Hong Kong Island: From a small stall to a global supplier

Chapter 345 The Patriot's identity has been exposed!
Pirates Return: Standard Chartered Bank Robbed Again, Losses Exceed 5000 Million!

The Shadow of Robbers Arrives in Hong Kong and Macau!

"Capital security has become the biggest enemy of the financial port!"

Opening the newspaper, whether it's the front page or the side pages, it's all filled with reports about the robbery. The only good thing is that no photos of the maritime robbery have been leaked, and even better news is that no one died—a gentle robbery.

Of course, this is from a security perspective; it's a different story for Standard Chartered Bank.

Johnny was like an enraged lion. He had received word that the London headquarters had quickly completed the formation of the investigation team yesterday, and that the plane had taken off from London and headed straight for Hong Kong early this morning.

Tomorrow, or perhaps the day after, the investigation team will arrive in Haojiang to conduct a series of investigations into Standard Chartered (Haojiang).

At the morning meeting, Johnny got up from his chair and swung the newspapers at security manager Ben Hutton’s pale face. “You’re not doing anything now. Just wait, just wait. You’ll be handcuffed soon, you damn brainless idiot. You’ve fucking messed everything up.”

This time, no one was holding Johnny back; everyone was in the same boat, and some things couldn't withstand scrutiny.

Banking and finance involve large sums of money in every operation; how could they possibly be completely clean?

Ben Hutton remained unresponsive to the newspaper that hit him on the head, sitting motionless like a soulless zombie. He never imagined he would be robbed yesterday, especially at sea.

That was at sea, on a wide-open sea. Six armed men, each carrying three magazines, how the hell could they have been robbed with that kind of firepower?

Did all those robbers eat spinach?

He just couldn't figure it out.

The issue of hiring a more professional security company has been raised many times, but each time he has rejected it because the other party has no relevant work experience and no outstanding achievements.

As the branch manager, Johnny couldn't force things to go through with this, so he just kept dragging it out, and then he got robbed of it.

This is different from the $2300 million robbery, which was the first time everyone could find excuses, but not this time.

The meeting ended abruptly, with nothing discussed. Everyone's expression was terribly gloomy, as if their mother had died. Someone had to take responsibility, but it couldn't possibly be him, the general manager; he had already done enough.

Johnny can say with certainty that the coastal patrol boat under the protection of Umbrella Corporation would never be robbed.

……

A two-story building near Lung Kwu Tan in Tuen Mun, Hong Kong.

Two large round tables were set with hot pots, and about 20 people were sitting around them drinking and eating meat.

"How did you feel yesterday?" Wang Yaotang asked with a smile.

"A bunch of greenhorns, never been on the battlefield, firing from a distance of about a hundred meters. After testing the waters a dozen times, they surrendered on their own," Hai Dazhao said with a smile.

"What would you do if you encountered robbers?"

"Slow down, then wait for them to get close and send them flying. On the battlefield, it's all about who's braver. The more afraid you are, the faster you die."

Wang Yaotang raised his glass and invited everyone to toast. After downing a large glass of wine, he asked, "Where are the rest of our security company?"

"I don't think it will work. I'll definitely panic. This is different from training. I'll be lucky if I don't wet my pants."

"How about we do more training exercises, and hear gunshots all around us?" Wang Yaotang thought of some real combat training he had seen in the Middle East. "For example, setting up barbed wire, with people crawling underneath and bullets firing from above?"

"No way?" Hai Dazhao's eyes widened. "Brother Yao, people can die. This is no joke. When you're extremely scared, you can't control yourself at all. Even a newbie who has never been on the battlefield will jump up in fear when he hears gunshots."

“This has never been done in domestic training. This is impossible. First of all, it is not allowed by law.”

After clicking his tongue twice, Wang Yaotang laughed and said, "I just had this sudden idea. It seems we still need to recruit a group of people from China. Damn it, these robbers are too ruthless now, they throw grenades!"

Hai Dazhao and the others looked at Wang Yaotang with a wry smile, thinking, "It seems like we just pulled off a robbery."

They had no idea that the $2300 million was also arranged by Wang Yaotang.

We didn't drink much today. After we finished eating, we cleared the table, and Hai Dazhao and the others brought out ten silver-white briefcases.

This wasn't the first time I'd done something like this. Even though I knew there was money inside, I still refrained from opening it.

Wang Yaotang was very satisfied with this.

After cutting open the box with an angle grinder, the stacks of Hong Kong dollars still made everyone's breath catch in their throats. Even Wang Yaotang felt a bit dazzled. Having a lot of money in his account didn't mean he had seen so much cash before.

