1988 - Seed Money
1988 - Seed Money
Whether it was 1982 or 1983, I don't know exactly.
Anyway, around that time, there was an incident where a company vault in the Bronx, New York, was robbed by thieves.
A mid-sized company named Sentry Armored.
You might think, how much could a local American company you've never heard of possibly have been robbed for? But surprisingly, it was the largest amount in the history of bank robberies worldwide.
Because Sentry Armored was a company that collected and stored cash from banks, racetracks, hotel casinos, etc., and transported it to other banks or the Federal Reserve.
The perpetrators were quickly caught.
They also knew they would be caught soon.
So why did they commit the crime?
Because of their solid retirement plan: they could spend the money after being released.
However, what the perpetrators didn't anticipate was the determination of the investigative authorities.
They were persistently tracked and observed until they grew old and died, so they couldn't go to retrieve the hidden money.
Eventually, it was only revealed much later through a broadcast, so in a way, could it be considered a victory for the investigative authorities?
'And that means I can swallow up that money.'
It's not certain.
I haven't confirmed whether Erin Lockers actually exists or if the money is still there at that location.
Thinking more negatively, this so-called Status Window might just be my hallucination.
'Let's assume it's true for now.'
But if you start making assumptions, there's no end.
Simply, it's more efficient to think that this world is reality and the Status Window is also correct, and to act accordingly.
'Even retrieving the money is a problem.'
But even if I get that money, I can't use it as I please.
I'd have to spend it little by little in small amounts.
The IRS (Internal Revenue Service) isn't stupid.
Spending lavishly with cash without any income?
That's practically shouting, "Here's a tax evader, drug dealer, fence!"
The somewhat fortunate thing might be that I'm Asian.
Asian tourists often use $100 bills, so within a reasonable amount, I wouldn't be particularly suspected.
'Ultimately, I'll have to launder it anyway.'
If I'm not planning to re-enter Wall Street and just live moderately, it doesn't matter.
But to put it in an account and use it as investment funds, a money laundering process is absolutely necessary.
The problem is the fee.
'About half? And they'd probably take it over several years.'
Would about $5 million remain after taxes?
That amount alone isn't bad......
'Should I just do it myself?'
Rather than burning $5 million on fees, wouldn't it be better to do it myself?
I know the methods too.
I need to think about it a bit first.
January 2, 1988, 1 AM.
I never thought I'd have to come out onto the streets of Red Hook at this hour.
Of course, violent crimes occur more in Harlem, but if you only consider disappearance cases, Red Hook overwhelmingly has more.
The port area, close to a forgotten city, an abandoned space, where no one comes or goes.
Before a creepy abandoned building where even police and homeless people don't come.
Only the sign of a company called Erin Lockers, which had closed down long ago, barely maintained its shape.
Click. Squeak-.
"Hoo-."
I lit a cigarette.
Trying hard to stay calm seems pointless.
'I'm fucking scared.'
It feels like a passing gang or mafia might suddenly jump out and point a gun at me.
That thought isn't without possibility.
It was an area where smuggling and shootings frequently occurred.
I put my hand inside my coat.
Feeling the cold touch of the revolver made me feel a bit better.
'But still, ten million dollars......'
I have no intention of running away.
Coming all this way and running away due to vague fear would be more ridiculous.
In the darkness without a single light.
Depending on the headlight's glow, I moved cautiously.
Passing 664, 701, 741......
'Found it.'
The faintly visible numbers 7-7-7 on paper covered with dust.
After parking the rented van in front, I took out the cutter and headed to the door.
Creak-. Crack-!
Cutting off the rusty lock and opening the storage door.
"Fuck......"
A curse automatically came out of my mouth.
It was real.
Twelve duffel bags total were scattered haphazardly.
Ziik.
As soon as I pulled the strap and opened the entrance, crisp blue dollars revealed their attractive appearance.
$1, $5, $10 bills.
"Hoo. Hoo-."
I steadied my rough breathing and quickly loaded the duffel bags into the van.
It took only about 5 minutes to load all the luggage.
I probably won't be tracked.
Just in case, I even wore gloves.
"Yes! Yes! Fuck! Good!"
While driving the car to a quiet outskirts area, curses and cheers continuously burst from my mouth.
It's a whopping ten million dollars.
In an era where a 7-story pre-war apartment in Manhattan's West Village costs only $4.5 million.
That's money enough to buy two whole apartment buildings and still have leftovers!
"Haa-. Haa-."
How long did I shout?
I had unknowingly arrived at 77th Street, Upper East Side.
If I go into Harlem like this, the car could be stolen or robbed without a trace, so for today, I'll think carefully here.
