Ch. 1951..1960
Life at the Top Chapter 1951
Gale nodded when he saw Dean finallyunderstood.
“So, I will still go back to that problem. Ifyou were me, how would you solve thisissue?”
Dean thought for a while as he looked atGale’s calm face. He knew very well thatGale had already decided what to do in hisheart.
This question seemed casual, but it wasactually an inspection.
Gale had no heirs, and he only adopted
many orphans like Dean until he was old.
That was why not a lot of people could callGale their grandpa.
Because of Gale’s deliberate training,
many of them were able to beindependent and take charge of mattersthemselves.
Dean was originally one of the best, butafter he messed up the last matter, itgreatly reduced Gale’s good impression ofhim.
Although he could still stay with Gale andhelp him now, Dean could clearly feel thatGale’s attitude towards him was not asgood as before.
This test was a rare opportunity.
Dean knew Gale too well. Gale was notstingy in giving opportunities to others,otherwise, he would not be able to be heretoday, let alone be asked this question.
However, Gale had a very distinctpersonality.
What he really needed was not a talentedsuccessor, but a successor whomaintained a high degree of consistencywith him and could implement theHaddock Chamber of Commerce’smanagement philosophy even a hundredyears later.
Gale was too conceited. In his opinion, hisideas and opinions were the most suitablefor the Haddock Chamber of Commerce, so he would not allow others to changethem.
Even if it was someone he cultivated, hewould not allow them to influence the management philosophy no matter how good the person was. It just so happened that Dean was the best
candidate among the successors that Gale
had cultivated thus far.
That was why he could get a second chance.
Hence, in the face of this test, Dean’s answer could not indicate how he would solve the problem most appropriately, instead, he needed to guess Gale’s attitude. If he guessed right, he would win. However, if it was wrong, he might really be over.
It was a matter of life and death, so Dean did not dare to waste any time.
He took a deep breath and put himself in Gale’s shoes to think about the problem and weigh all the pros and cons.
He did this for an extremely long time.
Dean did not say anything, and Gale did not rush him.
Just as Dean understood him, Gale also understood Dean well.
He was sure that Dean would realize whathe meant.
He did not mind the people below himtrying to figure out what he meantbecause this was exactly what he wanted.
He was over eighty years old, so no matterhow energetic he was, he would still need to count his days. Moreover, over the pasttwo years, he had clearly felt that hisenergy and physical condition were not asgood as before.
As his age and influence began to decline iIn the Haddock Chamber of Commerce,factions separate from his own had begunto appear.
Under the superposition of variousfactors, the task of appointing hissuccessor had become something urgentthat Gale had to solve immediately.
Seven or eight minutes passed beforeDean finally spoke.
“I think we should go to Jasper.”
Upon hearing this, Gale did not show theslightest expression and closed his eyesslightly, hiding a hint of disappointment.
“Why?”
Faced with Gale’s question, Deancontinued, “What I am talking about isthe Haddock Chamber of Commerce, notyou, Grandpa.”
“Oh?”
Gale opened his eyes and looked at Deanwith a grin.
Dean bowed slightly to Gale, smiled, andsaid, “The current situation is alreadybroken and crumpled. Wall Street is justputting the pressure on Jasper through us.
“Although the Haddock Chamber ofCommerce is powerful, in the face ofinternational capital, we can only becannon fodder. Hence, it is absolutelyimpossible that they are deliberatelytargeting the Haddock Chamber ofCommerce.
“And what Jasper did was transfer thepressure from Wall Street onto us and let us make this choice.
“When the pressure is on us, why can’t we pass it on to the next level?
“Many from the Haddock Chamber ofCommerce participated in the previouseconomic forums. Now that everyone hasagreed to help each other, it’s onlyreasonable for them to go to Jasper nowthat they are under attack.”
When Dean said this, he paused slightly.Then, he faced Gale, who was beginning to appear increasingly satisfied, andcontinued, “And you can’t be the personwho’s going to talk to him, Grandpa,because you are the Haddock Chamber ofCommerce and the Haddock Chamber ofCommerce is also you. Hence, as long asyou speak, no matter what you say, it willbecome the will of the entire HaddockChamber of Commerce.
“Having said that, the one to speak can’t be the bosses of the most severely attackedcompanies in the Chamber of Commerce.To put it bluntly, they don’t have enoughweight.
“Therefore, I will be the most suitablecandidate.”
Upon hearing this, Gale laughed.
He pointed to Dean as he laughed and said, “Yes, very good.
“Since you got it right, then you should do it right away. Once it is done, you will be the next vice president of the Haddock Chamber of Commerce.”
When Dean heard these words, his expression was full of uncontrollable excitement.
“Thank you, Grandpa.”
“This is what you deserve.”
Gale’s smile gradually diminished, and his eyes and expression became more serious. “I am letting you know in advance that this will be the reward you will get. You will only get it once the matter at hand is done well, otherwise, even if I forcefully appoint you, this position will be nothing but a name because you will still have no contribution to the Haddock Chamber of Commerce.
“Only when you have really saved their lives and made a large enough contribution, will you wield true power when you obtain this position. People will
respect you, and you will have the power to
rally supporters and influence others.”
“I will remember your teachings, Grandpa,” Dean said respectfully.
“Go and execute it now.”
Gale closed his eyes contentedly as if the violent mood swings just now had consumed too much of his energy. He waved his hand lazily and said, “It does not matter whether you go to meet him in person or communicate over the phone. It does not matter what method you use as the process does not matter. What the Chamber of Commerce and I want to see i s the result.”
Dean did not say anymore when he heard those words. After bowing slightly, he left the room.
Gale’s brows trembled and a meaningful smile appeared on his face when he heard the door closing.
Dean got into the car that had already been prepared at the door after exiting the manor.
“Go to Nauritus City right now.”
Life at the Top Chapter 1952
Dean was in luck.
By the time he rushed all the way fromSuesville to Nauritus City, it was half anhour before the afternoon opening.
Jasper was eating when he received areport from downstairs that someonenamed Dean wanted to see him.
