A Wall Street Genius’s Final Investment Playbook
Chapter 185

– Let's shake off the 1%!

– 2008: The year Wall Street took our homes. / 2014: The year we take Wall Street’s homes!

-No longer will we be exploited! Now it's our turn!

The ants' cries were not mere slogans.

It was an explosion of anger, long accumulated and suppressed. Their voices targeting Wall Street elites drew global attention.

[This is unprecedented! A short squeeze alone would be historic, but now even individual investors are rebelling!]

[A single retail investor’s capital may seem insignificant, but imagine a million people pooling just $1,000 each—that's $1 billion! Enough to challenge hedge funds.]

[Of course, mobilizing a million people isn't easy. But with social media as a weapon and Ha Si-heon, a symbolic figure calling to "end the tyranny of the 1%," it became possible.]

There were only two weapons in the short-selling war:

But Ha Si-heon had brought in a third—'the public’s money.'

Moreover, his supporters were warriors who refused to succumb to fear.

[For them, this isn't just an investment. It's an uprising of ordinary people against big capital—a modern-day David vs. Goliath!]

[Especially among young people, it's becoming a kind of craze. This is a massive resistance movement against older generations and financial power. Even my son begged me for pocket money to buy Herbalife stocks…]

!!!!!

Unable to bear it any longer, Ackman irritably turned off the TV.

"We’re the monstrous 1%, Goliath…?"

His mouth twisted bitterly.

In Ha Si-heon’s narrative, Ackman was portrayed as a ‘greedy Wall Street villain,' while Ha Si-heon was the ‘righteous hero of the ants.'

Of course, Ackman hadn't been idle.

He had employed every possible tactic to break the blind trust ants had in Ha Si-heon.

[Herbalife stock at $250 is a complete bubble. It's pure madness disconnected from fundamentals—a ticking time bomb. Ha Si-heon is pushing innocent people into a risky gamble…]

However, his warnings, designed to trigger fear and erode trust in Ha Si-heon, proved powerless.

Ha Si-heon had already swiftly responded.

[Yes, it's a bubble. Precisely because it's risky, caution is needed. This bubble will inevitably burst at the peak of the short squeeze.]

The fear of a bubble comes from uncertainty.

It's scary precisely because no one knows when or how it will burst.

Yet Ha Si-heon, while appearing to warn, effectively dismantled that fear.

By stating, "Hold on until the short squeeze peaks—until Ackman backs down—even if it is a bubble, you'll be safe."

That wasn't all.

[Herbalife is structurally vulnerable to a short squeeze. Results will appear within two months.]

Each of his words felt like a coded message.

WSB members carefully deciphered and analyzed his statements.

[DD] Monkeys, analyzing Saint Sean’s structural insights:

– Herbalife locked-up shares (55%): Icahn: 19%, three mutual funds: 18%, Ha Si-heon: 5%…

– Float: 45%

– Short sellers: 40%

-Currently, monkeys own: 35%

-We already control 77% of the circulating shares.

-What if we raise it to 90%?

The ants' strategy was simple:

‘Sweep up every available share of Herbalife on the market.'

This analysis ignited the community, further uniting the ants.

– Just buy one share each! 6 million WSB members × 1 share = ?

-Cancel your coffee subscriptions and buy Herbalife stock. Hold until it hits $1,000, and you can buy the whole café!

– It's Saint Sean's revelation! Move now!

Ackman once again tried to halt the momentum.

– Isn't Ha Si-heon himself in the top 1%?

He infiltrated WSB to point out Ha Si-heon was also among the despised top 1%, attempting to create internal divisions.

However…

– A Wall Street guy, LOL. Has any Wall Street guy pulled something like Epicura Theranos?

– Plus, he used his own money.

– A real Wall Street guy would exploit ants, suck up government bailouts, and pocket bonuses.

– What Ha Si-heon did: fought hedge funds with his own money and gave free, unlimited tips to ants.

– Ha Si-heon is a messiah. Reddit is his church! Rambo amen!

Ha Si-heon’s built-up reputation and public trust were so solid, support for him went beyond mere agreement—it had become a belief.

All of Ackman's attempts eventually devolved into ridicule and quietly disappeared.

"Is there no other way?"

Ackman's cold remark froze the conference room.

After a long pause, the PM spoke hesitantly.

"What if we raise legality issues?"

"If that were possible, I'd have done it already."

Ackman's voice was icy, almost chilling.

Ha Si-heon’s ‘gamma squeeze' and his current ‘stock price inflation through public mobilization' strategy, strictly speaking, could be accused of market manipulation.

