Chapter 697: The Hunt Begins!

On the ring road leading to Wan Chai Pier, a convoy of three vehicles was speeding along.

Just a short while ago, Li Yi had received a call from Huang Lixing, who reported that everything was ready on his end and asked what the next step should be.

After receiving Old Huang’s call, Li Yi ordered Old Huang’s men to get ready and prepare to set sail.

At the same time, he had Zhang Ziqiang contact Zhou Rui on the other side via radio, instructing them to proceed according to the original plan.

Soon, Zhou Rui responded, confirming that they were ready as well—the warships and coast guard vessels were in position, just waiting for the fish to take the bait.

Upon learning this, Li Yi quickly said goodbye to Jiang Xue, Big Sister, and the others, then left the Cloud Peak No. 1 with Zhang Ziqiang, Zhou Wen, and the rest, heading straight for the Wan Chai Pier.

The reason he came here in person was, on the one hand, because this matter was of the utmost importance and required his personal oversight and command.

On the other hand, it was to make a statement to the people at the British-owned conglomerate!

After all, with such a massive sum of money at stake, if he, as the main decision-maker, didn’t show up in person, it would easily arouse suspicion.

So, whether Li Yi liked it or not, he had to make a trip to Wan Chai Pier.

Only when he was physically present would either Durson or the Governor’s Office lower their guard and take the bait.

Soon, the motorcade arrived at the perimeter of Wan Chai Pier.

As always, security at the pier was extremely tight today. Members of the Blue Dragon Society were everywhere, openly or covertly surrounding the pier so tightly that not a single person could slip through.

Pedestrians and vehicles approaching the pier were under their close surveillance, and those attempting to get near the Blue Dragon Society headquarters were subjected to rigorous inspections.

As soon as Li Yi’s convoy reached the perimeter of the pier, they were stopped by the Blue Dragon Society.

Fortunately, most of the foot soldiers here recognized Li Yi, and since Iron Eagle was leading the patrol today, he immediately ordered his men to let them through once he confirmed it was Li Yi.

As a result, the rest of the journey went very smoothly for Li Yi and his group, and they arrived at the Blue Dragon Society headquarters in no time.

Compared to the situation outside, the atmosphere inside was even more tense.

As soon as they entered, Li Yi and his group saw employees of Shield Security patrolling the premises, fully armed.

Each of them was dressed in combat gear, with bulging holsters at their waists—anyone with eyes could tell what was inside.

Upon seeing these men, the already tense atmosphere at the Qinglong Society headquarters reached a fever pitch.

Iron Eagle had already notified Huang Lixing of Li Yi and his group’s arrival via walkie-talkie, so when Zhou Yang and the others arrived, Huang Lixing was already waiting at the entrance with Yan Guangming, Yang Wenguang, and Jin Xiuzhe.

When they saw Li Yi get out of the car, everyone immediately came over to greet him.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the two made their way to Huang Lixing’s office.

As soon as they entered, Huang Lixing asked in a grave tone, “Brother Li Yi, the men and the ship are all ready—we’re just waiting for your orders!”

Li Yi nodded and asked, “What’s the situation out there?”

Huang Lixing paused briefly before replying, “According to reports from my informants, the Coast Guard’s anti-smuggling unit is indeed taking action today. Their vessels began assembling this afternoon.”

“And they’re keeping the details of the operation under tight wraps. Our informants don’t know the specifics of today’s operation either, but I have a feeling those bastards are coming straight for us!”

The corners of Li Yi’s mouth turned up slightly as he said coldly, “Good. I was actually worried they wouldn’t show up!”

“Brother Li Yi, just tell us—what should the guys do?” Huang Lixing asked in a low voice.

Li Yi didn’t answer his question. Instead, he stood up and looked outside the office. Seeing that Zhang Ziqiang, Zhou Wen, and the others were all waiting at the door, he finally felt at ease.

Then, Li Yi looked at Huang Lixing and said, “Old Huang, I’ve already coordinated today’s operation with the other side. This time, we’re not just going to dig a hole for those foreign bastards—we’re also going to help you catch a fish!”

