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

Hong Kong's anti-corruption and anti-commercial bribery investigation methods are mainly focused on Hong Kong itself, using bank transfer records, real estate transactions, stock transactions, auction channels, etc. However, once such transactions take place in other countries, Hong Kong has little recourse.

This was one of the reasons why Swiss banks were so highly praised back then.

To reassure Thomas and to motivate them, Wang Yaotang put down his glass and said with a smile, "You might not have a good grasp of what I meant by having many ways to monetize. Here are some tips you can refer to."

"Firstly, through banks, I can utilize the global network of Chinese underground forces to circulate funds in banks around the world, such as in Europe, Switzerland, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain, bit by bit, making it impossible to trace."

"If you are not comfortable with the bank or it is inconvenient for you, you can use other business methods. For example, you can arrange for people to register some companies in Siam, Myanmar, and Singapore. You can do any kind of business, such as mining, real estate, tourism, telecommunications, entertainment, freight, or oil. I have companies to transfer profits. It's just that you will have to bear the tax issues yourself."

"I can also trade certain stocks in Siam, Singapore, and Malaysia, but of course, the losses are relatively large."

“If you need cash, that’s even more convenient. US dollars, pounds, or francs, take your pick. I have plenty of old banknotes on hand, and you don’t need to pay in Hong Kong.”

“You must have heard that I helped Camel purchase logs. I can also mobilize a lot of funds in Camel. I can even get the local officials to cooperate with you so that you can launder your money.”

"I can even give you large amounts of gold and jewelry, which are completely undocumented and untraceable."

These words made Thomas and the others' expressions gradually brighten, and their gazes toward Wang Yaotang became increasingly obsequious.

What prevents them from seeking personal gain is not professional ethics, but the fight against corruption...

Once they break through this blockade, they are capable of anything.

“Dear Mr. Wang,” Thomas smiled broadly, his fur becoming smooth and supple, radiating an ingratiating aura, “I’d like to clear some of the stuff I have on hand, I wonder…”

Wang Yaotang laughed heartily, “Don’t rush, my friend. We should focus on the task at hand first. With the bank in hand, many things will be much easier to manage.”

"Understood, understood." Thomas nodded emphatically, picking up the wine bottle beside him. "I don't know how to express my gratitude, so I'll show you one."

After saying that, he shook the wine bottle and began to gulp it down.

Wang Yaotang raised his hand and clapped lightly. That's it, nothing is difficult if you have the means…

……

Wang Yaotang didn't know how Thomas and his group operated behind the scenes, nor did he need to know. These greedy guys had their own ways and channels of communication.

With these inside collaborators, the so-called Hong Kong British government's assets depreciated at an unimaginably rapid pace.

Two weeks later, Li Menghui reported the acquisition progress to Wang Yaotang and said with great emotion, "These people are really ruthless!"

"How so?" Wang Yaotang asked with interest, as he was quite curious about how this kind of 'power' was being monetized.

Take precautions before they happen.

“Several loan projects recently initiated by the overseas trust bank have encountered major changes and turned into bad debts, which has had a huge impact on their asset valuation, resulting in a significant reduction in the valuation price,” Li Menghui explained. “But they told me that the bad debts were actually caused by human intervention. The other side cooperated and withdrew a lot of funds, which they then divided among themselves.”

"Bad debts? The overseas trust bank's assets have suffered losses? What I want is to lower the price, not to let the assets be lost!" Wang Yaotang frowned.

"They are not really bad debts. The so-called bad debts are temporary. For example, the real estate loans held by overseas trust banks were affected by the real estate market downturn after 85, and their value plummeted, resulting in bad debts. However, after the real estate market recovered, these bad debts became good assets again."

“They wouldn’t dare lie to us about this unless they’re tired of living,” Li Menghui said with great certainty.

It's not that I believe in these people's professional ethics—they have no professional ethics whatsoever—it's that I believe in Wang Yaotang's intimidating power.

Violence is far more effective than the law in dealing with these bastards and scumbags.

Wang Yaotang pondered for a moment, "We can't trust their abilities too much. There are too many links involved, and the possibility of accidents is greater. If an insignificant little person has a problem, it could cause the entire line to collapse. You should warn them that I'm paying them to create value for me, not to let them take the opportunity to make money."