Wendy was still in Harbor City, so no onewould bring him lunch anymore. Hence,Jasper and Baz could only have lunchprepared by the team of chefs from a fivestar hotel.
Jasper was picking at the food indissatisfaction. Then, he said withoutlooking up, “Let him come up and askhim to come here directly.”
A few minutes later, under the guidance ofthe staff, Dean appeared in front of Jasper.
“Have you eaten yet?”
Although there had been some conflictsbetween them, in Jasper’s view, they wereall adults. Thus, personal grievances andthings like that did not exist in theirworld. Instead, they were all here forprofit.
Now that the previous matter had beensettled and mutual interests had beentaken care of, there was nothing to worryabout.
If he was here, he should sit down andtalk if he had something to say. If he didnot, he should leave after the meal.
There were not so many grudges in the
adult world.
“I was in a rush, so I didn’t.”
Dean was not courteous at all as he said
this directly.“What can I do then? My meal portionsare all fixed, and I didn’t prepare yours,”
Jasper said.
After speaking and watching Dean’sstunned and embarrassed expression,Jasper laughed and said, “I was justteasing you. I will get them to make someeven if I don’t have it right now since wehave a guest, right? Come sit.”
Dean sat down opposite Jasper, clenchinghis teeth secretly.
That small so-called joke made him lose the opportunity to seize the initiative.
This was not a good sign.
At the same time, it secretly surprised
Dean.
Jasper was even more cunning than when they were in contact a few months ago.
Soon, the sumptuous and delicious dishes were served. Dean also picked up the fork and took a few bites. When he saw that Jasper was not going to say anything, he sighed and spoke after putting down the fork, “Mr. Laine, I think you must know the reason why I came here this time.”
“I don’t like guessing. I like to say whatever’s on my mind.”
Jasper wiped his mouth and glanced at the
time while he was at it. After this obvious gesture, he smiled at Dean and said, ” There are still 20 minutes before the opening. I don’t have much time to accompany you.”
Dean gritted his teeth slightly. Then, he looked at Jasper and said, “Okay, I’ll go straight to the point.
“This morning in the market, the Haddock Chamber of Commerce suffered heavy losses. With the exception of the textile industry, our other industries have suffered a lot. More than 60% of the listed companies belonging to the Haddock Chamber of Commerce have reached the limit down. The Haddock Chamber of Commerce won’t be able to hang on for
long if this continues. So, I was entrusted by others to come to ask you for help.”
“Entrusted by others?”
Jasper smiled and asked, “Is it Gale, or
someone else?”
“It’s not my grandpa.”
Life at the Top Chapter 1953
Dean shook his head. At this moment, obviously, he would remove all traces of Gale’s involvement in this.
“My grandpa has been retired for many years, and over the past two years, he has hardly taken care of the affairs of theChamber of Commerce. According to him, it is time to enjoy the blessing after having worked his entire life. He doesn’t.want to care about so many things.”
Jasper replied with a faint smile, “Iremember him saying the same thingwhen I first met him, but in the end, ifthere is something important happening i n the Chamber of Commerce, shouldn’t he decide on it?”
“It can’t be helped. After all, Grandpa is still around. If something huge happens,it’s not appropriate for the Chamber ofCommerce to take the initiative and act without his consent, but Grandpa didn’t express any opinions this time, so thepeople below him can do whatever they think is suitable. After all, grandpa can’t control them forever, right?”
“Well, that makes sense.”
Jasper said, “You said you want me to help you, but this is not easy.
“You should be very aware that the reasonwhy the listed companies in the textileindustry have not suffered too much isthat JW is protecting them. I don’t need totell you the reason why we choosetextiles, right?
“Textile enterprises are a relativelyimportant part of the current domesticlight industry system. Large upstreamand downstream enterprises with largeoutput values have a wide range ofinfluence, so I can only choose to protectthe textile industry right for.
“As for other industries, it’s not that Idon’t want to protect them, but that mypower is limited. You must know that inthe morning alone, JW’s small capitalchain was almost emptied, not to mentionWall Street has a capital pool of 120 billionUS Dollars. If they wanted to smash theseindustries at all costs, JW will havdifficulty protecting themselves, let aloneothers.”
“Mr. Laine.”
Dean quickly replied, “I understand, but we are all sensible grown-ups. JW is not alisted company so even if it is affected, itwill be the last one to be affected.
“Only when almost all the other listedcompanies are finished, the industry iscrashing, and the economy is on the vergeof collapse, will it really affect JW.Besides, JW has its own deterrent, so Mr.Laine, do you really need to worry aboutyourself?
“Of course, I am here this time on behalf of those members of the Haddock Chamberof Commerce to ask Mr. Laine for help,but at the same time, I’m also giving you achance, right, Mr. Laine?”
“Oh? Giving me a chance?”
Jasper was amused. He asked with a smile,
“What do you mean by that?”
“Everyone knows that you and theHaddock Chamber of Commerce don’t getalong. If the Haddock Chamber ofCommerce fails to get through this, whatwill outsiders think of you, Mr. Laine?
Will this be considered as you seeking revenge through alternative methods,
which, in this case, is just standing by and
doing nothing?
“In the economic forum that Mr. Laine hosted before, what you said about everyone working together to resist foreign enemies is still ringing in their ears. Now that such a thing is happening, such actions would be very chilling indeed.
“When the will of the people is scattered, then it will not l easy to lead them anymore. Don’t you agree, Mr. Laine?”
Dean’s words made Jasper narrow his eyes slightly as the smile on his face gradually faded. Jasper asked faintly, “Are you threatening me?”
Dean was shocked.
He raised his head and looked at Jasper, who was sitting across from a dining
table, with surprise and regret in his heart.
At this moment, he remembered that the Jasper in front of him was no longer the same Jasper as before, not to mention that even the original Jasper was not someone he could threaten.
He thought about a lot of rhetorics along the way here, but he forgot that he had to watch his mouth and remember his place when he was speaking to Jasper.
Dean was feeling conflicted and he hesitated for a moment. Finally, he apologized, “I’m sorry, Mr. Laine. I didn’t mean that.”
