The Great Sage Returns from Ten Years of Imprisonment

Saturday morning, Shanghai.

Anthony was resting at home when Manager Liu from Shanghai Airlines suddenly called.

The call connected, and the man surnamed Liu delivered the latest intelligence once again.

"Good news, boss. Last night, the investment department of Shanghai Airlines made another move, this time shorting international crude oil futures again."

Hearing this good news, Anthony was not exactly happy.

As one of Goldman Sachs' top executives, he knew better than anyone that a devastating global financial crisis was imminent.

If this financial crisis breaks out, Goldman Sachs, which is known as the world's largest investment bank, will definitely be the first to be hit and suffer a huge impact.

As the CEO of Goldman Sachs' Shanghai branch, Anthony had no idea whether he would be impacted or even become one of the countless victims of this financial crisis.

All he can do now is wait, wait for this global financial crisis to erupt, and secretly pray that he can survive it.

Compared to this global financial crisis, Shanghai Airlines Investment Department's renewed involvement in international crude oil futures trading is utterly insignificant.

Anthony wasn't in the mood to care anymore and just gave a few perfunctory replies.

"Understood. I will report this to the crude oil futures trading department at the New York headquarters and have them respond promptly."

"That's enough for now. I have other things to take care of, so I'll stop talking to you for now. You can continue to keep an eye on the movements of Shanghai Airlines' investment department..."

Hearing that he was about to hang up, and in such a perfunctory manner, Manager Liu immediately became a little anxious.

"Boss, I haven't received my payment for the last two payments yet. When will you...?"

Before he could finish speaking, Anthony hung up the phone and muttered a few disdainful curses.

"Fuck, what an idiot."

After he finished yelling, he got up from the sofa, went to the window, and stood there, wanting to enjoy the scenery and relax.

However, when he saw countless large and small ships laden with goods coming and going on the Huangpu River, and when he saw the bustling crowds on the Bund on the opposite bank, he was deeply moved.

Anthony, however, felt inexplicably agitated and had no mood to appreciate the scenery!

Central, Hong Kong Island.

Just after 2 p.m., the deputy general manager of Yuanda Group’s Hong Kong Island branch, along with several senior executives and lawyers, arrived on time at the office building where Merrill Lynch’s Hong Kong Island branch is located.

They saw it as soon as they got out of the car.

Three or four hundred people were protesting in front of the main entrance of the building, and the scene was very lively.

These protesters were furious, raising their arms and shouting, spewing all sorts of profanities.

"Merrill Lynch, you bastard! Refund! Refund!"

"Give me my money back, you damn foreigner! Anyone who dares to cheat me out of my money, I'll kill their whole family!"

"Damn those foreigners, they dare to swindle my retirement money! I curse them so their sons will be born without an anus!"

While shouting and protesting, the numerous investors who had been badly burned by Merrill Lynch continued to surge forward.

They tried to storm into the upscale office building, up to Merrill Lynch's Hong Kong branch, to settle scores with the bastards who almost ruined them.

Fortunately, the police were prepared and set up a cordon yesterday afternoon, deploying a large number of officers.

They held back the enraged crowd, preventing them from storming into the upscale office building.

This upscale office building houses not only Merrill Lynch, but also many other companies and financial institutions!

If hundreds of furious investors storm the office building, we'll be in big trouble!

Seeing this, the entire team from Yuanda Hong Kong Island branch was speechless with astonishment.

"Holy crap! This is outrageous! If those guys from Merrill Lynch showed up now, they'd probably be beaten to death on the spot by these investors!"

"Before this, I never would have imagined that Merrill Lynch, the world's third-largest investment bank, would fall into such a miserable state, becoming a pariah!"

"Who can argue with that? Back in the Hong Kong financial markets, those bastards were so arrogant, they thought they were the best in the world and didn't respect anyone!"

"Now look what's happened! Those bastards are completely down on their luck, their bankruptcy is a sure thing. Seeing this, I'm actually quite happy!"

