The richest man started taking advantage of loopholes after joining Alibaba.

The next morning, Lin Che did not access the Ark backend.

I didn't open my email either.

He opened a blank document.

New, untitled, cursor blinking on the first line.

The office door was closed, and footsteps could be heard occasionally in the corridor.

He typed two words on the first line: Path.

Then press Enter to start drawing.

It's either using drawing software or the text boxes and arrow functions in a document.

Draw lines, draw boxes, and add text.

A line was drawn on the left, labeled "Original Path".

The original route started from the Ark General Ledger, passed through the BVI account, and then transferred from the BVI to the various project accounts.

The CCPS's money went down this route, GAN-7's money went down this route, and the original plan for the African route was also to go down this route.

This process has been running for more than two years, and it is mature with a clear approval chain and signatures and stamps at every step.

The finance department of Ark is so used to this path that they know where every step is even with their eyes closed.

But now that path is no longer viable.

The BVI account has been compromised; every penny transferred out of the BVI carries a tainted mark.

Following the original route is tantamount to actively feeding data to the trackers.

He drew a red cross on the original path.

The two lines of the cross were so heavy that they deformed the text box on the screen.

Then draw a second line on the right and label it "New Path".

The new path requires bypassing all infected accounts.

Three entities were affected: BVI, Chengdu operations, and reserve funds.

There are three clean ones: daily operations in Hangzhou, special projects in Changsha, and overseas reserves.

The starting point of the new path can only be chosen from these three clean accounts.

The daily operations in Hangzhou are not going well.

That account is the daily expense account of Weiguang headquarters, with a large number of small amounts going in and out every day.

Wages, social security, property management fees, utilities – the cash flow is very high.

Large transfers to Africa using daily operational accounts will appear unusually high in the transaction history, and the bank's risk control system will flag them.

The Changsha special project also didn't work.

Changsha is preparing the third batch of applications. Xie Yu said in his last report that he had already verbally submitted the application.

Special funds have designated uses, and every item must match up during the audit.

Misappropriation requires a new approval process, which takes at least two months.

I can't wait two months.

The remaining overseas reserves.

The overseas reserve account is located in Singapore and was established in 2021, with a balance of approximately 1200 million.

The purpose of setting up this account was to serve as an emergency fund reserve for urgent allocation of funds for overseas projects.

However, it has never been used since it was set up, and apart from the quarterly interest payments, there have been almost no transaction records.

Clean, quiet, simple flowing water.

The bank's impression of this account is that it is "dormant".

African SPVs can choose to register in Kenya or Mauritius.

Cross-border transfers between Singapore accounts follow normal trade settlement channels.

Technically speaking, it is feasible.

But there is a problem.

He does not have the authority to allocate funds from overseas reserve accounts.

The approval chain for this account is different from the other five.

When it was established in 2021, an arrangement was made considering the special nature of overseas funds.

The transfer requires the signatures of two people.

One is him, and the other is Shen Nan.

Joint legal oversight is essential; it cannot be achieved unilaterally.

This arrangement was proposed by Shen Nan, and Lin Che agreed to it.

To use this account now, we need Shen Nan's cooperation.

He saved the document, opened his phone, and found Shen Nan's WeChat.

The last time we contacted each other was during the Spring Festival when we wished each other a "Happy New Year" and "You too".

The chat box contained nothing but those two New Year's greetings.

He typed a message, then deleted it.

I typed another paragraph, thought about it, and then deleted it.

Finally, he sent a message: "Is it convenient to talk on the phone? It's about the overseas reserve account."

Shen Nan replied quickly, in about three minutes.

Two words: "Go ahead and fight."

After the call was connected, Shen Nan did not exchange pleasantries.

What happened to overseas reserves?

The voice was the same as before, unhurried and unhurried, as if turning a page of a contract.

The background was very quiet; no other sounds could be heard.

"We need to use overseas reserves to fund the African SPV."

"The original path is no longer usable?"

