Chapter 250: My Heart Is Scratching

"So, they're preparing for another war, a new short-selling war?"
"Yes, Chairman Su.
And the problem is, Tesla's situation is really dire this time; the battle could very well turn into a one-sided massacre.
Short-selling is a sure-win strategy. Should we participate this time?"
Liang Haiyuan cautiously inquired.
"Yes, we'll participate too."
"Oh? Then I'll contact our prime broker right away to discuss the specific short-selling plan..."
Before Liang Haiyuan could finish speaking, and was about to turn around to do so, Su Hao grabbed him.
"No. We won't short-sell."
"...Huh?"
Liang Haiyuan was stunned, his face showing a constipated expression, as if he had a lot to say but was holding it back.
"So you mean...do...we're going to do the opposite, go long?!"
"Hmm." Su Hao responded casually.
Liang Haiyuan's expression was priceless; a thousand words were stuck in his throat, and in the end, he couldn't utter a single one.
He was already used to Chairman Su's unconventional style.
"So... how much capital do you plan to invest?"
In his view, no matter how wildly imaginative Chairman Su's ideas were, the funds he could use were certainly limited.
After all, with stocks, there have to be sellers for there to be buyers; so-called "liquidity" determines the upper limit of trading.
"How much readily available cash do we have in our accounts right now?"
"Four hundred billion RMB."
The moment that number left his lips, an even stronger intuition sent a jolt through Su Hao.
"...Then, four hundred billion, buy it all."
This time, Liang Haiyuan was terrified. He looked at Su Hao as if he were looking at a ruthless man about to storm a bank with a gas canister:
"Four...four hundred billion?! Chairman Su, Tesla's market capitalization, converted to RMB, is four hundred billion, but its daily trading volume is at most three hundred billion. If you throw four hundred billion in, the market will be completely destroyed!"
Su Hao understood this, of course.
Four hundred billion, like Godzilla, recklessly rushing into any market, would trigger a tsunami.
At that time, the SEC would probably fly over and personally put a limited-edition silver bracelet on his wrist for "market manipulation."
Even so, his damned intuition remained fixed on the number "four hundred billion," flashing a frantic red light.
'Damn it, I was thinking of never touching those murky waters of the US stock market again…'
The last "volatility doomsday" incident—one wrong move and I could have ended up behind bars. It still haunts me.
I was planning to take a break and stay away from that dangerous place.
But his unreliable intuition has sniffed out another big deal, urging him to pull off another massive operation.
"...Let's go check it out first."
Liang Haiyuan knew that once Su Hao showed that expression, any further persuasion would be futile.
He sighed and nodded helplessly:
"Okay. I'll go investigate the market liquidity situation in detail right away.
Oh, by the way, Chairman Su, aren't you going to visit Close AI, the company we invested in before?"
Logically, having acquired such a large stake, they should have gone to headquarters to make an appearance and meet with the team.
But Su Hao's intuition, at this moment, was like a child whose attention was completely captivated by a toy; all his senses were glued to "Tesla," showing absolutely no reaction to Close AI.
'Could it be... that they can just leave it alone and it will thrive?'
"Let's put that aside for now, we'll deal with it later. Right now, focus all our energy on dealing with Tesla."
Su Hao thought, perhaps his intuition was waiting for something else.
"Close AI hasn't contacted us, or made any other moves? Like, calling a board meeting or something?"
"Yes, not a whisper."
***
Close AI's CEO, Nick Altman, wearily closed his eyes.
Although he and Musk were co-founders, at their core, they were like the North and South Poles, utterly incompatible.
How to put it? Their pursuits were completely different.
Musk, that guy, only ever thinks about two words: making money.
But what Ultraman pursues is something far more ethereal than money: true artificial intelligence.
The ultimate AI that exists only in science fiction, capable of leading humanity to evolution and even surviving the apocalypse.
Therefore, the company was established from the beginning as a "non-profit" entity.
The goal was to stay as far away as possible from profit-driven capital and focus solely on developing that AI that could save humanity.
In the end, that bastard Musk still messed things up.
He actually sold all his shares to a financier who's known for selling his soul for money!
"And the guy who took over is terrifyingly powerful..."
Fanghuan Investment, Su Hao.
Recently, this name has been appearing with unusually high frequency in the industry.
From the scattered tidbits of information gleaned from Musk—Evergreen Group, Deutsche Bank, the shipping consortium, TSMC, and the recent "VIX doomsday"—
this young man seems to be behind a string of renowned giants and events.
It's said that almost no one he targets survives.
Even more frightening is that, at such a young age, he's already capable of stirring up global financial storms.
This suggests his intelligence far surpasses the realm of "genius," reaching the level of "monstrous."
This very monster suddenly and without warning made a deal with Musk, acquiring a full 45% stake in Close AI.
With a little manipulation, 45% of the shares is enough for him to wield absolute power within the company.
He could convene a board meeting at any time, forcibly transforming this non-profit organization into a pure money-making machine, squeezing out all its value before discarding it like a rag!
But that's the strange part.
This guy spent a fortune acquiring shares that could have swayed the company's fate, and then... nothing happened.
He didn't convene a board meeting, didn't mention profit targets, and didn't utter a single word.
This was what truly chilled Ultraman to the bone.
A massive acquisition like this must have been part of a grand scheme.
But after succeeding, the other party chose a deathly silence.
This silence was more unsettling than any storm.
"What...what is this guy thinking?"
At first, Ultraman was prepared to face whatever came his way, to hold his ground no matter what tricks the other party played.
But this eerie tranquility was making him restless and anxious.
As the saying goes, the most terrifying person in the world is the one whose next move you can never predict.
Su Hao was that kind of person.
Ultraman initially tried to force himself to ignore him, but now, curiosity was like a kitten scratching at his heart, driving him almost mad, even creating an impulse to fly over and see Su Hao for himself.