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

That evening, Wang Yaotang reserved a table at Fu Lin Men restaurant to entertain Enoch McCormack, a member of the Land Surveying Office under the Public Works Department of the Provincial Administration Commission.

Land Surveying Office: Responsible for land surveying, planning, drafting land contracts, specifying lease terms, rent, usage restrictions, and breach of contract clauses.

Sha Ze pushed the door open and gestured for him to enter. Wang Yaotang looked up and saw a middle-aged man with a large hooked nose, thin lips, high cheekbones, and narrow eyes walk in.

“Mr. Enoch McCormack, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” Wang Yaotang smiled, got up, walked over, and extended his hand.

After looking at Wang Yaotang's hand, Enoch McCormack reached out and gently shook it. "Hello."

"Come, sit here," Wang Yaotang said, gesturing for them to sit.

Enoch McCormack sat down, picked up a wet wipe from the table, wiped his hands, and then threw it on the floor.

Wang Yaotang's expression stiffened, his eyebrows twitched a few times, and he took a deep breath to suppress his anger. "Aze, serve the dishes."

"Okay, Brother Yao."

The food was served quickly. Wang Yaotang mainly tried to chat with Enoch McCormack, but after he said six or seven sentences, Enoch McCormack would only give a curt reply.

Feeling he had eaten enough, Enoch McCormack picked up a napkin and wiped his mouth. "What do you need me for? Go ahead."

Wang Yaotang put down his chopsticks and leaned back in his chair, looking the British white man, who was around 50 years old, up and down. The man had agreed to his invitation to dinner, but his attitude was cold from beginning to end, which was very unusual. It didn't seem like he was deliberately being reserved or trying to get more benefits by making excuses.

"The company told me that the land administration department has changed its mind about the four plots of land near Kowloon Walled City. I don't know what's going on?" Wang Yaotang's expression also turned cold.

"Is there a signed document?" Enoch McCormack asked Wang Yaotang with a slight smirk.

"Ha, Enoch McCormack, what do you mean?"

"Donating 1.2 million to them, this land rent is nothing to you, you can definitely afford it."

"How much money I have has nothing to do with land prices, right?"

"Of course it doesn't matter. According to the Royal Decree and the Royal Instructions, every piece of land in Hong Kong belongs to the British Royal Family, and the Lands Department will never grant any piece of land at a low price."

“McCormack, do you know how loyal you are?” Wang Yaotang grinned. “The Royal Decree, huh? What if we can’t hold onto Hong Kong through negotiations? If we lose territory, do you want to atone with your death?”

McCormack's face darkened. "What did you say?!"

"Alright!" Wang Yaotang waved his hand. "McCormack, don't put on this air of impartiality. There have been informal negotiations between China and Britain more than once or twice. Everyone knows what's going on. British capital has already quietly withdrawn. What, you don't think Britain can continue to occupy Hong Kong, do you?"

“The power of the British Empire is beyond your imagination. The Western democratic world will absolutely not allow lowly and backward people to lay a finger on the jewels of the Queen’s crown,” McCormack said loudly.

Wang Yaotang looked up and down with a strange expression. "You fucking take it seriously?"

"The British Empire's aircraft carrier fleet will soon show you what backwardness and the gap really mean!"

Wang Yaotang rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on. He hadn't expected McCormack to be such a staunch 'victor' and so naive.

“Fine, so what if Britain continues to occupy Hong Kong? What does it have to do with you? You’re just the Chief Secretary of an overseas colony. You don’t even have the chance to meet the Queen. Your political career will end in Hong Kong. What does it matter to you whether the Queen is in power, Britain is in power, or Hong Kong is in power? Only the money in your hands matters!” Wang Yaotang was too lazy to talk politics with him. “Don’t tell me you’ve never taken any money before. That would be ridiculous.”

Wang Yaotang swept the plates aside, picked up a black leather suitcase, placed it on the table, and opened it. "One million US dollars in cash."

As she spoke, she took out another box from the side, placed it on the table, and opened it. Under the crystal chandelier, it gleamed with dazzling gold. "Or gold worth $100 million."

"Land price 4500, choose one of the two, you take it."

