Go back in time and be a chaebol

Chapter 2595 Heaven and Hell (Third Update, Please Subscribe)
Every minute, the countdown begins.

For the world, every minute of those 72 hours was an unknown.

After Chang'an issued its ultimatum, the whole world turned its attention to this place. Chang'an declared war on Shenglong!
On this day, the decision made by the Chang'an official residence deeply shocked the world. Carter immediately called the Chang'an official residence and the two sides had an emergency communication. The core topic was only one thing - to remind him that the United States had suffered losses there!

"The United States has learned its lesson!"

This was almost the world's first reaction. Who could have imagined that the United States had just extricated itself from that quagmire, and now the SEA was about to jump back in?
Although SEA's reasons for jumping in seem very valid.

What about preventing humanitarian disasters, what about regional peace?

However, they all knew very well one thing—war kills people and consumes wealth.

Since the United States didn't win, what makes you think you can win?
In addition to the reactions of various countries, the market will also give a direct response.

Chang'an's ultimatum to Shenglong was like a thunderclap, exploding on the television news. Instantly, the electronic screens in the New York Stock Exchange were engulfed in blinding red—stocks related to Southeast Asia plummeted at a visible speed, and every jump of the red downward arrows stimulated the nerves of everyone in the hall.

And this was just the beginning. In the next 72 hours, the Yong An Index fluctuated almost every day, while stocks related to Southeast Asia on the New York and London stock exchanges were falling.

But everyone is actually waiting for the final moment—whether war will break out or not.
Despite Chang'an dispatching an aircraft carrier and ASEAN member states sending air power to Siam, some people still harbored illusions.

After all, the Russians are in Golden Blue Bay.

In order to obtain first-hand information, some securities firms even sent personnel directly to the air force base in Siam. As long as there was a large-scale flight of aircraft, it could be confirmed that war had broken out.

Then they can make corresponding judgments in the first instance, and thus engage in corresponding speculation.

Finally. News of a large number of aircraft being deployed arrived, and although news of the outbreak of war had not yet spread, the market reacted immediately.

The trading hall was no longer orderly; the only sounds were the clatter of keyboards, the roar of telephones, and desperate curses, all blending into a chaotic cacophony.

Almost everyone seemed to have lost their minds, their fingers frantically typing on the keyboard, hysterically shouting into the microphone, "Sell! Sell it all!" Trade orders were crumpled up and thrown on the ground; for them, it was time to cut their losses.

Among this frenzied crowd, there were also some outliers. Unlike the panic of those around him, Vincent appeared calm, yet excited, with an undisguised sense of triumph hidden within his excitement.

He stared at the steadily declining numbers, his eyes gleaming with smugness, and he haphazardly ripped open his shirt collar.

Clutching the transaction receipt, a strange sense of control rose within him. Looking at the terrified crowd around him, he spoke with a strong, resonant voice:

"War is coming! War is coming! Prices will definitely fall further! Sell now! Sell everything! This is your last chance!"

The frustration he had felt before flashed through his mind—when Chang'an sent troops to Lebanon, he was convinced that it would impact the Lebanese economy, so he gritted his teeth and heavily invested in put options. However, after the war broke out, the index not only did not fall, but rose slightly by a few points. During that time, he was ridiculed by his peers and even faced bankruptcy.

Now, the glaring red on the screen and the precipitous drop in the curve all confirm his judgment, and all doubts and repressions vanish in this moment.

"See? I told you this would happen—war will impact the economies of Southeast Asian countries! They're fighting in the Middle East, issuing an ultimatum to Thang Long, and now they're waging war against them. No wonder they're falling!"

He turned to the panicked people around him and shouted, his smugness barely concealed. Most of the people around him ignored him, their faces filled with unease, muttering words like "war" and "stop-loss," their hands never stopping their selling.

Only Vincent, amidst this clamor, appeared exceptionally excited, as his judgment had been confirmed.

At that moment, he seemed to be the king here, and the sole victor.

The true king is not here.

In stark contrast to the hustle and bustle of the trading hall downstairs, the VIP rooms on the top floor of the exchange are remarkably quiet, with heavy floor-to-ceiling windows isolating the chaos and noise from below.

The Duke reclined on the leather sofa, a Cuban cigar between his fingers, his fingers unconsciously tapping lightly on the sofa.

Cigar smoke swirled around him. His eyelids were half-closed, as if he were merely savoring the cigar, only occasionally glancing down at the trading hall before looking away again.

Their gazes were as if they were watching a farce that had nothing to do with them, as if the panic of the crowd downstairs and the plummeting index were insignificant.

It is the least noteworthy thing.

His posture was languid, the cigar between his fingers burned slowly and steadily, and every breath he took seemed calm, as if the world outside the window had nothing to do with him.

He simply savored his cigar in silence.
The man standing beside him, however, had a solemn expression. After hesitating for a moment, he finally spoke:
"Duke, the market is generally pessimistic about this war."

While embroiled in a stalemate in the Middle East, Chang'an is also attempting to instigate a new conflict in Sheng Long, seemingly forgetting the painful lessons learned by the United States when it was deeply mired in war. Most people are extremely pessimistic about the future economic prospects of Southeast Asia; after all, that war plunged the US economy into years of recession.

Moreover, on the other hand, no one in history has ever been able to win two wars simultaneously.

