Shadow Empire

Chapter 1034 Incentive

Cooper always feels a unique sense of novelty whenever he comes to New Gold City.

For example, a place he vaguely remembers might suddenly become unfamiliar, perhaps because a new skyscraper has been erected there.

It's also possible that some changes have occurred to the surrounding buildings.

He once wondered why real estate developers in New Gold City were always doing something meaningless.

They demolish and rebuild houses repeatedly, wasting money on this. What is their purpose in doing this?
He doesn't think this is a profitable business. You see, you spend a million to build a building, then tear it down, and then spend two million to build another building.

Even if the building is worth three million after it's built, you'll still have a significant deficit. You'll only make money when it's worth four or five million.

But by then, they might demolish the house again and rebuild a new one on its ruins.

Even today, he doesn't really understand this principle and reason. Being middle class doesn't mean being omnipotent; at least in this matter, he is indeed somewhat powerless.

The ever-evolving new gold market gave him a special feeling. Sitting in the stockbroker's car, his eyes kept scanning the things around him.

Suddenly, he felt the car noticeably turn slightly, then pull over to the side of the road and move slowly forward.

"What happened?" he asked, glancing at the stockbroker who was driving. The next second, he saw a convoy of luxury cars pass by them.

Without a doubt, the other party was returning from the direction they were heading.

"Whose convoy is this?" Cooper couldn't help but turn around and look at the luxurious cars that gleamed in the sunlight.

The glossy finish of the piano mirror made him feel an irresistible urge to rush over and touch it; the feel of it must be amazing!
It won't feel harsh or cold; instead, it will give you a smooth, youthful feeling, just like a young girl's skin.

His dream is to buy a luxury car, even though he could definitely afford such a nice car with his current money.

However, being able to afford it and buying it for fun without any burden are two different things.

Just as some people can easily own a luxury item worth hundreds or thousands of dollars, others need to grit their teeth to afford it.

They may both be owners, but they are two completely different groups.

The stockbroker glanced at the departing convoy through his rearview mirror and, as one of the city's most well-informed people, immediately recognized it.

"It's the Lance family's convoy, and Lance himself is very likely in the car."

Cooper turned his gaze away from the luxury car, which had disappeared from sight in the distance. "Was this Lance very impressive?"

"And how did you know it was their car?"

Cooper hopes to develop his career in New Gold City in the future, since it is the financial center of the Federation and even the world.

His stockbroker couldn't help but explain with a touch of smugness, "The Lance family is a mafia family, and it's said that most of its members are Imperials; some people call them the 'Imperial Gang.'"

"However, they publicly identify themselves as the 'Lance Family' because their leader is named 'Lance White'."

"What's interesting is that this Lance White is a Federation citizen, and his identity is somewhat special."

"Special?" Cooper was clearly intrigued by the topic. "How special?"

“He was born in the suburbs of Jingang City. He was abducted as a child and sold into a black factory to work. He didn’t find a chance to escape from the black factory until he was seventeen or eighteen years old. Based on his limited childhood memories, we found his home.”

"Later he found a job in the neighborhood, but because he was a very disciplined and honest person, many people began to flock to him and follow him."

"In the end, they did some good things, exposed some of the dark secrets of high society, and became well-known."

“Some people say that it is precisely because we did this that those upper-class gentlemen labeled them as gangsters so that they could use the federal police to suppress them.”

"But who knows about these things?"

The stockbroker shrugged. "Anyway, I don't care who he is, whether he's a good guy, a bad guy, or whatever. It's none of my business."

"As for how I could tell them apart?"

"This is actually even simpler. In New Gold City, only their fleet uniformly uses a red waistline that's a hand's width wide. And if you look at the markings on their car pillars, there's an 'L·W', then it must be a Lance family car."

Listening to the stockbroker recount these rumors about the city and high society, Cooper couldn't help but exclaim, "You know so much!"

The compliment brought a smile to the stockbroker's face. "It's nothing really. Once you've been in this city long enough, you'll realize that there are almost no secrets here."

The car quickly rejoined the traffic flow and soon entered the congested Detland Roadside.

The stockbroker parked the car in a parking lot at the street entrance. "There definitely won't be any parking spaces there, it's Monday!"

He explained, "It's only a five-minute walk from here to the hotel, so you can take a look around!"

Hope Mining booked a large auditorium in the most luxurious hotel on Detland Street to host all the high-shareholder investors invited to the dividend distribution meeting.

