Chapter 72: PureCell Day (1)

Thomas Motors was recently the hottest stock in the U.S. stock market.

Thinking they would miss out if they didn't act now, everyone rushed to buy, and the stock price had risen 700 percent this year alone.

In terms of stock price growth, it was not unworthy of being called the second Tesla.

Moreover, it was reported that at this year's PureCell Day, a new car would be unveiled along with a plan for hydrogen infrastructure investment.

Investors showed their excitement.

"GM is said to have already acquired a stake and will handle production."

"They might start mass production as early as next year."

"Once the production issues are resolved, the stock price will rise even more from now on."

"Shouldn't we buy before it's too late?"

Analysts competed to raise their target prices, and the media flooded with related articles.

Driven by this excitement, investors placed buy orders en masse, and the trading volume surged.

However, the stock price did not rise as much as expected.

The limited rise despite high trading volume indicated a significant number of sellers.

"There's a considerable amount of selling."

"Where are they selling from?"

"Are they taking profits before the event?"

The selling pressure was less than 10 percent of the total shares, not enough to overwhelm the market, so the upward trend continued.

With the buying pressure, Thomas Motors' stock price surpassed its previous high of $62.

* * *

Chairman Yoo Jae-ho received a report from Secretary Park Su-chan.

"I received a call from Tyler Park."

GTiger PE is a company in Saint Lucia that, on the surface, is a private equity fund but is actually one of the channels managing the overseas slush funds of Yoo Sung Group.

Its CEO, Tyler Park, is a pure Korean by blood but holds dual citizenship in the UK and Saint Lucia, and appears as a black-haired foreigner.

He did not know and did not try to find out who the owners of the money he managed were.

"What did he say?"

"He invested $100 million as you instructed."

The name of the company that received the investment was Continu Capital.

Yoo Jae-ho recalled that Han Miro had rejected his proposal, thinking she wouldn't work under anyone else. It seemed she had indeed started her own company.

The CEO's name was David Rockheart.

"Who is this person?"

"He is an investor with a legal background. I found out he is quite well-known on Wall Street."

"Is that so?"

Secretary Park Su-chan spoke cautiously.

"There's more important news."

"What is it?"

"According to the report, the $100 million was used to short sell Thomas Motors stock."

First, they shorted the stock, then released a sell report to drive down the price and profit. This is a common tactic used by hedge funds.

"Of course."

It wasn't particularly surprising, as he had already expected it.

"Apparently, they used CFD trading."

Yoo Jae-ho was slightly taken aback by this.

"What about leverage?"

"Ten times."

He couldn't help but laugh.

'So they bet ten times the investment?'

Secretary Park Su-chan spoke with concern.

"Considering the transaction costs, if the stock price rises by just 5 percent, they could be completely liquidated."

Given his experience as a securities company employee, Han Miro must have known this.

Yet, she still did this, which means...

'She must be that confident.'

He knew she intended to drive down the stock price.

However, the market doesn't always behave as expected. Short sellers often face backlash even after releasing reports.

Thomas Motors is volatile, and it's not uncommon for the stock price to fluctuate by more than 5 percent in a day.

If the stock price rises and she can't add more margin, she will lose the entire $100 million.

$100 million is a significant amount even for Yoo Jae-ho.

Just because he is a tycoon doesn't mean money isn't valuable to him. Cash is always better when you have more of it.

"What should we do? Should we tell her to stop?"

If she were to pull out now, she could recover the principal without significant loss.

But...

After a moment's thought, Yoo Jae-ho spoke.

"Let's watch and see."

He had uncovered the fund's insolvency that no one knew about and identified the value of Dongwoo Precision, which experts had overlooked.

What about this time?

Could she really succeed in this seemingly reckless investment?

From the acquisition of Dongwoo Precision, the purchase of ADM shares, to the acquisitions of RDQnet and NP Semi.

Acquisition is just the beginning. Dongwoo Precision alone is pouring in massive development costs, and it's unclear how much more investment other companies will need.

All these efforts started with a single word from Han Miro. If she succeeds this time, it would feel right to trust and continue with the ongoing projects.

If she fails?

'Well, that's all she can do, right?'

In that case, he would need to re-evaluate everything he's doing.

'Somehow, I don't think that will happen.'

* * *

PureCell Day was just one day away.

Thomas Motors' CEO, Brad Button, declared in an NBC interview:

"Starting with tomorrow's event, the public's perception of Thomas Motors will completely change."

I think the same. Because something no one expects will happen at tomorrow's event.

I turned off the TV and looked at Edward.

"I've been thinking this since I first saw you, but your tattoo is really cool."

"Thank you."

He had a tattoo that ran from his neck to his shoulder.

