My teacher is Bruce Lee, who dominated Hollywood.

Chapter 169 Wall Street

Manhattan in the early morning did not show much vitality despite the rising sun.

"Bang! Bang bang!"

Several piercing gunshots, accompanied by the screeching sound of tires rubbing against the road, shattered the tranquility of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel's penthouse suite.

Qin Han suddenly opened his eyes and sat up from the French-style bed.

His martial arts instincts allowed him to instantly determine that the gunfire was occurring at least three blocks away from the hotel and was rapidly fading into the distance with the piercing sound of sirens.

But that was enough to disrupt anyone's sleep: this was the third early morning gunfight he had heard in New York.

This megacity, once hailed as the "Crossroads of the World," now resembles a giant riddled with holes, struggling painfully in the abyss of financial bankruptcy.

New York is just too chaotic.

Qin Han walked to the washroom and splashed his face with cold tap water. Fortunately, the trip to the East Coast has yielded far more than expected.

He has already tied the future "Disney Music Twins" to the Hans Film Company's chariot.

Once they're brought back to Los Angeles, The Little Mermaid, destined to sweep the global home entertainment market, can be launched immediately.

The governor has accepted his goodwill and will soon be able to see him at the UFC.

It's time to leave this steel jungle reeking of garbage and return to sunny California.

Qin Han wiped the water off his face, walked to the bedside table, and picked up the retro brass telephone.

"Good morning, Mr. Qin. Waldorf is at your service. How can I help you?" The receptionist manager greeted him respectfully from the receiver.

"Check the flights to Los Angeles for me today. The sooner the better, I need three first-class tickets." Qin Han held the phone between his shoulder and reached for the shirt hanging on the back of his chair.

"No problem, Mr. Qin. American Airlines has a direct flight to Los Angeles at 10:15 AM, and there are still first-class seats available. I will process your reservation right away, please wait a moment—"

Before the front desk manager could finish speaking, a familiar, dark blue light appeared before Qin Han's eyes.

Today's intelligence has been updated.

A discussion group called "Utah Teapot" has been established at the Computer Science PhD program at the University of Utah.

On the other end of the phone, the front desk manager was still verifying information: "Mr. Qin? I've retrieved your information and am reserving a seat for you. May I ask—"

"Wait a moment."

Utah teapot?

For most people in this era, the name sounds like some boring university club discussing how to brew black tea.

But for the Qin and Han dynasties, the weight represented by these four words was no less than the discovery of a super gold mine with astonishing reserves in Alaska!

That was the first computer-generated 3D reference model in human history! It is the common origin of the entire modern film CGI special effects industry, the video game industry, and even industrial design software!

In his memory, he only remembered the achievements the group later made, but he didn't know when it was established or where it was established.

Now, the system has delivered this piece of the puzzle to me.

At this postdoctoral station at the University of Utah, a group of tech fanatics who can be described as "monsters" are gathered.

Jim Clark!

This researcher, who was still diligently coding at school at that moment, would later create the Silicon Valley hardware legend—SG.

I。

For Hollywood, this company was the "god" of the 70s and 80s.

Without the super graphics workstations provided by SGI, James Cameron would not have been able to create the liquid metal robot in Terminator 2 that stunned audiences worldwide.

Steven Spielberg could never have made a Tyrannosaurus Rex so realistic and terrifying run wildly in the rain in Jurassic Park!

And Ed Catmull!

After filming Star Wars, George Lucas recruited this person to his studio to break free from the limitations of model shooting and formed a special effects department.

After separating from Lucasfilm, this department acquired a globally renowned name: Pixar Animation Studios!

The legendary creator of Toy Story, Up, and Coco—who redefined animated films with computers—is now sitting in this group called "Utah Teapot"!

As for John Warnock, that was even more outrageous.

His company, Adobe, directly monopolized the underlying graphics technology for computers worldwide for decades to come.

Without him, those dazzling editing software programs wouldn't exist at all!

Qin Han felt his heart beating faster and faster, and the blood in his veins surging like boiling magma.

He was originally worried about how Hans Films would maintain its absolute technological advantage after George Lucas's "Star Wars" was released and Hollywood fully entered the era of blockbusters.

