Big Deal

Berlin, this international metropolis, had suddenly grown desolate. It was nearly eleven o'clock, yet row after row of shops remained shuttered and locked.

A familiar yet unfamiliar term entered Hans's mind—"market strike."

As if realizing something, Hans immediately ran toward the telegraph company.

Seeing the protest march approaching from ahead, Hans unconsciously stopped. After spotting several familiar figures, he turned around and left without hesitation.

There was no helping it. Even the telegraph company's employees had taken to the streets in protest. At a time like this, it was already impossible to send the news back.

At the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, Flores was studying the constantly updated trading data.

This was one of the perks included with renting the office. There was no need to check the figures in the main hall; he could simply send someone to the back office to print out the listings.

Recently, the stock market as a whole had been trending toward stability. Aside from those stocks that had trapped investors, everything else was rising slowly.

Just then, a middle-aged man walked in with a smile. The newcomer was Feren, the owner of another securities company in the office.

Three rival firms being crammed into the same office spoke volumes about their relationship.

In a stock market where big fish ate little fish and little fish ate shrimp, banding together was also a survival strategy for small securities firms.

Flores asked with concern, "Feren, you seem to be in high spirits. What good news have you brought?"

Information-sharing was also part of their cooperation. For securities brokers, keeping a constant eye on market changes made gathering intelligence indispensable.

Large securities companies had dedicated teams handling such work. Small firms like Flores's lacked the financial means to support teams like that, so they could only gather