Chapter 187: Black October - V

At 2:30 a.m., the train finally slowed to a stop outside Eminence Central Station. Lynch stepped out with the sparse crowd, taking a deep breath.

The polluted air carried a scent that stirred every cell—it was the smell of a big city.

In Sabin, after 8 p.m., the streets were nearly pitch-black. Even in better areas, the dim streetlights gave a chilling feeling.

Except for a few central districts that stayed brightly lit all night, most areas fell silent after dark.

But here, the entire city seemed to glow. Some parts were dark, but the sky above the city center was almost as bright as day.

“Need a cab, sir?” A taxi driver waiting outside the station offered.

Lynch glanced at him and smiled. Big cities are different—even taxi drivers dress differently.

In Sabin, taxi drivers wore no uniform. They only needed a license from the taxi company to operate, with no dress code. So it wasn’t unusual to see drivers in strange attire, especially in summer.

There was even a case where a female passenger sued a driver for mental distress because he wasn’t wearing pants—she felt insulted.

Here, the taxi drivers wore black uniforms, wide-brimmed hats, and white gloves. They looked trustworthy.

Lynch nodded, opening the door for Vera.

Lynch carried no luggage; Vera had a suitcase. After getting in, Lynch gave the address: Eminence Grand Hotel. The driver started the engine immediately.

Eminence Grand Hotel was one of the best hotels in the city, hosting important officials and foreign dignitaries. People believed anyone staying there must be influential.

This stereotype persisted—when the driver heard Lynch would stay there, his attitude improved.

After about twenty minutes, the streets brightened. Watching the bustling city outside, Vera asked, “Is the security here good?”

Lynch looked at the driver. “Maybe you can tell us.”

The driver adjusted his hat, relieved to finally speak after nearly twenty minutes of silence. “Madam, sir, Eminence used to be fairly safe, but recently…”

Through the rearview mirror, Lynch saw his serious expression. “There are more wandering people on the streets. Many robberies happen daily. A few days ago, someone even died.”

“If it’s not necessary, I advise you not to go out at night.”

Vera sighed, “I didn’t expect it to be the same everywhere.”

The driver agreed, “Life’s getting harder everywhere, here or elsewhere.”

The talkative driver shared recent news unknown outside, like nationwide bond victims gathering to protest at city hall, stock exchanges, and financial companies. It looked lively.

The car stopped outside the dazzling Eminence Grand Hotel. The doorman opened the door and the luggage compartment.

After paying the fare and a tip, Lynch thanked the driver and entered the hotel. Watching Lynch and Vera’s backs, the driver thought, that’s class.

Many passengers complain to reduce fares, brag, disrespect drivers, and never tip. But these two gave a tip and said good night with a smile—maybe they were important people, worthy of admiration and gossip among drivers.

The next morning, the hotel wake-up call had Lynch up on time. To his surprise, Vera was already in the lobby, having risen earlier.

After breakfast featuring Eminence specialties, Lynch explained his main purpose for coming.

When Vera heard he planned to buy bonds, she was shocked. “Are you crazy? Those things are worthless now. Are you sure you’re not mistaken?”

Lynch smiled. “That’s why it’s the perfect time. I can buy them at scrap-paper prices and wait for their value to recover.”

Vera was stunned. “How much are you planning to spend?”

Lynch smiled wider. “How much? No, dear, you misunderstood buy. I plan to pay by weight.”

“You said they’re almost worthless, right?” Lynch popped a cheese ball into his mouth and clapped his hands. “Then I’ll pay a price fitting that!”

Vera couldn’t keep up with his logic. She thought this plan unlikely to succeed.

Even if those bonds were worthless, they had a face value. Who knew if someday they’d be redeemed? Even a one-in-ten-thousand chance meant people wouldn’t just throw them away like scrap.

That was the mainstream view: these bonds may be worthless now, but why not hold on?

If this were isolated, Lynch would buy at a low price based on face value.

But things were different. The disaster was just beginning; people hadn’t realized the two crashes this month were neither the end nor the start.

Changing the subject, Lynch wiped his hands and stood. “Let’s watch and see. Maybe things won’t go as smoothly as I imagine.”

Monday morning, before the three major exchanges opened, crowds gathered outside. The Friday crash wiped smiles from their faces; they stood silently, talking quietly.

The topic was whether to wait or cut losses.

Everyone was badly hurt—ordinary people and the wealthy alike lost heavily.

Ordinary people lost savings or loans; the rich saw fortunes evaporate by percentages.

Fear gripped them; some trembled slightly. Human weakness and helplessness showed clearly—facing an obvious man-made disaster, they were powerless.

At nine, the exchanges opened. Traders entered first, followed by investors, all eyes on the display boards.

At 9:20, the boards flickered—the pre-market trading began, and faces changed dramatically.

Pre-market trading determines the opening price and generally predicts the day’s trend.

At 9:29, the constantly scrolling display boards made the trading hall feel like a funeral. In the last ten seconds, a stock was delisted, deepening the atmosphere of despair.

At exactly 9:30, nearly all traders frantically sold every stock in their agency accounts. Stocks that had traded at ten Sol were now unwanted even at nine, then eight, then seven Sol…

As long as someone was willing to buy, the price kept dropping without limit. In less than fifteen minutes, the Federal Industrial Index and the three major trading indices plunged almost like a cliff dive.

The financial market shock far exceeded the decline in the real economy. Before 10 a.m., everyone in the federation had learned through various channels about what happened in Eminence.

Disaster had struck.

Shreds of worthless paper were scattered everywhere; these stocks were now worth less than scrap. Furious traders and investors had lost all reason.

The bottomless downward trend only fueled greater panic. No one knew when the market would finally hit bottom, and panic selling was in full swing.

At 10:10, the presidential cabinet issued an emergency order demanding the three major exchanges immediately halt trading to slow irrational, mass panic selling.

The cabinet press secretary held an urgent news conference, listing response mistakes and announcing the federal government would use reserve funds to prop up the market to prevent a larger catastrophe.

Perhaps the president and cabinet’s decisions restored some investor confidence. After the afternoon opening, no significant drops occurred. After briefly stabilizing, the Federal Industrial Index and the three major indices even showed a short rebound.

Rising turnover gave people the illusion that things might really improve, and they were willing to believe it.

But all of this was abruptly ended by a violent shock…