"Impossible! It can't drop!"
Mr. Klein sat among the crowd in the room. Many neighbors from the community, colleagues from his company, and some friends surrounded him.
For people who had invested nearly their entire fortunes, the sudden plunge in silver was like lightning suddenly striking a clear winter sky. It was impossible to accept! Some of them had been trembling since they arrived!
These people had wagered everything—even borrowed money to invest.
If the market reversed this time, everything they had worked thirty or forty years to obtain could vanish in an instant.
At that moment, they were like men standing on a chopping block. At any time, someone might order them to kneel and chop off their heads amid their utterly meaningless pleas! Mr. Klein's firm reply made them draw a sharp breath. Like drowning people clutching at a lifesaving straw, they looked at him with eager hope, wishing he could convince them that everything would pass.
Mr. Klein looked at them, his gaze sweeping over each face. Then he said solemnly, "Use your heads. You should know that there can't possibly be an open-pit silver mine in this world with such terrifying reserves of high-purity silver."
"Do you understand what I mean?"
"From the very beginning, it was a lie. Or someone exaggerated the figures. I don't believe such a mine exists!"
Once they calmed down, the people began thinking carefully. It seemed that Mr. Klein was absolutely right. Something that was obviously an outrageous claim could not withstand serious scrutiny.
The people seemed somewhat convinced. A trace of relief appeared on each of their faces, followed by... calmness. It was like suffering from constipation for a long time, then suddenly feeling the narrow passage loosen just enough to glimpse Dawn of Victory! "Furthermore, ladies and gentlemen,