In a humble apartment building on Manhattan's East Side, Evelyn arranged a safe house for Adam and Ben on the twelfth floor.
The room faces north and has no direct sunlight, making it look a little cold.
Ben sat in front of a top-of-the-line workstation, his fingers tapping rapidly on the mechanical keyboard.
Dense code scrolls through the screen.
"It's done."
His voice was markedly excited.
Adam got up from the couch and walked to the computer.
The file directory of the USB flash drive is displayed on the screen, and the originally encrypted folder has been cracked.
"Your father is such a cautious person."
This points to one of the folders.
"Triple encryption, and also set up a self-destruct program. If I hadn't reacted quickly, I would have almost disappeared. "
Adam's gaze is fixed on a folder called "Victoria".
Click to open, and there is a series of bank transfer records and fund flow charts.
The numbers are densely packed, but Adam can see the pattern at a glance.
"Where will this money go..."
His fingers swiped across the screen.
"They all point to the same place."
The book is close to the screen.
"Wings of Hope Children's Charitable Foundation?"
He frowned.
"Victoria laundered money with charity?"
Adam did not answer immediately.
He pulled out another document containing the shareholding structure chart of Victoria's company.
"It's not just money laundering."
His eyes flashed with some kind of danger.
"She's using this foundation as a white glove for insider trading."
According to the documents, the Wings of Hope Foundation has an unusually frequent flow of funds.
Whenever Victoria's "Fenghua Media" has a major project, the foundation will always buy a large number of relevant stocks in advance.
Then quickly sell to make a profit after the news is announced.
"This woman is smart enough."
Ben shook his head.
"Using the public's kindness as a cover, who would doubt a charitable foundation?"
Adam closed his laptop.
"But she made a fatal mistake."
He walked to the window and looked through the gap in the blinds to observe the street downstairs.
"She's too greedy."
3 p.m., Wall Street.
Victoria Vance sits in her office in Midtown, reviewing the quarterly earnings report of Fenghua Media.
The numbers are beautiful, and the stock price is steadily rising.
She picked up her coffee cup and took a sip.
The bitter liquid made her more focused.
The secretary knocked on the door and came in.
"Ms. Vance, the foundation is calling."
Her voice was careful.
"He said there are urgent matters that you need to ask."
Victoria frowned.
"What urgent matter?"
"They didn't go into detail on the phone."
The secretary handed over a note.
"It's just that it involves a recent large investment."
Victoria glanced at the time on the note.
4 p.m.
"Tell them I'll be there on time."
She closed the financial report and got up to get dressed.
"Also, notify the driver to prepare the car."
At the same time, in the safe house.
Adam was calling Evelyn.
"Dr. Reed, it's time."
His voice was calm, but there was a certain unsettling coldness.
"I need you to contact that New York Times friend."
Evelyn's laughter came from the other end of the phone.
"It's already arranged."
Her voice carries a clear pleasure.
Sarah Conway, senior reporter in the Investigative Reporting Department.
"Those who specialize in digging up financial scandals have a keen sense of smell like a hunting dog."
Adam wrote down the name in his phone book.
"When will she receive the materials?"
"An hour later."
Evelin paused.
"But remember, this is just an appetizer."
"The real feast is yet to come."
After hanging up the phone, Adam immediately logged into his trading account with Alpha Investment Management.
Account balance shows: $2.5 million.
His fingers rested on the keyboard.
"Ben, do you think the current stock price of 'Fenghua Media' is reasonable?"
This tune out the K-line chart of "Fenghua Media".
"$35.2, 22 times price-earnings ratio."
He calculated quickly.
"From a technical point of view, it's a bit overbought."
"But the fundamentals are quite solid."
A sneer appeared on Adam's lips.
"What if a scandal breaks out?"
He started operating on the trading interface.
Ticker: WM
Trade type: Short
Quantity: 71,000 shares
Leverage: 10x
Total position: $25 million
"Adam, are you sure you want to do this?"
Ben's voice trembled a little.
"This is a position of 25 million."
"If the judgment is wrong..."
"It can't be wrong."
Adam pressed the confirmation button.