“It’s only a little over four million US dollars. Look at you guys, it’s shameful.” Wang Yaotang suddenly shouted, “Get this straight, we’re not ordinary robbers.”

"We are organized, disciplined, thoughtful, and sophisticated robbers!"

Everyone burst into laughter, and the atmosphere instantly eased.

“My brothers have risked their lives for me, so I will certainly not treat them unfairly. But before that, I still need to deal with this money.”

deal with?

Some of Hai Dazhao's group didn't understand.

"Dazhao, what do you think is the best way to handle this money?" Wang Yaotang asked with a smile.

“Uh…” Hai Dazhao and the others did discuss it yesterday. “The police are definitely keeping a close eye on things now. I think we should wait until things calm down before spending the money. Hmm, we should spend it slowly. Spending too much at once will attract the attention of the police or the bank.”

“That’s right.” Wang Yaotang patted Hai Dazhao on the shoulder, “but, that’s not right.”

Wang Yaotang bent down and took out a stack of HK$1,000 notes from the box. He ran his fingers through them and found they were all from the same year and had similar serial numbers.

He raised his hand and shook the stack of HK$10 in his hand. "This money, once it enters the market, will quickly reach the bank. The face value is too large, and then it will be exposed. It was produced in the same year, has the same serial number, and ends within a certain range. For bankers, they can tell at a glance whether it is black money."

"Huh?" Hai Dazhao looked astonished, then picked up a stack of large denomination bills. People around him gathered around, and Wang Yaotang explained the bank's operating mechanism to them.

"What if I spend the money at some random market or something? Who would recognize me then?" Hai Dazhao asked.

"You're going to buy groceries and take a 1000-yuan note with paper and pen? Are you kidding me? That's practically telling everyone you've got something wrong."

"This..." Hai Dazhao was sweating profusely. This was like robbing someone for nothing. "What about the smaller denominations?"

“Small denomination old currency is fine, but it’s best not to have it in Hong Kong.” Wang Yaotang shook his head. “Besides, I don’t think it’s necessary. It’s not much money in total, just a few hundred or ten million. I can earn that in a few days. It’s not worth getting it on my person.”

"We did all this just to increase the banking industry's trust in security and to allow the company to expand faster, not really for the money."

"What should I do?"

The group of people all looked rather grim.

"Take out your small bills, anything under HKD 50, under GBP 10, or under USD 20. Let me see how much you have, and I'll exchange them for clean bills."

"Oh, what about the rest?" Hai Dazhao asked curiously.

Wang Yaotang laughed and said, "Let's throw 20 oil paper packets into the sea and see which lucky person finds them, putting some pressure on the police."

Everyone burst out laughing. This was too wicked.

A dozen or so people sorted the goods, and they quickly finished organizing them, totaling nearly ten million.

According to the rules, Wang Yaotang, as the planner, should take the lion's share, but "this time it's all a reward for you. We didn't give you any compensation for the previous two missions at sea, so it's all included here."

“Those Yao brothers were contributing to the country, and you didn’t take any money. How can we take money? We can’t just be the only ones who love the country. We love the country too!” Hai Dazhao said loudly.

"What are you comparing yourself to?" Wang Yaotang cursed irritably. "I'm worth hundreds of millions, so whether I make that little bit of money or not is none of my business. Why are you bunch of poor bastards being so generous to me? If I give it to you, just take it. If you really want to thank me, then work hard for me in the future."

A group of people chuckled. Who wouldn't be happy to get paid? The boss was generous and honest, so everyone was delighted.

Actually, if you divide it up, each person would only get less than 50, which isn't much at all.

Wang Yaotang asked everyone whether they wanted cash or to deposit it directly into the bank. Although they had just robbed the bank, everyone chose to give the bank another chance.

……

"Give you a chance? Who the hell is giving us a chance?!"

"Yes, Ben, you messed everything up. You can't expect us to suffer the consequences."

"Don't worry, your family will be fine, and you will be fine too. After a few years when no one cares about this anymore, you can come out, change your name, move to a different place, and live your life as usual."

"How about America? Enjoy the sun and beaches of Los Angeles and the beautiful stars of Hollywood. Miami is also an option. We'll prepare enough money for you to live comfortably for the rest of your life."

"Yes, Ben, nobody knows you over there. You can grow a nice beard, change your hairstyle, and gain weight so nobody will recognize you."

Ben Hutton's psychological defenses were quickly broken down by the words of the crowd.

