Darkstone Code

"Destroy two copper mines..."

This request completely caught the young man by surprise. He thought it would be something more obviously advantageous, like needing certain power, such as a monopoly.

But just destroying two copper mines—it wasn't too demanding; in fact, it was too simple, so much that he didn't know what to say.

He even felt the other party was considering his situation. The copper ore extracted by the Gafura people wouldn't be used locally; it would be transported to Gafura and made into bullets, shells, and various military weapons for the next war, to kill enemy soldiers.

Even if the person on the other side of the phone didn't mention this, the young man would seize the opportunity to sabotage Gafura's production facilities in the Amelia Region, and it would be a long-term process.

He still found the request strange, so strange that it left him uncertain, "Sir, may I ask, what benefit would destroying two copper mines bring you?"

He explained his curiosity, "I believe your support for us isn't without reason; I need to know what benefits you gain through us to collaborate with peace of mind. I may not be articulating this well, but I trust you understand what I mean."

The young man on the other end of the phone didn't hide anything, "So, you're worried about that. If you destroy these two copper mines, the world copper price will increase..."

Again, the greedy interests of capitalists, yet this reassured the young man. He exhaled relief, "Perhaps we can attempt to cooperate, sir. May I know your name?"

"Name?" The young man on the phone laughed, "No, it's not necessary. If things go as planned, we won't meet face-to-face in this lifetime. But considering even phone conversations require addressing each other, you can call me 'Robin'; you may also choose a code name for yourself."

Robin...

This code name briefly dazed the young man; he didn't know if the guy on the other end did it on purpose, but this bird is very special, very in tune with his current mood.

Whenever there's an invasion, the Robin fights against the intruders. Its small body bears enormous courage, whether facing eagles or others, it faces them bravely.

Either drive all the enemies out of its territory.

Or fight till the death!

Isn't this exactly his, as well as many others' mentality at the moment?

Evil invaders from Gafura have occupied the regions where they have lived for generations, enslaving them, casting darkness over this land.

The motherland has abandoned them, leaving them isolated and helpless in despair. Even more pathetic is that many are numbly, even joyfully, accepting the oppressors' rule.

Ten years...

Twenty years...

Thirty years...

When a hundred and twenty years pass, no one will know where they came from. No one will know their true language or what sacrifices their ancestors made to live on this land...

Though many have forsaken them, they haven't forsaken themselves, Struggle, persistently refusing to bow to fate.

A few seconds later, he gathered himself, "Haiyan, you can call me Haiyan, sir."

"Haiyan, battling bravely against the storm?" Robin's voice was comforting. Calling himself Haiyan, the young man felt he'd found a confidant, a touch of happiness.

"Three days later, you shall go to this address... You will see those small gifts I've sent, my sincerity. Of course, I hope you inform me before acting, so I can prepare."

"Just leave a bunch of wildflowers here, and you'll know how to contact me — this will be our means of communication. Any questions?"

The young man shook his head, "No, sir!"

"Then, good luck, Sir Haiyan, brave enough to resist tyranny!"

...

After hanging up the phone, the young man appeared not yet reactive. It took him a moment to rub his face and gradually return to his senses from the previous shock; he now felt exceptionally excited.

No matter what motives this person has for supporting their rebellion against Gafura's control, at least they can provide the resistance organization with essential aid.

Weapons, funds, all kinds of supplies and consumables, once the resistance forces captured a few strongholds, they could gradually break free from control.

But before this, he decided to cooperate with this "Nightingale" gentleman.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye, and on the early morning of the third day, the young white-skinned dog, code-named "Haiyan," easily swapped his work to the night shift by leveraging his identity as Patrol Squad No. 1's lackey.

The night shift wasn't a good job; since Gafura started ruling the Amelia Region, nearly all assassinations targeting the patrol had happened at night.

The darkness became a natural camouflage for assassins, and despite the difficulty for assassins to escape, to this day, there hang over forty dried corpses in the square outside City Hall. Yet assassinations still occur occasionally.

