Chapter 368

Chapter 368 China Welcomes You

Gaoqi’s entire company was shaken,and everyone fell into an unspeakable panic.

Those currently employed,though some had lived through the subprime crisis ten years ago,found that crisis completely different from this one!

That crisis had targeted every investment bank on Wall Street,while this time,only Gaoqi was hit!

Gaoqi’s stock hit the limit-down for the first time,yet these financial elites had absolutely no experience dealing with it! They could only sit blankly at their desks,one by one,as if waiting for the end of the world!

Beyond the stock hitting limit-down,there was another critically important matter — all of Gaoqi Bank’s liquid funds had been completely drained by the opposing side,leaving them utterly powerless to fight back!

No matter what bonds the other side threw out next,even if they dumped the stocks of every company under Gaoqi’s umbrella,Gaoqi had no ability to prop up the market!

In the stock and securities markets,this so-called world’s number one investment bank had already begun to be carved up at will by its opponent!

Caught completely off guard,Gaoqi had truly taken a devastating fall this time! Not only did they land face-first in the dirt,they came up covered in blood!

At the same time,in several other towers on Wall Street.

“Gaoqi hit limit-down! Gaoqi hit limit-down!”

“Bonds are being dumped en masse — someone is launching a deliberate attack!”

“I never thought I’d live to see Gaoqi’s stock hit limit-down!”

“My heart is filled with excitement right now — how about we all go out for dinner after work?”

These voices rose and fell one after another,with cheers everywhere!

Whether it was Huasheng Bank or Morgan Stanley,both had been completely overshadowed by Gaoqi’s performance over the past two years,leaving every project manager feeling stifled and frustrated. Seeing Gaoqi’s stock hit limit-down for the first time in history at the hands of a mysterious opponent — how could they not be thrilled?

This was something they had been unable to accomplish in all these years!

In the hearts of these Wall Street elites,this was nothing short of a holiday,a grand feast!

Gaoqi’s massive losses were like an earthquake on Wall Street,and a quake at the world’s financial center could quickly send shockwaves across the globe!

At this moment,for top-tier investment banks like McKavy,Huasheng,and Morgan Stanley,this earthquake was an absolutely once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!

Without sharp instincts and sound judgment,no one could ever sit in the CEO’s chair. Upon learning that Gaoqi had hit limit-down,these major investment banks completely set aside their rivalries,with all decision-makers gathering in their respective conference rooms! These banks spontaneously decided to join forces and hold an unprecedented joint video conference call!

Each screen was divided into several sections,reflecting the scenes inside the conference rooms of these major investment banks. These financial heavyweights keenly recognized that fighting separately left their strength too scattered — only by uniting now could they strike an even greater blow against Gaoqi!

In truth,Feng Le’s massive sell-off had merely fired the opening shot. What came next was left to the major investment banks!

If they had no desire to keep being firmly held down by Gaoqi in the future,these players would inevitably choose to cooperate on their own initiative — and from that point on,never give Gaoqi another chance to recover!

When it came to financial warfare,these people were experts among experts!

…………

At this moment,Smith was still sitting in his office,his expression grim.

He never could have imagined that just a short while ago Gaoqi had been riding such a strong wave of growth — how had things come to this in the span of a single day? Who was this mysterious opponent,capable of wielding such formidable power?

Smith was frustrated and dejected,completely unable to think of an answer.

A subordinate carefully offered an analysis from the side: “Could it be the work of those investment banks?”

“Impossible.” Smith shook his head. “Behind those investment banks stand large numbers of shareholders and board members. They would never allow a company in which they hold equity to engage in such aggressive behavior. Otherwise,those professional managers would have no way to explain themselves — just like Gaoqi. Without exceptional circumstances,those old hands would never agree to let Gaoqi go on the offensive against another investment bank.”

At that,Smith let out a cold laugh: “They refuse to bear even the slightest risk.”

But if they refused to bear the risk,did that mean he had to shoulder all the responsibility himself?

The desk phone kept ringing,only to be hung up by him again and again.

Without even thinking,he knew these were calls from shareholders demanding answers. Picking up now would only bring him greater grief.

Those people only knew how to collect money by the bagful. When things went smoothly,everyone was happy. The moment something went wrong,they would immediately push the blame onto Smith,the CEO!

When the phone rang yet again,Smith yanked the cord out of the wall in sheer exasperation.

He had no idea at this point that several major investment banks had already joined forces,conspiring to work in concert and inflict even greater losses on Gaoqi at this very moment!

The stock had hit limit-down in just over ten minutes — the mysterious opponent likely wouldn’t press the attack again today. Gaoqi had to make a move tonight,otherwise tomorrow would absolutely bring a fresh wave of strikes.

