Darkstone Code
Chapter 162 - 0161 Concept and New Life

Chapter 162: 0161 Concept and New Life

"Another kid walking a tightrope!" Hart couldn’t help but exclaim.

Only Jogriman knew what Hart meant. Over the past two years, "concept" things had become increasingly popular, and those investors in Bupen also enjoyed such things.

Perhaps out of a hundred "concepts," ninety-nine can never be realized, but if just one can be, it’s enough to make some people go crazy investing in these purely conceptual things. For example, the once financial myth of "Sky Travel."

Someone took out a pile of design drafts claiming to have solved some mechanics problems and had created a prototype, which could make people’s dreams of soaring in the sky come true.

Flying in the air might be the most impulsive thought for humans standing on the ground every time they look up at the birds soaring in the sky. Flying freely in the blue sky like those birds is certainly a delightful thing.

Now, people actually heard that they had the opportunity to fly in the sky. With the design drafts of the prototype and a vague "documentary," this company quickly raised billions from society, and until the initiator turned themselves in, people were unwilling to believe it was a scam.

They believed more that it was a persecution from the tycoons and capitalists who wanted to monopolize the chance of flying and thus orchestrated this ending.

But the truth was, it was indeed a scam. The so-called prototype and that footage were all fabricated. They were just better at faking than others, and they capitalized on people’s longing for flight, quickly amassing a fortune.

However, there was too much money. Sometimes having too much money is not a good thing. Initially, the initiator only wanted to swindle a few million, then gradually claim that their experiment had failed and exhausted the investors’ money, only to shamefully declare bankruptcy.

In reality, he planned to embezzle that money and live a happy life in anonymity after a period of bankruptcy protection.

But alas, his designs were too in tune with the desires of a society rapidly expanding for "freedom," so capital kept pouring in, and many ordinary people invested in this project.

If his earlier plan had been exposed, he might have served a few years in prison or even avoided jail time. A few million in losses due to several major crashes could be covered up, and successive failures would mean no more investment.

But billions in funding were different. When he calmed down from the soaring amounts, he realized the extent of the disaster he had created, which could mean a lifetime in prison, with even his coffin buried under the jail when he died.

And so he turned himself in. The downfall of a myth gave rise to a legend, thus ushering in an era of "concepts" akin to fraud.

As long as there is a concept, it can attract speculators and big capital, with people trapped in this game that is almost like gambling. This is also the helplessness felt by those old-fashioned businesspeople.

They had worked hard for many years; a lifetime of business was not as rewarding as someone else’s gimmick, but this is also reality.

Hart thought Lynch was this kind of person playing with "concepts." It was like playing with fire, but at the same time, he envied the other’s wealth. He might not have done much, just said a few words, and received a substantial investment.

Looking back at himself, years of hard work wiped away by an economic recession, pinned down by reality.

Jogriman shook his head and did not continue to explain. He knew that whatever he said now wouldn’t change Hart’s mind. It would be better to wait until Hart calmed down to discuss it.

Actually, Hart was also good at seizing opportunities. After learning about the policy for affordable apartments, he immediately started preparing for the project. If all went well, he could earn millions or even tens of millions after the project ended.

The tenants’ rent was enough to cover the apartment’s daily expenses, and the government subsidies each month were not a small amount. If this economic recession lasted long enough, the government subsidies alone would let Hart and the others break even.

Next, when they sell these apartments, it would be pure profit. Moreover, they could hide some other industries under this company to gain the same tax exemption. In the eyes of others, Hart was also someone who knew how to seize opportunities.

However, Lynch was different. Lynch was good at creating opportunities, so for him, the opportunities in his hands were firsthand. The opportunities he created were essentially for himself, also making them more suitable.

It’s like why the ladies and gentlemen of high society always sought tailors unknown to ordinary people to make clothes and famous designers to design styles for them because the one-size-fits-all clothes in stores were always for everyone but never truly fitting.

They couldn’t best fit each individual body. They merely accommodated people of mostly similar shapes. In the eyes of high society, those who wore non-tailored luxury brand clothes were no different from those wearing five-dollar clothes from the street.

