Hong Kong Film Intelligence King

Chapter 322 Shen Daban Escaped
"Those three foreigners didn't cause any trouble, did they?" Yuan Haoyun, who came to take over the shift, asked Ma Jun.

Ma Jun stretched and said, "No, those three are carefree and sleep like pigs."

“Okay, leave it to us. You guys go to the bank to withdraw the money quickly,” Yuan Haoyun reminded them. “Don’t drive there.”

Ma Jun asked in astonishment, "Don't drive?"

“Yes,” Yuan Haoyun said with a wry smile, “Don’t drive, there’s a huge traffic jam right now with all the queues.”

Ma Jun was taken aback: "Queue up?"

Yuan Haoyun explained:

"I don't know who spread the news, but there were queues of more than a thousand meters in front of every HSBC bank."

"Our guys have all come out to maintain order."

"Making yourself uncomfortable while driving."

Ma Jun was horrified:

"More than a thousand meters? That's more than two streets away!"

Yuan Haoyun smiled wryly:

"More than that."

"You guys go quickly."

"I reckon we'll be spending the whole day there."

Ma Jun frowned and said:
"what about you?"

Yuan Haoyun shrugged:

"I've already asked my family to pick it up for me."

Did you call your family?

Ma Jun nodded:
"We called. How could we not call when such big news is happening?"

With a loophole of 350 million, who would dare to put their money in HSBC?
What if HSBC goes bankrupt if this happens again?
This is the Western world, where bank failures are very common.

Ma Jun waved:
"Then let's go first."

Yuan Haoyun instructed:

"We're here. Don't worry about anything else, just get the money first."

Ma Jun nodded solemnly.

After meeting up with Michael and the others from the same group, they were stunned as soon as they stepped outside—why the hell are there so many people?

There were so many people that the line almost stretched to the entrance of the police station.

Ma Jun was shocked:

"Have all the people from Hong Kong come out?"

Everyone looked at each other, feeling a bit awkward.

"How long do we have to wait for this?"

Michael frowned and said:
"and many more……"

"If we also have to wait in line, let alone whether we can get it, just waiting in line will take until the afternoon."

Ma Jun asked:

"so what should I do now?"

Michael thought for a moment and said:

"Go somewhere else."

Ma Jun shook his head:
"Are they all pretty much the same everywhere else?"

Michael smiled and said:

"As Brother Zhong said, you have to use your brain more to be a good cop."

"Kowloon and Hong Kong Island have a lot of people, but there are also places with relatively few."

Ma Jun's eyes lit up:

"The New Territories?"

Michael chuckled:

"No, let's go to the outlying islands!"

Ma Jun asked, puzzled:
"We have to go that far?"

Michael looked around and whispered:
"Are you crazy? Brother Zhong's business partner is Wang, the richest man in China."

Do you remember Wang's background?

"He's a江湖人 (jianghu person, a person from the martial arts world)."

"Will Wang, the richest man in China, know about HSBC's financial crisis?"

Ma Jun sighed:

"That goes without saying, doesn't it?"

Michael nodded:
"Yes, that goes without saying."

"What do you say……"

"Do you think those江湖人物 (jianghu figures) wouldn't know?"

He guessed it right!

Last night, Liang Kun called Jiang Tianyang, who in turn called a well-known underworld figure.

When those powerful figures in the underworld heard this, they thought, "This is outrageous!"

You should hurry up and withdraw the money from the bank.

All the money that can be deposited in the bank has been laundered at great cost. Losing one cent is equivalent to losing one and a half cents. Who can bear that?

A powerful figure in the underworld will definitely call his trusted confidant, who will then naturally call his trusted confidant's trusted confidant...

In other words, the current queue situation is perfectly normal.

Ma Jun adopted Michael's suggestion, and the group went out to sea to the outlying island.

Although the outlying islands have fewer people, they still have the necessary infrastructure, and HSBC naturally has savings branches there.

They didn't finish withdrawing the money until 11 a.m.

Ma Jun exclaimed that the situation was extremely dangerous:

"Luckily we arrived early. Who would believe that we emptied the island's cash reserves?"

Michael thought it was normal:

"The economy on the outlying islands isn't very developed, so having this much cash is quite a blessing!"

"Let's go, let's go back."

