Chapter 11 — The Gods' Casino: Stock Exchange of Tears

Chapter 11 — The Gods' Casino: Stock Exchange of Tears 

1. Metropolis's Screams, Davos's Banquet

The serene morning in Metropolis transformed into a nightmare in an instant. On a peaceful commute, right in the heart of the city's financial district, the earth cracked open, yawning a monstrous abyss. Dozens of skyscrapers and asphalt roads were helplessly sucked into the darkness below. Subways were buried as they ran, and all communications were severed in a moment. The city, once a proud bastion of cutting-edge technology, instantly became a terrifying labyrinth, a tomb echoing with the intermingled screams of tens of thousands.

News outlets relayed fragmented, horrifying images of the scene, while social media overflowed in real-time with desperate pleas from those searching for the fate of family and friends. Metropolis, once the engine of the global economy, was now a colossal disaster zone, a testament to the vanity of civilization. A fissure, one no one had anticipated – or perhaps one they had known of and willfully ignored – had stopped the city's heart.

Yet, at that very same moment, thousands of kilometers away, in a top-tier resort in Davos, Switzerland, nestled amidst the crisp Alpine air, a special closed-door session of the 'Global Risk and Resilience Forum' was underway. The attendees, bearing no name tags, communicating only through knowing glances and coded conversations, were the true, unseen rulers of the world.

At their center was Lucian Drake, Chairman of the 'Babel Foundation.' Swirling a glass of exquisite red wine, he watched the live holographic feed of the 'Metropolis Sinkhole Catastrophe' with the detached interest of someone viewing a rather dramatic documentary film. Beside him, Anja Sharma, strategic head of the 'Omega Insurance Group,' checked the data flusso(streaming) onto her tablet, her face an emotionless mask.

Anja Sharma: (Her voice low but clear) "Chairman, the current situation in Metropolis aligns 99.8% with the predictive simulation our 'Kairos Engine' ran three months ago regarding its geological stability. The chronic safety negligence of the local municipal authorities and drastic cuts to core infrastructure budgets have precisely manifested this 'predicted disaster.' Our portfolio of 'Urban Vulnerability Derivatives (UVDs),' which we discreetly managed, is projected to yield a minimum of 1500% return on initial investment from this event. The scale of our next 'special dividend' will be… considerable."

A satisfied smile touched Lucian Drake's lips. He raised his wine glass in a subtle toast to Anja.

Lucian Drake: "Excellent, Anja. Kairos never disappoints, does it? Risk, as always, is merely the midwife to opportunity. We must leverage this… expensive 'empirical data' to identify our next 'growth engine.' And… meticulously review how our consortium might 'benevolently contribute' to the Metropolis 'reconstruction effort.' Where things have fallen, there is always an opportunity to build a new tower, is there not?"

Their conversation held no mention, no hint of mourning, for the tens of thousands of lives buried beneath the sinkhole. Only cold calculations, dispassionate discussions of the next 'business venture,' and a chilling anticipation of the astronomical profits to be reaped from the disaster. The city's collapse signified the birth of a new market for them, and human tragedy was just another set of numbers to fill their balance sheets. This was precisely how their 'Gods' Casino' operated.

2. Forgotten Screams, Babel's New Prey

Time, like dust, settled over the wounds of Metropolis, but it could never truly heal them. The sinkhole catastrophe gradually faded from international news headlines, slowly eroding from public memory. Yet, the screams buried beneath the shattered asphalt, the anguish of those still waiting for families who would never return, remained as a deep, unerasable scar upon the city's heart. Recovery was agonizingly slow, and accountability for those responsible was rendered impotent before the colossal logic of capital.

Meanwhile, the 'Babel Foundation,' under the guise of a 'Metropolis Reconstruction Support Fund,' magnanimously donated a minuscule fraction of the astronomical profits reaped from the sinkhole disaster, successfully cultivating a global media image as a 'socially responsible global leader at the forefront of crisis recovery.' News of their donation was trumpeted daily, yet no one dared to ask where that money truly came from, nor how they were devouring the choicest reconstruction contracts and quietly seizing ownership of the city's new landmark tower and its core media group, the 'World Tribune.' Truth, as always, is the first thing to be buried.

Several months later, Lucian Drake reconvened with his 'Inner Circle' members at his clandestine castle-like retreat, 'Asgard Complex,' nestled deep within the Swiss Alps. The flickering light of a grand fireplace cast an eerie glow upon the priceless art and ancient artifacts adorning the opulent room. On the holographic screen before him, a new 'Target Region Investment List' was displayed. Areas at high risk of sea-level rise due to climate change, nations teetering on the brink of conflict due to severe resource depletion, and… a South American nation whose political instability had already passed the critical point, 'San Cristobal,' and its capital, 'Esperanza City,' were highlighted in an ominous, pulsing red.

Anja Sharma began her new briefing, her voice now laced with an even more overt excitement and confidence than before.

