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

Chapter 588 How dare you do this?

"Bearded Yung," dressed in a suit, threw away his cigarette and led more than twenty numbered thugs out of the car and rushed into the Chinese Building. They ran wildly up the safety staircase to the entrance of the Far East Club on the second floor, only to find a group of gangsters dressed in factory uniforms ramming the roller shutter door with their shoulders.

"Damn it, open the door."

"Coward, what kind of coward are you, hiding inside?"

"You bastards, we'll kill you!" A dozen or so gangsters brandished knives and hacked at the metal sheet, shouting threats at the people inside.

The leader of the Big Circle Gang was none other than "Crazy Overspending," who had once robbed Nantong Bank in Macau, making over ten million Hong Kong dollars in one go, thus gaining fame and a reputation in the underworld.

Bearded Yong, a well-known figure in the Yi family gang for many years, saw Kuang Chaobiao stop in his tracks and his face turned fierce: "Ah Biao, what are you doing! You dare to steal my business?"

Kuang Chaobiao glared at him, not to be outdone, and shouted: "Damn it, what do you mean by stealing your business? Burning the Far East Association is my Big Circle Gang's business!"

Bearded Yong snorted coldly: "Li Fushan is inside. Get out of the way, I'll burn it for you."

Kuang Chaobiao angrily said, "Damn it, get out of the way, I'll burn Li Fushan to death for you, okay?"

"So there's no room for negotiation?" Just as the two groups were about to turn on each other, the roller shutter door was suddenly flung open by the Number Gang, and more than a dozen Big Circle members rushed into the Far East Club, brandishing knives at the two waiters. Bearded Yung quickly waved his hand and led his men into the club, searching through each private room.

Kuang Chaobiao didn't even bother looking for anyone; instead, he and his men poured gasoline all over each room. Just as Bearded Yong found someone in the toilet of the last card room, Kuang Chaobiao pulled out a lighter and deliberately muttered, "Brother Yong, if you don't leave now, you'll burn off your beard!"

Bearded Yong peeked out and saw Kuang Chao standing in the corridor, ignoring the gasoline on his feet and already fiddling with a lighter. Enraged, he kicked Li Shanfu back into the toilet and slammed the door shut: "Go to hell, you loser!"

He led his brothers on a hasty escape, not intentionally causing trouble despite the excessive fuel consumption. Once everyone had evacuated, he threw the fire into the gasoline.

A ball of blue flame shot high into the air, quickly spreading along the oil road and turning the entire Far East Association into a fire, burning thick smoke.

Bearded Yong reluctantly walked downstairs, looked up at the car, and said regretfully, "If we can't kill that bastard, we can only burn him to death."

Kuang Chaogao gave a thumbs up: "That's ruthless, Brother Yong."

"Damn it, you're the one who's pushing him to his death. I just severed his tendons and he hasn't even finished venting his anger yet." Bearded Yong tugged at his suit jacket, very concerned about his image.

Kuang Chaobiao laughed loudly: "With such a big fire, he'll either be burned to death or suffocated by the smoke. Come on, come on, it's my treat, I'll take you to cool off."

As the headquarters of Cheung Kong Holdings, the Chinese Building was usually a place where no thugs dared to cause trouble, let alone a fire. If it weren't for the fact that the phrase "Save China, Resist Britain" was beneficial to Mr. Li, the thugs wouldn't have dared to enter the Chinese Building and set it on fire.

Mr. Li is a thorough capitalist. He will cooperate with whoever benefits him, and he never wanted to be a subordinate even when cooperating with British capital.

Instead, he was thinking of becoming the father of a British company.

Although news of Li Fushan's death had not yet spread, the news of the burning of the Chinese Building and Li Fuzhao jumping off the building spread throughout the underworld, shocking both the legitimate and criminal worlds.

Of the two remaining dealers in the Far East Society, Wang Qiming was having dinner with friends at a hotel when he was brutally stabbed in the chest by a Wo Shing Wo knife-wielder and died on the table, a truly horrifying incident.

Hu Baixi, being the most astute, managed to board a flight to Canada. He had just landed and hailed a taxi to his hotel when a fellow passenger suddenly pulled out a folding knife, grabbed him by the neck, and slit his neck vein.

