally open all our domestic markets and hand over control of all our overseas military bases. All we ask is that you allow us to join the 'Moon Palace' project, and that you share even one percent of our Helium-3 energy..."

A violent coughing fit came from the other end of the phone, and the president's tone was almost pleading:

"Our country has come to a standstill. Without energy, Wall Street has become a ghost town, and people are burning tires in the streets for warmth. For the sake of all humanity, please lend us a hand!"

Shen Jinghong leaned back in the large leather boss's chair.

He held his signature enamel mug in his hand, slowly blowing away the foam on the surface of the water. Listening to the desperate pleas on the phone, not a trace of sympathy flickered in his eyes; instead, a chilling, extremely pleased laugh welled up within him.

"A shared destiny for all mankind?"

Shen Jinghong set down his teacup, making a crisp clinking sound. He leaned forward slightly, speaking into the microphone, his tone dripping with a chilling, merciless mockery:

"Mr. President, is your memory failing you?"

"What did you say back when you were working on the International Space Station?"

Shen Jinghong's gaze instantly sharpened like a knife, as if piercing through radio waves and directly into the Oval Office of the White House.

"You've passed that damned law that strictly prohibits China from participating in any international space cooperation! You call us thieves, saying we'll steal your high technology!"

"Why didn't you talk about the shared destiny of all mankind back then?"

"You've locked us tightly to Earth, practically building a wall in space to enclose us. Now you're out of fuel and freezing to death, and you come to talk to me about universal love?"

There was a deathly silence on the other end of the phone, broken only by the heavy, desperate breathing of the US president.

"Director Shen, those were mistakes made by politicians in the past, and we are willing to make amends now..."

"It's too late."

Shen Jinghong interrupted him without hesitation, her voice as cold as ancient ice:

"People from China are tough and have good memories."

"Back then you wouldn't let us aboard your crappy ship, now we've built our own interstellar warship. Want to buy a ticket and get on board?"

Shen Jinghong sneered and directly pressed the hang-up button on the phone:

"Go to the back of the line and get a number."

"As for when it will be your turn, that depends on my mood today!"

"Snapped!"

The phone call was abruptly cut off.

The beeping dial tone echoed in the office, like a death knell tolling for that once invincible superpower.

"Hahaha! That's great! That's fucking great!"

Chen Weiguo, who had been holding back his words, finally couldn't contain himself any longer. He slapped his thigh, his face flushed with excitement, and spun around the office in a frenzy.

"Director, what you just said was more devastating than a Dongfeng missile! I reckon that guy in the White House is contemplating suicide right now!"

"Whether he hangs himself or not is none of my business, but we've finally gotten our revenge today."

Shen Jinghong picked up her teacup and took a sip, feeling as if every pore on her body opened up.

Lin Qinghan walked over carrying a thick stack of documents, her usually cool eyes sparkling with an undisguised smile. She slammed the documents heavily on the desk and pushed up her black-rimmed glasses.

"Jinghong, it's not just the Americans who are anxious now."

"Look at these."

Lin Qinghan pointed to the pile of documents, his tone exuding an absolute confidence that suggested he controlled the world:

"These are the application forms that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the International Liaison Office of the Shenzhou Bureau received this morning. More than 190 countries, almost all the world's heads of state are here."

"The British Prime Minister, the French President, the German Chancellor, and even those small African countries that usually can't even get enough to eat, all sent their highest-level credentials."

"They're all queuing up, begging us to give them a ticket to the 'Moon Palace'."

Shen Jinghong casually flipped to the top document.

That was sent by the Saudi prince. This former "big spender" is now taking his nouveau riche status to the extreme.

"Director Shen, if you can get Saudi Arabia involved in the allocation of Helium-3, we are willing to donate all the gold in our national treasury to the Shenzhou Bureau free of charge! In addition, our ten skyscrapers in Dubai are ready for you to collect the keys at any time!"

Seeing the madness and humility revealed between the lines, Shen Jinghong couldn't help but sneer.

"Gold? Buildings?"

He threw the documents back on the table, his eyes revealing an arrogant disdain for the world.

"Faced with unlimited clean energy, those things are not even as good as toilet paper."

Shen Jinghong stood up and walked to the huge world map.

His gaze did not linger on the map of Earth, but went directly to the detailed holographic topographic map of the Aitken Basin on the Moon that had just been hung up next to him.

"The roles of offense and defense have shifted, comrades."

Shen Jinghong stood with his hands in his pockets, exuding an aura of dominance that made the entire planet tremble.

"In the past, they set the rules, and we had to obey them. Now, the energy on Earth is depleted, and we have all the energy on the moon in our hands."

"The rules for this vast universe should be set by our Chinese nation!"

He turned to look at Lin Qinghan and Chen Weiguo, and issued a command, word by word, that was enough to change the course of human civilization:

"Qinghan, immediately draft an 'Interstellar Development Convention'."

"Firstly, the development and allocation of space resources must be led by China! All helium-3 energy quotas will be centrally allocated by the Shenzhou Space Administration!"

"Secondly, any country that wishes to acquire Helium-3 energy must completely abolish the international settlement rights of its own currency and uniformly adopt the Renminbi as the sole interstellar transaction currency!"

"Article Three..."

A wicked smile, extremely malicious, curled at the corners of Shen Jinghong's lips:

"All the operation manuals, underlying code, and future interstellar navigation guides for the Guanghan Palace base are written in Chinese."

"Want to go to space? Want to use our energy? Sure."

"Let their scientists and president memorize the Xinhua Dictionary first!"

Chen Weiguo gasped, a chill running down his spine.

Ruthless! Absolutely ruthless!

This isn't about drafting a convention; it's clearly about comprehensively subjugating and enslaving the entire world in terms of culture, economy, and technology!

"Director, your move is like cutting off the Westerners' very foundation."

Chen Weiguo rubbed his hands together excitedly, "From now on, who on Earth will dare to raise their voice to us? We're the absolute village chiefs of Blue Star Village!"

"village head?"

Shen Jinghong shook his head and turned his gaze back to the vast and boundless starry sky outside the window.

Night falls, and the stars twinkle.

A bright, clear moon hangs high in the sky, and on the far side of the moon, a massive, shimmering blue sci-fi base is continuously supplying the motherland with the energy to change the world.

"The Earth is too small, and the Moon is just an outpost."

Shen Jinghong's eyes became incredibly deep, filled with an intense longing and ambition for the unknown universe.

He walked to his desk and pressed the holographic projection switch button.

"Buzz—"

The topographic map of the moon vanished instantly.

Instead, there is a mysterious planet that emits a dark red light and whose surface is covered with huge canyons and storms.

Mars.

"Poverty-stricken, Wei State."

Shen Jinghong gazed at the red planet, a fierce fire burning in his eyes, his voice deep and powerful:

"The foundation on the moon has been laid, and the mining of helium-3 is on track."

"But this is just the first step we've taken out of the cradle."

He turned his head and looked at his wife and comrades-in-arms, who were equally awestruck by this grand vision, and a wildly arrogant smile appeared on his lips.

"Inform Guoqiang to practice his skills properly in the Moon Palace."

"Get ready to pack your bags."

Shen Jinghong pointed to the red planet on the holographic projection, his tone exuding a domineering aura that seemed to sweep across the galaxy:

Our journey is to the stars and the sea.

"Next, we should go to that red rock and plant potatoes."