Yet, it was impossible to raise such an issue.

"He really is a cunning bastard."

Because Ha Si-heon’s every move mirrored Ackman's own strategies exactly.

It was as if Ha Si-heon was following Ackman's blueprint precisely.

Any legal accusation afterward would inevitably rebound upon Ackman himself.

"What about personal issues? Does he really have no weaknesses?"

Desperately, he even dug into Ha Si-heon's private life.

However, the analyst’s report held even more absurd information.

"Donations to rare disease patient groups?"

He was even engaging in ridiculously out-of-character acts.

Ackman angrily crumpled the report.

"I absolutely can't lose. No matter what…"

Losing to Ha Si-heon meant losing Herbalife and Valeant—two stocks.

Given Maverick’s strategy of concentrated investment in only ten stocks…

What if two of those ten collapsed?

Investor redemptions would be inevitable.

Combined with the failure of last year's department store venture, another failure would practically end Ackman's chances of recovery.

This battle was life or death for Ackman too.

"What if we let Allergan go?"

The analyst cautiously suggested.

When tracing the root cause of all this chaos, wasn’t it ultimately due to attempting to acquire just one mid-sized pharmaceutical company?

The analyst's suggestion was to abandon Allergan and attempt negotiation or a ceasefire.

However, Ackman firmly shook his head.

“I have no intention of quitting midway. Even if we did, that bastard wouldn't stop.”

“You never know.”

"After everything he’s done, do you still think he’s sane?"

“…”

A brief silence filled the room.

Everyone in the meeting room was replaying Ha Si-heon’s actions in their minds.

Reviewing what he had done to protect Allergan step-by-step, it was utterly absurd.

A nationwide boycott, university divestment campaigns, a derivatives crisis sparked by retail investors, a short-squeeze battle, and now even a public rebellion reaching the scale of an uprising.

Each event was something you'd see once every ten years—if at all.

"He did all this… just for Allergan?"

It didn't add up financially at all.

Yet seeing how relentlessly he pushed forward, Ha Si-heon was simply an irrational madman, beyond logical comprehension.

"At this point, even if we retreat, he'll chase us to the end and rip us apart."

Someone like Ha Si-heon should never have been engaged with from the start.

But conversely, having already stepped this far, retreat was no longer an option.

Then, the PM cautiously spoke up.

"What if you changed your approach completely?"

"Approach?"

Ackman's sharp gaze momentarily made the PM hesitate, but he soon gathered courage and continued.

"It's not like we have no options. We simply avoided it until now to prevent the David vs. Goliath narrative. But what if, instead, we show them Goliath’s true strength?"

"Goliath’s strength…"

Ackman rested his chin in contemplation.

Logically speaking, it was a reasonable choice.

However…

Choosing this path would forever brand him as part of Wall Street's notorious 1%.

Moreover, it would happen within an event destined to leave a permanent mark on financial history.

…

Ackman had spent years carefully crafting an image as a ‘defender of shareholder value.'

Twenty-two long years building his reputation as ‘someone who moves for others' on Wall Street.

But now, at this very moment, he had to choose between that image and the survival of his fund.

However, the decision didn’t take long.

"…No other choice, I suppose."

Ultimately, image was a secondary concern.

On Wall Street, only one thing mattered:

Survival.

***

[How do you think this Herbalife incident will conclude?]

No matter which channel I flipped to, this topic dominated everything.

Somehow, it felt deeply satisfying.

‘It's catching fire better than I expected.'

Recreating the GameStop incident was always the goal, but 2021 and the present differed vastly in terms of time and environment.

Since I couldn't guarantee a 100% success rate, I’d been quietly anxious, yet…

The sparks I scattered burned far brighter than expected.

‘Perhaps the Valeant incident had a bigger impact than I thought.'

Losses from short-selling and put options in Valeant proved decisive.

It’s a law of human nature:

People most despise those who take away their money.

If the retail investors hadn't personally suffered losses, their rage wouldn't have boiled over like this.

Of course, it’s unfortunate for those who lost their entire fortunes…

‘But that's inevitable.'

Frankly speaking, individual investors jumping into this war was like ordinary civilians entering a battlefield, firing money as bullets.

In a fight where every soldier risked death, no one could be excused just because they were amateurs firing slingshots.

Especially if they jumped in not for investment but gambling, like moths drawn to flame.

Still, what's this strangely bitter taste lingering in my mouth…?

I soothed myself with a piece of specially-made dark chocolate, then turned my attention back to the monitor.

‘Let's see… is this enough spectacle?'