The screen displays: The order has been submitted.
At 4 p.m. sharp, the Wings of Hope Foundation office.
Victoria pushed open the door to the conference room.
Inside sat several core members of the foundation.
Everyone's face was solemn.
"What's wrong?"
She sat down in the chair.
"Why are you in such a hurry to come to me?"
The executive director of the foundation handed over a document.
"Ms. Vance, we've got some not-so-good news."
His voice was small, with a clear nervousness.
"There are reporters asking about the source of funds for our foundation."
Victoria took the document and took a quick look.
It records the contents of several strange phone calls.
It's all about the relationship between the foundation and "Fenghua Media".
"Which media is it?"
Her voice became cold.
The New York Times.
The executive director swallowed.
A reporter named Sarah Conway.
"She claimed to have some evidence and wanted to ask for evidence."
Victoria's face instantly turned blue.
The New York Times' investigative reporting department is known for digging into financial scandals.
If they really target it...
"Contact our legal department immediately."
She stood up, her voice becoming harsh.
"Prepare a response plan."
"In addition, notify the public relations department of 'Fenghua Media'."
"They may need to cooperate in crisis public relations."
Meanwhile, in the New York Times editorial office.
Sarah Conway sits at a desk full of papers.
She held a kraft paper envelope in her hand.
The envelope contains some bank transfer records and a chart of the flow of funds.
"Where does this data come from?"
Her colleagues came over to take a look.
"It looks professional."
Sarah shook her head.
"Anonymous reporting."
She pointed to the postmark on the envelope.
"However, the authenticity of the data needs to be further verified."
She picked up the phone and dialed a number.
"Hello, is it the banking supervision department?"
"I'm Sarah Conway, a reporter for The New York Times."
"I want to verify the authenticity of some bank transfer records..."
At 6 p.m., the Wall Street trading session is coming to an end.
The stock price of "Fenghua Media" has been fluctuating around $35.
The volume was a little larger than usual, but there was no unusual fluctuation.
Victoria sat in her office, staring intently at the stock price chart.
Although there is no conclusive evidence that a scandal will break out, her intuition tells her that danger is approaching.
"Prepare funds to protect the disk."
She said to the financial director.
"If the stock price fluctuates abnormally tomorrow, buy support immediately."
The financial director nodded.
"How much money do you need to prepare?"
"Ten million dollars."
Victoria's voice was firm.
"Enough to crush anyone who tries to short us."
11 p.m., New York Times website.
An investigative report titled "The Capital Game Under the Veil of Charity" was quietly released.
The article disclosed in detail the suspected benefit transfer relationship between the "Wings of Hope" Foundation and "Fenghua Media".
Although there is no direct accusation of illegal acts, the words are full of doubts and hints.
Less than an hour after the article was published, major financial media began to reprint it.
Discussions on social media also quickly heated up.
"Another person who makes black money under the banner of charity!"
"These rich people really dare to make any money!"
"Strongly request relevant departments to intervene in the investigation!"
In the safe house, Adam and Ben sat in front of the computer.
Real-time online public opinion monitoring is displayed on the screen.
Negative reviews about "Wings of Hope" and "Fenghua Media" are exploding.
"Public opinion guidance is successful."
Ben looked at the constantly refreshing data.
"After the opening tomorrow, the stock price will definitely be impacted."
Adam's expression remained calm.
"This is just the first wave of attacks."
He pulled up the pre-market trading data of "Fenghua Media".
"The real highlight is yet to come."
At 9:30 a.m. the next day, the New York Stock Exchange opened.
The stock price of "Fenghua Media" opened low at the opening.
From $35.2 in the previous trading day, it opened directly lower to $32.8.
fell by more than 6%.
But soon, a lot of buying poured in.
Stock prices began to rebound.
$33.
$33.5.
$34.
Victoria's disk protection funds began to gain power.
"Keep buying!"
She gives instructions to traders on the phone.
"Pull the stock price back above $35 at all costs!"
"I'm going to make those guys who are short lose all their money!"
Meanwhile, Adam sits in the safe house.
Looking at the rebound in the stock price of "Fenghua Media", his expression did not panic at all.