Close-fitting creates the best effect. This is why Lynch could make something negligible into something big, while Hart couldn’t. He merely picked up the opportunities others overlooked and then tried to adapt himself to the opportunity, minimizing his benefits.

Skipping over this matter, Lynch, who was sitting in the car, had already begun considering another auction on Friday. They had set up a branch first in Curilan City and selected a venue, with some corresponding goods already sent there by Kukla.

This business as initiated by the Mayor of Sabin City, is affirmed by the Governor and implemented state-wide as "policy." Generally, people wouldn’t interfere because it would offend many, and they would only cooperate.

This was also the reason the auction in Curilan City was set up so quickly. The venue rental, which initially couldn’t be agreed upon, was quickly resolved. They all used the Curilan City stadium, and Richard personally handled the matter.

He told Lynch privately that other cities also planned to rent out sports venues. On one hand, to give people a sense of "uniformity," which would elevate the status and scale of the auction, and on the other, sports venues were more suitable.

Lynch had been a bit busy during this period, so he entrusted these matters to Richard, only concerned with the results, not the process.

Calculating the time, there were only a few days left until the event, and with the beginning of September approaching—the start of the school season—he intended to travel with Catherine to Curilan City to help her settle down there.

The next day, having decided, Lynch slightly adjusted his schedule and called Catherine. Hearing the slightly panting voice of the girl on the other end of the line, Lynch couldn’t help but laugh.

He knew why. Catherine’s home was about forty or fifty meters away from the phone booth, plus going upstairs and downstairs, she must have rushed.

Hearing Lynch’s laughter, the girl immediately guessed who the person on the other end of the line was. She casually asked about Lynch’s purpose in calling her, then agreed to Lynch’s arrangement.

In fact, even if Lynch hadn’t thought of these arrangements, she had planned to visit Curilan City beforehand. Her college life couldn’t always be secluded within the campus; she definitely needed to familiarize herself with the city, finding out which places to go and which to avoid.

Every city in the Bail Federal has such areas filled with violence and crime, and normal people would stay away from there.

She hadn’t expected Lynch to think of this too, and the girl was genuinely pleased. After agreeing on the time, she rushed back home to start packing.

Her mother was a bit surprised, standing outside Catherine’s bedroom with a carrot as thick as a forearm, watching her busily preparing in the room, and couldn’t help asking, "Where are you going?"

Carrots are among the top three common foods in ordinary households, along with potatoes and cheap chicken. However, since the chicken was of the pre-cut variety and contained some bone fragments and was priced slightly higher than vegetables, not everyone liked it.

"Going to Curilan; school is starting soon. I need to get acclimated. I’m a bit nervous..." She paused her actions and turned to the elderly woman by the door. "I haven’t been in a school learning environment in two years. I’m worried I won’t keep up. You know, I’ve already forgotten some academic content."

Two years was enough time for a good student to forget much knowledge that wasn’t deeply rooted, compounded by a tedious and tiring life, her concern was justified.

The elderly woman didn’t care about this. Since her husband, Catherine’s father, got a new job, she felt that they, as a couple, had gradually lost their authority over Catherine.

"Do you want your brother to take you?" the elderly woman asked again.

Catherine quickly shook her head and started packing again. "Don’t trouble anyone else; Lynch will pick me up!"

The "brother" mentioned by the elderly woman was actually Catherine’s cousin, considered the most successful in the family—having inherited a small farm from his parents, seen as the most capable in the extended family.

But compared to Lynch, the elderly woman wisely shut her mouth and returned to the kitchen. She had to get the food prepared. Her husband would be hungry when he got home—those capitalists truly were bastards, oh, not Lynch, of course.

Regardless of whether there was a slight tinge of regret in the elderly woman’s heart or whether Lynch had returned and re-entered Catherine’s life, everything here remained largely unchanged from yesterday, the day before, and all the days before that.

The girl continued with her tasks, the elderly woman hummed an outdated tune, and a simple yet enticing aroma wafted from the bubbling small stainless steel pot.

Just an ordinary day!