The Great Sage Returns from Ten Years of Imprisonment

At 11:30 p.m., the time had come for Yuanda Group to settle its stock index option betting agreement with Goldman Sachs and Barclays.

At this point, the Dow Jones Industrial Average had fallen by 6.8% and was still declining.

Beijing, CIC headquarters.

Numerous traders are constantly making trades, and the clattering of keyboards in the office area creates a symphony of wealth.

Ling Yun stood side by side with Director Li and the others, watching the changes in European and American stock markets while chatting and laughing in hushed tones.

Seeing that it was already 11:30 p.m., Chairman Lou leaned closer and whispered:

"Xiao Ling, based on the current level of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, how much profit has Yuanda Group made from its bet? It must be an astonishing figure, right?"

Ling Yun glanced at the Dow Jones Industrial Average on the electronic screen and did some calculations in his mind.

Then he turned to look at Chairman Lou and gave a surprising answer with a smile.

"Two hours after the US stock market opened, according to the terms of this stock index options betting agreement, all three parties involved now have the right to terminate the betting and settle accounts immediately."

"Clearly, Goldman Sachs and Barclays would prefer to end the bet immediately, as their losses are staggering at the current price level."

"Goldman Sachs' betting losses exceed $400 billion, and Barclays' betting losses are as high as $200 billion. To be honest, these are huge losses that they simply cannot afford."

"If they are willing to accept defeat and pay out according to the betting agreement, they will inevitably suffer a severe blow. Coupled with the huge impact and panic effect of the financial crisis, they may go bankrupt very quickly."

"As I said before, Goldman Sachs and Barclays will never accept such a staggering loss, and they will definitely try every means to default on their debts and minimize their losses..."

Upon hearing the enormous figure of losses he presented, Director Li and Chairman Lou were both speechless with astonishment.

"My goodness, losses amounting to tens of billions of dollars—I doubt any financial institution could withstand that!"

"Exactly! Now that you've won the bet, dealing with Goldman Sachs and Barclays will be a huge headache!"

As they were talking, Goldman Sachs' stock price suddenly plummeted, dropping from -18% to -25% in an instant.

On the candlestick chart, it appears as a straight line plummeting like a cliff.

Everyone was shocked to see this.

"Wow! What happened? Why did Goldman Sachs' stock price suddenly plummet?"

"This is terrible! Goldman Sachs not only suffered huge losses on its bets today, but its stock price also plummeted by a quarter. The losses are terrifying!"

Ling Yun glanced at Goldman Sachs' stock price and immediately gave his answer with a smile.

"Goldman Sachs likely chose to end this stock index options bet proactively, confirming its huge losses. After the news broke, the market immediately reacted negatively..."

Before the words were even finished, the analyst monitoring the market quickly confirmed it.

Breaking news: Goldman Sachs has just reached an agreement with the Hong Kong branch of Broad Group to immediately settle their stock index option betting agreement.

"The news immediately caused a sensation in the international financial markets, with Goldman Sachs' stock price plummeting and Barclays experiencing the same situation."

According to reliable sources, Barclays is negotiating with Yuanda Group to settle its stock index options betting agreement, and the stock price is falling rapidly.

Upon hearing these two pieces of the latest news, everyone present immediately turned to look at Ling Yun.

Those eyes were so intense they could burn.

Many young analysts and traders, in particular, were filled with admiration and worship.

After some time, everyone knew about it.

He was the mastermind behind the secret manipulation of Yuanda Group and the betting on stock index options with Goldman Sachs and Barclays.

As everyone can see now, Goldman Sachs and Barclays have been dealt a terrible blow!

That's why everyone looked at him as if he were God!

Ling Yun smiled calmly, ready to show off a bit!

Unfortunately, it was interrupted by a sudden ringing of a cell phone.

He took out his phone, glanced at the caller ID, and then whispered to Director Li and the others:

"It's a call from Chairman Zhao of Yuanda Group. It should be related to Goldman Sachs and Barclays' decision to settle their betting agreement. I'll go to my office to answer the phone."

"Okay, go ahead and get busy. We'll be waiting for your good news."

Director Li nodded with a smile.

Ling Yun then turned and left, heading to his office.

After entering the office and closing the door behind him, he answered Chairman Zhao's call.

"Is there good news, Mr. Zhao? I just saw that the stock prices of Goldman Sachs and Barclays are plummeting."

The next moment, Chairman Zhao's excited voice came over.

"Indeed, Lingyun. Just now, the Hong Kong branch reached an agreement with Goldman Sachs and Barclays to immediately end this stock index options bet, a resounding victory!"

"As you guessed, from 10:30 to 11:00, senior executives from Goldman Sachs and Barclays kept trying to contact us, preparing to settle this stock index options bet ahead of schedule."

"They also mobilized their networks in mainland China and Hong Kong to exert constant pressure and even issue veiled threats, warning us to be sensible and have the best course of action to end this betting match."

"We used your method, employing various excuses to stall until after 11:30 p.m., when we finally received calls from Goldman Sachs and Barclays executives to negotiate the end of this bet."

Upon hearing this, Ling Yun chuckled.

"Hahaha, these bastards are used to fleecing people in the international financial markets. Now they've become fat pigs waiting to be slaughtered. It's no wonder they're anxious!"

"As for those guys who are speaking up for Goldman Sachs and Barclays and putting pressure on you, ignore them for now. The relevant departments will investigate later, and they'll be in big trouble!"

Chairman Zhao smiled and continued to explain the situation.

"You wouldn't believe it, the investment directors of Goldman Sachs and Barclays' Hong Kong Island branch, along with their respective lawyers, were waiting outside the branch offices like ants on a hot plate."

"We had just finished speaking with senior executives at Goldman Sachs and Barclays headquarters when they stormed into our Hong Kong Island branch, shouting that they were demanding the immediate termination of this stock index options betting agreement..."

Next, Chairman Zhao continued to explain the situation with great enthusiasm.

This includes the detailed process of settling the bet, as well as the total profit earned through this stock index options bet.

The total profit is quite astonishing, almost identical to the figure Lingyun just estimated.

As the introduction drew to a close, Chairman Zhao's tone suddenly became slightly more serious.

"Just as you predicted, when Goldman Sachs and Barclays executives discussed payment on the phone, they clearly indicated a reluctance to pay in full."

"They are eager to settle this betting agreement immediately, so they didn't bring up this request on the spot. I estimate they will bring it up tomorrow morning, demanding a huge discount, or even defaulting on the debt altogether."

"One more thing, according to normal procedures, the hundreds of millions of dollars in royalties invested by Goldman Sachs and Barclays will later be transferred to the investment account of the Hong Kong branch. Hopefully, there won't be any problems with this money."

Sure enough, those bastards started cheating!

Ling Yun smiled knowingly, then continued:

"This is expected. Don't worry too much. Those bastards on Wall Street are always like this. They can only fleece others, but they will never allow others to fleece them in return."

"For us, the game in the financial markets has come to a temporary end. The main battlefield now is the negotiating table, and the struggle there will surely be even more exciting."

"In the next couple of days, let's give Goldman Sachs a big gift, as a small warning. This will be beneficial for the upcoming negotiations and will at least make those bastards behave themselves a bit."

"A big gift for Goldman Sachs? What exactly happened? Tell us about it."

Chairman Zhao asked in surprise.

Ling Yun smiled and shook his head.

"The secrets of heaven cannot be revealed; the answer will be disclosed soon."