Chapter 4: Musk's Tweets
Lin Ye's finger hung above the "Confirm" button on the PUPPIES reservation interface for a full ten minutes. On the screen, the cartoon puppy icon was smiling in a cute way, but in his eyes, it was like a devil wearing a sweet mask, tempting him to get rich overnight while revealing sharp fangs in the shadows. The sunlight in the corridor gradually slanted through the window and fell on the phone screen, creating blinding spots that made his already tired eyes even more sore.
Finally, trembling, he pulled his finger back and closed the reservation interface. K's words sounded like an alarm bell in his ears: "Don't go all in, don't follow the trend, being alive is more important than anything, family is more important than anything." He couldn't be impulsive any longer. He had lost more than half of his mother's life-saving money. K's 20,000 loan was a lifesaver. He couldn't gamble on that hope any longer. But the thought of having to pay off the remaining 160,000-plus debt next Monday, the thought of his mother still lying in the hospital bed waiting for the money for the operation, he felt as if his heart was being held tightly by an invisible hand, suffocating.
He put his phone back in his pocket, leaned against a bench, closed his eyes and tried to calm his confused mind. But his mind was filled with PUPPIES '" tenfold potential ", his mother's demand notice, and K's dissuasion. The three voices interwove and collided in his mind, giving him a splitting headache. He recalled the five years since he graduated from university, working hard every day, often staying up late into the night, saving up his savings, originally intended to buy a small house with a balcony for his mother, but now, because of a sudden serious illness, he couldn't even raise the medical expenses and had to bet everything on cryptocurrency speculation.
"Alas..." Lin Ye let out a long sigh, opened his eyes, and his gaze fell on the door handle of the ward. He stood up and pushed the door open gently. His mother was already asleep, her brows still slightly furrowed as if she were suffering from illness. On the bedside table lay the examination report that the doctor had just delivered. He couldn't understand the technical terms on it, but could sense the urgency of time from the words "The condition is stable and surgery is needed as soon as possible". He picked up the report, gently stroking the paper with his fingertips, and the guilt and helplessness in his heart grew stronger.
For the next two days, Lin Ye was caught in a dilemma. During the day, he stood by his mother's bedside, fetching water and giving medicine, wiping his body and washing his face, trying to pretend to be calm so that his mother wouldn't notice his anxiety; In the evening, after his mother fell asleep, he sat on a bench in the corridor, staring at the price of DOGE2 on the exchange APP (which had dropped to $0.003, leaving only $4,608.64 in assets) while scrolling through the messages in the "Crypto Rich Exchange Group" and watching the discussions about PUPPIES in the group grow more and more intense.
The group claims to post a message about PUPPIES almost every hour, one moment showing "proof of overseas institution holdings" (blurry, no specific information at all), the next moment forwarding "screenshots of recommendations from crypto big V" (the big V account is clearly a newly registered secondary account), and the next moment sending "insider information: PUPPIES will surge fivefold when it goes live. The retail investors in the group are like being injected with adrenaline, Posting screenshots of their reservations one after another. Some say, "Borrowed 100,000, ready to go all out," some say, "mortgaged the house, just waiting for PUPPIES to go online," and some mock those who hesitate, "Cowards, miss this opportunity, never get rich for the rest of your life."
Looking at the news, Lin Ye's defense line loosened little by little. He wasn't without suspicion that the news was likely to be false and that PUPPIES, like DOGE2, was a carefully designed money pool. But when he thought of his savings that were in total loss, of the 160,000 debt due next Monday, and of his mother's condition deteriorating due to lack of money for surgery, he couldn't control his luck - what if, what if PUPPIES could really increase tenfold? What if he could win this time?
On the third morning, mother woke up a little more energetic and took Lin Ye's hand, saying, "Xiao Ye, I dreamed of your father yesterday. He asked me how I was and told you not to be too anxious. Take money slowly." Lin Ye's nose stung and he forced a smile and said, "Mom, don't think too much. I'm really almost ready for the money. The doctor said that when your body is a little more stable, the operation can be arranged."
