Blackstone Code
Chapter 790: The Vulture
After a period of settling, signs of recovery began to appear once again in Eminence’s financial center.
The resurgence of physical industries brought in large amounts of capital. After a long financial winter, investors started emerging again. The three major exchanges saw increasing crowds, each person wearing a complex expression.
It felt like… this place was returning to its former glory.
Standing in a third-floor office, Lynch looked through the blinds at the brokers on the first floor raising their hands in rapid gestures. The traders on the second floor were equally busy.
Behind Lynch, Lime stood obediently, barely daring to breathe.
He was here for an audit.
Lynch had been in Gephra for the past two months and hadn’t been able to keep close tabs on things. Even though he could check account balances over the phone, that wasn’t completely safe.
Collusion for profit isn’t rare—especially in finance, where people are bold and ruthless.
“There hasn’t been much market movement lately…” Lynch let go of the blinds. With a snap, they sprang back into place. His gaze shifted from the hall back to the room.
Glancing at Lime, he walked over to the seat that symbolized authority and sat down.
In Eminence’s financial center, there’s an interesting phenomenon: many private offices have no chairs or sofas.
Anyone coming in to talk has to stand.
Some say this reflects the principle of time is money—if people sit and chat, even simple matters could drag on.
Others see it as a raw expression of hierarchy: those of lower status don’t even have the right to sit before their superiors.
Whatever people say, everyone’s used to it. It’s a fast-paced environment. No time for idle talk.
Lime stood at the desk with his head slightly bowed. “Yes, sir. The market’s been sluggish—it’s hard to catch any real trends.”
Lynch nodded noncommittally. Lime wasn’t wrong; that much was clear.
Some believe a revival of physical industries would naturally drive financial indexes upward—but it’s not that simple.
After a wave of destruction, investors have become cautious and rational. Getting them to go wild again won’t be easy—not in the short term.
Without investor fervor, and with companies reinvesting profits into expanding production instead of diverting funds into the financial sector, the market lacks the capital influx it once had. Growth slows.
This kind of slow climb doesn’t produce big gains—but it’s steady.
For average investors, now’s a good time. Stability means their money can at least outpace inflation.
But for large financial firms, it’s not a great opportunity.
Lime’s firm, for example, raised funds under contractual terms—like betting agreements. He has to deliver a certain return, not necessarily the maximum, but never too low.
If returns were too low, anyone could raise money, throw it in a bank, and at year’s end say they didn’t make a profit—while still pocketing some interest.
To prevent that, investors have all kinds of minimum-guarantee clauses. No matter the scenario, they expect a certain baseline return.
With little to gain from the general market, the only way to profit is by selectively investing in promising companies and hyping them up. You might earn a bit that way—but overall, it’s far from the returns of previous years.
Lynch had anticipated this. Social capital wouldn’t pour into financial markets for the next few years. The sector would inevitably cool.
Futures trading is also tightly tied to national policy—individual players can’t manipulate it. Letting Lime sit idle would be wasteful, so Lynch had other plans.
“Physical industries are expanding rapidly. We need to capitalize on that and refine our business model,” Lynch said, stroking his chin in thought. “Have you heard of the vultures circling above Eminence?”
Lime paused. “You mean… acquisitions and breakups?”
Lynch nodded. “The fastest way for a physical company to expand is through acquisition. That opens up many profitable opportunities for us. Since the financial market’s lukewarm, you still need to deliver results to your shareholders and investors, right?”
Lime nodded again. “I’ll start recruiting immediately…”
Lynch handed him several profiles—professionals sourced through Eminence’s talent agencies. Many were already well-established in the industry.
This wasn’t a sudden whim. When Lynch first envisioned his financial empire, this sector was always part of the plan.
Acquisition and breakup may sound high-level, but it’s not much different from flipping assets.
Imagine a steel factory with a market value of one million, but the land alone is worth nearly that much—clearly undervalued.
This is common. Finance doesn’t require good eyesight. Even seemingly worthless patents or staff expertise can be directly monetized.
Once a company is undervalued, the next steps are simple. Take the steel factory again:
Lynch uses a shell company to acquire it or become the majority shareholder, then takes out a loan.
Next, he sells off the technical staff to another factory, liquidates the equipment at low prices, and sells any patents if they exist.
Then comes the land sale. Finally, he isolates the liabilities, relocates the legal entity to a rural area, and files for bankruptcy.
If the original owners or shareholders are cooperative, they might walk away with a little cash.
If not, they’re left with a hollow shell burdened with debt—already under forced bankruptcy protection.
There are many firms in Eminence that do this. But in the previous years, finance boomed while physical industries shrank—so though the business existed, it wasn’t the right time.
Now that physical industries are reviving, this strategy is back in play.
And as for ethics?
Please—that’s the government’s problem.
While Lime was busy recruiting talent, Lynch attended a charity gala hosted by the First Lady—with Penny by his side.
Katherine wasn’t a good fit for this event. First, she didn’t have enough public recognition. Second, appearing publicly with Lynch at this stage would conflict with future publicity and image planning.
The public tends to be surprisingly tolerant of independent, strong, and beautiful women—they forgive all their mistakes and whims. But they don’t extend the same grace to “kept women.” And that’s Katherine’s image: a strong, self-made woman who rose from the bottom of society to achieve the Federal Dream.
Think about how inspirational that is—arguably the best testament to the president’s leadership since taking office. Proof that the Federal Dream isn’t just a dream—it’s achievable.
So after weighing the options, Lynch chose Penny.
She had become a household name through a string of film roles and her innocent looks. She had fame, influence, and just the right image.
At the gala, Lynch and Penny’s appearance instantly turned the red carpet into a blaze of camera flashes. He was handsome, she was pretty and pure—every gesture looked like a magazine cover.
“Walk faster…” Lynch whispered to Penny, smiling cooperatively at the cameras from all directions.
Penny pretended not to hear. For an actress, appearing at a First Lady-hosted gala was one of the most glamorous moments possible.
Top-tier stars didn’t always get invited. Everyone here tonight was true upper class.
The real deal.
Not those nouveau riche who move halfway up a hill and call themselves elite. Only people personally invited by the president or First Lady could attend—social climbers didn’t even get a chance.
When Penny found out Lynch was taking her, she screamed with excitement on set.
If the director didn’t know about her rumored relationship with Lynch—and suspect they weren’t exactly broken up—he probably would’ve chewed her out.
But once the director and producer learned what she was going to do, they understood her outburst and even gave her plenty of time to prepare.
Now that she was finally walking this red carpet, how could she rush through it?
Being on the cover of The Wave and being on the cover of Film are two very different things.
Lynch saw through her thoughts and gave her arm a tug. “If you don’t hurry up, I’ll leave you here. Tomorrow every media outlet will put you on the front page alone—believe me?”
Penny had planned to linger a little longer, but her heart skipped a beat. She knew Lynch was a bastard—and he would absolutely do it. She immediately linked arms with him and matched his pace.
They took several minutes to walk halfway down the carpet—but finished the other half in under thirty seconds.