Instead, he showed a meaningful smile.
"She took the bait."
He picked up the phone and dialed Evelyn's number.
"Dr. Reed, you can put in the second wave of materials."
Evelyn's chuckle came from the other end of the phone.
"It's ready."
"Friends at the SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) will be very interested."
At twelve o'clock at noon, the SEC's official website issued an announcement.
announced that it would conduct a formal investigation into the "Wings of Hope Children's Charitable Foundation" and its affiliates.
The reason is that it is suspected of using charities for insider trading and benefit transfer.
As soon as the news came out, the entire Wall Street was shaken.
The stock price of "Fenghua Media" instantly collapsed.
Diving straight from $34 to $30.
Then continue to fall.
$29.
$28.
$27.
The volume has expanded sharply, and there is clearly a large number of panic selling.
Victoria's disk protection funds are a drop in the bucket in the face of huge selling pressure.
"Keep buying!"
She was in the office ranting into the phone.
"Invest all the funds you can use!"
But the decline in stock prices cannot be stopped at all.
$26.
$25.
$24.
Trigger the circuit breaker mechanism and the transaction is suspended.
Victoria slumped in her chair, her face pale.
The 10 million funds she invested in protecting the disk have lost more than 4 million.
And that's just the beginning.
After the circuit breaker, the stock price continued to fall.
$23.
$22.
$21.
Every beat made Victoria's heart twitch violently.
The business empire she had worked hard to run for many years was collapsing before her eyes.
At the close of the afternoon, the stock price of "Fenghua Media" was fixed at $20.3.
It fell as much as 42% in a single day.
In the safe room, Adam looked at the profit and loss data of the trading account.
Book profit: $10.87 million.
Combined with the principal, the total assets have reached $13.37 million.
"Oh my God..."
Ben's eyes widened.
"In one day, we made more than 10 million?"
Adam closes all short positions.
"This is just the first step."
His voice was calm, but his eyes flashed with a cold light.
"Victoria's pain has just begun."
On the TV news, the picture of Victoria facing the reporter's questioning is being played.
She was wearing a black suit and her face was haggard.
When facing the camera, the elegance and calmness of the past are gone.
"Ms. Vance, may I ask what is your response to the SEC's investigation?"
"Is there really a violation in the fund operation of the foundation?"
"What do you think of the collapse of the stock price of 'Fenghua Media'?"
The reporters' questions came one after another.
Victoria's face became more and more ugly.
"I have nothing to say."
She pushed away the reporter who was in the way, hurriedly got into the car and left.
But the camera still captures the panic and fear in her eyes.
At that moment, she was no longer the high-ranking financial queen.
Just a poor woman who is cornered.
Adam looked at the picture on the TV screen without any mercy in his eyes.
Only ice.
"That's the price."
He whispered to himself.
"Pay off debts and kill your father to pay for your life."
"It's just interest."
[System prompt: The first counterattack was a great victory, the fund's assets exceeded 10 million US dollars, Victoria suffered heavy losses, and the threat level was reduced]
At night, Stirling Capital Building.
Richard Sterling stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, holding the K-line chart of "Fenghua Media" in his hand.
The huge penis line stung his eyes.
"Julian."
He said without looking back.
"Go find out who Victoria has offended recently."
Julian stood at his desk with a solemn face.
"Boss, do you suspect that this attack was man-planned?"
Sterling turned around, his eyes shining with danger.
"It's by no means an ordinary person to be able to do it so cleanly."
He threw the candlestick chart on his desk.
"The timing is too accurate."
"First public opinion guidance, then official investigation."
"There are masters behind this."
Julian nodded.
"I will start investigating immediately."
"But boss, do we need to worry about this opponent?"
Sterling sat back in his chair, picked up the whiskey and took a sip.
"Worried?"
He chuckled.
"I'm starting to be interested in this opponent."
His eyes flashed with some kind of excitement that only a predator had.
"It must be interesting to be able to play Victoria so badly."
"I think I will meet him."
Outside the window, Wall Street is still brightly lit.
But beneath this bustling surface, an even bigger storm is brewing.