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Chapter 161: Concepts and New Lives
"Another risk-taker." Hart couldn't help but exclaim.
Only Joegleman understood what Hart meant. In the past two years, "concepts" had become increasingly popular, and the investors in Bupayne were particularly fond of them.
Out of a hundred "concepts," perhaps ninety-nine would never come to fruition. However, the possibility of just one becoming a reality was enough to drive some people to invest madly in these mere ideas, much like the financial legend of "Sky Journey."
To fly like birds must be an exhilarating experience — a longing that humans often felt when they gazed up and saw birds soaring freely in the blue sky.
Sky Journey, however, was a scam that preyed upon this very desire.
It all started with someone presenting a series of design drafts, claiming to have overcome various mechanical challenges and created a prototype capable of fulfilling humanity's dream of soaring through the skies.
As news spread about the potential to fly, bolstered by original design drafts and a vague 'documentary,' the company swiftly secured hundreds of millions in public funding. The deception was so convincing that even after the initiator confessed, many remained hesitant to accept it as a fraud.
They preferred to believe it was a persecution orchestrated by the tycoons and capitalists who wanted to monopolize the opportunity to fly, creating this tragic ending.
But the truth was it was indeed a scam. The so-called prototype and the video were both faked. Their forgery was just more sophisticated than others, and they took advantage of people's yearning to fly, quickly amassing a huge amount of money.
However, having too much money could sometimes be a bad thing. Initially, the initiator only intended to scam a few millions, then gradually declare his experiment a failure, having exhausted the investors' money, and shamefully declare bankruptcy.
In reality, he planned to transfer the money away and live a happy life under a false identity after a period of bankruptcy protection.
But the design was so perfectly aligned with the fast-growing society's restless pursuit of "freedom" that more and more capital flowed in, with many ordinary people also investing in the project.
If his initial plan had been exposed, he might have faced a few years in prison or even none at all. It was just a few million bucks after all. He could easily get away by simply staging a few large-scale crash scenes, and subsequent failures would have discouraged further investment.
But billions in funds were different. By the time he calmed down from the surging amounts, he realized the magnitude of his trouble. It could mean a lifetime in prison.
So he turned himself in. However, the collapse of a myth gave rise to a legend, and this marked the beginning of an era of "concepts" that resembled fraud.
As long as there was a concept, it could attract speculators and big funds. People indulged in this almost gambling-like game, unable to extricate themselves, which deeply troubled the old-school business people.
They had worked hard for many years, or even a lifetime, only to find themselves outdone by someone else's gimmick. But that was reality.
Hart believed Lynch was such a person who toyed with "concepts." It was playing with fire, but he also envied Lynch's wealth. He might have done little more than move his lips and secured a large investment.
In contrast, Hart's years of hard work had been wiped out by a single economic downturn, with reality pressing him down.
Joegleman shook his head and chose not to explain further. He knew that no matter what he said now, Hart would not change his mind. It was better to wait until he calmed down to talk.
Hart was actually good at seizing opportunities. After learning about the affordable housing policy, he immediately started preparing this project. If everything went as planned, he could earn millions or even tens of millions once the project was completed.
The tenants' rent would be enough to cover the daily expenses of the entire apartment building, and the monthly government subsidy was no small amount. If the economic recession lasted long enough, the government subsidies alone would allow Hart and his team to break even.
After that, selling these apartments would be pure profit. Moreover, they could hide other businesses under this company and enjoy the same tax exemptions. So to outsiders, Hart was also someone who knew how to seize opportunities.
But Lynch was different. Lynch was good at creating opportunities. For Lynch, the opportunities in his hands were firsthand, created essentially to serve himself, fitting him perfectly.
It was like why the elite of society always sought out tailors that ordinary people had never heard of, or big-name designers to create styles for themselves. The ready-made sizes in stores were meant to fit everyone but never perfectly fit anyone.
