American Hunting: Starting with Solitary Life in the Wilderness

Chapter 268 Profits and New Investments
About half an hour later, the silhouette of a red and white Cessna 185 Jungle plane appeared on the gray horizon.

The plane landed gracefully and precisely on the runway with a beautiful crosswind approach, taxiing right in front of Lin Yu'an.

The cabin door opened, and Hank, wearing a thick flight jacket and sporting a stubble, poked his head out and gave him a hearty smile.

"Hey, big star! Looks like you escaped alive from those man-eating sharks in Vancouver!"

"Just lucky." Lin Yu'an laughed, tossed his backpack into the back seat, and then skillfully climbed into the passenger seat.

The propellers started spinning again, and after a brief taxiing, the plane soared into the sky, leaving Anchorage, Alaska's largest city, behind.

While skillfully piloting the plane, Hank asked loudly, "How was it? Did the press conference go smoothly? You really look like a big star in that suit."

"It's alright. It solved some problems, but it also brought some new ones." Lin Yu'an leaned back in his chair, looking at the continuous snow-capped mountains outside the window, and relaxed completely.

The plane flew between the magnificent Alaskan mountains, with endless coniferous forests covered in ice and snow below.

After chatting about some interesting things for a while, Hank suddenly glanced at the sun on the horizon and said, "Lin, in another half month or so, this damn polar night will be completely gone."

"By then, when the daylight hours are long enough, it will be time to learn how to drive this big guy."

Upon hearing this, Lin Yu'an's eyes instantly lit up. In the wilderness, mastering flight meant possessing true freedom.

"I can do it anytime."

“Don’t rush,” Hank glanced at him. “When we get back, I need to read through the ‘Pilot’s Aviation Knowledge Handbook’ and the ‘Private Pilot’s License Exam Guide’ from beginning to end.”

"Next time we get on a plane, if I point to any instrument and you can't explain its function, I'll kick you off the plane!"

Lin Yu'an looked at his old friend, who was all talk and no action, and nodded with a smile.

"Don't worry, Hank. The first thing I'll do when I get back is study the theoretical knowledge."

Outside the window, the familiar, snow-covered valley of Wiesmann had already appeared on the horizon.

Home is right here.

The jungle plane landed smoothly on the makeshift runway in Wiesman. Hank waved to him and then flew away again, the roar of the engine quickly fading into the silent depths of the snowy forest.

Lin Yu'an slung her bag over her shoulder and embarked on the familiar path home.

When the wooden house, covered in thick snow and with wisps of smoke rising from its chimney, came into view, he felt completely at ease.

He pushed open the heavy wooden door, and a warm aroma, a mixture of burning pine from the fireplace and the rich scent of stewing food, instantly enveloped him.

"I am back."

Before he could finish speaking, a beautiful figure rushed out of the living room like a gust of wind, carrying a sweet fragrance, and jumped directly into his arms.

"You still know to come back!" Arya hugged him tightly, rubbing her cheek against his chest, her tone carrying a hint of coquettish complaint.

"I thought you, the newly appointed global brand ambassador, were going to be snatched away by the flashing lights of Vancouver!"

Lin Yu'an smiled and hugged her tightly, clearly feeling the softness of her body and the strength of her heartbeat. The ends of her hair carried the sweet scent of wild berry shampoo, tickling his neck.

Immediately afterwards, Emily also came out of the kitchen, wearing an apron and holding a wooden spoon.

Unlike Arya, she wasn't fiery and passionate; she simply stood there quietly, looking at him with her clear, lake-like eyes and a gentle smile on her lips.

“Welcome home, darling,” she said softly. “Judging from your expression, everything seems to be going well.”

Lin Yu'an released Aria, stepped forward, and gave Emily an equally deep hug.

When he embraced Emily, it felt completely different. Her embrace was peaceful and inclusive, and the apron she wore still carried a faint scent of flour and spices, as if embracing the tranquility of the entire kitchen.

"Yes, it went smoothly, but it was also... complicated."

The crackling fire in the fireplace bathed the entire cabin in warmth and light. On the table sat a steaming bowl of venison soup, cooked by Emily herself.

Lin Yu'an sat between the two and recounted the events of the past few days in detail.

He started by talking about the press conference. From the LVMH helicopter that appeared out of nowhere, to how he handled the pointed questions from a New York Times reporter.

When she heard Lin Yu'an's remarks, Aria clapped her hands excitedly, her beautiful eyes sparkling with cunning.

"Well done!" she said, making no attempt to hide her admiration. "That's exactly how it should be! Marcus's expression must have been priceless back then, right?"

