A Wall Street Genius's Final Investment Playbook-Chapter 318: The 100-Billion Race (14)

What I needed to do right now was crystal clear.

I had to draw the full attention of the crowd—gathered like spectators watching a fire—squarely toward me. And I had to vigorously fan the flames so that the small sparks I had planted beforehand would grow into a massive blaze.

Fortunately, everything was unfolding exactly according to my plan.

Masayoshi Son had finally broken his silence, chosen to explain himself publicly, and even agreed to appear in a three-way debate hosted by CNBC. However, since he was still in Japan, he had to join remotely instead of appearing in the studio in person.

“Mr. Ha Si-heon mentioned a ‘unique fund structure.’ Are you saying the Visionary Fund is using the same structure?”

When the anchor posed the question, Masayoshi appeared on screen with a tense expression and answered.

[......Yes, we have adopted the same structure as well.]

Well, of course. After all, the structure of paying out 8% returns in advance was originally his creation.

Masayoshi responded with a look of grievance.

[But this is purely a coincidence. If you wish, I can present definitive documents as proof. The date this structure was conceived and officially implemented has been recorded. Simply comparing the documents will make the truth immediately clear.]

That is the kind of bold proposal only someone truly innocent would make.

Which means, from my perspective—someone not at all innocent—it was an extremely troublesome demand.

‘Since I’m the one who copied him.’

If we go head-to-head with objective evidence, I will lose.

But so what?

‘If evidence works against you, you just move the battlefield to emotion.’

Because what the public wants is not something as dull as ‘the truth.’ What they truly crave is ‘entertainment.’ And there is no need to even ask which is more exciting: a dry investigative documentary digging for facts, or a blood-soaked Colosseum fight.

So, when he brought up revealing dates, I deliberately answered with something completely off-topic.

“The core of this controversy is about who first conceived the idea of using capital to directly build infrastructure.”

On screen, Masayoshi furrowed his brow. A clear expression telling me not to muddy the waters.

But that was precisely my intent. Why would I willingly step into a ring where I was at a disadvantage?

“The tech sector already has cloud systems and ultra-high-speed optical networks woven together like a spiderweb, with massive data centers lined up everywhere. In other words, it’s already a fully paved eight-lane expressway. But what about healthcare? Medical data is fragmented across hundreds of EMR and EHR platforms, and there are barely any facilities to store the explosive surge of gene sequencing data.”

I turned my gaze toward the camera.

“In other words, healthcare is like a barren wasteland where we have to carve out roads with our bare hands. In that situation, who would be more desperate to embrace the idea of ‘infrastructure building’? Healthcare, which has no roads at all? Or tech, which is already cruising down an eight-lane highway?”

At a glance, it sounded like I was presenting a logical argument, but it was actually nonsense. Instead of objective evidence, I was framing the narrative with speculation—“who needed it more?”

But it didn’t matter. As I said, what matters now is not ‘truth,’ but ‘entertainment.’ And what makes a good show is not fact-checking, but the raw, primal instinct of beasts tearing at each other’s throats.

“Not only that. Chairman Masayoshi speaks of ‘the evolution of civilization’ using grandiose rhetoric, yet in the actual fund description, all he emphasizes is ‘scale,’ ‘scalability,’ and ‘returns.’ What he truly wants is money, not humanity’s future. He merely borrowed the language of ‘civilization’ as a façade because he could not replicate the sincerity behind it.”

I subtly twisted the topic. Injecting heavy emphasis into the nuance that his outer appearance and inner intentions were different.

In other words, I framed him as a hypocrite.

And hypocrisy is exactly the kind of theme the public instinctively fixates on—something that provokes outrage and delights in tearing someone apart.

“The Visionary Fund claims to stand for noble humanitarian ideals, but at its core, it is filled with nothing but an insatiable hunger for profit. It’s greed wrapped in gift paper labeled ‘the advancement of human civilization.’”

The moment I scratched that far, Masayoshi snapped back.

[And aren’t you investing to make money as well? The sole reason any fund exists is to maximize returns. Isn’t the very first thing you check every quarter your performance numbers?]

A fascinating dynamic had now taken shape. Provoked by my framing of him as a hypocrite, Masayoshi had abandoned logic and stepped into emotional combat.

“Of course, I want to make money. But the key issue here is one of ‘degree.’ I do not pursue reckless profit maximization.”

[Is that something you, who have shaken national economies—not just once, but multiple times—to rake in money, are really in a position to say?]

“You are misunderstanding. That’s only the retrospective interpretation. At the time, my goal was not simple profit. Rather, my intent was to raise awareness of a structural imbalance in the system for the public good.”

[Those are just pretty words. In the end, wasn’t your decisive motive profit?]

“If my only goal were profit, I wouldn’t have chosen healthcare. There are far faster and easier ways to make money. For example—cryptocurrency.”

[Cryptocurrency?]

Masayoshi hesitated, momentarily stunned.

Naturally. At this point in time, hardly anyone truly understood the future of cryptocurrency—specifically Bitcoin.

This was a small seed I had planted for the far future. One day, when Bitcoin soars past ten thousand dollars, people will come back and watch this video again. You have to plant these pilgrimage points in advance if you want your ‘show’ to last a long time.

“There are countless other opportunities as well. For instance, there’s a company that farms genetically engineered salmon. They have technology that cuts the salmon’s growth period in half…… and since they’ve already received FDA approval, they’re about to explode in growth.”