"Tell them not to test my patience. Anyone who fucking makes me unhappy, I'll make sure their whole family never has a chance to be happy again!"

Wang Yaotang's voice wasn't loud, but Li Menghui shivered and broke out in a cold sweat.

“I understand, I’ll go warn them immediately.”

"Hmm." Wang Yaotang nodded but didn't let Li Menghui leave. Instead, he tossed him a document.

Li Menghui glanced through them and found that they were all purchasing companies from the Phuket defense exhibition, each with its own background information: Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, Guatemala... a whole host of resistance organizations.

Anyone who didn't know better would think Wang Yaotang had dedicated himself to the global cause of national independence...

None of them were honest businessmen; just looking at them made you feel like you were about to get shot in the head.

“These people have limited payment channels, and I hope that overseas trusts can open up a channel for financial exchange for them, so as to contribute to the struggle for the rights and interests of all ethnic groups,” Wang Yaotang said with a smile.

"When poor, one should cultivate one's own virtue; when successful, one should benefit all under heaven. Boss, you do not seek fame or fortune, but give silently. You have great love," Li Menghui said with admiration.

"You're so good with words." Wang Yaotang laughed heartily.

Having a high level of education makes all the difference; he's much better than that rough guy Luo Haifeng.

“The first step is to open bank branches in various countries. My suggestion is to do so through acquisitions, preferably by local people. The acquired banks should not have any equity ties with overseas trusts; it should be a purely commercial relationship involving fund transfers, like our relationship with HSBC. After all, the political situation in these countries is not stable. Boss, you have already put in a lot of effort. You need to consider your own safety. Only when you are strong can you help more people,” Li Menghui said earnestly.

Wang Yaotang chuckled and pointed at Li Menghui, saying, "Not only are you capable, but you also have such a sweet tongue. If you don't improve, who will?"

The idea is good; it involves completely unrelated local banks, so even if these armed groups collapse, it won't affect them.

They're professionals, after all; their thinking is more comprehensive than mine.

Seeing Wang Yaotang's delight, Li Menghui continued with a bright smile: "These clients are located in relatively scattered countries. If they are acquired in various countries, the management will be chaotic and the management costs will be high. My suggestion is to have these banks go bankrupt on a scheduled basis later, and then acquire each other."

“Every acquisition allows for the legal and legitimate change of shareholder information. In addition, since it is a cross-border acquisition, the equity information will become very messy in the end. The bankruptcy acquisition accounts will also be updated every time, making it easier to get rid of some transaction information. After all, we can't distinguish which dollar is good and which dollar is evil.”

"If we can integrate these banks in Central and South America over five to eight years, they may become influential multinational banks in the region in the future."

Wang Yaotang nodded. "That's good, but who will run the bank? We don't have anyone on hand."

"That's why I suggested acquiring the local bank. Boss, what you want is to give them a channel for capital flow, so keep the original bank's core team intact. We don't need to manage it. Of course, it's better if the original team does well. If they have bad intentions, we can deliberately set them up and send them all to jail. Then the responsibility will be theirs. After bankruptcy acquisition and restructuring, we can start clean. I think it's impossible for everyone to become a criminal. You can also find some useful things in the garbage."

Wang Yaotang nodded repeatedly, thinking, "No wonder he's in finance; he's completely untouched by corruption."

“Besides providing a layer of insurance through the banking sector, we can also offer some guidance to our clients.” As he spoke, Li Menghui glanced at Wang Yaotang, and seeing his boss nod, he continued, “Their way of doing things is too crude. Of course, I understand that their own environment is relatively poor, and there aren’t many literate people. We can provide some support in this regard.”

"I believe there are Chinese businessmen in every corner of the world. We are the most pioneering people in the world, and they will seize any opportunity they have."

"Boss, all you need to do is connect them and be their strong support. The rest can be handled by the local Chinese businessmen themselves. They will do their best for their own benefit."

"It's actually quite simple. Help these rebels register companies, and then embellish the goods they purchase appropriately. For example, firearms can be modified into mechanical ones. This way, they can have normal cash flow. Customs in those places... no one really checks them carefully."