"Really?" A glimmer of anticipation flashed in the mother's eyes, and then she frowned again. "Ono, don't lie to mom. I know the situation at home. If you really can't get the money, don't force yourself. Let's... Let's go home and stop spending money in vain."
"Mom! Don't talk nonsense!" Lin Ye quickly interrupted his mother, his voice somewhat agitated. "You don't have to worry about the money. I will surely gather it. You must get well treated. When you recover, we'll go to see Tiananmen again. Isn't that your wish all along?"
Tears streamed down mother's face, and she nodded and said, "Well, well, Mom will listen to you. Mom will get well treated. When you recover, we'll go to see Tiananmen." Lin Ye held his mother's cold hand and felt more and more guilty in his heart. He knew that his mother was well aware that the family simply couldn't come up with that much money, and that she had deliberately said it to avoid putting him in a difficult position. He secretly made up his mind that no matter what it cost, he would make up enough money for his mother's surgery.
Just then, the phone suddenly vibrated wildly, and messages from the "Crypto get-rich Exchange Group" rang out one after another. Lin Ye was startled and quickly pulled out his phone to open the group chat, and a pinned message immediately caught his eye - the group leader had posted a screenshot of Musk's tweet, which had only one sentence: "I love puppies" along with a cartoon picture of a puppy that was almost identical to the currency icon of PUPPIES.
There was an instant uproar in the group, and the message was refreshing so fast that Lin Ye couldn't keep up.
"Damn it! Musk is really backing PUPPIES!"
"Sure!" This time it's safe! With Musk's endorsement, it's going to increase tenfold!"
"Fortunately I made the appointment, and now I'm going to get rich!"
"Those who hesitated, do they regret it now?"
"Borrow money right now! Borrow as much as you can! PUPPIES are going all out!"
Lin Ye's heart was pounding, her fingers trembling as she clicked on the tweet screenshot and looked at it over and over again. Though he wasn't sure if the screenshot was real (after all, forgery of big V tweets is not uncommon in the crypto world), the frenzy in the group was like an invisible force pushing him forward. He recalled K's dissuasion, but now Musk's "endorsement" was like a reassuring pill, allowing his sense of luck to completely outweigh his rationality.
He opened wechat, hesitated for a long time, and sent a message to A K: "Brother A K, have you seen Musk's tweet? He seems to be backing PUPPIES, the coin is going to be launched tomorrow, and the group says it can increase tenfold, I... I want to give it a try."
It wasn't long before K replied, with a hint of urgency and helplessness in his tone: "Lin Ye, don't be silly! That tweet must have been a fake! If Musk were to endorse a token, he would only choose mainstream coins like Bitcoin and Ethereum. How could he endorse a altcoin that doesn't even have a white paper? Have you forgotten the lesson of DOGE2? Those scammers are taking advantage of your desire to get rich quickly, fabricating messages and reaping your hard-earned money!"
"But... But a lot of people in the group have made appointments, and some have even posted proof of institutional holdings." Lin Ye's voice carried a hint of hesitation as he tried to convince A K and himself.
"The institutional proof is fake, the big V recommendation is fake, and Musk's Twitter is fake!" "I've been in the crypto world for five years and have seen a lot of this kind of trick. First, I fake hot news to attract retail investors to follow the trend and make reservations. Then, after going online, I push up a little bit to make the first batch of people make a little money. Then I go crazy selling, taking all the money, and finally the token goes to zero and retail investors lose all their money! If you dare to touch PUPPIES, the money you lost before, the 20,000 that K borrowed from you, and your mother's medical expenses will be completely lost!
Lin Ye looked at Ah K's message, and the struggle in his heart grew stronger. K's words made a lot of sense, and he knew it was most likely a trap. But thinking of his mother's surgery fee, thinking of his own dead end, he held onto the last shred of hope - what if this time was different? What if he could really seize the opportunity to make up enough money for his mother's medical expenses?
