Chapter 459 Who Killed Soros (Bug Fix): It had to be November.
On November 10, two major events occurred in the international financial world.
One thing concerns South Korea: following a 10% plunge in the Korea Composite Stock Price Index from November 5th to 8th, the Korean won has also nearly fallen below the 1,000 won to 1 US dollar mark.
This forced the South Korean government to step forward that same day and assure the public that it would maintain the exchange rate of 1,000 won to 1 US dollar.
Another incident was a personal one, where someone was shot on a street in the United States.
Given the global chaos of the 1990s, and the frequent documented mass shootings in the United States, this shooting should not have caused such a stir.
But the gunman's target was financial magnate George Soros, an investment giant who has recently gained global attention due to the legend of the "Asian Revenge Organization".
Honestly, when he shorted the British pound, attacked the Mexican peso, and triggered the Southeast Asian financial crisis, few Americans cared. After all, it's common knowledge that in the United States, the Earth's status is lower than that of football.
But this time, the ancient, mysterious, bloody, and terrifying legends have piqued the curiosity of even the most bored onlookers, who are eagerly awaiting the retribution of Southeast Asian sorcery. What will be the outcome?
Could he be under a curse and go insane, jumping off a building?
This gunshot put an end to all the speculation in the streets and alleys, on international online forums, and both online and offline.
After visiting the Federal Reserve Chairman, he was on his way to get into his bulletproof car when he was shot in the left shoulder by a gunman with a black cloth covering his head.
The immense impact slammed him heavily to the ground, knocking him unconscious instantly, his blood staining a large patch of concrete.
This scene was captured on camera.
Well-informed TV reporters were already waiting downstairs, ready to conduct interviews and release exclusive first-hand news.
She had barely called out Soros's name from afar and waved vigorously at him when a gunshot rang out.
Then Soros leaned back and fell to the ground with a thud.
The video camera captured the screams and chaos at the scene; it seemed as if the television screen itself was surging with a strong smell of blood.
This news immediately made headlines around the world as soon as it was released.
Look, look, the "Asian Avengers Alliance" has indeed taken action.
Even before global public opinion was abuzz, tax police Major General Punonin was in Moscow, 8,800 kilometers away from the scene of the crime, in an eight-hour time difference.
He jumped out of the car and rushed into the villa like a nimble leopard.
Ivanov and Wang Xiao were each petting a red panda, chatting idly.
Hearing the security guard's exclamation outside, he looked up and saw Punoning, who was like a tornado.
The Deputy Prime Minister couldn't help but frown and complain, "My God! Vladimir, what are you doing? The King can't be out in the wind..."
The next second, his arm was roughly grabbed and he was dragged to his feet.
Ivanov protested: "Hey, hey, hey, Vladimir, what's wrong with you? My cat!"
He used an apple and spent a lot of time coaxing the little panda before it was willing to lie in his arms!
"Am I crazy or are you crazy?" Punonin glanced at Wang Xiao, but in the end he only dragged Ivanov and rushed into the study.
The bodyguards downstairs were stunned, instinctively wanting to drop their cards and rush up to save their Mr. Ivanov.
Wang Xiao waved his hand dismissively and said, "Keep playing your game. Do you think Vlamikil will fight Ivan?"
Well, although she's not very good at cards—well, actually she's pretty bad—nobody wants to team up with her when playing Guandan (a card game). But that doesn't stop her from watching others play, and she watches them with great interest.
The bodyguards felt that what their boss said made sense.
Things are different now. Even if Mr. Punonin is angry now, he can't possibly punch Mr. Ivanov in the face.
Since that's the case, let's continue playing cards.
No one rushed up to disturb him. After closing the door, Punonin glared at Ivanov with eyes blazing with fury. "Are you really crazy? Where did you get someone to do this? What the hell are you trying to do? How could you just shoot Soros like that?"
No, that's not how it works. A free market economy can employ all financial means, but absolutely not violent murder.
Ivanov was taken aback: "Soros is dead? He was shot?"
Punonin's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets: "Don't you know? What are you pretending to be stupid for?"