Entering an indoor parking lot, I parked the car in a corner spot.
And immediately went into the trunk and flopped onto the duffel bags.
Plop!
Even the musty smell emanating from the duffel bags is fragrant.
'Fuck, ten million! Ten million dollars!'
No amount of emphasis is enough.
At this time, ten million dollars feels comparable to one hundred million dollars before the regression.
'First, let's take out some living expenses.'
I immediately opened a duffel bag.
I planned to leave the small change and take out only the high-denomination bills.
'......Bonds?'
Inside, besides cash, there were corporate bonds, coupons, membership cards, etc., mixed in.
Trap cards that could lead to immediate tracking once presented.
That's why they were caught right after appearing on broadcast.
'The amount might decrease quite a bit?'
I hurriedly threw the duffel bags into the back seat and began pouring the contents onto the trunk floor.
Shwal-lul-luk!
The traps mixed among the dollars are visible.
Separating the bonds, etc., and $100 bills to organize them, and putting the remaining bills back into the duffel bags took about two hours.
"Damn it."
I lamented.
Because the value of the bonds and coupons taken from the duffel bags alone was over one million dollars.
Having to burn all this precious stuff.
But there's no other way.
These can't even be laundered.
'Where's the nine million dollars!'
I'll give what I have to give.
Even though one million dollars decreased, it's still a huge amount.
10% decreasing doesn't mean the remaining 90% disappears.
'Anyway, if I multiply it through investment, that's enough.'
I lay down on the duffel bags as a bed and closed my eyes.
'What happened in 1988......?'
The first thing that comes to mind is the Olympics.
But that wasn't particularly a money-making event.
In the US, of course, and even in Korea, there was a brief rise, but there weren't any notable theme stocks.
'Nikkei?'
Japan's bubble economy is definitely a yes.
Until the bubble burst in 1990, it seemed to rise endlessly.
'I should get into Nikkei futures first.'
At that moment of thinking.
'......Huh?'
For some reason, a black screen with stock charts and red dots began floating.
I definitely have my eyes closed.
'Status Window!'
───────────
<Memory Palace>
[1988 Event 1] : 1K
[Nikkei 225]
[1988 Event 3] : 5K
.
.
Coins Held : 260
───────────
"No! What the hell......!"
I jumped up from my spot and shouted.
I understand why the red dots appeared.
The tutorial disappeared, and the 3K coin information opened, so there was a change.
So.
Is that all there is?
Who doesn't know the Nikkei index rises?
Even non-Regressionists know that fact!
Even if you know Nikkei rises, that means a long-term upward trend, not that there are no downturns at all.
If you pick the wrong entry point, you could incur losses.
'I wasn't even interested in Nikkei during this period!'
I thought of the Status Window as some kind of AI or cheat key.
Something convenient that you just get information from and follow.
Like a game, a structure where you just follow step by step from the front and automatically become rich.
'Does this mean I have to open charts first?'
The higher-level information later seems to show entire charts, so that could be called a cheat key.
The problem is I don't have that much money.
To be precise, I have money but can't use it to get coins.
'......Why is the characteristic like this too.'
The Memory Palace wasn't the only problem.
Looking closely, the money from the duffel bags wasn't added to the asset details in the characteristic window.
'Because it's stolen goods?'
A Status Window enforcing financial real-name system?!
"Tsk."
Getting out of the car, I lit a cigarette.
'I thought I just needed to spend $740 more.'
I got 260 coins from the van rental fee of 250 and living expenses of 10.
So I thought if I spent a little more to get the first hint, things would smoothly unravel going forward.
But if the hint is like Nikkei, that shape?
The 1K coin hint is also likely to be a mess.
"Hoo-."
Exhaling cigarette smoke, I began controlling myself.
Calm down.
It was always like that.
When I buy, it falls; when I sell, it rises.
To survive, you must control that feeling and judge coldly.
Did I incur losses because it deviated from expectations?
No.
The opposite.
I've already gained huge profits.
The regression itself is an enormous opportunity.
Even without the Status Window, I can earn money however much I want.
As long as I don't run a Ponzi scheme, don't get swept up in the LA riots, don't get hired at Enron, and can screw Madoff.
That alone is something.
'If I roll over Nikkei futures, I'll eventually make profits. Quite a lot too.'
Right.
It's too early to be disappointed.
Just can't suck up maximum profits pinpointedly, but that information is indeed money-making.
I'm just setting my expectations too high and disappointing myself arbitrarily.
'What else happened in 1988?'
If I can open information without using coins, I should recall as many memories as possible.
And for things I don't remember, I'll have to open them with coins.
Maybe that's the real way to use the Status Window.