Lin Yu'an was amused by her mischievous expression: "Pretty much, the colors on your face are like a color palette."

Emily listened quietly until Lin Yu'an finished speaking, then pointed out incisively: "LVMH's stance is less about being optimistic about you and more about a demonstration against Anta Group."

"They've used you as a pawn, Lin. This could be your shield, or it could become your shackles. You need to be more cautious in future business collaborations."

She always manages to see beyond the surface and grasp the underlying logic.

Lin Yu'an nodded; Emily's concerns were exactly what he had been thinking about.

"Alright, alright, don't bring up such serious topics as soon as you get back." Arya interrupted Emily and Lin Yu'an's conversation with displeasure.

She snuggled up to Lin Yu'an and asked curiously, "And then what? Didn't you come right back? What were you doing in Anchorage?"

The atmosphere in the living room instantly quieted down upon hearing this.

The ease and smile on Lin Yu'an's face faded, replaced by a heavy yet gentle expression.

He recounted in detail his meeting with Dr. McCormick, describing the two drastically different paths: the comfortable prison and the brutal freedom.

When he revealed that he had ultimately chosen to let it go to the wild, Arya's brow furrowed deeply, her voice filled with reluctance, "It's too cruel, it's so small, and it trusted you so much."

"I know," Lin Yu'an said, her voice a little hoarse.

Arya instinctively tightened her grip on his hand, her brows furrowed, and her lips pressed into a thin line. Seeing his pained expression, the pity in her heart instantly turned into heartache.

She said softly, "But I support you. If it were us, we would have made the same choice."

Emily gently put down her spoon, raised her eyes, looked past the flickering fire, and gazed intently at him before speaking softly.

"This is its best destiny. What you gave it was not a simple rescue, but the most luxurious gift—the right to choose its own destiny. And the price of freedom is never cheap."

She looked at Lin Yu'an, her eyes full of understanding and support: "You don't need to feel pain because what you are doing is the right thing and a great thing."

Emily's words were like a clear spring, instantly soothing the last trace of struggle and self-doubt in Lin Yu'an's heart.

He looked at the two women before him, one offering him the warmest and most passionate emotional comfort, and the other providing him with the most steadfast and profound rational support.

He knew that no matter how difficult the road ahead might be, as long as he returned to this home and to their side, he would have the courage to face everything.

“This project will require a large sum of money.” Lin Yu’an looked at them. “I promise to cover all the costs, which may require some of our savings.”

After he finished speaking, he reached out and poked at the firewood in the fireplace, making the flames burn brighter, as if using this action to demonstrate his determination.

“Then let’s use it,” Arya said without hesitation. “Money can be earned back, but a bear’s life in December only happens once.”

Emily smiled and nodded. "Our home doesn't need to be built with money. Go for it, Lin. We'll always support your decision."

Lin Yu'an stretched out his arms and hugged them tightly.

Outside the window, the last vestiges of darkness of the polar night stubbornly shrouded the earth, but the fire in the wooden cabin was brighter and warmer than ever before.

Feeling the warmth of his two lovers in his arms, Lin Yu'an felt an unprecedented sense of peace.

This stability gave him more confidence to plan for that massive and expensive future.

Arya shattered the warmth of the moment; though she was emotional, she wasn't foolish.

She gently pulled away from Lin Yu'an's embrace, a hint of genuine worry in her beautiful eyes: "Darling, of course I support everything you've done for December."

"But tens of millions of dollars? Is your signing fee really enough? We can't empty our coffers for December, can we?"

Lin Yu'an smiled. He knew it was time to let the two ladies of the house see his true colors.

“You don’t need to worry about money,” he said casually. “Our family’s financial situation is probably much better than you think.”

He looked at Arya, his eyes holding a tacit understanding of shared secrets: "Arya, do you remember the investment we made together last March?"

Aria immediately remembered, her eyes lighting up: "You mean Nvidia? We invested $180 million in it back then, and then I didn't pay much attention to it. How's it going?"

Emily listened quietly, catching the key information: "Last March?"

That was five months before she joined the family. She knew that Lin Yu'an and Ailiya had lived a wealthy life in the past, but she never expected that they had made such a large investment.

This portion of the family assets was completely unknown to her.

Lin Yu'an saw through her thoughts and said, "Emily, it's normal that you don't know about this. This was a decision that Leah and I made together before you came."

“But from today onwards, every asset of this family will be managed and decided upon jointly by the three of us.” These words were like a warm current, instantly dispelling the subtle feeling of being an outsider that Emily had been holding onto.