In a way, this was the debut stage of my fund.

Therefore, I'd incorporated every element needed for a perfect drama:

A powerful villain, thrilling developments, and shocking plot twists that left audiences stunned.

Especially the twists—I paid careful attention to them.

‘The immersion is flawless.'

The current rebellion of the retail investors was essentially an interactive drama where the audience played the leading roles.

Naturally, their level of immersion and sense of belonging was intense.

Everything was perfect.

Now, only one element remained.

‘The climax better turn out well…'

An overwhelmingly powerful enemy had to reappear.

Only then could the hero appear dramatically at the moment when everyone had fallen into despair.

And surely, that moment would come.

Even in my previous life, the GameStop operation ultimately failed.

‘Because, in the end, there’s always a counterattack.'

Markets inevitably revert to the mean.

They might tremble momentarily, but eventually, equilibrium is restored.

Even Wall Street in my previous life staggered momentarily due to the ants’ rebellion, but quickly regained balance and mercilessly crushed them.

In short, the retail investors’ victory was temporary.

They won a battle, but lost the war disastrously.

But this time is different.

In the final moments, the hero named ‘Ha Si-heon' would lead the ants to victory.

‘Seems like it's about time…?’

At that very moment, breaking news from Bloomberg filled the monitor.

<Goliath finally kneels… Creighton Fund announces surrender, giving up Herbalife short>

***

Creighton Fund had surrendered.

This small hedge fund, involved in shorting Herbalife, couldn't withstand the pressure from margin calls.

WSB erupted into cheers of victory.

-First hedge fund kill! WSB 1 : Hedge Funds 0

– Chicken tastes great fried in the tears of the 1%.

– Ivy League geniuses just lost to Reddit monkeys, LOL.

– Wall Street: "We're smart enough to win." WSB: "We're too dumb to know how to sell." Winner: WSB.

But this was merely the beginning.

Creighton Fund still had to close its short positions, meaning they had to buy back three million borrowed shares to return them to their original owners.

The problem was, retail investors were holding 90% of the available float.

– Nope, not selling, diamond hands!

– Asked NASA, and apparently, there's no sell button on the way to the moon.

– Starting price negotiation at $1,000 per share!

Retail investors vowed to hold until the end.

As a result, Creighton had no choice but to continue raising its bid.

383.92…

399.48…

401.12…

The stock surged past $400 in an instant.

Early investors who bought at around $40 could now secure a tenfold return.

Yet, they didn’t budge.

– (Currently at $40K profit) Could repay my student loans, but not selling. I'm getting back the house my parents lost in 2008.

– Holding wedding money ($198K), could buy a house, but still holding. Gonna teach my kids about David vs. Goliath.

– [Account status] Yesterday: Life-changing → Today: Three generations are set → Tomorrow: Making history (Not selling, certified diamond hands).

It was like witnessing a miracle.

Everyone desperately needed money, yet no one retreated.

WSB overflowed with countless "paper profit certifications," posts showing how much they would've earned had they sold—but proudly stating they had not.

– Money? That’s not what this is about. It's a message to Wall Street.

– Holding until every single one of us wins!

– Invoice to Wall Street: Ignore retail investors, go bankrupt.

– Money? Just the beginning. Revenge? Merely a bonus. True goal? Changing history.

The unity among millions of retail investors was genuinely inspiring.

[For the first time in history, retail investors are defeating Wall Street! This… this resembles when Soros toppled the Bank of England! A single fund bringing down an entire country—that was shocking then, wasn't it?]

[It's no longer Wall Street's exclusive game. Retail investors are showing they can rewrite the rules.]

Meanwhile, the stock price continued soaring:

423.29…

431.12…

Another victim fell.

This time, it was Apex, a medium-sized hedge fund.

Now, the short sellers had to buy back a total of seven million shares.

But buyers kept increasing while sellers remained absent, sending the stock price even higher.

489.23…

491.23…

Meanwhile, Wall Street elites stared at their charts, frozen in disbelief.

"Is this really happening…?"

"How could retail investors…?"

The market they'd dominated for decades was being devastated by people who spent their days sharing memes on social media.

"Could this actually…?"

"Are we really losing…?"

A short squeeze was like dominoes falling, and three had already toppled.

At this rate, an unstoppable chain reaction was inevitable.

Retail investors' victory seemed certain now.

However, just as triumphant cheers were about to explode, troubling posts began appearing on WSB.

– My brokerage app… is acting weird?

– The buy button for Herbalife disappeared. Is it just me?

– …?

Wall Street’s counterattack had begun.