After all the members had presented their ideas, as scheduled, a show-of-hands vote began at the end of the dinner.

“Twelve participants.”

A total of twelve people expressed their intent to make an actual investment in my idea.

This included all the members of the activism faction I had recruited before the meeting, as well as all the members of the quant faction.

In other words, my "persuasion" had worked.

‘Peace really is the best.’

From the perspective of avoiding unnecessary attrition, today’s outcome was the best possible scenario for me.

However, it was still too early to relax.

The real battle was about to begin.

“Now, all that’s left is execution and results. Sean, you promised an IRR of 64% within six months. You’ll have to prove it with results.”

An IRR of 64% within six months.

On an annualized basis, that’s equivalent to a return of 128%.

Of course, it sounds like a huge number at first glance...

But for a very early-stage AI venture, it was a target that could be achieved just through a valuation reassessment.

The problem was that the people glaring at me right now wouldn’t just sit back and watch.

“Sixty-four percent... That’s quite an ambitious goal.”

“It’s a very aggressive figure.”

The macro faction members were smiling on the outside, but their eyes conveyed a clear warning.

‘We’ve now entered the second stage.’

It was like passing the first gate in a test and moving on to the real second exam.

And the theme of this second test was none other than sabotage.

For the next six months, they would try to hinder and restrain me by any means necessary.

They might create bad news for the companies I invested in, spread skepticism about the entire AI sector, or even hatch more covert plots.

If I could achieve a 64% IRR despite all these sabotage attempts, then I would win.

Only then would I finally be recognized as a new member of the Triangle Club.

Anyway, that’s how the idea dinner came to an end.

‘Well, this isn’t too bad.’

A strange sense of relief, the kind that only comes to those who have completed a heavy task, spread throughout my body.

My next destination that came to mind...

‘Maybe it’s time to hit the spa.’

After all, I had booked a luxury resort.

But I hadn’t been able to use any of the facilities all day because I’d been stuck in meetings, negotiations, and persuasion.

At this point, going to the spa would restore the day’s balance.

Just as I was about to take a step,

“This way.”

A low, firm voice called from behind, and someone grabbed my wrist.

When I quickly turned around, I found myself facing two people — White Shark and Ackman.

“Are you trying to kidnap me or something?”

I said it as a joke, but neither of them laughed at all.

They silently led me to a private lounge in a corner of the resort, and as soon as the door closed, they raised their voices.

“What the hell were you thinking! Taking on the macro faction head-on like that!”

“They are by no means an easy opponent!”

What followed was a barrage of nagging that was anything but short.

I tried to pretend to listen and slip away since I was eager to get to the spa, but the two of them blocked the exit, refusing to let me pass.

“They’re on a completely different level from the opponents you’ve faced so far. The scale and the methods are totally different!”

“They’re not ‘visible enemies’ like companies or countries. They don’t wield swords; they shake the terrain itself and design the entire battlefield!”

I was starting to get irritated.

“I happen to have some confidence in designing battlefields myself.”

“Then why deliberately make them your enemy! You could have easily drawn them into cooperation if you’d just taken a slightly more roundabout approach!”

“Because this is the game board I wanted to set up.”

“Isn’t the purpose of setting up a board to win? Why would you intentionally increase your enemies?”

They looked at me with eyes that said they just couldn’t understand, but I shrugged.

“Not necessarily. Sometimes there are wars that aren’t fought just to win.”

Yeah, my goal here wasn’t simple “victory” — it was technological advancement.

To be honest, I didn’t care whether Stark or Gooble won this AI war.

What mattered to me was the fact that the war itself was happening.

Just like during World War II, when factories churned out weapons and planes while roads and railroads were built at lightning speed.

As long as AI hardware, deep learning infrastructure, and the research ecosystem rapidly advanced while Stark and Gooble fought for their lives, I didn’t care what happened to the rest.

Honestly, I didn’t need to explain all of this...

But it seemed they wouldn’t back off until I presented reasons they could accept.

“Sigh, creating enemies wasn’t the main goal. I just wanted to make sure no one could run away.”

“Run away...?”

“Yes. The more participants on my board, the better. And to make sure no one could slip away ambiguously, this was the only way.”

In other words, I did it to expand the game board.

At those words, White Shark shook his head and muttered.

“You’re insane...”

But then he nodded, as if somehow feeling relieved.

“Well, at least now I know what kind of person you are. Then, I’d better go; I’m at an age where I need to watch my blood pressure.”

As he turned to leave, I stepped in front of him to block his path.

“You’re not planning on withdrawing, are you?”

Because his words just now sounded to me like he was about to wash his hands of this.

I couldn’t allow that.

“I believe I made it clear just now. ‘There is no withdrawal.’”

In the Triangle Club, no one is allowed to withdraw.

If White Shark were to leave, I would have to respond accordingly.

But as he looked into my eyes, White Shark flinched slightly, then changed his attitude.

“I’ll at least be a ‘silent ally.’”

In other words, he would participate, even if he couldn’t go all-in.

I nodded and let him go, then turned my gaze to Ackman.

He hesitated for a moment before speaking cautiously.

“If you need help, just say so. But next time, I’d appreciate it if you shared information with me in advance. I might have insights to offer.”

“Information sharing... That would be difficult. The most important thing in setting up a board is maintaining information confidentiality.”

“We’re on the same side, but you only want to receive help unilaterally?”

"If you don’t want to, you don’t have to give it to me."

At my firm reply, Ackman bit his lip, but in the end, he accepted it and turned away.

This, too, was a kind of information.

