Chapter 32
Chapter 32
Awakened Black-Haired Investor 032
==========
『 Interest surges in Cushing’s long-term oil storage
Cushing's oil storage is a global hub where billions of dollars worth of crude oil are traded daily.
Recently, demand has plummeted and crude oil prices have fallen.
…
Cushing's storage fees have doubled in the past month, and trading volume has also increased dramatically.
…
Due to the lack of storage space, large storage facilities like Cushing are once again attracting attention, and some traders are struggling to secure storage space.
March 17, 2020, 9:00 AM EDT
By Reuters 』
An article I glanced at ten days ago is vivid, down to every single word.
There was no need to use a computer to check the crude oil inventory data released every Wednesday by the Energy Information Administration (EIA).
Crackle.
『 Released March 25, 2020
• Region: Cushing, Oklahoma
• Crude Oil Inventory This Week: 63 million barrels
(As of March 20, 2020)
• Crude Oil Inventory Last Week: 57.7 million barrels
• Change: +5.3 million barrels
• Inventory Increase Rate: Approximately 9.2% 』
The confirmation revealed the article was true.
The capacity of Cushing's crude oil storage was rapidly decreasing.
Considering Cushing's storage capacity is 80 million barrels, at the current rate, there are only three weeks left until the storage is full.
So, the third week of April is the key.
Even though the market seems to have already crashed.
If this trend doesn't stop, then the oil market will inevitably experience an unprecedented shock.
* * *
In addition to the data embedded in my subconscious.
I requested satellite images of the Cushing area from Planet Lab and collected more necessary data.
It was already past six in the evening.
It was time for Jim Cramer's Mad Money to be broadcast on CNBC.
I took a sandwich out of its wrapper and shifted my gaze to the monitor.
"Russia and Saudi Arabia, do you know what these two countries are doing right now? They're in an oil war!"
Jim Cramer shouted on the screen.
His agitated voice filled the room, even beyond the screen.
That loud voice was right.
With the demand for oil plummeting due to the pandemic, Russia and Saudi Arabia are still pumping oil.
On the surface, it seems like Russia and Saudi Arabia are in a major dispute.
But behind the scenes, they have a common goal: to target the Shale Oil industry in the United States.
"70%! A 70% plunge!"
Jim raised his hand and shouted even more vehemently.
"The oil market is completely broken! It's an unprecedented level of collapse!"
He waved his hands on the screen as if everything was over, but there was tension mixed in his expression.
When Jim Cramer speaks this intensely, there's always something more behind it.
"But, you need to know something. This isn't the end! It's not over here!"
He stared at the camera with a slight smile.
It was the moment he was getting to the point.
"This is an important moment that history teaches us. It's an opportunity to find the bottom!"
His voice grew stronger.
"Remember, folks. When the market is this extremely pessimistic, that's when it's most likely to be the bottom. Hasn't the past always told us that?"
I nodded without realizing it.
When the market is in a state of fear, that's when the real opportunity lies.
It was a lesson I had learned enough from past history.
"That's right, folks! Now is the opportunity! Many investors are betting at this point. And here, Lisa, that genius female investor, is making the same choice at Icestone Capital."
Jim Cramer's voice grew even stronger.
"You need to know. When pros like Lisa move, it's never a light decision. When they move, it's a sign that something big is coming!"
Charts and graphs changed rapidly on the screen.
I picked up the sandwich again, chewed slowly, and stared at the screen.
"So I ask you. You might think this is crazy. But it's not crazy! This is an opportunity! An opportunity!"
After that, Jim Cramer urged viewers to seize the opportunity at the bottom, revealing his style more than usual.
Thanks to this direct and bold style, he gained many followers, but at the same time, there were many moments when he was wrong.
Especially the Bear Stearns incident, which signaled the start of the 2008 global economic crisis.
At the time, Jim Cramer strongly argued not to sell Bear Stearns, but just a few days later.
Bear Stearns collapsed rapidly and was eventually acquired by JP Morgan at a bargain price.
"Young star players like Hyunwoo of AlphaMind wouldn't miss this opportunity either. Folks, that guy is someone who sees opportunities and runs with them. Especially in extreme market situations like now."
I heard my name.
I paused for a moment.
Jim Cramer was mentioning me directly at this moment.
"Isn't that right, Mr. I? If you're watching this broadcast right now, please contact us immediately! We have a lot to talk about."
As long as they pay the appropriate advisory fee, I'm willing to do it anytime.
But the amount they're thinking of and the amount I want will be worlds apart.
"Now that we've talked about AlphaMind, let's move on to the war of treatments and vaccines. Folks, who will win? Will it be the treatment or the vaccine?
We'll be back after the commercial, so stay tuned!"
* * *
Inside the subway on the way home.
An uninvited guest permeated my usual, ordinary commute home.
I started to become increasingly serious.
It was because of the man standing quietly among the faint shadows reflected in the train window.
At first, I thought it was just a simple misunderstanding, but it was becoming more and more certain.
I retraced my memories.
As expected, the man had been acting inconspicuously from the beginning.
He moved naturally among the passengers, moving smoothly without bumping into them or making unnecessary movements.
Even when people sat down or rummaged through their bags, he was not disturbed by the flow at all.
Even every time the subway stopped or started, the man naturally changed his position to match my movements and followed me closely.
Damn it.
I thought this day would come someday, but it's today.
'But since when has he been tailing me?'
Crackle. Crackle—
I traced my memories in reverse order.
Just before entering the subway station.
