I changed the world.

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"They say... the experimental ship sent by the Human Union Scientific Exploration Agency... has... has returned!"

"Oh? You're already back?" Sean Collins's face lit up with joy. "That's great news!"

“But…” the clerk swallowed hard, “But I heard… there was a big problem, the experiment… failed!”

"What?!" Even Carteris Vincent, who had been sitting behind his desk, instinctively stood up and exclaimed with wide eyes.

"It failed!!! Really... This was just announced by the 'Truth Reporting' website half an hour ago, along with two videos!" Seeing that the two bosses still seemed stunned, the clerk added, "It's the same media website that recently reported on actor James's affair with Princess Anne!"

Upon hearing this, Sean Collins and Carter Vincent stood frozen for a full half minute before rushing towards the computer on Carter Vincent's desk...

The boot-up process took an unusually long time, and the relaxed smiles on their faces had completely vanished. The clerk who had come to deliver the message, seeing the two bosses' expressions, quietly slipped away...

Volume Two: The Truth Hidden Behind History Books: Chapter 836 The Storm Is Brewing

After booting up, Carteris Vincent quickly typed "Truth Report" into the browser's search box. The relevant website was quickly found, and Carteris eagerly clicked on it.

This was Carteris Vincent's first time visiting the website. Although he had heard of it before, as a financial professional who considered himself an elite, he had no interest in entertainment gossip and scandals, so he had never browsed the website even once.

The website is predominantly black, which is very visually striking. Upon opening, the prominent text at the top reads "Truth Reporting," with smaller print below stating, "We pursue the truth, we report the truth."

At the very top of the website, in a prominent position, is a huge news headline: "Subspace travel test reportedly failed; Suifenhe test ship suspected of encountering a major accident; serious safety issues exist in space jump travel!"

"Is the truth being deliberately concealed from the public?! Sources indicate that subspace travel technology is far from mature!"

Upon seeing the two news items marked "Breaking News," Carteris Vincent felt a little dizzy. Sean Collins, standing beside him, was already urging, "Click on them and take a look..."

Carteris Vincent quickly clicked on the first news article. After refreshing the page, he saw a news article of about two thousand words, which included a series of screenshots that appeared to be from a video.

The two quickly skimmed through the news report and immediately felt a sense of impending doom. The news revealed a horrifying piece of information: the Suifenhe experimental ship had returned to port on the 27th of last month, but a major accident had occurred on board, suspected to be some kind of biological or chemical incident. Based on current information, the personnel on board suffered significant losses. At the same time, video footage obtained through a secret source indicated that subspace travel carries significant uncertainties and risks.

The two exchanged a glance, then went back to open the second news article, which was even more explosive. It announced that major powers had apparently obtained information about the experimental ship accident as early as the beginning of this month, but had been concealing the truth from the public, leading to a considerable degree of misunderstanding of subspace by the public. The so-called subspace exploration was far from mature, and the public's judgment on technological progress was too optimistic.

Therefore, the news report even included a video that had been clearly edited. However, even with the edited video, it was still clear that the people in the video were discussing predictions about the economic and social prospects and trends following the accident involving the Suifenhe test ship.

Although the faces of the people in the video were blurred, it is still clear from the video that this was an internal meeting of a government think tank.

After quickly watching the video on fast forward, Carteris Vincent's breathing became noticeably rapid. At that moment, Sean Collins suddenly spoke up, "Quick, take a look at the Dimensional Network."

Dimension.com is a well-known financial portal website in Rune. Upon hearing this, Carteris Vincent immediately realized the meaning behind his partner's words and quickly switched to Dimension.com from his bookmarks. Then, he saw that the first news item under "Today's Headlines" at the top of Dimension.com's homepage was:

"Rumors circulate online that a major accident occurred during a subspace flight test, raising suspicions that major countries and organizations are concealing the truth from the public?!"

Perhaps feeling it wasn't scary enough, today's Dimensional.com added a spaceship sailing against a cosmic background and a blood-red question mark to the top of its homepage.

As professionals in the financial industry, the two almost instantly connected the dots to the recent so-called "correction and consolidation" in the stock market. This was hardly a "correction and consolidation"; it was clearly a large, well-informed fund fleeing the market!

The two could almost imagine the fear and despair that those financial professionals felt upon seeing the news, just as they did now…

"Bang!!!" A loud slap startled Carteris. Turning around, he saw Sean Collins slamming his hand on the table, his face contorted in disgust. "Shit... these filthy bastards in the government! They've been covering up such a serious problem!!!"