“You have already said it doesn’t matter if you mean it or not. This is not your own opinion.”
Jasper looked at Dean and sneered, “If Old Master Hurlbutt thinks that I am not doing well enough, then that’s okay. Please ask him to come out and play the leading role. If he just nods, I will hand all of the responsibility over to him.
“Do you think I really want to do all this thankless work?”
Life at the Top Chapter 1954
The cold sweat on Dean’s head visibly oozed from his skin, forming droplets of sweat as big as peas.
Dean was under extreme pressure at this moment.
Although he knew that Jasper was onlyusing this as a pretext to kick up a fuss,the huge gap in status and power betweenthem made him afraid to continue toprovoke Jasper..
After taking a deep breath, Dean grittedhis teeth and said, “Mr. Laine, I didn’tmean that. I said the wrong things and Iapologize for that.”
“No need to apologize.”
Jasper saw Dean turning pale, so he didnot continue to embarrass him.
Jasper was very busy now. He wasrequired to make decisions and strategiesfor all kinds of things. At this moment,Jasper was the most fed up with peoplelike Dean who would play cheap trickswith him.
Hence, he decided to give Dean a warningwith an initial show of strength rightfrom the beginning. At the very least,Jasper would let Dean know that he wasthe one with the final say here.
Now that the desired effect had been
achieved, he did not need to be aggressive
anymore.
“I understand your worries and concernsvery well. If I can help you, I willdefinitely not stand idly by, for example,with the textile companies. If I didn’tprovide help in the morning, you wouldall be finished.
“But whether it was on the forum at that
time or here now, I will still say the samething, and that is my ability is limited. Atthe moment, we are surrounded bypowerful enemies and the enemies arestronger than ours in terms of experienceand capital reserves, so it’s impossible toonly count on me to save the market.
“Therefore, by my calculations, even if weend up defeating Wall Street, we can’tretreat completely because we will stillhave to pay the necessary price.”
Dean tried to calm down. Then, he said, ”The Chamber of Commerce and Iunderstand this, but please, Mr. Laine,you must retain as much of the blood andsweat of the Haddock Chamber ofCommerce as possible.
“At the end of the day, the HaddockChamber of Commerce is not that bad.Everyone is honest and responsible when it comes to doing business. It is not easyfor any of them to support their families. If the Chamber of Commerce, which hasbeen passed down for hundreds of yearscollapses, it will develop into a precarioussituation which won’t be good foranyone.”
Jasper gave Dean a deep look and said, “Iknow.”
After speaking, Jasper saw that there wasonly a few minutes before the opening.Hence, he got up and said, “I’m going towork now. You can come along if you areinterested.”
“Can I?”
Dean looked at Jasper in surprise.
Even fools could see how important thecommand center of Nauritus City was.The security center below and outside ofthe entire building, as well as the 24-hourpolice patrol was proof that there was noroom for error.
As for the command center, it would beimpossible to enter without Jasper’sapproval or if they were not the corefigures surrounding Jasper.
Before this, Dean had not really thoughtthat Jasper would agree to let him enterthe command center that was almostmythical to the outside world.
“Why not? There is nothing shamefulabout it. Will you become a spy andcontact the enemies from the insideagain?” Jasper asked rhetorically.
Dean smiled bitterly and said, “Anyonecan be a spy except me.”
Jasper smiled. In a sense, Dean’s wordswere not exaggerated.
The Chamber of Commerce certainly hadits drawbacks, but it also had anadvantage. The organization of the Chamber of Commerce deeply binded the
interests of every member to this country.
Doing things that damaged the national interests would not do any good to the Chamber of Commerce and it would do nothing to the members of the chamber. Hence, they tend to have higher loyalty to the country than some individual companies.
This was even more true for the Haddock Chamber of Commerce. In the early stages of the reformation and
opening up, when the national economy was still lagging, the rise of the Haddock Chamber of Commerce was earlier than that of the River City Chamber of Commerce or Canter Chamber of Commerce, and their contributions were even greater. Even Jasper, who did not like the Haddock Chamber of Commerce that much, had to recognize this fact.
When Jasper took Dean to the command center, Baz and the others just glanced at Dean, and then continued on with their business.
Meanwhile, Dean looked at the busy teamwith emotion.
To be honest, if it were not for whathappened before, he might have been afrequent visitor here.
Furthermore, this place could even be saidto be the current financial commandcenter of Somerland.
The rise and fall of the financial marketcould be determined with one word in thisseveral hundred square meter area.
Moreover, it was the man in front of him,Jasper, who made these decisions.
There were not many surprises during the
opening this afternoon.
Soros’ attack on the Haddock Chamber ofCommerce continued, but the futuresmarket was calmer than before. It evenfelt like the calm before the storm.
It could be said that the timid ones andthe ones with insufficient funds hadalready fled, whether in the stock market,or specifically, the futures market.
The remaining players were either the ones who were strong enough to fight, not afraid of death, or players who had been trapped in a high position and could only beg for a miracle.
Thus, the entire financial market seemed
extremely calm before Jasper and Soros
started their fight.
Everyone was accustomed to the big fluctuations. It could even be said that they were numb to it.
The two sides of the futures market were standing still, while the stock market was a bit turbulent.
Soros was still pushing the stock prices belonging to the Haddock Chamber of Commerce while Jasper adopted measures appropriate to the actual situation and only protected the life and death of the textile company. As for the rest, he would not even bother about them.
Even so, Jasper’s defenses still seemed too passive and weak under the pressure of Soros’ powerful funds.
So, when the market closed in the afternoon, not only did the traditional
core businesses of the Haddock Chamber o f Commerce, such as wood, furniture, and tea, reach their limit downs, even the stocks of two listed companies in the textile industry were forced to a limit down.
Jasper was helpless even if he had the
intention to help when he looked at the
millions of limit-down orders.
At this time, anyone could clearly see a very obvious situation developing, that was, under Soros’s reckless attack, even Jasper could not turn the situation around.
