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

If Wang Yaotang could get the information, those who maintained good relations with the Hong Kong British government could naturally do so as well, and even earlier.

At 9 p.m., the doorbell rang at Xiong Demin's house.

"What do you want?" Xiong Demin glanced at the man in a suit and tie outside the iron gate.

"Hello, Manager Xiong," the man said with a smile.

Xiong Demin squinted and glanced at him under the dim streetlights, then suddenly remembered and his heart skipped a beat, "You're Tong Jianbo from Jia Hua Building Materials?"

The owner of Jiahua Building Materials is Lü Zhihe, and they are both in the stone business. Xiong Demin and Tong Jianbo have had some dealings.

"Haha, it seems Manager Xiong still remembers me. Won't you invite me in for a seat?" Tong Jianbo said with a smile.

"Excuse me, come on in." Xiong Demin opened the door with a smile.

After taking their seats in the villa's living room, Xiong Demin personally brewed tea. Since this was the evening, it wasn't the time for small talk, so Tong Jianbo took a sip and went straight to the point: "The Shek O mine is going to be put up for public auction. I wonder what Manager Xiong's plans are?"

"What plans could I possibly have? I'll just retire. I bear a lot of responsibility for the company's poor management. I'll wait for the auction to conclude before handing over the reins to the new owner," Xiong Demin said softly, head bowed.

He knew perfectly well what Lü Zhihe was planning, but he was already in Wang Yaotang's shoes. However, he had to keep this a secret from the outside world, so he could only deal with it for now.

"Haha, others may not know Manager Xiong's abilities, but everyone in our industry knows them. That's too modest. I think Manager Xiong has probably guessed why I'm here. Mr. Lü hopes that Manager Xiong will stand on his side in this bidding process. Manager Xiong can name any conditions." Tong Jianbo said in a deep voice.

"This bidding process was overseen by the Public Works Bureau and reviewed by the Department of Justice. What right do I, a mine manager, have to speak on this?" Xiong Demin waved his hand.

“We’re all in the industry, Manager Xiong, you’re being too polite. Shek O Mine is a huge place with thousands of workers and thousands of related jobs. It’s the pillar industry of Shek O. It’s not like you can just sign a contract and be done with it. What’s the use of winning the auction if you, the general manager, don’t give your approval? The Hong Kong government can’t just watch things get chaotic, can it?” Tong Jianbo said with a smile.

This is why Wang Yaotang wanted to win over Xiong Demin first. Reality is not a game; it's not something that can be completed with a few clicks. If a mass incident occurs, all signatures will be invalidated.

"I will definitely cooperate with the Hong Kong government, Manager Tong doesn't need to worry about that." Xiong Demin waved his hand with a smile.

Tong Jianbo smiled. The several protests at the Shek O quarry were all well-organized and clearly organized. No one would believe that Xiong Demin wasn't behind them. "After Mr. Lü acquires the Shek O and Lamma Island quarries, he can unify the Hong Kong stone market. Mr. Lü will definitely not let this opportunity slip by. Although I don't know what conditions the other companies offered Manager Xiong, Manager Xiong has been working in the stone market for a long time. In this industry, Mr. Lü's words carry the most weight."

“I understand…” Xiong Demin nodded solemnly. “How about I consider it?”

"Alright, then I won't disturb Manager Xiong's rest any longer. Please accept this small gift." Tong Jianbo took out a brocade box, opened it, and handed it over. It contained a Rolex GMT Master ref. 16758, 18K gold, priced at over 15 yuan.

Xiong Demin declined for a while, but finally accepted it.

……

the next day.

"Brother Yao, this is the watch that Lü Zhihe sent yesterday." Xiong Demin secretly ran to Youlian Building to see Wang Yaotang and told him everything about Tong Jianbo trying to bribe him last night.

“He not only came to see me, but also to see Yi Deqiu, Tan Dejiang and a few others, and sent them all gifts. However, since it was inconvenient for everyone to come, I came on their behalf.”

"Brother Yao, what do you think... how should we handle this?"

Wang Yaotang picked up the gold Rolex, looked at it, tried it on, and asked without looking up, "What are you thinking?"

"I'll definitely listen to Yao-ge."

“My donations to the mainland offended the Hong Kong British government, and I also assaulted the head of the Lands Department. Now the Public Works Department is very hostile to me. This time, all the prominent people involved in the public auction of real estate are more famous than me, so it will be very difficult for me to obtain the operating rights.”

“How could that be?” Xiong Demin shook his head and said, “I’ve been in contact with the Public Works Bureau. Most of the Chinese officials support you on this matter. McCormack deserves to die. He has a terrible reputation. Actually, the public auction isn’t that public. Most of the work is done in private. The final auction is just a formality. Brother Yao will definitely win.”

