Chapter 85

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Translated by Heavenly Cat

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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“President. Here’s a file the research side just sent.”

“..What time is it in Korea now?”

“5 AM.”

“I made them work unnecessarily.”

“It’s fine. As the chairman instructed, the research department operates 24-hour rotation shifts so they can provide information whenever you want, President.”

Seeing Mylon Tusk’s face, my intuition said this:

That bastard is crazy.

The madness I felt when first seeing Bitcoin was filling Mylon Tusk’s face. But my intuition’s reaction wasn’t to avoid him.

There’s one thing I learned starting to roll around financial markets.

That madness becomes money.

You can see it with Bitcoin.

Coldly speaking, Bitcoin is a scam.

A fraud.

It’s not any company’s stock, just a scrap of data.

But the problem is people also know it’s a scam.

However, with value, whether it actually exists or is an illusion doesn’t matter.

When people assign meaning there, it becomes value, and the market decides that value’s price.

As a result, Bitcoin price reached $20,000.

Properly showing crowd madness.

“Though Tisla’s initial market cap was only $1.7 billion, succeeding greatly in electric car brands, their market cap grew to $58 billion. Showing huge growth short-term.”

Mylon Tusk steadily completed new electric car models saying electric cars would soon be the center of future industry.

Solving chronic battery problems to some degree, and what shocked people most was exactly zero-to-sixty.

In the past, many car brands competed using gasoline engines for who achieved zero-to-sixty fastest.

But Tisla’s electric car came out with faster zero-to-sixty engine than any gasoline car in the world, ending zero-to-sixty competition.

With such performance, even people with strong negative perceptions of electric cars gradually started changing their minds, and as a result Tisla’s market cap reached 60 trillion won.

“But it’s gradually declining now?”

“Yes. There are two reasons, one being Tisla encountering problems producing their newly released T3. CEO Mylon Tusk is pushing complete factory production line automation, and this T3 is exactly at that core. The problem is they proved themselves that complete automation is difficult with modern technology.”

There’s a toy Wall Street plays with most.

That’s exactly Tisla.

Because Wall Street companies keep shorting Tisla when bored, since stock prices were absurdly high compared to Tisla’s profits.

Tisla’s current stock price is $360.

Though Tisla isn’t showing overwhelming production volume or completely dominating the electric car market, stock prices being $360 was clearly problematic.

“Some experts say Tisla itself is a scam. But paradoxically, Wall Street is also responsible for Tisla’s stock price reaching this state.”

They repeatedly shorted while frequently waging war with people taking opposite positions, and retail investors who found it interesting flocked in, pumping stock prices.

“Plus Mylon Tusk likes SNS and media exposure more than other company CEOs.”

“In other words, he’s good at drawing fire?”

“Yes. Thanks to that Tisla became famous, but side effects definitely exist. Still, ultimately creating 60 trillion won market cap, isn’t that success?”

The problem is Wall Street people also get pulled into that spotlight, making short-selling wars unfold
every time.

Literally a toy.

Wall Street’s amusement park was exactly right.

“…”

I examined analysis content about Tisla’s current stock price and future direction. According to research materials, Wall Street is taking large short positions again now.

“As mentioned earlier, CEO Tusk unreasonably aimed for complete automation, causing production errors here and there so they can’t meet target production volume. Also problems are occurring in released products.”

In other words, it’s a big crisis for Tisla now.

And to Wall Street people bored picking their noses after Volmageddon, this was very good news.

Dumping massive shorts here could bring decent profits.

“..!”

Right there came a feeling like poking my body.

With thrilling shivers rising, money smell strongly wafted from the name Tisla.

“So they’re preparing short-selling war again now?”

“Yes. The problem is given the company situation now, there’s high possibility of a somewhat one-sided battle. Meaning shorting is unconditionally advantageous.”

“Should we also join?”

“Ah. Then I’ll seek methods to short through prime broker.”

I stopped Manager Seo trying to move quickly.