After all, in the capital market, when the size was large enough and it was this kind of obvious offensive and defensive situation between the two sides, it was not a battle of skills or luck anymore. Instead, they were competing with their backgrounds. To put it more plainly, it was a fight between who had the most money.
If they did not have enough money, they would go short if the enemy went short, and go long if the enemy went long. Even if Jasper was the real stock god in this world, he would not get anywhere without his equipment. Therefore, he could only watch as the companies fell to their limit downs one by one.
Life at the Top Chapter 1955
As it got near to the closing time, Dean opened his mouth and stopped himself from talking countless times.
He was almost dying from anxiety.
Right now, not only were the members of the Haddock Chamber of Commerce keeping an eye on him, even Gale was
keeping an eye on him.
If there was no reaction in the stockmarket, then, of course, everyone wouldthink that the purpose of his trip hadfailed.
And this time, the mission was related tohis position as the vice president of theChamber of Commerce.
With Gale’s increasing age, this positionwas equivalent to almost half of the heir’sidentity.
Hence, this mission was very important to Dean.
However, Jasper’s show of strength justnow was a bit ruthless, so the horror that
he had just experienced still lingered.
Hence, Dean did not have much courage t
o bring it up again.
It did not matter if the mission failed, but i
f Jasper was offended, then even Gale
would not be able to save him anymore.
Hence, Dean was feeling very conflicted at
this moment.
“Don’t worry, this drop is nothing.”
When he saw Dean’s pain and internal
conflicts, Jasper finally took the initiative t
o speak.
“In the domestic stock market, the 10% rise and fall limit are to control certain unpredictable risks that will cause extreme market fluctuations. The limit of the rise and fall is only 10%. Soros can’t break this limit even if he has all the money in the world.”
Jasper’s words gave Dean some comfort.
However, Jasper’s words caused him to
put on his mask of pain again.
“This is just the beginning, and there will be many 10% declines in the future, but the Haddock Chamber of Commerce has built up a stockpile of reserve over the years that will be able to help you guys make it through this period.
“Therefore, we won’t see a decisive victory or defeat in the domestic financial market battle within the next day or two. A s long as we drag this out and prevent the stock market from crashing completely, w e can consider it a victory.
“Soros doesn’t own even ten dollars more than the money he is currently holding. Most of them belong to investors, and investors’ money did not appear out of thin air. What they need to see are the huge short-term benefits, otherwise, it would be a joke for them to take such a big risk.
“The money is all that they could piece together when the United States financial market was about to be overturned by the financial turmoil, which further increased their requirements for the return cycle
and rate of return. “Hence, we can drag this on, but Soros can’t afford to do so.
“If he wants to take decisive action in thiscomplex situation, then I will take asmuch time as I can to show everyone my.real ability. This will also require certainmethods.”
Jasper’s words made Dean very
uncomfortable.
“Mr. Laine, are you saying that this
situation will continue for a long time?”
“I don’t know how long it will take, but itwill definitely take some time. You have tounderstand that under the huge disparity in strength between the two sides, manythings are actually visible right on thesurface. What we can do is drag on asmuch as possible while waiting for anopportunity to strike.”
After Jasper said this, the marketimmediately stopped all trading and thedense data that was previously refreshingwas also frozen.
“Okay, the market’s closed for today.”
Jasper glanced at the market, which hadfallen by a full 8%, and sighed.
On this day alone, at least 100 billion Somer Dollars had evaporated in the
domestic financial market.
This was the price of being inferior to others.
Looking at Dean’s unpleasant expression, Jasper said, “If you really want to be the savior of the Haddock Chamber of Commerce, I can give you a chance, but again, you have to understand that everything in this world must be paid for. You know what I mean, right?”
Dean was stunned for a moment as his brain swiftly started thinking about the meaning of what Jasper said.
He did not dare to give any promises immediately, so he could only say cautiously, “I have no intention of being a savior…”
“There is only one chance, so don’t play dumb with me. If you don’t want it, I really don’t care. However, it won’t be that easy if you want to come back after turning away now,” Jasper said with a frown.
He really despised it when Dean wouldpretend to be astute and play hard to get.This was not the time to play these kind ofdirty tricks.
Dean gritted his teeth.
His temper was chased away by Jasper.
“Mr. Laine, tell me.”
Jasper said, “Soon, I will cooperate withSwallow Capital to adopt a series ofmarket stimulus measures to counter thereshuffle of the domestic financial marketstarted by Soros. There are some moreintense methods that will provide hugeopportunities, such as the centralizedlisting of mega-level central enterprises.Once approved, the market will quicklywarm up.
“And among these opportunities, thebiggest is the entry of the Social SecurityFund. If possible, I will try my best toinclude a few companies from theHaddock Chamber of Commerce list oflisted companies in the Social SecurityFund’s buying position. Once the SocialSecurity Fund is there as backup, it’ll be hard for this stock to lose money, but the quota is definitely limited and the threshold will be high..
“You should know what the Social Security Fund is. It is closely tied to the stability of Somerland’s entire society. Even Swallow Capital is afraid to make a mistake on this issue, let alone you or me. Therefore, the stocks it selects are not in a n attempt maximize profit, but to ensure that the stocks are safe and will not lose money. This threshold is already very high.
“As for this quota, I can ask you to recommend part of it. In this way, the Haddock Chamber of Commerce will not suffer as much right now, and also will not be destroyed completely. When the time comes and you want to take over, it will also be much easier.”
Dean’s eyes gradually became brighter.
He knew very well that once Jasper’s statement was true and the Social Security Fund invested in listed companies of the Haddock Chamber of Commerce, then the power to control this quota would be
extremely huge.
Everyone wanted to be included in thisquota so how would they do so? Of course,they would all curry favors with him,please him, and promote him to thehighest authority.
If this worked out, he would not even haveto wait for Gale to pass away before takingover.
The thought that appeared in his mindsuddenly caused Dean’s breathing toquicken.
After lifting his head abruptly, what Deansaw was Jasper’s grin.
Dean was shocked, but he did not try tohide his greed. He knew that Jasper musthave figured out his thoughts, so it wascompletely unnecessary to hide hisemotions in front of Jasper – not that hecould do so anyway.