“Help me catch some fish?”

“Right. We’re going to reel in all the snitches within the Qinglong Society!” Li Yi said calmly.

Hearing this, Huang Lixing’s eyes lit up instantly, and he hurriedly asked, “How do we do that?”

“Are the props ready?” Li Yi asked in a deep voice.

“They’re ready. We’ve prepared a total of 400 of those bank-grade metal cash boxes. Two hundred of them are filled with real money, and the other two hundred are filled with blank paper!” Huang Lixing replied.

“Good. In a moment, have those who aren’t usually very trustworthy head over to the warehouse to load the boats. First, load those two hundred boxes filled with blank paper onto the boats that have just returned from the other side!”

Li Yi continued, “After that, quietly assign some men to keep an eye on the people loading the cargo. Barring any surprises, they’ll make their move soon. But remember, no matter what they do, don’t engage with them for now.”

“Alright, I know what to do!”

Li Yi nodded and added, “At midnight, our fleet will begin leaving the dock one by one, heading straight for the waters off Pengcheng.”

“Remember to have your ships leave the harbor first. Don’t move those ‘key vessels’ that have returned from the other side just yet—wait until half an hour after your ships have set sail before they depart!”

“And then?” Huang Lixing asked again.

“Then we’ll just sit back and watch the show!” Li Yi said calmly.

“Alright, I’ll make the arrangements exactly as you said!”

After saying that, Huang Lixing summoned several key members of the Qinglong Society and began making arrangements right in front of Li Yi.

……..

On the outskirts of the city: the Castle Manor!

While Li Yi and his team were making preparations at the Wan Chai Pier, Dolsen and the others at the Castle Manor weren’t sitting idle either.

For them, this operation was equally crucial.

It wasn’t just about the $1 billion in funds; more importantly, the success or failure of this operation would directly determine whether they could restore the confidence of the Alliance members.

Whether it was Dolsen, the Duke, Smith, or others, they had all noticed that as Li Yi repeatedly inflicted heavy losses on them, the Alliance members’ confidence had been severely shaken. Many fence-sitters had already switched sides, including some core members of the Alliance, such as Powell from the Jardine Matheson Group.

Dawson and the others understood clearly that, under these circumstances, they must rebuild the Alliance members’ confidence, and this operation was the first step.

If this operation succeeded, the Alliance members’ confidence would quickly return to its previous level. At that point, whatever ideas or actions they proposed would surely be met with overwhelming support.

Just as Dolsen, the Duke, and the others sat in the manor’s living room, waiting anxiously, an attendant hurried in.

He strode up to Dolsen and whispered in his ear for a good while.

As soon as the attendant turned to leave, Dolsen immediately stood up and said excitedly, “Ladies and gentlemen, we’ve just received word that the young man from Star Company has arrived at the docks, and the money has already been loaded onto the ship!”

“Whoosh!”

Hearing this, the men and women in the room erupted in excited cheers, and they all began to praise Dolsen.

For a moment, the estate’s parlor was flooded with flattery!

Dawson thoroughly enjoyed this feeling of being the center of attention. It wasn’t until some time later that he motioned for everyone to quiet down.

Then, clearing his throat, he continued, “Furthermore, we’ve received a very important tip: there are currently over thirty vessels of various types at the Wan Chai Pier—cargo ships, fishing boats, and speedboats. Clearly, most of these are intended to throw us off the scent.”

“However, we’ve already determined that they’ve loaded all their money onto four state-of-the-art speedboats. Contact the Coast Guard Command Center immediately and tell them not to worry about those large and medium-sized cargo ships and fishing boats—they just need to intercept those few modified speedboats!”

“Yes, sir!”

After relaying this information, Dolsen raised his glass and said, “Ladies and gentlemen, tonight is our moment to strike. The prey has taken the bait, and soon we’ll be able to savor the joy of our catch. Let’s raise a toast to the success of our operation! Cheers!”

“Cheers…”

………

PS: There’s one more chapter before midnight!