Chapter 44 You've really screwed me over, leaving me with nothing but my underwear!
In stark and tragic contrast to the celebratory atmosphere of "We're rich!" permeating the Trading Department Seven office, the options departments of various private equity firms are currently overwhelmed by the impending doom.
Among them, the unlucky ones who had sold a lot of put options before were the most trembling, like those with late-stage Parkinson's disease, their teeth chattering.
"There probably won't be any sell orders today, right?"
Someone asked in a voice barely audible, filled with desperate pleading.
"Are you crazy? Sell it now? Did he get his brain slammed in a door or kicked by a donkey?"
The colleague next to her retorted irritably:
"Look at these option prices! They're just sitting there, but they're skyrocketing every day. That bastard who's got our lives in his hands, he'd have to be insane to sell them now!"
"Damn it... which son of a bitch is it? Who's holding so many damn put options?"
Someone growled hysterically, their eyes bloodshot.
Blood? It's long since drained away. What's flowing now is yellow bile and black heart's blood.
In their view, the mysterious tycoon who held a huge number of put options was simply playing a cat-and-mouse game.
They revel in watching these pathetic creatures wail in agony amidst the ruins of the stock market, finding pleasure in the thrill of controlling the lives and deaths of others.
The longer the time drags on, the more the stock market crashes, and the more valuable his options become. Even a three-year-old understands this!
Does he have any reason to back down now? No!
Despair, like thick black ink, spread silently throughout the department.
Everyone had given up hope and was preparing to line up to go to the rooftop.
"Sigh, I can't do anything, I guess I'll just have to wait to die. I'm going to have a smoke to keep myself going..."
A trader who looked utterly hopeless stood up, preparing to go to the stairwell to take a drag of nicotine to numb his senses.
Just then—
"It's out! It's out!" A trader who had been staring intently at the screen suddenly screamed, his voice trembling.
"What? What are you yelling about!"
"Sell order! A sell order has appeared! That mysterious person is shipping out goods! Grab them now! Everyone, grab them at any cost! Hurry!!"
The traders who were just moments ago slumped over their desks, leaning back in their chairs, or drawing circles and cursing the world in the corner, instantly came back to life upon hearing these words!
They jumped up from their seats as if they'd been electrocuted and lunged at the keyboard and mouse!
His eyes were wide open like copper bells, his fingers moved like phantoms as he frantically tapped the buy button, sparks flew from the mouse clicks, and he seemed to be using every ounce of strength he had!
The guy who shipped the goods was also very cunning; he wasn't stupid enough to dump all the goods at once.
Instead, they control the pace, releasing the quantity little by little, like squeezing toothpaste, keeping the price high and releasing it slowly.
This made the people rushing to buy the goods even more nervous; their hearts were pounding in their throats, and they didn't dare to breathe.
They were terrified that if they hesitated, their keyboard froze, or their network connection malfunctioned, their life-saving bargaining chips would be snatched away by other institutions that were also frantically buying them!
"Whoosh—whoosh—"
After a period of frantic, chaotic buying reminiscent of a world war, the smoke of battle finally cleared up temporarily.
"How is it? Have you closed all your positions? How much have you closed?" the department head asked in a trembling voice.
"Most...most of them have been liquidated, thankfully..."
One of the traders in charge of the operation slumped in his chair, panting heavily, his face pale and his forehead covered in cold sweat.
"Although the price was ridiculously high, at least... at least I closed out my position..."
A group of people, as if they had just returned from the brink of death, slumped down at their workstations, panting heavily, the air thick with sweat and the exhaustion of despair.
Although buying back these put options at such a high price means they've lost so much money they're practically unrecognizable.
This year's bonuses for the department, next year's budget, and even some people's jobs may all be in jeopardy.
but!
At least a more tragic outcome was avoided:
For example, a complete margin call could occur, triggering a chain reaction, ultimately leading to everyone packing up and leaving, and the next day's headline would be "XX financial institution goes bankrupt and is liquidated."
The feeling was like the last second before execution, with the executioner's sword raised above his head, when suddenly an imperial edict came: "Spare his life!"
The mysterious figure who had tormented them to the point of near death and sleeplessness inexplicably took pity on them at the last moment and loosened the noose around their necks.
"Why...why is he selling now?"
As the tension receded like a tide, a huge, glittering question mark slowly rose above everyone's foreheads.
"Yeah, it's so strange! You can make even more money just by leaving it untouched! Look at it now, even though his selling has caused the price to drop a bit, the overall trend is still clearly upward!"
This is the kind of time to lie down and count money, or pick up money until your hands cramp up!