"Brother K, I know you're doing it for my own good, but I really have no other choice." " Lin Ye replied, with a choked voice, "My mom has to pay off the 160,000 debt next Monday, or she won't be able to have the surgery. I have only over 4,000 left now, and I can't borrow money from relatives or friends. Besides gambling PUPPIES, I really don't know what to do..."
After the message was sent out, K didn't reply for a long time. Lin Ye knew that Ah K must have been disappointed in him, disappointed that he wouldn't listen to the advice, disappointed that he had fallen into the trap of impulse again. But he had no way back. For his mother's sake, he could only bet this once.
In the afternoon, Ah K finally replied, his tone full of helplessness and pain: "Lin Ye, I know it's hard for you, and I understand your desire to save your mother. But cryptocurrency trading is not a lifeline, but a bottomless abyss! It was because I was eager to cure my mother that I bought a so-called 'hundredfold coin' heavily. As a result, I lost all my savings and borrowed usurious money. In the end, my mother passed away because she had no money for her treatment...
Looking at the news, Lin Ye's tears fell instantly. He had never thought that K would have such an experience. It turned out that the reason why Ah K was willing to help him and repeatedly reminded him to be rational was that he himself had experienced the pain of losing a loved one and did not want him to repeat the same mistake.
"K, I'm sorry..." Lin Ye didn't know what to say and could only type these words. Tears, like broken strings of beads, smashed onto the phone screen.
"I'm not blaming you. I just don't want to see you regret for the rest of your life like I do." K replied, "Well, I'll lend you another 50,000, plus the previous 20,000, it's a total of 70,000. Then think of a way to make up 90,000, pay your mother's surgery fee first, and don't touch PUPPIES anymore, okay? I know 50,000 is not much, but that's all my savings I can take out."
Lin Ye looked at the message, feeling both touched and guilty. K had already helped him a lot, and now he was willing to use all his savings to help him, while he was still thinking about gambling on PUPPIES, thinking about getting rich overnight. His heart ached as if pricked by a thousand needles, and his fingers tapped on the screen, wanting to reply, "OK, I'll listen to you, never touch PUPPIES again," but the thought that he couldn't even raise the remaining 90,000 made him hesitate to press the send button.
Most of his relatives and friends came from ordinary families. They had already lent him more than 30,000 before, and now it was impossible for them to lend him any more money. His former colleagues either have little contact or have their own difficulties; He wants to sell his house, but it's a small apartment worth just over 300,000 and won't sell at all in the short term. Even if K lent him another 50,000, he wouldn't be able to gather the remaining 90,000, and his mother still wouldn't be able to have the surgery.
"Brother K, thank you, really thank you so much." Lin Ye replied, his voice choked, "But even if you lend me another 50,000, I can't make up the remaining 90,000, I... I still can't do it."
"You can't bet on PUPPIES either!" K's message was a hint of urgency. "PUPPIES is a trap. If you put your money in it, you'll lose everything. At that time, not only will you not be able to save your mother, but you'll be in debt and your life will be ruined!"
Lin Ye fell silent. He knew that Ah K was right, but he really had no other way. Looking at his mother's weak face in the ward, remembering her wish, remembering his father's instructions, in the end, he made a decision that he would regret for the rest of his life - to bet on PUPPIES.
He sent a message to K: "Brother K, I'm sorry to have let you down. I know PUPPIES is likely a trap, but I really have no other choice. I must take a gamble. If I win the bet, I'll pay you back immediately and do anything for you; If I lose the bet, I... I will find a way to get your 20,000 back as soon as possible, even if it means selling everything I have."
After sending this message, Lin Ye turned off wechat. He didn't dare to look at K's reply, nor did he dare to face K's disappointment. He took out his phone and opened the reservation interface for PUPPIES again. This time, without hesitation, he pressed the "Confirm Reservation" button with trembling fingers, reserving 460,864 PUPPIES (exchanging the remaining DOGE2 for USDT, just enough to buy that much, initial price 0.001 US dollars).