“How should I know?” Ivanov couldn’t help but feel irritated. “How could he die at this time? What a nuisance! Who did it? If he’s dead, out of respect for the dead, public opinion will definitely reverse and people will think that the previous calls to kill him were too much.”
He clung to a last glimmer of hope: "Is he really dead? Is the news reliable?"
Punoning retorted irritably, "Nonsense! If it were unreliable, would the US stock market have fallen to where it is today?"
Targeting the United States, causing its stock market to plummet, and plunging the US into a financial crisis is a massive undertaking that requires the help of countless hidden forces.
Neither Wang Xiao nor Ivanov has ever been to the United States, let alone cultivated their own influence there.
What will they do then?
Simply stirring up trouble on international forums, while able to evade regulation in 1997, also takes a very long time to spread from online to offline in this era, and is also highly unpredictable.
That's definitely not the way to go; we have to seek outside help and find resources.
It is widely known that the KGB no longer exists in theory after the collapse of the Soviet Union. But everyone knows that it is only theoretical.
In reality, Russia still has a large number of former KGB agents operating abroad.
Unfortunately, although Ivanov was already the First Deputy Prime Minister, officially ranking third alongside Soskovets, the KGB had never obeyed the bureaucratic group since the Soviet era.
On the contrary, just like the Embroidered Uniform Guard during the Ming Dynasty, it was completely independent of civil officials and the military, and played a supervisory and check-and-balance role over civil and military officials.
Ivanov wanted to bring the United States into the conflict and rely on their strength, so he had no choice but to turn to Punonin.
The tax police major general initially disagreed, but after learning the extent of the Russian government's foreign debt, he silently agreed.
This country has been drinking poison to quench its thirst, and now the poison has seeped into its very bones; it cannot continue like this.
As high-ranking officials, they had to do everything in their power and use every means to save the country.
He nodded in agreement with the plan Ivanovti had given him.
For this reason, Punonin, who knew a lot about the inside story, immediately thought that Ivanov had hired someone to do it after receiving news of the shooting in Russia.
The suspect rolled his eyes without hesitation, finally losing his temper: "Vlamikil, I'm just bad at academics, I'm not an idiot! What good would killing him do for our plan?"
Ivanov was furious. "We've already planned the next press release to attack him. Hasn't he always boasted about his keen eye and how he always invests at the most opportune time? In the end, he was unwilling to invest in Russia in 1995 and could only wait until 1997 to spend a lot of money. As a result, his stocks are now stuck, and no one is willing to buy them."
Isn't this much more meaningful than just killing him?
Besides, what's the harm in killing him? Even without Soros, there are still Soros.
Money never sleeps; new generations replace the old, and there will always be new financial tycoons.
The clock on the wall in the study is ticking forward, with the hour, minute, and second hands moving forward one tick at a time.
Time will not stop flowing because anyone disappears, just as the earth will not stop spinning for anyone.
Punonin looked at him suspiciously: "If it wasn't you, then who could it be?"
"Who knows?" Ivanov shrugged, spreading his hands, showing no interest in finding the killer. "Anyone could be the culprit; there are just too many people who want him dead."
He held up his fingers and counted, "Take the Asian Avengers Alliance, for example. Maybe it was just a rumor at first, but as time goes by, who can prove that such an organization hasn't actually been established now?"
"For example, there are rumors going around that the Asian Avengers have their eyes on Soros. People who have grudges against him can take this opportunity to strike him down. In this way, the first suspect will be the Asian Avengers."
"For example, if someone wanted to show off and took this opportunity to shoot Soros, he would definitely make global headlines, just like the guy who tried to assassinate Reagan."
Ivanov lowered his finger and looked at Punonin. "These are all possibilities, and there are even more possibilities. These possibilities cannot be ruled out before or after the murderer is caught."
Punoning reached out and rubbed his temples hard, muttering to himself, "God, it's getting more and more complicated."
He suspected that this was just the beginning, and everything would spiral out of control from there.
He instinctively reached for a cigarette, but his hand ended up on the gum jar on Ivanov's desk. The strong minty flavor stimulated his taste buds and nerves, leaving his mind blank for a moment.
