Hong Kong Storm: The King of Jobs

Chapter 547, Section 137: The best meat is just right (Seeking monthly votes!)
Appeasing the water room occupants and the number gang is one thing, but the brawl at Taikoo Wharf is another.

The leader has given a clear order: Hong Kong must not be in chaos before the governor returns, and the Lunar New Year must pass peacefully.

The leader also wants to spend this Lunar New Year peacefully. After all, he will step down in June this year, and Shapison will take over. He can then leave the Repulse Bay villa and openly spend the rest of his life in the Mid-Levels villa.

Guo Guohao didn't want the streets to be chaotic either, because he had promised his wife that he would spend New Year's Eve at home and have a peaceful reunion dinner.

"Thank you for your cooperation, Uncle Jin!"

"It's getting late. I'll send someone to escort you out. The case at Taikoo Wharf involves Handsome Sheng. I'm going to have a chat with Brother Sheng."

"A-Zai, see the guests out!"

Guo Guohao stood up, opened the conference room door, and had A-zai, who was guarding the door, deliver the divine brocade out.

Inviting the head of the water room to come back for tea was a last resort. It was precisely because of this last resort that the location was arranged at the West Kowloon Police Station, instead of bringing him back to the Wan Chai headquarters.

It's not that the Shui Fong 49ers would storm the police station for Shen Xian Jin, but Shui Fong is a legal union organization in a legal sense, while Shen Xian Jin is a corporation.

The Human Rights Commission has been keeping a close eye on things, and even the Governor doesn't want to deal with those litigious people.

If even the slightest problem were to occur at the West Kowloon Police Station, I would be on the front page of the newspapers tomorrow. Besides, order is always better than disorder.

With the sensible old gangster Shen Xianjin keeping things in check, the lower-ranking gangsters couldn't cause any trouble.

"Uncle Jin, please forgive my rudeness earlier. This way, please!"

A-zai politely apologized to Shenxianjin and left with her.

"Brother Sheng, the meeting room is too stuffy. Let's go to the corridor for a smoke."

Chatting with Shenxian Jin was just a small matter; exchanging information with Chi Mengli was the most important thing. The meeting room wasn't safe, so Guo Guohao picked up his cigarette case and lighter and invited Chi Mengli to chat by the window in the corridor.

"I couldn't be happier, my craving for cigarettes just happened to be kicking in!"

Chi Mengli stood up, buttoned up her suit jacket, and followed Guo Guohao out of the office area in front of everyone, arriving at the end of the corridor.

"Attorney Shan, Inspector Guo wants to have a chat with me. Please wait a moment."

Chi Mengli gave Shan Sijie a brief instruction, and before Shan Sijie could reply, he walked over to Guo Guohao and took the cigarette offered by his superior.

Dan Sijie showed no emotion on her face. She walked to the side, stared at A-zai who had returned, and warned him with her eyes not to be ungrateful.

"I really didn't expect that even though I had clearly revealed the location to Jasmine, you would still let them go. You're incredibly stupid!"

“Guo sir, if your men aren’t up to par, go to Wong Chuk Hang and pick some elite soldiers. Don’t mess things up. This is intelligence I obtained at great personal risk.”

"Also, is Jasmine mentally challenged? Everyone at the front desk of Hong Sheng Mahjong Parlor knows this scoundrel is a foreign kid, gathering intelligence like this!"

"Push to the street!"

Chi Mengli snatched the Dupont lighter from Guo Guohao's hand and lit the cigarette in her mouth.

The foreigners' cigarettes are smelly and pungent, and there's no smoke at all. It's not as good as the Double Happiness cigarettes in my pocket.

"You can do whatever you want, but the guys need to follow the rules."

"No one expected that Black Tiger's henchman, Mud Snail, would betray him, double-cross him, and directly swallow his own boss's goods. The thugs who set off firecrackers outside the Taikoo Wharf Park have been caught."

"It's Mud Snail's cousin. Mud Snail has really gone all out this time. His whole family has already left Hong Kong. It seems like he planned this all along."

"The other thief, who was holding an AK rifle and looking out of the warehouse, died from blood loss after resisting."

"At the headless beach in Sha Tin, another key culprit, Kou Shui Kun, was found. This guy was really unlucky. The bullet hit the junction of his buttock and thigh, hit the bone, changed direction, and pierced his intestines."

"People were dumped on trucks, and the beach was full of freezers. The military personnel arrived in time and saved more than a dozen freezers, from which blue blood was detected."

