Chapter 12
Qin Yu's cold voice fell on the encrypted communicator: "Start the acquisition. Go slowly, don't let him notice too quickly."
"Let him... be happy for a while longer."
Inside the safe house, the data stream on the screen began to quietly change. Tiny but persistent buy orders, like ghosts, seeped into the volatile Gu's stock market, precisely supporting it below several key price levels, silently building a dam.
At the same time, Gu Jing’s “impulsive and willful” board resolution, after careful editing and “accidental” leaks, began to ferment in the market.
"The Gu family's heir is so frightened that he's suspected of breaking with the Qin family, halting key joint venture projects!" "Is the Dawn Project being restarted? Insiders reveal technical vulnerabilities remain unresolved, potentially a temporary solution!" "Gu's cash flow may be in trouble again, with the young helmsman's decision sparking controversy!"
Pieces of news that were mixed with truth and were highly biased spread rapidly in the financial circles and the media like a poisonous vine.
The stock price of Gu Group fluctuated violently in response.
The market initially fell by inertia, but panic selling surged, and the decline rapidly widened. Zhou Liguang sat in his luxurious office, staring at the glaring green line on the screen, his lips curling up. He could even imagine the panicked expressions of retail investors and small institutions fleeing.
Stupid! So stupid! He almost laughed out loud. Gu Jing, that young boy, lost his mind at the slightest fright and destroyed himself. It was simply the best gift God had given him!
He picked up the internal phone, his voice shrill with excitement. "Keep spreading the news! Find a few 'experts' to anonymously distribute the data on Project Dawn's previous failures! Focus on highlighting the risk of cash flow disruption! I want to make the panic even more intense!"
"Yes, Mr. Zhou!"
After giving the order, he leaned back in his chair comfortably, sipping red wine, and even began to leisurely calculate at what point the stock price would fall so that the short positions he secretly controlled would make the most profit, and when he should "have to" step forward and "reluctantly" take over the shares pledged by Gu Jing, and by the way... "stabilize the overall situation."
However, as time went on, an extremely subtle change appeared on the board, but it did not escape the eyes of the old fox.
The downward momentum, around a certain price level, seems to... become a little sticky.
Whenever the stock price falls rapidly and is about to break through a certain technical point and cause greater panic, there will always be some buy orders of moderate size that quietly appear, slowly and steadily supporting the stock price a few points and thus dissolving the most intense selling pressure.
Once, twice...
The frequency is not high and the amount is not enough to reverse the trend, but it is like taffy, stubbornly slowing down the pace of decline.
The smile on Zhou Liguang's lips faded slightly. He sat up straight and frowned.
Is this a technical rebound? Or are there still some persistent retail investors trying to buy the dip?
He switched screens and carefully examined the market data. The buy orders were scattered across various small and medium-sized accounts and appeared to be completely unrelated, like spontaneous market activity.
But the string of caution in his heart was gently plucked. It was too coincidental. It was so coincidental that it seemed as if an invisible hand was secretly controlling it.
He immediately picked up another encrypted phone and called his offshore trader: "Check the source of the funds supporting the bottom line! Quick!"
A few minutes later, a reply arrived: "The accounts are clean and scattered across multiple overseas institutions. On the surface, there is no connection. Tracing the source will take time."
Zhou Liguang's eyes darkened. No connection? He never believed in such coincidences.
Is it Qin Yu? No, the Qin family's publicly available funds are being closely watched, and with the recent rift, that old fox Qin Zhengfeng would never help the Gu family at this time. Who is that? What else does Gu Jing have up his sleeve? Impossible, he knows that kid's strengths and weaknesses!
Could it be... other vultures that smelled blood and wanted to take advantage of the situation?
Various speculations raced through Zhou Liguang's mind, bringing a sense of unease. He didn't like unexpected changes.
"Keep pressing!" he said coldly into the phone. "No matter who it is, if they want to get some leftovers, it depends on whether I agree or not! Use some force and knock down those reckless orders!"
A larger sell order was thrown out, and the stock price fell again, breaking through the seemingly stubborn support level at one point.
Zhou Liguang stared at the screen, watching the stock price break through and then smoothly decline. His unease eased slightly. It looked like it was just a false alarm, perhaps some clueless hedge fund testing the waters.
He relaxed again and even began to think about how to "appease" the frightened Gu Jing and further seize the power and bargaining chips in his hands.
He would never have thought that at the same time he ordered a strong crackdown—
Inside the safe house, Qin Yu looked at the stock price on the screen which was being suppressed again. His eyes did not fluctuate at all, but instead a cold arc appeared at the corner of his lips.
"The bait's biting deeper." He ordered calmly into the communicator, "Keep buying, keep the same pace, and make him wear it out."
Meanwhile, Gu Jing returned to his office and locked the door, temporarily isolating himself from all the noise and questions from the outside world.
He sat behind the large desk where his father once sat, but he didn't feel at ease at all. Every jump in Gu's stock price on the computer screen made him nervous.
He watched the stock price being driven down, and the seemingly futile orders, with cold sweat breaking out in his palms. He knew it was Qin Yu's manipulation, patiently draining Zhou Liguang's funds and vigilance.
It feels like walking on a tightrope with a bottomless abyss beneath your feet.
He picked up the encrypted phone, his fingertips hovering over the unique number, hesitated for a moment, and finally put it down.
No contact. Any unnecessary communication could increase the risk of exposure. He must be alone here, playing his role.
There was a knock on the door, and Zhou Liguang's concerned voice came from outside: "Xiao Jing? How are you? Are you okay? Do you want Uncle Zhou to chat with you?"
Gu Jing took a deep breath and quickly adjusted his facial expression, making himself look tired, anxious, and yet trying to be strong. He stood up and opened the door.