"With the help of Chinese businessmen, we can also help them monetize their resources. After all, Chinese businessmen are all over the world, which is much better than them directly collecting protection money... or taxes. That's too crude."

Wang Yaotang tilted his head, and a word suddenly popped into his mind: "comprador!"

Li Menghui's lips twitched, and he coughed lightly to correct him: "When our own people serve foreign powers, they are called compradors, but we are all Chinese, so we should be called foreign merchants."

"Yes, yes, foreign merchants, hahaha." Wang Yaotang laughed loudly. This matter was simple to carry out. Luo Haifeng had contacted local Chinese merchants before in order to find out information over there. After the first transaction was successfully completed and the two sides had established initial mutual trust, they could send people over.

You can screen them from local Chinese businessmen who do foreign trade or have connections with armed forces. Chinese businessmen who dare to do business in such places are not small-minded.

Of course, being bold and flexible with one's bottom line might lead to doing things that harm Wang Yaotang's interests over time, but that's alright.

This will let them know that while they can escape the pursuit of local governments or armed forces by fleeing abroad, they can never escape Wang Yaotang's pursuit.

Moreover, the more chaotic the region, the more influence Wang Yaotang had!
With the plan in place, Wang Yaotang no longer needed to worry about the specific implementation. He could handle it while modifying their aircraft, or better yet, spread the word and let the local Chinese businessmen come to him.

For the past two months, Luo Haifeng has been handling shipping matters. Placing an order is easy, but getting the goods delivered is more difficult.

The first time you do this, there will be a lot of difficulties, but things often push people to their limits.

"Boss, I'm currently in Barranquilla, Colombia. I've run into some trouble here, and I'd like to request that a group of people from Umbrella Corporation be transferred here to handle some matters." Luo Haifeng made the transoceanic call directly.

"What happened?" Wang Yaotang asked softly.

“Poor mountains and bad waters breed wicked people!” Luo Haifeng exclaimed. “This is my first time doing business here. Getting things going will definitely cost money. I found a local Chinese businessman to act as an intermediary and contacted people at the dock, freight, customs, and police. I paid every penny that was due according to the rules, but these brainless bastards don’t follow the rules.”

"You didn't show them your background?" Wang Yaotang asked in a deep voice.

"It's all over. On one hand, I contacted them through an intermediary, and on the other hand, I told them your name. I even brought a lot of newspapers in case they didn't remember, but it was no use. The people here seem to be brainless. They don't think about whether they can afford to offend you. Maybe in their minds, you are Asian and have nothing to do with them in South America. So when we come here, we have to listen to them."

Luo Haifeng tried to understand afterward, and this was all he could think of: "In their eyes, the capital Bogotá has no impact on their port. This is their territory. They have no concept of doing background checks. They took it once and wanted it a second time. I didn't give it to them, so they detained the goods."

“It was the right thing to not give it to them, otherwise they would just think we are easy to bully. How is the goods now?” Wang Yaotang asked in a deep voice.

"It was detained at the port, but fortunately, my first shipment consisted of civilian goods, not firearms, so there were no legal issues."

"Perhaps that's the problem," Wang Yaotang said with a smile. "Their intelligence only kicks in when they see a gun."

"Alright, just wait, someone will contact you."

"Sorry boss."

"It's alright. Fame isn't something you can just build up; it takes blood to cleanse it." Wang Yaotang chuckled and hung up the phone.

Those bastards from Australia used to think they couldn't do anything to them, but now, they all behave themselves when they hear their own names.

……

Three days later, in Panama, Hai Dazhao and his 10 brothers got off the plane, stretched their arms and took a deep breath of the humid and stuffy air. It felt really different from Hong Kong; there was even a smell of leaves in the air.

After meeting and exchanging greetings with the Chinese businessmen who came to pick me up, I didn't stay long and boarded a pre-arranged boat heading straight to Barranquilla, 600 kilometers away in the Caribbean Sea.

Barranquilla, Colombia's second-largest port, requires crossing the Panama Canal to reach it from Hong Kong. In comparison, Buenaventura, Colombia's largest port located closer to the Pacific Ocean, is more economical. However, Barranquilla is Magdalena's outlet to the sea, and traveling south along the river leads to the FARC's controlled area, facilitating cargo transfers.