A string of profanities burst from his mouth; this was the first time Carteris Vincent had ever seen his partner so out of control.

“Dude, I think we need to think about a strategy now…” After Sean Collins finished his tirade, panting heavily, Carteris Vincent finally spoke with a serious expression.

At this moment, Sean Collins also clearly realized the seriousness of the problem. His professionalism as a financial professional made him understand that simple anger would be of no use at this time. He glanced at the wall clock next to him. The hands had just passed eight o'clock, and there was less than half an hour left before the morning market opened.

"Sorry... my mind is a bit muddled right now..." Sean Collins tried his best to suppress his emotions, his chest heaving as he looked at his partner: "Carteris, what do you think we should do next?"

"Sell off all our deep space concept stocks! Implement a conservative strategy..." Carteris Vincent said almost without thinking.

To ensure market stability, countries have strict requirements regarding stock fund holdings, prohibiting fund companies from completely liquidating their stock positions. Even in the most extreme scenario where they are completely pessimistic about the market outlook, they must maintain at least 60% of their holdings. This is to prevent market runs caused by drastic fluctuations and to maintain stock market stability. As one of the world's financial centers, Rune naturally also has such regulations.

The conservative strategy mentioned by Carteris Vincent is a specific investment strategy based on the aforementioned policies. In extreme economic circumstances, the company first reduces the share of each fund to the minimum permitted level of 60%. Then, it changes the type of stocks invested in from core sectors such as deep space exploration to specific types of stocks suitable for periods of economic downturn or even crisis.

“Yes…you’re right, our investment portfolio is now over 98%, that’s too dangerous…” Sean Collins also realized what was going on, and as if his whole body was burning up, he ripped off his tie, his voice full of worry.

As he spoke, he eagerly opened the door and shouted loudly outside, "James, come here right now!"

A moment later, a short, stout man who looked to be in his early thirties rushed into the office: "Mr. Collins, you wanted to see me?"

Volume Two: The Truth Hidden Behind History Books: Chapter 837 The Great Collapse

"Your team needs to investigate immediately. I need to know which listed companies specialize in producing and selling low-end, inexpensive goods."

"Also, if the government starts investing in infrastructure in the future, you should investigate the companies that might benefit."

At this point, Carteris Vincent chimed in, adding, "And you should also list companies whose product costs are highly dependent on imported materials."

The companies the two mentioned are typical stocks prepared for an economic crisis. Manufacturers and supermarkets that produce and sell low-end, cheap goods are preparing for a possible downgrade in consumption. If the economy encounters major problems, the government is very likely to increase infrastructure investment in order to stabilize the economy. At the same time, commodity prices usually fall during economic downturns. In this case, companies that are highly dependent on imports for their product costs will see their costs decrease and their profits will increase significantly.

Sean Collins stared at his subordinate: "Listen, be quick. You need it within 20 minutes. I don't need overly detailed data, but speed is crucial, understand?"

"I understand..."

"Great, let's get started!"

Clearly, both Catlis Vincent and Sean Collins, though not explicitly stated, undoubtedly believed that an economic crisis was imminent.

Sean Collins watched as the employee jogged back to his seat to gather his colleagues, his face showing no sign of relief. He glanced at the time again, then turned to his partner: "Carterliss, we need to call a meeting with the managers."

“I’ve already had Miss Winnie inform all the managers to go to the conference room. Let’s go.” Carteris Vincent had clearly thought of this as well.

..............................

While the "Beyond Equity Income Fund" was already in an uproar due to this sudden bombshell news, at this very moment, countless financial companies throughout the Rune Financial District and even around the world were in a state of scrambling...

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On April 9, 2016 (the 4th year of the Chenghe era), at 16:26, the Beyond Equity Income Fund company located on Luen Financial Street...

Instead of going to his own office, Sean Collins stayed in Carteris Vincent's office. Since the meeting ended, the two of them had been staring at the morning trading data displayed on the large screen hanging on the office wall.

It was already the pre-market auction phase, but the large, dismal green screen made Sean Collins and Carteris Vincent's expressions extremely grim. They had already realized that the news couldn't be kept secret, but they still held onto a sliver of hope, thinking they could exploit a time difference and liquidate the shares as quickly as possible, before most people could react. Even if they incurred losses, if they could keep the losses around 15%, it wouldn't be unacceptable for the company. In fact, if they could successfully liquidate the shares, they might even be able to take advantage of the subsequent market downturn to recoup some of their losses.

