Chapter 50: The Black Bear Country is Now Mine

050 Making a Name in the World / Black Hole Investment

April 12th.

Yahoo! As soon as it was listed on the Nasdaq, the over-the-counter stock market in the United States, its stock price soared to three times the issue price.

Yahoo! was issued at $13 per share and, thanks to the explosive buying interest, formed an opening price of $24.50, soaring to as high as $43 at one point.

Despite only offering 200,000 shares worth $2.6 million, which is 10% of the total capital of $25.7 million, the trading volume for the day reached a staggering 17 million shares.

Moreover, if calculated by the closing price of the day, Yahoo!'s market capitalization reached $850 million, 34 times the capital.

A 'dream stock' had been born on Wall Street.

While checking the online materials about the candidate Zahar at the campaign camp, Nikolai received a call from the United States.

- Mr. Nikolai, this is Jerry Yang.

"Ah, Yahoo! Congratulations on the listing. You and Larry Page have joined the ranks of the super rich, haven't you?"

- Congratulations are for you, Mr. Nikolai. Your 30% stake is more than mine or Larry Page's.

"Did you sell some of your shares elsewhere?"

- I sold a bit to close friends who helped me.

If what he said was true, then combining Jerry Yang's and Larry Page's shares might be more, but individually, Nikolai's stake was the highest.

This meant that Nikolai was the one who made the most money from Yahoo!'s listing.

'That's why his voice was so heavy.'

Nikolai, smiling inwardly, heard Jerry Yang's heavy voice again.

- Many reporters have come by. They want to write articles about you.

"About me, not you two?"

- We will also be in the news, but the reporters are more curious about the British company 'Black Hole Investment' and its CEO, Mr. Nikolai. Is it okay if I share some of what I know?

Jerry Yang only knew that Nikolai was of Russian nationality and the grandson of Yuri, the chairman of Unicorn Group.

Since there was no need to hide it anymore, he replied coolly.

"It's fine. I was planning to be more active in investments anyway."

- Are you going to invest in other companies?

"Yes, I've already invested in several places and will do more in the future."

Sasha pressed her ear close to the phone.

She can't even understand English.

- As expected. I thought you were extraordinary from the first time I met you. By any chance, are you receiving investment funds from Black Hole?

"I don't plan to now, but who knows what the future holds."

- If you do receive investment funds in the future, please let me know first.

"Sure, since we're in the same boat."

- Thank you. And by the way, do you have any plans to sell your Yahoo! shares?

"Would you sell now if you were in your position?"

-Haha, that's true.

Of course, he would get out before the IT bubble burst in 2000, but not for a while yet.

There's still so much to gain, why sell now?

"Shall we talk again later? I'm a bit busy right now."

- Yes, of course. Good luck, and congratulations again. Once the news breaks, you'll be flooded with calls.

After hanging up, Sasha eagerly asked,

"You made a huge profit with Yahoo!, right?"

"Hey, you understood English?"

"Following a genius for three years, I can at least mimic one. Yahoo!, right?"

"Yeah, it was a huge success."

"You have a 30% stake, right? How much did you make?"

Buying a 30% stake for $1 million, he made hundreds of times that on the first day of listing.

"Curious?"

"Yeah, I'm dying to know! Look, even Ilya and the others are already excited."

Looking around, dozens of people had stopped their work and were staring at him as if frozen.

"Hmm…"

"Come on, stop teasing us."

"You're building 5,000 apartments in Moscow, right?"

"So what?"

"Even if you built them twice, you'd still have money left over, right?"

"What?"

Actually, it was much more, but he didn't want to shock them too much, so he kept it moderate.

Even without the exact amount, they knew the price of a Moscow apartment, so their mouths dropped open.

"Really that much?"

"That's just the first day. In the future, it might be…"

"…might be?"

With everyone's eyes burning with incredible anticipation, Nikolai just smiled.

"That's all."

"Aww."

"Check the news. It'll be on Yandex in three days. It will probably be on Russian TV too."

Yahoo!'s stock price, influenced by the IT bubble, would record an astonishing 18,000% increase starting in July, three months later.

It would continue explosive growth until the end of 1999, when the bubble burst, and Yahoo! would gradually fade into history.

Nikolai was waiting for the peak at the end of 1999.

"Since something good happened today, let's have a celebration! What do you think?"

"Great!"

"Sasha, book the most expensive restaurant in Moscow. Of course, it should have plenty of seats, right?"

"Are you taking all these people to a restaurant?"

"Family members are also welcome."

Instantly, thunderous applause echoed through the Gum department store.

"Boss, that's awesome!"

"Really, can we bring our families too?"

"Even friends. Order whatever you want."

"Yay!"

"How about that!"

"Hey! Call quickly. It's at the most expensive restaurant. Hurry!"

The excitement over the unprecedented celebration was palpable.

'How much do you think the celebration will cost?'

* * *

Three days later, Yuri Yusupov's house was filled with family and relatives.

Yuri had called everyone to try to ease Zahar's candidate's mind.

"Look, the support rate is rising every day."

On TV, there were reports about Yeltsin, Zyuganov, and Zahar, with Zahar's support rate graph climbing steeply.

Zahar smiled lightly at Yuri's words.

"It's just the beginning. I can't sleep thinking about the first round of voting. Haha."

"I understand. You must feel a lot of pressure. Do you resent me for putting you forward as a candidate?"

"I don't. I understand your feelings and that's why I ran."