They can stay for free and enjoy hotel services without paying anything extra; everything is covered by the company.

As the two walked, Cooper asked a question, "How much did you invest?"

The stockbroker didn't react at first, "What?", but he quickly realized what Cooper was asking, and he immediately smiled and said, "I invested about 170,000."

Of the money, only 80,000 yuan was his own; the rest was obtained through financing or loans from various institutions.

He knew his investment was somewhat impulsive, but at the same time, he couldn't resist the thought of such a fortune, which he desperately wanted to stuff into his mouth, disappearing right before his eyes.

Hearing that the other party could come up with so much money, Cooper wasn't surprised, but rather somewhat amazed. "And now?"

"Do you have 400,000 yet?"

The stockbroker's face was beaming. "No, it's about 340,000 to 350,000. I haven't checked it today, but it should be more than that."

"Wow!" Cooper exclaimed with surprise. "You've achieved financial freedom!"

When the federal government promotes the federal dream, it naturally knows that every beginning must have an end. If it is a road with no end, even if it looks good, not many people will set foot on it.

Therefore, the federal government promoted some well-known social activists and scholars to instill a very special concept in the public—

When a person has a net worth of 200,000, he can completely give up his job and still live very comfortably.

Many experts have listed various ways to manage this wealth, such as how much money to save, how much to invest, how much to purchase high-quality assets like real estate, and how much money to have left over.

They constantly instill these concepts in the public, and given that federal savings interest rates have indeed increased in the past two years, this narrative has become very popular.

When people chat and talk about their medium- to long-term goals, they often mention 200,000 yuan.

The stockbroker clearly knew why Cooper was saying those things, and he laughed and waved his arm. "Who wouldn't want more?"

"Fortunately, we seized this excellent opportunity. Such an opportunity may only come once every ten or twenty years!"

"do you know?"

"Before I called you, I had actually called many other people and told them that there was a stock that could change their lives and their families' destinies, and it was waiting for them to subscribe."

"But the vast majority of people here did not react at all to my reminders. Some of them even thought I was a scammer and that I was calling them to cheat them out of their money."

"Only you, Cooper, you are the one who trusts me the most, so I will reveal some information to you!"

“We will prove to those who don’t trust me that my professional ethics are up to par!” Cooper nodded vigorously. “I believe in you!”

This was actually the first time Cooper had ever met his stockbroker in person, and the first time he had ever spoken to him so closely. Yet, he felt an instant connection with this ethical stockbroker.

The two chatted and soon arrived at the hotel where they were attending the profit-sharing meeting. After showing their invitations, they were invited to an auditorium on the third floor of the hotel.

This place can accommodate thousands of people, so accommodating some invited investors is not a difficult task.

Not long after the two were seated, the profit-sharing meeting began. The first person to go on stage was a middle-aged man who looked to be about thirty-seven or thirty-eight years old. He introduced himself as the president of the mining company.

This was Cooper's first time attending such a large financial conference, and everything seemed new to him.

He had previously attended industry skilled worker exchange meetings organized by the labor federation, but those meetings were far inferior in quality to this one.

The girls in the corridor, who looked young and beautiful and exuded youthful energy, all had sweet smiles on their faces.

Cooper glanced at her furtively, and the girl immediately noticed. She walked over, slightly bending over, her ambition evident. "Sir, is there anything I can help you with?"

Her breath smelled sweet as she spoke, and Cooper, not daring to look away, said somewhat flusteredly, "No, it's nothing, I'm fine, thank you for your concern."

The girl nodded. "If you need anything or don't understand something, feel free to call me anytime."

She turned back after she finished speaking.

The stockbroker sitting next to me couldn't help but chuckle twice. "If you like him, you can give her your room number. There's a good chance she'll come to your room tonight before you go to sleep and give you a surprise."

"And all you need to pay is probably two or three hundred yuan."

Cooper glanced at the girl again. She was still smiling sweetly at him. Only then did he notice that she had dimples, which made her smile very charming.

He turned around with a slight panic. Since he turned thirty, no girl had ever smiled at him so sweetly.

“You just said…”, he turned to look at his stockbroker, “two or three hundred?”

The stockbroker shrugged. "You've never been here before. You don't know anything about this place."

"In Detland, everything has a price."

“An item in a shop window, a piece of bread in a counter, or…”, he glanced at the girl, “a girl who can make you feel good about her.”

