Manhattan Reborn 1978

new York.

night~

Manhattan.

42nd Street, above Wildfire Bar.

in the study.

David put down the notebook in his hand, leaned back in his chair and fell into deep thought~

In the afternoon, Gerald and the other three came to visit with little Peter.

The latest news they brought gave David new concerns and concerns about the risks of investing in gold~

. . .

"Clang clang clang~"

at the door.

Polly opened the door and came in with a fruit plate and small desserts. Seeing David sitting with his eyes closed and frowning, she put down the plate, walked behind him, and asked in a low voice.

"Are you having a headache again?"

"No~ I'm just a little tired..."

"..."

Polly massaged his head with her hands, and asked with distress, "Have you discussed the final result?"

"I guess~"

David closed his eyes and enjoyed the head massage for a while, then reached out and pulled Polly into his arms and asked.

"Lilith and the others aren't coming back tonight?"

"Well! They are all staying at the Plaza Hotel tonight, and so are Susan and Cui Yingying!"

Polly's eyes flashed with a little bit of temptation, she hugged David's neck and said with a smile: "Then let's go to bed early?"

"Hehe~"

David asked Polly and sighed: "Let's talk to me first~"

"..good!"

Polly blinked and put away her playful thoughts, and asked: "Did Jellal and the others come to talk to you about investment and ask you to...?"

"Ok!"

After David adjusted his sitting position to make both of them feel more comfortable, he sighed.

“In 1973, the sharp depreciation of the rice dollar once again triggered a wave of European countries selling their rice dollars and rushing to buy gold~”

"Under the impact of this wave, the trading markets in London, Zurich and Tokyo had to be closed for 17 days."

"Later, after emergency discussions among various countries, a floating exchange rate system was officially implemented, and the price of gold broke through the 100-meter-per-ounce mark."

"In 1975, because the inflation index of various countries exceeded double digits, the United States began a so-called short-selling wave in order to cool down the heat wave of gold speculation in the financial market!"

“75年1月，米国政府率先开始公开拍卖黄金62．2吨；6月，拍卖黄金15．6吨。。”

"In August of the same year, the G10 countries and Switzerland jointly decided not to increase official gold reserves, and the International Monetary Fund's gold reserves will also be reduced by 1555 tons!"

"but!"

"Even with so much gold pouring into the trading market, the lowest gold price was only in September 1976, when it fell to about 9 meters per ounce, and then entered a new round of rebound and rise~"

"In 1977, the price of gold hovered within the price range of 140 meters to 160 meters per ounce throughout the year."

"This year, the U.S. government auctioned dozens of tons of gold in January and June, and gold prices continue to show a fluctuating upward trend."

"But this year's gold market price trend curve... is very strange!"

“From January to March, the price of gold rose steadily, reaching a price high of 1 meters per ounce~”

"In April, the price of gold began to fluctuate slightly and fell. By the end of April and the beginning of May, the price of gold fell by more than 4 meters per ounce in two days!"

"In the following days, the gold price rose rapidly again, causing a small V-shape to appear in the gold price curve throughout the second quarter."

"And similar situations also appeared in the gold trading market in early August and early November!"

"The same gold price rises and falls rapidly, the same small V-shaped curve fluctuations, the same... trading volume surges!"

"The downward trend in gold prices that began last month, in November, continued until the beginning of this month before easing."

“In the following days, the gold price has been in a very stable state, almost stopping at 200 meters per ounce!”

"...Could it be?!" Polly understood David's words very keenly and asked thoughtfully.

"Yes!"

David took a deep breath, frowned and whispered: "Just like the trend of the stock market, the transactions people make will follow the operating rules of the market, buy low, sell high + leave at a profit, there is nothing wrong with it~"

"But some people are operating in the opposite direction in the gold market."

"Every time before the price of gold falls, it is the time when the Federal Reserve announces an interest rate hike!"

"Isn't this too coincidental?"

“If the Fed raises interest rates, gold prices will fall??”

"Listing all the financial products or commodities in the world, apart from spot gold... what else is widely recognized as a means of hedging and wealth preservation?"

"When global inflation is so severe...how long can the wave of gold short-selling caused by governments of various countries last!?"

"This kind of strange coincidence that violates the laws of the market has to make me think more..."

“Who wants the price of gold to go up?”

“Who wants to stabilize and curb the rapid rise in gold prices?”

"Still... the fluctuations in the gold price curve are the result that everyone expected?!"