Yesterday, I was still painting a picture of "The Terminator" for Schwarzenegger, but I knew very well that the emotionless mechanical killer was impossible to achieve without the support of computer technology.

The mechanical shark in the movie "Jaws" that kept going on strike is a sad reminder of the limitations of physical special effects.

Now, the key to solving all problems has appeared before his eyes.

These future pioneers are still stuck in university labs, begging and pleading for meager research funding!

They have the brains to change the world, but they don't have the money.

Academic research is a money-guzzling beast; purchasing state-of-the-art equipment and paying exorbitant time fees cannot be supported by the meager funding available at the University of Utah.

Although I don't understand technology, I know how to make money!

All you need to do is, as a Hollywood producer, send a check filled with zeros into this lab and tell these madmen, "I'll give you enough dollars, and you're responsible for getting the images I want from the monitors to the big screen!"

""

Those tech geeks who only care about code will definitely sign the sponsorship agreement without hesitation!

As long as we keep this group of people under our control, Han's Films will become the standard setter for Hollywood's special effects industry in the future!

"Mr. Qin? Mr. Qin? Are you still listening?"

On the other end of the phone, the front desk manager, having received no response for a long time, asked in a low voice with some doubt, interrupting Qin Han's plan.

"The plans have changed." Qin Han snapped out of his daze. "Cancel the flight to Los Angeles. Check for me what time the earliest flight to Salt Lake City, Utah is today."

Although the front desk manager was surprised by the VIP's sudden change of itinerary, his excellent professionalism prevented him from asking any unnecessary questions. He immediately opened the flight schedule at hand.

"Mr. Qin, there aren't many flights to Salt Lake City. The earliest one today is a red-eye flight departing from LaGuardia Airport at 7:30 PM. Would you like me to make a reservation for you?"

"Book this flight. One first-class ticket to Salt Lake City. And two more first-class tickets to Los Angeles. I'll send the ticketing information to the front desk in a bit."

After hanging up the phone, Qin Han walked to the window, feeling incredibly cheerful.

It's 8 a.m. now, and there are still almost 10 hours until our flight departs at 7:30 p.m.

Recruiting those tech enthusiasts from the University of Utah was a perfect strategic move, but technological development is not as simple as writing a script.

That was a real bottomless pit!

Michael Ovitz's complaints still echoed in our ears: Hans Films' cash flow had been severely overdrawn in order to fully fund the production of "American Graffiti" and Martin Scorsese's "Taxi Driver"!

He needs more money.

Qin Han turned and walked to his desk, his gaze falling on the calendar: May 26, 1973.

There are less than five months left.

This October, the fourth Middle East war, which will shock the world, will break out in full force.

That was the first and most terrible oil crisis that mankind has encountered since entering the modern industrial society!

The price of international crude oil will skyrocket from less than three dollars per barrel to nearly twelve dollars in just a few months! That's a terrifying increase of 300%!

The US domestic economy will suffer a devastating blow.

As for Wall Street, which is less than five kilometers away from here? It will become the most terrifying slaughterhouse in the world!

The Dow Jones Industrial Average will plummet by nearly 50 percent in this storm, countless listed companies will go bankrupt, and tens of thousands of speculators on Wall Street dreaming of getting rich will line up to climb to the rooftops of skyscrapers.

This darkest hour of the era was a tremendous feast of wealth for the Qin and Han dynasties!

However, Qin Han had a very clear understanding of himself.

He understands the big picture, knows what will fall and what will rise, and knows the timing of this crisis.

However, he is not a professional trader who is proficient in various financial derivatives and knows how to circumvent regulations.

Micro-management in the financial markets is a brutal art. If an outsider were to personally fill out various settlement forms, even if they correctly predicted the direction, they would very likely be strangled by Wall Street institutions using the rules.

He needs an agent.

Since I have some free time during the day, I might as well take this opportunity to go to Wall Street and see what I can gain.

He chose a bespoke suit, paired with a French silk shirt and a Patek Philippe watch, and tidied his appearance.

Forty minutes later, a yellow taxi stopped on Wall Street in Lower Manhattan.

This place is completely different from the dilapidated and desperate slums off Broadway on 42nd Street.