When these people returned by boat and car, they were shocked to find that the queue had not decreased but had actually grown longer.

People were everywhere, densely packed.

It meanders like a long dragon.

The queue even stretched all the way to the entrance of the police station.

Looking around, there are so many such long lines!
When Ma Jun and the others returned to the office, they were met with a constant stream of phone calls. Michael asked:

"Senior Sister, what's going on?"

Cheng Silin replied:
"I called the police."

HSBC is out of cash.

"Many people called the police."

"This is not our responsibility."

"It was no use calling them."

"Go help out and get some iced drinks from the cafeteria. Don't tire out our senior brothers and sisters."

Without saying a word, Ma Jun brought back a plastic bag full of tea drinks.

The poor operators kept nodding and thanking Ma Jun and the others, while talking nonstop.

Cheng Silin asked:

"Have you retrieved your money?"

Ma Jun smiled:
"It's out."

Cheng Silin exclaimed in surprise:
"You guys are pretty good."

"Your team is the only one in our police station who managed to retrieve it."

"Wait a minute, how come you guys are so fast?"

Ma Jun pointed at Mi Gao and said:

"This guy is smart; he told us to go to a remote place to collect the money."

"It can't be obtained from most places."

Cheng Silin nodded slowly:

"It makes sense!"

“Maybe I should call them and tell them to go to some remote place to withdraw the money.”

Ma Jun smiled wryly:
"There's no need to go to the outlying islands anymore; we've already retrieved all the cash there."

Cheng Silin's mouth dropped open:
"You went to collect it as a group, and then the cash was gone?"

Ma Jun shrugged:

"An outlying island!"

Cheng Silin sighed helplessly.

Suddenly someone shouted:

"Senior brother, someone has stormed the HSBC branch in Wutaishan."

Cheng Silin exclaimed in surprise:

"how is this possible?"

The man replied:

"HSBC didn't have enough cash, and their poor response angered customers, which has now escalated into a mass incident!"

Cheng Silin sighed, rubbing his forehead:

"Okay, okay..."

She turned her head and saw Michael and the others strolling around.

"Why don't you go and take a look at Mount Wutai?"

Michael and the others agreed and drove to Wutai Mountain. What should have been a five-minute drive took them half an hour.

There are so many people!

"Could it be that everyone in Hong Kong has come out?" someone asked with a grave expression.

Migo Tie remained silent, his face ashen.

Ma Jun smiled wryly:
"should be!"

"Although there are usually many people coming and going, I have never seen such a densely packed scene like ants before."

How crowded were the people on the street?

It was a dense mass of human heads.

There wasn't a single pedestrian on the road, only a long line of people slowly making their way forward.

It took them quite a while to advance one position.

People with trypophobia would scream in fright if they came.

Michael and his companions rushed to Mount Wutai, only to be stunned. They saw someone outside leading the way, shouting:
"You heartless bank, give me back my hard-earned money!"

The people in line responded loudly.
"Heartless bank, give me back my hard-earned money."

Ma Jun breathed a sigh of relief:

"Thankfully, nothing bad happened."

Michael couldn't help but punch Ma Jun:
"What are you so glad about?"

"Look over there."

Ma Jun turned his head to look, unconvinced:
"Isn't it just TVB Jade broadcasting live?"

“With them broadcasting live, these protesters won’t resort to violence.”

Michael cursed the muscle man under his breath:

Use your brain!

"This is a live broadcast; the current situation will be broadcast to every household."

"Other places will follow suit."

"We're in trouble!"

Ma Jun froze, looked up, and couldn't help but feel regret.

Right!

This is really troublesome.

"What should I do?"

Michael was very calm. His physical skills were no match for Ma Jun's, but when it came to using his brain, Ma Jun was no match for him.

"Call headquarters and have the HSBC representative come here to explain the situation."

Ma Jun said in astonishment:
Will Ms. Shen come out and explain the situation?

Michael said viciously:

"It doesn't matter if he doesn't want to come out, as long as he's not afraid of HSBC's branches being stormed, as long as he's not afraid of HSBC going bankrupt, then let them do whatever they want!"

Ma Jun gave a thumbs up:
"We'll do as you say."

Michael quickly called Chan Kwok-chung: "Brother Chung, the streets of Hong Kong are packed with people right now, and there are even protesters in Wutaishan. If a conflict breaks out and a stampede occurs, it will be a huge problem."