When Hai Dazhao and his group arrived in Barranquilla, they did not contact Luo Haifeng immediately. Instead, they disguised themselves as Chinese businessmen and checked into the largest hotel in the port. This was to prevent Luo Haifeng from being targeted. It is always good to be careful when traveling abroad.

After everything was settled, I called Luo Haifeng. Although the goods delivered were all civilian products, there was still a batch of weapons on the cargo ship. For safety reasons, I secretly took them off and hid them in a house I had rented beforehand. And now they came in handy.

Alongside the equipment was a thick stack of documents, all containing information on various factions in the port of Baranquya that Luo Haifeng had come into contact with. Except for a few circled, the rest were documents that Luo Haifeng considered problematic.

It's enough that you think there's a problem; you're not a judge, you don't need any evidence.

In the following days, Hai Dazhao and his group rented a car and drove around Barranquilla every day with a map, covering almost every navigable area. They circled the target's activity area seventeen or eighteen times, figuring out the area thoroughly.

Around 9 a.m., in the dock area, a Ford was parked on the side of the road, and through the window, you could see someone smoking inside the car.

"Target vehicle spotted, prepare to move." Hai Dazhi whispered from another Ford two hundred meters away.

"Get to work." Hai Dazhao threw away his cigarette butt, pulled up his mask, picked up the Type 56 pistol from his lap, opened the car door a crack, and waited quietly.

A dozen seconds later, the target vehicle appeared. Hai Dazhao calmly opened the car door, put one foot on the ground, put the five- or six-barreled rifle on his shoulder, and began to fire rapidly in short bursts at the side of the target vehicle.

"Da da"

"Da da"

"Da da"

At the same time, three Type 56 submachine guns sprayed bullets, and the target Chevrolet's body was instantly riddled with bullet holes. The front of the car veered to the side and crashed into a wall on the side of the road with a bang.

The sudden gunshots did not frighten the passersby. Perhaps they were used to it, as they immediately scattered to both sides and watched from a distance.

Hai Dazhao got out of the car, firing as he walked. When he got close, he emptied his magazine, opened the car door and looked inside. The two people inside had been shot in the head, their flesh mangled so badly that it was impossible to tell if they were the target. But it didn't matter.

Behind him, Hai Dacang took out colored spray from his waist and sprayed two large red characters on the ground: Shengyi!
The three then casually got into the car and drove away from the scene.

From the moment the shooting began to the moment they left, it took no more than two minutes. Bystanders could clearly see that the group acted with ease and composure.

On the other side, almost at the same time, at the entrance of the customs building.

The target vehicle was about to turn into the customs building when a Ford drove past. Hai Dabo tossed three grenades, bound together with duct tape, at the vehicle and yelled, "Run!"

The car suddenly accelerated, and a strong push came from behind. After the car shot forward more than 20 meters, there was a loud "boom" as it exploded behind us.

He slammed on the brakes, lurched violently, then pushed open the door and jumped out, gun tucked under his arm, and opened fire wildly on the car in front of the customs building!
After emptying the magazines, they casually sprayed the words "Victory" on the ground before getting into the car and disappearing down the highway.

In an affluent neighborhood, at the entrance of a villa.

Hai Huayu jumped out of the car, opened the trunk, took out the assembled 40mm gun, aimed at the villa dozens of meters away, and pulled the trigger.

"whoosh"

"boom!"

"Wow!" he shouted, handed the launcher to Haihua Ke next to him to reload, and picked up another 40mm rocket to aim and fire.

"whoosh"

"boom!"

Standing still, they launched four missiles in succession. Thick smoke billowed from the broken windows and breaches in the walls of the entire villa. They drove to the door, unscrewed the cap of a 2L gasoline can, stuffed a rag inside, lit it, and threw it in.

"boom!"

Fire shot into the sky.

After throwing in three small cans of gasoline, the group got into their car and left.

During the morning rush hour, there were three consecutive attacks, two of which were deliberately staged at the entrance of the office building. The "Shengyi" logo was left at both scenes, which is clearly not a simple murder case. This was a premeditated intimidation!
The two Chinese characters '胜义' indicate that the group that took action was Chinese, with a clear objective, which drew serious attention from the Barranquilla authorities. (End of Chapter)