It meant that he had a far more desperate reason than White Shark for helping me. I didn’t know exactly what it was though...

‘Well, it doesn’t matter. In any case, it just means I gained one more useful piece on the board.’

As soon as I returned to New York, I began to accelerate preparations for the war in earnest.

But among all the tasks, there was one particularly sensitive and tricky one…

It was managing Stark.

After the success of Space Z, Stark was living a life where he was squeezing in meetings by the minute.

He was progressing contracts with NASA, developing three next-generation rockets in parallel, preparing for Tesla’s new car launch, reorganizing the SolCity project, and appearing on various shows and interviews.

The problem was that because of these breathless schedules, the truly important war was being pushed to the back burner.

“So, how’s the acquisition going?”

In the past, I had clearly advised him.

I told him to acquire a few promising AI startups, consolidate them under one brand, and restructure into an “AI-specialized company.” Then, to openly declare war against Gooble.

That was the role he was supposed to play, and it was the scenario I had envisioned.

But that plan hit a snag.

[The acquisitions are almost finished… but I’d like to wait a bit longer before making an official declaration.]

Stark wanted to postpone the timing of the “war declaration.”

Of course, he had a valid reason for it.

[The integration isn’t fully complete yet. If we go public now, instead of creating synergy, we’ll only create conflicts.]

Just because you buy a few AI startups doesn’t mean they immediately start moving as a unified organization.

The most common problems right after M&A are refactoring conflicts between engineering teams and productivity drops caused by delays in cultural integration and resulting departures.

Code and organizations don’t mix just by throwing money at them.

[If we rush in unprepared, it’ll only backfire. You don’t start a war just by declaring it, right? You secure the budget, deploy troops, and draft operations plans first — only then do you make a true declaration…]

Jumping into battle with the company in its current state would be like riding into war on a bicycle with four wheels, five gears, and seven handlebars.

However, this put me in a tough spot.

“I wanted this done within this week…”

As I’ve said, my goal wasn’t “victory.”

Especially at this point, what I was aiming for was Nvidia’s next-generation GPU.

The product was already completed and waiting in the warehouse by board resolution.

Now, as soon as I gave the promised signal — Stark’s AI war declaration — it could be shipped immediately.

‘It’ll be a problem if this drags on.’

The GPU isn’t just a component; it’s the very “brain” of deep learning.

The AI startups I was investing in — medical imaging diagnostics, RNA transcriptome interpretation technology — all required next-generation computing power.

Releasing it right now would be ideal…

But Stark’s stance was unexpectedly cautious.

So I decided to apply a bit more pressure.

“I heard from Wall Street that a large macro fund is preparing to inject massive capital into Gooble’s AI division.”

Well, it wasn’t exactly a lie.

I actually was planning to bring in some heavyweight macro investors.

“They’re already building a narrative. They’re saying AI will inevitably move around big tech — especially giant platforms like Gooble. If this continues, there will be forces that decide the winner even before the war starts.”

At this rate, he would lose the “narrative.”

“Do you know why I handed over the role of ‘war declarer’ to you? It wasn’t because of your technology. It’s because you are the only one capable of controlling the narrative of this war.”

I tried to persuade him with some well-placed flattery, but what I got in return was a simple answer.

[I’ll think about it.]

In reality, I couldn’t pressure Stark any further.

This was his war, and I was merely a helper adjusting the timing.

We shared aligned interests with Next AI to this point, but beyond that, it was entirely up to him.

In the end, the conclusion was deferred.

As I slowly hung up the phone, I muttered.

“As expected, he doesn’t listen.”

Well, this response was within my expectations.

That’s exactly why I had prepared an alternative plan from the very beginning.

‘As expected, it was good to prepare thoroughly.’

Only those who aren’t obsessed with winning can enjoy a certain privilege.

That is, composure.

For me, if the white piece doesn’t obey, I can simply push forward the black piece.

I took out the Triangle Club’s meeting records.

Inside, alongside the names of the six macro faction members, were detailed records of the investment strategies they had revealed at the idea dinner.

‘Who should I shake up first?’

Leaving that choice to fate, I rolled a dice.

1

The first name popped up. This time’s main character was none other than…

“Argentina, huh.”

***

Two days later, a man was staring at a monitor, his fingertips trembling slightly.

His name was Luis Alvarado.

He was the head of Atlas Meridian Capital, one of America’s leading macro hedge funds, and a full member of the Triangle Club’s macro faction.

Just a few days ago, at the idea dinner, he had proposed the idea of investing in Argentine bonds.

So why was he now trembling as he stared at the monitor?

The reason was simple.

Right in front of him was a briefing note released this morning by the Delphi Research Institute.

Argentina, Entering a New Golden Age?

Signs of lifting foreign exchange controls and starting debt renegotiations after regime change. Improved prospects for relationships with the IMF and World Bank. Reemerging as a promising investment destination in Latin America amid signals of increased infrastructure investment.

Alvarado’s knuckles turned white.

Finally, a heavy word slipped out from between his lips.

“…That bastard!”

In investing, the most important thing is information.

Especially exclusive information that is one step ahead of everyone else.

The moment information is shared, profits get diluted, and opportunities vanish.

At the idea dinner just a few days ago, Ha Si-heon had completely exposed the strategy Alvarado had been hiding, right in front of all the members.

That alone was enough to make him furious…

But Ha Si-heon didn’t stop there — he had now refined that strategy and was spreading it to the entire world.

Clenching his teeth, Alvarado grabbed the phone.

“Convene an emergency strategy meeting right now.”