...and there was no talk of resuming updates; consider this my notice: this book will draw to a close by the end of this month, and the new book will launch around the middle of next month! 1

Life is a stage, and worldly affairs are a game of chess.

Just as players in Sanguosha must learn to smooth things over, those adept at politics constantly seek a tipping point amidst layers of vested interests. Goodness and evil are rarely the crucial metrics for determining right from wrong.

Wang Zhuo finances the Swaziland rebels, while the United States champions the restoration of King Mswati IV. Then there is a whole host of other nations hovering on the sidelines, stirring the pot or simply enjoying the spectacle. Who is right and who is wrong in this mess has no definitive answer. Wang Zhuo can proclaim his actions are for the liberation of the Swazi people, freeing them from the cruel rule of a feudal monarch and saving them from the depths of suffering. Meanwhile, the US can assert that maintaining world peace and stability among allies is its unavoidable responsibility; no nation or individual has the right to interfere in another country's internal affairs by any means. Only King Mswati IV is the legitimate regime of Swaziland; the rebels are just rebels, and anything illegitimate must be instantly purged!

Put plainly, it boils down to one thing: whoever has the stronger fist and the superior methods wins these struggles. Whether actions are humane, reasonable, or legal—those are merely lofty slogans shouted during the fight, destined only to become the victor’s declaration and the loser’s noise later on.

This was a conflict waged behind a curtain of smoke, yet just as almost everyone believed Wang Zhuo was attempting the impossible, pitting a mantis against a chariot, the scales of victory began to tip. And the very catalyst for this shift was precisely next year's US presidential election!

As mentioned previously, the political systems of China and the US each possess merits and flaws. America's universal suffrage appears beautiful on the surface, yet many Chinese people never cast a vote in their entire lives. However, when a major event occurs, a nation governed by a single party, like China, can achieve the unity of "when hearts align, even Mount Tai moves." In contrast, the two major US parties engage in infighting, obstruct one another, and drag their feet. Especially concerning a controversial policy, no matter how the ruling party handles it, widespread public dissatisfaction is inevitable—lean east and you're criticized, lean west and you're criticized, stand still and you're lambasted for inaction. Therefore, if one intends to exploit this dynamic, there are significant loopholes to work with.

In modern world history, the US has amassed wealth through war, maintained its hegemony through war, and plundered other nations' economies through financial exportation tied to war. Yet, after World War II, the US found itself mired in numerous conflicts, leading to a surge in domestic anti-war sentiment that severely pressured the presidencies initiating those wars.

The Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Iraq War, the Kosovo War, the Afghan War, the Libyan War. In America’s modern military history, there have been victories and defeats, but every war held deep strategic significance. The Iraq War was linked to oil; the Kosovo War suppressed the strong rise of the Euro; and the Afghan War was fought to restore global investors’ confidence in the American investment environment.

To most Americans, the Swaziland conflict looked more like a joke. Why? Because the US only operated a few Coca-Cola bottling plants in that backwater nation—facilities built more for political optics than profit, as raw materials were imported from South Africa and products exported back to South Africa, making them far less profitable than the existing South African plants. It was essentially a "poverty alleviation project." Thus, as the military gradually found itself unable to extract itself from the quagmire, anti-war protests quickly escalated.

The scale of this war was, after all, minuscule—mere background noise to the President’s ears. But when public outcry grew to a point that could no longer be ignored, the President, facing next year's election, simply could not afford to stand idly by. Normally he could afford to tweak public opinion now and then, but this was clearly not the opportune moment!

And so, General Mann, fighting with "millet plus rifles" to take lives, finally managed to push the conflict against dictatorial rule to a point where the US President was forced to convene a hearing over this tiny war. The result of that hearing stunned the international community: the typically hardline Americans suddenly played the role of peace envoy, deciding to have King Mswati IV and the rebel leader enter into dialogue to negotiate a ceasefire agreement!

Hearing this news, even Wang Zhuo was momentarily taken aback. The Americans were accustomed to being the world's police, ruling the heavens and the earth, and even managing other people’s basic functions. Why were they uncharacteristically showing weakness this time?

But a moment’s reflection brought immediate understanding. America’s political stakes in Swaziland were neither insignificant nor overwhelming. If they had only needed to deploy a small force for ten days or half a month to restore Mswati IV, they certainly wouldn't have minded lending a hand to the imperiled monarch in this crisis. But when the war threatened to drag on indefinitely, with domestic anti-war sentiment threatening to crush the President's approval ratings, even the most righteous objective could not withstand the onslaught of public opinion, forcing the most powerful man in the world to compromise.

Wang Zhuo’s current worry was whether Mann could resist America’s sugar-coated bullets. If the Americans managed to "co-opt" him, all his prior efforts would be utterly wasted!

