A Wall Street Genius's Final Investment Playbook

Chapter 180

The number of subscribers to WallStreetBets (WSB) skyrocketed from 10,000 to 100,000 in just one week.

If you include those who only browsed without subscribing, the actual number of users would have been even higher.

Among them was a college student.

"Should I give it a try too?"

He had recently sold his used car and saved up $3,000.

It was a significant amount for him, and putting it all in felt risky.

Just as he was about to settle on that, a new question crossed his mind.

Ha Si-heon had definitely taken a short position, but most of the verified posts on WSB were about put options.

Upon

“They really don’t know anything.”

The crowd didn’t know.

That Ha Si-heon had already used every powerful weapon he had.

“There’s nothing left for him to pull.”

Short-selling required skill.

And the most fundamental tactic was to shake the company’s fundamentals.

But Ha Si-heon’s strategy only provoked ethical and political concerns, causing short-term chaos.

That was a fatal mistake.

Because his attack never touched the company’s essence—its value.

Valeant’s growth formula was still intact.

In the world of short-selling, that difference was critical.

“Value investors are still holding. They’ll likely see this dip as an undervaluation and start buying soon.”

Ackman muttered to himself with satisfaction, then turned to his side.

Next to him stood a visibly tense PM.

“Is everything ready?”

“Yes. We can execute as soon as the date is set. But…”

The PM hesitated before continuing.

“Are you really going through with this? The entire country will label you a villain.”

“I don’t care. I’ve been treated like a villain from the beginning anyway.”

Ackman let out a soft chuckle.

There was no frustration or hesitation in that laugh.

“The retail crowd already cast me as the bad guy. They need a villain to justify their gambling.”

“But this plan is extremely aggressive. The backlash could be severe.”

Ackman raised his wine glass and turned his head slowly.

In that moment, his gaze was unwavering and firm.

“It’s fine. When the disaster begins, the public will blame Ha Si-heon more than me.”

His voice brimmed with confidence.

“Betrayal by a hero always stings more than harm from a villain.”

Ackman slowly raised his wine glass and drained it to the last drop, then murmured quietly:

“It’s time to show the ants the real danger of short-selling.”