Empire of Shadows

”Everyone, this is a critical moment that could decide our fate. Until we clarify the entire situation, please do not leak this news!”

The Five Million Dollar Man stood on the roadside, looking at the crowd. ”Once this news gets out, it will be impossible for us to sell our stock on Monday.”

”Monday might be the critical day for us. Whether we can successfully escape, and escape without losses, depends on how slow the market reaction is!”

”You should understand what I am saying and what I mean, so...”

He pursed his lips. ”Please keep this secret for now.”

”I have already sent people to investigate the actual situation of the mines Hope Mining supposedly holds in Rapa. We should have results soon.”

”If you don’t mind, I think we should gather together now to discuss how to handle the situation.”

Most people, at this point, had lost the ability to think normally. Faced with the Five Million Dollar Man’s logical speech, they ultimately chose to support him.

They quickly gathered and returned to the building they were in earlier, where they anxiously sat down in a large hall.

The Five Million Dollar Man sat next to the host. ”I have a friend who has some connections with the Imperial Chamber of Commerce. The Imperial Chamber of Commerce has a large influence in Rapa, and they can find out the real situation for us!”He wasn’t entirely truthful. It wasn’t ”he had a friend,” but his friend’s friend’s friend had some connection with the Imperial Chamber of Commerce.

To ask someone who wasn’t truly his friend to do this for him, he would need to pay a considerable fee and owe a favor.

But obtaining the truth was worth the cost.

Besides contacting this person, he also contacted his lawyer, hoping the lawyer could quickly move to freeze Hope Mining’s domestic assets, preventing them from being liquidated and moved offshore.

As long as these assets remained in the country and legally belonged to the company, he believed he could recoup some of his losses from them.

Recouping everything was impossible, but a portion was achievable.

Someone interjected, ”Sir, why didn’t you have someone conduct an investigation before?”

This sounded like an accusation: if the Five Million Dollar Man had investigated Hope Mining earlier, perhaps everyone could have avoided this disaster.

Everyone’s expression shifted subtly. The Five Million Dollar Man frowned. ”First, I have no obligation to investigate the company’s true operating status and then report it to you.”

”Second, the period when Hope Mining grew most rapidly was precisely the period of the most intense chaos during Rapa’s civil war.”

”Under those circumstances, it was difficult for anyone to conduct a detailed investigation. It could only be done after the civil war ended.”

”Finally, what the hell are you to lecture me?”

He looked at the host. ”Either you kick him out, or I leave!”

People were still pinning their hopes on the Five Million Dollar Man, so they certainly wouldn’t let him leave. Therefore, the one to leave had to be the person who had just criticized him.

People in a state of extreme anxiety and panic will subconsciously find excuses for their mistakes to avoid emotional pain caused by things like failure or financial ruin.

Shifting the blame was the easiest way.

However, the critic had clearly picked the wrong target. The Five Million Dollar Man was not someone to be trifled with.

The host nodded. He looked at the critic. ”I know who you are, and I know your situation—you have three children. Cherish the life you have now.”

”If I find out anyone leaked today’s news, I guarantee that he and his family will regret ever being born!”

The host was clearly a connected person; otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to gather such a crowd. Furthermore, the big capital players in Deterland often had ties to the gangs.

Gangs were truly one of the most useful tools in this world; they were used by everyone, in every class.

From the destitute person in the slums who approaches a gang member with ”I have a problem,” to the high-ranking gentlemen who tell a gang leader, ”There’s something I need you to do.”

They permeated every stage and class of society. Perhaps this was why gangs, in the minds of Federal people at the time, were seen as almost the same kind of entity as the police.

It was an era where policy and necessity led to rampant gang activity.

However, all of that was about to end soon.

The Five Million Dollar Man could invest $5 million, which meant he certainly had the means to protect his assets. He likely had connections with the gangs as well.

The prominent figures in the gangs during this period were often treated like celebrities, known and admired by the public.

So the Five Million Dollar Man’s threat was not mere bullying; it was a threat that was genuinely possible to carry out!

The face of the man being driven out turned red and pale alternately. He ultimately apologized to the Five Million Dollar Man and left. The atmosphere in the room solidified.

To lighten the mood, the host proactively spoke. ”I apologize for asking this, but can the person you contacted clarify the situation in such a short time?”

The Five Million Dollar Man nodded. ”I believe he can.”

He was confident, so the host did not press the issue, instead focusing the discussion on how to handle the follow-up.

About twenty minutes later, the Five Million Dollar Man’s friend called. He took the phone, and his expression grew steadily worse as the conversation continued.

When he finally put down the phone, his face was ashen.

”I have some very bad news. I think it will be impossible to keep it secret for much longer.”

Urged by the crowd, he spoke slowly. ”I asked my friend to check on the two mines whose names I remembered in Rapa. He said they were mines that had been abandoned long ago, bought by Federal people two years ago.”

As he spoke, the Five Million Dollar Man’s composure began to crack. That $5 million wasn’t just his own; it included money from his friends and clients.

He could be held accountable by his friends and clients. Even though the contract signing specified that all losses would be personally absorbed, faced with such immense losses, his friends and clients would never truly take the hit themselves. They would find every means necessary to shift the ”damage.”

