Past Life Returner - Chapter 341

Chapter 341
China had outlined its position on the gold standard for the renminbi. They basically stated that if the world assigned the renminbi as the global currency, then they would convert other countries’ money into gold at any time.

This was why the value of gold now surpassed its previous high from the Day of Advent, as even ants started selling off their stocks. The media made a fuss that global hegemony had been handed over to China, and the global public were now paying attention to the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX).

The link between gold and the renminbi was tightly intertwined, and numerous derivative products were intricately connected. This led to a vast amount of documentation on these products, which could make up a thick book. Even I found it difficult to comprehend, as the situation was caused by the extensive efforts of Chinese financial engineers. I wondered how many of them would actually have a complete understanding of it.

They called the derivatives ‘Small Golden Fish.’ A ticking bomb was attached to the small fish, and China was waiting for the right moment to detonate it. They would do so when the dollar and other global currencies reached a point of no return. At that moment, the renminbi would rise to prominence as the world’s dominant currency.

Then, the Chinese would brazenly say, “Despite our best efforts, the gold standard was abolished.”

Bang!

After pulling the trigger, renminbi would turn into pieces of useless paper and the derivatives that had inflated to an extreme would become more worthless than the renminbi and get stuck to the ground.

Bang! Bang!

At that point, all currencies would become rubbish, and the global economy would be plunged into a bottomless pit that nobody could touch. That was the Chinese authorities’ plan.

It sounded scary, but China’s lack of awareness that the war would end even before reaching that phase would lead to their significant defeat. If they called this operation ‘Golden Fish,’ then we would call it ‘Blitzkrieg[1].’

***

We moved, and the Jonathan Group’s headquarters guide pretended she knew me personally.

“Ethan! It’s so nice to see you in good shape. But have you not heard the news? The CEO is in Korea.”

“I’m here to see Brian Kim,” I replied.

A moment later, Kim Cheong-Soo greeted me with a puzzled look on his face because I had just talked to him through facetime minutes ago. Thanks to Jonathan’s returning stone, I managed to arrive in New York within a few seconds.

Anyway, the employees at the headquarters were exhausted since many things had happened over the past month. Energy drinks were piled up on each table, and many were taking illegal stimulants for the money and the sake of their current job.

The same went for Kim Cheong-Soo as I sensed a fabricated liveliness in him. His energy was being artificially induced by drugs. When I arrived at his office, I found a portable medicine case full of pills. He followed my gaze and asked without shame, “Is it true that the Awakened don’t need to sleep?”

I responded, “The duration we can stay awake varies by section, and it’s important for us to also get some sleep.”

He remarked enviously, “Hmm, let’s imagine what would it have been like if I was Awakened.”

I shook my head. “Then, you wouldn’t have been here. One of my aides is Kwon Seong-Il.”

“You are talking about Caliber, right?”

I nodded. “That’s right. He wields people like weapons, but you do that with money. There is no need for you to envy the Awakened because you are stronger than most of them.”

“Thanks for saying that.”

Kim Cheong-Soo’s chair had been warmed through him sitting longer enough to now be classified as ‘hot.’ With six monitors on his desk, each displaying four open windows, it was evident that he was in full control of the battlefield.

I expanded the New York Mercantile Exchange website, which was one of the battlegrounds. Enormous transactions were taking place that were beyond the usual scope. The incessantly soaring trading volume suggested that all the capital that could be mobilized around the world was being concentrated there. The funds from Big Four, including Jonathan Group, were pouring in there.

I commented, “China must be smiling now without knowing what is about to happen.”

That was true. They might have assumed that we would only transfer funds from the Big Four, without taking into account those from the paper companies.

“How long does it take to digest everything?” I asked.

Kim Cheong-Soo responded, “At this rate, I think we will have a strand in an hour.”

“What’s the dollar trend?”

As China had played its gold standard card, the race was on for speed. The longer we delayed, the more the value of the dollar would diminish.

Kim Cheong-Soo continued, “It’s still on the decline, but I’ve done the calculations. I can finish this by the end of today.”

“Okay. You said they are baby fish, right?”

He nodded. “Yes.”

I grinned. “Take them all in. We will start cooking after that.”

***

“Hahahahaha-!”

China’s Minister of Finance cried out in joy as the little golden fish were swimming wild. His plan was going smoothly. The country had successfully released the fish on the New York Mercantile Exchange and drawn the world’s attention to them. Since then, torrents had been swirling in accordance with the physiology of the capital market.

He shouted at the monitor, “Yes. Yes! It has to be like this! This is the capitalism that you can’t live without!”

