Tokyo, Shinjuku.
Inside the top-tier suite of the Park Hyatt Tokyo, the massive floor-to-ceiling windows offered a panoramic view of the night scene of one of Asia’s most prosperous metropolises.
Shinji was currently sitting in a chair.
Although his body still suffered from that phantom pain deep in his marrow, his mental excitement allowed him to temporarily ignore the physical torment.
“Sirius.”
Shinji’s gaze was focused on the thick IBM laptop screen in front of him.
“Present.”
The woman codenamed Sirius appeared behind him like a shadow, silent and soundless.
At this moment, she had changed out of her conspicuous black suit, wearing a dark gray shirt and trousers designed for movement; a bulge at her waist suggested that a lethal weapon was concealed there.
“This computer’s specs are too terrible.
Tomorrow, have someone go to Akihabara and build me a top-of-the-line one.
No, two.”
Shinji complained; this backward computer and system were truly uncomfortable to use.
“Also, dim the room lights; they’re too glaring.”
“Understood.”
Once the lights softened, only the faint blue glow from the screen remained, illuminating Shinji’s pale face, which wore a look of fanatic amusement.
He was browsing the real-time data of NASDAQ and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.
Although the internet speed of 2004 seemed as slow as a turtle crawling to a soul accustomed to the 5G era, every number jumping on the screen was a naked gold mine in his eyes.
“20 billion yen…” Shinji silently converted the exchange rate in his mind.
According to the exchange rate in November 2004, 1 US dollar was worth about 108 yen.
20 billion yen, after deducting necessary fees and exchange losses, would amount to roughly 185 million US dollars when it reached his overseas account.
For an ordinary person, this was an astronomical figure that couldn’t be spent in a lifetime—no, ten lifetimes.
But for an ambitious man who wanted to build a capital empire capable of rivaling the mystery side in this world where magic and technology coexisted, this was merely an entry ticket.
“I must be meticulous.”
He opened an Excel spreadsheet, created a new document, and named it ‘Genesis’.
Right now, he was like a cheater holding the script for the next twenty years, preparing to place his bets in a casino.
First, the most important priority: NVIDIA.
He entered the ticker in the search box.
Looking at the stock price, which was still in a trough at this time, the corners of Shinji’s mouth almost stretched to his ears.
“0.14 dollars…
what a dirt-cheap price.”
Right now, NVIDIA was still struggling with the fierce competition in the graphics card market.
Who could have imagined that twenty years later, this company would become one of the most valuable enterprises in the world due to the AI wave, with its stock price increasing over sixty thousand times?
“All-in?
No, I can’t be too conspicuous.”
Shinji suppressed the urge to dump everything in.
If he held too much now, the butterfly effect of the future might change Jensen Huang’s decision-making, or even attract the attention of those old stubborn folks in the Mages Association.
He typed into the first row of the spreadsheet: Invested Capital: 60 million USD.
Acquisition Target: 400 million outstanding shares.
Estimated Stake: around 10%.
Throwing this money in would be enough to make him a pivotal shadow shareholder of NVIDIA.
By 2025, this 60 million would turn into a terrifying wealth sufficient to buy several countries.
Next was Apple.
Apple in 2004 had just launched the iPod, and Jobs was brewing the iPhone that would change the world.
The current stock price was hovering around 4 dollars.
“30 million USD.” Shinji tapped on the keyboard.
Acquisition Target: 6 million shares.
Estimated Stake: 0.6%.
Although the share percentage didn’t look like much, this was just a seed.
When the smartphone era arrived, this seed would grow into a towering tree.
Then, Google.
This company had only been listed for three months.
The current stock price was around 40 dollars.
Although it had shown the potential of a giant, it hadn’t yet reached the terrifying, monopoly-level status of later generations.
“Search is the gateway to information, and also the hegemony of the future.” Shinji muttered to himself, his eyes flickering.
Invested Capital: 20 million USD.
Acquisition Target: 500,000 shares.
Estimated Stake: 0.3%.
This wasn’t just for money; it was to secure a foothold in the future information age.
Finally, he cast his gaze towards the East, that massive, awakening market.
Tencent.
It had just listed in Hong Kong in June 2004, and the current stock price was still hovering around 4 HKD.
That penguin was still very thin and weak, but in the future, it would rule the entire social network of China.
“30 million USD.” Shinji decided without hesitation.
Acquisition Target: 8 million shares (converted).
Estimated Stake: over 0.7%.
With the final strike of the Enter key, an investment blueprint worth 140 million USD was born just like that in a hotel room.
“Hoo…” Shinji exhaled a long breath, feeling the wound on his chest throbbing faintly again.
60 million + 30 million + 20 million + 30 million = 140 million.
185 million minus 140 million, he still had 45 million USD in liquid funds remaining.
These 45 million were his confidence for establishing New World Holdings in Tokyo, for recruiting talent, for enjoying life, and…
for dealing with the troubles that might come knocking.
“Perfect.” Shinji closed the computer with satisfaction and turned his chair.
Sirius was still standing there, like an exquisite sculpture.
Her standing posture was impeccable, her center of gravity always maintained between her feet.
Although her eyes were not looking directly at Shinji, she had brought every corner of the room into her alert range.
Looking at this high-end bodyguard who cost him 500,000 USD per month, Shinji suddenly felt a bit of mischievousness.
“Hey, Sirius.” Shinji picked up the mineral water on the table, unscrewed it, took a sip, and moistened his dry throat.
“Do you have any insights on investment?”
Sirius’s gaze finally fell on Shinji.
Through those thin lenses, her eyes remained calm, revealing no inner fluctuation.
“Boss, my duty is to ensure your life safety and eliminate all physical threats.”
Her voice was cold and detached, carrying a sense of business-like distance.
“As for financial investment, that is your domain.
In this regard, I know nothing.”
Shinji raised an eyebrow.
“Know nothing?
I don’t believe it.” He shook the water bottle in his hand.
“An Aegis-level security company shouldn’t just train its special agents to be thugs with well-developed limbs, right?
Economics, psychology, negotiation skills…
aren’t these mandatory courses?”
Sirius was silent for two seconds.
She quickly assessed the young boss’s intentions in her mind.
Before receiving the mission, she had read Shinji’s file.
The eldest grandson of a local snake family in Fuyuki City, with a terrible personality and no skills—a typical spoiled heir.
Although the file showed he had recently suffered a kidnapping and serious injury, leading to a change in temperament, that arrogance in his bones shouldn’t have changed.
The way he was tapping away at the computer just now, although he pretended to be decent, in Sirius’s view, it was highly likely just him playing some kind of money-burning game.
Investment?
A high school student?
Don’t joke around.
Moreover, as a bodyguard, the biggest taboo was to meddle in the employer’s decisions.
Once a given suggestion led to a loss, that was overstepping.
“I have dabbled in basic economics, but it is not enough to support me in providing professional investment advice for you.”
Sirius chose the safest answer, her tone remaining neither servile nor overbearing.
“If you need it, I can contact the company to hire a top-tier financial advisory team for you.
Whether it’s Wall Street elites or professors from the University of Tokyo, as long as you can afford the price.”
“Tsk, how boring.” Shinji curled his lip and placed the water bottle heavily on the table, making a thud.