**Step two, old Mr. Lane utilized official resources to prompt the SEC (U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission) and the Department of Justice to swiftly launch formal investigations into Bates Capital based on anonymous but extremely detailed tip-offs.** A series of swift and decisive measures followed: freezing accounts, summoning executives, raiding offices... Bates Capital had no chance to breathe.
Simultaneously, the market reacted truly: negative news cascaded like an avalanche, severely impacting investor confidence. Investors in Bates Capital's hedge funds, like sharks smelling blood or startled deer, began to frantically withdraw their funds. The immense redemption pressure instantly drained Bates Capital's liquidity. At the same time, in the futures and options markets, short-selling against Bates Capital intensified severalfold, precisely and fiercely targeting its heavily weighted stocks and bonds.
**Step three, breaching Bates Capital's fortress from within!** Bates Capital was not a monolithic entity. Under immense pressure, and with the irresistible conditions offered by the Lane family through covert channels – including immunity, massive cash payments, and new positions – several key partners at Bates Capital finally buckled. They not only ceased resistance but turned coat, secretly submitting more internal transaction records, irregular operations, and even evidence of executive corruption as "pledges of allegiance." These fatal internal blows completely dismantled Bates Capital's organizational structure and will to resist.
**December 23, 2007**
The Bates Capital headquarters in Midtown Manhattan, once brightly lit and bustling with arrogant wealth, was now shrouded in gloom. Dazzling red numbers flashed wildly on screens, representing massive losses every second.
"Bastards! The Lane family's bitches!" Richard Bates, Bates Capital's Chairman and CEO, slammed his fist heavily on his desk. His eyes were bloodshot, his hair disheveled, and his expensive suit was crumpled, having long lost its former elite polish. "Find them! Find those traitors! I'll make them pay!" he roared at several equally frantic subordinates.
"Richard, there's no time!" The Chief Risk Officer's face was pale as he watched the continuous forced liquidation orders and account freeze notifications popping up on the screen. "Clients are frantically withdrawing! Banks are pulling loans! The stock price... the stock price has fallen below its IPO price! The short sellers... God, it's like they knew all our cards in advance!"
"Those reports... those pieces of evidence..." another partner's voice trembled. "They're too detailed; it's impossible without an inside man! We've been betrayed! Stabbed in the back by our own people!"
Panic spread like a plague. Traders' faces were ashen, watching their managed funds' net values plummet, powerless to stop it. Phones rang incessantly, all bringing bad news of debt collection, inquiries, and terminated partnerships. Despair permeated the air. The once arrogant financial elites now looked like a flock of plucked vultures, helplessly watching their nest collapse in a raging inferno.
The ultimate result was Bates Capital's continuous retreat under the Lane Group's assault, with massive assets being sold off, and Hawk Lane being the primary beneficiary. In just twenty short days, Bates Capital endured what felt like a prolonged and cruel slow death. To cope with the run on their funds and regulatory pressure, Bates Capital was forced to sell its core assets at fire-sale prices – including vast real estate, private equity stakes, and even precious art collections. These high-quality assets, like meat thrown into a shark tank, instantly triggered a frenzied scramble among Wall Street's vultures. And among these contenders, the fastest, most ruthless, and most generous acquiring entities all pointed to a series of highly secretive offshore funds and shell companies, ultimately linked to the Lane family.
Andy was like a skilled hunter, not only precisely killing the prey but also arranging the most effective division and transport teams in advance. Large quantities of high-quality assets, long held by Bates Capital and severely undervalued, flowed quietly into Hawk's controlled capital empire at astonishingly low prices. This was a meticulously planned "opportunistic acquisition," with returns far exceeding expectations.
Stripped of its core assets and liquidity, and jointly strangled by internal traitors and external regulators, Bates Capital was a name only. Partners jumped ship, employees left en masse, offices were sealed, and funds liquidated. The once formidable financial titan, like a sandcastle, completely collapsed and turned to dust before the towering waves stirred up by the Lane family.
The collapsing executives of Bates Capital sought help from their master, Alexander Pierce... In a secret, abandoned warehouse almost devoid of electronic equipment, Richard Bates used a disposable encrypted phone to call his number. His fingers trembled violently from fear and anger.
The line connected, and a cold, weary voice, tinged with undisguised irritation, came through: "Bates? I told you not to contact this number until I returned from Korea!"
"Mr. Alexander! Save us!" Richard's voice was tearful, having completely lost his former composure. "The Lane family! That little devil Hawk Lane! We're finished! He's like a mad dog, relentlessly hounding us! The SEC, the media, short-selling, internal traitors... We can't hold on! If this continues, we'll all go to prison! Or even die mysteriously!"
There was a few seconds of silence on the other end, only heavy breathing. Alexander Pierce was currently in unprecedented trouble. Hydra's "Witch" project, built with immense resources, had its most important base precisely destroyed by a mysterious force days ago, suffering heavy losses. Large amounts of valuable research data and equipment were annihilated, and many core researchers were either dead or missing. Nick Fury, like a shark smelling blood, had already uncovered some intelligence that shouldn't have been exposed so quickly. His rhythm had been completely disrupted. Pierce himself was implicated and was using all his power to cover his tracks, divert attention, and quell internal doubts – this "internal" referring to both S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra.
Was Bates Capital important to him? Of course it was! But in relation to his current predicament, Bates Capital's plight was merely two apple trees burning incidentally when his eight-thousand-square-foot backyard caught fire.