"It's unusable."

Lin Che did not explain why it could not be used.

Shen Nan did not press further.

There was a two or three-second silence on the other end of the phone, as if they were processing the information.

"Transferring overseas reserves directly to an African SPV requires a bridging structure."

Shen Nan's tone changed slightly, from calm to thoughtful calm.

"There is no existing direct transfer route from Singapore to Kenya."

"Either go to Morrison, or go to Hong Kong."

"Hong Kong is the fastest, but you probably don't want to go there."

Lin Che did not respond to that sentence.

Vantage Point is registered in Hong Kong.

Going through Hong Kong means that the funds pass through Hong Kong at least once.

Bridge financing and nominee shareholding are not the same thing.

However, the presence of two different funding routes within the same jurisdiction is likely to attract attention.

If the trackers have informants in Hong Kong, the simultaneous appearance of two routes in their field of vision is tantamount to telling them that Ark is taking a detour.

Shen Nan had obviously thought of the same question, which is why he said, "You probably don't want to go to Hong Kong."

"A licentious idiom."

"Mauritius needs to register an intermediary entity to act as a bridge for funds."

When Shen Nan said this, you could hear her flipping through papers, probably looking for some document.

The sound of the pages turning was very soft, one page at a time, about three or four pages were turned.

"Mauritius has a relatively mature financial regulatory system and a relatively friendly attitude towards Chinese capital."

"I did some research when I was working on the East African architecture, so there are readily available resources available."

"I can process the registration, but it will take time."

"how long."

"Registration itself takes about a week, and with account opening, compliance filing, and initial transfer approval, the entire process takes about three weeks."

"Three weeks."

"Three weeks is the normal speed. Expedited service might save a few days, but it leaves more traces."

She paused for a moment.

"When do you need it?"

"The sooner the better."

"Then I'll start the registration process first, and prepare the filing materials simultaneously."

Shen Nan's tone returned to its usual "save" mode.

"I have a draft of the joint authorization letter for overseas reserves; I just need to change the date and amount."

"Let me know once you've decided on the amount, and I'll go through internal review."

Should the joint authorization agreement be signed online or offline?

"on-line."

"Okay, I'll set up the signature entry and send it to you."

"What else?"

"No more for now."

"That's settled then."

The phone hangs up.

The call lasted 4 minutes and 22 seconds.

Shen Nan's speaking rhythm remained unchanged from beginning to end.

They didn't ask why the original path couldn't be used, nor did they ask what happened to the BVI.

She will make her own judgments about what she should know, and she won't ask questions she shouldn't ask.

The 42-page second edition of the legal framework was written in this style, with every word based on evidence and not a single superfluous word.

Three weeks.

She stated the time very definitively, without adding "approximately" or "estimated".

Shen Nan's timetable has never been inaccurate.

Lin Che put down his phone and reopened the document.

The red cross on the left side of the screen, representing the original path, is glaringly obvious.

The line for the new path on the right is still empty.

He marked "Overseas Reserves/Singapore" at the starting point.

The middle section is marked "Maurice Bridge Entity".

The destination was marked "SPV Africa/Kenya".

Three nodes, two connecting lines, and a clean path.

It looks very simple on paper, with three squares and two lines.

But behind each line lies a whole process of registration, account opening, compliance, and approval.

The prerequisite is that the entire journey must be completed within three weeks.

He minimized the document and opened the calendar.

There is a date marked in red on the calendar, which is the reference time for his departure from Africa that he marked earlier.

Late February, specifically February 26th.

The red markers stand out prominently against the white calendar grid.

He glanced at today's date.

February 6th.

There was a 20-day gap in between.

Shen Nan's "three weeks" actually refers to twenty-one days.

Twenty days and twenty-one days.

If any step in the process is delayed, even by just one day, the departure date will have to be postponed.

The window of opportunity is already limited, and pushing it back means that all subsequent plans will have to be adjusted accordingly.

There is almost no margin between the two numbers.