The company I was referring to was about to go on a frenzied rally at the end of this month. The stock price, currently under one dollar, would rocket up to five hundred dollars. It was thanks to a reverse stock split combined with a Nasdaq listing that had inflated the bubble.

Within a few months, it would crash again… But that wasn’t the point.

The point was the surge and the madness. And such madness, in and of itself, is overflowing with entertainment value.

“Precision agriculture using drones is also worth watching. It’s a technology that can dramatically increase crop yields.”

“Cybersecurity concerns are rising as well, so I believe biometric identification technology is also highly promising……….”

As I continued to rattle off investment tips out of nowhere, Masayoshi’s expression twisted in frustration.

[What on earth are you talking about right now?]

“What I’m saying is, if I truly wanted only money, there would be no reason for me to insist on healthcare.”

[Please don’t derail the discussion. What we were talking about—]

Masayoshi tried to steer the conversation back to its original track. However, there was a very specific reason I suddenly threw out such an off-topic subject.

Just imagine it for a moment.

If a racehorse sprinting at full speed suddenly came to a halt and started reciting future lottery numbers—what would happen? And not just one number, but a whole string of them?

Wouldn’t everyone focus on its every move?

The roaring cheers would be a bonus.

***

The moment Ha Si-heon’s broadcast ended, the first to react was—of course—WSB.

—Gather, brothers! Saint Sean has once again delivered a revelation to lead us to the land flowing with milk and honey…

—Pro tip for newbies: when Sean delivers a revelation, just copy and paste it and put your entire savings into options.

—Tried to withdraw all my money at the bank, teller asked why. Told them, “Sean has appeared.”

A ‘revelation’ had descended for the first time in a while. And on WSB, that word meant only one thing.

“A hint about a stock that’s going to surge!”

What followed was a collective intelligence deduction game.

Of course, Ha Si-heon never mentioned an exact company name. Considering his influence, even saying “it will go up” could move the stock price—and that could land him in trouble for market manipulation.

But he had already dropped enough clues. The detectives of WSB immediately started piecing together the hints.

—If it’s genetically engineered salmon, it can only be AQX…

—But the liquidity on that penny stock is absolute garbage, are we sure this is it?

—Do not doubt Saint Sean. I put my entire 3K in. I’ll think about rent next month.

—Drones—UABS? Or ABAV?

—Biometrics would be IDEX or BIO, right? Have either of them announced contracts recently?

—There’s also AWRB and IDNA… maybe he’s targeting low market cap plays.

“Just buy them all. Diversification is the answer.”

The forum ignited with stock guessing and betting strategies, and as usual, people lined up to make bold YOLO bets.

And before long, the market responded to their faith.

<UABS surges 124% on rumors of a government contract>

<BALE rises 30% amid global demand recovery, market attention surges>

<Energy firm CIBI jumps 123% on rising oil prices and M&A rumors>

<As global data security concerns grow, demand for biometric firms soars—AWRB up 112%>

The message board displayed a familiar sight. Rocket emojis flooded the screen, chants of “TO THE MOON” and “YOLO” erupted. Screenshots of victories were posted, followed closely by confessions of total financial ruin.

But this time, something was different.

In a space that was usually filled entirely with Americans, unfamiliar languages began appearing on the WSB board.

—The price of a Tim Hortons coffee is turning into a Lamborghini.

—Can’t afford Vancouver real estate, but I can buy AQB!! Goodbye maple syrup, hello champagne!

—I’m quitting my government job in Ottawa. Following Sean is more stable.

—Can I speak in Singlish? Walao eh! Sean sibeh steady sia!!

—Shouting YOLO from the rooftop pool of Marina Bay Sands.

Strange and exotic expressions.

It was the arrival of retail traders from Canada and Singapore.

The reason was simple. Human beings are naturally drawn to the actions of any famous person to whom they feel even a faint personal connection.

Normally, Wall Street or hedge funds feel like someone else’s world—but if the investing genius you personally encountered just recently is now shaking Wall Street? Of course you’re going to follow his every move closely.

And so, driven by curiosity over Ha Si-heon’s revelation, they had joined the frenzy.

—One revelation from Sean changed my destiny. Even my face-reading fortune has changed… I still can’t believe it.

—From today onward, my religion is Saint Seanism. No prayers needed—only revelations.

—This is the land of freedom and profit. Welcome, all retail traders of the world!

—WSB Rule #1: Thou shalt not doubt the revelation. Bet thy entire fortune.

The Canadian and Singaporean traders rediscovered their faith in ‘Saint Sean’ and began eagerly sharing testimonies. The original WSB faithful welcomed these new believers with open arms.

‘Profit’ is a universal language.

In this moment, nationality, language, and background meant nothing.

Before Ha Si-heon’s revelation, the entire world moved as one.

And within that surge of excitement, one group stood out with an especially intense fervor.

—At this rate, Ha Si-heon’s telecom provider is going to sue him for blocking all investor traffic.

—How much higher is this going?

—At this point, even the stock chart must be scared lol.

—He said he’s developing acrophobia.

—My mom put Ha Si-heon’s photo on the family altar and told us to bow.

—My account balance is expanding… I want to give my soul to Ha Si-heon…

They were Koreans.

*** 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

Thanks to the user "omegalultrollz" for the chapters provided!