"Besides, Brother Yao also has mines in mainland China, so he will definitely have a place in the Hong Kong stone market. We are all firmly support Brother Yao."

"Heh, you guys seem pretty confident." Wang Yaotang shook his head with a smile, took off the gold Rolex and put it back in the box. "Alright, take it back. If they're willing to give you a gift, then accept it. Cooperate as you see fit."

"This won't do, we can't take it, Brother Yao, please accept it." Xiong Demin repeatedly declined.

“It’s just a matter of reciprocity. Do your jobs well, and some extra income is fine. I’m not that heartless.” Wang Yaotang waved his hand. “Alright, go back and put their minds at ease. I’ll handle Lü Zhihe and the other companies. I have no intention of sending you to kill Tang Sanzang and his disciples.”

Xiong Demin didn't understand the joke, but he got the gist of it. He felt relieved and smiled as he got up to say goodbye.

As soon as the others left, Awei said, "We haven't even gone to cause trouble for Lü Zhihe yet, and he's already made his move. What are we going to do?"

“Of course, outsiders don’t know that Xiong Demin and his men are my people,” Wang Yaotang said with a smile. “But this does give us an excuse to take action, which is not bad.”

"Ah Xiang, how's the freight company you set up going?"

"Things went fairly smoothly. We've acquired most of the 30-plus trucks from the soda factory. I didn't have Gao Lishi pressure a few stubborn ones. Now we're consolidating our trucks used for transporting vegetables between the two regions. Once everything is consolidated, we'll have 68 trucks of various types." The bespectacled man pushed up his glasses. "Why are you asking about this?"

How much did it cost?

"Because they were all second-hand, it cost around 1000 million."

"I remember the Shek O mine has both trucks and boats for transportation, right?"

"Yes, half and half. Lamma Island mainly relies on boats for transportation, but after unloading at the port, goods also need to be transferred to vehicles."

Are these vehicles privately owned or operated by a company?

"You have them all, are you planning to take them all?"

"Yes, what do you think about setting up a large transportation company, scientifically allocating resources, and improving efficiency?"

“I don’t think it’s very good.” The four-eyed guy shook his head. “Every construction company has long-term partners. Many people simply buy new cars, hire people to do the work, and then sell the used cars after the project is completed. It’s a sure thing. If this market were that easy to do, someone would have already consolidated it.”

“Low technical content, closed market, stable profits—don’t you recognize these characteristics of the industry?” Wang Yaotang raised an eyebrow.

"Haha, this does look familiar." Awei laughed and put his arm around the four-eyed guy's shoulder. "Isn't this our comfort zone? Looks like we haven't had any forces to consolidate before."

“It’s probably because everyone has a stake in something that makes it impossible to unify. We’ve done vegetable transportation before, and we also have trucks and boats for soft drink factories.” The four-eyed guy thought for a moment. “In addition, there are also barriers to entry. If there are too many people, the way things are done in the underworld becomes impossible to manage. Everyone is thinking about making money for themselves, so it’s impossible to integrate.”

"That's why I said it's a perfect fit for us. You contact Xiong Demin and take over the transport fleet in Shek O first to cut off the transportation channels. You can offer a slightly higher price than the market price and have Xiong Demin and his team help persuade them..."

……

"Brother Shengyiwei, it's a pleasure to meet you." Chu Guohua was very short, with an oval head and small eyes. A scar on his cheek caused him to only smile on one side, making him look like a crooked-mouthed dragon king. He didn't look like someone you could talk to.

Shek O is poor and isolated. Even those who run transport here have to pay Chu Kwok-wah a route fee, otherwise their vehicles and boats can't get out.

"You're too kind, Brother Guohua." Awei reached out and shook hands with the other man.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Ah Wei, too lazy to mince words, went straight to the point: "Brother Guohua, the Shek O mine is going to be auctioned off, and our Sheng Yi is preparing to take it over."

"Wow, as expected of the Little God of Wealth! Master Yao is so generous! From now on, I'll have to rely on Master Yao to make a living!" Chu Guohua said exaggeratedly.

"The competition is fierce. More than a dozen big families in Hong Kong who are involved in real estate have entered the fray. Competition is all about working behind the scenes. What Yao Ye wants to do is to first establish a foothold in the transportation sector to cut off the other companies' supply chains. That's why he approached Guo Hua Ge."

Chu Guohua frowned, licked his lips, and said, "No problem. We're all from the martial arts world, so of course I'll support Master Yao."

Awei chuckled and twirled his teacup. "What I mean is, we're acquiring the company owned by Brother Guohua. Even Brother Guohua can't bear to part with it."

