Chapter 72

Chapter 072: The Aftermath

The Trade Alliance's affair naturally couldn't be kept under wraps.

After all, it was a large-scale alliance involving several hundred "Big Merchants" and an astonishing amount of capital.

The sources of that capital alone implicated tens of thousands of people, making it far from an ironclad secret from the start.

If they had made a huge profit as planned, they might have maintained a facade of unity, keeping the secret buried a little longer for the sake of gain.

But once they suffered a crushing loss, especially to the point where over half the members quit in anger and the group fell apart...

Those who withdrew weren't about to keep any secrets.

Not to mention they still needed to answer to their "investors."

Thus, within just over an hour, the entire chain of events was spilled out in a flurry of chatter.

Starting from the cause—the afternoon news of the official large-scale purchase of Good Fortune Coins as a Strategic Reserve was learned by Zhang Yunteng through his connections. Based on this, he judged that the circulating supply on the market was limited, presenting a once-in-a-lifetime speculative opportunity.

Then came the entry—the Trade Alliance mobilized massive funds, swept up coins at low prices, and concentrated the scattered Good Fortune Coins on the market into their own hands, aiming to monopolize pricing power.

Next was narrative manipulation—those uniform, confident posts on the forum in the evening predicting that "Good Fortune Coins will still be under Limited Sale tomorrow" were their people Leading the Narrative, creating anxiety to lure Retail Investors into taking over their positions.

Finally came the collapse—battered and broken by wave after wave of Good Fortune Coins priced significantly lower than the market rate, the Trade Alliance's funds were drained dry, ultimately leaving them unable to sell at high prices.

The fact that the Good Fortune Coin exchange function was still operating normally delivered the final, most crippling blow, sealing their losses as a certainty.

These details were embellished and posted to the Fate Net Forum by those who had quit the alliance.

It instantly ignited a round of heated discussion.

"Wow, so there was a big drama behind that roller coaster ride in Good Fortune Coin prices?"

"Monopolize Good Fortune Coins? Manipulate public opinion? These guys have some nerve!"

"The key is they lost! Haha, I'm dying. All that effort, and they're not even qualified to work for the Chief!"

"Zhang Yunteng? Wasn't he the richest man? And this is him?"

"Richest man? Huh, who cares about that in the Trial Ground? Besides, if he were really that good, could he lead everyone into losing money?"

"Those Retail Investors who followed the hype and bought Good Fortune Coins at high prices are the same. They believed a little nudge. They deserved to pay some tuition."

"..."

Regarding the Trade Alliance's miserable defeat and the embarrassment of culprits like Zhang Yunteng, the comments on the Fate Net were overwhelmingly gloating.

"Good riddance!"

These two words became the most frequent reply under the relevant discussion threads.

For the ordinary users who were misled by the narrative and bought Good Fortune Coins at peak prices, the Trade Alliance's failure was the perfect outlet for their anger.

It wasn't even about their own losses anymore; what mattered was that the masterminds behind the scenes didn't make any money and instead suffered a Loss on Both Sides.

That was enough.

However, amidst the mockery, someone noticed a key suspicious point in the incident:

"Wait, where did that batch of low-priced Good Fortune Coins that crushed the Trade Alliance actually come from?"

"Yes, if the Trade Alliance's information is correct and the circulating supply on the market is indeed limited after official buybacks, then where did this endless stream of goods come from?"

On this point, all the whistleblowers' accounts were surprisingly consistent, yet surprisingly vague.

"It seemed like some Merchant Association stepped in to block..."

"Who specifically? No idea, the group couldn't figure it out at the time."

"Anyway, it wasn't the authorities. Zhang Yunteng asked specifically."

Not the authorities, nor the Trade Alliance's own goods, yet possessing a massive amount of Good Fortune Coins far exceeding the Trade Alliance's expectations...

The answer seemed almost obvious.

It was just that those who had left the group either didn't dare to think in that direction, or thought about it but didn't dare to say it.

But the Fate Net was never short of clever people.

Soon, someone in an analysis post subtly pointed out that possibility:

"Who else could have unlimited Good Fortune Coins? Think about it, really think about it."

The poster didn't name names, but the comments section exploded:

"You mean... the Chief?!"

"Damn, how did I not think of that!"

"If the Chief made a move, then the Trade Alliance's loss isn't unfair."

"Not just unfair, it's an honor! Being able to face off against the Chief is something they can brag about for a lifetime."

"The Chief is warning against speculative behavior, right? I felt there was deeper meaning in that hint modification this afternoon!"

"Support the Chief's righteous punishment! Clean up the market environment!"

Of course, these were all just guesses, with no conclusive evidence.

