Chapter 45: Flying to the Island to Short

That threatening text message was like a stone tossed into a still lake — though it failed to raise a great wave, it still put a trace of coldness in Qin Feng's eyes. Su Wenqian's investigation would take time, and Qin Feng was never one to sit and wait passively.

He set the matter aside for now, his attention returning to a far grander chessboard. Whether it was a potential rival in love or the attention of some special department, in the face of absolute power, they were nothing but a few ripples. And the accumulation of power demanded swifter, more precise strikes.

In the study, Qin Feng summoned Lin Wei.

"Boss, you wanted to see me." Lin Wei was still in her sharp, capable business attire, her gaze keen, as though ready at any moment to plunge into a financial war without gunpowder smoke.

"Mm." Qin Feng's finger traced across the world map on the desk, finally coming to rest on a certain island nation in Southeast Asia. "Here — the 'Star Island' of the Singapore-Malaysia-Thailand consortium. It's renowned for its stable financial system and booming real estate market, especially its sovereign wealth fund 'Tanxi Capital' and several major property groups. They've been on a hot streak in recent years, with share prices climbing year after year, regarded as one of the models of the Asian economy."

Lin Wei's gaze followed Qin Feng's finger, and she swiftly pulled up every economic figure and capital market datum on Star Island from her memory. "Yes, Boss. On the surface, Star Island's economy does look prosperous, but the signs of a real estate bubble are already very obvious. Household debt ratios keep hitting new highs, and its economy is heavily dependent on international capital flows — its ability to withstand risk is a real concern. Are you planning to…"

A bold and dangerous idea took shape in her mind.

"Short it." Qin Feng's voice was calm and flat, yet carried the astonishing weight of deciding the fate of a nation's capital market. "Targets: Tanxi Capital, and Star Island's top three property groups."

Even Lin Wei, who had seen her share of great storms, could not help but have her pupils contract slightly. To short a national-level capital flagship and its pillar industry? That required not only enormous capital, but also extremely precise timing and total command of the situation — one slip, and the consequences would be unthinkable.

"Boss, shorting the Star Island market carries an extremely high risk coefficient. Tanxi Capital has deep roots and close ties with numerous global hedge funds — a joint counterattack is very likely. And we need an 'ignition point' heavy enough to matter." Lin Wei rapidly weighed the pros and cons.

"The ignition point will come." A deep arc curved at the corner of Qin Feng's mouth. "'Star Sea' has already detected that Star Island's biggest property developer, 'Hongtu Construction', has serious financial fraud and illegal pre-sale practices across multiple major projects. Its cash flow dried up long ago — it's been kept alive entirely by rolling over old debt with new borrowing and the blind faith of the capital markets. On top of that, over thirty percent of Tanxi Capital's investments are deeply tied up in real estate-related assets."

He paused, then played his true trump card: "Three days from now, evidence that Star Island's Minister of Finance and several of his close associates have been taking massive kickbacks in overseas secret accounts will, in an 'accidental' manner, appear in the inboxes of several top international media outlets and opposition members of parliament in that country."

In an instant, Lin Wei grasped Qin Feng's entire layout! This was not merely a short attack on the financial level — it was a direct demolition of the opponent's credit foundations on the political and public opinion fronts! Once the finance minister's scandal broke, market confidence in Star Island's government oversight and economic health would collapse on the spot, and the subsequent exposure of the financial fraud would become the final straw that broke the camel's back!

By then, panic selling would be unavoidable, and combined with the massive short positions they had laid down in advance…

This was no longer a short attack — it was a meticulously planned financial blitzkrieg aimed at plundering a nation's wealth!

"I understand!" A startling brilliance flared in Lin Wei's eyes — a battle of this scale was exactly the stage she had long dreamed of! "We need at least fifty billion US dollars in initial margin, funneled through multiple offshore accounts and shell companies, building short positions in batches. At the same time, we'll need Tang Rou's side to coordinate — releasing some 'research reports' on emerging market risks ahead of time to steer market sentiment."

"The capital and the strategy are entirely in your hands." Qin Feng gave her absolute trust. "I'll have Tang Rou coordinate on her end. Remember — move fast, stay hidden, and complete every part of the layout before the scandal breaks."

"Yes, Boss!" A note of suppressed excitement colored Lin Wei's voice. "I'll lead the team personally and fly to Star Island right away to direct operations on the ground!"

"Approved." Qin Feng nodded. "Take the necessary security detail — have Lin Xuan arrange it."

"Understood!"

Lin Wei, decisive and swift, turned and left at once to begin deploying her forces. Vast capital, like a school of bloodthirsty sharks, began silently converging on Star Island.

Qin Feng stood alone before the study's enormous floor-to-ceiling window, looking down over the city's countless lights. Far away, Star Island's financial markets were about to face a storm he had personally engineered.

Flying to the island to short it — plundering a nation.

This was not merely about accumulating more capital; it was a declaration to the entire world — that he, Qin Feng, possessed the power to shake the regional economic order! It was a show of force, and a probe — to see just how great a storm this body of water could raise because of him.

Those opponents hiding in the shadows, those ants coveting the people around him, would soon understand exactly what kind of existence they were facing.

Wars of capital have no gunpowder smoke, yet they are just as cruel. And Qin Feng had already bared his sharp fangs.