22: Chapter 22: Harvesting the Deal and Leaving the Game, Millions in Hand

In the ever-changing futures market, ten-fold leverage is a meat grinder.

Adding to a winning position is an even bigger gamble, with one's head tied to their belt.

This means the margin for error is zero.

As the pot grows larger, if the zhengzhou cotton futures main contract experiences even a tiny 10% pullback, the invested principal and accumulated profits will instantly face liquidation, vanishing into thin air.

If these words had been spoken lightly by someone else, Red Phoenix would have thrown her glass in their face without hesitation, suspecting them of malicious short-selling and trying to drag her into a trap.

But the person who spoke was Shen Du.

Red Phoenix gripped her phone tightly.

Her long fingers turned bloodless at the knuckles from the force.

Her chest heaved.

Reason and blind obedience clashed in her mind.

A second before the call ended, she hadn't been able to suppress her instinctive fear and blurted out, "Are you... serious?"

But Shen Du had already hung up.

Red Phoenix bit her red lips until a stinging sensation spread, and the taste of blood filled her mouth.

She took a deep breath of cold air and moved the phone away from her ear.

The fear in her eyes was swallowed by a kind of fanaticism within seconds.

She didn't leave herself any room to regret.

Her fingers slid across the screen, dialing the number of her exclusive trader, Yang Shaohui.

"Xiao Yang."

As the call connected, Red Phoenix's voice regained its usual cold decisiveness: "Prepare ten million, open ten-fold leverage, and go full long on the zhengzhou cotton futures main contract."

"As soon as there is profit, immediately execute 'adding to winning positions' and keep rolling it in with ten-fold leverage."

"Remember, follow the rules and disperse it into personal accounts."

"What?!"

On the other end of the line, Yang Shaohui let out a shrill scream that made the receiver crackle.

"Sister Hong, have you lost your mind? Or have you been brainwashed by a scammer?!"

Yang Shaohui's voice was full of despair: "Ten-fold full leverage and then adding to winning positions? This is pure suicide."

"Once the pot gets big, if the market pulls back even a single point, the principal and interest will be wiped out instantly."

"All the news in the market right now is bearish! Hot money and institutions are wildly shorting! The market is full of large short orders. Going long at this time is just going against the market to your death!"

"All shorting?"

Red Phoenix paused, her tense nerves stung.

In her mind, she began to calculate the compound interest on thirty-five million.

Thirty-five million in principal with ten-fold leverage meant a base position of 350 million.

If the market surged against the trend while the whole world was shorting, combined with "adding to winning positions"... Double, then double again.

This money could snowball into astronomical amounts, reaching hundreds of millions.

That was the ceiling of a social class she could never touch, no matter how many lifetimes she spent in the flesh trade.

Shen Du's indifferent profile flashed through her mind, along with his disdainful words: "If you want to cross social classes, then throw it all in."

How arrogant.

But what if he was right?

The gambling nature of someone who licked blood on the knife's edge was fully ignited in Red Phoenix.

Since that man dared to bet against the entire market's direction, why didn't she dare to risk her life and go crazy with him?

"Xiao Yang, shut up."

Red Phoenix interrupted Yang Shaohui's hysteria.

She bit her lip, her voice trembling with excitement:

"Since the entire market is shorting... then ten million isn't enough."

"Sister, Sister Hong... what do you want to do..." Yang Shaohui's teeth were chattering.

"Take out all the money I just cleared! Thirty-five million!"

Red Phoenix stared fixedly at the night outside the window:

"Thirty-five million in principal! Ten-fold leverage! Throw it all into a long position."

"As long as the market rises, bite down hard and keep adding to the winning position; roll the pot up to the heavens."

"Sister Hong! All thirty-five million? If it drops even a little, your money is gone!"

"If it liquidates, I'll accept it!"

Red Phoenix squeezed the death order through her teeth: "If I don't place a heavy bet today... I'll miss the chance to change my destiny in this lifetime. Do it!"

Hanging up the phone, Red Phoenix threw it onto the leather sofa.

At worst, it would be a liquidation, a total loss.

12:30 AM.

Snoring filled the boys' dormitory.

Shen Du rolled out of bed, grabbed a black jacket, threw it on, and pushed the door open to slip into the early winter night.

Half an hour later, he passed through a hidden alley behind the school street.

He lifted a curtain made of greasy sound-insulating cotton and squeezed into a smoky underground forex margin trading room.

Dozens of computer screens flickered with ghostly light.

