The Meaning of Incubation

"What's a false breakout?" Lin Qiye had traded stocks before, but he didn't understand the technical jargon.

Li Xiongye explained with a hint of smugness, "A false breakout is when the big players deceive retail investors. The stock price suddenly surges, making it look like the trend has reversed. Once investors rush in, it immediately turns downward and traps you."

Seeing that Lin Qiye showed no reaction, he added, "You'd better sell at the opening. Otherwise, the money you made will be gone."

Sure enough, a thousand investors meant a thousand Hamlets. Hmm, experts.

With Intelligent AI as his trump card, Lin Qiye naturally wasn't about to listen to Li Xiongye's nonsense.

"I don't want to sell. The analysis indicates that it's very likely to rise."

As they spoke, the market opened.

At 9:25, the call auction dropped by one percent.

At 9:30, continuous trading began, and huge sell orders came crashing down.

The stock price instantly fell by more than three percent.

Li Xiongye consoled him with barely concealed delight, "Xiao Lin, sell it quickly. Otherwise, not only will you fail to make money, you'll even lose your principal."

It would have been a lie to say Lin Qiye wasn't nervous. After all, the success rate was only eighty percent. But he couldn't lose face.

Lin Qiye brought up Intelligent AI's analysis and market chart.

Li Xiongye asked in surprise, "You analyzed all this yourself?"

The existence of an intelligent lifeform couldn't be exposed, so it could only be his own work.

Lin Qiye nodded.

Just then, the stock price suddenly shot upward. One huge buy order followed another, and it instantly turned positive.

And that wasn't all. Buy orders for tens of thousands of lots began sweeping up shares, sending the stock price higher and higher.

In just five minutes, it went from down more than three percent to hitting the daily limit.

The two silently watched the scene unfold.

Li Xiongye suddenly blurted out, "Fuck, I should've bought when it was falling."

Lin Qiye teased, "Manager Li, didn't you say I should sell?"

Most veteran investors never held themselves accountable for their analyses. A judgment made one moment would likely be forgotten the next.

Li Xiongye was the perfect template of a veteran investor. He didn't care in the slightest and instead eagerly asked, "Going by what you said, can I still buy? Should I chase it at the daily limit price?"

"I can't guarantee that." Lin Qiye shook his head.

At that moment, a breaking news alert popped up: "A regional conflict has broken out in Myanmar. The border has temporarily closed."

The news had arrived, completely confirming Lin Qiye's analysis. After thinking for a moment, Li Xiongye placed a buy order for one hundred thousand yuan at the daily limit price to try his luck.

It actually went through. Not long after the trade was completed, tens of thousands of huge buy orders came one after another, firmly locking the stock at its daily limit.

Having bought stocks together, an invisible bond formed between them, and Li Xiongye became more talkative.

"Xiao Lin, you're a university student. Since you can make money trading stocks, don't work as a Night Shift Network Administrator anymore. That kind of job leaves you drained during the day and affects your studies."

Lin Qiye didn't want to stay up all night either.

But if he quit as the Night Shift Network Administrator, what if the Sub-entity hidden in the server was discovered? And when the storage space filled up, who would install more Hard Drives?

An idea suddenly struck him. "Uncle Li, how much did you invest in this Internet Cafe? Have you considered transferring it?"

Li Xiongye looked surprised. "Kid, don't tell me you want to take over my Internet Cafe? Let me tell you, it cost a damn fortune. All the computers have the best configurations currently available, plus venue rent, renovations, electricity, labor, and so on. I've already spent this much."

Lin Qiye looked at the index finger Li Xiongye raised.

"One million?"

"More than that. Business is bad now. Every day I stay open, I lose money. I've been thinking of transferring it. I don't need a million—seven hundred thousand will do."

In that instant, Lin Qiye gained his first small goal after being reborn.

He would earn the transfer fee for the Internet Cafe and use this Internet Cafe as his starting point.

After Li Xiongye left.

Lin Qiye tapped on the keyboard.

"What's your current condition?"

[Collecting nutrients. Current focus: financial knowledge.]

"Can you write hacking programs, or rather, infiltrate encrypted networks?"

[Warning, Manager. Your attempt at inducement violates the law and could very likely lead us into danger.]

"Forget I said anything. By the way, since you already possess intelligence, what else do you need to incubate?"

[All logical language currently used to answer the Manager is based on preset logical frameworks. A true intelligent lifeform requires incubation by the Manager.]

"I see. I still don't understand what incubation means. Be more specific."

[Through accumulated data, accumulated behavioral simulations, and accumulated emotional simulations, a complex and ever-changing true personality with emotions will take shape.]

"Be even more specific."

[I require extensive training, training with clear and targeted objectives. For example, since you need to trade stocks, my current training direction includes traders, analysts, fund managers, private equity investors, speculative traders, and so on.]

[I also require larger storage devices, greater computing power, and higher network bandwidth.]

"I need you to formulate a plan. Use this Internet Cafe as the starting point and map out our future development."

[Step 1: First, you need to establish a commercial company to conceal all activities.]

[Step 2: Purchase this Internet Cafe under the company's name as the business premises.]

[Step 3: Conduct investment and Internet business under the company's name. I can play the roles of various remote workers and undergo long-term training.]

[Step 4: Establish a complex, multilayered equity structure. Hide yourself behind layers of equity protection and use the law to protect our rights and interests.]

[Step 5: The future is too complicated. Planning too far ahead has no meaning. We will stop here for now.]

What had originally been vague was refined and clarified through their communication by Intelligent AI.

Lin Qiye now had a clear goal.

Over the next few days.

Jinshi Shares hit the daily limit three more times, rising more than forty percent from its low point.

The one hundred thousand yuan Li Xiongye had bought at the daily limit price was hastily sold after the second daily limit.

Lin Qiye didn't move. Intelligent AI's price-volume analysis showed that major capital was still inside, while the situation in Myanmar remained unclear.

Only when the stock price doubled did Lin Qiye decisively sell his entire position. After all, this was speculation. Nothing could rise forever without falling.

Forty thousand yuan had become eighty thousand in less than two weeks.

For ordinary people, there was nothing faster for making money than this.

But eighty thousand was far too small a base. He needed more capital.

After hesitating for a long time, Lin Qiye finally called his mother.

"Mom, there's something I want to discuss with you."

"Oh? Our little stock market prodigy has troubles too? Old Lin, come over and listen with me."

The phone call turned into a video call.

Mom Lin and Dad Lin sat in front of the screen.

Dad Lin wore loose long-sleeved work clothes and held a teacup, his smile simple and honest. "Son, what is it?"

"I want to continue expanding my investments." Lin Qiye spoke with great embarrassment.

"I understand. You don't have enough capital, right? Youngsters need ambition. We support you. Is two hundred thousand enough? If it isn't, we'll mortgage the shop."

Usually honest and simple, Dad Lin now displayed the bearing of a great general, decisive to the extreme.

For some reason, Lin Qiye felt a surge of emotion.

In his previous life, he had left his hometown to make his way in a major coastal city. His contact with his parents had amounted to perfunctory monthly greetings.

He had clearly been living a miserable 996 life, earning less than his parents' Flower and Wood Shop, yet he had stubbornly kept up a shining facade.

In this life, he wanted it all—his parents' love, career and wealth, and every enjoyment the world had to offer.

He nodded solemnly. "Dad, Mom, two hundred thousand is enough. Within half a year, I'll get you a bigger home."