Lin Yu'an gave Ailiya a wink: "Open the account and let our CFO see just how wealthy she really is."

Arya exclaimed excitedly, almost jumping off the sofa, frantically searching for her phone, causing one of the sofa cushions to fall off.

"Here it comes! Get ready for the shock of wealth, Emily!" Like a child showing off a treasure, she couldn't wait to unlock the phone after finding it.

Emily looked at her like this, shook her head helplessly, but a gentle smile appeared on her lips as she softly reminded her, "Leah, slow down. You're a mother now, be more composed."

Arya playfully stuck out her tongue, but obediently sat back down next to Lin Yu'an and solemnly handed the phone to Emily.

Emily took the phone, initially looking down with a hint of gentle curiosity, but the next second, her fingertips tightened slightly at the edge of the screen, and her breathing paused almost imperceptibly.

When she raised her head again, her eyes, which were always as calm as a lake, were suddenly filled with turbulent waves.

“Four million two hundred thousand dollars?” she whispered the number, her voice filled with shock! The initial investment of 180 million dollars had more than doubled in less than a year.

“That’s right.” Lin Yu’an explained with a smile, “In the past six months or so, the concept of artificial intelligence has exploded, and Nvidia’s stock price has soared, making us a net profit of 240 million.”

Arya proudly raised her chin, like a little peacock showing off its feathers: "How about it, Emily? My man has good taste, doesn't he? We're a millionaire family now!"

Emily stared intently at Lin Yu'an, her shock stemming not only from the increase in wealth but also from Lin Yu'an's decision to reveal everything to her without reservation.

Lin Yu'an looked at them and continued to present his core plan.

"The signing fee for Arc'teryx this time is 1300 million, which is the net income after tax. This amount is enough to support the project in December. But..."

He then changed the subject, saying, "I don't want to just do enough; I hope we can have enough capital to completely end our worries about money and achieve financial freedom!"

He looked at the two of them and decided to tell the crucial lie, carefully woven based on his reborn memories.

"During my trip to Vancouver, my agent Scout inadvertently revealed some information to me."

He lowered his voice, creating a sense of intimacy, "It's not about investments, it's about... a war."

"War?" Arya's curiosity was immediately piqued.

“A war on Wall Street.” Lin Yu’an’s expression turned extremely serious.

"Scooter heard from the top of CAA that several large hedge funds on Wall Street were working together to short a company."

“They started planning this in 2020 and 2021, but this time, they may have run into a brick wall.”

"What company?" Emily asked.

“Game Station, stock code GME,” Lin Yu’an said slowly.

"A brick-and-mortar gaming retailer that you've probably all heard of, on the verge of bankruptcy. In the eyes of those financial giants, it's a corpse about to be buried."

“However,” Lin Yu’an’s eyes flashed with an unusual light, “there is a group, or rather, countless ordinary people, who are gathering together to launch a full-scale attack on these short-selling funds.”

"Scout said it sounds like a joke, but one fund manager he knows has already started to feel uneasy about it."

Emily immediately demonstrated her calm wisdom; she instantly understood the risks involved.

"Lin, do you mean you want to get involved in a market sentiment game between retail investors and institutional investors? This isn't investing; it's pure gambling!"

"Moreover, we are betting against the world's top financial giants, and we have no chance of winning."

“That’s exactly what I wanted to say.” Lin Yu’an gave her an approving look. “In the conventional world, we certainly wouldn’t stand a chance, but this time it’s different.”

"Because those hedge funds are too greedy, the number of stocks they short has far exceeded the total number of stocks actually circulating in the market. This is a fatal mathematical flaw."

He looked at Emily with burning eyes: "This is not a vague direction, but a powder keg about to explode."

"This is no longer value investing, but speculation based on human nature and mathematical loopholes. It's a game for madmen, because if you fail, you will lose everything."

"But... sometimes, the opportunity to change your destiny lies hidden in what everyone considers a crazy consensus!"

"What do you want to do?" Emily's voice was a little hoarse.

“It’s very simple,” Lin Yu’an said decisively, extending his finger. “I will invest all of the $1300 million that Arc’teryx received into GME in the next few days.”

This decision was like a bomb that exploded in the warm wooden house.

"Lin, this is insane!" Emily frowned. "This is almost all of our working capital!"

“I’ve done the calculations,” Lin Yu’an said, looking at her with confidence. “That’s why I’m insisting on not using the $420 million in our Nvidia account.”

