Empire of Shadows

When people are drowning, no matter what they grab—as long as they can hold onto it—they will cling on desperately and never let go.

Even if someone tells them it is a lie, a deception, a path to a wrong outcome, they won’t release their grip.

There are always schemes in this world so simple and naive that even people who haven’t finished high school can see through them.

But if you are already underwater, seconds away from drowning, do you still care whether what you are clutching is a straw or a rope?

Are the victims of scammers, those who peddle cure-all elixirs to the elderly and the sick, all foolish?

There are certainly foolish ones, but some are not stupid; they might even know it’s likely false.

But...

What if it’s true?

What the host said in the salon was not entirely a lie; he was merely stating a fact, and it was a fact everyone could see.

People’s emotions eased considerably. The tense atmosphere in the room relaxed. The faces of those next to Cooper, previously anxious and worried, now showed sunny smiles.The stranger next to him, wiping sweat from his forehead with a blue-and-white striped handkerchief, greeted him.

After they chatted for a while, the host continued, ”In fact, you just need to ask around to find out.”

”There aren’t many secrets in Deterland, whether they belong to listed companies, investment banks, or industry practitioners. Any secret, once a second person knows it, quickly becomes public knowledge.”

”Right now, many people across the three major exchanges are buying up Hope Mining stock at low prices—unlimited quantities.”

”As long as you have shares and are willing to sell, they agree to pay.”

”Gentlemen, this is Deterland, the land of wealth. No one uses their own money to conduct charity for competitors, absolutely not!”

”It hasn’t happened before, it isn’t happening now, and it won’t happen in the future.”

”Why are they doing something so obviously counter-trend at this time?”

”Simply put, because there is a profit to be made.”

”Once the market’s panic selling ends and people suddenly realize that the current price is lower than the price before Hope Mining acquired the Rapa state-owned asset authorization, it will quickly climb back up!”

”Furthermore, with the imminent acquisition of new mines currently being negotiated, the stock price will continue to rise.”

”Do you remember what the CEO said at the company’s dividend meeting two months ago?”

”They plan to acquire more mining companies to enhance the company’s overall profit and scale. I estimate that after this round of terrible panic, the price will rebound to about two-thirds of its highest point.”

”This is a very reasonable price, and it will continue to climb at a relatively slow pace.”

”If they can re-sign the state-owned asset agency contract with the new government, or if the new government recognizes the contract signed by Diego, the stock price will climb even higher than its previous peak!”

The host was thirsty from talking so much. He picked up a glass of sparkling wine on the table and drank it in one gulp. ”I hear Hope Mining is actively lobbying. Once their final battle ends, they will approach the new government for public relations.”

”In short, our situation is not as bad as people or the outside world imagine. In fact, this is an opportunity!”

Expressions of astonishment appeared on people’s faces, including Cooper’s. He stood on his toes, perplexed, looking at the host in the center of the crowd.

How could a stock that had collapsed into such garbage possibly be an opportunity?

The host, seeing the astonishment and confusion on the faces around him, smiled. ”Gentlemen, I know some of you missed the optimal investment period and didn’t fully understand Hope Mining’s subsequent plans.”

”You only started investing after the price had already been driven up.”

”The money you invested then might only account for two to three percent of your total assets...”

He paused, then offered a figure he thought more reasonable. ”Twenty to thirty percent.”

People around him immediately nodded in agreement. After all, once the rally started, some were bold enough to chase it, but others were timid and didn’t dare invest too much, or they remained observers.

Every investor experiences this many times: they like a stock and decide to buy it.

But just as they are about to buy, the market takes off dramatically, which makes them afraid to buy or only brave enough to buy a small amount, something they later regret.

They think, If only I had been a little more decisive back then, if I had bought everything, would I have also become one of the ’miracles’ talked about in Deterland?

After all, not everyone achieves a tenfold or twentyfold increase in wealth; only a very small number do, and each of them leaves a significant mark here.

Unfortunately, what is missed is missed; most missed investment projects are no longer good investments.

The greater the increase after the rally begins, the greater the risk of jumping in, and they can only miss the entire rally.

The host pointed a finger toward the ceiling. ”Before, when we missed a rally, all we could do was regret it and complain before sleeping that we weren’t more decisive, forced to watch others show off their gains. There was nothing else to do.”

”But now, the opportunity has come!”

”It’s like a plane that was destined to fly into the sky, and it even flew once.”

”Barring an accident, it would be difficult for it to land again in this lifetime.”

”But because of this unexpected turn of events, it has landed again!”

”Gentlemen!” The host’s voice grew more impassioned, carrying a greater power of persuasion. ”You regretted missing the previous investment opportunity for months, but now, the second chance has arrived!”

”The plane that took off has landed again, allowing you to buy a ticket and board! This is the best opportunity!”

”We can now invest the funds we didn’t dare to invest before, or didn’t have time to invest, and watch it take off again.”

He hadn’t even finished speaking before people began to chatter. It seemed... he was right!

Some had previously felt the price was rising too fast and were reluctant to chase it, fearing the high risk. That was certainly the correct choice, as it helped them avoid the current disaster.