"TVB Jade is broadcasting live here. Could you ask the higher-ups to invite Ms. Shen and her associates out to make a statement and offer a solution?"

Chen Guozhong shook his head with a wry smile:
"No, we can't get in touch with Shen Daban, he's run away!"

Michael shouted:
"Shen Daban ran away?!"

"He was a taipan at HSBC, and he ran away?!"

Chen Guozhong comforted him:

"You just need to maintain order on the sidelines. If the protesters clash with the bank, don't help either side. Just stand there."

"Or, you can just come back."

Michael quickly said:
"Let's go back!"

After hanging up the phone, he waved and said:
"Let's go, let's go back quickly."

Ma Jun didn't quite understand at first:

"What if something happens here?"

Michael dragged him into the car, and only after they were inside did he say:
"If these two sides clash, who do you think will suffer the loss?"

Ma Jun replied without hesitation:
"The bank."

Michael nodded:
"That's okay!"

Ma Jun said in astonishment:
"What will do?"

Michael said in a deep voice:
"The bank deserves to cause such a scene."

"It's only right and proper to pay off debts."

"If the neighbors have money deposited in the bank, then they are the bank's creditors. What's wrong with them asking for their money back?"

“If we try to maintain order, we will naturally be on the opposite side of the protesters.”

“You should know that we also had to go all the way to the outlying islands to retrieve the money. Our interests are the same as the protesters’.”

“If we stand on the opposite side of the protesters, we will be cursed to death.”

"Even our family members will be cursed to death."

Ma Jun immediately broke out in a cold sweat.

Michael shook his head and said:

"As Brother Zhong said, you have to use your brain to be a cop."

Ma Jun nodded repeatedly:

"Thank goodness you reminded me, otherwise I would have made a big mistake!"

The group returned to the police station, where Chen Guozhong was already waiting for them.
"How's the situation?"

Ma Jun glanced at Mi Gao, who then reported:

"The situation is very bad."

“We saw long queues on streets with HSBC branches, filling the entire street.”

“The long queue started from the business hall and split to both sides, with the furthest queue stretching over a kilometer away.”

"When we came back, the long line was no less crowded."

"It feels like nobody's at work in Hong Kong today; everyone's out withdrawing money!"

"We need to persuade the neighbors to come back quickly."

Chen Guozhong asked:
"How to persuade?"

"Is it wrong for people to go to the bank to withdraw their money when their money is in the bank?"

"You don't support the victims, yet you harm them?"

Michael was extremely aggrieved:

"Brother Zhong, how can I side with the foreigners?"

"What I'm afraid of is a stampede."

Chen Guozhong shook his head:

"Don't worry, it won't happen!"

Michael paused for a moment, then nodded silently.

Chen Guozhong dared to say that, so he must have taken action behind the scenes.

Ma Jun said angrily:

"What about the HSBC executives?"

"After something like this, why aren't they coming out?"

Chen Guozhong shrugged:

"Shen Daban has escaped!"

Ma Jun's mouth dropped open:
"They really escaped?"

Chen Guozhong sighed:
“People in Hong Kong are not blind, and neither is the Governor’s Mansion.”

"They discovered that many civil servants were not coming to work, and realized the seriousness of the problem."

"Around noon, they contacted the bank, only to be told by HSBC that Shen Daban had absconded!"

Michael immediately asked:

"noon?"

Chen Guozhong mocked:

"Yes, noon!"

"They only questioned the bank not long after you returned."

Michael found it quite absurd:

"So bureaucratic?"

Chen Guozhong shook his head:

"They're not necessarily bureaucrats."

Michael was taken aback again:
"what?"

Chen Guozhong said calmly:

"Perhaps it was intentional."

Everyone's expressions changed.

Just then, someone came looking for Chen Guozhong:
"Inspector Chan, we are from the Security Bureau, and we are here to investigate the case of Commissioner William and others."

Chen Guozhong smiled and said:

"I received a call."

"Ma Jun, take this colleague to see Yuan Haoyun. Remember to hand over all the files to them and get a receipt."

The security bureau colleagues thanked Chen Guozhong, and in less than five minutes, the procedures were completed, and they took William and the other two away with their men.