Classical buildings stand like cliffs in a canyon on both sides of the street, squeezing the sky into a thin line.

The streets were filled with people hurrying by.

They were dressed in matching dark suits, clutching briefcases, chewing gum frantically, their eyes gleaming with an almost neurotic fanaticism.

Dozens of meters away from the New York Stock Exchange, groups of brokers and securities salesmen, looking bald, loitered on the street.

In 1973, a large amount of retail trading still relied on these grassroots brokers who roamed the streets.

With their keen sense of smell, they tried to squeeze even the smallest commission from passersby.

When Qin Han walked into the street in such impeccable attire, he instantly attracted countless greedy eyes from all around.

The watch on this Asian youth's wrist is worth ten years' salary for them! This is definitely a rare big fish!

"Sir! Look at this! It's a newly listed tech stock, insider information, it's guaranteed to surge 20% tomorrow!"

"Hello sir! I'm a broker from Smith's subsidiary. We have the best bond portfolio to guarantee you stable returns every year!"

"Take a look at the aluminum options, sir! Only a thousand US dollars in margin required—"

Seven or eight brokers swarmed around Qin Han like sharks smelling blood, waving brightly colored brochures and trying to block his way.

Qin Han's indifferent gaze swept lightly across the faces of these people. His condescending look instantly caused several guests who were at the forefront to involuntarily take a half step back.

They immediately realized that these penny stocks were not worth stopping the young man at all.

Qin Han walked straight through the crowd, his gaze settling on a building diagonally across the street: above the entrance hung a huge brass plaque, engraved with a powerful bull.

Merrill Lynch.

In the 70s on Wall Street, it was the undisputed king of retail brokerage and institutional trading.

This financial giant, jokingly referred to in the industry as a "thunderous herd of cattle," boasts the largest trading network and execution team in the United States.

For clients like Qin Han who are about to conduct large-scale, cross-market operations, this giant bull is the best trading channel.

Pushing open the heavy glass revolving door, Qin Han walked into the business hall of Merrill Lynch.

The noise outside the door was instantly shut out, but the frenzy inside was even more intense.

In the hall, which spans hundreds of square meters, dozens of stock teletype machines are emitting a piercing "clattering" sound, and strips of paper printed with the latest prices are pouring out of the machines like a waterfall, covering the entire floor.

On the electronic price board in the center of the hall, red and green numbers were flashing wildly.

"Buy! Buy 5,000 shares of IBM!"

"Sell those damn soybean futures! Close out your positions immediately!"

There is no elegance, no decorum here, only the most naked greed and fear, colliding fiercely in the air.

A receptionist at the front desk noticed the visitor, and years of professional training allowed him to immediately discern the "wealthy and noble" qualities about the guest.

He immediately left the few individual investors who were queuing up and greeted them with a professional smile.

"Good morning, sir. Welcome to Merrill Lynch. Do you have an appointment? What kind of business do you need?"

"I don't have an appointment." Qin Han's gaze went past the receptionist's shoulder to the private VIP rooms at the back of the lobby. "However, I need to open a brand new investment account. I don't want to waste time in the lobby looking for a high-ranking account manager who can make decisions to see me."

The commanding tone, far from offending the receptionist, only reinforced his belief in the importance of the guest before him.

"Of course, sir. Please come with me."

He immediately led Qin Han through the noisy hall to a VIP reception room on the second floor.

"Please wait here for a moment, I will go and fetch our senior partner immediately."

Less than three minutes later, the oak door was pushed open again.

The man who walked in was a middle-aged white man in his early forties, wearing a dark blue striped suit, with his hair neatly combed and a pair of gold-rimmed glasses perched on his nose.

In this person, you don't see the madness of those traders outside, only the coldness and shrewdness of Wall Street elites.

"Hello, sir. I am Richard Cross, a senior client manager at Merrill Lynch."

The middle-aged man walked to the leather sofa opposite Qin Han, extended his right hand, and made a quick assessment of Qin Han without making a sound.

Too young, and still an unfamiliar Asian face.

This was not common in the elite clubs of Wall Street in those days.

Is he the heir to a powerful Far Eastern conglomerate? Or a second-generation Hong Kong scion who's come to New York to squander his trust fund?