Anja: "Esperanza City, Chairman. Current government approval ratings are in the single digits, and violent clashes between far-right militias and far-left strike forces are making headlines daily. According to our 'Kairos Engine's' latest socio-engineering simulations, with just a little 'external stimulus,' we can induce, within a month, large-scale riots, the overthrow of the current government, and even the complete, albeit temporary, paralysis of the entire national system."

A satisfied smile spread across Lucian's lips.

Lucian: "External stimulus… A most intriguing turn of phrase, Anja. What picture, precisely, are you painting this time? What 'predicted disaster' do you intend to gift us with now?"

Anja Sharma's eyes glinted with a cunning light. She brought up a 3D map of Esperanza City on the holographic screen, overlaid with a complex web of information networks.

Anja: "Antiquated methods are no longer necessary, Chairman. Our 'Babel Media Group's' psychological warfare specialists are already deeply embedded within the core factions of both sides. 'Kairos' has already completed a perfect analysis of all digital footprints in Esperanza City – personal communication logs, financial transactions, social media activity, even the biometric rhythms and emotional patterns collected via smart devices – to construct 'Psychological Avatars' for each individual and demographic group." At her gesture, the screen displayed a dizzying array of virtual avatars, their hidden desires, fears, and manipulable belief systems visualized as complex graphs.

Anja: "Now, 'Kairos' will inject these Psychological Avatars with a highly personalized 'Information Virus.' Through every digital touchpoint they trust – their newsfeeds, the voices of influencers they idolize, even messages within the games they play – we will subtly instill extreme distrust for specific political factions, blind hatred for opposing groups, and irrational fear, all of it disguised as their own organic thoughts. They will self-radicalize, despise each other, and begin to destroy their social trust systems from within. We merely need to observe their 'voluntary' collapse according to the perfect psychological warfare script designed by Kairos."

Marcus Thornhill, another director present, a former head of a major intelligence agency, frowned slightly and asked in a low voice.

Marcus: "But will that guarantee the immediate chaos or asset value collapse we desire, Anja? Human psychology is always fraught with unpredictable variables."

Anja replied with a confident smile.

Anja: "Of course, that alone is insufficient, Lord Marcus. That is why 'Kairos' has prepared the second stage: 'Designed Systemic Failure with Feigned Unpredictability.'" A 3D model of Esperanza City's core infrastructure – transportation, communication, finance, energy – appeared on the screen. And 'Kairos' began to highlight dozens of red dots across these systems – their most vulnerable points, or seemingly insignificant 'butterfly effect' junctures capable of triggering cascading failures.

Anja: "'Kairos' has already planted infinitesimally small 'Digital Triggers' at these points, like time bombs. At the very moment social tension peaks, when the 'psychological contagion' we've designed engulfs the entire city, these triggers will activate simultaneously, yet disguised as unforeseeable, coincidental system errors, paralyzing the city's core functions one by one, in a chain reaction. Imagine: all broadcast systems down during the President's emergency address, all traffic signals in the city center malfunctioning simultaneously during rush hour, not a single cent withdrawable from any major bank's ATMs. The authorities will be helplessly overwhelmed, unable to even identify the cause, and public fear and rage will explode uncontrollably, turning them against each other. This will be far more sophisticated, untraceable, and its destructive power will be beyond anything imaginable compared to the 'accidental terror' scenarios we've occasionally orchestrated in the past."

Finally, she displayed an anticipated simulation video of Esperanza City, engulfed in riots and flames. In the video, transport planes bearing the Babel Foundation logo, yet marked with UN Peacekeeper insignia, were descending from the sky like saviors.

Anja: "And at the zenith of all this chaos, we will be the first to enter Esperanza City under the banner of 'International Humanitarian Aid.' We will acquire collapsed national assets and key industries for pennies on the dollar, provide massive bailout loans to the newly established puppet government, and in return, secure the future of San Cristobal itself as collateral. The 'Kairos Engine' has already precisely calculated the net profit and the geopolitical influence we will gain for the next hundred years through this entire process. The risk is virtually zero, and the expected return is… beyond anything you can imagine, Chairman."

A deep, satisfied smile finally spread across Lucian Drake's lips. This was it. The perfectly controlled, perfectly designed world he had pursued his entire life, a world placing him closest to the realm of gods. "Brilliant, Anja. Your 'Kairos' has now transcended being a mere prophet; it has become a true 'Architect,' creating history and designing civilizations. In the Mapua Archipelago, it was sub-oceanic resources; in Metropolis, information and land; and now in Esperanza… are we to take possession of a nation's very soul? Hahaha, isn't this the most delightful game, like the gods on Olympus playing with the cities of men!"

His hearty laughter was met with low, cold chuckles of understanding and complicity that resonated through the lounge. Their 'banquet,' it seemed, would never end. The next 'disaster' was already being meticulously, ruthlessly, and ever more avariciously drawn onto their blueprints.