It couldn't fit everyone's body perfectly; it just accommodated most people with similar body types. In the eyes of the upper-class, those wearing non-handmade luxury brand clothes were no different from those wearing five-buck clothes from the street.
Only fitting and tailored clothes would create the best effect. This was why Lynch could turn a small, unnoticed thing into something big, while Hart could not. He merely picked up on others' leftover opportunities, then altered himself to fit those opportunities, unable to maximize benefits.
Moving past this matter, Lynch, sitting in the car, began considering another auction to be held on Friday. They had set up a branch in Kurland City ahead of time, selected a venue, and sent some goods there through Cook.
This business, initiated by the mayor of Sabin City and endorsed by the governor, implemented across the state as a "policy," was generally untouchable. Because it would offend many people, other businessmen would only cooperate.
This was why the speed of setting up the auction in Kurland City accelerated. The venue lease negotiations, initially at a stalemate, was quickly resolved, and they uniformly agreed to use the Kurland City Gymnasium.
Richard, who personally oversaw these arrangements, privately told Lynch that other cities' venues were also planned to be gymnasiums. This was partly to give people a "unified" impression, elevating the auction's class and specifications, and partly because gymnasiums were more suitable.
Lynch had been busy lately, leaving these matters to Richard. He only cared about the results, not the process.
Calculating the time, there were only a few days left before the auction. Additionally, with the school season approaching in September, he planned to go to Kurland City with Katherine to help her settle in.
The next day, having made his decision, Lynch slightly adjusted his schedule and called Katherine. When the slightly breathless voice of the girl came through the receiver, Lynch couldn't help but chuckle.
He knew why Katherine was panting. Katherine's house was about forty or fifty meters from the phone booth, and including the stairs, she must have run very fast.
Hearing Lynch's chuckles, the girl immediately knew who it was on the other end. She casually asked about the purpose of Lynch's call and then agreed to his arrangement.
In fact, even if Lynch hadn't thought of these things, she had planned to go to Kurland City early to familiarize herself. Her university life couldn't be confined to the school; she would need to explore the city, understanding which places to visit and which to avoid.
Every city in the Baylor Federation had areas filled with violence and crime, which normal people would steer clear of.
She was genuinely happy that Lynch had also thought of this. After agreeing on the time, she hurried back home to start packing.
Her mother, a bit surprised, stood outside Katherine's bedroom holding a carrot as thick as her forearm, watching her busy in the room. She couldn't help but ask, "Where are you going?"
Carrots were one of the three most common foods in ordinary households, along with potatoes and cheap chicken meat. However, as chicken usually came pre-cut with some bone fragments and was slightly more expensive than vegetables, not everyone liked it.
"To Kurland. School's starting soon, but I need time to get used to it. I'm a bit nervous…" She paused her packing and turned to the old woman at the door. "I've been out of school for two years and I'm worried I won't be able to keep up. You know, I've forgotten some of what I learned."
Two years was enough for an excellent student to forget a lot of the originally superficial knowledge, coupled with a dull and tiring life, her worry was justified.
The old woman didn't care much. Ever since her husband, Katherine's father, got a new job, she felt that they, as a couple, had gradually lost their authority over Katherine.
"Do you want your brother to take you?" the old woman asked again.
Katherine quickly shook her head and resumed packing. "No need to trouble anyone. Lynch will pick me up."
The "brother" the old woman referred to was actually Katherine's cousin, the most accomplished person in their extended family—he inherited a small farm from his parents, which was the most impressive asset in the family.
But compared to Lynch, the old woman wisely closed her mouth and returned to the kitchen. She needed to prepare the food so that her husband, who must be starving when he returned, could eat. Those capitalists were truly detestable. Oh, this didn’t refer to Lynch.
Regardless of whether the old woman had any slight regrets or not, or Lynch leaving and returning to Katherine's life, everything here remained unchanged from yesterday, the day before, and every day before that.
The girl did her things, the old woman hummed some old tunes, and the little steel pot on the stove bubbled with a simple yet enticing aroma.
It was just another ordinary day.
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