"I heard you're from Harlem."

His large, muscular build and a small scar on his face made him look like someone who could throw a good punch.

If I had met him on a dark street, I would have avoided him.

He smiled awkwardly.

"Yes, I lived in New York's Harlem until high school. I got into a lot of trouble when I was young. I'm embarrassed to say, but I even spent some time in a juvenile detention center."

"How did you end up in this line of work?"

Edward smiled awkwardly.

"I have an older brother. He was a strong and cool guy. Most importantly, he never backed down or bowed to anyone. He was like a god to me."

"Wow, I see."

"One day, I saw him working and he was fawning over a $100 bill in front of a fat, rich guy he usually looked down on. At that moment, I realized that being good with money is better than being good with your fists."

"Wow, you discovered the truth of life."

Money is the ultimate.

"From then on, I studied hard and managed to get into college."

Given that he managed to get into NYU, he must have been either very smart or studied extremely hard.

Desire is a crucial motivator for success.

Well, anyway...

"Do you happen to know anyone who is strong?"

"What for?"

"Ah! It's not illegal. It's not about hitting or fighting anyone. It's just about using some strength. I'll pay $1,000 a day. Do you know anyone who could do it?"

Edward chuckled.

"Even if I offered half that, 100 people would jump at the chance."

Money can make even ghosts work.

I nodded.

"Great. Pick four or five and send them to the event."

* * *

Montgomery, Alabama.

The PureCell Day event was held at a convention center here.

As if to prove that it was the hottest issue in the recent U.S. stock market, numerous shareholders, visitors, industry insiders, and reporters gathered.

The atmosphere was intense. Reporters took photos and videos and wrote articles on the spot.

Barnessa Rose, a New York Times reporter, walked around with a microphone, interviewing people.

"I'm at the PureCell Day event. There's a lot of interest, and everyone is eagerly waiting to see what will be announced."

She uploaded short videos to ATube, which all garnered high views, showing the public's interest.

Barnessa organized photos taken in the press room and wrote an article on her laptop.

"······This event marks the beginning of the hydrogen car era, with Thomas Motors at the center. Investment experts believe that Thomas Motors' growth is just beginning. They advise increasing investment now, considering the future growth potential of hydrogen cars."

Suddenly, she met someone unexpected.

"Oh!"

Trish, seeing Barnessa, greeted her warmly.

"Hey! I see you here again."

"Why are you here...?"

Trish, who was writing an article, asked.

"Why? Can't I be here?"

Barnessa quickly smiled.

"Oh, no. I'm just surprised. Are you here as a visitor?"

"No, I was invited as a reporter."

She showed her press badge, which only reporters could wear in the press room.

'Who invited a reporter from an unknown internet news site?'

Many media outlets wanted to cover the event, but Thomas Motors was known for its strict press invitations.

They never invited reporters who wrote even slightly negative articles.

'What did she do?'

"You were writing an article?"

"Yeah."

Barnessa glanced at the article Trish was writing.

"······There are many doubts about Thomas Motors. However, CEO Brad Button has not provided a proper explanation. While many media outlets compare Thomas Motors to Tesla, unlike Tesla, which sells thousands of cars worldwide, Thomas Motors has only produced a prototype. The bigger problem is that this prototype might be fake."

Barnessa's eyes widened.

"Did you write this?"

"Yeah."

Trish, while answering, thought to herself.

'Let her write whatever she wants.'

Barnessa asked again.

"Are you really going to publish this?"

"Why? Can't I?"

Trish replied without a hint of worry.

"They might sue you."

Trish responded nonchalantly.

"Whether they sue or not, it doesn't matter if it's true."

'Why is she so confident all of a sudden?'

Her attitude was completely different from the last time they met, which was a bit surprising.

"Is this true?"

Trish looked around to make sure no one was nearby and then said.

"Yeah. According to a report by Continu Capital, everything Thomas Motors has announced is a lie."

"······"

Barnessa was momentarily speechless.

'What is this all about?'

Trish showed her a short article with a report she had posted four days ago.

Barnessa was shocked.

"Did David Rockheart write this report? The one who used to work at Victory Investment?"

"Yeah."

Barnessa had written an article about the bankruptcy of Victory Investment, where she harshly criticized David Rockheart.

"He's a failed investor."

"Why do you think that?"

"Because he caused the bankruptcy of Victory Investment."

At the time, this rumor was widespread on Wall Street, and the parties involved did not deny it. Therefore, most media outlets reported it that way.

Trish shook her head.

"That's just a rumor. He had no responsibility for the bankruptcy of Victory Investment."

Barnessa frowned slightly.

"Are you saying I wrote a false article?"

Trish nodded matter-of-factly.

"Yeah."