Chapter 88

The Polar Bear Country is now mine, Chapter 88

Chapter 88: The Dot-Com Bubble Pops! / Buy Back

CNN aired an interview with Nikolai.

A few days later, it was broadcast in various countries around the world.

People who saw it were very interested in the project to turn the Gobi Desert into a green oasis.

While Las Vegas is also a city built in a desert, it is on a much smaller scale compared to the Gobi Desert, which is nearly 3,700 times larger.

Despite the widespread support from around the world, there were also opinions that it was a futile effort.

Moreover, when it was announced that he would sell all his shares in IT companies, Americans felt both relieved and worried.

The result of that worry was reflected in the current stock prices of IT companies.

"Ever since he sold everything to the Black Hole, the prices have dropped a lot."

"Is it going to plummet even further?"

"While some stocks have dropped, others haven't changed much. I think they might rise again…."

People who held stocks in IT companies were tense and restless, unable to sleep well.

Meanwhile, the White House also paid close attention to Nikolai's interview.

"That guy is unpredictable. I thought he would never sell, but he suddenly sold everything."

"I was also surprised. It seems he couldn't hold out any longer after CNN requested an interview."

President Clinton nodded at the CIA director's words.

"However, the overall stock prices of IT companies have dropped significantly, and shareholders are now viewing the government unfavorably."

"Indeed. We made him sell everything, and now they are blaming us?"

"They didn't expect such a significant drop. Since they are now facing potential losses, they are expressing dissatisfaction with the government."

As the director said, investors were very unhappy with the government.

If they hadn't pressured Nikolai, the stock prices would have continued to rise.

Since it was clear from the interview that he sold due to pressure from the U.S. government, the White House had no choice but to listen to the many complaints.

"Will this affect the upcoming election? It would be problematic if Democratic votes shift to the Republicans because of this."

The U.S. presidential election was scheduled for November 2000, so Clinton was worried.

"Compared to the total number of voters, those who hold IT stocks are a very small portion. It won't significantly impact the election, so you don't need to worry."

"An election is about atmosphere. If this creates a negative atmosphere for the Democrats, it would be a problem."

"Fortunately, the stock prices haven't dropped significantly, so the impact should be minimal."

"True, but…."

President Clinton was not at ease.

There were several reasons why they hadn't interfered with Nikolai until now, but the biggest one was the upcoming election.

However, he unexpectedly sold all his stocks, which caused some concern.

"Don't worry too much."

"Hmm. By the way, how much money did he make from this?"

"He must have made an astronomical amount. He reportedly made several billion dollars from Microsoft alone."

"Several billion, not just a few hundred million?"

"Yes."

"Wow."

At that time, the market capitalization of IT companies was enormous.

Even a decade later, it hadn't been surpassed, indicating how much of a bubble there was.

"If he were an American, it would have been great. It's a shame."

"I agree. If he were an American, there would be no embarrassment, and the government would have provided substantial support."

"There's nothing we can do about it. But do you think the Gobi Desert will really become habitable?"

"From the video, it doesn't seem impossible."

"While there's the example of Las Vegas…."

"They are pumping groundwater and connecting pipelines to bring water from rivers. Plus, a significant area has already been turned into green space."

In fact, the CIA director was quite surprised by the video.

He knew what Nikolai was doing in the Gobi Desert, but only through reports.

Seeing the video directly was astonishing.

He wondered how anyone could do such a thing without going insane, as it seemed like the work of a madman.

But who is Nikolai?

The director, who knew Nikolai well, believed he wouldn't invest in something meaningless.

"Once the desert becomes habitable, Chairman Jiang Zemin and Mongolia will regret it."

"This isn't due to Chairman Jiang's ignorance; others would have thought the same. Who would have thought a desert could be transformed like this?"

"That's true. Nikolai must have been born under a lucky star, making several billion dollars…."

President Clinton frowned at the documents on the table.

"But, why did he keep this one when he sold all the IT company stocks?"

The director's forehead wrinkled as he looked at where Clinton pointed.

"Disney isn't an IT company, right?"

"Just for that reason?"

"I also find it strange. Why did he keep Disney among all those companies?"

"Indeed. The more I know about him, the less I understand."

* * *

Gobi Desert.

The 30,000 people, excluding the children, continued to plant trees as they always did.

Watching them, Sasha asked,

"Is it true that you sold everything except Disney?"

"You heard from Dennis?"

"Yes. I called him because you were on the phone with Dennis and seemed restless. I wanted to know what was going on."

"I didn't sell Google."

"It wasn't listed yet, so there was no reason to sell it. But you sold Apple. Is that okay?"

"What do you mean?"

"Can Apple survive?"

"The stock price dropped, but not enough to cause significant damage. It will be fine."

However, Nikolai received many calls that day.

