Chapter 993: The Governor’s Office Backed Down!

Cloud Peak No. 1. Living Room!

Seeing Li Yi push open the door and enter, the two immediately stopped talking, stood up, and greeted him.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Li Yi asked, “Brothers-in-law, Captain Yan, what brings you here?”

His brother-in-law replied immediately, “We received an urgent message from Director Zhou this afternoon. He said the authorities back home are aware of your funding shortage. After Director Zhou and his team made a request to higher-ups, they’ve secured 800 million US dollars. The money has already been sent to Guangzhou, and we were on our way to deliver it.”

“But we just found out on the way here that you’ve already successfully fought back. I’m afraid that money won’t be needed after all!”

A wave of warmth washed over Li Yi. Family, after all—they could be counted on in a pinch.

Given the situation back home, those 800 million US dollars were likely the maximum amount the State Administration of Foreign Exchange could mobilize.

“It’s true we won’t need it now, but if the State Administration of Foreign Exchange isn’t in a hurry to use the funds, they could bring them over first to invest in some short-term opportunities and earn a little extra cash!” Li Yi said.

“Alright, we’ll get in touch with Director Zhou right away. They should be more than happy to!”

Yang Wenguang continued, “By the way, the police department has backed down!”

“Oh? Weren’t they supposed to be pretty tough? They backed down that fast?” Li Yi said sarcastically.

Yang Wenguang nodded and said, “Lin Luolan came to our security company headquarters alone this afternoon. She conveyed a message from Police Commissioner Maxley. They apologized for what happened earlier and expressed a willingness to coexist peacefully with us in the future.”

“At the same time, they promised to severely punish the leaders and key members of gangs like the Tiger Gang and the Yamaguchi-gumi, and they just want us to stop having people block the entrance to the police station!”

“Is that all?”

Li Yi then said coldly, “Things have come to this, and these foreigners are still so arrogant. Does he think he’s doing us a favor?”

Yan Guangming immediately said, “We also think they have absolutely no sincerity. Earlier, they colluded with the Yamaguchi-gumi to raid the Wan Chai Ferry Pier, causing dozens of casualties among Old Huang’s men. Now they’re acting like everything’s fine, as if nothing ever happened. They can forget about it!”

Li Yi nodded and said, “Tell them this on my behalf: if they want a truce, they need to show some sincerity. First, the police department must issue a public apology and compensate the families of the victims—it’s not much, just 500,000 Hong Kong dollars per person.”

“Second, severely punish the leaders and key members of those triads. The sentences must be harsh—especially for those leaders; they can’t get less than 20 years.”

“And finally, from now on, without our permission, not a single cop is allowed to set foot near Wan Chai Pier.”

Li Yi knew full well that Lin’s visit today was by no means just on his own behalf, or on behalf of the Commissioner of Police behind him; it was very likely the old bastard at the Governor’s Office who had sent him.

Glancing at the time, the timing this afternoon was dead on.

It was obvious that they’d only decided to back down after learning that Sangchai and the others were trapped in the stock market and had played their last trump card.

“You want to fight, you fight; you want to make peace, you make peace? There’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world.”

If you make a mistake, you have to face the consequences. When you get hit, stand at attention. If you get slapped on the left cheek, you have to turn the other one over yourself.

You want to back down but still keep up your haughty act? What are you playing at?

“We’ll pass your message on to them!” Yang Wenguang said.

Li Yi nodded, then asked again, “How’s the takeover of those gangs’ territories going?”

“I was just about to report on that. We’ve basically taken control of those gangs’ territories and assets. We’ve already divested ourselves of the parts that weren’t suitable for our operations, and the profits from this operation have been tallied!”

Yang Wenguang continued, “From those syndicates, we’ve seized assets totaling 120 million Hong Kong dollars, 10.8 million US dollars, and 16.99 million British pounds, along with 867 catties of gold and two large crates of jewelry. On top of that, we’ve acquired over 300 properties and commercial spaces.”

