Time flew by swiftly under Su Ming's well-organized plan, and without significantly altering history, the stock market crash still occurred at the original time.
On the morning of October 29, 1929, as the market opened, the New York stock index plunged from its historical high of 363 points, and countless people went bankrupt on the spot.
As a prophet, Su Ming had cashed out all his stocks beforehand, and his assets had now reached nearly $200 million. The stock market over the years could truly drive people mad.
During the bull market years, people said that if you had five dollars, you should invest in the stock market, sell the stocks in the afternoon, and you could buy a General Motors L-type car.
There was no limit on the rise or fall of American stocks. If your broker allowed leveraging, it was a breeze to turn five dollars into a thousand dollars in a day.
People stopped working, many went to the stock exchange every day, watching their five dollars turn into a thousand, then a thousand into ten thousand, and ten thousand into a million.
Newspapers constantly hyped up the bull market, claiming that a thousand new millionaires emerged in New York daily.
And this was a million in 1929, which would be a colossal number in the future.
But in the end, the dream shattered, and the false bubble was ultimately fake.
Su Ming had initially invested about three to four hundred thousand over time, and through a series of stable operations over the years, turned it into thirty to forty million. At the peak, he took the opposite position by diversifying bets and short-selling through dozens of New York brokers, instantly earning so much money by leveraging.
The speed at which you make and lose money in the stock market is terrifyingly fast. Many don't understand the power it holds as a tool of national finance...
Within six hours of Black Tuesday, $500 billion evaporated from the U.S. stock market, and Su Ming merely plucked a feather before it got too hot.
This was all legal, and the money was clean, ready for investment.
The money came too easily, making him feel that perhaps he should just quit being a mercenary and become a financial tycoon. With waves of stock market crashes in the United States, if he got involved every time, he'd soon become the richest person in the world.
The future still held opportunities like the Plaza Accord, dismembering the Fur Bear, all were great opportunities to profit greatly.
But what use is having more money? It only makes him feel empty.
In the Marvel World, without superheroes around currently, he could coast along and plan for the future. But as time goes on, more and more characters would appear.
Su Ming can't just be a bystander, he would inevitably get involved in various events to gain what he wants to enhance his abilities.
But that meant a transmigrator involved in the story would surely cause a butterfly effect. By then, who knows, Thanos might just get a wild idea and act without following the movie, directly destroying the cosmos like in the comics. What then?
Even if Su Ming might survive with X Metal, if the cosmos is gone, what's the point of money?
That would truly be 'the person is gone, money unspent.'
Maybe by then, he could only clutch those few stones given by Dr. Manhattan and find a way to make a living in another universe.
He is not a superhero, unwilling to do things without benefits. So, his identity as a mercenary gives him an excuse of being hired to appear on battlefields he wants to be in.
At this point in time, the Inhuman Race on the Moon must exist. The Black Panthers of Wakanda are present through generations, and the Mandarin should still be a warlord, and perhaps there are others unknown to Su Ming engaging in activities somewhere.
So his plan must continue, and he can't put his hopes on others saving the world.
He realized when in DC, if he hadn't personally gotten involved in events, things could have gone awry. The original plot kept changing to the point where even the Laughing Bat, who broke through boundaries, appeared.
Now, while he still has the advantage of first-hand knowledge and foresight, preparing early is the right thing to do.
Su Ming held a wine glass sitting in his Peace Restaurant. Black Tuesday brought about the Great Depression, but as an intoxicant, business had unexpectedly improved recently.
People no longer have money for other leisure activities, only relying on alcohol to numb themselves and reminisce the good days past when surrounded by the stock market bubble, everything seemed flourishing.
"Bang!"
A dull sound came from outside the door, and Su Ming sighed.
He had lost count of how many times this had happened today. He put down his wine glass, walked to the bar counter, and tapped on the table, instructing his bartender.
"Call the police station again, tell them to send someone quickly for street cleaning."
Peace Restaurant is in a basement, not located in a particularly prosperous place, just a residential building in an ordinary alley.
Usually, those who jumped from here were the building's residents.
Those who used to have more taste would like to jump on Wall Street, look at the stock exchange before jumping, painting a little red flower on the street.
"My money! It's all gone... ah~~~~ bang!"
"Wooo... the stocks are all worthless paper... hahaha, bang!"
"Haha, damn United States! F*** you! Bang!"