"In this gambling game that involves many interest groups, are there any people, organizations, or more central banks involved?"

"Will those... hot money or shadow banks that linger outside the banking and financial regulatory systems also participate?"

“Can people who want to stabilize the price of gold really control price trends during this oil crisis?”

"I just happened to see a little clue, so I had the opportunity or qualification to enter the game~"

"Are there still some people who are silently hiding in the dark, trying to take this opportunity to eat those who get involved?!"

"..." Polly frowned, falling into deep thought.

David stroked Polly's hair with his hand and said as if to himself: "I guessed the beginning...but I can't see through the ending hidden in the layers of fog in the future~"

"When I decided to get involved, the trend of the entire gambling situation began to become...unpredictable!"

"So, I can only think more + think more + collect more latest news + be more cautious!"

“Only in this way can we ensure that our investment will not become someone’s trophy~”

"..." Polly put her ear to David's heart, closed her eyes, and listened to his heartbeat. Her heart was filled with an inexplicable sense of security at this moment. .

"Let's... go and rest first?!"

"..good!"

----

Manhattan.

It's approaching midnight~

Plaza Hotel, fifth floor.

Lilith wore a nightgown. After sending away everyone who came to help tonight, she put a new facial mask made by the medical research and development laboratory on the bathroom and walked into the bedroom of the suite.

in the bedroom.

Laura stared at the several sets of gorgeous dresses hanging on the wall, dazed in a daze.

Lilith walked to her side, looked at the dresses she would wear tomorrow, and said softly: "It's very late~ Let's sleep!"

"..oh!"

Laura buried her head in Lilith's arms, gently rubbed her collarbone with her forehead, and whispered: "It would be great if I were a man..."

"...Haha~" Lilith tried hard to control the curvature of her mouth, patted Laura's back with her hand, and replied.

"Men, there is a world for men!"

"Women also have a woman's world~"

"There is nothing in their lives that you can envy..."

"Like Panaris and Elder, Giles and Bloomer~"

"What are they shouldering? And what price do they have to pay for it!?"

"do not you know?"

"..."

Laura slowly sat upright in silence, stared into Lilith's eyes and asked: "David is always surrounded by a group of women..."

"You...won't fall in love with him too, right?"

"...Hahahaha~" Lilith couldn't help but cover her face mask and laughed~

She pointed at the tip of Laura's nose with her hand and asked teasingly: "What about you? Don't you like David?"

"I?"

"I... quite like him too~"

"Oh?"

"What do you like about him?"

There was a trace of confusion on Laura's face, she blinked and tilted her head to think, and sighed in frustration: "I like him... the feeling of standing in front of me with his back to me!"

Lilith put her left hand on Laura's shoulder, nodded slightly, and said with a smile: "We are the same!"

"I also like... what he said to me in front of Stanley's door!"

"Oh~" Laura recalled the lively scene on Wall Street at that time, with a smile on her lips. .

"But he's an asshole...and that's true!"

"Hahaha~"

"That's right!"

"He's an asshole!"

Lilith looked at the "wonderful" look on Laura's face and couldn't help but laugh~

----

JFK International Airport, Queens.

A flight from London landed steadily on the runway.

Ten minutes later, the passengers exited.

Angrela Holm waved to a woman who followed the crowd and said with a smile: "Hi~here!"

Catherine Matilda Swinton (Tilda Swinton) in the crowd tightened the scarf around her neck with her gloved right hand and walked quickly towards Holm.

. . .

on the way.

Holm, who was sitting in the passenger seat, turned back to Tilda and asked with a smile: "It's almost midnight... Do you want a midnight snack?"

"...No, thank you!" Tilda replied coldly, tilting her head to look out the window. .

"..ok!"

"Then let's go directly to the Plaza Hotel?!"

"Ok!"

"..."

Holm closed his mouth consciously, sat upright, and raised the corners of his mouth silently~

. . .

Several of them returned to the hotel from David's place and had dinner.

Gerald and Holm received a call from London.

The youngest daughter of the Earl of Swinton actually only left a note for her family and quietly bought a plane ticket to New York. .

This made both Jellal and Holm feel a little dumbfounded~

If this happened decades ago, they would both think that Tilda was a "new era" aristocratic lady who had the courage to break the "old rules" and pursue freedom~

But now. .

After the two of them had a gloating discussion~

It was unanimously agreed that this was the trouble caused by that bastard David himself. .

He deserves it!

I just pity Tilda, a good girl who has just grown up and met a "super playboy"~!