After he took a deep breath, Dean asked ina deep voice, “Then, what do I need tosacrifice?”
“All you need to do is replace GaleHurlbutt.”
Life at the Top Chapter 1956
Even if he expected this, Dean was still shocked when he heard this from Jasper.
“What?”
Jasper smiled and said, “Don’t tell me you don’t want to. In a sense, you will fulfill my request sooner or later, so why thedilemma?
“You guys are all vying for the position of the crown prince. At the same time, the power in my hands is enough to put you on the throne and crown you the king with the right to rule. Do you still want the position of the crown prince if that’s thecase?”
Jasper patted Dean, who was trembling all over, and continued with a smile, “Believe me, the taste of being above everyone is much better than the taste of being above everyone but one.”
Dean swallowed subconsciously.
He looked at Jasper and said, “But my grandfather has a position that no one can replace in the Haddock Chamber ofCommerce. He is the spiritual leader of all.of Haddock Chamber of Commerce…” “He is old, and he’s already abandoned bytime. Haddock Chamber of Commercedoesn’t need such an old guy to bosseveryone around. Over the years, whatresults has he led the Haddock Chamber off Commerce to achieve? How much profithas he generated?
“He is more like a person who has alreadystepped down but is actually controllingeverything behind the scenes. Meanwhile,the Haddock Chamber of Commerce is abusiness organization. The world isbustling and everyone’s chasing afterprofit. As long as you show greater valuethan him and let others see that, thennaturally, there will be people supportingyou.”
Dean asked seriously, “I want to knowwhat is your purpose for doing this?”
“My purpose?”
Jasper chuckled and said, “Can’t I justhate that old fart?”
The corners of Dean’s lips twitched and he could not say a word.
“Stop guessing.”
Jasper glanced at Dean and said faintly, “I am not interested in the measly assets of Haddock Chamber of Commerce. Besides, the Chamber of Commerce is a loose organization. Everyone is just adhering to the tradition and it’s indeed easier to obtain warmth by staying close together. Even if Gale is asking the members of the Chamber of Commerce to hand over all the money, so do you think anyone will pay attention to him?
“If that’s the case, what else can I get after I help obtain the leadership position?
“If you insist on me having a reason, I can only tell you that the financial war is only temporary. Neither we nor the United States can fight a protracted financial war.
“If you look further out at the overall situation, you will find that countries such as the United Kingdom and Sunrise Land are thrilled because they’re making money in the dark. At the end of the day, they are the biggest winners of this financial war.
“Now neither Soros nor I have a way to stop immediately because the cost is too great, but the time for us to stop will come sooner or later. After the financial war subsides, stable development will be the main theme of this era and what I want is a stable home front.
“JW’s vision has always been on the global layout. Somerland is the back garden of JW, and I need a group of more unified and forward-looking kindred spirits, understand?”
Dean was stunned for a long time before he finally smiled bitterly.
If he did not want to admit that he was
unconvinced and jealous before, right
now, he was truly won over.
He also understood that since then, it would be difficult for Jasper to have an opponent in Somerland.
Everything else aside, just his dignity and mind, as well as a strategic vision, far surpassed the others by at least 10 years. This was what made Jasper invincible.
“Do you need time to consider?” Jasper asked.
Dean was stunned for a moment. Then, as if he had made up his mind, he replied in a deep voice, “I don’t need to think about i t. I agree with your terms.”
With a chuckle, Jasper said, “That’s right. Those who do big things shouldn’t split hairs on trivial matters. If you’re hesitating and indecisive, it will only make you lose the opportunity that’s right at your fingertips.”
Life at the Top Chapter 1957
Just as Jasper and Dean were planning out how to take Gale down, far away on the endless open sea of the Atlantic Ocean.
A huge fully-loading cruise ship was mooring on the sea. There were no waves on the calm sea, as extremely thick blacksmoke rose from this huge vessel.
The black smoke first poured out of the warehouse before the fire spread instantly within a few breaths.
When the crew on the ship saw the fire, they were shocked.
They knew that the ship was full of rubber. Rubber was a flammable substance, and once it burned, it would immediatelyrelease toxic smoke.
A cruise ship full of rubber was on fire onthe vast sea, so it meant that they hadalmost no means of escaping.
Although these crew members had triedtheir best to put out the fire, the fire stillrelentlessly devoured everything it couldreach.
With that, it took only more than tenminutes for the heavy smoke to turn intoopen flames, after which, it took only halfan hour for the fire to immediately devourthe whole ship.
There were screams and cries for helpeverywhere. This huge cruise shiptransformed into a huge fireball as itundulated on the sea.
If one could look down from a highervantage point, they would find that it wasnot just this ship that had caught on fire.Several more ships nearly were alsocaught on fire.
These ships all shared one similarcharacteristic.
They were the fleet belonging to theBoyles in Harbor City, and the goods onthem were the supplied goodsaccumulated by the King of Rubber, theAtticus family over the past six months.
The fire was still burning, and when thenews reached Sawyer, he had just fallenasleep.
Because of the stress during this period, Sawyer would turn off his mobile phone while he was sleeping. If there was something urgent, they would contact him through Fabian.
Sawyer figured there was still about four t o five hours till the opening, so he could take a nap. The moment he lay down, he bolted right up from being shocked by the rapid knocking on the door.
“Dad, it’s me, open the door! We’re in trouble!”
After hearing Fabian’s voice outside the door, Sawyer quickly got up and put on his slippers to open the door immediately.
“What’s up?”
Seeing Fabian’s face full of panic and anxiety, Sawyer, who was originally enraged by Fabian’s impatience, also had a bad premonition. Thus, he asked immediately.
“Dad, I just received the news from Harbor City that our goods were all burned in a fire at sea! It was 4 million tons of rubber!”
This short sentence turned Sawyer red.
“Bullsh*t! There are 7 ships, each of which is only hundreds of thousands of tons, even if one caught fire… Did they all catch on fire?”
Fabian panted heavily and said, “All seven ships were caught in the fire. When I got the news, two of them had sunk. The 4 million tons were either burned out or are now at the bottom of the sea as fish food. Dad, what should we do? The family is in a mess now!”
