Avalanche

In Seattle, the sky is a bleak gray-white in the early morning.

Lin Feng stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window of the study at Eagle Creek Ranch, holding a cup of black coffee, gazing at the distant mountain ridgeline shrouded in a thin mist. The bloody incident that occurred at The Metropolitan Grill last night was like a stone thrown into a lake, the ripples spreading outwards in circles.

He glanced at the time on his phone—9:30 a. m. Eastern Time, Nasdaq had just opened.

There was a knock on the study door, and K walked in, holding a tablet computer, his expression unusually serious.

"Boss, something's happened at NLG."

Lin Feng turned around, walked to the desk, sat down, and placed the coffee cup on the table. "Speak."

K pushed the tablet in front of Lin Feng, the screen displaying NLG's real-time stock price chart. The green line was falling almost vertically downwards, like a knife that had been stripped of its support.

"Within fifteen minutes of trading, the price dropped by more than 22%, triggering the circuit breaker mechanism." K's voice was calm, but his speech was faster than usual. "The sell orders were extremely large and highly concentrated, clearly algorithmic trading. Someone is deliberately driving down the price."

Lin Feng stared at the alarming curve on the screen, his expression unchanged. He simply picked up his coffee and took another sip. "Anything else?"

"It's not just short selling." K swiped the screen, bringing up screenshots of several news pages. "Around 10 a. m., Western Finance Network published an exclusive report, citing so-called 'anonymous insiders,' saying that NLG engaged in large-scale financial fraud, inflating revenue by more than $300 million."

He paused, then added, "Immediately afterwards, a Chinese man claiming to be a minority shareholder of NLG held a press conference in New York, publicly submitting a whistleblower complaint to the SEC, accusing the company's management of manipulating financial statements and concealing related-party transactions. Fox Business Network and CNBC both broadcast it live."

Lin Feng put down his coffee cup, picked up his tablet, and quickly browsed the titles of several reports: "The Next Enron? The Mystery of NLG's Financial Black Hole" and "The United States Dream of the New Chinese Elite Shattered? Unveiling the Capital Mystery Behind NLG." Each article was highly sensationalized, and the accompanying photos prominently featured his image, taken from a public event, taken at a peculiar angle, making him appear grim.

He tossed the tablet back onto the table, leaned back in his chair, and let out a soft, enigmatic chuckle.

"They're quick," he said. "Someone died last night, and they're already working this morning. These guys really don't waste time."

K stood aside, not responding. He knew Lin Feng didn't need comfort or advice; what he needed was information.

"What's the reaction from retail investors?" Lin Feng asked.

"It's terrifying," K said. "Social media is flooded with negative discussions about NLG, and there are obvious bots stirring things up. There's a mountain of sell orders on Robinhood. Institutional investors aren't optimistic either; Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley both downgraded NLG's rating this morning."

What was the closing price?

"The stock price dropped to $18.47, a 47.3% decrease. Its market capitalization has evaporated by approximately two billion dollars."

After hearing the number, Lin Feng remained silent for a few seconds, then suddenly smiled.

There was no anger or frustration in that smile; instead, it carried the excitement of a hunter discovering the tracks of his prey.

"Two billion," he repeated the figure, "They're certainly willing to invest."

K frowned slightly. "Boss, should we do something now? Like issue a clarification statement, or contact our connections at the SEC...?"

"No need," Lin Feng interrupted him, his tone firm. "Doing anything now is useless. Once panic sets in, any clarification statement will only be interpreted as a guilty conscience. Even if we have connections with the SEC, we can't touch them now—since they dared to make such a big fuss, they must have been prepared. If we make any moves, we'll only expose our hand."

He stood up, walked to the window, turned his back to K, and looked out at the pasture shrouded in dark clouds.

"Let them smash it. Let them speculate. Let them think they've won." His voice was as calm as still water. "Once this storm passes, we'll settle the score."

K nodded and was about to turn and leave when Lin Feng called him back.

"By the way, those minority shareholders," Lin Feng turned around, his gaze sharp, "Has anyone contacted us?"

K thought for a moment, then shook his head. "Not a single one so far."

Lin Feng's smile deepened, "That's right."

He turned back, gazing out the window, his voice low as if talking to himself. "Truly innocent people would have panicked and called to inquire long ago if they saw this. Those who haven't contacted me are probably hiding something."

The study was quiet for a few seconds, with only the antique clock on the wall ticking away.

"Once this panic subsides a bit," Lin Feng finally spoke, his tone calm yet carrying undeniable weight, "We will buy back all the shares held by the minority shareholders."

K paused for a moment. "All of them?"

"All of them." Lin Feng turned around, his eyes sharp. "Short sellers in the stock market need to have enough shares to drive down prices. The amount of stock circulating in the market alone can't cause a 47% drop. Someone must have lent them their shares."

He walked back to his desk, picked up the tablet, and stared at the alarming green curve on it, his eyes growing colder and colder.

"As for which minority shareholders did it, I don't need to investigate them one by one," he said. "If they are truly innocent, they should be trying to contact me now. Since they haven't, it means they've chosen sides."

He handed the tablet to K, a barely perceptible chill in his voice. "Then let them pay the price for their choices."

K took the tablet and nodded solemnly. "Understood."

He turned and left the study, his footsteps fading into the distance in the corridor.

Lin Feng remained alone in the study, picking up his now-cold coffee again, but didn't drink it. He simply held the cup, gazing at the sky outside the window, his eyes deep and unfathomable.

It was getting darker and darker.

Dark clouds are gathering along the distant mountain ridge; a downpour is imminent.

He put down his coffee cup and whispered something only he could hear:

"Come on. Let me see just how many cards you have left to play."