Ivanov also took a piece of chewing gum, chewing it as he sighed, "After a butterfly flaps its wings, who knows where a hurricane might strike? But what can we do? We can't abandon Russia, even if a hurricane capsizes the ship, we can't abandon ship and run away."
November in Moscow is windy; according to meteorologists, the average wind speed in the month is about 16.0 miles per hour.
The wind howled outside the window, violently striking the tree branches.
Punonin suspected he heard the sound of a branch snapping and the sound of the broken branch falling onto the snow.
He looked intently at Ivanov, who was standing by the desk, his eyes half-closed, his brows furrowed.
By some strange twist of fate, Punonin suddenly blurted out, "Ivan, you should be the prime minister! You should be my prime minister!"
If it were still this summer, the tax police major general would never have dared to say such a thing; their respective status and influence have undergone subtle changes.
However, when Ivan took the initiative to approach him, hoping that he could use the secret power he possessed to achieve the goal of dragging the United States into the conflict, it meant that their relationship had quietly changed again.
In order to drag the United States into the conflict and buy Russia some breathing space, Ivan exposed his back to him, handing him leverage over his weaknesses.
This is something no shrewd politician would do, because it means their political life could end at any moment.
But Ivan did it anyway, without hesitation, at any cost.
Who could imagine that just ten years ago, no, five years ago, his life goal was to make a lot of money, buy a luxury villa and a big yacht in Hawaii, sunbathe during the day, and throw parties at night?
Time is truly a marvel of nature; it can transform a person into something entirely different.
Therefore, Punonin extended an invitation without hesitation, an invitation from the bottom of his heart: "Ivan, don't go, stay and keep going."
He dared not think about the future, but his instinct for power told him that if this matter was accomplished and the United States was truly dragged into the mess, then he would have the courage, confidence, and chance of winning the next presidential election.
Every president needs a capable and loyal prime minister.
At least given his relationship with Ivan, it's not like the current president and Prime Minister Chernomyrdin, where the former is constantly on guard against the latter, fearing that the latter might usurp power.
Upon hearing this, Ivanov seemed startled and waved his hand in refusal without hesitation: "NO! I'll serve for a maximum of five years. One term as deputy prime minister is enough. I absolutely will not serve another five years!"
This is such a lousy job, let whoever wants to do it do it! Even a paperhanger isn't as troubled as him.
The repairman could just say, "This piece of junk has no repair value whatsoever. Just throw it away and buy a new one."
He couldn't abandon it, and he had to rack his brains to keep this dilapidated, leaky country afloat.
Ivanov had no doubt that five years was the limit of his love.
If he continued, he wouldn't even be able to love his own country anymore.
He glared at Punonin and said, "Don't try to frame me. I still want to marry the king."
Once he becomes prime minister, there will be endless troubles to come. How can he possibly get married? How will he live his life then?
Punoning, however, was confident: "President Wang has a way. If she wants to, she always will."
Although Ivan was the one explaining the plan to him from beginning to end, Wang Xiao never even showed his face.
But he wasn't so confused as to actually believe that Ivan had devised the whole plan himself.
The most likely, and only, possibility is that Wang Xiao painstakingly devised this desperate survival plan for a devastated Russia.
How could anyone be so audacious? She actually dared to scheme against America and influence the direction of the American economy.
But if she can decide the final outcome of the Russian election, why doesn't she dare to take action against the United States?
Obviously, she dares!
Punonin repeated, "She absolutely can do it."
"Stop making things difficult for me!" Ivanov ignored the challenge and instead glared at him. "Think about how to overcome the current predicament first!"
Washington and Moscow are eight hours apart; it's nighttime there, but daytime hasn't ended in Washington yet.
That night, they were destined to be unable to sleep, as they had to keep a close eye on the aftermath of the shooting.
At this moment, the California sun is shining brightly, and the stench of blood from Washington has not yet drifted here on the wind.
But Yang Tao was already out of breath from running. She knocked on Zhou Liang's door, her eyes wide as she stared at the person who opened it: "Soros has been shot! He's really been shot!"
She couldn't believe her ears when she heard it, but it had already been reported on the midday news, and it turned out to be true!