Whether Gafura people or locals, they all wish to be on duty during the day.

This just gave the young white-skinned dog an opportunity; he also needed the night to hide his identity.

At two in the morning, the young white-skinned dog, under the guise of patrolling, took a few companions to the train station. According to the hint given to him, those things were hidden in a train that arrived yesterday evening.

They easily found that carriage; drawn with white chalk outside the carriage was a nightingale. Though not finely detailed, it was instantly recognizable.

"Quicker…" urged the young white-skinned dog, carefully arranging for others to keep watch while he, along with two comrades from the resistance movement, climbed into the carriage.

When they lifted the thick layer of grass, everyone's breathing became rapid.

Boxes of brand new Gafura standard military weapons, ammunition, explosives, scarce drugs, and a box of money. These were at least worth over a hundred thousand Fla (Fla), and more importantly, many things here couldn't be bought even with money.

The young white-skinned dog quickly regained composure, "Quick, we have a maximum of fifteen minutes before the next patrol squad comes. Move it out quickly!"

Alerted by his reminder, these resistance members infiltrating the patrol squad quickly began to move, swiftly transferring the goods out of the carriage as several hidden individuals ran over at speed and then quickly departed.

All resources were decentralized and moved through individual handling, carrying excitement and elation, the young white-skinned dog and his fellow warriors stayed alert till dawn without showing a hint of fatigue.

Because they survived the night, awaited the dawn, and the day had broken!

However, the young white-skinned dog wasn't aware there were various small animals besides him, the "Haiyan."

The resistance movement in the Amelia Region wasn't the only one. Originally Lynch intended to avoid the Security Committee, but he underestimated the impact he had.

When he began contacting international merchants to prepare for a substantial purchase of Gafura's standard military weapons, the Security Committee's internal investigation group came knocking. Since Lynch was a recognized figure in front of both the President and Truman, the Security Committee didn't trouble him.

After he had a secret conversation with Mr. Truman for ten minutes, the people from the Security Committee delivered a list.

He wanted to avoid it, but inevitably got more involved. At this point, saying more about this was meaningless. The arrow was on the bow, it had to be shot!

"Copper prices won't see significant increases in the short term; on the contrary, I think prices may continue to decline or remain steady, but the likelihood of a decline is greater…"

At a financial salon in Bupen, Lynch shared his views on the future trend of world copper prices. Actually, the opinion was generally shared by others; prices wouldn't constantly escalate like during wartime, but instead may fall.

During the war, production areas were the main targets of bombing by warring nations, and continuous shelling turned many copper mine sites into ruins, which led to the increasing price of copper—commodities were in demand without a decrease while mining and production diminished due to war damage, leading to prices rising when demand exceeded supply.

But now, over a year after the war ended, countries have roughly rebuilt their destroyed mines and can almost satisfy current copper demand domestically, no longer relying on imports. Therefore, within a year prices fell for the first time since the war broke out, and the decline was significant.

The price per ton of copper ore dropped from three hundred seventy-one Federation Sol at the end of the war to two hundred sixty-six Federation Sol per ton, nearly a thirty percent fall.

"With reduced global reliance on importing finished copper and updates in new mining technologies, copper prices will likely stay stable over the next five to ten years without major fluctuations."

Many attended this financial salon; whether merchants like Lynch or Bupen's capitalists, they are all seeking new markets and avenues.

The domestic financial economy is undergoing a restart, so they head to the international market. Despite their unfamiliarity with the international scene, someone has to make the first step.

Lynch's remarks attracted much agreement. It's not blind faith in Lynch, but rather the facts.

After the war ended, many crucial commodities didn't soar as expected. Instead, they slightly increased for a short while, then began to decline.

Even the price of gold has decreased, so copper's price drop isn't surprising.

Of course, there are some peculiar fluctuations, such as silver prices inexplicably rising.

Seminars related to international futures like this have become trendy topics in Bupen, with many feeling honored to participate in such high-level salons, and the one Lynch attended being among the highest in caliber.