[Chapter 600: Blood Diamonds]
The massive bear was about to fall, and anyone with a pulse wanted to rush in and take a bite, including themselves.
However, this money was toxic. That guy named Leo Wanta made a killing, but he ended up biting off more than he could chew. If it were three or five billion, or even up to ten billion, perhaps the problem wouldn't be that severe. You could just siphon off a portion, and others would only congratulate you.
But tens of trillions... Goodness, how dare you?
In the early '90s, that amount of money wasn't what could make you a ruler of nations. No country had that kind of cash.
A three-year-old child prancing around with few ton of gold in a den of villains would predictably meet a bad end; it's simply obvious.
William White didn't want to get involved with this money, but he needed to find out who exactly snatched it away.
Umbrella Corporation from Resident Evil, The Company from Prison Break. The fictitious entities in these shows might well exist in reality. Moreover, they're likely to be more covert, and more dangerous.
...
"Private? Are you sure you're not mistaken? His old man isn't a general, is he?"
"Master, it's no mistake. He used to be a photography enthusiast and occasionally helped others shoot wedding photos."
William White couldn't recall when Sierra Leone had such a character. But one thing was certain: anyone who climbs up from the bottom is never simple.
"We're not directly trading, are we?" He mused upon the large diamond in his hand. These beautiful stones might actually not bode well for a poor country.
"No, the quantity of weapons this guy needs is just terrifying. It's all light arms. I really can't understand; does he intend to arm the entire population?"
Hmm, William White realized -- it's this lunatic who's giving weapons to children.
"Stay away from this guy. You're right, Tanner; he might just want to turn everyone into soldiers. People like him are extremely dangerous; human lives hold very little value in their eyes."
"Okay, master, when we left, we found that many factions are positioning themselves. It seems they want to fill the vacuum left by the Soviets. Sierra Leone's diamond mines still produce a lot; it seems Gaddafi might be interested too."
William White felt the diamond in his hand was heavy. Once the interests of these thugs are sorted out, who knows what the place might turn into?
The reality of diamond trading is far crueler than the movie Blood Diamond portrays. Especially in mines controlled by local warlords -- human life is regarded as worthless.
Every diamond from Africa is soaked in blood; the conditions of the miners are truly concerning, and safety measures are a joke. Just being able to eat is already the mine owner's mercy.
Is it possible that William White doesn't know about this?
He does, of course.
So why still buy, when they say no trade means no harm?
Haha, you're overthinking. Someone has to buy for these people to have value. Otherwise, they wouldn't even be able to afford a meal.
Don't even think about discussing systems with these folks. To them, only food matters; everything else is nonsense.
"By the way, Tanner, did we run into any blind folks during this trade?"
"Ha ha, surprisingly, quite a few. Since the volume of this trade is large, besides this Sierra Leone Star, the other goods are pretty decent too. Haha, that so-called Private would be better off running away with the money. With so much cash, what's he still mucking about for over there?"
"People like that share a common trait -- they always think they're smarter than everyone else, while others are idiots. Pursuing art is fine, but if he runs a country, he'd turn it into a primitive society."
"They're gearing up for a war. Our people have retreated to the border. Master, let's just be onlookers, shall we?"
"Sure, why not? What, you looking to become a chieftain or something?"
"Not really. That place just gives me a bad feeling."
"For now, let's ignore it. Once they've got money, they'll have plenty of troubles. Let's hope the CIA doesn't stir the pot anymore."
Looking at the current situation, while the Congo is also chaotic, it's not excessively so. Well then, as of now, Africa is stepping into an era of turmoil.
Droughts, locust plagues, wars -- following the fall of the Soviets, the biggest beneficiaries are undoubtedly the Americans. As for the most unfortunate, that would be the locals. Places that were hardly touched by World War I or II are now facing devastation.
The reason William White holds little regard for the CIA is right here. No matter who is in charge, their primary objective is to create chaos.
Putting aside these worries, William White decided to hire a company to design something. His own processing plant couldn't handle such a large diamond.
Over 900 carats -- he could keep at most two hundred. The reason larger diamonds are valuable lies here. The bigger the diamond, the greater the loss. To obtain a flawless piece, more often than not, half has to be wasted.
While it can't be thrown away, what's cut off is just merely a pittance.
William White's fondness for large diamonds isn't news, though it's unclear what he intends to do with them.
They say like dragons guarding their treasure, women possess an innate desire to hoard gold and jewelry; it's seldom mentioned that men might like them too. Well, with that in mind, the purpose becomes clear. It's an investment, just like his gold, that he might not even need to sell; a direct pledge against a bank will suffice.
The continually dropping price of gold has proved a fact: nothing is ever universally correct. If it weren't for this guy's low credit limit, the bank might require him to provide more collateral.
...
"Sir, the decline in gold prices is widening. Should we narrow our position?"
"Have we exceeded our physical holdings?"
"By about 5%."
"Let's keep adding. To make the Soviets happy, gold prices must be halved; otherwise, it's useless. They've scraped up quite a lot of gold over these years. Since nobody seems to want it, let it drop. Keep it under control, don't let it exceed 25%."
"Alright, sir. Do you think they can drive it down that low?"
"Ha ha, if silver can soar, who are they afraid of? If they can't bring it down, believe me, they'll quickly say something about the dollar being tied to silver. They'll pull every trick out of the hat."
"Ha ha, if the Hunter family mobilized right now, they probably wouldn't go bankrupt."
William White shrugged with indifference, "It's pointless. They're merely nouveau riche, just like I am. The Federal Reserve won't play ball with us."
*****
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