I could see him reflected in the exterior glass windows of the Exchange Building.
He was already following me back then.
I focused my memory further forward.
To the point when I started leaving work.
When I stepped out of the front door of the 20 Exchange Place building, where my office is located, and onto the busy streets of Wall Street.
He was standing across the street.
I couldn't recognize it back then, but now I can confirm the man's appearance, blended into the crowd like a snapshot, inconspicuously observing me.
He was waiting for me, and it was clear that the tailing was planned from the beginning.
'...Is it a robber?'
If so, this guy is just going to waste his time.
It's not for nothing that Wall Street's wealthy investors flock to luxury condos.
If his purpose was to steal my money, it would be better to target hacking instead of this method.
But if not, I thought that this guy's intention might not be a simple robbery.
The atmosphere he exuded was that of a soldier, or rather, something even more professional.
The number of people wearing masks has increased due to the pandemic, and this guy was one of them.
That way, you can almost hide your face.
But you can't hide the trained appearance of maintaining an appropriate distance in the crowd and secretly tailing the target.
'No doubt.'
A simple robber wouldn't move this way.
But in fact, this was more of a problem.
That means.
This guy is investigating me right now.
* * *
'Could it be that the investment I received from the Russian Volkov family this time has become a problem?'
Of course, the government couldn't possibly not know that it wasn't just a simple investment, but that I had deeply accepted them into my network.
I haven't officially reported it to the Securities and Exchange Commission yet.
However, there were numerous witnesses at the briefing at the time.
But still.
Whether it's an investment or a strategic partnership, isn't it a clear crime for a government agency to surveil a civilian?
'The Trump administration…….'
They've been on edge about anything related to Russia for quite some time.
Trump himself has been plagued by rumors of a secret deal in which he received help from Russia during the last election.
Anyway, I couldn't think of anything else.
'Even so, is this something that should be blown up this much? It's just a common, ordinary transaction on Wall Street?'
I've never engaged in insider trading like someone else, nor have I violated any financial regulations.
The fault lies not with me, but with those guys.
Surveilling an honest citizen.
I can raise the issue as much as I want.
I had no intention of continuing to carry this unpleasant shadow around.
'If I leave him alone, he'll follow me around for days.'
So I got up and headed straight for the man. He tilted his body slightly as if he was aware of me.
But I didn't stop.
"Who are you?"
I asked directly.
The man's eyes momentarily hardened.
That was the only reaction this guy showed.
Just a momentary pause, like taking a deep breath, with almost no sign of embarrassment.
Soon, his eyes quickly scanned the surroundings.
He was conscious of the passengers in the subway.
"Who are you!"
I asked in a louder voice.
I was determined to see the end of it in this place with many witnesses around.
Finally, I could see the muscles in this guy's jaw twitching slightly under his mask.
But he still didn't say anything.
"You're taking people too lightly. I'll find out who you are soon."
As I said that and took out my phone, I didn't take my eyes off this guy's movements.
I concentrated all my mind.
Every single one of his subtle gestures, even the position of his arms and feet.
But with just the current movements, it was not enough to judge whether he would come out aggressively.
Then, his hand, which was in his pocket, moved very slightly, and the center of his body shifted little by little.
It was a preparing stance.
'Could it be, a gun?'
As soon as my body stiffened,
A video flashed through my mind.
It's a self-defense video I saw on YouTube, dealing with someone trying to pull out a gun.
Right at that moment.
The moment something dark was pulled out of the man's pocket.
I moved almost instinctively.
Whoosh—
I reached out towards the man's arm. I firmly grabbed and secured his wrist.
Without hesitation, I pushed my upper body forward strongly.
I tripped his leg with one foot, breaking his center of gravity. The man lost his balance, and we both fell to the floor together.
At that time, the image of the instructor being replayed in my head was connected to the action of slamming the opponent's face with my forehead to finish off the subdued opponent more securely.
"Now, you're going to finish off your opponent with the most powerful weapon in your body! Don't stop until your opponent is completely incapacitated!"
That's just a simulation, but this is reality.
I am actually exposed to danger.
I slammed the bridge of the man's nose, who was pinned underneath me, hard with my forehead.
Thud!
"With all your might, harder! Keep going!"
Thud! Thud!—
With a dull sound, the man's face quickly contorted.
He groaned in pain and tried to twist his body, but I firmly suppressed him with both arms.
"Ugh."
The man was still struggling to pull out the gun. But my two legs were already moving following the instructor's teachings.
"Harder, to the end! Next, don't even give the opponent a chance to move! Like this!"
I wrapped my two legs around the man's waist, locked them, and squeezed tightly.
The man could no longer twist his body. Now, the gap for him to counterattack had completely disappeared.
I slammed the man's face one more time with all my strength.
Thud!
Finally, the man's body slumped limply.
But the situation is not over yet.
Only by taking the gun from the man's pocket can it be said that the situation is completely over.
So I put my hand into his pocket, but what I grabbed at that moment was definitely not a gun.
The feel of thin leather material.
It was a wallet, and I immediately opened it to check the man's identity.
There was a business card in the place where the ID should be.
「 Trump 2020 Re-election Campaign
Alexander S. Coleman
Senior Field Operative
15th Floor, Trump Tower, 721–725 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10022, USA
(917) 555-9876 , @Trump2020_Hawk 」
This man, crushed under me with his face mangled.
The identity of this investigator was someone sent from the 15th floor of Trump Tower.
None other than, from the Trump re-election campaign.
'This… is messed up.'