McCormack's eyes darted back and forth between the two boxes, greed filling them. After a long while, he picked up his glass, took a sip, and then tossed the remaining liquor into both boxes.

Wang Yaotang's face darkened.

“You lowly wretch, you have no idea what a noble gentleman is.” McCormack looked up at Wang Yaotang with his nose in his mouth.

McCormack has dealt with all the real estate tycoons in Hong Kong Island, and he always acts superior. He enjoys the way these billionaires flatter him.

Even the richest Asians are still lowly and inferior, and they have to grovel and fawn over me, offering me money and beautiful women in return.

This is the taste of power!

Wang Yaotang stared at McCormack, a slight grin spreading across his face. "Ha, a noble English gentleman."

“It’s been a long time since anyone has spoken to me like this.” Wang Yaotang stood up, grabbed McCormack’s hair, and yanked it hard.

McCormack, who had never been treated like this before, let out a scream.

Wang Yaotang grabbed the wine bottle next to him and shoved it into McCormack's mouth. The wine gushed down, and McCormack coughed painfully as he inhaled and exhaled, spraying wine everywhere.

After pouring out half a bottle of wine, Wang Yaotang casually tossed the bottle onto the ground.

Hearing the commotion inside the private room, the door to the adjacent entourage lounge was suddenly pushed open, and Shaze and McCormack's driver and bodyguard rushed in.

"Brother Yao."

"Mr. McCormack!"

"It's nothing." Wang Yaotang took a napkin from the table and wiped his hands.

McCormack clutched his throat and knelt on the ground, coughing violently. He choked on several mouthfuls of wine, and his face began to turn purple.

A glint of murderous intent flashed in Sha Ze's eyes as he glanced at McCormack, and he whispered, "Brother Yao, should we..."

"No need, just take your things and leave." Wang Yaotang sneered, "You're asking for it, ptooey."

“Hey, you can’t leave! You hit Mr. McCormack, you…”

Wang Yaotang ignored them completely and came out of the private room with a cold face. The Fulimen staff were so frightened by the situation inside that they covered their mouths and dared not speak.

The diners are usually wealthy and influential, and some people have made things difficult for the service staff, but this is the first time I've ever seen diners get into a fight.

Such matters are naturally handled by subordinates. Wang Yaotang left the restaurant with a cold face, got into his car, and drove away.

The Chief of Lands at the Governor's Office was assaulted. Police and ambulances arrived quickly. McCormack was unable to provide any information about his condition and was immediately taken away by ambulance. The police only knew that it was Wang Yaotang who did it.

The senior inspector in charge immediately reported the incident. If it were an ordinary person, they would have arrested them on the spot, but Wang Yaotang...

"Regardless of who it is, handle everything according to the rules and regulations, understand?"

The call ended, and the senior inspector left with two waitresses who were specifically assigned to serve this private room.

According to regulations, McCormack must complete initial treatment and assess the extent of his injuries before a criminal case can be determined. If a criminal case is found, preliminary evidence, such as witness testimonies and medical reports, must be collected first, and then an arrest warrant must be applied for from the magistrate before an arrest can be carried out.

Therefore, it's best to follow the procedures!

With so much time in between, you two can fight however you want, just don't involve the police.

Wang Yaotang didn't intend to hide anything. He immediately contacted Jiang Zhizhen and explained the situation. According to Hong Kong law, no one is guilty without a verdict. It's ridiculous that someone would want to sue him for such a trivial matter!

The next morning, Cabel came looking for her, asking, "What happened?"

"Interrogate me?" Wang Yaotang said with a smile.

“No, I’m just asking in a private capacity.” Cabel found a place to sit down.

In terms of administrative rank, McCormack of the Lands Department is at the same level as Han Yi-li, the Commissioner of Police, both being in the core department that manages land approvals.

So McCormack's arrogance was not without reason. From beginning to end, he didn't take Wang Yaotang seriously. He thought they were just thugs, so what if he insulted him to his face? He just never expected that Wang Yaotang would hit him without saying a word.

"Ha, this noble gentleman from the British Empire completely looks down on me, a nobody from a humble village," Wang Yaotang said with a mocking smile. "Does he really think he has all the power in the world?"

“You can tell him what I’m saying clearly. Give him face, he’s a high-ranking official in the Governor’s Office. If you don’t give him face, he’s just a damn old man in his fifties.”