"Uncle Zhou." His voice was hoarse. "I'm fine, it's just... I'm really confused."
Zhou Liguang carefully studied his expression, pleased to see the expected fragility and uneasiness. He sighed, walked in, and patted Gu Jing on the shoulder (this time, Gu Jing didn't shy away). He said lovingly, "Don't be afraid, Uncle Zhou is here. Temporary market fluctuations are normal, and they will be fine after this. You made the right decision. It's time to teach the Qin family a lesson!"
While he was saying soothing words, he glanced at Gu Jing's computer screen seemingly unintentionally. Seeing the dismal drop in the market, the smile in his eyes deepened.
"It's just..." He changed the subject, revealing just the right amount of concern. "Suspending the project is easy, but the subsequent funding gap... Xiao Jing, how is your equity pledge going? Are you encountering any difficulties? Do you need Uncle Zhou's help in connecting you with some reliable institutions?"
The fox's tail is exposed. It can't wait to intervene in the equity pledge and further control the equity.
Gu Jing sneered in his heart, but showed gratitude and dependence on his face: "I am negotiating with several companies, but the conditions are a bit harsh... It's great that you have connections, Uncle Zhou! I really... can't hold on any longer..." He revealed a bit of helplessness at the right time.
"Leave it to Uncle Zhou!" Zhou Liguang took the responsibility, secretly delighted. "I'll contact them right away! You should have a good rest and don't worry too much!"
After seeing Zhou Liguang off, Gu Jing closed the door. The fragility on his face instantly faded away, leaving only a cold sharpness.
He sat back in front of the computer. In the lower right corner of the screen, an extremely hidden icon flashed very quickly and then returned to its original state - that was the safety signal sent by Qin Yu.
Everything is still under planning.
He opened the company's internal system, and within his authority, he could see that Zhou Liguang's faction was frequently moving funds, their actions becoming increasingly urgent. And after another round of pressure, the stock price, once again stubbornly supported by those "phantom buyers," even...very slightly narrowed the decline.
Tug of war.
The short-selling funds invested by Zhou Liguang and the chips secretly absorbed by Qin Yu clashed fiercely on an invisible battlefield.
Time passes by every second.
Half an hour before the market closed, Zhou Liguang's impatience was clearly growing frayed. The expected panic sell-off hadn't materialized, and the stock price remained range-bound, sapping his precious interest on leveraged funds. Those damn, inexplicable orders were like maggots on his tarsal bones, impossible to shake off or chew through!
He dialed the overseas number again, his tone tinged with anxiety: "Haven't you found the source yet? Who is behind this?!"
"The other party is very cautious, the route is extremely complicated, and it will take time..."
"Useless!" Zhou Liguang growled. "Never mind! Increase the intensity! Throw in the last bit of my spare funds! We must drive the stock price below the crash line before today's close!"
He just didn't believe that with the funds he had prepared over the years, he couldn't break this damn support!
Even larger selling pressure surged out, and the stock price showed signs of diving again!
Inside the safe house, Qin Yu looked at the board, and a bloodthirsty gleam finally appeared in his eyes.
"He's getting anxious." He spoke into the communicator, his voice as cold as a knife. "He's almost out of ammunition."
"Then..." He slowly uttered the order, "Let's get started."
The moment the order was given!
The market situation suddenly changed!
Several huge buy orders of unknown origin swept out without warning. They were no longer the small orders from before, but like a giant whale sucking water, they swallowed up all the selling orders thrown out by Zhou Liguang in a crushing manner!
The stock price shot up like a spring compressed to its limit! A straight red line rose from the ground, extremely powerful!
"What's going on?!" Zhou Liguang suddenly jumped up from his chair and rushed to the screen, his eyes wide open, almost unable to believe what he saw!
It's not a rebound! It's a violent rise!
Who?! Who on earth is it?!
He frantically called the trader, but heard a panicked voice on the other end: "Mr. Zhou! Something's wrong! There's an ambush! A huge amount of money! So many accounts are buying at the same time! It's too fast! We... our short position has been taken!"
"Close the position! Close the position for me!" Zhou Liguang roared at the top of his lungs, his scalp numbing and a cold fear instantly gripped him!
It’s going to explode! It’s going to explode!
However, it was too late.
The other party's financial strength and determination were far beyond his imagination, and the speed of the increase was astonishingly fast, leaving him no chance to close his position!
The stock price took off like a rocket, breaking through several key resistance levels in succession, triggering a series of technical buying and short stop-loss orders, forming a terrifying short squeeze!
On the screen, the curve representing Gu’s stock price was so red that it was blinding!
Zhou Liguang watched helplessly as his short position lost money at an alarming rate, his margin was quickly broken through, and the warning bell rang frantically!
Margin call!
Complete bankruptcy!
Not only did the principal evaporate instantly, but because of the extremely high leverage, the investor also owed the brokerage firm a huge debt!
His face was as pale as paper, his whole body was shaking violently, his forehead was instantly covered with cold sweat, and he suddenly stepped back, his calf hitting the desk, he staggered, and almost collapsed to the ground.
It’s over…
It’s all over…
He had been planning for ten years, had exhausted all his hard-earned wealth, and even borrowed huge amounts of usurious loans... At this moment, everything was reduced to ashes!
And at this moment, the door of his office was suddenly pushed open!
Gu Jing stood at the door, followed by two group security guards and an expressionless lawyer holding documents.
Gu Jing's face showed no signs of fatigue or fragility, only a cold calm and a sharp insight. He looked at Zhou Liguang, whose face was ashen and his body was trembling, and slowly spoke, his voice clearly echoing in the dead silence of the office:
"Uncle Zhou, it seems..."
"Your bailout funds don't seem to be enough?"
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