The Chief had never appeared to say a single word, and the seller of those Good Fortune Coins on the Trading House was anonymous.

Everything remained at the level of "possibility," but it was enough to keep the Fate Net users buzzing.

...

On the other side.

Compared to the noisy Fate Net Forum, the Special Task Force's group chat channel was much quieter.

Only a newly compiled, neatly formatted Incident Report lay in the latest chat history.

This report was far more comprehensive, accurate, and detailed than the leaks on the forum.

Relying on the resources and connections of the official system, the Information Team quickly completed the relevant cross-verification and organization after learning of the incident.

They had more or less figured out the entire operational chain of the Trade Alliance, the key personnel involved, and the capital scale.

On the last page of the report, there was a concluding assessment:

[In this incident, the direct cause of the Trade Alliance's failure was being sniped by an unidentified seller with a massive amount of cheap Good Fortune Coins. Although there is no direct evidence, considering the source of the goods and the timing, it is highly suspected that this seller is connected to the Master of the Fate Net, the "Chief."

If this speculation is true, it can be judged that the Chief holds a clear suppressive attitude toward the speculative behavior emerging in the current Fate Points economy.]

In the wooden cabin at one o'clock in the dead of night, the solar lamp illuminated the surroundings brightly.

Yu Jing sat at the simple wooden table, reading the report, a faint blue data stream flowing slowly in her eyes.

"A clear suppressive attitude..."

She murmured these words, lost in thought.

From the price crash at the launch of the Good Fortune Coins, when speculators began hoarding, to the Chief's hint modification triggering a price avalanche.

Then to the Chief's personal intervention late at night—if that truly was the Chief's handiwork, shattering the Trade Alliance's capital chain...

The purpose behind this series of actions was remarkably consistent.

If the modification to that line of prompts in the afternoon could still be considered subtle, then the overwhelming snipe late at night was practically a declaration of intent.

The "Chief" does not like speculative behavior.

At least, not the kind that exploits information gaps and public opinion to manipulate the market and harvest ordinary users.

This judgment was crucial for Yu Jing.

The operation of the [People's Union Association] was very simple; its essence was to attract donations by leveraging the conversion logic of "Fate Points—Contribution."

This was fundamentally different from the behavior of the Trade Alliance, but it also involved a deep application of Fate Points' value.

If the Chief held a negative attitude toward all actions that "profit from Fate Points," then she would need to reassess the risks involved.

However, Yu Jing soon felt she was overthinking it.

After all, the core issue in the Trade Alliance incident was manipulating public sentiment and deceiving retail investors, not simply buying low and selling high.

The People's Union Association had nothing to do with that.

Moreover, compared to the Trade Alliance, which was purely profit-driven, the People's Union Association's role in converting Fate Points into faction contribution actually added weight to the value of Fate Points.

She figured it shouldn't be targeted for that reason.

Of course, the specifics would depend on the "Chief's" perspective on the matter.

Thinking this, Yu Jing suddenly understood why the authorities were so eager to establish contact with the "Chief."

Now, the reconstruction of official organizations was entirely dependent on the Fate Net. If the Master of the Fate Net were displeased, they could destroy it all in an instant.

Thus, the rush to contact the "Chief" was nothing more than a desire for certainty.

But once they got that, they'd probably want more?

Human nature.

Pulling her thoughts back, Yu Jing focused more on another matter.

Her gaze fell on the Good Fortune Coins interface on the Fate Net.

The Good Fortune Coin exchange function had been officially online for over an hour and was running smoothly, with no signs of another suspension.

This meant that "unlimited supply" was now a settled fact.

Fortunately, Yu Jing had prepared for this.

As early as that afternoon, when Good Fortune Coins first launched and she predicted a significant rise in Fate Points' value, she had already begun adjusting the People's Union Association's strategic direction.

Now, the formation of the offline rescue team was proceeding as planned, everything moving forward methodically.

It could be officially implemented tomorrow.

Beyond that, another new feature on the Fate Net couldn't be ignored.

Yu Jing's gaze shifted to the newly appeared [Attribute Panel] entry on her personal homepage.

When the Fate Net updated that afternoon, she had only glanced at this feature briefly, as the more urgent tasks were dealing with the Good Fortune Coin impact and adjusting the People's Union Association's strategy.

Now, she finally had time to settle down and carefully study the deeper value of this new feature.

"Essence, Qi, Spirit... three dimensions."

Looking at her concise attribute interface, she expanded the details, and a flood of granular data poured out like a waterfall.

The information in the status bar was particularly detailed, covering everything from the real-time state of various body organs to subtle fluctuations in hormone levels.

The value of this data far exceeded simply "seeing how strong you are."

A thought suddenly emerged in Yu Jing's mind.