Cabel shrugged. “Don’t be like that. He is him, and I am me. Just because we’re both British doesn’t mean you can be so mean to me. I’m not like him.”

“Of course, of course it’s different. That old geezer is still living in the past.” Wang Yaotang said with a mocking expression. “How do you plan to resolve this?” Cabel asked.

"What do you mean, how to solve it? He choked on his drink himself, what does it have to do with me?" Wang Yaotang scoffed.

Kabel opened his mouth. Last night, the big brother personally went to the hospital to visit him. The old man said that Wang Yaotang wanted to bribe him with cash and gold. After he refused sternly, Wang Yaotang became angry and grabbed his hair to force him to drink the money.

However, there were no surveillance cameras in the Fulimen private room, and there were only two people present. This is all the plaintiff's side of the story, and there wasn't even a bystander.

Wang Yaotang is no nobody; it's impossible to touch him without solid evidence.

Upon hearing Kabel's words, Wang Yaotang burst into laughter. "Do you believe he's honest and never takes money?"

Kabel shrugged. In his view, it was simply a matter of not agreeing on the price. McCormack looked down on Wang Yaotang and tried to provoke and pressure him with words in order to demand more benefits, but he ended up kicking a hornet's nest.

"Okay, that's settled then. I'm going back now. The police will come to you later to ask about the situation."

"I know." Wang Yaotang got up and saw him off.

When someone is assaulted, never stay at the scene waiting for the police or for justice...

Remember to leave the scene immediately and then vehemently deny everything.

Confess and you'll be treated leniently... Resist and you'll be punished severely...

Time heals all wounds.

The story of Wang Yaotang assaulting the head of the land administration department did not circulate in the martial arts world, but it spread within the government. This immediately reminded people of his previous confrontation with Councilor Fang. Some officials had even witnessed Wang Yaotang's duel with Sato recently and saw him kill his opponent.

Wang Yaotang, a former gangster, quickly became known for his tough, violent, and unapproachable image in the minds of many officials.

……

"That guy deserves to die. Should we arrange for someone to take him out?" Ah Jie said during dinner that evening.

“No, it’s too obvious. Even without evidence, it will tarnish Brother Yao’s reputation,” the four-eyed guy said immediately.

"Then arrange for a patient to run him over!"

"Can you please stop thinking about fighting and killing all the time? What's the point of killing him except to vent your anger? Besides, the old man has already been hospitalized by Brother Yao."

"Can't I just dislike him?"

"If you have too many people you don't like, should you kill them all?"

"Alright." Wang Yaotang tapped the bowl. "After all, it's not good to take direct action while he's in official robes. It will affect our future work. Besides, it's not like we have to kill him to feel better. Let's investigate his family situation. Usually, the families of British officials like him are in the UK. Let's arrange for someone to kill his son and daughter."

"Well, Wei, find a rich guy and a gold digger, and get them to get close to McCormack and his wife, seduce them into bed, film it, and spread it around. Heh, then he won't have the face to stay in this position anymore. Without his official position, we can deal with him however we want."

Ah Jie slammed his fist on the table and burst into laughter, "The land administration director's wife has been leaked, I'm dying of laughter, it'll definitely sell like hotcakes!"

"Whether it's good or not, age doesn't matter, the main thing is this identity," Awei added with a smile.

After chatting for a while, the bespectacled guy steered the conversation back on track, "So what about this land approval thing?"

"So what? They can't use it without the land approval? This is Hong Kong land. How the hell do we Hong Kongers need foreigners' approval to use it? Damn it, we'll fence off the land tomorrow. We can install and set up whatever facilities we need and train right there. What can the Governor's Office do? Send troops to arrest us?" Wang Yaotang snorted. "I'm following the rules. It's not that I'm afraid of them, but I'm giving them face. If they don't take my face, then I'll ignore them."

"The company has over 1000 security guards and we're doing fine, so what's there to be afraid of? We can just rent a building nearby and use it just the same."

“Ah Jai, the triad had connections with the Walled City before. They brought a group of people out of the Walled City and built makeshift houses on the land. They just stayed there and let’s see what the Hong Kong government can do. It’s just making trouble, isn’t it? It’s really interesting.”