"Richard," Pierce's voice was tinged with cold weariness and impatience, "listen, I don't have any spare resources right now to deal with your feud with the Lane family's little cub! You have to bear the consequences!"
"But..."
"No buts!" Pierce roughly interrupted him, roaring, "Abandon all illusions. The Bates Capital shell is ruined. Listen, my final order to you is: use the last channels you can control to thoroughly destroy all valuable information about us in the core database. Then, transfer any clean cash you can, using the 'old channels,' to a Swiss account as quickly as possible. Once that's done, pray to your damned Jesus that you survive, then find a place to hide and wait for my next message. Remember, clean up your tracks before you die. If you leave any clues pointing to us... I will drag you up from hell and devour you alive."
Pierce's voice, like a poisoned ice pick, pierced Richard's last shred of hope. "This... this is too ruthless, Mr. Alexander! We, for the organization..."
"The organization doesn't need failures, and certainly cannot risk exposure!" Pierce's voice suddenly rose, carrying an undeniable coldness. "Bates Capital is just a chess piece, Richard, an exposed, valueless chess piece. Now, execute the order, and then disappear. That is your last use."
"Beep beep beep..." The phone was mercilessly hung up. The cold dial tone echoed like a death knell in the empty warehouse. Richard Bates stood in the darkness, his body trembling like a leaf in the wind. He understood that he, along with the company he had struggled for half his life, had been discarded like trash by his master. His former power and lavish lifestyle had now turned into bone-deep fear and despair. Richard stumbled backward, leaning against the cold wall, slowly sliding to the ground, his hands buried deep in his hair. He felt incredibly wronged at this moment. The plan to acquire the Lane family was initiated by him, and bringing in the Clay Doll Squad to assassinate Lane Group executives was also approved and orchestrated by him. How could he just abandon them now?
Meanwhile, on the other end, Alexander Pierce, having hung up the phone, looked at the mess before him and sighed heavily. He suddenly realized that Hydra's situation was no longer what it once was, and now they faced such a major crisis. The Bates family had always been loyal. If he abandoned them now, what would other members of the organization think? Would they become disheartened? If morale was gone, the team would be hard to lead!
Sighing, he picked up the phone again, carefully considered his words, and dialed back. At this moment, Richard Bates, already plunged into despair, saw the familiar number on his phone, his eyes lit up, and he quickly answered, fearing the call would be disconnected the next second.
"Richard, I was a bit out of line just now." Hearing this, Richard immediately stood up, seemingly very flattered: "Not at all, not at all. It's all for the organization."
"Hmm, you know that. The last time you hired the Clay Doll Squad through me to assassinate the Lane family and failed, I should have taken measures then, but I underestimated them. I also bear responsibility."
"No, no, Mr. Alexander, it's all my fault for not thoroughly investigating the Lane family's background. It's all my problem." Richard was as quiet as a cicada, repeatedly taking responsibility upon himself.
Alexander shook his head: "It's too late to say anything. Listen to me, I will arrange for you to leave the United States. I will guarantee your safety. I believe the assets you've transferred during this time will be enough for you to live comfortably in any country for the rest of your lives... Hmm... that's it..."
"Beep beep—" Richard was about to say something when he heard the busy signal again.
At this moment, in the Triskelion, Nick Fury, still working overtime, saw his communicator ring. Seeing the name "Pierce," his eyes narrowed slightly. Indeed, Alexander Pierce, after much thought, realized that the only person who could properly protect the Bates family and was completely reliable was Nick Fury. He intended to entrust his promise to the Bates family to Fury. At the same time, he would provide Fury with some information he wanted, such as some research results of the Witch Project, hoping to exchange it for Fury's temporary halt of the investigation. He believed that Nick Fury would certainly be interested in the Witches, who were called mobile natural disasters.
Although the destroyed Busan base was the earliest, largest, and most important base of the Witch Project, producing Gu Ja-yoon, Shin Shi-ah, and the Clay Doll Squad, who were T0 and T1 level Witches, it was not the only base for Hydra and its main organization. The main organization, the original founding body of the Witch Project, formerly a gene editing corporation, held a large number of finished Witch combat units. It was an organization as ancient as Hydra, entrenched in East Asia and Europe.
"Hello, Pierce." Fury's voice, as usual, carried a hint of lightness, as if he were just answering a casual call from an old friend, but his single eye narrowed sharply, like a searchlight locking onto a target.
"Nick," Pierce's voice came through, trying to maintain composure, but the deliberately suppressed weariness and irritation, like an undercurrent beneath the surface, were perfectly clear to Fury. "Still working late? It must be tough for world peace."
Fury grinned, revealing his white teeth, and leaned back in his chair, relaxing. "Serving the people, you know. But you, Alexander, sound like you just ran a marathon? By the way, how are things going with your business in Korea?"
There was half a second of silence on the other end. Pierce almost gritted his teeth: "...Indeed, I've hit some rough waters. Nick, I need your help, a personal favor." He decided to get straight to the point.
"Oh?" Fury's tone rose, curious. "A 'personal favor' that would make Senior Pierce ask for help, that's no small matter. Tell me about it?"
"Bates Capital is finished." Pierce's voice deepened, with a declarative heaviness. "Richard Bates and his core team got into big trouble. That little wolf cub Hawk from the Lane family bit too hard; they can't hold on. Now there are wolves circling outside, and internally... it's also collapsed. I need your help to safely get them out of the U.S., find them a place to 'retire' quietly."
Fury rubbed his dark scalp, making a troubled "Hiss..." sound.