On the first day of the stock market crash, a series of dramatic events unfolded, culminating in the tragic demise of the four major speculators of the Far East Club after the market closed.

The biggest feeling among ordinary stock investors is that Chinese capital is actively rescuing the market, repurchasing shares in a united and coordinated manner, and naturally, their remaining funds are tilting towards Chinese capital. However, for securities firms and stockbrokers in the financial sector, it is a cause for great fear. The largest stock market manipulator, the "Far East Association," a behemoth that led Chinese businesses out of several stock market crashes, has been wiped out overnight in this stock market crash.

This shows how terrifying a stock market crash can be.

Yin Zhaotang had long anticipated the deaths of members of the Far East Society.

Even without his appearance, Li Fuzhao and others would still not have met a good end.

Because Li Fuzhao's past success was not due to personal ability, but rather to the overwhelming tide of history and the support of Chinese stock market investors and Chinese business owners.

After becoming the chairman of the Stock Exchange, he truly believed that everything was due to his own abilities, daring to influence the stock market, abandoning Chinese capital, and supporting British capital in managing the market.

So, the more Chinese investors trusted him in the past, the more they hate him now!

Those who have been abandoned by history and by the people.
A dead end

The stock market is all about winning hearts and minds. This isn't just empty talk; it reflects the hearts and minds of the people of Hong Kong, which have never been on the side of foreigners. Even the ICAC, which relies on foreigners for its livelihood, knows not to anger the public, yet the Far East Club, which depends on the public for its support, so easily forgets this.

Perhaps, things that are easily obtained are always easily overlooked.
In fact, history has already foreshadowed Li Fuzhao's fate. After helping the foreigners suspend trading for three days, Hong Kong stocks completely collapsed, with the Hang Seng Index falling by more than 30%.

Having lost the support of shareholders, Li Fuzhao was completely useless and was used as a scapegoat by the Financial Secretary. He was charged by the ICAC with multiple counts of insider trading and money laundering and was sentenced to prison.

Because the cuts were so severe, even Finance Minister Zhai Kecheng resigned in disgrace.

What's a mere dog?

The shockwaves that dismantling the Far East Club would send to both the legitimate and criminal worlds are self-evident. Daring to target the chairman of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange is already a move that signifies a complete break with the Hong Kong government; it wouldn't be surprising if they targeted someone else next.

Governor Youde was so anxious that he couldn't eat or sleep. When he summoned Zhai Kecheng to his residence, he immediately rewarded him with a coffee cup. Zhai Kecheng hung his head, his forehead bruised and swollen, and his shirt was soaked with sweat.

Unable to contain his rage, Youde cursed, "You son of a bitch! I told you not to move, but you dared to order the foreign firm to send men to shoot you! If those gang leaders die in the Hung Hom Tunnel today, aren't you afraid that someone will openly shoot you during your next media interview?!"

"You have to understand, even if they are gang leaders, they are still Chinese. If you kill them, you are giving the Chinese a reason to retaliate. The citizens will only pity them, not us!"

Zhai Kecheng said, "Sorry, sir."

“Take this apology and talk to the police, the ICAC, and those Chinese people. See if they forgive you.” Youde was filled with remorse for promoting this young man with little political experience and no grassroots administrative skills. If he had ever walked in the robbers' car, he would never have dared to do such a thing.

After the Governor’s breathing eased slightly, Zhai Kecheng spoke up again to explain: “Sir, this was not something I authorized; it was the Jockey Club’s group chairmen who acted on their own.”

Yud smirked, his tone icy: "You didn't give me permission?"

"Isn't tacit consent the same as permission?"

"Deputy Commissioner of Police Yu Shaoze has compiled a list and applied for arrest warrants from the Commissioner of Police. It includes the chairmen of more than twenty groups, such as HSBC, Swire, Citibank, and CLP. As the Financial Secretary, you should give me a solution. Because tonight, all the police officers under the Special Branch's VIP protection have applied for leave, and the temporary military team is standing outside the Governor's House!"

Zhai Kecheng felt a chill run down his spine, a thunderbolt flashing through his mind. He trembled and said, "Sir, they... they are the Royal Police! How dare they do this!"

(End of this chapter)