Sawyer’s eyes widened. At this moment, h e only felt that he was short of breath. He could feel some blood stuck in his throat and he could not swallow or spit it out. Then, his vision turned black and he became lightheaded. He could not even stand up straight anymore.
Life at the Top Chapter 1958
When he saw that Sawyer was swaying and looked as if he was about to pass out, Fabian was terrified, and he quicklystepped forward to support the man. “Dad, don’t get too emotional. Now that the matter has reached this point, wehave to find a solution quickly. If you collapse right now, we’ll be finished.”
At this moment, Sawyer was seething. He was gasping and there was a look of fierceness in his eyes. His expression was almost cannibalistic as he growled, “This i sa conspiracy. Someone is targeting us. They want to uproot the Atticus Family!”
There were 4 million tons of goods, and atthis critical moment, the loss of thesegoods would cause Atticus Group todirectly breach all partnerships andcontracts. Aside from the immeasurableloss of reputation, the liquidated damagesalone could crush the current AtticusGroup.
A series of chain reactions that were likelyto happen, which made Sawyer panickedand frightened.
“Dad, what do we do now? I just asked, if i t is a natural disaster, the insurance company will handle it, but once it is determined to be man-made arson, the insurance company will not pay us a single dime.”
Fabian’s words made Sawyer’s eyelids tremble fiercely.
“Go find Half-the-Harbor Langdon first.”
Sawyer asked worriedly, “Will they give a sh*t about us?”
“They have to even if they don’t want to!”
Sawyer gritted his teeth and said, “Now, the three of us are allies. If the Atticus Group collapses, then they will be the only ones left standing. What else can they do? The reason I choose to cooperate with them in the first place is because of this relationship where we’re bound together for better or for worse.
“When we divide the benefits, everyone will scramble to get it. Now that we are in trouble, they want to run? No way. They won’t do such a stupid thing.”
After speaking, Sawyer took Fabian andwalked towards the room of Half-theHarbor Langdon.
More than ten minutes later, Kayden, whowas the last to arrive at the scene,hurriedly barged in through the door. By
then, everyone else was already there.
Half-the-Harbor Langdon, Sawyer, andKennedy sat in three corners of the room,while Fabian stood behind Sawyer. AfterKayden walked in the door, he walkedbehind Half-the-Harbor Langdon andobserved the situation silently withoutsaying anything.
The three elders were here, so he did nothave the right to be the first to speak.
However, Kayden already knew what hadhappened. He could not help but glance atFabian, who looked terrified beside him,and Kayden silently mourned for him inhis heart.
At this juncture, the Atticus Family mighthave to bear the consequences ifsomething like this happened.
Now it was up to the three alliances to see how much power they could invest to save the Atticus Family.
Sawyer spoke slowly, “This is the situation now. My family in Harbor City is in a mess right now. They’re all waiting for me to come up with a solution, but the situation is really difficult, so everyone please give me some ideas.”
Kennedy snorted coldly and said, “I don’t even need to guess to know that this had t o have been done by Jasper, that little punk. He has the power and ability to do this, and he also has a motive for it.
“How would the others dare to do such a big thing? Plus, this is also something unending with the Atticus Family, which i s no less than seeking vengeance.
Moreover, even if others had the ability to do this, they would not start such a war with the Atticus Family.”
Half-the-Harbor Langdon sighed in exhaustion, “No, this is not man-made.”
As soon as these words were spoken, Kennedy was taken aback. Sawyer, Fabian, and Kayden all looked over at him.
Kayden was the only one who seemed toholding a thought in in his mind.
Half-the-Harbor Langdon did not keepthem on tenterhooks either. Hecontinued, “Whether it’s man-made ornot, we can’t investigate now. We canonly say that this is an accident.”
“Do you mean I should seek insurance
compensation?” Sawyer asked.
After glancing at Sawyer, Half-theHarbor Langdon answered, “The value of4 million tons of cargo is astronomical. Inaddition to this, it is now impossible tofulfill the previous supply contracts, so abreach of contract is also inevitable.
“Therefore, you can’t avoid paying for thebreach. In this case, how to stop the loss is the first thing we need to consider.
“As for whether or not Jasper did it, does it even matter? Even if it wasn’t him, doyou think we can shake hands with Jasperand ask for peace? If it was him, we stillhave to fight Jasper to the end. Hence, itreally doesn’t matter anymore.”
“Still, all seven ships caught fire “Still, all seven sh
ght fire
consecutively and I’m sure the insurancecompany is not a fool. They won’t pay for it,” Fabian said.
Half-the-Harbor Langdon saidindifferently, “So the most critical point in this matter is this. Of course, the
insurar company does not want to paythis sky-high compensation, but now allseven ships have sunk into the sea.There’s no evidence even if they want toinvestigate. As long as there is noevidence to prove that it was man-made,then they must pay.
“The three of us have each mobilized.contacts and resources to carry outbusinesses related to this matter. Themost important thing at the moment isthat we can’t be thrown into confusion. Ifwe do, then we will suffer, and ourenemies will have the time of their lives.”
In an isolated fishing village in Filopo.
Conrad looked at the people standing infront of him with a smile on his face.Then, he said, “You have done a good job and I am very satisfied.”
Although the bodies of these people werestill intact, they looked extremely worndown, as if they were under tremendousmental pressure.
The leader of the group cautiously said, ”Mr. Monty, since the matter has beensettled, then about the things youpromised us…”
“Don’t worry, I won’t cheat you. I nevertreat people who do things well for meunfairly.”
Conrad waved his hand. Then, a lonebodyguard walked out from among theseveral other bodyguards behind him. Heopened the suitcase in his hand andpushed it in front of the group.
Inside that black suitcase was a box full of
US dollar bills.
“It’s all cash totaling 2 million US Dollars.They are not new banknotes, and they arenon-sequential so you can use themwithout worries.”
Those people looked at the box ofbanknotes in front of them withscorching eyes and they all gulped. Their eyes were overflowing with greed.
