What do you mean by quitting the business? I'm not a big shot.

Chapter 582 What people want

The sergeant whispered a reminder: "Hung Sir, he's from the ICAC."

Yao Xuhong replied with a stern face, "I saw it."

Unlike the police officers who wanted to keep a low profile and only sent inspectors to the scene, the ICAC sent a high-ranking officer to the scene, led by Chief Investigation Officer Chuang Cheuk-yin.

Having received instructions from his superior before leaving, Yao Xuhong had no choice but to first have his subordinates take the "prisoner" into the car, and then lead the two men to Lianji's place.

Zhuang Zhuoyan then showed his credentials to Chen Jinfen, who was standing in front of the trading hall, and said, "Mr. Chen, tell everyone in the trading hall to disperse. I'll pretend nothing happened."

Leaning on her cane, Chan Chun-fan said calmly, "Young man, I'm only doing this to save the market."

Zhuang Zhuoyan sighed and advised, "Lian Ji has many charges against you, such as stock market manipulation, insider trading, money laundering, and bribery."

"Let's not talk about today's events. Lianji has clues about everything you've done in the past. They'll stick their guns on you, and you can't shake them off. Don't blame me for being rude; it was Caiye's order."

Yin Zhaotang, dressed in a suit and tie, with his left hand on his wrist, was suddenly approached by Niu Qiang and his companion. He said loudly, "This is a chaotic order; we will not obey."

Zhuang Zhuoyan looked in the direction of the voice and said with a wry smile, "Mr. Yin, as a member of the preparatory committee, you should cherish your reputation even more."

Yin Zhaotang had just seen the ICAC car from upstairs in the building and knew the foreigners were up to something. He rushed over to support Chen Sheng and said sternly, "Is it right to force stock market investors to jump off buildings? Is it right to give money to foreigners? If I didn't have the courage to speak up for Hong Kong people, I wouldn't be here today. Whether Chen Sheng plays the stock market or not, whether the ICAC has bought stocks or not!"

"You don't care at all?"

Chong Cheuk-yin and the dozen or so ICAC investigators around him all had strange expressions and slightly changed color. The ICAC was supposed to "pay high salaries to maintain integrity," so how could they possibly deposit all their money in the bank during a bull market? More or less, ICAC officers all owned some stocks, so this really hit home for them.

They sympathize with the shareholders and may even approve of Yin Zhaotang's approach. They tend to buy more British stocks and fewer Chinese stocks.

But it's always good to save the market; trading should resume eventually.

Yao Xuhong secretly applauded Yin Sheng's eloquence and took the opportunity to suggest, "Zhuang sir, why don't you just make a show of it and take two back to keep the market open until it closes?"

“No, the ICAC follows orders and can’t be perfunctory.” Zhuang Zhuoyan refused angrily. Only the Lianji case could be treated as a formality, but cases involving the police must be handled seriously.

Because the mission of the ICAC is to be the Hong Kong government's second line of defense. The ICAC must do what the police force is unwilling to do, otherwise it will lose its very foundation.

If funding is cut and staff are reduced, the Hong Kong government will open another department, repeating the same old mistakes, and everyone will lose their jobs.

"At most one hour. Otherwise, I'll have to ask the Finance Minister to retract the order, or I'll have to do the work." Zhuang Zhuoyan looked at his watch with some difficulty and said, "We're paid by the government."

"One hour?" Yin Zhaotang stared at Zhuang Zhuoyan, nodded slightly, and glanced at Chen Jinfen: "Just one hour!"

"Mr. Chan, notify all trading companies that the Hong Kong government has dispatched disciplined forces to seal off Exchange Square, and stock market trading is suspended."

Chen Jinfen nodded slowly after a thoughtful expression. "Left Hand, call all the triad bosses and tell them that we only accept in-person transactions. Then spread the word and tell everyone buying and selling stocks to come to the entrance of the trading building." After Yin Zhaotang finished speaking, Left Hand excitedly left, saying, "I'll do it right away."

Chen Jinfen also hurriedly left to spread the news. Yao Xuhong, Zhuang Zhuoyan, and the others pretended not to hear, and led their men to a corner to smoke and observe.

Shen Xiantang's idea is already obvious: to stir up investors' emotions, gather people to demonstrate in front of the Exchange Square, and force the Hong Kong government to allow the market to open.

It's a very simple and unpretentious method, yet it's proven effective time and again. Calling in gang leaders is simply a testament to the daring and willingness of those in the underworld to be the first to step forward.

Once there are people in front of the trading square, ordinary stock investors will have the courage to participate.

Stocks bought with gang money through underworld means don't count as stocks, right? Lim Kee, police officers, they're not shareholders!
When Yin Zhaotang defended the interests of Hong Kong citizens and Chinese capital, he also defended the interests of other triad bosses, ICAC members, and police officers.

Some are responsible for raising the call to action, some for spreading the word, some for standing idly by, and some for stepping forward. People from all walks of life and all fields are contributing in different ways to force foreigners to bow down!
Previously, the rumors circulating in the market all came from the Kowloon Club. Once the news of "markets operating as usual" was confirmed, public attention turned to the Kowloon Club.

Institutions, individual investors, large shareholders, and retail investors are all selling off their shares with great enthusiasm.

When news suddenly broke again that trading had been suspended, police were blocking the entrance, and the square had been sealed off, it caused a huge stir, spreading like wildfire in just over ten minutes.

Sitting in the car with his left hand, he contacted a powerful figure in the underworld. The first few calls required some explanation, but by the fourth, no further explanation was needed. Tai Po Niu immediately said, "I've received word that they dare send officers to seal off the city, don't they?"

"Let's go to the trading square right away and see if we outnumber the foreigners."

The next call came from Ah Hu, the leader of the Big Circle Gang. He answered the phone and muttered, "They're here, they're here, they're on their way with men. Damn it, instead of saving the market, they dare to shut it down? Are those foreigners stupid?!"

Sitting in the car, Yaoji, the leader of the Dong'an Society, said with a worried tone, "It's just buying and selling stocks, and it's so troublesome. Did the stamp duty I paid to the Hong Kong government go to waste?"

"Uncle Chicken, hurry up!" Several newly promoted young men beside him were full of enthusiasm and eager to make a name for themselves.

Ma Zizai, the Malaysian gang, even the Indian and Vietnamese gangs all heard the news and rushed to the trading square to try and open the market.

The first car to arrive was driven by none other than the legendary "stock market guru" Gao Laosen. His uncles, Yuanbao, Tiantang, Jinyaxiong, and Dazhi, followed closely behind.

When Yaoji arrived at the scene, he was still wearing a mask. He had his henchmen pull out several protest signs from the van and hold them up. The signs read, "Don't close the market, open the market," and "Greedy devils, give me back my stamp duty."

Within half an hour, more than two hundred people had gathered in front of the trading square. Looking around, they were all people from the trading world, with a few retail investors and institutional managers among them.

After TVB, ATV, and other television and radio programs broadcast news of the gathering, it was as if the whole of Hong Kong was being informed of the rally, causing a sensation. A large number of stock market investors began to spontaneously rush to the scene.

Zhuang Zhuoyan gazed at the iconic golden bull sculpture in the square. In less than an hour, eight or nine hundred people had gathered. His eyes revealed a genuine sense of shock, experiencing for the first time the power of the phrase "the will of the people." His fellow investigators, while surprised, failed to realize that, in the eyes of the chef at the Western restaurant across the street, they, a group of Lian Kee police officers, were also part of the gathering.

With the same skin color and the same temperament, they are naturally mixed up, so who can tell them apart?

(End of this chapter)