Rather than returning to Greenbaby, Darren decided to head to Malegreen Street where his home was.
He unlocked the door, walked straight to the kitchen, pulled out a bottle of orange juice and began gulping it down.
He noisily made his way to his bedroom and sat on the edge of his bed.
Once he finished the entire paper bottle of orange juice, he threw it into the waste bin, scoring a perfect point as it entered straight in the empty basket.
Then, he took off his shoes, unbuttoned his shirt and slumped down on his work chair, ready to begin a hopefully successful Bitcoin purchase session.
With a mechanical slicing sound, the purple floating interface appeared before him.
Darren lifted his fingers and pressed them against his chin, his gaze fixed on the glowing numbers displaced by the interface.
It was slightly cold in his old room thanks to the fan he'd installed after paying the electric bill. The dim light of the room cast long shadows on the walls, the only sound in the quiet evening was the faint hum of the said fan above.
He had placed his phone flat on the desk beside him, but his focus was entirely on the digital projections hovering before his eyes.
The Bitcoin Investment Window displayed itself, the numbers crisp and clear.
┏Bitcoin Investment Window┛
┏Price Presently: $0.4/BTC┛
┏Price in Future: $50,000/BTC┛
"That's quite a significant fall in a few days," Darren thought out loud. No wonder people were spamming the FuglyDuckling account again yesterday for giving them false hope after the initial rise.
They had all thought that Bitcoin was going to rise on and on from there, and they'd went on to make huge purchases of the cryptocurrency. But just a few days later there was another fall.
Why were they blaming Duckling?
He couldn't see how that was his problem. Or his fault.
If there was one thing Business Everyday and that hot blonde reporter, Brooklyn whatever was right about, it was that Bitcoin was very inconsistent and unpredictable.
----------------------
┏Rises:
— January 2011 - Major Rise - $6/BTC
— April 2011 - Minor Rise - $9/BTC
— June 2011 - Major Rise - $31/BTC┛
(Tap to see further rises for more than one year)
┏Crashes:
— March 2011 - Minor Crash - $4.3/BTC
— August 2011 - Major Crash - $2/BTC┛
(Tap to see further crashes for more than one year)
┏Your Investment ┛
┏Invested: $82,500┛
┏Profit: $928,125┛
---------------------------
Darren exhaled through his nose, then swiped the interface to the left. His personal Wallet Account came into view.
His expenditure was displayed Before him;
After spending $1,018,000 on the house property and resources, $9,000 on clearing his student loans, and another $1,000 for Mrs Edward's purse, plus $3,000 on personal belongings and purchases, he was still sitting on a comfortable balance of $8,596,869.
That was awesome.
$8,598,869 left him with a good amount to invest as lavishly as he wanted. If he wanted to be risky, heck, he could purchase Bitcoin worth $8,000,000 and just casually manage the remaining $500,000 until a Major Rise.
What's stopping him?
Ding!
The sound of the Investor System interrupted his thoughts. A new notification popped up.
----------------
┏Lavish investments are allowed but must be regulated. Present investments can also affect future growth of the cryptocurrency, leading to a change in its expected rise in the future. This change could be good or bad but will eventually lead to a matrix in the currency system.┛
┏This event is known as a financial paradox.┛
-----------------
Darren narrowed his eyes, tapping his fingers against his knee.
"A financial paradox..." he muttered. That meant that the more he invested, the more likely he was to influence the market itself.
If he went too heavy, it could lead to an artificial inflation or an early correction — possibly ruining the natural course of Bitcoin's growth.
Too much investment could alter history itself.
He took a moment to let that sink in, then spoke to the system.
"Regulate my next Bitcoin purchase. Make sure I stay within safe limits."
Another ding!
┏Advised purchase: $1,000,000┛
┏Limit: $2,000,000┛
┏Anything beyond $2,000,000 increases the risk of causing a financial paradox┛
Darren rubbed his chin, thinking.
"I see."
He went ahead and opened the New Investment Window.
┏Make New Investment┛
┏There are no investment drafts. New investment can be initiated.┛
A confirmation window appeared.
┏Amount of Bitcoin to purchase: $________┛
Darren stayed silent as he thought. "Well, since one million is the advised amount, and two million is the limit... I guess I'll go with one million..."
His eyes gleamed.
"... and five hundred thousand!"
"Hah!" He chuckled. 'Right in the middle. Being safe and also taking risks as investors do.'
Ding!
┏You've earned a Character Bonus!┛
Darren grinned. "You taught me well, system."
Then, the final confirmation appeared.
┏Are you sure you want to purchase Bitcoin worth $1,500,000 at $0.4 per BTC?┛
┏Estimated Holdings: 3,750,000 BTC┛
Without hesitation, he raised a finger and pressed┏Confirm┛.
The interface refreshed, calculations running in real time.
┏Investment Successful!┛
┏BTC Purchased: 3,750,000┛
┏Current Portfolio Value: $1,500,000┛
┏Estimated Profit at Next Major Rise: $22,500,000┛
Darren exhaled and leaned back against the chair, his fingers interlocking behind his head.
"Now we wait for the next Major Rise."
» » » « « «
Somewhere Else…
"Holy shit! HOLY FUCKING SHIT!"
A chair scraped violently against the floor as Andy Nashville bolted up from his desk, sending his coffee sloshing onto his keyboard. He didn't even care. His eyes were locked on his laptop screen, pupils dilated in pure shock.
He snatched the laptop off the desk and sprinted down the hallway of the financial firm.
"Sir! Sir! IT'S DUCKLING!"
He burst into his boss's office, panting, waving the laptop like a madman.
Mr Sagomoto frowned at the sudden intrusion. "Andy, what the hell are you—"
"HE DID IT AGAIN!!" Andy shouted, nearly shoving the laptop into his face.
The boss's expression changed instantly as he snatched the device and scanned the data flashing on the screen. His jaw dropped.
"Impossible…" he whispered.
But there it was.
Another massive Bitcoin transaction.
Andy grinned wildly, running a hand through his disheveled hair.
"That mad man."
"He did it again…"