Chapter 23: Conspiracy Theory

Monet glanced at the flyer and realized that its content closely resembled what Paul had just told him. With a sigh, he repeated to Mike the reasons he had mentioned to Paul earlier.

Then he continued, "Moreover, don't you find it strange that money-making opportunities like this are usually kept secret, fearing competition and disputes? But why is this matter so different, with so many people knowing about it? Doesn't that strike you as odd? You must understand that while this business indeed requires a substantial amount of capital, there's no shortage of wealthy individuals in New York City. What they lack is a reliable and secure investment channel. If such a good opportunity truly existed, why would it even come to us small players? It's not even enough for them, let alone us!"

"So, Tony, are you saying this is a scam?" Mike asked incredulously.

Monet nodded and replied, "Exactly. I thought about it carefully and realized that the only ones who can be deceived by this are ordinary people who have no understanding of China. Even if wealthy individuals themselves are not well-informed, there are surely people under them who understand, and how could they not investigate the market before making such a significant investment?

Ordinary people, on the other hand, can't do that. They lack knowledge about China, and they don't have the time, energy, or funds to conduct research in China. So, as long as this explanation holds theoretically, it's difficult for them to see through it. And when some people add to the momentum and even create some eye-catching high returns at the beginning, it's hard for anyone not to fall for it!"

At this point, Monet suddenly recalled the Luckin Coffee incident, where some people claimed it was a collusion between American capitalists and Luckin Coffee to deceive American stockholders. After all, in the eyes of capital, the victims are not defined by nationality; as long as they can be exploited, they will be. That's why Luckin Coffee's subsequent penalties were so lenient. Looking at things now, this situation seems quite plausible!

"So, should we expose this scheme now?" Mike asked indignantly.

Monet scoffed, "Expose it? How do you plan to expose it? We have no evidence whatsoever. Everything we have is based on theoretical guesses. Who would believe us if we talk about it? And if this matter is indeed as I suspect, then there must be powerful figures behind it. Anyone who tries to expose it at this point will be silenced without a trace!"

"This... Is it really that dark?" Mike asked, finding it hard to believe.

"Hmph, there are much darker things than this, you just aren't aware of them. Take, for example, the sinking of the Titanic that I experienced. That might have been a conspiracy!" Monet shook his head with a sigh.

"Tony, have you seen that small newspaper?" Mike referred to the "small newspaper" as a sheet of paper similar to a large flyer, secretly posted on the streets of New York to reveal the "inside story of the Titanic's sinking." Although it had been suppressed by White Star Company and Morgan Group shortly after it was posted and was completely absent from the media, discussions among those who had secretly saved copies continued.

According to the content of the "small newspaper," the origin of the conspiracy dated back to the six months before the Titanic's ill-fated maiden voyage. On September 11, 1911, the Titanic's sister ship, the "Olympic," collided with a much smaller British Royal Navy cruiser, the "Hawke," during a sea trial after leaving Southampton. The "Olympic" suffered severe damage to its hull, limping back and docking at Belfast.

Unfortunately, when White Star Line submitted an insurance claim, the insurance company's investigation blamed the "Olympic" for the collision, leading to the denial of the claim. To make matters worse, the cost of repairing the "Olympic" was exorbitant, and it would take several months to complete. At that time, White Star Line was already in serious financial trouble.

What's worse, if the Titanic hadn't set sail on time, White Star Line would have faced bankruptcy. The only way to escape this dilemma was insurance fraud. Why spend a fortune repairing the Olympic? Due to their striking similarity in appearance, why not disguise it as the Titanic for a transatlantic maiden voyage and orchestrate an accident to claim a massive insurance payout?

Of course, White Star's intention wasn't to sacrifice over two thousand passengers onboard. Thus, they arranged the ship "Calpurnia" to be stationed in the iceberg-prone area of the Atlantic, waiting for the Titanic's appearance. If a collision occurred, the "Calpurnia" would swiftly intervene, transferring all passengers and crew from the Titanic.

This is because the presence of the "Calpurnia" ship on the Atlantic at that time was already suspicious. Surprisingly, it carried no passengers onboard, only crew members and 3,000 woolen sweaters and blankets.

Initially, everything would have gone according to "plan," yet the "Calpurnia" ultimately misunderstood the Titanic's position and distress signals, failing to reach the sinking site in time for rescue. Consequently, 1,523 innocent passengers and crew paid the grim price of being buried at sea.

White Star Line bribed impoverished workers and replaced the lifeboats, life vests, stationery, all marked with the ship's emblem, on the Olympic with new ones. They even swapped out a batch of new carpets. Easily, the Olympic became the "Titanic"! Because, according to passengers' recollections, there was nothing onboard the Titanic with a ship emblem.

In addition to this, there were four significant "abnormal events" proving that the Titanic had been substituted.

First, during the Titanic's ill-fated journey, there was an abrupt change in its course, possibly a signal for rendezvous with the anticipated "Californian."

Second, after the Titanic collided with an iceberg, some witnessed First Officer Murdoch ascending to the high bridge. Murdoch might have climbed to a vantage point to spot the rescue ship's trace.

Third, leaked accident investigation reports later revealed not a single binocular in the crew's cabin, making it difficult for lookout personnel to spot icebergs in time.

Fourth, the most suspicious was White Star Line President J.P. Morgan's behavior. He was originally scheduled to travel on the Titanic's maiden voyage. However, two days before departure, he suddenly canceled the trip, citing health issues. Yet, two days after the Titanic sank, he was spotted rendezvousing with his French mistress. Moreover, another 55 passengers also canceled their trips at the last moment.