"Playing politics truly is taxing," he mused.

In Los Angeles, Beverly Hills was known as "the world's most exclusive residential area"—an enclave within LA where Hollywood superstars, world-class sports figures, renowned artists, and international tycoons owned property.

Wang Zhuo also owned a mansion here. His neighbors included Michael Jordan, Brad Pitt, David Beckham, and the late Michael Jackson.

The person who usually stayed here was the British Princess, Miss Irene Topley. Several female stars invited to the estate by Topley had inevitably been linked to Wang Zhuo in gossip columns.

Ironically, Wang Zhuo had never even met those women face-to-face. This illustrated the media’s remarkable talent for manufacturing headlines from thin air.

At that moment, Wang Zhuo was basking in the sun by the swimming pool of his mansion, casually chatting with the beautiful women beside him. Through his sunglasses, he glanced toward a figure hiding in another mansion across the street, spying on him with binoculars, and cheerfully waved at the person.

"If it's taxing, then stop playing. Isn't this fine as it is?"

What truly comforted Wang Zhuo was that Irene, having fully recovered from the shadow of the scandal involving intimate photos, had matured greatly over the past year. She was not only tender and affectionate but also incredibly understanding.

"You wouldn't understand," Wang Zhuo replied with a gentle smile, explaining, "Even when playing a game, you must be serious to find the enjoyment. Although I don't care about the outcome, giving up lightly is wrong." Irene looked thoughtful. A moment later, she smiled radiantly, "I understand now. What you say doesn't just apply to entertainment; it's also an attitude toward life."

The unfortunate spy had long since fled that mansion. Wang Zhuo’s wave had terrified him. If the King of Wealth decided to press the matter, under American law, this act of clandestine photography could bankrupt him. Though he longed to continue and capture intimate moments between the King of Wealth and the superstar Irene, he realized he wouldn't be paid for this venture, and if he angered the King of Wealth, he might not live long enough to spend any earnings.

Long after that day, the paparazzo never figured out how the King of Wealth had detected him. There was a small street separating the two mansions, lined with two rows of tall, dense evergreen trees. He needed state-of-the-art binoculars just to make out the movements across the way, yet the King of Wealth, wearing mere tinted shades, had spotted him so casually and even waved in greeting!

From that day forward, a mysterious aura enveloped the King of Wealth in the spy's mind. In the days that followed, he never dared to photograph the King of Wealth again.

And in the legendary life of the King of Wealth, countless such stories circulated. The failure of any paparazzi to successfully capture him was merely one of the most common legends.

Wang Zhuo only pondered his predicament for ten minutes before Gan Shuang emerged from the large house behind him, setting down a platter of fresh, abundant fruit before him. Just then, Fei Long called on a long-distance line.

"Boss, I have fantastic news!"

"Oh? Tell me," Wang Zhuo replied.

"Wait one moment, I'll contact you from a different number!"

Fei Long was long past being the heir to a small repair shop, or the boisterous student who risked arrest for soliciting services at a small corner hair salon for a "one-hundred service package." Now an executive overseeing major projects, although this fatty had made a fortune from his endless stream of ingenious ideas, he was acutely aware of his lack of formal education. So, despite his current opulent lifestyle, he had diligently crammed economics, management science, and other related knowledge, spending hundreds of thousands of US dollars just on tuition.

"Handling major matters requires strict confidentiality"—this was a mandatory lesson for senior managers. Moreover, as the projects he handled grew in scale, he recognized the paramount importance of information security. He had first notified Wang Zhuo, then switched to an alternate contact method, clearly indicating he had something important to discuss.

Over ten minutes later, Fei Long contacted Wang Zhuo using a newly registered ICQ number, while Wang Zhuo used an equally secure, hidden number. This level of precaution meant that even the world's top special agent teams, alongside the most powerful hackers and security experts, would be incapable of intercepting their conversation.

Some readers might scoff here, thinking instant messaging is subject to keyword monitoring. If Fei Long and Wang Zhuo’s chat contained sensitive phrases, the network surveillance department would surely notice—much like QQ warns users about fraud when words like "remittance" appear. Even with new numbers, they couldn't evade the all-seeing net.

The reality, however, was different. Their typed messages were first converted into image formats using specialized software, overlaid with random background images, then fragmented into multiple data packets via an encryption algorithm before transmission. This method bypassed keyword searches, and even the most advanced scanning software couldn't decipher the text content. Furthermore, due to ICQ's transmission protocol, this type of interactive data was never cached on the network, making it both covert and highly efficient.

After exchanging a few sentences with Fei Long, Wang Zhuo suddenly burst into laughter, looking thoroughly delighted. Gan Shuang couldn't help but lean over curiously to look at Wang Zhuo's phone: "What's all the mystery? What illicit business are you two up to now?"