New York.
The heart of Manhattan.
The morning sun rose on Wall Street as usual. However, unlike in the past, the orderly busyness and tranquility were broken by a piece of unexpected news.
A fast food restaurant on the corner of the street.
Most of the people eating here were employees who worked nearby. Although it was just an inconspicuous little shop that cost less than 10 USD per person, due to its convenience and low price, unknown people would come here. Famous people on this street would also occasionally appear here.
At a table by the window, two white-collar workers in suits and leather shoes, who looked like they worked nearby, ordered two plates of ribs. While eating breakfast, they talked in a surprised and incredulous tone.
"Have you heard about it?"
"… Heard about what?"
"Tau Ceti! The Wall Street Journal headline! The Extraterrestrial Planet Colonization Fund with a registered capital of 10 billion! God, how could you miss such an explosive piece of news! "
What the hell is Tau Ceti?
The man sitting on the opposite side obviously didn't understand the situation, but when he heard ten billion, he was so shocked that he almost dropped the fork in his hand.
"Oh … 10 billion? Extraterrestrial planet colonization? What's going on? "
"It's Professor Lu, who made the hyperspace theory some time ago, last year's Nobel Prize in Physics winner! He registered a fund with a scale of 10 billion yuan in Shanghai, with 'colonization of Tau Ceti' as the target! The investment strategy is focused on aerospace related industrial chains. The goal is to achieve colonization of the star system within two hundred years, and to maintain the initial maintenance expenses of the colony after the colonization plan is successful … "
The white-collar worker's mouth was dry. He smacked his tongue and continued to speak.
"I have never heard of such a bold investment plan … The 'redemption time' is set directly in a hundred years, and it's the aerospace industry chain with the highest risk. And if someone else gets to Tau Ceti first, or if there is no habitable planet there, wouldn't all of our efforts be in vain? "
Of course, all of their efforts would be in vain. If the plan to colonize Tau Ceti couldn't be completed, they could adjust their strategy after confirming that it was impossible. They could change to colonizing places like Alpha Centauri, or they could use the mainstream currency of the time to settle the settlement.
Rather than calling it a fund, it was more like a trust product. Money was paid now, and the beneficiary was designated in the future. The person who came up with this must be a genius. The only flaw was that this genius was probably crazy …
His companion, who was sitting opposite him, couldn't help but ask after listening carefully.
"Privatize a planet? Would anyone admit to such a thing? "
The white-collar worker shook his head.
"Who would care about that? There was no ZF in that place anyway, and no one had been there before! Regardless of whether the laws of a hundred years later would allow the encirclement of outer space, according to the current laws, it was not against the rules. After all, it hasn't been publicly released, and it doesn't involve advertising to non-specific groups. Although the target is a bit strange, it's just a normal investment activity … The regulation should be relatively loose. "
What's more, Professor Lu was considered a big shot in China. The rules that bound ordinary people and companies didn't apply to him.
As for whether the fund would still exist in a hundred years …
That would depend on the ability of the fund manager.
However, after hearing that it was not a public release, his companion sitting across from him slammed the table with his right fist and spoke with disappointment written all over his face.
"Not releasing it to the public? F * ck! This guy is taking everything for himself! "
The white-collar worker raised his eyebrows and said, "What? Are you interested? "
"Interested or not … What's the use of saying this now? So what if I'm interested? " Shaking his head, the companion continued, "If someone else registered this thing, I would at most treat it as an early April Fool's joke, but this fund is registered by Professor Lu!"
The white-collar worker spoke with a smile.
"How do you know that Professor Lu isn't joking?"
The companion sitting across from him asked rhetorically.
"Have you ever seen him joke?"
"…"
Feren, who was sitting nearby, listened to the conversation at the next table. He sat there dumbfounded for a while. It wasn't until the two employees in suits finished the ribs on the plate and left in a hurry that he realized he had finished eating the sandwich in his hand.
He had been on this street for almost ten years.
Although he didn't make a big name for himself, Feren had seen a lot of things and seen a lot of things.
In the past, he had heard of funds whose main business was to "explore new celestial bodies and sell the naming rights of asteroids". However, this was the first time he had heard of a fund with a registered capital of more than a hundred million yuan that included "colonization and development rights of extrasolar planets" and "land ownership".
If Professor Lu is serious …
For some reason, he suddenly remembered the hyperspace theory that caused a sensation in the world some time ago.
Countless media outlets evaluated it as another epoch-making theory after the era of relativity. Even the Princeton high-energy physics professor, who once appeared in Time magazine, stood up for this theory, saying that it opened the door to the interstellar era in a real sense, providing a possibility of light-year navigation.
If Professor Lu is serious, it's obviously because he discovered something in advance that others didn't!
A crazy idea popped up in Feren's head, and it was out of control.
He ate the last few leaves on the plate and threw a bill printed with Franklin on the table. He said to the waiter who came to pay the bill, "The rest is your tip", and left the restaurant in a hurry.
He went to a nearby stop as fast as he could. He rummaged through his wallet and finally found some change. He threw it on the table.
"A Wall Street Journal, the latest issue!"
"You came at the right time." The old man sitting in the stop grinned and took down the last newspaper on the shelf. He said, "This issue of the newspaper sold surprisingly well. There is only one copy left."
"Thank you."
Feren took the newspaper and hurried back to the company's office. He spread the newspaper on the table.
He didn't need to search at all. The crimson star with a question mark in the middle was printed on the front page of the newspaper.
The article next to it gave a concise explanation of the content of the headline news.
[Tau Ceti (T Ceti) Outer Star System Colonization Foundation was established. The world's first astronomical exploration fund with a scale of more than 100 million was born!]
Not only did the news introduce the background of the fund's registration, but it also listed the known parameters of Tau Ceti in detail, as well as the academic debate on how many planets there were in the Tau Ceti system and whether there might be terrestrial planets … But these weren't the main points.
Since Lu Zhou chose it, it must mean that there were terrestrial planets there, or at least they wouldn't be too far away!
After a quick glance at the headline, Feren quickly looked at the main text.
Then, he couldn't move his eyes away, and they blossomed with a brilliant radiance.
"Sh * t! What a genius idea. "
Unlike the two white-collar workers who were sitting by the window and talking about this matter, in addition to the amazing courage, he also saw a business opportunity behind this.
A business opportunity that could make him a lot of money!
There was no doubt that this piece of news that appeared on the headlines of Chinatown Daily would cause a huge sensation around the world. Judging from people's current enthusiasm for aerospace and the future world, there would definitely be a huge amount of funds flowing into the aerospace industry under the impetus of this trend.
Feren's breathing gradually became faster, but soon, his eyes became alert.
If he could think of this, he believed that other people could think of it as well!
There was no time to hesitate at all!
Realizing this, he quickly got up from his chair and called his department head. He took two days off in a row.
The department head hung up the phone. He got up from his chair and hurriedly packed up the things on the table.
He only hoped for one thing now.
Which was that he had to act fast enough.
It was best if he did it before everyone else …
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