Reborn in 1950: Shorting the Federal Reserve at the Start

The early summer sun shone warmly through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the Shenzhou Bureau Director's office, bathing the large mahogany desk in its light.

The desk was spotless, devoid of the mountains of top-secret documents and the headache-inducing international military briefings. Only in the very center sat a white envelope.

On the envelope, four large characters were written in strong, vigorous penmanship: Retirement Application.

Shen Jinghong, wearing a soft home knit sweater, was bending down to put several worn-out Parker pens into a drawer. His eyes, which had once struck fear into the hearts of the entire Western world, now held only a serene and languid quality, devoid of any former glamour.

"Jinghong, everything is almost packed."

Lin Qinghan walked over with two cups of hot milk and handed him one of them. Although the years had added a few fine lines to the corners of her eyes, they had only made her cool and intellectual temperament even more charming.

"Guoqiang sent a holographic video call from the Mars base yesterday, saying that his grandson keeps asking his grandfather to teach him how to fly a spaceship. Min'an has also been urging us several times, saying that the underlying architecture of Skynet is completely stable and they want us to move in with them and help take care of her second child."

Lin Qinghan leaned against the edge of her desk, looking at the white envelope, a gentle smile playing on her lips.

"We've sat in this chair for most of our lives, fighting against the heavens, fighting against the earth, and fighting against those robbers across the ocean. Now that the US has completely collapsed and the rules of the global village have been set, we can finally enjoy a few peaceful days of playing with our grandchildren."

Shen Jinghong took the milk, took a sip, and then wrapped his arm around his wife's waist, burying his head in the crook of her neck and taking a deep breath.

"Yes, I'm tired. I've been ruthless and decisive all my life, offending everyone I needed to offend and seizing all the territory I needed to seize. Let the younger generation handle the rest of the repair work."

He raised his head and looked out the window at the vibrant Shenzhou compound, his eyes revealing a sense of relief at having successfully retired.

"Once the central government approves it, we'll go live on Mars for a few months, and then take a vacation to the Moon's Moon Palace. I've spent most of my life building firecrackers and haven't had a chance to properly show you the stars and the sea."

The two were enjoying this rare moment of tranquility.

"Bang!"

The heavy solid wood door of the office was suddenly kicked open violently.

Chen Weiguo rushed in like a mad bull whose tail had been stepped on. His dark red face was full of fear and anxiety, even the general's star on his shoulder was crooked, and he was clutching a holographic tablet terminal tightly in his hand.

"Chief! Something terrible has happened! The sky is falling!"

Chen Weiguo was breathing heavily, his voice so loud it made the windowpanes vibrate.

Shen Jinghong frowned, somewhat displeased, and released Lin Qinghan, reverting to her authoritative and dignified demeanor.

"Old Chen, you'll never shake this impulsive habit of yours, even when you're old. The US is so poor they're begging on the streets, what earth-shattering event could possibly happen on this blue planet?"

"It's not the US! It's our own backyard that's on fire!"

Chen Weiguo was so anxious that he slapped his thigh repeatedly, then slammed the holographic tablet he was holding onto the desk, pointing at the frantically scrolling data stream on the screen, his voice trembling.

"I don't know which bastard leaked the news and put your retirement application on 'Skynet'!"

"The entire social network is in complete chaos! Server load has skyrocketed to 900%, and even with three supercomputing centers deployed by the Ministry of Public Security, they're barely able to handle this terrifying data deluge!"

Shen Jinghong paused for a moment, then looked down at the screen.

On Tianwang's largest social media platform, the top ten trending topics were all dominated by the same topic, followed by the glaring dark red "Explosive" word.

#Director Shen Retires#

#China cannot do without Shen Jinghong#

#10,000 people petitioned for the bureau chief to stay#

In the comments section, data was being refreshed at a rate of millions of comments per second, with the screen filled with the most genuine and fervent emotional outpourings from ordinary people.

"Director, you can't leave! Without you, how can we stand tall?"

"My grandfather survived the Battle of Chosin Reservoir thanks to the winter clothing you made! You are a benefactor to our whole family, how can you retire!"

"Even though the US is down, the universe is so vast, what if aliens attack? Director, you have to stay and keep things under control! Waaah, I'm crying so hard!"

Looking at the densely packed messages, Shen Jinghong's heart, which was as hard as iron, suddenly felt as if it had been hit hard by something, and a wave of indescribable bitterness rose up.

He thought he was just a cold-blooded swordsman, a "time-traveling scalper" who would stop at nothing for the sake of national interests.

But in the eyes of these most ordinary people, he has long become the guardian of this country, the anchor in their hearts that will never fall.