Chu Guohua swept all the teacups off the table with a wave of his hand, and stood up abruptly amidst the crashing noise. Pointing at Awei, he shouted, "What the hell do you mean? Shengyi, are you trying to ruin my livelihood?!"

"Why are you so excited?" Awei said with a smile, "For Guohua's sake, I'll add 2% above the market price, how about that?"

"Go to hell! This is Shek O, my territory, Chu Kwok Wah's territory! Believe me or not, I'll make sure you can't leave here!" Chu Kwok Wah shouted, and more than 30 young men stood up behind him, waving machetes and yelling along.

In some remote rural areas of Hong Kong, there are local forces. Although they are not numerous, their local influence is very strong, and even the Big Four (the Hong Kong authorities) can't do much about them.

The nine security guards behind Awei remained silent, only watching him with sharp eyes.

"What are you doing, Brother Guohua? Are you threatening me with a knife?" Awei asked with a smile.

After staring at Ah Wei for a long time, Chu Guohua took a few deep breaths and waved his hand to silence his men. "It's you Sheng Yi who are trying to bully the weak. I'm warning you, this isn't Yau Tsim Mong. We Shek O people are not to be trifled with."

"Business is business, we can discuss it. How about 3%?"

"No way!" "4%! I'm being very sincere."

"I fucking said no, don't you understand?!"

“The Shek O mine involves the pricing power of the entire Hong Kong stone market. The profits here are in the hundreds of millions. It’s not that I look down on you, but you can’t withstand getting involved in this storm. Why don’t you take the money, withdraw, and find other ways to make money?” Ah Wei advised again.

"Don't try to scare me. We Shek O people have been mining for decades. No one can do without us."

Awei sighed, raised his hand and waved. The security guard behind him reached to his waist, quickly drew his gun from its holster, flicked the safety with his thumb as he drew the gun, and then quickly swung the slide with his left hand to support his right hand...

Chu Guohua never expected that the man who had been all smiles just moments before would suddenly pull out a gun, his face filled with terror. He tried to get up and run, but before he could even stand halfway up, "Bang!" "Bang!" "Bang!"

Three spurts of blood erupted from his chest, and all his strength was instantly drained from his body. Chu Guohua slumped back into his chair, pointed at Awei, and tried to say something in pain, but bloody foam gushed from his mouth.

"Big brother!"

"Brother~"

The 30-odd henchmen who had just sat down all jumped up from their chairs. Their brains couldn't keep up with their bodies, and they instinctively drew their knives and charged forward.

"Kala——"

The other eight men simultaneously pulled out their large black star guns and pointed them at the target, shouting, "Don't move!"

"Put down the knife, or I'll kill you if you move!"

"Hurry up, put it down right now!"

Amidst the stern shouts, the group of henchmen seemed to be put on pause, frozen in place.

"Put down your gun, I'm talking to you!" A security guard went up and kicked him.

A kick landed squarely on his stomach, and the henchman seemed to have been struck hard. He clutched his stomach and bent over, the knife clattering to the ground.

Someone took the lead, and the others slowly followed suit, dropping their knives.

“Why bother?” Awei shook his head and stood up. “I’ve told you you can’t handle this kind of situation. I advised you but you wouldn’t listen. You could have retired peacefully, but now you’ve lost your life and are causing me trouble.”

"Let's go." Awei strode out, two security guards rushed out to clear the way, five men protected him from behind, and the last two men picked up the spent cartridges on the ground, lifted Chu Guohua's body, and followed.

He shot and killed someone in front of so many people just to spread the news so that he could do things later.

As for murder... without a body, how can you prove that murder occurred!

As for disposing of the body, the Wang brothers had a lot of experience in this area. At first, they used rectangular iron cages to ensure that the body would not float after sinking into the sea. However, the iron cages were troublesome to weld, difficult to transport, and took up a lot of space. After the body was highly decomposed, the broken bones would float out from the gaps.

Later, Wang Yaotang specially developed a stainless steel wire folding cage, which could be laid in the cabin on ordinary days. It had the characteristics of easy assembly, small mesh, and easy portability, making it an essential tool for murder and robbery at home or on the go.

The news of Chu Kwok-wah's death spread throughout Shek O that very day. He was touted as a local power, backed by the local community, but in reality, he was just a tool for a small group of bandits and tyrants to amass wealth. His relatives and friends, whose interests were intertwined with his, hated Sing-yee to the core, but as for revenge…

Chu Guohua is dead, how could they, with their families to support, dare to do it!

For the people of Shek O, the vast majority are happy.

At least the transport workers were happy, finally they didn't have to pay that bastard Chu Guohua every time. But this happiness only lasted for a day. Through the introduction of the people from Shek O Company, Awei brought people to them.

