Chapter 963: International Bounty!

Huang Lixing led Tie Ying and the others away from Cloud Peak No. 1 with a satisfied air, while Li Yi, feeling refreshed, prepared to head to the company to arrange the follow-up matters.

This crisis wasn’t limited to the police and the gangs; their enemies intended to crush them completely from every angle. The gangs were merely a distraction, and the police were just a minor nuisance.

Their real trump card lay in the business realm. After all, relying solely on these underhanded tactics could at most severely cripple Starry Sky Corporation and the Chinese Chamber of Commerce—it wouldn’t eliminate them entirely.

So, barring any surprises, those overseas conglomerates are already lying in wait, biding their time.

Precisely for this reason, although Li Yi had a plan to deal with the triad and the police, he still dared not let his guard down.

However, just as Li Yi had finished getting ready to leave, the home phone suddenly rang urgently.

As soon as he picked up the receiver, he heard the familiar voice of Li Futiao on the other end: “Brother Li Yi, where are you right now?”

“At home. You timed this call perfectly—if you’d called a minute later, I would’ve already been out the door!” Li Yi said with a laugh.

“Try not to go out for the next few days. And if you do have to go out, make sure to bring as many people with you as possible!” Li Fuzhao warned.

“Oh, so someone’s planning to take me out?” Li Yi asked.

“Yes. I just received word that all five of Southeast Asia’s top assassin organizations have recently arrived in Hong Kong in secret. At the same time, a bounty for your assassination has appeared on overseas bounties lists. I suspect these assassins are all after you!” Li Futiao said.

Hearing this, Li Yi furrowed his brow, then glanced at Zhang Ziqiang beside him.

Seeing him give him an “OK” gesture, Li Yi felt reassured and asked with interest, “Old Li, how much is the bounty for my head?”

“Twenty million US dollars!” Li Futao said solemnly.

They say where there’s a will, there’s a way. Twenty million US dollars converts to nearly two hundred million Hong Kong dollars—a staggering bounty that would be enough to tempt even the most desperate outlaws to take the risk.

However, Li Yi on the other end of the line looked displeased as he said, “Is my head worth only that much? That’s an insult, isn’t it?”

Li Futao’s face twitched involuntarily. Was that… really the point?

“Brother Li Yi, you must take this seriously. Your bounty has already shot up to third place on the bounty list. Who knows how many assassins and mercenaries will be after you!” Li Futao said.

Although Li Yi was dying to ask who the two guys at the top of the bounty list were and what their bounties were, hearing the concern in Li Fuzhao’s voice, he decided not to bring up such trivial matters.

After a moment’s thought, Li Yi said solemnly, “Old Li, you don’t need to worry about my safety. How are things going with the Merchants’ Guild?”

“I held a meeting with the members yesterday. We successfully completed the vetting process for new members and also discussed the threats and challenges the Guild currently faces.”

“And the result?”

Li Futiao replied immediately, “The result is that all the members are firmly committed to standing with you through thick and thin; not a single one chose to withdraw.”

Although Li Yi had anticipated this outcome, he still breathed a huge sigh of relief when Li Futao actually said it.

The reason Li Yi believed the members of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce were willing to stand with him through thick and thin was, on the one hand, because he had helped them make a lot of money in the past; if they withdrew now, they would never have such opportunities again.

On the other hand, these members had all made investments on the mainland—ranging from a few million to over 100 million yuan.

If they chose to betray him now, their investments there would inevitably be affected.

So, in any case, the Chamber members would not choose to withdraw or betray him while the situation remained unclear.

Of course, if he failed to handle the impending crisis properly, the outcome would be uncertain.

After all, merchants prioritize profit; when their interests are threatened, anything is possible.

“Good. As long as we remain united internally, we have nothing to fear from any challenge!” Li Yi said.

“Yes, and since we know foreign forces are involved this time, our Chamber members have raised 50 billion Hong Kong dollars to support you—ready to be deployed at your command!” Li Futao added.

If Li Yi had merely breathed a sigh of relief a moment ago, he was now deeply moved.

After all, the Chinese Chamber of Commerce currently had only 32 full members. Divided among them, 50 billion Hong Kong dollars amounted to over 1.5 billion per person.