Why did they risk their lives to do that?
It was all for these colorful little darlings.
Since they had succeeded now, no amount of fear could suppress the joy of seeing these little darlings at this moment.
“Okay, since our transaction has been completed, then I should also go now. You can take the money to wherever you want t o go and do whatever you want to do. No one will care about you. You are free now.”
Life at the Top Chapter 1959
After Conrad finished talking, he got up lazily and walked towards the door of the room. “Mr. Monty.”
The person in the lead spoke suddenly. Conrad turned around and looked at him with a smile and asked, “Is thereanything else?”
The person asked nervously, “Won’t the Atticus Family and the Boyles look into this?”
“I have no idea.”
Conrad shrugged and said lightly.
The expressions of a group of people changed suddenly.
They were working for the Atticus Family or the Boyles, so naturally, they knew the power of these two giants. How wouldthey live if the two families decided to pursue this matter with them?
“Mr. Monty, that’s not what you said before, you said it would be fine,” the leader said anxiously.
Conrad was surprised. “Are you a child? The two of them have lost billions in cargo and hundreds of millions in ships, d o you think they will just forget it? I was just saying it for the sake of it.”
The leader said angrily, “But why didn’t you tell us this clearly before?”
“You could get 2 million dollars just by starting a fire. If there’s no risk to this, do you think such a good thing would fall onto your laps?”
The smile on Conrad’s face slowly disappeared and he said flatly, “So if I were you, I would quickly divide the money and run as far as I can. Why waste time with me here?”
After speaking, Conrad left.
When Conrad and his bodyguards left, the group of people in the room looked at each other.
In the end, everyone rushed to the box of
banknotes.
Despite their inner fears and worries, the deed had been done so there was no point
worrying about it anymore. It would be better to take the money and go have the
time of their lives.
At this moment, Conrad dialed Jasper’s number after he walked out of the fishing village and was walking on the embankment along the coast.
“It’s done. The finishing touches have
also been handled.”.
“How is the crew?” Jasper asked.
“Don’t worry, those are all the Boyles employees. The Boyles had prepared twice as many as the regular reserves on the boat, and we also had people standing by. Even if they fell into the water, they would be salvaged. This time there is only loss of property and no loss of life.”
Conrad’s news made Jasper very happy.
Jasper was saved a lot of worries and effort in having a helper who had such a strong ability, sufficient means, most importantly, knew what he wanted.
“In addition to this, I have prepared the video evidence that should be left behind. When the time is right, we will send it to
the insurance company and then they will
naturally refuse to pay the compensation.” “Very good, thank you very much.
“Since the deed is done, then come back a s soon as possible.”
“Okay.” Conrad agreed before hanging up.
After putting down the phone, Jasper glanced coldly at the news channel of Harbor City on the computer screen.
As expected, it was all about the fire
surrounding the Atticus Family’s rubber
goods on the high seas.
These reporters were using words that would send the world into chaos. What was even more disgusting was that there were indeed some well-informed and skilled reporters. Not only did they describe the whole thing vividly, but more importantly, the subsequent impacts of this incident were also analyzed perfectly.
After roughly scanning through the news, Jasper closed all his tabs.
Although the methods were a little dirty, Jasper did not regret using such means to deal with the Atticus Family.
When they decided to use more despicablemeans to deal with Wendy, they shouldhave expected to encounter Jasper’sunscrupulous, crazy revenge.
Moreover, this was just the beginning.
After dismissing the chaotic thoughts inhis head, Jasper recomposed himself andwalked to the command room.
Soon, the United States stock market
would open.
Jake replaced Baz as he appeared next to
Jasper.
“This is the first time the United Statesstock market is opening after the weekendbreak. Last Friday, the United Statessubprime market closed at 1230 points,there was a decline of 1899 pointsthroughout the week. The entire situationhas festered and it’s already beyondredemption.
“Especially after the Layman InvestmentBank officially declared bankruptcy, theentire financial crisis came to its climax.Now, no one wants to continue investing iIn the subprime market and this place has become a ruin.
“On Friday, the Dow Jones and Nasdaqclosed at 26760 points and 21119 pointsrespectively with an overall decline of 30%. The financial crisis is still ongoing andthe overall situation in the United States is not optimistic.
“But according to our analysis, this wave of trillions of dollars of evaporation hasalso allowed the United States financialmarket to cleanse themselves, whichmeans that their financial market willsoon bottom out.
“After all, the United States is still theworld’s number one economic power.They have the most patents and the mostpowerful companies in the world, so oncethe financial market drops to a certainlimit, it will be very difficult to fall again.Now, it has already approached thisthreshold.”
Jasper thought for a while and said, ”Ignore the subprime market for now andlet’s wait for the settlement date to come.Then, we will cash out and leave themarket. How much profit is attributable tous?”
Jake’s face immediately became excited and said, “We have invested 80 billion US Dollars of principal in the subprime market. This time, if the settlement is completed, then all short orders will be settled at the market price and the profit attributable to us will be as high as 210 billion US Dollars. In addition to our principal, we can withdraw 290 billion US Dollars.”
“Finally, a piece of good news.”
Jasper breathed a sigh of relief and said, ” This 210 billion US Dollars of profit will be the largest single profitable financial transaction in human history. Since this money was looted from the United States’ vault, I’m afraid it won’t be so easy to cash out.”
“Mr. Laine, are you worried that the United States will play dumb about this?” Jake asked.
“Never overestimate how shameless the enemy can be, especially when your enemy is a group of capitalists. They are very likely to do just about anything.”
Jasper narrowed his eyes slightly and said, “The subprime market is a small, high-risk financial market. If the United States is so shameless and decides to delete all the files and clear all records, then we will lose out badly.”
“They won’t do that, right? Are they not afraid of causing protests from all investors around the world? If so, who will continue to play in their market?” Jake frowned.
“They should be hesitating, otherwise, there is no reason to delay the settlement date this time.
“At the opening today, let’s give our enemies huge insurance and use the empty orders that are about to be settled i n the subprime market as collateral. Then, we will try our best to short the top 50 listed companies in the United States.”