“No. Not shorting.”

“..What? D-don’t tell me you’re going long?”

“Yes.”

Manager Seo blinking several times had a face with much to say, but ultimately didn’t.

“Then what amount are you thinking?”

Probably the amount we can invest is limited.

Because stocks ultimately require someone buying and someone selling, needing so-called liquidity for transactions to happen.

“About how much can we operate now?”

“4 trillion won.”

But there intuition struck me hard enough to make my body jump once more.

“..Then let’s go with 4 trillion won.”

Manager Seo was shocked and tried dissuading me.

“What? B-but even though Tisla’s market cap reaches 60 trillion won, digesting 4 trillion won trading volume will be difficult.”

I thought the same.

Trying to shove in 4 trillion won would shock the market, and then the SEC would really try putting handcuffs on me under market disruption charges.

But even so, my intuition was unchangingly reacting to that amount.

‘I tried not to look at the US market if possible.’

The Volmageddon incident almost got me caught.

So I tried not paying attention to that market for a while.

But this damn intuition seemed to want to make another big score.

“Still please look into it once.”

Since Manager Seo already knew from long ago that persuading me was meaningless, he ultimately nodded.

“I’ll look closely into current market liquidity. Ah. But President. You’re not visiting Close AI headquarters this time after buying stakes?”

After acquiring stakes, I wondered if I should also visit headquarters to meet people there.

But my intuition was fixated only on Tisla, not reacting to this side at all.

Does that mean just leaving it alone, they’ll do well themselves?

“Let’s visit there next time, focus on Tisla side for now.”

Or maybe waiting for something else.

***

“Still no contact? Like board meeting summons.”

“Yes. It’s quiet.”

Close AI’s CEO Nick Mactmann briefly closed his eyes.

Though co-founders with Tusk, the two were truly polar opposites.

Should I say their thinking differed?

Tusk always thought of money first.

But Mactmann pursued something other than money.

Complete AI.

Exactly that AI existing only in our imagination.

AI that humanity must necessarily develop to evolve and survive.

That’s why they started as a non-profit company.

Staying far from profit-seeking groups, solely to develop that one AI that would break humanity’s existential crisis.

But that bastard Tusk finally caused trouble.

Selling all his stakes to a financier crazy about money.

“But the opponent who took stakes isn’t ordinary.”

Jeong Jin-ho operating both Gwangwoon Securities and KW Exchange.

He hears much talk about this person lately.

From what he briefly heard from Tusk, LK Group, Deutsche Bank, Yonghae Union, TSNC, Amvidia, and even this Volmageddon incident.

More than one or two companies collapsed caught in this person’s schemes.

Plus quite young too, already shaking global finance at that age.

Meaning his intelligence far exceeded genius category.

Such a person suddenly traded with Tusk and took 45% stakes in Close AI.

With 45% stakes, that’s enough power to act tyrannically.

He could immediately summon the board to make this non-profit company a for-profit organization, use it for money-making then discard it.

“But still no movement.”

This was scarier.

Acquiring that many stakes means intending to do something with this company, but after acquiring, there’s no movement whatsoever.

“I can’t figure out what he’s thinking at all.”

Initially he tried firmly maintaining beliefs whatever the opponent did with stakes. But this quiet..

Didn’t they say the scariest person in the world is someone whose intentions you can’t know?

Jeong Jin-ho was exactly that.

He tried deliberately ignoring him, but now Mactmann was curious enough to go crazy wanting to meet Jeong Jin-ho directly.

***

“Tisla’s daily trading volume is about 3 trillion won. But recently trading volume is gradually increasing.”

“Because of short-selling forces?”

“Yes. With bankruptcy rumors even circulating that Tisla won’t last long, short-selling forces seem actively moving. They probably see it won’t actually go to bankruptcy.”

But our research department people thought differently.

After collecting various materials, Tisla’s situation was quite serious.