----

Manhattan.

After midnight.

51st Street, in front of the New York branch of Barclays Bank.

A dilapidated beige Ford sedan slowly parked on the street.

The four people sitting in the car were staring at the closed door of Barclays Bank.

A middle-aged man sitting in the passenger seat took out a map from his pocket. After looking at it for a while, he said to the driver.

"Let's go~ Let's go for a walk on the road again!"

"Ah."

The driver responded and drove the car slowly away from the street, heading towards the north side of Central Park.

. . .

new day~

Around four in the morning.

Manhattan, flashing with colorful neon lights, slowly returned to calm.

51st Street, on the small square in front of Barclays Bank.

A medium-sized van and a dilapidated beige Ford sedan slowly stopped.

on the car.

The man sitting in the passenger seat stared at the street corner far ahead, took a deep breath, and whispered: "Are you... all ready?"

"Um..!"

The two people sitting in the back seat responded, took out black hoods and automatic rifles from the bag at their feet and began to inspect them. .

"Click~click~"

After a few crisp sounds, the two of them slung the bags at their feet behind their backs and nodded to the man in the co-pilot.

"Hi~"

"Let's go!" The man in the co-pilot put on his black hood, took a deep breath, gestured to the driver, and whispered.

"Bang~bang~" Several sounds of car doors closing sounded in the small square in front of Barclays Bank~

Two cars, a total of five people wearing black hoods and holding automatic weapons, strode towards Barclays Bank ~

----

Manhattan.

66th Street, inside fib's New York branch.

The "veteran" Lekosha Bonidi, who had just changed her identity from a CIA overseas agent a few days ago, walked into the interrogation room with a cup of coffee in her hand and smiled at a young agent. .

"How's it going?"

"fxxx!"

"This bastard... is about to pee his pants~"

"Hahaha~"

Lekosha walked to the interrogation table, sat directly on the seat, and asked with a smile to Morrie, one of the criminals involved in the Lufthansa robbery.

"You know... you were almost killed by Jimmy Conway?"

At this time, Mori, who was extremely tired and his eyes were blood red, gritted his teeth and said in hatred when Lekosha mentioned the name Jimmy.

"That damn bastard! I should have guessed that he and Henry were just trying to deal with me..."

"Haha~" Seeing Mori's state, Lekosha knew that the heat was almost over.

He turned to wink at the young detective, and the two began a new round of interrogation of Mr. Morrie~

. . .

ten minutes later.

Lekosha and the young agent walked out of the interrogation room smiling.

"Is this Mori the last one tonight?"

"Haaah~ah~"

"Yeah!" The young agent stretched out and nodded with a tired look on his face.

Lekosha taught the young people without any signs of fatigue on his face: "When time and conditions permit, the simplest and most effective way to interrogate prisoners like Morrie is to question them continuously. same question.."

"If they get the answer wrong at one time, it proves that we asked the question correctly!"

"We can add some to the questions..."

Lekosha, who is "good at teaching others", suddenly stopped when he said this~

He listened for a few seconds, frowned and asked the young detective, "Is it... a siren?"

"Have it?"

The young agent responded a little slowly, tilted his head and listened carefully for a while, then frowned and walked to the window and opened it. .

"This... is indeed a siren!"

"It's not just a police car, sirens!" A bad premonition suddenly appeared in Lekosha's heart. .

He walked to the window in a few steps, listened carefully for a few seconds, gritted his teeth and said, "Go and have someone contact the NYPD immediately to inquire about the situation!"

"Then, call all our personnel on duty and bring their weapons and equipment!"

"Ah~?"

"Oh!"

The young agent shivered all over in the cold wind coming in from the window, and immediately cheered up and ran out of the room.

Lekosha found a phone next to her, thought about it, and dialed a series of numbers.

"Hello~"

"Yes, I am here..."

"I heard the sirens outside...What case happened?"

"what?"

"When did it happen?!"

"Now!?"

"shxx!"

"51st Street, Barclays...right?!"

"okay, I get it!"

. . .

Lekosha hung up the phone, immediately walked to the wall, poured herself a glass of water, and drank it immediately. .

Then, he strode back to his original position, took the phone and called Harold Stone, who had just gone home to rest.

----

Manhattan.

42nd Street, across from Wildfire Bar.

In the auxiliary police office, there was a rapid ringing of the phone, which surprised the two auxiliary police officers who were drinking on duty~

One of them put down his wine glass feeling very disappointed, wandered to the phone, picked up the phone and asked lazily.