The smell of cheap tobacco mixed with the sound of typing keyboards.

Shen Du didn't pause and walked to the main console at the very back.

The platform boss in charge of opening accounts was a greasy-faced middle-aged man.

He was puffing on a cigarette, his eyes glued to the screen.

"Open a temporary quick account, for forex precious metals, deposit 230,000."

Shen Du took out his bank card and slapped it onto the ash-covered table.

The boss glanced at him sideways, looking at this young face, and lazily took the card to swipe it into the backend.

But when he saw the trading instructions Shen Du typed in, the cigarette butt between his fingers jerked, and hot ash fell onto his thigh.

"Hiss—kid, are you crazy?"

The boss frantically patted his pants, staring at Shen Du as if looking at a dead man: "Throwing all 230,000 in, and pulling 100-fold maximum leverage?"

He had seen plenty of gamblers with red eyes borrowing money to win back their losses, but this was the first one to seek death like this right off the bat.

"Do you know what 100-fold leverage means?"

The boss extended a finger, knocked hard on the table, and sneered: "Buying like this, as long as the market has a tiny pullback of two decimal places, even if the market just takes a breath, your 230,000 will instantly liquidate and you'll lose everything."

Facing the warning and ridicule, Shen Du's expression didn't waver.

"Cut the crap."

Shen Du lowered his eyelids, his tone hard: "Open the order."

Hearing this command, the platform boss's face darkened.

"Fine, it's hard to save a ghost determined to die."

The boss snorted coldly and stubbed out his half-smoked cigarette in the ashtray.

His hands hammered on the keyboard, and with a "click," he hit the enter key: "The order is in. 230,000, 100-fold leverage, full long. Don't come crying here when you get liquidated."

Shen Du ignored the verbal abuse.

He pulled a chipped Nokia phone from his pocket.

He pressed the unlock key, and the screen glowed with a pale light.

The numbers jumped.

Current time: 1:02 AM.

Corresponding to 1:02 PM New York time.

Shen Du raised his head slightly, his gaze shifting from the phone screen to the international precious metals market.

He issued a death order: "Win or lose, we'll know in three minutes."

"At 1:05, not a second off, sell everything and cash out."

Hearing this, the boss, who had been preparing to greet customers, stopped in his tracks.

He turned his head and looked at the strangely calm face of Shen Du.

Who among those playing with 100-fold leverage in this place didn't stare at the screen with bloodshot eyes?

Yet, this college student in front of him didn't even look at the market after placing his bet; he was actually using a Nokia to time the seconds.

The boss was amused by this attitude.

He pulled over a folding chair and sat down next to Shen Du.

Crossing his arms, he didn't even bother with business anymore: "Fine."

"I'm not going anywhere tonight; I'll sit here and wait for these three minutes. I want to see if you can really flip the sky with this stagnant market."

Time ticked away second by second.

On the computer screen, the K-line representing the trend of international precious metals fluctuated weakly in a horizontal line.

In front of the trading desk, it was so quiet that only the "ticking" sound from inside the old computer could be heard.

1:03 AM.

The market remained stable, and the mockery on the boss's lips grew more intense.

However, when the time on the Nokia screen jumped to exactly 1:04 AM, a sudden change occurred.

On the computer screen, the curve that had been trading sideways twitched violently without warning.

Immediately after, a thick bullish candle rose up like a sudden eruption from dry land.

The entire international precious metals market began a completely irrational, vertical surge.

"Holy sh*t?"

The boss, who had been watching the show with his legs crossed, sprang up from the folding chair.

He was almost pressed against the screen.

His eyes were bloodshot, staring intently at the balance in the backend that was rolling wildly with the 100-fold leverage.

One million.

Five million.

Eight million.

"It's broken ten million!"

The boss's voice cracked from shock. He turned to look at Shen Du, sweating profusely, and roared: "It's already over ten million! It's still rising! Brother, are you really not going to stop?"

Facing the massive wealth, Shen Du's expression didn't change.

He didn't glance at the computer screen once; his gaze remained anchored on the second hand of the Nokia phone.

The faint light of the screen reflected on his face.

"Fifty-seven..."

"Fifty-eight..."

"Fifty-nine."

When the time hit 1:04:59, Shen Du looked up and gave the order: "Sell all."

Stunned by this unquestionable aura, the boss didn't dare to hesitate.

Relying on years of muscle memory, he slammed down the "Close All Positions" enter key on the keyboard.