While it would be a lie to say there was no anxiety, both men focused on the positive, so the atmosphere was good.

However, the second son, Yegor, said something that dampened the mood.

"Father, I have something to say."

Yuri, who was about to stab a banana elegantly prepared by his daughter-in-law Maria, put down his fork.

Kirill, his son, quickly turned down the TV volume.

"If it's about work, let's talk later."

"It's about Nikolai."

Instantly, the noisy living room fell silent as if doused with cold water.

Zahar, the candidate, also looked at Yegor with curiosity.

'What is he going to say to badmouth me?'

Nikolai was already feeling uneasy.

Yegor had said more negative things than positive ones about him.

"Ahem."

Yuri, wary of spoiling the mood with his in-laws and their family, was cautious.

However, since the matter concerned Nikolai, it also involved his in-laws, so he allowed it.

"Go ahead."

"Why did you transfer U-Mart, Unicorn Construction, and Gazprom to Nikolai's name?"

"…!"

To ask such a question in this setting?

Everyone seemed to think the same thing, looking shocked but also curious about what Yuri would say.

"Do you have to hear this now?"

"I've been holding back for a long time. With the in-laws and family all here, I want to ask this clearly."

Yuri, feeling his throat dry, drank some cold water and glanced at Zahar.

"If you're curious, I'll tell you. As you all know, when the economic crisis hit, our family could rise again thanks to Nikolai. The same was true when Yeltsin faced impeachment. Can you refute this?"

"…I agree with that. However, you can't give all those companies to Nikolai. Other rewards would have been sufficient."

Yegor's words made Ivan and Maria frown, but quite a few people seemed to agree with him.

"These three companies are the core of the Unicorn Group. Why did you give them to Nikolai and not to Ivan?"

For Yegor, this was a long-held question.

He calculated that with Zahar and his family present, Yuri wouldn't be too harsh.

"Are you becoming like Anton? Why are you suddenly saying this?"

"If something goes wrong, the candidate and our family will be finished."

"What kind of absurd talk is that!"

Yuri's expression changed rapidly.

"Is that so? How can you be at ease when the world could change in a few months? What does that have to do with transferring the companies to Nikolai?"

"Why not? If something happens, we'll all end up on the streets, but Nikolai will have something to fall back on. He even set up an investment company in Britain. Who knows if he's already transferred assets there?"

Yegor's words were what the people quietly smiling wanted to say.

Silence filled the living room.

People looked back and forth between Yegor, Yuri, and Nikolai.

Breaking the silence, Yuri took a deep breath and spoke.

"I won't talk about the election anymore. The dice have been cast."

"…"

"You're right that Unicorn Construction, Gazprom, and U-Mart are core subsidiaries of our group. But these companies were either on the brink of bankruptcy or created by Nikolai. Isn't that true?"

"…"

"Nikolai built these companies from the brink of bankruptcy or from scratch. Who should they be given to? You?"

Yuri said everything Nikolai wanted to say.

Ivan and Maria's faces relaxed.

"What about the steel company you own now? You've had it for over five years and still can't make a profit. Should it have been given to you?"

"Couldn't it have been given to Ivan?"

"I considered that. What did Ivan say? Tell us."

Ivan, with a troubled expression, spoke.

"I asked for them to be in Nikolai's name. It would end up being his anyway."

"Did you hear that?"

"…"

"Then let me ask you something. When the economic crisis hit, I clearly told you three to buy dollars and gold. Do you remember?"

"…Yes."

Yegor answered, looking deflated.

"At that time, Anton ignored my advice and did something else. You bought dollars and gold with your money. What did Ivan do?"

"…"

"He took out loans from the banks of independent states and bought even more dollars and gold."

That's what it means to be a businessman.

"The amount we earned thanks to Ivan was more than expected. Even Ivan, who has been quiet, asked for the companies to be in Nikolai's name. What have you done to ruin the family atmosphere like this?"

The atmosphere remained tense, like walking on thin ice.

"If I had received the same support as Ivan and Nikolai, I would have produced good results."

"Are you saying you didn't produce good results because you didn't receive enough support?"

"Yes."

After a moment of thought, Yuri spoke decisively.

"Fine. I'll give you a chance. I'll provide the capital for the business you want to start. However, the inheritance ends there. If you succeed or fail, it's entirely your responsibility."

As the atmosphere became too hostile, Zahar spoke up.

"In-law, there are many people here. Let's lighten the mood."

Yuri, thinking the atmosphere had become too strange, turned his gaze back to the TV.

"Turn up the volume."

Kirill, swallowing hard, increased the volume.

However, …

- According to reports from NBC in the United States, the CEO of 'Black Hole Investment' in Britain is a Russian, Mr. Nikolai. He is the actual owner of Unicorn Construction, U-Mart, and Gazprom, and holds a 30% stake in the American IT company Yahoo!. In current market value, …

The more the announcer spoke, the wider people's mouths opened.

Even Yuri and Zahar, known for their composure, showed similar expressions.

- At the age of 26, Mr. Nikolai has made it to the top of the list of American billionaires. Wall Street is investigating who Mr. Nikolai is.

After the news ended, Yuri Yusupov spoke quietly.

"Yegor."

"…"

"You opposed the IT investment so much, and it has produced such returns. Do you still think I favor Nikolai?"

Yegor bowed his head deeply.

Nikolai, who had remained silent, saw everything neatly resolved.