"Mud snails are quick; the goods were sold to the buyer immediately."

“I have already issued an arrest warrant. Now, at the airport, at the dock, or through any legitimate channels, Ni Luo can’t leave. I’ve also sent people to keep watch near Kou Shui Kun and the others. I hope Ni Luo will be loyal and send these people a settlement fee.”

"This way, the mud snails can be scraped out, saving everyone the trouble."

Guo Guohao also knew that expecting Mud Snail to step forward on its own was simply a pipe dream. Mud Snail had already received the money from the buyer, so there was no reason for it to stay in Hong Kong.

“Mud Snail isn’t stupid. He’s not crazy. He definitely won’t fall into the hands of the police. Don’t be fooled by the fact that Ninth Sister negotiated the deal. This deal was actually orchestrated by Song Sheng.”

“I heard that Mr. Song is going to establish a channel from Hong Kong to Dubai. Now Dubai is full of South Asians, and all the major triads have already made deals with the loan sharks from back then. For each piglet, they will take a cut of HK$500.”

“Curry Country lacks everything except people. These curry boys and South Asian boys will first go to Hong Kong and then be taken away in a boat.”

"It's perfectly normal for a ship carrying three to five tons of cargo to have a dozen or so extra bags of luggage."

"Professor J's shipment is just a test run. Once the roads are cleared, we'll launch a full-scale attack by land, sea, and air. The prices of Hong Kong's high-end goods and pork are too low, and the roads to Honolulu have been difficult to navigate in recent years."

"Interpol has been keeping an eye on this, and it can conduct inspections on the high seas. Now the United Nations has passed a resolution that gives Interpol law enforcement powers on the high seas."

"Out of ten shipments, six will encounter problems. Without Professor A, even Song Sheng can't keep things under control."

"Batch after batch of goods either sank to the bottom of the sea or were seized by Interpol. Mr. Song simply couldn't afford to lose the deposits."

"Being a dealer is fine, but to also act as a 'footman' (a derogatory term for someone who acts as a dealer) is a bit irrational."

Chi Mengli held the cigarette between two fingers, took it from her mouth, exhaled a smoke ring, and said calmly.

"Hong Kong has no shortage of bookmakers, but few are willing to be the ones to profit from them."

"You think everyone in the Zhuang family is a gangster, that at a moment's notice a dozen thugs will come out with backpacks to deliver goods? Don't be ridiculous! Labor costs are very high."

"The bookmakers need to eat too!"

Guo Guohao made Chi Mengli too naive. When the gang does business, everything goes smoothly. As long as the signboard is bright enough and the storefront is loud enough, countless members of the Tong Gang will apply for the job.

Song Sheng's criminal organization doesn't need many people; they only need top talent. After all, a few people can control a source of wealth, and they don't even need thugs. They mainly need bodyguards to protect their own safety.

After all, supporting an additional member would cost tens of thousands, or even millions, of dollars each year. Even if Song Sheng's shady and illegal businesses were profitable, he couldn't support people like a gangster.

The number of people associated with the gang, including blue lanterns, pimps, parking attendants, and street hustlers, is at least tens of thousands. The gang's underlings also number one or two thousand, because without these numbers, the gang cannot function.

Not to mention the two or three hundred key members of the Water Room, who are the core disciples of the Water Room and are responsible for handling things independently.

The mastermind behind the shady business, Shenxianjin, only needs to carve out a path to wealth so that the gang leaders and underlings can earn enough to support their families. This is because they are involved in shady dealings; if they are caught by the police, they can simply pay bail and be released from jail immediately.

If there's no bail, then you'll just have to spend forty-eight hours in jail before you can regain your freedom.

But Song Sheng's criminal group is different, because their businesses are all highly profitable, and most of them have a minimum term of five years. If they don't give their members enough benefits to make them forget the consequences, they won't obey.

If you have money, you're a big shot!

Without money, you're nothing!
This statement is applicable to all walks of life.

Chi Mengli considered Guo Guohao's words for a moment, felt there was no problem, nodded, and said, "The Wen family is strange, but the Wen family has deep roots. Whether to investigate or not is up to you, Guo sir."

"If they don't investigate, I'll turn a blind eye and pretend it never happened, letting this matter slide by."

"But don't blame me for not warning you, there's a big secret inside the Wen family warehouse. Getting promoted and making a fortune isn't guaranteed, because you're already a senior superintendent. If you get promoted one more level, you'll be a chief superintendent."