There's no limit to how fast things can get; the newcomers are far more ruthless than Chu Guohua. They directly want to buy their cars, and although the price they offer is indeed high, 20% higher than the market price, working for yourself and working for someone else are completely different things.

In just three days, Awei completed the acquisition of 80% of the transport vehicles, and stubbornly abandoned the remaining 20%.

8% is enough to guarantee daily transportation; if you don't want to sell, then don't do it.

……

"Master Wu."

Wu Zicang had just gotten out of the car when he turned his head to look in the direction from which the sound came. A young man in a tailored suit walked over.

"Are you looking for me?"

"Let me introduce myself. My name is Xuan Jiang, but you can just call me A-Jiang, Master Wu." The young man smiled and extended his hand. "Shall we talk at Master Wu's house or in the car?"

Wu Zicang frowned. He didn't recognize this person and of course couldn't bring him home, so he opened the car door again and said, "Let's talk in the car."

“I am a lawyer, and I have been entrusted by Yaoming Building Materials Company to discuss a business deal with Master Wu. We are willing to pay double the price for three days of Master Wu’s time. Master Wu doesn’t need to do anything during these three days; he just needs to stay at home. Of course, I think Master Wu has a way to handle how to get this matter through the company.” Xuan Jiang got straight to the point.

"Deadly Building Materials?" Wu Zicang was taken aback. The company's name sounded strange, and what it did was even stranger. What did it mean to buy three days' worth of his business?

"Someone is offering double the price to let you stay home and rest. How wonderful! I could never dream of such a good thing."

"What exactly do you want?" Wu Zicang was over 40 years old, not a young lad, and he didn't believe in free lunches.

“The Hong Kong British government is going to auction off the Shek O mine. The competition is fierce. Yiu Ming Building Materials is currently battling with Boss Lui. You know better than I what kind of people are in this business.” Xuan Jiang didn’t hide anything.

"That's a matter for big shots like you, it has nothing to do with me, don't come after me." Wu Zicang hurriedly waved his hand.

“A speck of dust in the era can become a mountain that crushes an individual. Some things are beyond one’s control. I have to support my family, and I have to work so late. You’re already this age and have seen a lot of ups and downs. You shouldn’t say things like ‘it’s none of your business,’ right?”

"You're threatening me!" Wu Zicang hissed in a low voice, his chest heaving.

"How many people would threaten me with double pay for a day off?"

"You...you...is this about money? How am I supposed to explain this to Boss Lü?" Wu Zicang gritted his teeth in anger.

"Wow, you've got that backwards. He's the boss, and he's competing with others to earn more money. Now that it's affecting you, he should be the one to give you an explanation and send someone to pick you up from get off work every day."

Many things are said completely differently when they come out of a lawyer's mouth. Xuan Jiang patted Wu Zicang's thigh and said, "Master Wu, why should you, an employee, worry about the boss? Besides, the law does not punish the masses. It's not like you're the only one who doesn't go to work."

"What do you mean? You hired other people too?"

“All the senior technical personnel,” Xuan Jiang said with a smile.

Wu Zicang gasped. If not all of them, but half of the workers didn't go to work, the mine would have to shut down. This wasn't just about losing a day's earnings.

"I'll think about it." Wu Zicang still didn't want to offend Boss Lü.

"Of course, everything is based on legality, and there is absolutely no threat to anyone's personal safety."

"you--"

……

At first, Gu Yuanbin, the general manager of Jia Hua Building Materials, didn't take the two leave requests seriously. But soon, one leave request after another came in, with seventeen or eighteen people requesting leave. They were all senior technical managers on the front line. Without these people, the mine simply couldn't start operating.

If construction starts without these people's signatures, who will be responsible if something goes wrong?

Gu Yuanbin would definitely not approve of this situation. He tried to dissuade and threaten, but there was nothing he could do if the other party hung up on him directly. He could only call back to ask what had happened. He couldn't just not know anything when his boss asked.

“Yaoming Building Materials?” Lu Zhihe frowned. “What kind of company is that? Have you heard of it?”

"No, at first I thought it was some kind of deadly building material, but after repeatedly confirming it I found out it was Yaoming."

"Oh no, Yaoming, oh no..." Lu Zhihe's heart skipped a beat as he suddenly remembered a piece of news he had heard before but hadn't paid attention to.

Shek O Chuk Kwok Wah was shot and killed by Sheng Yi's men.

Lu Zhihe also came from the underworld. Although he cleaned up his ways and left the underworld after making his fortune and started to move towards a business family, his main business was building materials and mining. How could he completely break away from it? He still knew some news in the underworld. Among the newly promoted four, the most popular in the underworld was Wang Yaotang, the Little God of Wealth of Shengyi.

Could this deadly building material be Wang Yaotang's? (End of Chapter)