But now, that place is already under martial law, the surrounding buildings are all sealed off. Su Ming didn't join in on the excitement, he just heard that over there this week, people wanting to jump off buildings like the Morgan Mansion and the Rockefeller Building had to line up, with over a thousand jumping within days.
The taller the building, the more popular it was, but now even Su Ming's six-story small building could hardly avoid it. Wall Street was sealed off, so people could only jump from the roofs of their own homes.
"Boss, the police station said they don't have any more manpower, we have to deal with the bodies ourselves."
The bartender, wearing a red vest and a bow tie, replied to Su Ming with a helpless expression. They were all people without any losses. Su Ming had strictly required his employees to sell their stocks before Black Tuesday.
Some people didn't understand at the time, but under the heavy pressure from Su Ming and Gin, they had no choice but to comply.
Unexpectedly, this saved their lives and once again mythologized Su Ming's ability.
Even though there were no losses, and everyone more or less made a profit from the stock market, just the surrounding residents alone recently saw at least dozens dying in front of the bar, including some old patrons.
President Hoover organized a rescue of the market, but Su Ming knew he would not succeed, there would be an even more severe stock market crash waiting for him next year.
"Alright, call Gin to come meet me, bring a few strong men along."
Su Ming rested his head and sat down by the piano. Although it was daytime, the bar business was almost the same as it used to be at night, full of drunk people everywhere.
The pianist rested during the day, so only Su Ming himself occasionally played. Music from the future, coming from the real world, could help soothe his mind, those songs seemed to awaken the ordinary side of his soul, helping to mitigate the influence of bloodthirsty desires.
Since discovering this, over the years he hadn't learned much else in the bar, but he did learn how to play various musical instruments.
His memory was excellent, having heard many songs before, he could try and replay them, such as "Some Kind of Love Business" or "Most Dazzling That Wind".
There was no choice, he had heard them too much before, at the start of recalling, they were the first to emerge.
Like every other gang leader of this era, he was dressed in the finest handmade black suit, holding a cigar, with his hair styled in the fashion of the times.
Except he wore a yellow smiling face badge on his chest instead of a handkerchief or rose, making his style seem a bit odd.
He placed his hands on the piano and started to play, clearing his throat, and began singing softly.
He wasn't playing music of this era but rather the most popular bar piano piece after the 1970s, "Piano Man".
"It's nine o'clock on a Saturday morning, the regular crowd shuffles in. An old man sits next to me, making love to his tonic and gin. He says, 'Son, can you play me a melody? I can't remember how it goes, but it's sweet and it's bittersweet...'"
The clear piano sound echoed in the underground bar, Su Ming's voice appeared deep yet clear. This was a song completely different from this era, filled with a sense of future and a laid-back attitude toward life.
This isn't a motivational song in the traditional sense, more like a bar pianist reminiscing about daily life, but it's precisely these seemingly ordinary lives that at this moment highlight the preciousness of life.
The drinking patrons seemed to see the past in the music, reminded of what they were like in their youth. They indeed lost a lot, but there was no necessity to die over it.
No matter who they were, maybe stowaways, or their ancestors, they were just as empty-handed when they arrived in the United States.
Since they could survive, so could they.
Even though they owed money to the bank and couldn't repay it, quite a few banks themselves had gone bankrupt, the debt wasn't their immediate concern.
Gradually, smiles appeared on the patrons' faces.
This wasn't the first time Su Ming had done this. Although he's not a good man, he couldn't help everyone avoid losses because he couldn't do that. This national financial disaster wasn't something an individual could reverse.
Their money wasn't taken by Su Ming but vanished into thin air with the bursting of market bubbles.
But now, at least Su Ming could persuade them not to die; he knew everything would be better if they held on for a few more years.
When Roosevelt came to power in 1933, the New Deal would let everyone survive. During this time, if they were willing to work for Su Ming, then Su Ming could fully support all of his guests in New York City.
"Sing us a song, you're the piano man, Sing us a song tonight, Well, we're all in the mood for a melody, And you've got us feeling alright..."
Su Ming gently pressed the last few keys, stood up, and walked towards his room.
He nodded with a smile at the applauding crowd. Except for his employees, no one knew he was actually the owner of the liquor company. In their view, he was just a frequent visitor at the bar, often chatting and playing with them, a really good person.
But that feeling wasn't bad, Gin could shoulder the blame, that's what the junior was for, isn't it?
He snapped his fingers, signaling the bartender to offer a round of drinks on the house. In the crowd's gratefulness, he subtly indicated for the arriving Gin to follow him.