Chapter 152: The Last Straw

High-society galas were dull and tedious. While chatting and networking, Lynch noticed some local female celebrities, including two well-known female hosts from Sabin City’s TV station.

Young and beautiful, they always appeared positively in public. But the men accompanying them were old enough to be their fathers—though maybe Lynch’s mind was too twisted; perhaps they really were their fathers.

He turned his attention back to a short man passionately pitching his ideas, his company, and a bright future.

“If you join my plan, you’ll make big money. Many have already invested. I saved a spot just for you because I like you.”

“Maybe the bank will be interested in your project…” Lynch took a sip of his wine, and the man’s expression froze.

If the bank’s risk control approved, why would he need to recruit investors? The bank suspected fraud, which was why they wouldn’t lend to him easily.

Under Lynch’s gaze, the man twisted uncomfortably and quickly apologized before leaving.

He had just donated 100,000 Sol, becoming the center of attention. Many wanted to know him—some with goodwill, others with ill intent.

Some sought to know this young tycoon, especially since he seemed close to the mayor, which drew more scrutiny.

Not all wealthy people had good relations with the mayor. Sabin City’s market was only so big. No single person or company dominated every sector, and federal laws wouldn’t allow it.

Competition bred conflict. Some got orders or policies through the mayor, sparking resentment from others.

Still, everyone wanted to stay on the mayor’s good side. As the city’s leader and planner, the mayor could shape the city according to personal preferences. With his help, business was easier and more profitable.

People kept exchanging cards with Lynch, briefly discussing their businesses. First meetings avoided deep topics, mostly just getting a basic understanding of each other’s identity and trade.

Later, when needing a contact, they might remember Lynch.

Financial topics dominated their conversations—inevitable among tycoons and socialites.

After initial exchanges, groups formed, boasting about their stock market conquests. They marveled at these numeric legends, fully immersed.

Watching from the sidelines, Lynch found it amusing. Most participants in these financial games barely understood finance, stocks, or futures.

Take the Fox father and son, who recently spoke with Lynch. Now wealthy, the bank upgraded their client status and assigned a manager to handle their finances.

This manager told them how foolish it was to keep money in the bank. She likely didn’t know their business or exact assets—she wasn’t allowed to check personal details outside work.

She gave examples of people quickly achieving wealth and freedom through financial markets, which impressed the Foxes.

Since meeting Lynch, they grew interested in making legal money. The bank even offered to let them trade using the bank’s money, requiring only a small deposit in return for multiplied capital.

A single successful bet could turn one Sol into a hundred or more overnight. This enormous leverage nearly convinced them to open accounts.

But Mr. Fox’s caution led him to contact Lynch, the only insider he trusted. Lynch’s answer was simple: if you want to go bankrupt, now is the perfect time to enter the financial market.

Leverage—or margin trading—is a bank’s nearly risk-free business, though sometimes risks exceed expectations, like mistaking a meteor for heavy rain.

Most of the time, banks profit without loss.

For example, if you have 100 Sol and buy a stock that rises 10%, you earn 10 Sol.

With 10,000 Sol leverage from the bank, the same 10% gain yields 1,000 Sol.

Your own capital remains 100 Sol, but leverage amplifies profits a hundredfold.

You pay a fee of just a few dozen Sol to earn a thousand—a tempting disparity that misleads many into losing everything.

(Example simplified; actual leverage calculations are more complex.)

For banks, no matter how much the trader earns, they profit. But if the stock drops?

Their risk system kicks in. If fluctuations approach or exceed safety limits, they force a liquidation.

Usually, liquidation comes too late due to manual order processing delays.

If the bank recovers its due profits, the matter ends—regardless of the trader’s losses.

If not, they start freezing accounts, auctioning property, cars, and valuables.

If that’s insufficient, the trader must file personal bankruptcy. The bank assigns them a job where most wages go directly to repay the debt.

As long as the person lives, the debt remains—though family members are not liable, since the money was for personal investment.

This explains why some jump from buildings—better to die than drag family into ruin.

None of these people truly understood this. Their accounts were managed by financial advisors or brokers, who earned commissions by pushing leverage deals.

They cared little if clients eventually jumped—they had already made their money and secured their partnerships with the bank.

Watching these self-important people, Lynch pitied them. In the end, they might not even know why they jumped off a building, their brief, troubled lives ending in confusion.

After the gala, Lynch returned home with a bag full of business cards. In the next days, he would finalize agreements with other investors to sell his company for a good price.

Meanwhile, late at night, the president and cabinet were still awake, meeting in a conference room beside the president’s office.

They faced a major problem. The Baylor Federation had remained neutral in the international war, paying for protection.

Baylor bought war bonds from both major camps and kept an isolationist policy, which spared it from devastation.

But now, neither the victors nor the losers wanted to honor the bonds, causing headaches.

A few years ago, this wouldn’t matter—Baylor’s economy was booming, and small sums meant little. Now, things were different.

Massive capital flight slowed economic growth. Worse, this drained the real economy—factories closed, workers lost jobs, incomes fell, consumption dropped, more factories shut—a vicious cycle.

People turned to the financial markets to avoid losses in the real economy, keeping the markets somewhat lively.

If these bonds could be honored, it would at least boost the domestic economy. Even if it couldn’t reverse the current situation, it would prevent further decline.

But whether requested individually or by the state, the international community showed no positive response and refused to engage.

Bonds worth tens or hundreds of billions now piled up like worthless paper in their treasury. The president, who hadn’t appeared on screen for days, even developed several cold sores at the corner of his mouth.

“We have to do something, gentlemen!”