The moment he pressed the confirmation button, Lin Ye felt as if his heart had been drained. He was both nervous and expectant, with a touch of deep despair. He knew that this time he had really staked all his hopes on the virtual token, on a vague dream of getting rich.
In the evening, Lin Ye sat on a bench in the corridor and did not sleep all night. He stared at his phone screen for a while, watching the group talk about PUPPIES grow more and more intense; Then he looked in the direction of the ward, looking at his mother's sleeping face, filled with guilt and unease. He thought of Ah K's dissuasion, of his own impulsiveness, of his mother's expectations, and tears fell again and again, but he wiped them away again and again.
On the fourth morning, the day PUPPIES went live, before dawn, the "Crypto get-rich Exchange Group" was already in an uproar. The group claims to send a message saying: "PUPPIES will go live on a decentralized exchange at 10 a.m. and will be open for trading right after going live. Get ready, let's raise the price together, tenfold!" The retail investors in the group replied with "received", "ready", "Go for it", and the atmosphere was extremely enthusiastic.
Lin Ye's heart was pounding wildly. He sat on the bench in the corridor, his hands tightly grasping the mobile phone, his fingertips turning pale from the force. His eyes were fixed on the phone screen without blinking, waiting for 10 o 'clock. The mother in the ward woke up and, seeing his haggard appearance, asked with concern, "Xiao Ye, didn't you sleep well last night? Why do you look so pale?"
Lin Ye forced a smile and said, "Mom, I'm fine. I was just a little worried about your condition and didn't sleep well. Don't worry, there will be good news today." He didn't know whether the words were addressed to his mother or to himself.
At 9:50 a.m., 10 minutes before PUPPIES went live. Messages in the group are refreshing faster and faster. Some are Posting screenshots of their funds prepared, and some are counting down "10, 9, 8..." Some people prayed, "It must increase tenfold." Lin Ye's palms were drenched in cold sweat, his phone screen was burning hot from pressing, and his heart was beating faster and faster, almost out of his chest.
At 9:59, the group advocated sending a message: "Countdown 1 minute! Get ready, buy immediately when it goes live, don't hesitate!"
Lin Ye's fingers hung over the interface of the exchange APP, his eyes fixed on the screen, and his tension and anticipation reached their peak. He thought of his mother's medical expenses, of K's dissuasion, of his own wishful thinking. The two voices collided in his mind, giving him a splitting headache.
PUPPIES went online at exactly 10 o 'clock.
Lin Ye stared unblinked at the screen as the price of PUPPIES rose from $0.001 to $0.002, $0.003, $0.005... In just one minute, the price went up fivefold! The group burst into cheers: "It's gone up! Up! Five times!" "Sure! Ten times is not a dream!" "I made it! I earned it!"
A burst of ecstasy welled up in Lin Ye's heart, and tears streamed down instantly. He won! He really won the bet! If the price could rise to $0.01, his assets would become $4,608.64, or 32,260.48 yuan; If it could rise to $0.01 (ten times), it would be $46,086.4, or 322,604.8 yuan, not only to pay off all the debts but also to leave a sum of money for his mother to recover well!
He hung his finger above the "Sell" button, wanting to sell a portion immediately to lock in profits. Just then, the group suggested a message: "Don't sell!" Don't sell! Institutions are still buying, with a target price of $0.1, twenty times! Sell now and you'll regret it for the rest of your life!"
Lin Ye hesitated. Twenty times! If he could rise to $0.1, his assets would become $460,864, or 3,226,048 yuan! At that time, not only will he be able to give his mother the best treatment, but he will also be able to give her a small house with a balcony, and he will be able to pay off K's money, and... His mind was filled with fantasies, and he slowly withdrew his fingers, not pressing the "sell" button.
But what he didn't know was that danger was approaching quietly.
Just as the price rose to $0.008 (8 times), suddenly, the price began to plump down like a waterfall, $0.007, $0.005, $0.003, $0.001... In just two minutes, the price dropped back to its initial price and then continued to fall, 0.0005, 0.0001... Finally, it stopped at $0.00001, almost zero.