That these members were willing to put up such a massive sum to support him was certainly a testament to their belief in his abilities and potential, but who could deny that personal affection played a part as well!

In any case, Li Yi had to honor this gesture of goodwill!

“Old Li, tell everyone that this money is an investment from all of you. I’ll give you all a surprise!” Li Yi said.

“Alright!”

Li Futao then added, “By the way, Brother Li Yi, I see today’s newspapers are all covering the police station and the Tiger Hall incident. Is that your doing?”

“Hmm. You heard about what happened at the Wan Chai Pier last night, Old Li. Thirty-two of Brother Huang’s men died. We can’t just pretend this never happened—someone has to take responsibility for this!” Li Yi said coldly.

“I understand. I can’t help you with much else, but the Li family still has some clout around here. If you need anything, just ask!” Li Futao said.

“Alright, if I really need it, I won’t hesitate to ask!”

Li Futao gave a nod and continued, “I’ve made some progress on the investigation into the Xini Group you asked me to look into, but some details are still being verified. I’ll let you know as soon as I have concrete information!”

“Alright…”

The two then discussed the current situation for a while, finally ending the call just before ten o’clock.

After hanging up, Li Yi looked at Zhang Ziqiang and asked, “Do the higher-ups know about the assassins and mercenaries gathering in Hong Kong to take my life? And what measures have they taken?”

Zhang Ziqiang replied immediately, “Our intelligence department picked up on this the day before yesterday and has already reported it to State Security. Director Zhou has not only reinforced our team but is also addressing the issue at its root!”

“How are they addressing it at the source?” Li Yi asked, a hint of curiosity in his voice.

“First, we’re contacting the mission-posting platforms through our secret channels to have them remove the bounty on your head. It’s a bit tricky, but it’ll solve the problem once and for all!”

Zhang Ziqiang continued, “Second, we’ll find a way to round up the assassin organizations and mercenaries planning to take you out in one fell swoop. This will make all the assassins back down. At the very least, it’ll force the mission platform to reassess the difficulty of the task and reduce the number of people taking it on!”

“Third, we’ll track down the person who posted the bounty and force them to withdraw it…”

Before he could finish, Li Yi frowned and asked, “Are these plans of yours actually reliable?”

“Huh?”

Seeing the look of confusion on Zhang Ziqiang’s face, Li Yi immediately said, “I thought those platforms that post these missions were highly secretive—most people can’t even get in touch with them. And even if they did, they wouldn’t betray their clients’ information. Of all your plans, I’m afraid only the second one might actually work!”

Zhang Ziqiang paused briefly, then said, “Brother Yi, you’re underestimating the power of the State Security Bureau—or rather, you know nothing about our country’s covert operations!”

“Uh… I really don’t know much about it!” Li Yi admitted honestly.

“Brother Yi, while I can’t reveal too much information to you, I can tell you this: China is a no-go zone for mercenaries and assassins. That’s not just an empty threat—it’s a reality we’ve carved out with the blood and skulls of our enemies!”

Zhang Ziqiang then declared with authority, “No one is allowed to run amok on our turf. One comes, we kill one; two come, we kill a pair. And our turf naturally includes Hong Kong Island!”

Seeing Zhang Ziqiang’s resolute expression, Li Yi instinctively nodded in agreement.

“I understand. But can we head out now?” Li Yi asked.

“We can, but it’s best not to go out today!” Zhang Ziqiang replied.

“Why?”

“The higher-ups have already pinpointed the locations of quite a few rats and are preparing to take care of them first. Unless it’s an absolute emergency, you’d be better off staying inside.”

Changing the subject, Zhang Ziqiang continued, “Of course, if you really have an urgent matter that requires you to go out, don’t worry—we’ll make sure you’re safe, Brother Yi!”

Li Yi thought for a moment. Not wanting to cause trouble for others, he immediately canceled his plans for the day.

However, although Li Yi had gone quiet, the outside world was thrown into complete chaos by his schemes. A hidden undercurrent swept through Hong Kong Island, which was already on the brink of turmoil, making the situation even more unpredictable…