……

Union Building.

"You're not planning to ask me to catch robbers again, are you?" Wang Yaotang asked with a smile as soon as they met.

“Yes, you guessed right.” Cabel plopped down on the sofa, his dark circles making him look somewhat comical.

“Buddy, tell me I’m not a cop.” Wang Yaotang spread his hands. “I shouldn’t have helped last time. You guys are relying on the same approach. If I can’t handle it, are you going to blame me for not doing my job well?”

“Wang, don’t be like this. You know I don’t have any better ideas. Apart from the fact that the grenades came from the north, the robbers didn’t leave any clues this time. They didn’t even fire a single shot, and we didn’t find the two motorcycles. We have no leads at all, only blurry sketches of the two robbers. They’re useless except for confirming that they’re not disabled.” Cabel rubbed his face. “And then, damn it, we were robbed at sea last night.”

"Wait, isn't that Hong Kong waters? What does it have to do with the Hong Kong police?" Wang Yaotang asked curiously.

"I'd also like to know what those idiots at the Governor's House are thinking. Damn it, do they think we're still in the British Empire?" Cabel waved his hand irritably.

Wang Yaotang couldn't help but laugh out loud. "Sorry."

"Laugh if you want. Only those idiots living in the local area think nothing has changed. They're just pathetic creatures living in a fairy tale woven by the media. We outsiders know very well that the world has fucking changed!"

After venting for a while, Kabel sighed, "With 500 million visitors between Hong Kong and Macau every year, security issues cannot be ignored. The Haojiang Police Station doesn't even have 2000 people in total. We can't possibly go to the north to take responsibility, can we?"

“You can take responsibility for me, I don’t mind. Trust me, I’m very good at fighting pirates,” Wang Yaotang said with a smile. Cabel didn’t speak, squinting as he pondered silently.

Wang Yaotang blinked. "Seriously? You're serious? Can it even work?"

“I think it’s fine, but you’ll need to get things done one link at a time, like the passenger transport industry.” Cabel shook his head. “Alright, let’s not talk about that. Keep an eye on the money laundering market, black market transactions, and underground casinos for me.”

"Why don't you disclose the issue with the serial number?" Wang Yaotang walked to the refrigerator, took out two cans of Coke, and tossed one to Kabel.

Cabel opened the bottle, gulped down a mouthful, and exclaimed before saying, "Why don't those robbers go into business and make big money? Is it because they don't want to?"

"I'll pick," is a phrase Wang Yaotang often used, and now Kabel has picked it up.

"You don't know how to do business, but you want to make a lot of money. You've already risked robbing an armored truck. Are you going to give up just because of the serial number issue?" Cabel snorted. "It's useless. It will only make them more careful. If you really start scattering money little by little on the black market, even if you find a clue, how long will it take to investigate?"

Wang Yaotang thought about it and realized that he was indeed a bit clueless about meat paste.

“I’ll keep an eye out for you, but since you don’t have any specific targets this time, I think it’ll be difficult. Don’t get your hopes up,” Wang Yaotang said with a smile.

The robber is right in front of you, should I arrest myself?

After chatting for a while, they went to a restaurant for dinner and drinks, and then Cabel left, tipsy.

They came here to drink, not for business.

Wang Yaotang simply gave instructions to his subordinates about catching the robbers and that was it.

……

A few days later, at the InterContinental Hotel, luxury cars pulled up to the entrance, where Fourth Master and his men greeted the guests who had come to attend the grand opening ceremony of 'Shengyi'.

Four PTU officers were parked nearby, their fully armed blue hats looking around warily, protecting these Hong Kong "gangster bosses"... There were also dozens of uniformed police officers maintaining order nearby.

Reporters strolled around taking pictures, while passersby peered out from a short distance on tiptoe.

Two people died when Prince Rong held a banquet here last time, which disgusted the InterContinental Hotel. They really don't want these people to hold banquets here.

But sometimes even big hotels have no choice; it's really hard to refuse.

"Ah Yao, you're the most popular person in Hong Kong right now. I've attended your banquets so many times this year." Boss Xiang said with a smile as soon as they met. "I'll be attending your Dragon Head Ceremony in a few days. Wow, I can't even afford to give you a gift."

“The child is still young, going through kindergarten, primary school, middle school, and university, so there are naturally many things to do, which is why we often trouble our elders. Yi’an is already an adult and has a stable career, so there are naturally fewer things to do. I also want to settle down and start a family,” Wang Yaotang said with a smile.

