Evaporation

"This is Mr. Lin Qi..."

Manson led a man carrying a briefcase into the room. With the prestige of being a suite at the Bu Peien Grand Hotel, everyone who entered was treated with greater respect.

Perhaps it's because Lin Qi can still afford to pay today, or perhaps it's because of the hotel.

The guy who arrived was dressed in a very high-end suit, but it looked like it hadn't been properly groomed for a while.

Every piece of clothing made of good materials needs careful care. Some of them even require special handwork. These clothes are no more durable than a baby's, and their storage requires the right temperature and even humidity.

He sat down cautiously, a fawning smile on his face, afraid of upsetting Lin Qi. He then placed his briefcase on the coffee table between them and opened it.

Inside were neatly arranged War Bonds, and the moment the briefcase was opened, it emitted a "fragrance" like banknotes—the smell of a special dye.

Manson stood to the side and introduced, "A total of 1.2 million in bonds, 3.7% of their face value..."

These bonds range in face value from 100 yuan to 5 yuan. The 100-yuan bonds are mainly for institutional investors, while the smaller bonds are for ordinary people.

But whether they are subscribed to by institutions or ordinary individuals, they ultimately lose their original value.

Lin Qi casually picked up a stack of bonds. This wasn't the first time he'd handled these bonds, but he liked the unique feeling they gave him.

In another world, the concept of money has been reduced to a number, much like in some science fiction novels. In the future, people no longer need to carry money with them; some terrifying scientific beings can complete all kinds of transactions and deduct or add to the numbers in people's accounts.

This has become a reality in another world, where money is indeed just a number. Lin Qi has never touched a banknote in the latter half of his life, and he has even forgotten what it feels like to hold money in his hand.

At that moment, the stack of bonds in his hand gave him a sense of satisfaction, security, and fulfillment that he had never experienced before!

Its heavy texture and the wavy texture left by the letterpress printing make it not much different from real money. In essence, the manufacturing methods of bonds and currencies are not much different, and the anti-counterfeiting methods are basically the same.

These bonds are about 20 centimeters long and 15 centimeters wide, and they look as exquisite as works of art.

After flipping through a few pages, he casually tossed them back and looked at Vera beside him.

Vera quickly calculated the amount Lin Qi needed to pay, wrote a number on Lin Qi's transfer check, had Lin Qi sign it, and then placed it on the table and pushed it over.

The person across the table had a strange expression when they saw the check, a kind of relief, since the bond market was getting worse and worse, and everyone was worried that it would really become worthless.

But he also felt a bit upset. He had spent a lot of money to buy these bonds. If he hadn't been so short of cash that he was forced to sell everything he could, he wouldn't have sold these bonds.

Deep down, he always felt that there might still be a chance to turn things around.

The two didn't exchange many words. After Lin Qi shook hands with the other person, Manson saw him off.

Lin Qi, on the other hand, set those bonds aside.

How much money do we have left?

Vera glanced at the notebook in her hand and gave a precise answer, "One million seven hundred and eighty-four thousand five hundred and twenty-five dollars."

Lin Qi sat back down on the sofa, complaining, "It's much slower than I expected. I thought it would be faster."

Vera didn't respond. She didn't know how to respond. Sometimes, what Lin Qi said wasn't directed at others, but at himself. This was something Vera had only recently realized.

Only by spending time together day and night can one discover things that are not usually noticed. She finds this very interesting. It is rare for someone to suddenly add a sentence or two to a conversation with another person, which would make the conversation difficult to continue.

At first, she didn't know whether she should speak or how to speak, but over the past few days, she has learned how to handle it.

A moment later, Manson returned after seeing his client off; he had come to collect his payment.

No one in this world will do things for others for no reason. There is some kind of motivation behind every action, but some motivations are obvious and some are not so easy to find.

Manson's motivation to help Lin Qi had nothing to do with Qiao Geliman; it was all about the money in Lin Qi's pocket.

According to the agreement between Lin Qi and Manson, two percent of the cash transaction amount would be Manson's personal commission. For example, in this case, the transaction amount was 44,400 yuan, and he would receive 888 yuan.