Everyone else’s expressions turned equally terrible. Someone squeezed out a strained smile. ”Maybe... only one or two are like that?”

The Five Million Dollar Man shook his head and gave them a number. ”If you still refuse to believe this fact, you can call them to ask, but remember to pay the commission.”

Two hours later, more news kept coming back, and it was all bad.

Hope Mining had bought numerous defunct mines in Rapa at low prices and disguised them as actively operating mines.

In reality, these mines had been closed for years. They bought ore from other mines and staged it to look like it was being excavated, leaving behind evidence of the ”disguise” at the site.

”It’s another scam!” The Five Million Dollar Man slumped onto the sofa, completely defeated, half-lying and half-paralyzed.

A loss of $5 million was something even he couldn’t handle.

”The most important thing for us now is to maintain the current situation, mobilize every resource we have, and sell as much as possible when the market opens on Monday.”

”No matter the price. As long as we can escape, our losses will be minimized.”

”Even if we sell just one share, it means we’ve recovered the loss on that one share.”

”Also, everyone, please mobilize your influence. Find a way to suppress media coverage...”

”It’s the weekend now. We have less than twenty-four hours. We might still have a chance!”

Cooper, whose spirits had plummeted and who had felt despair, suddenly felt a flicker of hope. When he turned to look at his stockbroker, he saw the man was drenched in sweat.

It wasn’t that hot yet; the amount of sweat was truly surprising.

The twisted smile on the stockbroker’s face also made Cooper feel something was amiss. He vigorously shook the man, who was now his close friend. ”What’s wrong with you?”

”Do you need to go to the hospital?”

”I think you’re not doing well.”

The stockbroker turned to him, his mouth twitching twice as if trying to smile, but his expression was worse than crying.

He stiffly turned his neck and finally averted his gaze. ”Nothing. I just couldn’t handle hearing the news.”

Cooper was clearly in a low state himself and didn’t pay too much attention to his friend’s emotional change.

He was unaware that the stockbroker had believed the so-called ”landing to pick up passengers” rhetoric.

Someone had said the panic selling was an opportunity for everyone who missed the initial surge to get ”back on the plane,” and the market’s behavior afterward seemed to confirm their analysis.

As investor fear and irrationality subsided, the market calmed, and the stock price began to climb again.

The stockbroker saw this as the greatest opportunity of his life, bar none.

So, he not only mortgaged his house, car, and all valuable assets he had worked years to acquire, but he also leveraged external margin financing.

He wanted to make a massive haul, earning enough money for the rest of his life in one go.

He told no one, including Cooper.

He had struggled with it because his relationship with Cooper had grown very strong recently. If he told Cooper about the margin financing, Cooper would surely do the same, based on his knowledge of him.

While it would be nice for both of them to get rich, for some unknown reason, he preferred to get rich alone and then perhaps help Cooper make money later.

He wanted to maintain a dominant position, whether in industry insight, network, or hard capability, he wanted to lead the friendship.

So, he made a massive leveraged bet.

In a normal rise and fall, he wouldn’t have been too afraid. He could have just liquidated his position early. With the money he had already earned, he could pay off the margin loan and still make a huge profit!

The problem was that the stock was now revealed to be a massive fraud. He might not even get a chance to sell his shares, which meant he would owe those financial companies an enormous sum.

He knew those financial companies’ collection methods too well; they could make his life a living hell!

He used to warn others to be cautious about trading risks, to avoid margin and leverage.

While the profit potential multiplied several times, so did the risk.

He never expected that he himself would fall into the trap now.

Yet, he still comforted himself. The Five Million Dollar Man was right. If he could jump the queue when the market opened tomorrow, he still had a chance to escape before everyone figured out what had happened.

After the meeting, no one was in the mood to linger and talk. Everyone left, anxiously awaiting their fate.

The next morning, Cooper and the stockbroker arrived at the exchange early.

It was still twenty minutes before opening, but the exchange was unusually bustling. Cooper hadn’t realized what was happening, but the stockbroker immediately sensed the gravity, or rather, the abnormality, of the situation.

Not only were many renowned traders present, but so were the CEOs of brokerage firms, and numerous reporters. They seemed to be intensely discussing something.

The stockbroker found a familiar circle of people and approached them. He tried to appear calm, greeting them. ”Hi, any big news?”

He pretended to be casual, but others could sense his anxiety.

A friend he knew laughed. ”Hope Mining imploded last night. The Financial Regulatory Commission issued an emergency announcement overnight, freezing all stock transactions to prevent more victims from entering the market.”

”Your face is pale. You didn’t get involved, did you?”

The stockbroker’s recent activities—trading this stock with his clients—were no secret in his circle. He had bragged about it more than once.

He had helped his clients double, triple their wealth in just one or two months—an astonishing return.

This had attracted many clients to switch their accounts to him.

Who could refuse a stockbroker who could make them money?

The more clients he gained, the more clients others lost.

The better he performed, the more incompetent others appeared in the circle and at the company.

In an environment focused on manipulating money, regardless of one’s predicament, people always greeted each other with a smile.

A feigned smile of hypocrisy, or a genuine smile of mockery!