"Do you think it could be a copycat?" Yang Tao asked eagerly, worried that Zhou Liang might not understand. "You know, the kind of person in novels who imitates powerful and skilled serial killers to commit crimes?"
Absolutely! Who wouldn't want to make a name for themselves?
In this era, everyone is incredibly audacious. To live a life of great passion and leave behind only a corpse is in line with the values of this time.
Zhou Liang shook his head: "I don't know."
Seeing his lack of interest, Yang Tao had no choice but to ask a professional question: "So, do you think the US stock market will continue to fall?"
Since late November, she hasn't seen the US stock market rally.
This time, with Soros's assassination attempt, the market will likely panic even more, and stock prices will continue to plummet.
Good heavens! When will this price finally stop falling? She doesn't even know when or at what price to negotiate an acquisition with a tech company.
Zhou Liang nodded first, then shook his head: "It will definitely drop this afternoon, but it might rebound later."
Panic, if prolonged, can turn into anger. Especially since the United States is a global superpower, Americans cannot tolerate this humiliation indefinitely.
When emotions are suppressed to a certain degree, American citizens will react, feeling severely offended, and then fiercely resist.
Even in the end, Soros, who was shot, may become an American symbol, a symbol of American financial freedom, and be brought out for remembrance and worship.
Zhou Liang remembered a joke his boss made, saying that what humans love to do most is to create gods, then pull these so-called gods down from their pedestals, and repeatedly trample and crush them. After this "god" dies, the whole world comes back to kiss him, as if his (or her) life was so favored.
They repeat the cycle endlessly, never tiring of it.
Yang Tao nodded heavily, unable to hide her worry: "I feel this matter will be completely overturned. Maybe in a few days, Asia will be vilified. Whether the Asian Revenge Organization exists or not, it will become the target of public criticism."
Her prediction was too conservative.
By the afternoon, the tone of international online forums had completely shifted, with many people criticizing the Asian Revenge Organization for going too far and never stopping, asking how many more people they were going to kill.
International finance is a gamble, and it's all about accepting the consequences. If you don't have the capability, if you can't manage it, why open your international financial market? Frankly, aren't you just trying to get money flowing into your country?
Oh, back when a flood of hot money poured in, you all happily took the money, and no one said those fund organizations or fund managers were bad people.
Now that the tide has receded and everyone has left with their money, you've started your hysterical insults and curses.
There's no such logic in the world, is there? How can someone take all the benefits without bearing any risks?
Oh, oh, oh, did someone force you to open the international financial market with a gun to your heads?
Mainland China hasn't opened up either, so international short sellers have nowhere to attack. They're still doing just fine, continuing their reforms and openings, developing their economies as usual.
As time went by, the voices mocking Soros on the forums subsided, while the accusations of an Asian revenge plan grew louder.
In just one afternoon, Soros was loved again.
It was completely dark outside the skylight. Zhou Liang put down his mouse, stretched, and stood by the hotel room window, mentally calculating when to make his move.
According to his assessment, the US stock market crash, which has lasted for half a month since October, should be coming to an end.
If they don't act quickly, they'll be the ones who get trapped.
But his boss didn't give him any instructions, which made him wonder if he was oversimplifying things.
On the table was the dinner that Yang Tao had brought back for him: sandwiches and milk, which was quite bland.
However, Zhou Liang had no appetite for a big meal. He turned on the TV, took a sip of milk, and then took a big bite of a sandwich, chewing mechanically.
After the commercials, a news segment aired on television: the foreign tycoon who had previously struck fear into the hearts of the American stock market had actually been interviewed by the television station again.
In front of the audience, he firmly denied that he and his companions had attacked Soros.
Just when Zhou Liang thought he would politely and hypocritically express his sympathy for Soros's plight, the Thai tycoon did the opposite.
He shook his head firmly: "Just as American pilot Paul Tibbets would not regret dropping the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, as Asians who have suffered the pain of Japanese aggression, we also consider Paul Tibbets a hero."
His implication was that whoever shot Soros would be a hero in the eyes of his avengers. They cheered for him, believing his actions were righteous.