"Haha, I totally agree! Merrill Lynch has fallen to this state; it's the perfect opportunity for us to kick them while they're down!"

While discussing animatedly, they went straight to the entrance of the safety passage reserved by the police.

Then we prepared to identify ourselves, go through security, and enter this high-end office building.

Perhaps it was because they were dressed in suits and ties, carrying briefcases, looking like financial elites despite the sweltering heat, that someone in the protest crowd suddenly shouted a question.

"Hey, you guys in suits over there, who are you? Aren't you those damn swindlers from Merrill Lynch?"

"That's right, which company are you from? If you're one of those damn swindlers from Merrill Lynch, I'll beat you to a pulp."

These questions, delivered with gritted teeth, immediately caused a stir in the room.

The group from Yuanda Group exchanged a quick glance and hurriedly clarified their identities.

"Please don't misunderstand, we are not employees of Merrill Lynch. These are our identification documents. We are employees of the Yuanda Group in mainland China."

"Regarding this, everyone can rest assured that our group has no connection whatsoever with Merrill Lynch, nor do we have any grudges against you!"

While loudly clarifying the situation, several senior executives of Yuanda Hong Kong Island Branch quickly took out their work permits and showed them around.

People calmed down a little when they learned that they were not Merrill Lynch employees.

Subsequently, the group from Yuanda Group quickly passed through police security checks and entered the high-end office building.

Just as they entered the office building, several voices suddenly rang out from the crowd.

"Damn! Now I remember the background of the Broad Group. The Broad Group is currently the most profitable company in the Hong Kong financial market."

"That's right, I've heard of Yuanda Group too. They've reportedly made tens of billions in the last few months, and it's all money from foreigners!"

"Wow, that's sharp! If I'd known this would happen, I should have asked them for some business cards earlier. I could have made a fortune alongside them!"

While discussing it, everyone looked towards the office building entrance.

They could only see the backs of the group from Yuanda Group, who disappeared in the blink of an eye!

A dozen minutes later, in the conference room of Merrill Lynch's Hong Kong Island branch.

After the deputy general manager of Merrill Lynch's branch on the other side finished introducing the basic situation, Yuanda Group finally revealed its true intentions.

"Gentlemen, our Broad Group is indeed interested in acquiring your company, but we absolutely cannot accept an offer of eight hundred million US dollars."

"Given your company's current situation, and considering the severe state of the international financial market, we can only offer a maximum of four million US dollars."

"Furthermore, we have some conditions that your company needs to meet. First and foremost, your company must divest all toxic assets related to subprime mortgages..."

Everyone at Merrill Lynch was stunned, staring in disbelief at the eloquent Vice President of Yuanda Hong Kong Branch.

They even wondered if there was something wrong with their ears, otherwise how could they hear such outrageous things!

Asking for an exorbitant price, then negotiating on the spot!

You bastards, you just came up and started chopping at the soles of my feet, that's too much!

Before the deputy general manager of Yuanda branch could finish speaking, the deputy general manager of Merrill Lynch Hong Kong Island branch interrupted him.

The foreigner gritted his teeth and shook his head resolutely in refusal.

"You think you can acquire our company for four million US dollars? Absolutely not. We are the top financial investment company in Hong Kong. Don't even think about taking advantage of our misfortune."

"Putting everything else aside, the Merrill Lynch brand alone has a market influence and value many times greater than four million dollars."

The deputy general manager of Yuanda Hong Kong Island branch looked at the foreigner and shook his head disdainfully.

"We Chinese believe in maintaining good relations even after a deal falls through, Mr. Walker, you really don't need to be angry!"

"Admittedly, Merrill Lynch used to be a prestigious brand, but is it still now? You yourselves know the answer to that."

"You've all seen what's happening downstairs, but I just have one question: can your company hold on for another week?"

These words are like a bloodstained sword, killing the person and breaking their spirit!

The Merrill Lynch team immediately shut up, nearly choking on their own!