“Insisting on complete automation caused continuously flawed vehicles requiring recalls, and above all production system errors keep occurring at factories so they can’t even make half the target production volume.”

“So financially dangerous too?”

“Yes. There’s funding issues, and already many experts say Tisla is a scam, but not meeting even half production volume would be a real big crisis.”

So research side is actively recommending not even taking shorts.

“But hearing President wants to go long on Tisla, that side is foaming at the mouth too. Saying absolutely not.”

When I met Tusk last time, how should I put it.

He seemed like someone without worldly worries.

But was that actually just bravado?

Just looking at indicators, Tisla was extremely dangerous to enter now.

“Still, research is a place that must gather materials per President’s instructions, right? Realistically there are truly many constraints for President investing 4 trillion won but.. Luckily there are institutions trying to liquidate stakes.”

4 trillion won is an amount that can exert big influence in any market.

So rather than just throwing it into the market, bringing stakes through over-the-counter trading was the safest method giving least market shock.

“Fidelity and Price. These two institutions already listed sales wanting to reduce currently held stakes.”

Fidelity and Price are famous fund companies in America.

“Those two companies each own 10% stakes, and they seem to want reducing 3% of that.”

“So buying through those two companies fits exactly 4 trillion won?”

“Yes. 6% stakes is about 4 trillion won in Korean currency. If buying at current market price.”

Fund companies suddenly liquidating stakes they held with long-term goals is exactly because of funds’ characteristics.

When many customers want short-term profits, continuing to hold Tisla stocks piling up bad news like now would be a big burden for them too.

“So they seem trying to sell slightly below market price. That way purchasing up to maximum 7% looks possible.”

“Or President. If you’re really going long, how about buying when prices fall more?”

I tried putting a pen to those two companies listing sales.

“!?”

Then as if waiting, a noisy siren blared in my head.

A warning to buy immediately without delay.

Why exactly is it doing this?

Does it really think Tisla will sharply rise from here?

“..Could there possibly be factors for Tisla to suddenly rebound?”

“Research side judged there are almost no rebound factors. Already with production volume in that state, they see no foothold to reverse stock prices.”

Even I saw really no positive news for Tisla stock to rise now.

Yet intuition reacts like this.

What exactly will happen?

***

“CEO. B factory also reported defects. Several parts aren’t assembled at all..”

“Phew. Got it. I’m going right now.”

Not a single day passed without Tusk’s head hurting.

Lately he feels like living only at factories all week.

He refurbished factories for complete automation and started vehicle production, but only defects returned.

Ultimately running around factories to immediately meet production by urgently mobilizing manpower, even battery manufacturing that should have been mechanized reached seriously dire straits requiring manual work.

[Mass short-selling again. Is Tisla finished now?]

[Repeating Tisla crisis theories.]

[Tisla is a scam.]

“…”

Tusk running around factories all night to meet production volume briefly checked the internet while resting.

Media was spreading Tisla crisis theories everywhere.

“These bastards are the biggest problem.”

Tisla fell to Wall Street’s toy, so they just invest shorts whenever opportunities arise.

Also using media to shake Tisla daily to drop stock prices.

The problem is this crisis wasn’t created by media.

Of course, media is making the situation more serious.

Since crisis theories are spreading that this time might really go bankrupt.

And Tisla actually was in dangerous state.

“…”

But why?

Dying like this felt too unfair.

Moreover even dying, he didn’t want to die alone.

At least he couldn’t leave alone these Wall Street short-selling forces attacking him daily and maximizing Tisla’s crisis every time.

But he can’t bankrupt the company.

However, continuing like this means only short-selling forces will feast on money again.

“…”

Was it because he was under too much stress?

Or because he really thought it was possible?

He doesn’t know.

Maybe even adding dawn sentiments, emotions were moving impulsively.

Without even briefly pondering, he opened his SNS app and left a post.

[Tisla soon plans to buy back all stakes at 20% higher premium and go private. Funds are all prepared.]

Try dying.

Short-sellers.