"Light Body Nine-Segment Guiding Technique" had been publicly available for over a day. Although countless people reported it effective, this effectiveness was merely a vague sensation—feeling lighter, fatigue relieved, hands and feet warmer.

No one could objectively quantify when or at what frequency practicing this technique yielded the best results.

But now, with the Attribute Panel, things were different.

Yu Jing's eyes lit up slightly as her thoughts quickly expanded.

By observing changes in the [Essence] attribute and its sub-items on the Attribute Panel, the effects of the "Light Body Nine-Segment Guiding Technique" could be precisely quantified.

This would allow research into the optimal practice time, as well as the difference between practicing once a day versus multiple times—how significant was the gap?

Was it more efficient to practice on an empty stomach or after a meal?

Previously, these questions could only be guessed at through subjective feelings, but now they had objective data to support them.

Moreover, the benefits weren't limited to the "Light Body Nine-Segment Guiding Technique."

They also applied to the efficiency of Fate Point top-ups.

Topping up Fate Points essentially meant consuming physical strength in exchange for Fate Point currency.

But what method of top-up would be more efficient?

These questions could also be verified through real-time changes in the Status bar on the Attribute Panel.

If a set of "optimal top-up procedures" could be developed, allowing everyone to exchange the least physical effort for the most Fate Points, it would undoubtedly be a huge boon for the entire Huaxia Faction.

With more Fate Points, more Good Fortune Coins could be exchanged, chest openings would yield richer rewards, prices would drop, and ordinary people would live better...

This was a positive, self-reinforcing cycle.

Such research into optimizing the efficiency of "cultivation" and "resource acquisition" held significant strategic value.

And coincidentally, the [People's Union Association]'s offline team building and online functional expansion required a large number of organized, professionally skilled participants.

They had already recruited many professionals from the medical, biological, and sports science fields.

These people were elites in their respective fields before the crossing, but due to the environment of the Trial Ground, their skills had no outlet.

Now, with the Attribute Panel online, they finally had a chance to put their talents to use.

This was not only a research project but also an excellent entry point to gather professionals, realize their value, and genuinely benefit everyone.

Thinking this, Yu Jing hesitated no longer.

She immediately issued clear instructions in two work groups simultaneously:

[Special Task Force]: "Continue monitoring the aftermath and potential impacts of the 'Trade Alliance Incident,' with special attention to any clues related to the 'Chief.'"

[People's Union Association]: "Focusing on the newly added Attribute Panel function of the Fate Net, establish two special research groups, codenamed 'Guiding Technique Optimization' and 'Efficient Charging' for now."

"1. Guiding Technique Optimization Group: Use the Attribute Panel function to design large-scale, long-cycle controlled experiments to study the optimal practice mode for the 'Light Body Nine-Segment Guiding Technique.'"

"2. Efficient Charging Group: Research how to achieve higher efficiency and lower physical burden when topping up Fate Points through adjustments in sleep schedules, light activities, diet, etc., within the Trial Ground environment."

The instructions were sent out, and several "Received" replies came back immediately.

After arranging all of this, Yu Jing let out a gentle sigh of relief.

She leaned back in her wooden chair, her gaze passing through the open wooden window to the forest outside, swallowed by the darkness of night.

The deep forest at night was not quiet; occasionally, low roars of beasts could be heard in the distance, but they were far enough away to pose no threat.

Yu Jing's thoughts began to drift.

Once Good Fortune Coins were officially launched, a large number of "Common Fortune" and "Auspicious Fortune" would be used when opening chests tomorrow. The drop rate for Bronze Chests was expected to increase significantly, and the prices of basic supplies would continue to fall.

This was good for the entire faction.

It was also good for the People's Union Association—because extreme situations requiring emergency aid would become fewer and fewer, allowing her to free up more resources to invest in building an offline physical rescue team.

Everything was going more smoothly than initially anticipated.

Currently, the Huaxia Faction was at the top of the list, seemingly having secured victory in just a few days.

This was a situation no one dared to imagine at the start of the trial.

And all of this was entirely due to one person.

Yu Jing's gaze unconsciously drifted toward the towering figure at the top of the Contribution Ranking.

The long string of numbers under the first place grew more dazzling and brilliant with each passing day.

What kind of person would the "Chief" himself be?

Had the Information Team made no progress because the Fate Net was blocking relevant information?

Or...

The thought flickered through her mind, but Yu Jing didn't dwell on it.

She closed the Status Panel, dimmed the brightness of the Solar Lamp, and prepared to rest.

Tomorrow, there was still much to do.

And then, soon.

Inside the wooden cabin, only the faint glow of the Solar Lamp remained, along with the steady, even sound of breathing.

No words were spoken through the night.