But similarly, the stock price returning to the ground meant the opportunity for a second rally was open again.

Coupled with the host’s talk of many people buying up shares at a low price, it gave people the strong feeling that the stock was bound to rise again!

Cooper, who had been on the verge of collapse, now broke into a smile. He exchanged a look with the stockbroker. They smiled at each other, and instantly, they felt completely relaxed.

When the market reopened in the afternoon, Hope Mining’s stock did stop its steep decline and began to trade sideways, punctuated by small, failed attempts to break upward.

If this had happened before, the market might still have panicked, but now, investors seemed to have regained confidence.

After the sharp drop, everyone calmed down. Rational trading returned, and the stock began to climb steadily.

Hope Mining also released an announcement that afternoon, stating they were equally shocked by the changes but were actively monitoring the situation and attempting to resolve it. They promised to notify investors of any further developments as soon as possible.

Watching the stock price slowly but very steadily rising, Cooper finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He and the stockbroker watched until closing time. Hope Mining did not experience another drop. Trading volume was high, the market was very active, and everything seemed to be moving in a better direction.

”Want a drink?”

Cooper lit a cigarette after leaving the exchange and turned to his stockbroker, who nodded.

They definitely needed a drink now, to properly relax their nerves. The dramatic ups and downs of the day had been too stimulating!

They were unaware that directly above them, on the top floor of the office building across the street, Edward was smiling, holding a cigar.

They had already harvested one wave; half of their initial holdings had been sold off. The next step was to wait for the price to be driven up again, and then quickly exit.

Why create such a ”deception”?

The reason was simple: market frenzy and rationality are conflicting. Without creating this conflict, it would be very difficult to sell off all the shares they held.

When a stock priced at a few dollars rises to ten dollars, people think it’s impressive. But if it rises to several dozen dollars, and does so in a very short time, the market’s frenzy is doused with cold water, and rationality returns.

People would then start to question why the stock rose so high, whether the current price was reasonable, and what level of risk they would bear if they invested.

While a higher stock price would attract more investors, sales would be slow.

It was better to wound the stock, drive the price down, and then give people the feeling that everything was about to happen again. This allowed them to liquidate their holdings much faster.

The project involving Edward was not a normal financial investment project. They weren’t focused on managing the company well or profiting through financial investment.

This was a scam. Their ultimate goal was to sell off all the shares they held, settle the accounts quickly, and end the game.

Hope Mining was not meant to operate long-term; everything was a deception. Thus, getting the money into their hands was the final objective, not market-making or managing the stock.

Now that the stock price had fallen and market trading volume had increased, aided by some ”propaganda,” people believed the plane had landed again to pick them up for a flight to the heavens!

What a wonderful term—flying to the heavens!

Soaring through the sky had been humanity’s dream since ancient times. Before, constrained by technology, they might not have achieved it.

But now, they had this opportunity.

”How much do we have left now?” Edward held a cigar worth over ten dollars. He looked at the subordinate standing behind him, reflected in the floor-to-ceiling glass window.

The subordinate was a handsome, sharp young man in his thirties. This industry never lacked such people.

Only the best could reach the highest levels, requiring not only education and ability but also appearance.

Sometimes, appearance could work wonders when dealing with difficult people.

”About forty percent left,” the subordinate replied.

Edward put the cigar in his mouth with satisfaction, biting the tip and taking a long draw.

After a few seconds, he slowly exhaled the smoke. ”Very good. Keep selling. The grand finale is not far off now.”

”Tell those few who need to run to get ready. Don’t mess up the final act.”

The young man behind him nodded. ”I’ll go inform them right away.”

Every so often, a shocking, massive fraud case would emerge in Federal financial circles. Yet, strangely, the main culprits of these frauds would either vanish without a trace or immediately surrender and go to prison. There seemed to be no other outcome.

That might sound normal, but people never questioned one thing: the criminals were caught or fled, but what about the money?

Where did the money go?

No one ever pursued this question. Or rather, those who had the authority to pursue it—prosecutors and judges, for example—did not.

They simply appeared fair and just, concluding the case quickly. As for restitution and tracing the funds, that was deemed unrelated to their duties.

Ultimately, to the public, the fraudsters either disappeared or went to jail, and their money was never found.

In reality, it was all a script. Apart from the investors, everyone else was an actor in this game, diligently playing their assigned roles.

Just like in this performance, once they sold off all their shares, the news would break: Hope Mining had collapsed, the CEO had fled, and it was all a scam.

The capital and political forces represented by Edward had harvested enough wealth to satisfy their hunger for money for a while, until the next time.

Perhaps the first time capital and government colluded to defraud investors, they felt a little uneasy, a little guilty.

After all, for many people, this was their life savings or half of it. They were dreaming of a beautiful future, only to suddenly fall into an inescapable abyss.

They might have felt a bit uncomfortable.

But after the second, third, and fourth time, and more, they had become accustomed to it and numb.

Everything is like this: if you don’t resist the first time, it means there’s a high probability you won’t resist in the future, and your bottom line will be continuously trampled and destroyed.