Chapter 73 They Want to Monopolize

"Jenny, has Anna returned? When she gets back, tell her not to go out at night these days. Just come straight home after work."

Carter's home was located in the southern part of Douglas City. After receiving the warning from Dillard, Carter went straight home and found Jenny watching TV. He wasn't too worried about the others in the house; they hardly ever went out at night.

Those who practiced yoga did yoga, those who watched TV did just that – they were homebodies. But Anna, that one, never came back before nine or ten in the evening. Sometimes Carter wondered where the two of them went. With the limited entertainment options in Douglas, one would think they'd get tired of it after over a year. But they never did; their routine was steady.

"What's going on? Is something wrong?" Jenny asked, turning down the TV volume and looking at Carter with surprise.

"Not a big deal. Remember how I went to a classmate's house for dinner today? Well, I heard at the table that there's been some conflict between the bikers and the African Americans lately. There might be some trouble, so it's safer for Anna not to go out at night for now."

Taking off his shoes and socks, Carter naturally walked over to Jenny and sat on the couch. He picked up an apple from the coffee table, peeling it as he spoke.

"Is that so? They shouldn't involve unrelated people, should they? Sit for a moment, I'll tell Anna when she gets back. You know she doesn't listen to me these days."

"In theory, yes, but who knows? It's better for her not to go out for now, just in case. I'm going upstairs for a shower and then I'll be down."

Finishing the apple quickly, Carter went upstairs to freshen up. In 1979, he appreciated the lack of smartphones and the distractions of short videos. His routine was much more regular. Sleeping before ten was almost guaranteed.

After a relaxing bath, he came back downstairs and chatted with Jenny about their studies until Anna returned. When she did, Carter explained the situation to her, and surprisingly, Anna didn't resist this time. She agreed to stay in.

Seeing everything settled, Carter locked the doors and windows before yawning and heading upstairs.

A night of dreamless sleep!

The next morning, Carter went to school as usual, unaffected by the news. Since the incident with Glen, he had become a somewhat special figure at school. Most students avoided him, and even the teachers turned a blind eye. They continued teaching, and Carter could attend or leave class as he pleased, with no one saying a word.

As for Mary's comment that this guy would be gone in two years, what did it matter? As long as he didn't cause trouble and attended classes, it was all good.

This suited Carter just fine. After all, he had graduated from college in his past life. Subjects like math, physics, and chemistry were easier for him, although the depth and difficulty of American high school education were not as challenging as in China. But subjects like American history, British literature, and American literature were tough nuts to crack. Since the teachers didn't care about him, and Douglas High School operated on a flexible schedule, Carter took the opportunity to focus on the subjects he needed to strengthen. He moved from one classroom to another, enjoying every minute of it. His days at school were plain yet fulfilling.

At three o'clock in the afternoon, as usual, Carter packed up his things, threw his backpack onto the passenger seat, and headed straight to the bank.

"Carter, there was a call from New York just now. Mr. Robertson was looking for you. He asked you to call him back after you arrive at the bank."

"Alright, got it."

Who was Mr. Robertson?

Oh, Julian! Carter had gotten used to Julian's name, but Goodman suddenly calling him Mr. Robertson almost caught him off guard.

With a self-deprecating smile, Carter picked up the phone.

"Hey, Julian, how are you doing?"

"Haha, everything's fine. Carter, have you been following the news lately? Have you heard about the rise in silver prices?"

Silver?!

Carter's eyebrows raised.

"Of course, I just saw the news yesterday."

"Good, since you know, I won't beat around the bush. What do you say? Are you interested in joining in?"

"I have some thoughts, but you know, I'm out of money. Besides, I feel like this is quite risky. It's not realistic for me to speculate on silver."

Thinking about the future price of silver, Carter knew that this surge was just temporary. It wouldn't last long. It was easy to jump on the bandwagon, but if he missed the right time to get off, he would end up in trouble. Moreover, the current silver transaction price had already reached $11 per ounce, not the low $2 period or even the $6 two months ago. Entering the market now was considered entering at a high price. Thus, timing the exit accurately was crucial. One small mistake could lead to losses.

So, Carter was interested, but not very interested. After all, he knew that he had many opportunities to make money in the future, such as Microsoft, Apple, and so on. Microsoft?

Frowning, Carter realized that he hadn't contacted Paul and Gates since his return. Considering the frequency of Julian's calls, he asked:

"Haha, I know, I know. Bro, can you not be so direct? No, no, I don't have any inside information. Insider trading is illegal, kid!"

"Just kidding. I asked a friend at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Do you know where most of the big silver buyers in the market are headed?"

This question from Julian was obviously rhetorical; he didn't expect Carter to answer. So he continued:

"It's a company called International Metal Investments, registered in Bermuda. More than eighty, no, ninety percent of the buying orders in the market come from them. Now, considering this registration, do you understand?"

"Can you find out who's behind this company?"

With its registration in Bermuda, what more could they be after? It was like using a Panamanian identity to invest in a quantum fund – they were avoiding regulation!

What could be the reason for avoiding regulation? Combining this with the fact that a large amount of silver was being bought, Carter suddenly thought of a somewhat chilling possibility.

"Are they trying to monopolize silver trading?!"