Manson flicked the newly printed check and was pleased with Lin Qi's quick action. Unlike some other employers, he wasn't one to try to cut corners, such as rounding down the amount.

Lin Qi wouldn't forget even a single dollar or a few cents; he was a serious person, which made Manson feel very at ease.

Lin Qi pointed to the sofa opposite him, Manson put the checks away and sat down. "We're acquiring things too slowly right now. I think it's time to speed things up. I can't stay here any longer."

Manson frowned slightly. "There are still relatively few people holding large amounts of bonds. Some people don't intend to sell their bonds, at least not at our prices."

This type of person still constitutes the majority of large-scale holders; as long as they do not have a strong need for cash in the short term, they can wait.

Lin Qi nodded noncommittally and offered another suggestion. "Perhaps we can acquire these bonds from ordinary bondholders."

Manson frowned slightly. Acquiring these bonds from retail investors was indeed a very effective method. Compared to the few large investors in the entire market, retail investors were the main force in the bond market.

"But these scattered bonds will cause us a lot of trouble, and we may not have time to rest all day!"

Lin Qi looked at Manson with a smile, "Three point eight percent. I don't care how much you paid for it, I'll only buy it back from you at three point eight percent. Deal?"

At first, Manson told Lin Qi that the price of designated War Bonds might exceed his initial estimate, but no one expected that over the next few days the situation would be much better than they had initially imagined, or rather, the market would be much worse.

International news outlets have begun reporting on the financial disaster in the Bayer Federation, with the Federal Industrial Index halved in four days and continuing to decline without finding any support.

All stocks are shrinking, and the entire Federal Financial Market has lost hundreds of billions. Last year, the Federal government's GDP was only 187.9 billion. The financial disaster has wiped out most of the wealth created by the Bayer Federation last year!

This prompted some people who were still observing to start selling their bonds, but the market is volatile.

When the situation turns bad, prices will definitely be pushed down, or even without being pushed down, those who desperately need some cash will cause prices to start fluctuating.

In addition to the problems in the Financial Market, some newspapers have begun to report more in-depth on the causes of this unprecedented Financial Tsunami, directly pointing the finger at the current ruling party and the Presidential Cabinet.

He further accused the government of foreseeing the disaster back in July, but said the Presidential Cabinet's diplomatic incompetence left people helplessly watching it unfold.

There's even a rumor circulating that the Bayer Federation might be affected in the next large-scale war and be unable to maintain its neutrality!

Amid political turmoil, the Financial Tsunami, and difficulties in International Community, bonds held by domestic Federal bondholders have become increasingly worthless.

Manson considered it for a while. If he were to acquire it himself, he could lower the price even further. Thinking of this, he couldn't help but be tempted. Money, or rather wealth, is the primary driving force for people's work and life.

"I can give it a try, but I can't guarantee I can finish it quickly..."

After shaking hands, Manson did not leave immediately, but brought up another matter, "Lin Qi, you know I have many friends here, and some of my work is under everyone's watchful eye."

Lin Qi nodded, and Manson continued, "These past two days, some people have noticed that I'm working for you now. Someone suggested that all the acquirers get together, partly to avoid potential conflicts in the future, and partly to prepare for some things."

Manson already knew Lin Qi's general idea. Most of those who bought bonds against the trend had the same idea. Since everyone had the same goal, why not sit down and talk? Maybe there would be opportunities to cooperate in the future.

They didn't know Lin Qi, and sending Lin Qi an invitation directly would be too abrupt and reckless, so they ended up entrusting the job to Manson.

Lin Qi had no reason to refuse. Just as these people thought, when their goals were aligned, why not work together? Managing such a large project was not something that could be done casually; it required the efforts of many people.

After Lin Qi agreed, Manson left to start raising funds to buy back the bonds held by retail investors. In fact, this task would be easier than he had imagined.

The logic is simple: people who can use hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash to buy millions of dollars in bonds can sell some of their assets to sustain themselves for a while longer.

However, people who spend thousands or tens of thousands to buy bonds often have no way out.

Even a hundred dollars could be a lifeline for these people!