He looked at the two of them and said, "That 420 million is our insurance, the ballast of this family. The worst outcome is that we lose this 1300 million, and GME's stock price goes to zero."

"But we still have over four million worth of quality stocks, and our quality of life will not be affected in any way. It ensures that we can launch this attack without any worries."

"But what if we bet right?" A terrifying light flashed in his eyes!
“This isn’t just a return of tens of times, Emily, this is an epic short squeeze. If successful, we will see this money grow to an unimaginable figure within a month!”

Lin Yu'an's words completely overturned Emily's understanding.

This is not a value investment that lasts for one or two years, but a fleeting, life-or-death blitzkrieg.

The immense risk and equally enormous potential reward put her under suffocating pressure.

Emily took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. She stared at Lin Yu'an and asked the most crucial question: "Lin, your confidence comes from Scout's information, right? How reliable is this information?"

Lin Yu'an looked at her approvingly, "That's why we have to be quick. Scout's sources have confirmed that several emerging brokerages that support retail investors are prepared to respond, but nobody knows how much pressure they can withstand from Wall Street."

"So our window of opportunity may only be a few days, or even shorter. My plan is to enter the market decisively during the upward trend and clear out all positions as soon as market sentiment reaches its peak. We are not greedy for the gold mine itself; we only take a portion of the gold that belongs to the mine."

After hearing this meticulous analysis, even the last trace of worry in Arya's eyes vanished. Looking at the man before her who seemed to have everything under control, her anxiety had long been replaced by trust, and she was the first to express her opinion.

"I support you! I trust your judgment! Just like when you wanted to buy Nvidia!"

Lin Yu'an smiled and handed the final decision to the most rational person in the family. He took Emily's hand: "Emily, what do you think?"

Emily gazed into his eyes, and in those deep eyes she saw no gambler's madness, only absolute control over the future.

She knew he must have his own deeper reasons. More importantly, he had entrusted her with such a crucial decision, one that she had only just learned of.

This trust was far more precious to her than any number in the account.

She took a deep breath and nodded slowly, yet with unwavering determination.

“Okay.” She said only one word, then added, “But you must promise me that you will strictly follow your plan and never be greedy.”

"I promise." Lin Yu'an tightened his grip on her hand.

A relieved smile appeared on Lin Yu'an's face. His confidence was certainly not unfounded.

This confidence, enough to stand up to the whole world, stems from a future he personally experienced deep in his mind, a future he could not share with anyone.

It was the dead of winter in 2020. Lin Yu'an's life, like GME's stock price, was dull and hopeless. He first noticed the stock on a forum at a Wall Street casino.

This forum is a gathering place for a group of retail investors who jokingly refer to themselves as apes and idiots. They use all sorts of vulgar emojis and slang to discuss various top-tier investment strategies.

Amidst the countless noisy posts, a user with the ID DeepFuckingValue stood out as an oddity.

Since 2020, he has been posting screenshots of his holdings day after day, firmly bullish on GameStop, the game retailer that everyone thought was on the verge of bankruptcy.

Lin Yu-an recalls that GME at the time was practically synonymous with failure. With the popularization of digital games, this company, which relied on selling physical game discs for a living, was completely abandoned by the times.

With its stock price hovering between $3 and $5 for years, sharks led by Melvin Capital swarmed in, frantically shorting it, betting that it was only a matter of time before it went to zero.

They borrow stocks from brokerages, sell them at high prices, and then buy them back at low prices once they become worthless. This is a classic predatory tactic on Wall Street.

But DFV and a few followers saw another side to the story. They discovered that Wall Street's greed had reached an appalling level.

By the end of 2020, the short-selling ratio of GME had reached an unbelievable 140%!

This means that there are more virtual shares being shorted in the market than the company's actual existing shares! This is a huge powder keg, enough to ignite the entire market.

Lin Yu'an also saw this data at the time, but like countless others, he simply regarded it as a strange and unusual event.

He couldn't believe that a mob on the internet could really shake those financial empires that control hundreds of billions of dollars.

Signs of change appeared in August 2021 when Ryan Cohen, founder of pet e-commerce giant Chewy, made a high-profile investment in GME, giving retail investors hope for the company's transformation.

The real tipping point came on January 11, 2022, when GME announced that Ryan Cohen would be joining the board of directors, and the powder keg was completely lit! The stock price broke through $30!

The entire Wall Street casino forum was in an uproar! Countless posts analyzing the possibility of a short squeeze were trending. GME was no longer just a stock, but had become a belief, a holy war against Wall Street hegemony!
Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

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(End of this chapter)