The cheers in the group instantly turned into desperate wails: "What's going on? Why did it suddenly plummet?" "Finished! My money! My money is gone!" "Liar! All liars! PUPPIES is a scam!" "Group claims! Come out! You're deceiving us!"
Lin Ye's mind went blank as he stared fixated on the price on the screen, watching his assets go from $4,608.64 to $4.60864, or 32.26 yuan, to zero in an instant. His body trembled uncontrollably, and his phone slipped from his hand and fell to the ground, shattering the screen.
"No... "Impossible..." Lin Ye muttered to himself, his voice filled with despair and breakdown. He crouched on the ground, his hands grasping his hair tightly, his nails almost embedded in his scalp, and the suppressed sobs turned into heart-wrenching cries. He won the beginning but lost the end. What he thought was redemption turned out to be a trap, a trap from which he could never escape.
His mother in the ward, upon hearing his sobs, hurriedly struggled to sit up and weakly shouted, "Ono! Ono! What's wrong with you?" Hearing his mother's voice, Lin Ye quickly wiped away his tears, forced himself to stand up from the ground and walked into the ward, forcing a forced smile on his face: "Mom, I'm fine, just... Just a little excited, good news, your medical expenses, I... I'm almost ready."
Looking at his red-rimmed eyes and haggard appearance, his mother's eyes were filled with worry, but she didn't ask any more questions. She just nodded and said, "All right, all right. Don't get too excited. Your health comes first." Lin Ye went to the bedside, held his mother's cold hand, and the guilt and despair in his heart grew stronger. He deceived his mother. Not only did he fail to raise the medical expenses, but he also lost his last bit of savings. He was completely in a desperate situation and could no longer save his mother.
He walked out of the ward, leaned against the wall and slowly slid down to the floor. The sunlight shone through the corridor window and fell on him, but did not warm the chill in his heart. He looked at the broken screen of his phone, at the desperate wails in the group, remembered K's dissuasion, remembered mother's expectations, and tears fell again and again, but he had no strength to wipe them away.
He knew that this time he was really ruined. Not only did he ruin his own life, but also his mother's hope. He doesn't know how to face his mother, doesn't know how to face Ah K, doesn't know how to face himself. He sat on the cold ground, his shoulders trembling uncontrollably, and let out suppressed sobs like a desperate lone Wolf.
Just then, the phone (though the screen was broken, it could still be used) suddenly vibrated. It was K's phone. Lin Ye hesitated for a long time, but finally picked up the phone and said in a hoarse voice, "Hello?"
On the other end of the line came Ah K's deep voice, with a hint of concern: "Lin Ye, are you okay? PUPPIES…… Did it fall?"
Hearing this, Lin Ye couldn't hold back any longer and burst into tears on the phone: "Brother K, I was wrong... I was really wrong... I shouldn't have ignored you. I shouldn't have bet on PUPPIES... My money, all my money is gone... My mom is still waiting for money surgery. I really don't know what to do..."
On the other end of the phone, Ah K was silent for a long time, and then came a long sigh, full of helplessness and pain: "Lin Ye, don't cry. I know it's hard for you... Where are you? I'm looking for you now. Let's figure it out together. There will always be a way."
Lin Ye looked in the direction of the ward and listened to Ah K's voice on the other end of the phone, his heart filled with guilt and emotion. He knew that this time he really owed K too much. He didn't know how much more K could help him, nor did he know if there was still hope for his and his mother's future. But he knew he couldn't fall down, for his mother, for A K's help, he had to stand up, even if there was a bottomless abyss ahead, he had to go on.
The sunlight in the corridor grew brighter and brighter, but it couldn't penetrate the gloom in Lin's ambition. He sat on the cold ground, crying over the phone, clutching the broken phone tightly in his hand, the price of PUPPIES (0.00001 dollars) on the screen pierced through all his hopes and fantasies like a sharp dagger. His crypto journey began with a gamble in the name of motherly love and ended with a total destruction. And his and his mother's future was plunged into darkness, not knowing when the light would come.