Yuan Haoyun asked:
"Brother Zhong, this case is ours, and they just let the Security Bureau take it away like that?"

Chen Guozhong smiled and said:
"The Security Bureau wants people, and even the Governor couldn't refuse. How can you and I refuse?"

He changed the subject and said in a low voice,
“This case is a hot potato. Shen Daban has already escaped, and it’s hard to say what will happen next.”

Yuan Haoyun was taken aback:
"what do you mean?"

Chen Guozhong said calmly:

"According to Shen Daban's account, 350 million of the money of these three commissioners was stolen by some criminals."

"But judging from the way William and the other two looked, it was clear they weren't going to confess."

"I have a feeling that I'm afraid I won't be able to get this money back."

"These three will probably not have a good ending."

Yuan Haoyun was startled again.

"Someone has to take the blame."

"We see Shen Daban's escape as a regret, but others would be relieved."

"There's someone to take the blame now."

"Those three..."

"You don't want him to get into trouble at our police station, do you?"

Chen Guozhong made the following judgment in a cold and detached manner.

Yuan Haoyun and the others stared wide-eyed at Chen Guozhong in disbelief.

Ma Jun belatedly realized:
"No wonder Brother Zhong told us to keep an eye on William and the other two; he was really afraid they would commit suicide."

Chen Guozhong gave him a disgruntled look:
"What do I care if they commit suicide? What does it matter to me whether they commit suicide or not?"

"What I fear is that they will commit suicide!"

"You guys, use your brains."

After saying that, he waved his hand and went back to his office.

Chen Guozhong had just arrived at the office when Ximen called:
"Chen, are William and the other two still at your police station?"

Chen Guozhong said regretfully:

“They were just taken away by the security bureau. You should be prepared. I have a feeling these three won’t survive.”

"Perhaps soon, news of suicides will come."

Ximen gritted his teeth and said:
"suicide?"

"It was suicide, wasn't it?"

"However, this is too lenient on them."

Is there any news about Shen Daban?

Chen Guozhong sighed:
"I received news at noon that Shen Daban had escaped."

"Then, the Security Bureau called me and said the case had been upgraded and was being handed over to the Security Bureau."

"But Simon, didn't I tell James to tell you that you didn't take appropriate action?"

Simon remained silent for a long while before speaking:

“You’re right, James told me yesterday that Shen Daban would run away…”

"But I think, he's a taipan at HSBC, he wouldn't leave in such a sorry state, would he?"

Chen Guozhong exclaimed in surprise:

"What did you say?"

"You don't trust my judgment?"

Ximen said embarrassedly:

"It's not that I don't believe you, but I think the Governor wouldn't let Shen Daban escape."

"No matter what, the Governor will support Shen Daban."

Chen Guozhong said expressionlessly:

"I heard that HSBC's stock price dropped by 80% today?"

Simon shrugged:

"of course."

"Any big players in Hong Kong with good inside information dumped HSBC's stock price as soon as the market opened today."

"The stock price plummeted."

"Wang Sheng, in particular, placed an enormous number of short orders at the bottom."

"HSBC's market value has evaporated by two-thirds."

"Furthermore, with the news of a bank run, HSBC's share price could only go lower."

Chen Guozhong interrupted him:
"HSBC has become like this, and you still believe that the Dude can support him?"

"You still believe that Shen Daban won't run away?"

Ximen smiled wryly:
"HSBC should have money in its accounts, but it's just short of cash. If they can get a short-term loan, they'll recover."

Chen Guozhong sneered:

"In the short term, I would say at least six months, HSBC's storage business will not be able to return to normal."

Does HSBC still have money?

Will they be able to recover their various loans?

Can HSBC survive?

"Even someone like me, who is completely unfamiliar with finance, knows that this kind of thing is very difficult."

"You actually made such a judgment?"

“Simon, no wonder Boss Shen is causing you trouble behind your back.”

"You are too kind-hearted."

Ximen was speechless. Chen Guozhong actually described me as too kind?!

He suddenly realized that Chen Guozhong wasn't talking about his character at all, but rather pointing out his weakness.

Chen Guozhong said calmly:

“Simon, it is you whom Shen Daban wants to kill.”

"If you don't care, then I don't care either!"

"Okay, I need to get back to work."

After saying that, he hung up the phone, chuckling coldly.

(End of this chapter)