However, it now appears that... during the pre-market auction phase, the decline of all stocks generally exceeded 5%, and even most deep-space concept stocks had already fallen by more than 10% during this phase. Furthermore, as the opening bell approaches, the pre-market auction prices of many stocks continue to decline...

Such a disastrous start even caused the company's chat group to be filled with manager avatars, with one person asking, "Boss, should we wait a bit longer when the market opens?"

"Yes, maybe it will rebound after the sharp drop, and then we can make a move?"

Just then, the phone rang. Carteris Vincent glanced at the caller, quickly answered the phone, and then forced a stiff smile: "Hello, Daniel."

"Yes...yes...I saw it...well, it's shocking."

"Yes, Collins is next to me, and we're preparing for the opening."

"Yes...of course it will be released, um...um...it shouldn't be too urgent..."

"Yes...we're prepared to wait a bit..."

"Yes, we expect a wave of panic selling at the opening bell. Once the irrational factors have subsided, the stock market may rebound, and we plan to exit at that time..."

"Hmm... What about you guys? Oh... Oh... You think the same way, right?"

"Okay... alright, that's all for now, um... let's talk again later."

After hanging up the phone, he looked at Sean Collins beside him: "Daniel's call was probably to sound them out. They've seen the news too, and they're saying they're planning to wait for the market to open and rebound before making a move."

Daniel was their drinking buddy, a financial professional. Many of them knew each other and exchanged information. As a result, these financial professionals were often sarcastically referred to as hyenas because they had a keen sense of smell and would often come over just by smelling each other.

Sean Collins thought for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, "Sell as soon as the market opens, don't wait, sell as much as you can!"

........................

The opening bell rang quickly, and the Redfield Standard Index plummeted like a high diver, falling in a steep parabola in a freefall!

A collapse! This was a collapse akin to a stampede!

The stock market plummeted without looking back, and many onlookers who were hoping for a rebound from the oversold conditions also joined the sell-off frenzy in this frenzied situation!

Everyone knows that this is just the beginning. Just look at the long bull market rally before it, and you'll know that this is definitely just the beginning!

Less than fifteen minutes after the market opened, the Standard Index triggered a circuit breaker due to a drop of more than 7%!

To ensure the stable development of the stock market, the Rune Stock Exchange, with its developed financial industry, has a circuit breaker mechanism. When the price fluctuation exceeds 7%, trading will be suspended for 15 minutes to allow all traders to calm down and avoid irrational declines caused by panic.

This is unprecedented!

However, by this point, even those who were previously unaware of the situation or still harbored illusions about the future market realized that something big had happened!

Anyone with even a basic understanding of finance and financial analysis would instinctively feel a deep sense of fear when looking at the stock market's long upward trend...

P.S.: Here's a quick update on my New Year's plans. During the Spring Festival, I'll be spending time with my wife visiting relatives, so I probably won't be able to update regularly for a few days. The current plan is to take a 5-day break and resume normal updates after I get home. Also, I plan to use the holiday to read some books, recharge, and think about future content. I also want to wish everyone a Happy New Year in advance! May all my readers have a prosperous and auspicious year ahead!

Volume Two: The Truth Hidden Behind History Books: Chapter 838 Continuous Circuit Breakers

There's no such thing as a market that only goes up; everyone knows that. Everyone also knows that the stock market inevitably has bubbles. However, until they burst, no one realizes this. Everyone is captivated by the allure of interstellar travel, imagining even greater future increases and unprecedented prosperity.

However, just today, just now, someone told them that there was a problem with their logic!

Fifteen minutes passed quickly! After the market reopened, an even larger drop followed. The K-line fell like a freefall without any sign of turning back. This time, it didn't even last 10 minutes before the standard index triggered a circuit breaker again!

Inside the office, sweating profusely, Sean Collins and Carteris Vincent were asking the fund managers of their various funds in a group chat: "How's it going? Have you sold them off yet?"

"Boss! The price has plummeted, and nobody's buying..."

"Yes, we're already dumping shares... we can't go any faster!"

The answers they received sent chills down their spines. Even the fastest-selling fund only sold 10%, while the other funds averaged only about 6%. The reason was simple: the massive holdings made it extremely difficult for the funds to sell in a short period of time; there was simply no one to take over their positions…

Correspondingly, the stocks they had previously intended to use as a safe haven are now skyrocketing, clearly being snapped up by buyers. Nobody's a fool; everyone knows what a safe haven truly is right now...