Chapter 177

I’ve only been investing to make money.

He did not care much about the impact it would have on society. But this time it went way beyond that.

The lives of countless people and the fate of the world are at stake.

As I thought about it, my mind suddenly became confused.

why me? I’m only in my 20’s now.

“I know that Big One is coming. But I wonder why you thought it was this year?”

Besides Professor Mohan, there were many others who were concerned about the possibility of Big One. But in most cases, the likelihood of it happening in the near future is extremely low.

The timing of a disaster is as important as its size.

He was the only one that matched the timing I found out.

“To answer him, I’ll have to talk to his grandmother first.”

In fact, there is one more reason why he is nicknamed the Indian. Because his paternal grandmother is really Indian.

Professor Mohan’s grandfather was an anthropologist who studied the ecology of Native Americans. The Indians, who were originally the owners of the land, are now making a living on the reserve.

His grandfather met and fell in love with an Indian woman during his studies. And he got married despite strong opposition from his family.

In other words, although he looks like an ordinary white man, Professor Mohan has about a quarter of Indian blood.

“His grandmother’s ancestors were Indian shamans for generations. Since I was little, her grandmother told me a lot.”

“What was it?”

“The myth, history, culture, and life of the indigenous peoples… … And it was about this land. Her grandmother, as her habit, said there was going to be a great catastrophe on the land, and she said it was September of this year.”

“Yes?”

Me and Taek-gyu looked at each other in surprise. Taek-gyu opened his mouth and made a stupid expression. Maybe my face isn’t too different either.

I think of myself as a very common-sense and rational person.

Of course, he did not believe in superpowers or superstitions. But one day, an unbelievable ability arose in me.

Then this question arose.

Maybe someone else has a similar ability?

Prof. Mohan, who may have misunderstood by looking at our expressions, coughed and said.

“Hmm, of course, it’s not just about that. I came to that conclusion after comprehensively judging the various circumstances.”

In a way, it was a study that determined the results and found the appropriate evidence. But thanks to that, he was able to discover things that others had not seen.

Perhaps it is because of his grandmother’s influence that Professor Mohan became a seismologist.

“Will I ever be able to meet her grandmother once?”



Professor Mohan shook his head.

“He died 15 years ago.”

“Ah… … .”

If you think about it, it’s normal.

Professor Mohan is in his 60s, so his grandmother can’t be alive yet.

Since she’s dead, there’s no way to know if she really had similar abilities or not.

But somehow, I had a feeling that it would be.

“Just before her grandmother died, she left me a will to leave California.”

If she really foresaw an earthquake was coming, it’s only natural to warn her grandchildren to avoid it.

“Then why are you still here?”

“What am I going to do if I run away alone, leaving so many people in California?”

“i See.”

Professor Mohan smiled.

“Well, even with that said, it’s relatively safe here. It’s dangerous in San Francisco.”

I remembered a scene I had seen.

The earth cracked and the buildings collapsed is probably because it is close to the epicenter. The surrounding area will also suffer damage, but it won’t be that extreme.

Prof. Mohan focused on collecting and analyzing related data on earthquakes occurring in the Pacific Rim orogeny to increase the forecastability.

It is said that 90% of human casualties can be prevented if an earthquake is notified 10 seconds earlier. Of course, in case of a real earthquake, 10 seconds would not be too much.

“Is related research ongoing?”

Carrie said quickly.

“Current research has been stopped.”

I was perplexed.

“Why?”

“The state subsidy has been cut off.”

“… … .”

After all, it is money that moves the world.

“If I had the money, I could continue my research.”

“of course.”

I nodded.

“That’s fortunate. Because I have a lot of money.”

I said looking at Professor Mohan and Carrie.

“I will support research funds in the future. I’ll apply right now, so don’t worry about money and resume your research right away.”

Carrie jumped over with joy, and Professor Mohan also made a face that he wanted to die.

“I wish you all the best.”

“I am very grateful.”

If I knew what I was going to go through in the future, I wouldn’t be able to rejoice over it. But you don’t need to tell me about it right here.

We met an authoritative expert and listened to his arguments. And I believe in it and intend to follow it.

Of course, people may think I’ve been deceived by a geek or a pseudo-professor, but anyway, this will justify my actions in the future.

* * *

After the conversation, we left the lab.

Once the prophet (?) was secured, the most important problem was solved.

I called the company and gave the order to execute the research funds immediately. One million dollars was remitted to Caltech with a single word.

Then, I called Chairman Im Jin-yong. It’s midnight in Korea, but luckily the call was connected right away.

“Sorry for calling you late.”

Chairman Im Jin-yong said warmly.

[Fine. I heard that he was on a business trip to the United States.]

“Yes. I have some work.”

I brought up the subject right away.

“Do you know when the NPhone Z release date is?”

Seosung Electronics is competing with NPL in the premium phone market. As such, you will be aware of the trends of your competitors.

[I know it will be released at the end of September.]

“What is the exact date?”

[We don’t know yet. Information about the release date is strictly confidential. Perhaps NPL will reveal it at the time of product announcement.]

Products are usually released within a week after the product is announced. But I couldn’t wait until then.

“Is there any way to know?”

Chairman Im Jin-yong asked me as if he was righteous.

[Why?]

It would be strange to suddenly wonder about the release date of a third-party smartphone.

“I will give you a detailed explanation later. I really need it, so I’ll ask you.”

