He turned toward his Lead Quantitative Strategist, a young genius named David Vance (no relation to Arthur Vance). "David. Activate the Vanguard Algorithm."

David smiled broadly, hitting a sequence of keys on his terminal. "Vanguard Protocol online, Mr. Duong. Execution parameters set."

"Execute," Marcus ordered calmly.

Across global exchanges, a stealth buying campaign initiated instantly. Apex Horizon didn't attempt to counter Kinh Thien's short selling directly. Instead, Marcus's algorithm targeted Kinh Thien’s underlying credit default swaps in Europe. Every time Kinh Thien dumped short shares of Apex Horizon in New York, Marcus bought up their sovereign debt notes in London and Frankfurt at a heavy discount.

Within forty-five minutes, the market dynamics flipped violently.

"Marcus!" Victoria exclaimed, looking at her tablet in sheer awe. "Kinh Thien's offshore liquidity providers in Zurich are receiving margin calls! By buying their sovereign debt notes, you’ve artificially inflated their collateral requirements by three hundred percent!"

"If they want to short my company, they must pay for it with their own blood," Marcus said coldly. "Increase the buy volume by two billion. Force their brokers to liquidate their short positions immediately."

Across the floor, cheers erupted as the red numbers on the primary screen violently flipped to vibrant green. The massive short squeeze engineered by Marcus was tearing through Kinh Thien’s liquidity reserves like a wildfire through dry timber. On the NYSE floor, traders looked up at the displays in shock as Apex Horizon stock surged sixteen percent in a single hour, setting a new all-time high.

Victoria watched the numbers soar, a proud smile gracing her lips. "They’ve lost nearly two billion dollars in under two hours, Marcus. Their attempt to lock our liquidity covenants has failed completely."

"This was merely their distraction, Victoria," Marcus noted, his expression remaining cool and analytical. "Kinh knows he cannot beat us on the open exchange floor. His true target remains the Harlem Tower auction. He wants that building not just for its financial value, but to construct a permanent offshore command center right here in Manhattan."

"The auction begins at two o'clock at the New York Federal Reserve Building," Victoria reminded him. "Our bidding limit is capped at one point eight billion dollars under our corporate charter."

"Then we will make sure one point eight billion is enough," Marcus said, straightening his suit cuffs. "Prepare the motorcade. I will attend the auction personally."

CHAPTER 9: THE AUCTION OF HARLEM TOWER

The grand, wood-paneled auditorium inside the Federal Reserve Bank of New York exuded an atmosphere of historical authority. High vaulted ceilings, gold-leaf trim, and massive crystal chandeliers illuminated the room where broad-shouldered developers, hedge fund moguls, and international banking representatives sat in quiet, intense competition.

At the front of the hall stood the Chief Bankruptcy Auctioneer, a sharp-featured man named Richard Miller, adjusting his microphone before a heavy wooden gavel.

"Ladies and gentlemen, quiet please," Miller’s voice echoed across the hall. "We are now commencing the bankruptcy court liquidation auction for Parcel 402, known publicly as the Harlem Commercial Tower. Opening bid is set at six hundred million dollars."

Marcus Duong sat quietly in the middle row, flanked by Victoria Chen and Harrison Vance. He appeared utterly relaxed, his hands folded comfortably on his lap. Yet his presence commanded the room; surrounding real estate titans cast wary glances in his direction, well aware of the financial bloodbath he had orchestrated on Wall Street earlier that morning.

Sitting three rows ahead of Marcus was a man who reeked of opulent arrogance—Director Chen Kai, the North American representative for Kinh Thien Group. Kai was surrounded by six high-priced corporate attorneys, a smug, contemptuous grin plastered across his face as he turned back to glare at Marcus.

"Seven hundred million," Kai called out immediately, raising his bidder card high.

"Seven hundred million to the representative from Kinh Thien," Miller acknowledged. "Do I hear eight hundred?"

"Eight hundred million," Harrison Vance called out on Marcus's quiet signal.

"One billion," Kai countered instantly, without a moment's hesitation. A quiet gasp rippled through the auditorium. Bidding one billion dollars for a distressed commercial tower was well above its standard market valuation—a clear sign that Kinh Thien was bidding with political intent rather than financial logic.

"One billion to Kinh Thien," Miller noted, his voice rising with excitement. "Do I hear one point two?"

"One point two billion," Harrison responded smoothly.

Kai smirked sneeringly, raising his card once more. "One point five billion!"

Victoria leaned close to Marcus, her brow furrowed with concern. "Marcus... one point five billion is pushing close to our one point eight charter limit. Kinh Thien is using sovereign proxy capital from Dubai. Their pool is effectively bottomless for this single asset."

"Let them raise the stakes," Marcus whispered calmly. "A bottomless pool is only useful if the bucket has no holes."

"One point seven billion," Harrison called out, his voice firm.

The room fell completely silent. One point seven billion was an astronomical sum for the property. Miller looked toward Kai. "One point seven billion to Apex Horizon. Bid is with you, Mr. Kai."

Kai stood up completely, turning around to face Marcus with a triumphant, malicious smile. "Two billion dollars!" he shouted, his voice echoing off the high ceilings.