When the host was at a loss for words, the tycoon softened his tone: "However, every wrong has its perpetrator, and every debt has its debtor. Since Soros has already been punished and is currently in a coma with his life hanging in the balance, he is incapable of causing trouble. Therefore, we will not expand our targets, and we will no longer short the US stock market."
After saying that, who cares about Soros's life or death?
Even the host kept asking, "Sir, are you really going to let go?"
The businessman nodded with absolute certainty: "Of course, our target has always been Soros; we have never targeted anyone else."
My God, what wonderful news this is!
In the midst of the chaos and turmoil of November, investors desperately need this kind of encouraging news.
The news anchors all wore pleasant expressions.
Zhou Liang, sitting in front of the TV, took a sip of milk, his eyes fixed on the screen, and sighed silently in his heart: The monkey sacrifice was finally complete. The diners rejoiced the moment the monkey's brain was smashed, and the remaining monkeys breathed a sigh of relief.
Look, they have escaped danger and once again enjoyed peace.
After the evening news broadcast, the international forums were filled with discussions about the surge in US stocks. Would US stocks surge tomorrow?
Good heavens, why didn't they release the news sooner? At least they could have made one last push before the market closed today.
Soros, who was a hot topic in the afternoon, was no longer mentioned by anyone.
He was only loved for a short afternoon, and now no one even cares whether he lives or dies.
That's just human nature; more important than watching the spectacle or shouting for justice is their own self-interest.
Even two days later, on November 12, when the police arrested the suspect in the shooting of Soros, not many people paid attention to the news.
Even though the news is extremely sensational, because the suspect was originally a stockbroker.
He suffered heavy losses when Soros shorted the Mexican peso, forcing him to resign.
This year, he finally made a fortune when the US stock market was booming, but in late November, the financial crisis hit the United States, and he was plunged into misery again.
With old and new grudges piled up, the former stockbroker finally couldn't take it anymore, picked up his gun, and fired a bullet at Soros.
Look, it has all the elements of a viral news story, and it has every reason to shock the world.
Indeed, this news story left the world stunned. It perfectly illustrates that the boomerang had finally pierced its own back.
But Americans don't seem to care that much; after all, in the United States, football holds a higher status than the Earth.
US stocks finally went up!
On the morning of November 11th, it stopped falling, and in the afternoon, it began to rebound slightly. By the 12th, it had surged by 5%!
Well, given the continuous two weeks of bleak weather, 5% is truly a huge increase.
It at least confirmed one thing for everyone: the US economy is fine.
The reason why the stock price had fallen for half a month in a row was entirely due to Soros's actions.
Look at the Asian Avengers, they keep their word and don't implicate the innocent. Now they've stopped messing with US stocks, haven't they?
Without troublemakers, the world is indeed at peace.
Yang Tao suspected that the reason why US stocks rose was because Soros's downfall made the Wall Street short sellers, who were already suffering from rumors, dare not continue to hold on in the Hong Kong market.
With their withdrawal, Hong Kong stocks, which had lost almost half their market value in three months, finally caught their breath, and the Hang Seng Index recovered by about 10%, greatly boosting market confidence.
Even the Hong Kong people who were rushing to queue up to buy pastries from St. Anne's Bakery and exchange them for Happy World Casino tickets are no longer in such a hurry to queue overnight.
Yes, that's how absurdly realistic it is.
Even in the renowned city of Hong Kong, one of the world's leading financial centers, the worldly-wise Hong Kong people are busy snapping up and hoarding goods.
Saint Anne's Bakery had previously pre-sold thousands of coupons to customers, who, fearing future price increases, demanded to redeem them early. The rush to redeem coupons at Happy World amusement park was similar.
How vulnerable people are in the face of a financial crisis. Like a drowning person, they desperately grasp at anything they can get their hands on.
In the White House in Moscow, 8,800 kilometers away, senior officials from the Kremlin and the White House are gathered together for a final check to make up for any omissions.
"Isn't the supply of goods foolproof?" Chubais asked Ivanov again for confirmation. "My God! If a buying frenzy breaks out and supplies can't be supplied, the angry people will tear us to pieces!"