"Okay, I'll take care of it." The bespectacled guy slapped his thigh excitedly, how could he forget what his background was?

Not breaking the law is already giving the Hong Kong government face.

Aji nodded in agreement.

"Alright, let's leave it at that for now. We'll see how this goes with the Hong Kong government; they'll eventually have to back down," Wang Yaotang said with a smile. "How's things going at the Shek O mine?"

"It's almost settled. Xiong Demin and his group organized two more demonstrations, and there was even a strike at the mine. The matter has escalated to the Public Works Bureau, and they're preparing for a public auction, but..."

"But what?"

“However, things probably won’t go as planned.” The four-eyed man said with a wry smile, “The Lands Department is a department under the Public Works Department. You beat up their people, so it’s impossible for them to continue to provide us with private customization services. In addition, the previous donation incident has made the Hong Kong government hostile to us. I think it will be difficult to take over the Shek O and Lamma Island mines.”

Wang Yaotang wiped his mouth. "Damn it, it's all McCormack's fault, that big idiot. His head is full of shit. Kill him, and kill his whole family!"

What do you think will happen?

"Public auction."

“Public... I fucking hate public disclosure.” Wang Yaotang sighed.

Over the next two days, the police visited Wang Yaotang to learn about the situation inside the restaurant, but they only took notes and did not take him to the police headquarters.

Wang Yaotang didn't just wait around. Jiang Zhizhen arranged for someone to go to the hospital to oversee the release of the test report, which barely met the criteria for 'injury'. All that was left was the prosecution and the court hearing.

It's not like you're guilty just because someone says you are.

These days, you can skip the line to go to court because both parties involved are very powerful. The trial will start directly in four days. However, Wang Yaotang was too lazy to go and entrusted the entire process to Jiang Zhizhen. He himself went to Macau.

Standard Chartered's Macau branch is required to sign a security escort contract with its protector.

The investigation team from the London headquarters arrived. Ben Hutton took all the blame, and he had already been arrested by the police. Johnny argued that corruption within the security department of the Haojiang branch had seriously affected security and would be difficult to restore in the long term. In order to ensure the safety of funds, it was necessary to entrust a professional security company to be responsible for the branch's cash escort business as soon as possible.

The Umbrella Corporation's bulletproof escort vehicles have been running on the streets these days, and their red and white umbrella-shaped logo is very eye-catching, becoming a beautiful sight and creating a trend. Standard Chartered's process went smoothly and was completed quickly. Today is the day for the official signing.

To ensure fairness, impartiality, and transparency, a small press conference was held for the signing. The contracts had been reviewed beforehand, and the two parties completed the signing under the flashing lights of the reporters, shook hands, took photos, and then gave interviews.

Johnny spoke at length about Standard Chartered's efforts to build a safer and more professional cash-in-transit system to ensure the safety of bank funds. Wang Yaotang discussed the development and necessity of modern security systems, emphasizing that professional tasks should be handled by professionals. He also directly revealed the split-structure design of the cash-in-transit vehicle, highlighting the security of this design.

……

On the other side, in Wan Chai Court, Hong Kong Island.

The Department of Justice appointed a prosecutor as the public prosecutor, McCormack as a witness in the proceedings, and the defendant only had a sign indicating that Chiang Chih-chen was representing them in all aspects.

Aside from McCormack's personal testimony, the prosecutor only had Wang Yaotang's fingerprints on a wine bottle as evidence. Ultimately, the court found him not guilty due to the incomplete chain of evidence.

Everyone actually knew this before the trial even started.

The trial ended, and McCormack emerged from the courtroom with a somber expression. It wasn't a glorious event, so it was kept private, and no reporters were waiting outside. McCormack stood on the steps waiting, while his driver prepared to get the car.

Just then, a person wearing a mask, a white T-shirt, and jeans suddenly rushed up the steps, pulled a butcher knife from his pocket, and stabbed McCormack directly at him in horror.

"puff!"

"puff!"

"puff!"

After stabbing him a few times, he turned around, got on his motorcycle, and drove off.

"Killed!"

"Mr. McCormack!"

"Call the police, call the police!"

"Call an ambulance..." (End of Chapter)