In the secret corners of the cryptocurrency world, there always hangs an unsolved mystery - why did the man who once controlled 1/3 of the entire network's computing power disappear like a wisp of smoke in the computing power realm? His story is more complex than any blockchain code, hiding the madness of genius, the dividends of the era, and the reefs of human nature.
1. The computing power awakening of a genius geek
In 1986, a 'Roasted Cat' flew out of Shaoyang, Hunan.
At 15, Jiang Xinyu was admitted to the Young Class of the University of Science and Technology of China, obtained a master's degree at 23, and stood in a Yale University laboratory at 25, destined to become a star of academia. But on a deep night in 2011, when friends talked about Bitcoin, this bespectacled geek's eyes lit up - 'Gold that doesn't require government endorsement? This is true liberalism.'
He plunged into Satoshi Nakamoto's white paper, studying mining logic as if he were deciphering code. In the spring of the following year, he dropped a 'bomb' on the Bitcointalk forum: I can build ASIC mining machines, but I need 1 million for crowdfunding.
No one expected that this young man, typing code in flip-flops, was about to rewrite the history of China's mining circle. In July 2012, in a stuffy office in Shenzhen, 'Bitcoin Spring' company was founded, and the stock Asicminer was offered at 0.1BTC per share. The later 'mining overlord' Wu Jihan invested 1,000 bitcoins, and internet writer 'Xiao Qiang' followed suit - they did not know they were buying a ticket to the peak of wealth.
2. The rise and fall of the computing power empire
On February 18, 2013, in a warehouse in Shenzhen, the 12.8G mining machine of the Roasted Cat emitted a buzzing sound. When the first 50BTC block was mined, the programmers present cried out in anguish - this was not a machine, but a money printer.
At that time, the Roasted Cat's computing power accounted for 42% of the entire network, equivalent to standing at the pinnacle of the Bitcoin world. His mining machine was priced at 1.2BTC, with orders piled up three months later, and the company's stock price soared to 5BTC per share, with dividends raining down on shareholders. Someone calculated: An early investment of 10,000 dollars could turn into 5 million dollars three years later - the Roasted Cat himself earned a fortune, becoming the 'mining overlord' in the cryptocurrency circle.
But the script of genius always has twists.
When the second-generation chip development encountered obstacles, Wu Jihan left with the technology to found Antminer; the Avalon miner of Pumpkin Zhang seized the market; in 2014, a third-generation chip explosion incident left 14,000 chips unsold, and an investment in Huai'an mining field was defrauded of 70 to 80 million. The former king of computing power suddenly became the 'loser' everyone wanted to attack.
Even more bizarre was his marriage - a flash marriage in 2014, divorced after disappearing in 2015, and the story of his wife, Wang Xian, became a footnote in forum gossip.
3. The vanished god of computing power
In the winter of 2014, the Roasted Cat made his last appearance in his friends' sights.
He wore his signature loose T-shirt, sighing at the computer screen, with unopened mining machine manuals piled on the desk. No one expected that this man, who once controlled assets worth tens of millions, would evaporate from the world a few days later.
The forum instantly exploded: Some said he lost all his money gambling in Macau, some guessed he was plotted against by competitors, and even some seriously analyzed 'depression medication leading to mental disorder'. But all speculations were like Bitcoin's hash values, with no end - his family reported him missing, friends searched through Shenzhen's urban villages, even that half-finished mining machine was not overlooked, but they could not find a trace.
But the legend of the Roasted Cat never disappeared:
In 2015, his social media suddenly shared a political documentary;
In 2017, two wallet addresses transferred out 17,600 BTC, equivalent to the daily trading volume of Chinese exchanges at that time.
In 2018, a Mixin executive posted on social media saying 'the Roasted Cat returned to the team', but it was just a false joy.
Every 'resurrection' creates huge waves, but each time only leaves the code silently on the chain.
4. Footnotes left on the chain
In today's cryptocurrency world, Wu Jihan's Bitmain has become a computing power empire, with new mining machines updated daily. But old players always lower their voices when talking about the Roasted Cat: 'He was the first to localize Bitcoin's computing power.'
Someone calculated: If he cashed out at the peak in 2013, he could have taken away at least 2 billion in assets; if his chip development had succeeded, perhaps the mining landscape would have been rewritten long ago. But the tragedy of geniuses is that while they always surpass the times, they are crushed by the times.
The story of the Roasted Cat is like a fable: In this world made of 0s and 1s, no matter how powerful the computing power, it cannot calculate the complexity of human nature, and no matter how precise the algorithm, it cannot unlock the mysteries of fate. The half machine he left behind, two transaction records, and the forever canceled forum account became the most mysterious 'ghost code' in the cryptocurrency world - perhaps one day, when a certain programmer digs up the dusty block records, they will suddenly discover that the vanished geek had already etched his story into the eternity of the blockchain.
Currently in a bull market, with winds and clouds swirling, we have opportunities to share passwords every day.
Still the same saying, if you don't know what to do in a bull market, click on my avatar, follow me, and I will share spot planning, contract passwords, and more for free.
If you want to eat meat, look for Ding Ge; Ding Ge won't blow up the cabin with fans, nor will he blindly open the pot.
Keep following BTC, ETH, BNB