Ivanov nodded firmly: "We have already been to Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg, Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan, Samara, Chelyabinsk, Rostov-on-Don, Omsk, Krasnodar..."
He rattled off the names of 30 cities, all regional centers in Russia, saying, "We've set up a total of 198 sales points, and provided sales vehicles at 5,000 train stations and stops to ensure the supply of goods. Prices won't increase before May next year. The goods supplied are based on market research, covering all the necessities people need for winter."
Seeing that Chubais was about to speak, he immediately interrupted him, "Anatole, there's no need to say anything more. There's no better choice than November. Winter has already arrived, and hardworking and thrifty housewives have already stocked up on the supplies their families need for the winter. In the months leading up to spring, everyone will mainly rely on stockpiling to get by, and consumption will be extremely limited. At this time, the ruble's devaluation will have the least impact on everyone's lives."
This is the conclusion they reached after repeated discussions and drills.
The ruble can only be devalued in November; it has to be November.
We can't delay any longer. If we continue to hold on, the meager foreign exchange reserves that Russia has painstakingly accumulated will be quickly depleted.
By then, they won't even be qualified to sit at the table and talk.
Deputy Prime Minister Soskowets suddenly blurted out, "No, Ivan, what our Anatoly is worried about is, if prices don't rise for several months, will you not even be able to go home?"
It was rare for him, with his usually serious personality, to speak in such a teasing tone, which immediately drew laughter from the conference room.
Nemtsov even whistled at him and grinned mischievously.
Ivanov was utterly speechless: "Why can't I go home? I go home every day."
Nemtsov's childish temper flared up, and he sighed loudly, "Ah, indeed every gentleman must have a wealthy wife, a wife who is always generous to you."
If Miss Wang hadn't stepped forward to ensure that the container market and Huaxia Commercial Street wouldn't raise prices, then even with pressure from Moscow's new Tsar Luzhkov, the shops wouldn't have been able to comply.
Nemtsov could almost imagine that the latter had already made up their minds: at worst, they could simply buy directly from the container market. If container prices rose, they would have ample reason to raise their prices accordingly. If container prices didn't rise, they would at most not make any money, but they wouldn't suffer heavy losses.
People in Muscovites think this way, people in St. Petersburg think this way, people in Yekaterinburg, Nizhny Novgorod, and so on—almost everyone thinks this way.
Therefore, the ultimate recipient of all this pressure transfer is Wang.
After all, the farm enterprise was only started this year, and its productivity and scale of production are extremely limited, so it can only serve as a supplement to the supply of materials during this crisis.
With her intelligence, he was sure she had realized this long ago.
But she still stepped forward and gritted her teeth to take on this responsibility.
Her courage and boldness earned Nemtsov's admiration.
Ivanov rolled his eyes at him: "People with wives and daughters shouldn't think about these things. It's none of your business."
Another burst of laughter erupted in the room, and the tense atmosphere finally relaxed amidst the successive bursts of laughter.
“Alright!” Ivanov clapped his hands. “Our friends at the TV station have been waiting impatiently. Let’s start preparing for the recording.”
Everyone, quickly adjust your mindset. Those who need to go to the toilet should go, and those who need to drink water should drink.
Prime Minister Cherlomerkin, who was usually quiet and reserved, suddenly called out to Ivanov: "Let me speak today."
He looked at his young subordinate and emphasized, "It is my duty to step forward."
He served as a silent prime minister for many years, but he could not continue to remain silent indefinitely, so he repeatedly put his young subordinates at the forefront.
Ivanov shook his head: "No, sir, it has to be me who says it."
He sighed softly. “Although His Excellency the President has promised not to fire me before the end of my term, if public sentiment becomes agitated, sacrificing a pawn to save the king will be inevitable. At that point, sir, you will have to stabilize the situation. No one but you can. And sir, I need your promise that even if I am fired by then, you will hire me as an advisor. Because I cannot leave, I cannot leave until I have cleaned up this mess.”
He was the one who proposed the plan, so no matter how it ends, he has to step forward and bear the consequences.
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[Let me see] Good morning!
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