"Hey~ who is it!?"

"Oh yes!"

"what?"

"now?"

"Um...counting me, there are only two of us here~"

"But I can still find help!"

"Correct!"

"Um...is there a reward for this job?"

"Ah~ That's it!"

"Okay~ I found the person and will have them rush over immediately..."

. . .

The person who answered the phone, listening to the blind tone coming from the microphone in his ear, tilted his head to look at his old friend and smiled.

"Hey~"

"There's big news!"

"Oh??"

"What happened?"

"Hahahaha~ Barclays Bank, a group of heavily armed robbers came!"

"What? Now?!"

"Yup!"

The auxiliary policeman, who was still holding a wine glass in his hand, turned his head and glanced at the watch hanging on the wall. His eyes widened in surprise and he said, "Robbing a bank at this time?!"

"What do they think?"

"Hahaha~"

"Never mind it!"

"It's just the two of us here anyway..."

"There's no reward for this job..."

"If we really hold pistols and fight with those robbers armed with automatic weapons, we will be fools!"

"..."

The auxiliary policeman holding the wine glass nodded with a smile, drank the wine, and said with a smile: "Then let's continue..."

"Hey~ that's not right!"

"You just said... Barclays Bank on 51st Street?! Automatic weapons?"

"..yes!"

"fxxx! No!"

"It would be better if the robbers fled towards us after they succeeded!"

"Or if you run away towards Central Park, it's only a few hundred meters away from the Plaza Hotel...??"

"Um...you mean?"

"...What nonsense!"

"Hurry up and call the contact person!"

"I'm going to go to the Wildfire Bar across the street and see who else is there!"

"Oh well!"

----

Manhattan.

59th Street, Plaza Hotel.

In a suite on the fourth floor.

Tilda Swinton was lying on the bed in her nightgown, her fingers holding the sapphire necklace around her neck, her eyes wide open. .Not feeling sleepy at all~

out the window!

A series of sirens seemed to come from all directions~

Tilda slowly sat up from the bed with some curiosity, walked slowly to the window and took a look outside. .

I saw a few police cars flashing lights and sirens, speeding past on the right side of the window~

"..??"

Tilda folded her arms in front of her chest, her mind still a little unable to react, what exactly is going on~

Outside her suite door, a series of loud knocks came~

Tilda walked out of the bedroom with some confusion, came to the inside of the room door, and asked in a low voice: "Who is it?"

"It's me, Jellal!"

"..."

Tilda stood there silently lowering her head and thinking for a moment, then asked, "I heard a siren outside? What's going on?"

"Tilda, please open the door first. I'll go in and talk to you in detail."

"..OK!"

. . .

After a few minutes.

Tilda put on a coat and followed Jellal to the room on the fifth floor.

Holm, Little Peter and Kanes all waved their hands to Tilda sleepily as a greeting~

Jellal frowned and asked Holm: "What I just heard... was an explosion?"

"That's right!"

Holm nodded solemnly, stood up and turned off the main light in the room, leaving only a small lamp in the living room. .

Karnes rubbed his eyes with his hands, curled his lips and said with a smile: "Why are you so nervous?"

"Haven't the police already passed by?"

"nothing!"

"..Haha~"

Holm saw the different expressions on several people's faces, chuckled twice, and said to Jellal.

"I'll go see Lilith and the others again!"

"You must stay away from windows and doorways~"

"No matter who knocks on the door, you must ask clearly before opening the door!"

"Don't turn on the light again~"

"If... something unexpected happens, just get down and hide under or behind the sofa!"

"Never, never try to be brave!!"

"Okay~" Jellal nodded seriously and watched Holm go out.

Little Peter raised his hand and patted Kanes, who was about to complain, frowned slightly, looked at Jellal and asked, "Did you just say explosion?"

"Ok!"

"New York, will there be another early morning bombing?"

Jellal put his hands in the pockets of his nightgown, raised his eyebrows, glanced at Tilda Swinton, who was very calm, and smiled.

"We are guests here~"

"Be careful, it's always right!"

"..All right!"

Little Peter turned his head and glanced at the curtains that had been drawn, and smiled at Karnes who wanted to take a nap.

"Hey~"

"Can you fall asleep in such a situation?"

"..ah!"

"Even if the end of the world comes... I have to sleep when I should sleep!"

"...Hahahaha~"

Jellal and Little Peter looked at each other and laughed. .