"Ha, you've got a silver tongue, no wonder your business is so big," Boss Xiang said with a laugh.

"You flatter me, please come in."

Yi An, Tiao Lin, Sheng He – it's always the same people. Before, when Wang Yaotang turned 'Sheng Yi' into a family business, the people from Sheng He and Tiao Lin complained a lot on various occasions, but today when they saw Wang Yaotang, they were all smiling and congratulating him.

They didn't know what the future held, but Shengyi hadn't experienced the turmoil they had imagined. If it could maintain its current state, Wang Yaotang would be able to rival the Xiang family, which had been struggling for over 30 years, in just a few years.

In terms of business acumen, the Xiang family is far inferior to the Little God of Wealth.

Guests arrived one after another, and the inauguration ceremony began, still presided over by the Fourth Prince.

In theory, Wang Yaotang should be sitting in the top position right now, waiting for the newly appointed big players like 'Dahua' and 'Chao A' to kneel before him. But the top position hasn't been chosen yet, so it's not legitimate. Wang Yaotang wouldn't sit in it now, lest people think he's impatient.

Wang Yaotang sat at a table chatting with Xiang Laoda, Li Guohua, and Da Bi Deng.

"By the way, I heard that you're planning to acquire some plots of land next to Kowloon Walled City, Ah Yao?" Boss Xiang suddenly asked.

"How did Brother Hua Yan find out?" Wang Yaotang raised an eyebrow.

"The people from the Provincial Administration Office told me, asking if I was interested," Boss Xiang said softly.

After the turn of the century, the four triads had different fates. Yee On far surpassed the other three in development, while the worst off was the soft drink factory, which even changed its name to Hao Kong...

Yi'an belongs to the Xiang family, with clear ownership and assets. They are able to deeply invest in the industries they enter, unlike the other three companies, which change leaders every two or three years and only think about making money for themselves. It would be strange if they could develop well.

The Xiang family has gradually built up its business in the real estate sector over the years, and the Provincial Government Office turns to the Xiang family rather than the other three when it needs something, and that's why.

“I was planning to take it over to use as the headquarters and training base for my security company. I talked to the Provincial Administration Office more than a month ago, but we couldn’t agree on the price.” Wang Yaotang chuckled. “Looks like the equipment donation deal has finally come to fruition.”

"You really donated 1.2 million worth of equipment?" Li Guohua asked, somewhat surprised.

"It's more than that. You know the exchange rate in mainland China. If we calculate it on the black market, it's 2 million." Wang Yaotang said without any concealment.

"Wow, no wonder he's called Little God of Wealth, he's so generous and sharp." Li Guohua gave a thumbs up.

"Didn't you pay this money to buy your life too early and too much?" Big Nose Deng said, frowning.

“That’s called patriotism. Our situations are different. I’ll have to pay sooner or later, so I might as well pay it early and leave a good impression. It’ll be easier to do things in the future if I get the label of a patriotic businessman.” Wang Yaotang said, glancing at Boss Xiang, and suddenly couldn’t help but laugh.

We've reached an agreement with Lao Xu, and he is patriotic.

We hope that from now on, you will keep this stick forever... You are someone we can trust, and Lian Sheng will always belong to you, Li.

The laughter stirred something in Boss Xiang's heart, and he couldn't help but overthink things.

Li Guohua and Da Bideng didn't care. They would have been retired long ago in a dozen years. Besides, even if they were to settle scores later, it wouldn't be their turn. They were just a few powerless old guys. Moving against them would only cause panic and wouldn't do any good.

"The Provincial Administration Office doesn't want to sell the land to you, but it would look bad if word got out that no one would take it, so they came to me, but I refused," Boss Xiang said after thinking for a moment.

I'll refuse when I get back...

"Haha, then thank you very much, Boss Xiang. With Kowloon Walled City as a cancer, those big real estate developers wouldn't even look at this piece of rotten land. Besides us, I don't believe the Hong Kong British government can find anyone else to take it over. Damn it, if you want to stop me, then try it." Wang Yaotang sneered.

"Ah Yao, you've taken over the stone quarry in Fanling, and now you're acquiring land. Are you preparing to enter the real estate industry?" Boss Xiang asked.

"Real estate development is too complicated, I can't handle it. I'll just take a few plots of land to test the waters first. But I'd like to get involved in the building materials market. Brother Hua Yan, are you interested?"

"Haha, I'd like to try my hand at the building materials market, but I can't get in touch with the mainland. Ah Yao, could you help me out?"

"Sure, the mainland is eager to get investment. Let's go there together sometime and I'll introduce you to someone."

