Chapter 888: The First Shot

The news that the cruise ship had been found hadn’t fully spread; some even thought it was fake.

The fake news was meant to stop the chaos in Eminence these past days.

So many wealthy people disappeared, dealing a devastating blow to the Federation’s financial markets. Every trading day opened like a fresh disaster.

Yesterday, news that the cruise ship was found and all the wealthy passengers accounted for caused the Federation’s stock market to surge sharply at opening this morning. Many financial workers finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Sometimes, trapped funds can’t be cut loose so easily.

For example, you buy a stock for a million; the price crashes, leaving only 700,000 in your account.

If you hesitate, another drop could reduce it to 300,000 or 400,000.

Is this possible?

Yes, it is.

The Federation’s financial market has always been synonymous with freedom, with minimal outside interference, purely following market changes—creating many miracles.

Some stocks can jump from a few cents to several Sol or even tens of Sol within one day, multiplying market value several times over.

But some stocks priced at tens of Sol can crash below a Sol in a day, bankrupting countless people.

Anything can happen in Eminence—good, bad, or neutral.

When people risk losing almost all their wealth in a moment’s lapse, can they exit the market?

Some might, but most hold onto the nearly impossible hope that their stocks will rise again.

Most people’s ignorance of finance leads them to bring unrelated concepts into it—like boxing.

They believe a boxer who lost his title only had a temporary defeat and will reclaim his glory.

They treat stocks like people, assuming a stock once worth ten Sol is more likely to rebound than one stuck at one or two Sol.

It’s foolish but common. People think a fallen giant is still a giant, unaware that in finance, the moment a giant falls, capital devours it completely.

Some say the news about the cruise ship’s discovery is just the Federation’s attempt to stop the stock downturn. Speculators spread rumors to suppress the market.

At morning opening, the Federation Industrial Index rose sharply but soon fell again.

The government lacked solid proof that the rescue succeeded. Frequent calls and rumors stoked panic—until Lynch’s press conference.

Even then, some didn’t believe Lynch had returned. Some said only Lynch came back. Confusing rumors spread, but some believed them.

This only increased the desire to see Lynch, hear what he had to say, and learn what happened during that time.

The press conference was held in the city hall auditorium of the coastal city.

Other venues were unsuitable for serious news; this place was just right.

From media notification to gathering took less than three hours—Penny’s agent was quite capable.

Lynch sat in the backstage makeup room, getting a light touch-up.

“I want to look more worn and angry, but keep the makeup subtle. I don’t want anyone to notice I’m made up.”

Sitting in the chair, Lynch looked in the mirror and gave instructions.

The makeup artist agreed and skillfully adjusted his appearance.

With minor shading on his temples, eyebrows, eyes, and jawline, Lynch looked both angry and exhausted.

The conference was set for 3 PM—a delicate time, about an hour before market close.

As reporters grew impatient, Lynch appeared in the auditorium amid heavy security.

Reporters instantly stirred; they could tell if he was real or not, and wanted first-hand information.

Fortunately, they remembered Lynch’s rules—he disliked rude or reckless interviews. Despite eagerness, order was maintained.

Lynch stayed serious, raised a hand to quiet the room, and said, “Questions come later. First, I’ll say what I need to say.”

“This disaster shouldn’t have happened. It wasn’t just bad luck—someone played an unworthy role.”

“That role is played by EveryMoment Company…”

A sudden stir swept the room. EveryMoment was the largest Coluff manufacturing and retail group in the Federation and worldwide. It wasn’t just a public company anymore.

It represented the rules of the Coluff industry, was the rule-maker, and was valued at over a billion.

EveryMoment and Coluff were tied to many industries, like tobacco.

The Federation Tobacco Company donated heavily to support women’s right to smoke publicly, matching men’s rights.

They even developed a special process to bake tobacco early, reducing harshness and throat hit, making cigarettes more acceptable to women.

This led to women’s cigarettes becoming popular among youths, boosting tobacco sales dramatically—EveryMoment benefited too.

Their business included Coluff, tobacco, alcohol, tourism, and more.

Now Lynch struck hard at EveryMoment’s reputation—this meant a total break. How could Lynch so recklessly challenge a company worth over a billion?

As reporters nearly shoved microphones into his face, Lynch signaled his guards to restore order and tossed out a few unruly reporters. The rest respected his rules.

“I say this because when trouble began, we found problems, but EveryMoment refused to let the cruise dock, promising it was a minor issue that would be quickly resolved.”

“But in reality, because of their mistakes—possibly intentional—we nearly died at sea!”

“More importantly, this was no random attack. It was an assault by the warlords of Marilo, aimed at EveryMoment Company!”

“We became the victims. Everyone on that ship like me suffered due to EveryMoment’s faulty decisions and its conflicts with those warlords.”

Lynch raised his right hand, pointing at the ceiling, his voice filled with rage. “Innocent victims!”

Within ten minutes, EveryMoment’s stock, which had just started to recover, plummeted.

Lynch’s accusations were severe. If true, EveryMoment would face the wrath of hundreds of wealthy investors, and federal security agencies would launch a full investigation.

No one is absolutely lawful in any society, at any time, anywhere.

Take an ordinary pedestrian on the street—is he completely lawful?

Maybe he missed some taxes, spat on the ground, or threatened to hit his child.

All are illegal acts.

If even a law-abiding person has faults, imagine a large corporation.

It’s said that no company in the Federation can withstand a thorough investigation; every one has serious issues.

How did EverBright collapse?

From just a casual investigation—

Beneath the surface problems lie deeper, more concrete issues. Those in power believe if a company must have problems, even if it’s clean, at that moment it will be seen as problematic.

Federation capitalists push legislation to suppress competitors; EveryMoment cannot resist.

As Lynch publicly blamed EveryMoment for unavoidable responsibility in this incident, the company’s CEO couldn’t stay silent.

He publicly called Lynch’s claims nonsense and threatened legal action, promising to assemble a legal team to defend their rights.

Near market close, EveryMoment’s stock had fallen to 40% of its value from a week ago—and kept falling.

If it weren’t a real company with strong-selling products, it might have gone bankrupt in less than an hour.

In finance, companies based on real assets have stronger risk resistance.

But that didn’t matter this time, because soon the wealthy would return.

They had gone to the spring expo to take a break from busy lives—never expecting to almost lose their lives.

Even if Lynch hadn’t targeted EveryMoment, they would have.

Everyone knew what happened on the ship—the captain deliberately refused to dock.

Now that they’re back safely, they want to unleash their anger.