24: Chapter 24 Oil Prices Soar! Earn 20,000 in One Hour, and Housing Listings Arrive

Lin Chen caught a glimpse of the AI pop-up, his pupils shrinking slightly. Without a moment's hesitation, his fingertips tapped rapidly on the screen, betting all the remaining funds in his account on oil futures. His movements were fluid and extremely decisive.

Li Wei, watching clearly from the side, couldn't help but lean in, his eyes widening. In the dim alley, only the faint glow of the phone screen illuminated their faces.

"Brother Chen, this... all in?" Li Wei's voice trembled, his face full of horror. "What if..."

"There are no 'what ifs'." Lin Chen's gaze was like a nail, locked onto the jumping K-line Chart. His voice was calm. "If I say it will rise, it will definitely rise."

Before he finished speaking, the previously flat curve on the screen suddenly surged upward, like a dormant beast awakening. The red profit figures began to jump rapidly. Li Wei held his breath, the warm yellow lights of Chinatown lighting up one by one in the distance, reflecting on his face which was filled with shock.

"It's rising! It's really rising!" he exclaimed in a hushed voice, his finger trembling slightly as he pointed at the screen.

Lin Chen only nodded slightly, his fingertips sliding to check key data, his expression showing no ripples of emotion. He knew this was just the beginning.

Half an hour passed in the blink of an eye. Oil prices were like a runaway horse, skyrocketing all the way. The profit figures jumped from sixty thousand to seventy thousand, then quickly broke through seventy-five thousand.

"Good god... seventy-five thousand!" Li Wei took a sharp breath, his throat feeling dry. "It's only been how long..."

"It's not time yet." Lin Chen's voice was calm and steady, his gaze still locked on the market. He was waiting for that 'five points'.

After another twenty-odd minutes, oil prices finally hit the expected peak. The profit figure settled steadily at 80,000 USD—no more, no less, exactly five points, a net gain of twenty thousand.

Li Wei almost forgot to breathe as he watched.

At that moment, Lin Chen moved. His fingers tapped rapidly, decisively closing half of the position. "Quit while you're ahead. Lock in forty thousand in profit first. For the remaining half, we won't lose whether it rises or falls."

"Brother Chen, that's... it?" Li Wei snapped out of it, a bit confused. "Not going to watch a bit longer? Maybe it could..."

"Greed is the greatest enemy outside the market." Lin Chen put away his phone and looked up at him, a very faint smile playing on his lips. "Being able to steadily take this bite of meat is enough."

Li Wei was stunned for a moment, then nodded vigorously, fully convinced.

The phone rang just then—"Uncle Zhao".

Lin Chen picked up immediately and put it on speaker.

"Kid, I'm not interrupting your fortune-making, am I?" Uncle Zhao's hearty voice came through. "Good news! I found a dilapidated house that needs to be sold urgently. The price is terrifyingly low. Want to come take a look now?"

"Yes!" Lin Chen's eyes lit up, his tone decisive. "Uncle Zhao, I'll be right there. Are you at the shop or..."

"I'm at the shop. The house isn't far, about a ten-minute walk. The Homeowner is waiting right there."

"Okay, I'm coming right now!"

After hanging up, Lin Chen turned to Li Wei. "Let's go, let's look at the house. I'll take you to meet Uncle Zhao while we're at it."

"Great!" Li Wei's spirits lifted, and he quickly followed. "By the way, Brother Chen, what price did Uncle Zhao say for that house... roughly?"

"He didn't say specifically, only that it was 'exceptionally cheap'." Lin Chen quickened his pace. "We'll know once we see it. If it's suitable, we'll take it immediately to avoid any complications."

The two walked quickly through the increasingly bustling Chinatown. The lights, the cooking smoke, and the sounds of hawking were like a different world compared to the dark alley from before.

Before long, the Grocery Store was in sight. Uncle Zhao was sitting on a small stool by the door. Seeing them arrive, he stood up with a smile.

"Uncle Zhao, sorry to trouble you." Lin Chen went up to meet him.

"No need for formalities." Uncle Zhao patted his shoulder, then looked at Li Wei. "This must be Xiao Li? Young Chen mentioned you, a good lad."

Li Wei hurriedly greeted him respectfully.

After a few pleasantries, Lin Chen got straight to the point. "Uncle Zhao, about that house..."

Uncle Zhao chuckled and lowered his voice, sounding a bit mysterious. "You'll never guess—five thousand USD, flat price. Clean title, all procedures in order. The Homeowner is in a hurry to return to his hometown and doesn't want to waste time. If you like it, you can sign on the spot."

"Five thousand?" Lin Chen and Li Wei were both stunned. This price was far lower than expected.

"Absolutely true." Uncle Zhao nodded. "Once you miss this chance, it's gone."

"Let's go, we'll look at it now!" Lin Chen didn't hesitate at all.

The three of them set off immediately. Ten minutes later, they arrived at the destination.

It was a low-slung bungalow on the edge of the Slum District. The plaster was peeling, and miscellaneous items were piled at the door. It was old and worn, but the structure was still intact.

A tired-looking middle-aged man had been waiting at the door for a long time. Seeing them arrive, he stepped forward eagerly.

"Old Zhao! This must be Mr. Lin?" He looked at Lin Chen with hope in his eyes.

"Mr. Wang, nice to meet you." Lin Chen shook hands with him. "I'll take a look at the house first."

The inside was small and old, but the lighting was decent, and there was no obvious damage. The title documents were also laid out on the table, clear and unmistakable.

Lin Chen quickly scanned the surroundings and had a conclusion in his heart. "Mr. Wang, I'll take this house. Five thousand, we'll sign the contract now."

A look of wild joy instantly erupted on Mr. Wang's face. "That's wonderful! Thank you so much, Mr. Lin! I'll go get the contract!" He turned to get the documents, then suddenly stopped and looked back, adding with even more anticipation and urgency, "By the way, Mr. Lin, my two neighbors... they also have houses they want to sell, and they're just as eager to let them go. Do you... want to take a look at those as well?"}],