“After processing, we currently have a total of 620 million Hong Kong dollars, 10.8 million US dollars, 16.99 million British pounds, and over a hundred properties and commercial spaces!”

Li Yi nodded and said, “Set aside half of the cash as bonuses to distribute among the brothers at the security company. As for how to allocate it, that’s up to you!”

“Half the cash amounts to over 300 million Hong Kong dollars—isn’t that a bit too much?” Yang Wenguang asked.

“Too much? Don’t forget that the guys did different jobs—it’s only fair they earn a bit more!” Li Yi replied.

“Got it. We’ll make the arrangements as soon as we get back!”

Li Yi nodded, then asked, “By the way, have those top-tier triad groups in the city made any moves?”

Yang Wenguang replied immediately, “As you instructed, we’ve ceded part of our territory to them and made it clear that we won’t get involved in underworld business, nor do we intend to disrupt the underground order on Hong Kong Island.”

“They were all satisfied with that and have shown us clear goodwill. Lately, our security firm has been getting a steady stream of orders, and a significant portion of them are from those top-tier syndicates.”

“That’s the spirit. The underworld isn’t about fighting and killing—it’s about human relations and social etiquette!”

Li Yi then added, “You must constantly remind the brothers that we’re not here to act like thugs fighting over turf in the streets. It’s fine to pick up a weapon occasionally to defend our rights, but we can’t make that our main business!”

“We won’t get involved in those shady businesses now, and we won’t in the future. Don’t lump us in with those thugs and hoodlums!”

“Understood!” Yang Wenguang and Yan Guangming said in unison.

Then, Li Yi changed the subject and turned to Yang Wenguang. “Brother-in-law, barring any surprises, things here should be wrapped up in about a month and a half. I’ll be heading back to Beijing then—would you like to come along and take a look?”

“Sure! I’ve been wanting to go back for ages!”

“Then start getting ready. I’ll let you know in advance before we leave!” Li Yi said.

“Got it!”

Yang Wenguang glanced at his watch and saw it was nearly seven o’clock. “It’s getting late,” he said. “We’ll head back for now. If anything comes up, we’ll come back and report to you!”

“Alright, I’ve had a long day too, so I won’t keep you any longer!” Li Yi said with a smile.

“Alright…”

After seeing off his sister’s husband and Yan Guangming, Li Yi slumped onto the sofa, looking slightly exhausted, as he pondered the situation ahead.

Now that they had crushed both the underworld and the authorities, and the Governor’s Office had backed down, the London politicians’ plan to eliminate the Chinese Merchants’ Association had completely fallen apart.

Moreover, after this battle, they would undoubtedly have a new appreciation for the Chinese Merchants’ Association’s strength and influence on Hong Kong Island. Unless they considered sending reinforcements to the island, those politicians likely wouldn’t—and wouldn’t dare—to provoke them again.

However, the final stretch is always the hardest; whether this battle ends in a perfect victory depends on the next moves.

As long as they successfully corner those conglomerates into a dead end, forcing them to voluntarily withdraw from the Hong Kong stock market, this battle will be considered a complete victory.

Li Yi was, however, vaguely concerned about that Dolsen fellow. As a third-party force in this major conflict, the British-funded conglomerate had also made a killing this time around.

Although it’s impossible to accurately estimate exactly how much they’ve made during this period, it’s likely in the range of tens of billions of Hong Kong dollars.

Combined with their existing capital, the funds under Dolsons’ control likely exceed 100 billion Hong Kong dollars.

If those overseas conglomerates were to transfer their shares to Dalson while cutting their losses and exiting the market, the situation would indeed become quite difficult to handle.

He could, of course, launch an attack on the British-owned conglomerate through the stock market to force them into submission.

But the Hong Kong stock market was already in a precarious state; Li Yi feared that launching a series of large-scale stock battles might cause the market to collapse entirely.

With that in mind, Li Yi felt it was necessary to have a talk with Dolsen.

Just as Li Yi was pondering how to bring this to a perfect conclusion, the London stock market was in turmoil, with a storm brewing…

………