He actually kicked away the pie that was falling from the sky and kept getting bigger?
This is utterly illogical, inhumane, and contrary to common sense!
Are you out of your mind?
"Who knows? Maybe they need the money urgently? Like to buy an aircraft carrier, airplanes, or small islands or something?" someone speculated.
"Could it be... that there's some inside information we don't know about?"
Another person suggested a more plausible, yet more chilling, possibility:
"Just like how he was able to accurately buy up stocks before the market crash, this time... did he know something in advance again?"
"What kind of news could there be? The regulators haven't made a single move! And the stock market is still in freefall, isn't it?"
"Whatever! Damn it! I'm too lazy to think about it! I couldn't figure it out even if I racked my brains!"
"Thank goodness it ended like this! If he had kept it up for a few more days, we would have really been lining up on the rooftop! These past few days, I've been staring at that stupid sales slip so much that my eyes are practically popping out of their sockets! I've used up several bottles of eye drops!"
That's it, let's leave it at that. Don't dwell on it. Be content with what you have, at least you're still alive.
If it falls any further, I really don't know what might happen that's more terrifying than going to hell.
"Alright, alright, you've all worked hard." The department head forced a smile and clapped his hands.
"Be thankful we escaped with our lives. Come on, let's really go have a smoke this time to calm our nerves..."
However, fate seemed determined not to give them even a moment's rest.
The unfortunate manager had barely finished speaking when he was about to take a puff of smoke to relax his tense nerves...
"Wait, wait! Manager! Look!!"
A trader who had been staring at the news terminal suddenly let out a scream of even greater terror than when he had just discovered the sell order.
The manager, who was about to have a cigarette afterward, was interrupted from his "spell," turned around with extreme impatience, his face full of "Is this ever going to end?"
"What the hell is going on now? What kind of trouble is this this time? Is the regulatory authorities up to something again?"
"Yes!!!" the trader shouted with all his might.
"ah?"
The manager's eyes widened instantly, and he rushed to the nearest monitor, with the others swarming around him as well.
On the financial news channel, a serious-looking female anchor is rapidly reporting breaking news in a tone of "witnessing history":
The Securities Regulatory Commission has just announced:
To maintain market stability, effective immediately, shareholders holding more than 5% of shares in listed companies are prohibited from reducing their shareholdings through the secondary market!
All selling transactions by the relevant major shareholders will be suspended!
In addition, it has been reported that a national-level investment fund has confirmed its entry into the market to rescue it and take measures to stabilize the market!
At the same time, the People's Bank of China announced an interest rate cut...
"Prohibit major shareholders from selling? Holy crap! These lunatics! What are they up to now?!" the manager exclaimed in shock.
The extremely harsh and forceful administrative intervention, akin to "pulling the plug," which prohibits major shareholders from reducing their holdings, coupled with interest rate cuts and the entry of the National Team...
The intention behind this thunderous combination of punches is all too clear!
After the market plummeted and teetered on the brink of collapse, regulators finally stopped playing dead and stepped in to "set things right" and forcefully rescue the market!
As a result, the stock market, which is teetering on the brink of collapse and in free fall, will inevitably experience a strong, or even retaliatory, rebound!
So here's the question... about those put options they just bought back at a high price...
"So...the price we just paid...wasn't that...precisely positioned at the summit of Mount Everest?"
The manager's voice was trembling, almost choked with sobs.
"...I'm afraid so." The trader nodded with difficulty, his face looking worse than if he were crying.
Less than ten minutes after the news broke, the prices of the put options they had just bought at any cost plummeted like a kite with a broken string, plummeting by half and then by another half!
And judging from the way things are going, they're going to keep falling into the abyss!
How low can it fall? Who knows!
It might end up as a pile of waste paper!
"Just...just a few minutes short..." someone muttered to themselves, their eyes vacant.
If, if that mysterious person had waited just a few more minutes, until this news broke before making their move...
Then they can buy back these hot potatoes at a much cheaper price, or even at a price close to waste paper!
Maybe...
There's no need to buy it at all!
Because by then, those options were worthless!
"..."
A deathly silence enveloped the entire office.
Everyone was stunned, frozen in place, as if they had been petrified.
After a long time...
"...Who exactly is it?"
The manager asked in a voice filled with a deep-seated fear and bewilderment.
At this point, this question is no longer just a matter of curiosity.
"Damn it!! Which son of a bitch is it?!"
He slammed his fist on the table and roared hysterically:
"You've ripped me off so badly I'm practically broke!!! Who the hell is this bastard?!"