-Isn't this too much? If you planned to sell so many stocks, you should have told me. What are you going to do now that you've dumped everything?

It started with Steve Jobs.

The CEOs of Amazon and Yahoo also protested.

However, he explained that he had no choice due to pressure from the White House.

He didn't promise to buy back the stocks.

In a few months, those companies would be in his hands anyway.

He might even acquire more IT companies.

"Those people probably lost a decade of their lives."

"Life is unpredictable. Such things can happen."

"Still, they must have been shocked by the sudden release of so many stocks."

As Sasha said, the CEOs of IT companies likely couldn't sleep well after that day.

Fortunately, the stock prices stabilized after a brief drop, so they didn't complain further.

* * *

Elliott Management, U.S. headquarters.

"Phew, we almost had a disaster."

Harrison frowned at the employee's words.

His predictions had been off lately.

After suffering a critical blow in Korea and getting another chance to invest heavily in IT companies, the sudden drop in stock prices had him on edge.

Fortunately, the market stabilized soon after, but it felt like his heart had dropped.

"Do you no longer hold any stocks from the Black Hole?"

"Only shares in a startup called Google. Oh, and 35% of Disney's shares."

"Why Disney?"

"I'm not sure…."

"Well, it doesn't matter. This might be our last chance. We can't afford to relax for a moment."

"Understood."

"It might be a good idea to buy more when the prices drop."

Like Harrison at Elliott, some people started buying the dropped stocks.

This caused the market to slightly recover.

However, overall, it was showing a steep decline.

The signs of a dot-com bubble were beginning to appear.

But no one noticed these signs.

Except for Nikolai.

* * *

One month later, May 20, 1999.

Securities firms in the U.S. and around the world were in shock.

The stock prices of IT companies were plummeting as if they had made a pact.

Unlike Korea, the U.S. had no concept of daily price limits.

Stocks could rise or fall without bounds.

The speed of the decline was unprecedented.

"What's going on?"

"I'm not sure. They were dropping, but not to this extent…."

"We need to take action! Find a solution quickly!"

"They're dropping even more."

"Is this a disaster?"

Elliott Management was in a similar situation.

"This is bad. It's out of control. What should we do? We need to make a decision quickly."

Harrison knew this was a critical moment for his career.

He couldn't rush.

This might be a pattern like the previous drop.

He tried to stay calm, but his body was tense.

"Let's wait a bit longer."

"The number of sellers is increasing. The trend is strange. Is it okay?"

"Let's wait until the afternoon session."

Harrison hoped the trend would change by the afternoon.

However, it dropped even more.

With a pale face, Harrison finally made a decision.

"Sell everything!"

"It's too late. There are no buyers. The prices keep dropping. What should we do…?"

Watching the screen where prices were continuously falling without any transactions, Harrison sensed his end.

The stock markets in the U.S. and around the world were devastated, like they had been hit by a hurricane.

Nikolai's intervention had accelerated the bursting of the bubble.

Nikolai was calmly preparing for the next step.

-Nikolai, the atmosphere in the U.S. has changed.

"How so?"

-There's a sentiment that you should buy back the stocks. I heard from a senator that the White House is also subtly hinting at this.

"Good timing."

With a smile, he stepped outside, and Sasha ran up to him.

"What's wrong?"

"Nikolai, items are coming from all over the world."

"What kind of items?"

-Your appearance on CNN showed the world what you're doing here. People from various countries have sent items.

Thinking it wouldn't be much, he went to the entrance of the tent village, where items were being unloaded from over a dozen trucks.

"Are these all from around the world?"

"Yes, but that's not all. They say more will come tomorrow."

"What did they send?"

"I haven't seen them, so I'm not sure."

That day, they opened all the boxes and found blankets, medical supplies, and other useful items.

However, from Japan….

"Paper cranes? Why did Japan send these? They could have sent daily necessities."

"Give them to the children to play with."

"Three boxes of paper cranes?"

"…."

Nikolai thought it was a bit much.

"Thinking about this, maybe appearing on TV was a good thing."

"It doesn't seem bad. Oh, and people are coming?"

"…?"

"Many people want to plant trees here."

"If they want to come, there's no reason to refuse. Accept them all, but don't expose them to too much sun."

"Got it."

Fifteen days later.

After two months and a half of rapid decline, the dot-com bubble burst.

Stock prices plummeted worldwide.

During this time, Nikolai called Dennis while watching the influx of items.

"Bro, buy back the IT companies."

-Really?

"They've crashed. When will we get another chance like this? Buy them all."

-That's true, but are you sure?

"I'm sure. Buy them back."

-Okay. This time, you said it on TV, so no one can say anything. The atmosphere in the U.S. has changed. Haha. It's so funny. Who would have thought of this? You're the only one who could do it.