Life at the Top Chapter 1960
What were the people in the United States most afraid of now?
Their biggest fear thing was that Jasper would make a wild profit of 210 billion US Dollars in the subprime market and then leave with this profit that was enough to cause a global sensation.
It was like Jasper was a player on the gaming table of someone from the United States. No matter how many chips Jasper won at the gaming table, as long as Jasper was still seated at the table and the game was not over, this matter was notconclusive.
However, if Jasper stood up and walkedaway with his chips, then it would be allover.
Once such a thing happened, the UnitedStates, as the world’s largest economicpower and the country that laid downmodern economic laws, would be lefthumiliated.
This was not merely about the 210 billionUS Dollar. The United States, as the globaleconomic hegemon, would not allow thiskind of humiliation to happen in front of everyone.
So, Jasper did not intend to provoke theUnited States on this. He would notstimulate its already sensitive andfamished nerves that were equivalent to aforty-year-old widow.
After all, if the United States decided tothrow everything away and act like ahooligan, then Jasper would be the onewho would suffer.
Hence, Jasper’s choice was to use amortgage to exchange the profits won onthe subprime market without losing out ofn the financial stock market, which wouldallow him to continue playing this game.
It was like Jasper had won a big ticket inBaccarat, and as the dealer, the UnitedStates already had a very unpleasantexpression on its face but still held backtheir anger and did not flip the table onhim. Now, Jasper did not leave, butinstead, he just used his winning chips toplay Blackjack, so the United States wasstill cool with this.
Although the two sides did not have anycommunication and negotiation, or rather, they did not even have any basic
communication, Jasper, as the biggest player, and the United States, as the dealer, still maintained a certain tacit agreement in front of the basic rules.
Therefore, as per Jasper’s instructions, the process of Jake entrusting the legal team in the United States to go through the mortgage procedures went smoothly. Even the United States functional agency, which had always been known for its inefficiency, hurriedly handled the application from JW Foundation.
Both parties were like old men and women who already had countless affairs. With just one look, they managed to finish all the procedures without saying a word.
Half an hour after the opening, all the procedures were done.
JW Foundation was like a greedy and hungry lion. It jumped from the financial stock market to the subprime market, and after killing everything in its way and overturning the entire subprime market, i t returned with generous spoils.
They were shorting and they were shorting in huge amounts!
When JW Foundation began to short the top 50 listed companies in the United States, the stock market was full of grief.
“The Dow Jones Index fell by 759 points and is currently encountering a support level of 26001 points. The Nasdaq Index fell by 1119 points and encountered an integer mark of 20000 points. The rebound sentiment in the two markets is serious. With the support of strong support points, our resistance to the short selling is very high.”
Standing in front of Jasper, Jake said with a worried face, “The rebound we estimated before has begun to take place. The current position should be the market’s defensive point. It will be very difficult if you want to continue to attack. Mr. Laine, do you want to hold it on now?”
Gazing at the constantly refreshing data stream on the screen in front of him, Jasper said with a serious expression, ” Abandon shorting listed banking companies such as Morgan, and settle all
our accounts on them. Focus on dealing with technology companies such as Apple, Amazon, Oracle, Weresoft, and stocks from internet companies.”
“The funds are still not enough.”
Jasper sighed.
The financial market of the United States was too strong and too big. It was like a vast ocean, so even if Jasper held more than 300 billion US Dollars of capital on hand, his opponent was the United States financial market with such a deep and powerful foundation. Thus, it would still b e difficult even with the help of the power gained from the financial crisis.
Needless to say, they would have been daydreaming if they wanted to attack the two stock exchange centers in the United States at the same time with the little money they obtained without the blessing of the financial crisis.
Jake opened his mouth and wanted to say something when he heard what Jasper said, but upon seeing Jasper’s serious expression, he swallowed his words before turning to get to work.
JW Foundation’s performance on the firsttrading day of the reopening of the UnitedStates was strong. Even if it switchedfrom an overall umbrella attack to a directpeer-to-peer attack on technology andInternet giants, it still put the entireNasdaq and the Dow Jones market undertremendous pressure.
However, the actions of JW Foundationstill exposed some information, and thisinformation allowed some people andfunds to spot excellent opportunities.
When Jasper noticed that while he wassuppressing the stocks of technology andInternet companies that someone wassecretly buying stocks at a low price, heknew these people had discovered hisintentions.
He could not underestimate the people ofthe world.
Furthermore, Jasper could tell that therewere definitely his old friends amongthem.
The man who was regarded as the god ofstock.
Also, under the premise of the financialcrisis, the stock value of the financialmarket and those high-quality companieswere generally lower than their actualvalue. If the man who was good at makinglong-term investments and was as stableas an old dog did not do anything, then itwould be strange.
“Mr. Laine…”
As soon as Jake came in, Jasper said, “Iknow. Just let them do whatever theywant.
“These people are crocodiles wandering in the international capital market andthey will appear wherever there is thesmell of blood.
“In the United States financial market,most of the valuable listed companiesnow have their stock prices criticallylower than their actual price. Will theseguys miss out on this opportunity to makea fortune?
“Whether it is our follow-up suppressionor the self-rescue measures of thesecompanies in the future, after thefinancial crisis, these listed companies would inevitably be the first batch to restore the high-quality characteristics of their stock prices and allow their holders t o make a fortune. Unfortunately, we can’t do anything to them at this moment.”
“But we’re shorting and they’re buying, which is equivalent to standing on the opposite side of us!” Jake said, feeling a little pissed.
“We’re not kids playing house. They will naturally pounce if there are benefits. It doesn’t matter if they’re buying or shorting, it’s all for profit. Now that there will be profit if they’re buying, then, of course, they will buy. This has nothing to do with standpoint, only profit. Plus, we don’t even need to investigate it. The background of international hot money is too complicated and confusing, so there is no way to find out more.
“Continue to go short. Today is the first trading day, so it will have a great guiding effect on the market. Today’s record will determine the confidence of the entire market over the next week, so we have to break them down. Even we have to buy these stocks, let alone this hot money.”