Watching Wang Yaotang and Boss Xiang chatting and laughing about real estate, building materials, and investments in the mainland, Li Guohua and Big Nose Deng exchanged a glance, feeling indescribably dejected. They were also among the four major powers, yet they didn't even have the right to interrupt.

There's no need to worry about the north coming after them in a decade or so. However, similarly, the gang can only engage in simple, quick-money industries; deep cultivation is out of the question.

Moreover, they only have influence over the organization, far from having complete control, and the organization's businesses are not private businesses.

At this moment, Li Guohua's heart also began to waver...

(Help! Hold it in! You can't write this!)
After the ceremony of being formally appointed was completed, Fourth Master invited everyone to the stage for a group photo before the banquet began. As always, Wang Yaotang invited an emcee and singers to perform. Drinking, toasting, and making merry lasted for more than an hour before the guests were gradually seen off.

……

After taking office, Wang Yaotang would personally attend the appointments of the various leaders in each branch, including those with red sticks, white paper fans, and straw sandals, to let his subordinates know who was the true leader of 'Shengyi'.

While I won't meet with everyone in the group, I will definitely meet with some of the more outspoken ones, like when Chiang Tin-sang invites Chan Ho-nam, Chicken, and the others to his home for a meeting.

Especially after corporatization and privatization, the upper echelons of the organization become stable enough, but this also means that there will inevitably be some turmoil at the lower levels.

Just because it's not made public doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

He would meet them, ask a few words of concern, let them see what the dragon head really looked like, and reassure them. In addition to the four branches in Yau Tsim Mong, Wang Yaotang would visit the other 10 branches on Hong Kong Island.

A week has passed in a blur.

Being the boss isn't easy.

……

"Ah Xiang, what's the situation at the Provincial Administration Office now?" Having finally roughly figured out the situation at his branch, Wang Yaotang called over Four-Eyes to ask.

“It was negotiated as commercial land, and the price was previously agreed to be 8500 per square foot. But recently the Chief Secretary suddenly said that the price was too low and could not be approved. He wanted 12000,” the bespectacled man said in a deep voice.

"How much?" Wang Yaotang's eyes widened. "8500 per square foot? That means 510 million per acre! How big are those plots in total?"

“36 mu, we previously discussed 1.8 million,” the bespectacled man continued.

“No.” Wang Yaotang raised his hand, looking speechless, and asked, “Are we setting up a security company headquarters? Not building a commercial building for $8500 per square foot? Do you think this is some kind of Tsim Sha Tsui?”

"A piece of rotten land next to Kowloon Walled City that no one dares to develop, and they still dare to ask for 8500? Are these British idiots?"

The bespectacled man said with a wry smile, "That's why they're charging such a high price, because they know we're the ones who want to run a security company."

Wang Yaotang's expression froze. "You mean, they guessed that we were going to use security companies as a deterrent and then hoard land to resell?"

The four-eyed guy shrugged.

"Damn, he's pretty cunning." Wang Yaotang scratched his head.

“The Hong Kong government is clearly targeting us now, deliberately raising prices. What should we do? Should we stall for time until negotiations begin? By then, land prices will definitely drop,” the bespectacled man asked.

Land prices are bound to fall.

In December 1980, the price of industrial land in Kowloon Bay reached a high of HK$360 per square foot. However, affected by factors such as the confidence crisis triggered by the start of Sino-British negotiations, the global economic recession, and the relocation of Hong Kong's manufacturing industry, the price of industrial land in Kowloon Bay plummeted to HK$25 per square foot in October 1982, a drop of 93%.

In 1981, a commercial site on Cotton Tree Drive fetched a record price of HK$34,720 per square foot, but after the market crash in 1982, the price of commercial land in similar prime locations fell by as much as 50%.

“It will take at least a year. We can’t wait that long. Besides the Chief Secretary, does the land grant also require approval from the Governor’s Office?” Wang Yaotang asked.

"The Lands Department reviews land use applications in accordance with the Town Planning Ordinance, assesses land prices and drafts contract terms. Then, the Executive Section of the Chief Secretary’s Office conducts internal approval. This involves cross-departmental coordination to ensure that there is no corruption. Finally, it takes effect after being signed by the Chief Secretary for Administration, without the need for the Governor’s signature."

“That’s good. The Hong Kong government is hostile to us, but the foreigners certainly won’t be hostile to the British pound. Help me arrange a meeting with this damn Chief Secretary,” Wang Yaotang said in a deep voice.

(End of this chapter)