Ashes Capital was not an unfamiliar name to them. In fact, over the past year, the hedge fund had built numerous financial links with both sides.
So when Jason suddenly brought it up at Shenna's birthday banquet, no one believed it was a coincidence. At least Adrian and Marcus didn't. A faint sense of foreboding crept into their hearts.
The other tycoons at the table looked puzzled. It was Kevin who spoke first.
"I've heard of Ashes Capital," he said. "An American hedge fund, right? Known for targeting troubled companies."
Josh nodded and added, "Not just troubled ones. Even firms without major issues get targeted sometimes. Their capital attacks are sophisticated—stock price suppression, panic creation, leveraged shorting."
Ethan looked intrigued. "What, Mr Carter, are you interested in Ashes Capital?"
David chuckled lightly. "I've seen your operations before—shorting, acquiring Infinity Media, your strike on Golden Crown Commercial." He shook his head in admiration. "Your methods were even harsher than Ashes Capital's. Don't tell me you're planning to acquire them and build your own short-selling division?"
Jason shook his head calmly. "Short selling has limited returns. I'm not interested." He swirled his wine casually. "If no one had offended me, I wouldn't even bother."
He paused, then continued in an indifferent tone. "As far as I know, Ashes Capital has been rather arrogant lately. They've recently set their sights on an AI cloud computing company. They've already begun shorting its stock."
Jason leaned back slightly. "I don't like standing by while others get bullied. So I plan to give them a hand. If Ashes wants to short, I'll play along."
The moment those words fell, Shenna's parent felt a surge of excitement. So Jason bringing up Ashes Capital wasn't random at all.
On the surface, it sounded like he disliked the hedge fund. But in reality, he was supporting them.
Because there family's firm, had already made major investments in in GG tec. Not only equity stakes, but also convertible bond financing. In simple terms, their financial fate was already tied together.
If they collapsed under short pressure, the Shen family would suffer devastating losses. It was their biggest headache recently.
Shenna understood Jason's intention immediately. Her gaze toward him filled with both gratitude and concern. Ashes Capital was powerful. Fighting them head-on could lead to massive losses.
But then Jason glanced at her and gave a small, reassuring smile. Warm. Steady. Confident. Her worries softened instantly.
Adrian and Marcus, however, felt their unease deepen. Because unlike the others, they knew a secret. The Zane family had already reached cooperation agreements with Ashes Capital. They were even indirectly participating in the shorting.
Not out of personal malice toward the Shen family—it was simply a capital operation. Profit-driven. But in effect, it did place pressure on the Shen family.
Now, if Jason entered the battlefield and attacked Ashes Capital to protect them, then by extension, there family would be caught in the crossfire. Their position would become awkward.
Even so, they still struggled to believe Jason's decision. From a rational investment standpoint, supporting them seemed unreasonable.
Because theys did have major problems. Yes, it was listed on NASDAQ. Yes, its AI cloud business was growing explosively. But its financial health was fragile. Cash flow was severely strained, even nearing breakage. Several major clients were delaying payments. Accounts receivable were piling up. And the company's liquid reserves could only sustain operations for three months at most.
From Ashes Capital's perspective, it was the perfect short target. From Jason's perspective, it looked like stepping into a financial minefield.
Which made Adrian and Marcus even more unsettled. Because they couldn't tell—was Jason acting out of emotion, or had he already seen a winning angle no one else could?
The discussion around the table quickly deepened. Once Jason brought up the topic, the tycoons present began analyzing the situation from every angle.
After all, to people at their level, capital warfare was no different from a battlefield. The problems surrounding them were well known in financial circles. Its technological investments had severely dragged down profitability. R&D expenses alone accounted for forty-five percent of total revenue, yet the output had been limited. Product commercialization lagged behind projections. Investor patience had worn thin. Market confidence had already collapsed.
Worse still, a five-hundred-million-dollar convertible bond was nearing maturity. Under normal circumstances, creditors could convert debt into equity. But with there stock price plummeting under short pressure, conversion had become impossible. If repayment couldn't be met, a technical default could occur.
Add to that Ashes Capital's aggressive shorting, plus capital pressure from cooperating institutions. There were already on life support. If more funds were injected now, the probability of success was low. The investment could easily vanish entirely.
Robert Lin spoke first, voice steady. "Mr Carter, I know there founder. He's ambitious. A man of action. But the company's operations were mismanaged. The financial structure is severely flawed. Now that Ashes Capital is attacking, it's barely holding on. Reviving it won't be easy."
Matthew nodded. "Difficult, yes—but not impossible. There core problem is funding. If we inject capital, stabilize the stock price, and restore market confidence, it can still be saved."
Sophia laughed lightly, swirling her champagne. "That would require astronomical capital. If it fails, you'd lose everything."
The table fell into analytical debate. What ordinary investors would call impossible, they discussed calmly as probability scenarios. Because only people with extraordinary courage could even consider such moves.
Jason listened quietly. Then smiled faintly. "I think it's not just possible. It's not even difficult." He took a sip of wine. "If Ashes Capital wasn't shorting them, I wouldn't even bother looking at them."
He set the glass down softly. "Anyone interested in joining me? A little financial collaboration. Let's see what happens."
The moment he said it, all their eyes lit up.
That single sentence revealed Jason's true purpose. In capital markets, there exists a class of financial predators. They specialize in hunting short sellers. They don't even look at weak companies because they consider them worthless. But once major short institutions enter, they jump in to counter-hunt.
Why? Because risk and reward scale together. Short sellers aim to devour corporate value. But counter-capital aims to devour the short sellers. If the squeeze succeeds, the profits are astronomical.
And beyond profit, Jason's proposal carried another meaning. He was testing large-scale financial cooperation. If this collaboration succeeded, future joint operations could follow. Perhaps even the formation of a capital alliance centered around him.
Ethan spoke first without hesitation. "If Mr Carter wants to have some fun, I'm happy to join."
David laughed. "Don't make it sound so dangerous. With Mr Carter leading and all of us backing, Ashes Capital might not even be enough competition."
Robert shrugged. "I'm not deeply versed in finance. But if Mr Carter's playing, I'm all in."
Matthew added calmly, "You don't need financial expertise. With sufficient capital, miracles happen."
Sophia and Ryan agreed immediately. Kevin and Josh needed no invitation at all. Even executives seated at neighboring tables overheard and eagerly asked to join.
Word spread across the entire banquet hall within minutes. For them, this wasn't just profit. It was an opportunity to collaborate with Jason. To align capital. To build relationships.
Soon, an enormous coalition of wealth quietly formed. The combined financial force was staggering.
At the edge of the table, Brown still hadn't grasped the gravity. To him, it sounded like rich people making investments. Nothing more.
But Adrian and Marcus had already turned pale. Adrian wanted to speak. But Marcus stopped him subtly.
What right did they have to talk now? They were partners of Ashes Capital. Their position was already painfully awkward.
And Jason couldn't possibly be unaware of that. Yet he didn't address them. Didn't question them. Didn't pressure them to withdraw.
He simply discussed strategy with the others—as if saying, "I'm making my move. What you do is your choice."
The implication hung in the air like a guillotine. There family could either pull out of their partnership with Ashes Capital and align with Jason, or they could stay the course and face the consequences when the counterattack came.
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