The vast trading volume on the New York Mercantile Exchange exemplified the nature of capitalism, setting a record as the largest in the history of the financial world.

He agreed that the power that moved the entire world, even Russia and oil-producing countries, was absolute as they had broken off diplomatic ties with China. Nonetheless, the trend favoring money represented true capitalism. Not even the most powerful entity on earth could quell during a time when the world order was shifting in such a manner.

Attempting to do so would be defying the will of heaven, but, as evident, such a thing wasn’t possible. Everyone was going crazy as they couldn’t pick up the golden fish!

The Minister of Finance banged his desk in excitement.

Bang bang bang!

Following his outburst, he became bitter. If only he had a few more years, then current operations could have been executed using China’s power rather than bombs, establishing themselves as the center of the world. China’s currency could have stood on its own atop other existing currencies.

An hour after that, the Minister of Finance was in the washroom. He usually had to strain to get all of his urine out, but that was no longer needed. His urine stream was as strong as it was during his prime. He finished the job with a satisfied expression as if this was the first joy he had felt in decades.

He suddenly remembered a young girl he had taken as his mistress, feeling that his vitality would return at night as his power of urination had also come back.

Nice, nice. I should enjoy this while I can. There is no need for me to worry about the future now.

When he came out of the washroom, he walked slowly in the hallway. As he was in charge of the Golden Fish, he wished to relish the feeling of triumph within the building.

However, things became weird as he started to see more people running around in a hurry. He looked around nervously to check if any of the defiant Awakened had trespassed. If so, then he should have heard the sound of fighting between the soldiers and the invaders outside the window, but strangely, the disturbance was only taking place in the building.

No way. It’s impossible for the operation to go wrong in that short time I went to take a pee.

When he approached one of his subordinates from behind, the guy flinched as if he had seen a ghost.

“What is going on?” he asked.

“The counter-sales have begun.”

It meant that the operation was being put on hold. The minister sat where his subordinate had stood up from. The scale of the counter-sales exceeded his comprehension just by looking at it. Everything seemed to be under control up to that point.

However, the issue was that all of the buying power had dissipated all of a sudden. The buying trend, which had been sustained, was being driven by a small number of regular investors. It was safe to say that the buying trend had stopped now.

“It’s okay. It’s no use pressing it now.”

“…Look here.”

His subordinate enlarged several other windows. From then on, the numbers began to blur in the minister’s vision. What typically occurred on a minor stock market was unfolding on the ground where China had gone all-in. It seemed that the golden fish were being manipulated by a group of people with the same purpose as China.

The minister became ghastly pale and began to feel dizzy. His subordinates helped him to stumble to his office. He needed to pull himself together. The Small Golden Fish were aggressive derivatives, but they were futures exchanges, so they were linked to the Chinese gold and renminbi.

This meant if the group that controlled the fish didn’t liquidate their position, the spot had to be delivered to them. All of China’s gold and renminbi!

The product wasn’t made after seeing it this far in the first place. The minister shook his head like crazy because he had only considered the current situation as a hypothesis. No group could fully bear the bubble that had swollen to more than a trillion dollars. Particularly, in this world where the value of the dollar was falling fast!

It was impossible even if the Big Four, the financial empire of the West, collaborated together.

No. No… This is impossible even if heaven and earth opened up together!

The minister stared at the monitor and began to collate the data. He was doing his best to the point where he had lost his sense of time. When he suddenly came back to his senses, two hours had passed.

He staggered out of his seat because he wanted to pee even though he hadn’t had any water since he had come back from the bathroom. The hallway leading to the washroom was still noisy, but he couldn’t hear anything. All he could see were the numbers he had looked at for the past two hours.

Multiple groups had seized control of the Golden Fish, selling and buying among themselves to minimize losses and maximize profits. This happened all the time in controlled capital.

However, the minister couldn’t hide his anxiety.

What if they don’t liquidate? What if they really want us to deliver the goods?

He desperately wanted to void, but he couldn’t pee no matter how hard he tried even though it had gushed out two hours ago.

Right then.

Thud!

The washroom door made a loud noise with a brittle shock. The first thing that the minster saw was the military boot that had kicked the door. Soldiers and police poured into the washroom.

“Minister of Finance! You should come with us!”

Only then did the minister realize that he had forgotten the most important fact. He should have taken his pistol from the drawer instead of coming to the washroom.

“Is there something you want to say?”

A forceful voice was directed towards the bewildered minister, who mumbled while gazing at his poorly functioning penis.

“This… this… this is not… capitalism…”

1. A military tactic characterized by a swift and overwhelming surprise attack, using a combination of air and land forces. ?