"Even if Shapison likes you a lot, he wouldn't let you get promoted twice in less than two years." Chi Mengli deliberately threw out a bait to see if Guo Guohao would take the bait!

However, in his opinion, this loser in front of him was a complete power-hungry official who would definitely not miss any opportunity to rise to the top and make a name for himself.

"What the hell?! You think you're some kind of coward?!"

"How could you say something like that? You have no conscience!"

“If the Wen family commits a crime, I will definitely investigate to the end. Just letting you know, the Wen family is going to be in trouble soon. The Taikoo Wharf tycoon is very angry about the Taikoo Wharf incident. He donated ten million to the police station, just to get the Wen family out of the business.”

"The Wen family is wealthy and powerful, but in the eyes of the Swire Group, they are just a small ant. Even if Young Master Wen went to kneel down and beg his father-in-law, he still couldn't get through to them!"

"Ducks are the first to know when the river warms in spring. Let me give you a heads-up: the Wen family's ship, even if it doesn't sink, will be torn to pieces. Be careful not to get dragged down."

"But the Wen family is your boss, how did they get involved with Hei A Hu?"

Guo Guohao, who calls himself the nemesis of evil, will certainly not miss any opportunity to make meritorious contributions, receive awards, and be promoted. He has already established good relations with the ancestral upper house and the overseas colony department through his uncle.

He has a good chance of winning this Justice of the Peace position. If he can bring down the Wen family and befriend the Swire Group at this time, his chances of winning will be 60-70%.

Obtaining the position of Justice of the Peace is a great honor for the Kwok family of Wing On. The family foundation will also contribute a sum of money to help them manage the Governor-General's Office and the Provincial Treasurer's Office.

Guo Guohao is just missing an opportunity to bring glory to the country, and bringing down the Wen family is that opportunity.

"Black Tiger has already sided with the Wen family. The Wen family's docks and warehouses are all under Black Tiger's management. I'm a loser now, having been tricked by someone, but no matter what Black Tiger does, he uses my name!"

"I really have a bitter pill to swallow right now!"

"Alright! Enough with the whining and complaining! Let's get down to business. Black Tiger and the professor's team have already joined forces, but this time Mud Snail and Saliva Kun have betrayed us. Ninth Sister and the professor will definitely hold Black Tiger accountable."

"Shenxian Jin will most likely protect Hei A Hu. According to the rules of the martial arts world, if something happens to the goods in the warehouse, the warehouse owner is responsible. In total, five tons of goods were lost. Even if you chopped Hei A Hu into pieces and sold each piece at the price of gold, he still couldn't afford to pay for it."

“The two families will definitely have tea and discuss the details, and the madman might even have to come back from Bangkok.”

"Your words are law, and the Number Gang and the Water House, for the sake of business, certainly won't directly show off their horses, make big films, or engage in any big scandals."

"If the Organized Crime and Triad Bureau (OCTB) checks licenses every day, nobody will accept it. Even the big bosses will be unhappy, not to mention the bosses!"

"Are you all out of your minds? Hanging up Black Tiger is indeed a good idea, it'll give us a good venting of our anger. But after we've vented our anger, who's going to pay us back?"

"Now both gangs don't want anything to happen to Hei Ah Hu; they hope he has a smooth life and lives to be a hundred years old!"

Chi Mengli's face showed a bitter expression, and she poured out all her grievances.

Guo Guohao kept the situation in mind, lit another cigarette, turned his back, and continued to listen to Chi Mengli recount the intelligence.

"Black Tiger's henchman, Kou Shui Kun, the one who died, said that the Wen family got a batch of acid-free paper. He said that Old Ghost Wen got a batch of goods from people in the underworld and was preparing to print his own silver paper."

"Kun only gave me a general idea; I don't know anything else. Now the Wen family is treating me like a thief. The Wen family members who used to contact me have all gone far away to Australia, and I haven't heard a thing from them!"

Kou Shui Kun is already dead, so there's no way to verify anything. People can say whatever they want, and all sorts of dirty laundry can be thrown at him without holding back.

Chi Mengli feigned a hesitant and troubled expression, and after thinking for a moment, she said hesitantly, "Guo sir, do you remember the Kai Tak Airport robbery on January 112th?"

"Six gangsters stole new Hong Kong dollars printed by HSBC from the tarmac at Kai Tak Airport. They were all gold bulls with a face value of one thousand dollars each."