Fortunately, he didn’t ask any further questions.

[Okay. I’ll check it out as much as possible.]

“Thank you.”

As soon as the call was over, the phone rang. The caller is Ellie.

As soon as I answered her call, she asked.

[Is Jinhoo Caltech now?]

I was surprised by Eli’s words.

“uh! How did you know?”

[A Caltech student posted a photo in the face note. Jinhoo came to his school. There are also a few articles. OTK Company CEO visits Caltech.]

“Ah… … .”

Not any paparazzi.

[Jinhoo went to Caltech before MIT, and now MIT students and Caltech students are fighting over comments.]

“… … .”

why?

[But what happened to Caltech?]

“I have some people to meet. Rather, I have something to tell Ellie… … .”

I don’t know what to say.

Wouldn’t it be better to talk quickly though

[What? Tell me.]

“It’s summer vacation. I’m sorry, but I think we’ll have to delay.”

After a while, Ellie asked.

[Why?]

“Something has happened.”

The shock was so great that Ellie did not speak for a while. She was so excited that she was going on vacation… … .

[Is it important?]

“Yes. A lot.”

After a while, Ellie spoke in a cheerful voice with an effort.

[Hey, then I can’t help it. Instead, she promises to go on vacation when the job is done.]

“I promise. We will meet to discuss the details.”

[When will you come back to Korea?]

“I will be leaving tomorrow.”

I said hello to Hyunjoo noona and hung up her phone.

We drove another five hours back to Silicon Valley. I just went back and forth, but the day passed.

“I’m going to die hard. Let’s eat rice first.”

We parked at the hotel and headed to a nearby restaurant. Even though it was late, the lights were on in the buildings and the city was bustling.

At night, it is more lively.

I put my hat on and sat down in a corner so that people wouldn’t recognize me. Inside the restaurant, people of various races were mixed and freely conversed and exchanged information.

Could this diversity and connectivity be the strength of this city?

While the meal was being prepared, the beer was served first.

Taek-gyu asked.

“What are you going to do now?”

I said while drinking beer.

“You have to think about it from now on.”

* * *

I didn’t notify anyone, but everyone knew that I was in Silicon Valley. Requests to meet came from all over the place.

Entrepreneurs, investors, politicians, etc.

You will have to stay here for a month to see them all.

I politely apologized and got on the plane to Korea. And all the way back, I thought about what I was going to do next.

Two months may seem like a long time, but it is not enough time to prepare for a mega-disaster.

I looked through the book again. Professor Mohan talked about the dangers of Big One throughout the book, and ordered the government to take measures.

Among them, the key issues are the evacuation of the population in the danger zone closest to the epicenter, the construction of facilities to accommodate the victims, the stockpiling of relief supplies that can provide immediate assistance, and the establishment of rescue measures.

I prioritized my work, reviewing pre-printed materials during my ten-hour flight.

And by the time we got to the airport, we made a decision.

“I need money.”

“how much?”

“a lot.”

During that time, there were many places where the money would go, but not much came in. Quarterly dividends have been pouring in from OTK Games, but it is far from the required amount.(Read more @ wuxiax.com)

Fortunately, in the meantime, the value of the companies with stakes has risen significantly. Carlos alone is valued at over $100 billion.

We got off at Incheon International Airport and headed to Gangnam by car. And before entering the OTK Company Building, we first stopped by the Golden Gate Building.

When I went up to the branch manager’s office, I saw Hyun-joo’s older sister working.

“Did your business trip go well?”

“What about Ellie?”

“I went to the branch for a moment. I will be back soon.”

Taek-gyu held out the envelope he was holding in his hand.

“I bought you a present, sister.”

Still, in the midst of this, I bought two packs of Dunhill 1 millimeter at the duty-free shop as a gift for my sister. There is no better gift for a smoker.

Hyunjoo’s older sister accepted it without hesitation.

“Well done.”

We sat on the sofa. The secretary brought coffee.

“Are you very busy?”

“It always is.”

Hyun-joo’s older sister immediately took her duty-free cigarette, put it in her mouth, and lit it.

“I know you’re busy, but I’d like to ask you something.”

“What happened?”

“I want to issue bonds.”

There are two main ways a company can raise cash. One is the sale of shares and the other is the issuance of bonds.

Bonds have the advantage of receiving a contracted interest just like a deposit, but as the principal is not guaranteed, if the company goes bankrupt, you may not be able to get it back. The Hoseong Savings Bank crisis is a prime example.

Therefore, the creditworthiness of the issuing company was of the utmost importance.

Hyun-joo’s older sister said while smoking her cigarette.

“Corporate bonds?”

“Yes. In dollar terms, the maturity is 3 years. Your sister will decide on the interest rate and payment method.”

“There will be quite a lot of demand for OTK Company corporate bonds. How much do you think?”

“Twenty billion.”

Hyunjoo noona was surprised at my words.

“Twenty billion dollars? Not a circle?”

“You said it was in dollars.”

That’s right, $20 billion, which is the size of government bonds, not corporate bonds.

Hyun-joo noona asked with a look of absurdity.

“Where are you going to spend that much money?”

“I have something to invest in.”

“invest?”

I said with certainty.

“I want to invest in the future.”

Tap the screen to use advanced tools Tip: You can use left and right keyboard keys to browse between chapters.

You'll Also Like