Time Was Running Out

It was ten o'clock—a magical hour.

Pan Wang Group had surged 281%, then abruptly reversed and began a rapid plunge!

Block after block of massive sell orders drove the share price down without pause.

"Brothers, we got played—run!"

"It's over. We got harvested like leeks again."

"I bought ten lots at 1,100. I thought I'd finally get to eat meat today—I'd even booked the club for tonight. I looked away from the market for a moment, and my profit turned into a loss."

"Brothers, don't panic! Let's all pile in—everyone buy one lot and prop the price back up!"

"Charge, charge, charge!"

In Pan Wang Group's comment section, some cursed, some gloated over others' misfortune. Every facet of life was on display.

"Charge my ass. Do you people even realize how massive Pan Wang Group is? You think us retail investors can push its price up?"

"Brothers, the wind on the rooftop is so strong. I'm scared."

"I sold my house, paid off my loans, and put in 600,000. Now I'm down 21%..."

At market close that day, Pan Wang Group's stock stood at 875 per share, with a total market value of 8.75 trillion!

Over the following week, Pan Wang Group continued to drift downward in a slow, relentless slide, its share price falling even further.

Under the combined efforts of a group of top institutions, retail investors were shaken out one after another.

There was no helping it. Retail investors had rushed into Pan Wang Group full of joy, only for its stock to fall day after day. Meanwhile, the broader market had been doing well lately, and other stocks were rising across the board.

Watching this unfold, the retail investors trapped in Pan Wang Group completely lost their minds.

Watching others make money hurt even more than losing money themselves!

A crowd of retail investors painfully cut their losses.

"I'm done playing. Give me my money back!"

"I thought I was buying the bottom of Pan Wang Group, but turns out it bought the bottom out from under my home."

"I'm deleting the app. If I ever trade stocks again, I'm a dog!"

"The dealer behind this stock is disgusting!"

"Give it a rest. With a market cap this huge, where would a dealer even come from?"

As time passed, the uproar caused by Pan Wang Group's listing was swiftly buried beneath other market hot spots.

Wang Pan also gradually retreated behind the scenes and stopped making public appearances.

With ample funds at his disposal, Wang Pan poured even more into the research facility.

Backed by an ocean of capital, every team in the laboratory advanced by leaps and bounds.

It was no exaggeration to say that the laboratory Wang Pan had built was the undisputed number one in the world across numerous specialized fields, including materials, medicine, and robotics!

"Secretary Liu, come to my office."

Though Wang Pan's hair had turned completely silver, he remained healthy and full of energy.

That year, Wang Pan was seventy.

"Yes, Boss."

After hanging up, Liu Yun swayed into the office with an enchanting gait.

A long while later, Liu Yun straightened her rumpled clothes and left the office.

"Secretary Liu, come to my office."

"Yes, Boss."

"Strange. Why do I feel sore all over, with pain in my lower back? Looks like I really can't refuse to admit I'm old."

Wang Pan lay on the sofa, panting heavily. He rubbed his waist, where a dull pain throbbed.

"You're not old at all, Boss. Your body is still as strong as ever."

Liu Yun lay sprawled in Wang Pan's arms, the hair at her brow soaked with sweat, her misty eyes looking as though water might drip from them.

"Why do I feel like I've forgotten something?"

Ignoring Liu Yun, Wang Pan sank into thought.

"Something's wrong. Arrange it immediately—I need a checkup!"

He shoved the woman off him and made a call to issue instructions.

Half an hour later, the results of all the tests came out.

"I knew it. With my body, how could I feel back pain and leg cramps after just one time?"

"So it was already the fourth time."

Wang Pan's expression twitched, and his kidneys seemed to hurt even more.

"If I hadn't sensed something was off, I might not have had to wait until I was eighty-seven, fishing without a helmet and getting smashed to death. I'd have met my end on this woman today!"

Alzheimer's Disease had arrived!

Wang Pan's memory had begun to fail.

He had believed today was the first time he had called Liu Yun into his office to exercise.

But in reality, after exercising, Wang Pan had forgotten about it and turned around to call Liu Yun into his office again.

"Why hadn't the team that examined me before detected it?"

"And why hadn't the people responsible for my security noticed that my behavior was abnormal today?"

Wang Pan was imposing even without anger. The crowd below trembled in fear.

"Boss, this was our dereliction of duty. I guarantee there will never be a next time!"

"You've been with me for nearly twenty years, yet you're still this careless. Sigh. Be more careful next time."

"Deal with the people around me. Replace them with a new batch."

"Also, prepare a flight overseas immediately."

After saying that, Wang Pan left without caring about the pleas for mercy behind him.

The plane landed at the airport, and Wang Pan arrived at the laboratory under the protection of a large security detail.

"My time is running out. My memory is deteriorating, and my brain is beginning to atrophy as well."

"One year. At most, I can give you one year."

Having gathered the managers of every research team, Wang Pan tapped his fingers against the table.

Once. Then again.

Without realizing it, the group's heartbeats were influenced by the rhythm of his tapping. Their hearts beat in time with it, and they felt as if invisible hands had clenched around their hearts.

"Boss, rest assured. Our research will succeed!"

"We need a large number of volunteers!"

The group hurriedly gave their assurances.

"Very good. When the research is complete, I will let you witness my generosity."

To Wang Pan, money was merely a number. So long as they accomplished what he demanded, he would not begrudge them money.

"Understood!"

"Don't worry, Boss. We definitely won't let you down!"

The crowd below grew excited.

Wang Pan's promise carried considerable weight. Over the decades, he had established that trust in their hearts through his actions.

After the researchers left, Wang Pan went to Panwang Security's base.

There were many bad things about being abroad, but there was one good thing: if you had money, you could buy anything.

With Wang Pan pouring in funds regardless of cost, Panwang Security now had more than 150,000 employees, along with a vast quantity of weapons and equipment.

Twenty li from the laboratory complex stood Panwang Security's headquarters.

"Recall the top twenty combat teams. At the same time, activate the air-defense system. Place everything within fifty li under martial law. Monitor the laboratory twenty-four hours a day. Allow entry only—no one leaves."

At Wang Pan's command, the behemoth that was Panwang Security began to move.

One elite combat team after another, upon receiving the order, began rushing back to headquarters. Even teams still carrying out missions abandoned their targets without hesitation and withdrew directly.

"Why are some people always unable to see themselves clearly?"

Wang Pan let out a soft sigh. A storm was brewing.

After so many years, no matter how carefully Wang Pan concealed himself, exposure had been inevitable.

Wang Pan's files had long since been placed before certain powerful figures.

Yet after learning what Wang Pan intended to do, everyone had tacitly reached the same understanding: they would pretend they had seen nothing!

Wang Pan's research was not being conducted in their own countries. It could not harm them.

Using another man's money to accomplish their own goals.

Since Wang Pan was willing to invest so lavishly, these people were more than happy to let him.

After all, even if it failed, they would not be spending their own money, so they would suffer no loss.

But if it succeeded, it would be enough to change the existing order of the world!

And these people were not whom Wang Pan guarded against. He had long ago reached an agreement with the others and promised to share the technology.

It was precisely this unspoken consensus with them that ensured Wang Pan's laboratory never lacked top talent or cutting-edge equipment, and its research progressed faster and faster.

Normally, he also turned a blind eye to certain researchers, pretending not to see them passing along information.

If he wanted the research to continue, Wang Pan had no choice but to compromise with these people.

After all, if they truly intended to cause trouble, Wang Pan could only abandon the work of many years. What he was doing could not bear the light of day.

But that did not mean every stray cat and dog was qualified to come and take a slice of the pie!