The opposing side’s firepower was too fierce,their moves too bizarre,leaving Smith completely unable to organize his thoughts.

The phone cord had been ripped out,and now his mobile phone started ringing.

Smith didn’t even look at it — he just hung up.

But barely a minute after hanging up,the ringtone started up again,relentless and persistent.

Smith was about to hang up again,but when he glanced at the number,his pupils suddenly contracted!

It was the number Apollo had used before!

Something seemed to click in Smith’s mind!

Could it be that the one behind all of this was actually Apollo? How could a figure from the dark underworld possibly command such sweeping influence in the financial world?

Smith couldn’t bring himself to believe it,and yet,in that moment,Su Rui’s earlier words began to echo in his ears!

“But right now,I very much want Gaoqi Bank’s performance to take a turn for the worse.”

“Smith,I’m very disappointed — no,let me correct myself — extremely disappointed,utterly disappointed in your evasiveness tonight.”

“Smith,you’d better get clear on who you’re talking to!”

“By this time tomorrow,I guarantee you’ll be crying and begging me on your knees!”

…………

Su Rui’s voice echoed through his mind as the phone on the desk kept ringing without relent.

Was it really him?

The more Smith thought about it,the more likely it seemed. He took a deep breath and finally pressed the answer button.

“Hello,Smith,how are you feeling?” Su Rui’s teasing voice came through from the other end. “I heard Gaoqi’s stock hit limit-down for the first time in history? When I heard such wonderful news,I climbed out of bed in the middle of the night and opened a bottle of red wine to celebrate.”

“Apollo,was all of this really your doing?” Smith could barely believe it,yet had no choice but to.

“It wasn’t me. I didn’t do anything — I was simply watching from the sidelines. Do you believe that?” Su Rui said with an amused tone.

Yet the more he said it,the more it sounded to Smith like an indirect admission!

This titan of the Western underworld truly possessed the power to turn the financial world upside down!

“Apollo,what exactly do you want me to do?” Smith’s voice was very dry. “Is all of this because of Jeremy Xu?”

“No,all of this is because of you — because of your lack of cooperation,because of your failure to read the room,because of your refusal to act with the times. That is what led to the first limit-down in Gaoqi Investment Bank’s hundred-year history!”

Su Rui paused at that,then grinned and said: “Rejoice,Smith — you’ve made new history for Gaoqi!”

Smith had no desire to rejoice. He wanted to die.

For the finest professional manager on Wall Street,a situation like this was nothing short of a profound humiliation!

“Apollo,tell me — what other moves and arrangements do you still have in store?” Smith asked,his voice strained.

He suddenly realized that in the face of this battle,not only was he completely unprepared — reacting to each of the opponent’s moves one at a time like a headless fly — but when it came to predicting the opponent’s next step,he was utterly in the dark,with no idea whatsoever what this opponent,who played by no conventional rules,would do next!

Hearing this,Su Rui rolled his eyes with undisguised irritation: “Smith,are you the fool here or am I? Setting aside the fact that this was simply not my doing and that I don’t have that kind of power or that kind of money — even if I had done it,we’re on opposite sides,aren’t we? What obligation do I have to tell you any of this?”

The reality was that Smith had no liquid funds on hand,and converting fixed assets from around the world into cash would take a great deal of time — something that simply couldn’t be done in the short term. This meant that in the time ahead,no matter what move Su Rui made,Gaoqi would be unable to counter it. No matter what trap Su Rui dug,Smith could only watch helplessly as his own company walked right into it. There was absolutely nothing he could do!

They didn’t even know where their opponent was,let alone mount a counteroffensive!

If Gaoqi Bank were to face attacks as fierce as the first day’s over the next several days,what would the outcome be?

By that point,Gaoqi Bank,backed by its deep foundations and vast accumulated resources,might not collapse entirely — but this company,which had held the title of the world’s number one investment bank for several years,would certainly be toppled from its throne and left unable to recover. How many years it would take to rise again was anyone’s guess!

After the subprime crisis,how many investment banks on Wall Street had permanently shut their doors because of the concentrated explosion of those toxic bonds?

These were cautionary tales! Smith had no desire to see Gaoqi go down that same dead-end road!

“I understand what you mean,but I don’t want to see Gaoqi reach that point.” Smith said,with genuine sincerity and helplessness.

“I don’t want to see Gaoqi reach that point either.” Su Rui said with a straight face. “I personally bought quite a few shares of Gaoqi myself — seeing Gaoqi hit limit-down nearly drove me to fury.”

Smith pressed his palm hard against his forehead and said bitterly: “Apollo,I’ll book a flight to Ninghai right now.”

“The people of China welcome you.”

With that,Su Rui hung up the phone directly.