The man's voice carried a barely perceptible hint of worry, and his gaze was fixed on the Duke.

The Duke rarely came to the United States; more often, he visited the other party in Switzerland.

Now the Duke has also set his sights on Beirut, determined to make it his.

What is this guy thinking?
Money, wasn't money what he valued most in the past?
The Duke, unaware of his colleague's thoughts, simply exhaled a smoke ring that rose slowly into the air before dissipating. A slightly exaggerated smile curved his lips. He nodded gently, his voice low and steady:
"Indeed, no one has ever won two wars fought simultaneously, let alone two. The quagmire of just one war is enough to keep the United States suffocating. But..."

He paused, his eyelids slightly lifted, the calm in his eyes fading somewhat, replaced by a knowing smugness. His tone abruptly changed:
"War is not just about how strong you are, but about how determined you are to wage war. If you are strong enough and willing to pay any price for victory, then victory is not a problem."

He leaned forward slightly, then gently placed the cigar in the crystal ashtray, and continued:

"of course."

He added, his tone more contemptuous, a cold smile playing on his lips.

"If the opponent is weak enough, that's not a problem either."

Having said that, he stood up, his gaze returning to the trading hall downstairs, his eyes growing increasingly resolute. "But Chang'an and Washington are completely different. Now that they've started a war, they will undoubtedly go all out."

And given how weak the opponent is, do you think there could be any problem?

He then commanded in an unquestionable tone:

"Sell all call options; their panic is our opportunity!"

"Duke..."

Before the man could finish speaking, the Duke said:

"Trust me, they will win, and they will win beautifully. After all, he's not one of those indecisive guys in the White House..."

The sarcasm and contempt in his tone were hard to conceal, and then he emphasized:

"So, all we need to do is wait for the good news, and then make a fortune from it..."

The Duke drew out his words, then pointed out the window to the chaotic trading center, and continued.

“You see, the panic here is our source of wealth. In the midst of this panic, we will earn more money. With this injection of funds, future plans will become much easier.”

Standing by the window, I looked down at the trading center below.

As he looked at those people, the Duke wore a slight smile, but the contempt in that smile was hard to conceal.

Seeing the Duke's expression, the man standing not far behind him frowned slightly.

He thought for a moment, then said:

"Perhaps. Perhaps they can win. And perhaps we can reap extremely rich rewards from it, but..."

The man took a few steps forward, stood beside the Duke, and, turning his gaze back to the exchange, said:
“Duke, look, this is our battlefield. Here, we can stir up trouble and gain unimaginable wealth, and of course, power… This is the place we should cherish most.”

As he finished speaking, he looked at the Duke and said:

"And now... the Duke's matter could easily lead to a series of troubles, which could very well harm our core interests."

Hearing the man's words, the Duke turned to look at him, then stared at him and said:
Are you questioning my decision?

Faced with the Duke's questioning, the man shook his head and then said:
"My lord, just as you have said before, we never take sides; we always choose only wealth and money."

This is also why we have been able to survive in this chaotic world.

Faced with the man's reminder, the Duke pondered for a moment, then said:
"We deserve more, and that's the fundamental reason why I'm doing all this. After all, that's the future."

And this matter will absolutely not threaten our safety; after all, it will always remain a secret.

The man met the duke's gaze and said:
“Duke, there are no secrets in this world that are absolute. I am not worried about the present, but I have to consider the future, sir, so I hope you can handle all of this carefully.”

The man's reminder made the Duke frown, but he simply nodded and said...

"I know what I should do, and I don't need you to remind me what I should do."

The man nodded slightly, not angered by the duke's reprimand. He simply said:

“My lord, just as you said—we stay behind the scenes and let those politicians fight for the world; all we need to do is acquire wealth.”

As the man spoke, he walked to the window and looked down at the chaotic trading center below, saying:
"Just like now, when they panic here, we can also take advantage of this volatility to make extremely high profits."

We've been doing this for many years, and the rewards have been substantial.

The Duke nodded, and then said:
“You’re right, and that’s why we missed a golden opportunity. That opportunity was seized by that guy, and the wealth he gained in the process is unimaginable to outsiders.”

So we have to do something.

The man remained silent. Seeing his silence, the duke thought for a moment, then said:

"I will handle this matter well. Now... let's wait here for good news. Good news will come soon. Chang'an will not let us down."

Just a few hours later, the once bustling trading hall suddenly fell silent, and then people were all asking – what?
"What did you say?"

Vincent stared at the other man in astonishment, his eyes filled with shock, or rather, disbelief. He said loudly:

"This, this is impossible."

"The news is on TV. The SEA is going to win. They've used hundreds of drones and Nightshade stealth fighters. Shenglong has absolutely no way to stop their attack. Their planes are like an empty field over Shenglong..."

"This can't be, this can't be, that's the Sam jungle, they must be exaggerating..."

Vincent didn't want to believe it was true, but by then someone had already turned on the television.

During the news broadcast, Vincent looked completely devastated. Everyone stood up, and on the electronic display screen in the trading hall, the numbers that had been steadily rising in red suddenly turned green... As the green numbers jumped, it gave people the illusion that it was the rainforest of the Rising Dragon.

For many speculators, just a few hours can be a rollercoaster ride between heaven and hell.

On this day, in Wall Street, in London, and in Wing On, some people jumped off buildings, while others made a fortune.

(End of this chapter)