"Money is God here. No one can refuse God, nor are they allowed to refuse God. That's the rule here..."

Cooper was somewhat confused; he didn't know whether he should give his room number to anyone else, but...

Just as he was wondering what to do, the applause around him drew his attention back to the conference itself.

"Next, the company's development will enter a very fast track, and we will acquire more mining companies at very low prices."

"Based on the company team's assessment, our profits will be between 40 million and 50 million by the end of this year."

"Because of the war, many metals were classified as strategic resources. It can be said that as soon as we bring them from the soil to the ground, they will turn into money the moment they come into contact with the air."

"Our profitability, long-term operation and profitability, have already ranked among the top ten in the industry."

"At the same time, due to some restrictions, as you know, the Federal Reserve is always worried that we might disrupt the market by talking nonsense, so I can't reveal too much."

"But I can tell you that good news will come one after another, and if you still intend to hold our company's stock, then you have made a very good decision."

"If you intend to increase your stock holdings, then I must congratulate you; you have already grasped the code and key to wealth."

"Of course, if you plan to reduce or liquidate your holdings of the company's stock, I can only say that I regret to inform you that when the new era arrives, we will be standing on the rooftop, and you will only become part of our scenery!"

As he spoke, he pulled back the red cloth covering the cart beside him, revealing a mountain of cash piled up underneath. "Alright, let's start distributing the money now. I know you've all been waiting impatiently..."

As more beautiful girls appeared, they carried trays filled with banknotes and presented them to everyone. At that moment, each investor received a tremendous emotional response.

Cooper excitedly took the banknotes off the tray. Although it was only three thousand dollars, it was equivalent to his entire salary last year.

His investment in Hope Mining lasted only two months.

We've covered most of what needed to be said; now it's time for open questions and conversation.

Someone stood up, took the microphone from the girl next to them, and said, "Mr. President, I'm very curious about the company's upcoming big move. Can't I reveal anything about it?"

The president laughed heartily, "Of course not, lest the Financial Regulatory Committee cause me trouble, but as I can tell you, this is absolutely a very, very big piece of news."

"Our market value will grow dramatically. We will become a financial miracle in the federal and even global financial system this year, and we will become the focus of investment banks and big capital."

"And you will go through all of this with us!"

The more he said that, the more curious people became. Cooper turned around and asked the stockbroker sitting next to him, "Didn't you say you had some inside information?"

"What big news is it?"

Upon hearing the word "insider information," everyone around turned to look at the stockbroker.

Although he cursed inwardly, he didn't show his panic on his face. "It's not convenient for me to say, since there are too many people here."

He glanced around at the people around him, then lowered his voice slightly, "It's not appropriate for me to discuss this with you in public. Let's talk about it when we get back."

His words drew many people's attention away from him and towards his name tag, and they remembered his name.

Judging from his attire, it's highly likely that he works in the industry.

With his name on the list, finding him here is incredibly easy.

Cooper remained unsuspecting because, before the president announced the news, the stockbroker had said he had inside information, and it turned out to be true that it was indeed information known only to insiders.

Then, people kept standing up to ask questions. They were very interested in the company's strategic plans for this year and next, including whether there was any intention to continue expanding their scale in the Asia-Pacific region.

Their mining resources are now concentrated in the Lapa region, and they have the strength and ability to continue expanding outwards.

The president's answer was quite simple: they did indeed have such a plan.

Each person who stood up raised some interesting topics, leading Cooper, who was watching the spectacle, to think that the participants in the meeting were all highly educated.

At least he can't ask those substantive, insightful, and meaningful questions; he only asks things like how much he'll get next year.

These questions and answers filled everyone with anticipation for the future!

They seemed to sense that the mining company was now a ship full of passengers, letting them sail on a boundless ocean!
He also has great confidence in the future.

Even if his stocks were to rise to 500,000, he felt it wouldn't be a problem even if they reached 1 million.

At that time, the federal stock market did not have a circuit breaker mechanism, so whether it plummeted or surged, it would be subject to intervention unless there was a human intervention.

There was a time when a stock miraculously rose from a few cents to nearly two dollars in a single day, a multi-fold increase that turned a group of people into super-rich overnight.

Some stocks that cost four or five yuan can drop to only one or two yuan, or even less than one yuan, in a single day.

A completely free-flowing market brings endless possibilities, with both hope and destruction!

(End of this chapter)