"Chief, please stop looking at the screen and go to the window to look outside!"

Chen Weiguo's eyes were red and his voice choked as he pointed out the floor-to-ceiling window.

Shen Jinghong and Lin Qinghan exchanged a glance and quickly walked to the window.

After just one glance, Shen Jinghong froze completely, her breath catching in her throat.

The vast square of the Shenzhou Bureau and the main road outside the gate, which stretches for more than ten kilometers, have now been transformed into a sea of ​​people.

Millions of ordinary people spontaneously flocked from all directions.

They didn't shout any inflammatory slogans, nor did they unfurl any banners. They simply stood quietly in the cold wind, holding flowers in their hands and raising bright red five-star flags.

At the very front row were hundreds of veterans of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army, sitting in wheelchairs and their chests adorned with medals.

Supporting each other, they stood up shakily and solemnly saluted the direction of the Shenzhou Bureau office building. Their tear-streaked faces were filled with boundless admiration and longing for their military commander to stay.

"Chief! You can't leave!"

It's unclear who started the shout, but it quickly spread like wildfire, instantly transforming into a massive, overwhelming roar that soared into the sky.

"China cannot do without you!"

"Chief, please stay!"

The deafening shouts pierced through the thick bulletproof glass, slamming into Shen Jinghong's eardrums and penetrating deep into his soul.

Shen Jinghong gripped the glass tightly with both hands, her knuckles turning white from the excessive force.

Looking at the tearful faces below, at the ordinary people who were waiting in the cold wind to persuade him to stay, he could no longer suppress the moisture in his eyes, and two streams of tears rolled down his cheeks.

"These foolish ordinary people..."

Shen Jinghong's voice was hoarse, and his Adam's apple bobbed with difficulty. "What have I, Shen Jinghong, done to deserve such attention from them?"

Just as his heart was surging with emotion and he was unable to calm down for a long time.

"Rip—!"

A crisp, piercing sound of paper tearing suddenly rang out in the quiet office.

Shen Jinghong suddenly turned around.

The office door was wide open, and several elderly men with gray hair strode in, surrounded by guards.

Without any mercy, it was torn in half, then torn into pieces, which were casually tossed into the air like snowflakes.

"Trying to shirk responsibility? No way!"

Those deep eyes exuded an undeniable aura of dominance and majesty.

"Jinghong, do you think that now that the US is down, the world is at peace, and you can just pack up and go enjoy a life of leisure on Mars?"

The voice was loud and clear, echoing throughout the entire office.

"Look outside! The country won't let you leave, and the people certainly won't let you leave!"

"You, Shen Jinghong, were born a citizen of the nation, and you will die a soul of the nation! As long as you have a breath left, you will be nailed to this chair as Director of the Shenzhou Bureau!"

These words left no room for negotiation, yet they conveyed an extreme trust in entrusting the fate of the nation to someone who would risk their life for it.

Shen Jinghong watched as the pieces of paper flew everywhere.

He gave a helpless, bitter laugh and shook his head.

"Commander, are you trying to completely drain this old body of mine?"

Shen Jinghong turned around, walked to Lin Qinghan's side, and naturally took her somewhat cold hands in his.

He looked at the few strands of silver hair at the corners of his wife's eyes, dyed white by the years, and at the soft light in her eyes that was also deeply moved by the crowd outside the window.

"Honey, it looks like our Mars vacation plans will have to be postponed indefinitely."

Shen Jinghong gently squeezed her palm, his tone carrying a hint of apology, but more so a fervent desire to reignite his fighting spirit.

"These people have entrusted their lives to us. It would be really unfair of us to just leave like this."

Lin Qinghan grasped his hand in return, a cool yet resolute smile playing on her lips.

"I knew you wouldn't be able to leave. As long as you're still standing here, I'll stay here with you."

Shen Jinghong took a deep breath and turned her gaze away from the sea of ​​people outside the window.

His gaze was profound, and that terrifying aura of dominance and invincibility erupted once again.

"Since the country won't let me retire, and the people won't let me retire..."

A cold smile, extremely dangerous yet filled with boundless ambition, slowly curled up at the corners of Shen Jinghong's lips.

"Then let's keep going!"

He walked to the enormous holographic star map, his fingers gently tracing the gene sequence maps that represented the limits of human life, his voice deep and powerful:

"We have wiped out the enemies on Earth, and the rules for the stars and the sea have been set."

"But this time, I don't intend to play with those ordinary people anymore."

Shen Jinghong turned to look at Lin Qinghan and, word by word, uttered the ultimate declaration that was enough to overturn the laws of the entire universe:

"Wife, get ready to start Project Shennong."

"This time, I'm declaring war on 'King Yama'!"