“After the incident, Kai Tak Airport and HSBC immediately reported the incident to the police and reported the stolen gold bull anti-counterfeiting code. However, five years have passed and these gold bulls have never appeared in Hong Kong.”

“I thought this batch of money had already flowed overseas and been cleaned up, but I received a tip that the money stolen by the Big Circle Boys in the 112 Kai Tak Airport robbery had not left Hong Kong.”

"The numbers are in the Wen family's hands!"

Kill with a borrowed knife!
Xi Ren wasn't in the long-stay room at the Sheraton Hotel because she was going to store all the money that Ninth Sister had given her into the cold storage that she had purchased in Wen Tianchuan's name.

Chi Mengli glanced at her watch and realized it was almost time. Xiren had already taken care of this little matter. She put her hand down, reached into her pocket, took out a crumpled pound note, and handed it to Guo Guohao.

Guo Guohao's eyes lit up immediately. He reached out and took the pound in his hand, carefully rubbing it with his fingertips. He immediately noticed something amiss: "This is a counterfeit pound!"

"Good eye, this is indeed a counterfeit pound."

"This week, I received fifteen counterfeit pounds at the parking lot, all from unfamiliar faces. I wanted to throw a tantrum and settle scores, but I didn't even have a chance!"

Chi Mengli took out his cigarette case, lit one for himself, and after smoking it a few times, he found that Double Happiness cigarettes were the best to his liking. He comfortably exhaled a smoke ring and continued, "It seems that some artists have come to Hong Kong to start their careers."

"However, I also noticed some thought-provoking details: the parking spaces that received the counterfeit pounds were all located near the Wen Family Restaurant."

"This is not an isolated case!"

"This inevitably raises suspicions."

Having said everything that needed to be said, Chi Mengli turned around, leaned against the windowsill, and gave Dan Sijie a bright smile.

The Wen family?

Counterfeiting?
This is not common sense!

The Wen family, spanning three generations, has established a firm foothold in Hong Kong over the past twenty years and has already forged connections with Sir Zhou's family. There's no reason for them to engage in business that could cost them their lives.

Guo Guohao looked at the moon outside the window and felt a little incredulous.

If you use counterfeit goods, the foreigners will just laugh it off. As long as you pay enough fees and give them enough benefits, they won't make things difficult for you.

But if you try to play with counterfeit pounds, you're playing with fire. No matter how deep your connections are, the Governor's Office will get rid of you as soon as possible.

Moreover, the pseudo-pound is not easy to deal with; it requires a lot of effort and resources. Without the support of major currencies, it would take a year or two to resolve, making it a thankless task.

Only the big shots have the means to deposit the money into the bank and turn the fake into the real.

Wait! The bank!
Guo Guohao immediately discovered the key information: Wen Tianhuo, the second young master of the Wen family, was working alongside He Xian, handling the Atlantic Bank's business in Hong Kong.

Although she is not yet the head of the investment department, she helps He Xian handle his personal business.

With Wen Tianhuo around, the Wen family's counterfeit British pounds could enter the Atlantic Bank effortlessly, without even needing Wen Tianhuo's permission.

All that's needed is for Black Tiger to act as a junket operator and introduce people to Lam Lai of the Macau branch of the Water House. These numbers will become the floor price, but they will also enter the mud junket hall and be deposited into the Atlantic Bank.

That makes sense!

The brilliant Guo Guohao pieced together the chain of evidence in his mind, his eyes shining.

Sir Chow is indeed a man of high rank and great power, but in Hong Kong, he cannot be said to have absolute power. Hong Kong is still dominated by foreigners.

Youde has arrived in Hong Kong. For the next sixteen months, he will work as the Chief Secretary to the Governor’s Office. After sixteen months, Governor MacLehose will step down, and Youde will take office.

During the handover, no one would leave any leverage for their successor, and similarly, the Chinese tycoons would not leave a bad impression on Youde.

Moreover, this matter has crossed the line for foreigners.

Swire wants the Wen family to get out of Swire Wharf, but the Wen family will definitely not give in and will definitely negotiate with Swire.

The four major trading companies disliked negotiating with Chinese tycoons. With the help of Shanghainese, the shipping magnate was taking over Wharf Holdings, and Li Ka-shing was also encouraging the deal.

They need to eliminate a Chinese tycoon to make up for the losses from losing Wharf Holdings.

The Wen family is neither too big nor too small, neither too fat nor too thin, just right!
(End of this chapter)