Chapter 859: A New Assignment from Above!

Second Floor. Study!

After spending a little time playing with Yun Rui and Yun Jin in the living room, Zhou Rui immediately asked if he could speak with Li Yi.

Knowing that this must be about something important, Li Yi led him to his father-in-law’s study.

After they sat down across from each other at the desk, Li Yi smiled and asked, “Director Zhou, just get straight to the point!”

Zhou Rui nodded and said, “Comrade Li Yi, I’d like to ask: how many people can that security company in Hong Kong accommodate at most?”

Li Yi was taken aback for a moment, then asked, “Director Zhou, what do you mean by that? Could it be that the higher-ups want to send a large number of people over there?”

“That is indeed the plan!”

Zhou Rui continued, “The higher-ups are currently planning a major military downsizing. Soon, a large number of troops will be disbanded. How to accommodate those with combat talent but unsuitable for military service has always been a headache for our superiors.”

“Furthermore, our negotiations with the British Empire are about to begin. They intend to leverage the momentum of their decisive victory in the Falklands War to force us to make concessions. But since this concerns territorial sovereignty, we naturally won’t back down. We must guard against certain parties resorting to desperate measures…”

Before he could finish, Li Yi picked up on the thread and said, “So the higher-ups are planning to continue deploying personnel over there?”

Zhou Rui nodded. “Yes! Comrade Guangming and Comrade Wenguang’s operation on Hong Kong Island was decisive and swift. Whether in tactical execution, the course of the battle, or the final results and impact achieved, it was textbook-perfect—and it has provided us with considerable inspiration!”

“Deploying personnel there not only gives combat-gifted soldiers a chance to prove themselves but also fulfills the critical task of downsizing the military. When necessary, they can even become a special force at the state’s disposal—it’s a win-win situation!”

“Is this the new assignment the higher-ups have given me?” Li Yi asked.

Zhou Rui shook his head and said, “Yes, but also no!”

Li Yi smiled and said, “Director Zhou, you’re playing word games with me. If it is, just say so; if it isn’t, just say so!”

Zhou Rui immediately replied, “The higher-ups naturally want to push this forward—after all, it’s a major undertaking. But they also understand that whether it succeeds or not depends largely on that security firm’s staffing needs; we can’t force the issue!”

Li Yi thought for a moment, then said, “I can’t tell you exactly how many people they’ll need right now. After all, as you know, I don’t usually pay much attention to the security company’s operations.”

“However, if the higher-ups are serious about placing people there, I’ll make the necessary adjustments to the security company’s operations. I can’t promise a huge number, but three or four thousand people shouldn’t be a problem!”

Hearing this, Zhou Rui’s eyes lit up instantly, and he hurriedly asked, “Can you really afford to support that many people?”

“To be honest, the higher-ups wouldn’t make you take on so many idle personnel if you didn’t need them. Otherwise, it would be like the state dumping a burden on you. So you don’t need to worry too much when making your decision…”

“Director Zhou, I understand what you mean. But I’m not just taking on this burden from above out of obligation—if the company expands its operations, we can actually accommodate quite a few people!”

Li Yi wasn’t just putting on a brave face when he said this; he truly could.

After all, following this incident, Shield Security had truly made a name for itself—a formidable reputation—among the wealthy circles of Hong Kong Island.

Everyone now understood that the company wasn’t what it appeared to be—a place where Huang Lixing simply kept his henchmen and thugs out of the way.

They were a peerless sword that Li Yi had planted in Hong Kong Island—inconspicuous in everyday life, yet capable of turning the entire island into a river of blood when the time came.

Moreover, with Gusta serving as the sacrificial lamb, it was easy to imagine that Shield Security would inevitably become a partner of choice for the wealthy and powerful families in the future.

Furthermore, he would soon invest tens of billions to undertake a massive reconstruction and expansion of the entire New Territories complex. This would not only add a large number of hotels, restaurants, amusement parks, high-end private clubs, and other entertainment venues but also create numerous new real estate developments.

All these projects and venues would require a massive security force—and Shield Security’s current staff of just over two thousand would certainly be insufficient.

Previously, Li Yi’s plan had been to have Huang Lixing recruit security teams for ordinary projects directly from local youth—he didn’t want to get involved in such minor details.

But now that higher-ups have made it a priority, that’s a different story!

Hearing Li Yi say this, Zhou Rui felt reassured and replied, “All right, I’ll report this to the higher-ups as soon as possible. Once the leadership has made the decision to implement the plan, I’ll get back to you!”

“Alright!”

“By the way, Old Xu asked me to check in with you—has that investment project wrapped up yet?” Zhou Rui asked again.

“What’s up? Does he need the money?”

“Probably. From what I hear, the higher-ups have launched a series of major projects since the start of spring, and the foreign exchange reserves at the State Administration of Foreign Exchange are dwindling rapidly. They’re almost at their limit now!” Zhou Rui said.

Li Yi thought for a moment and said, “The first round of investments in London is basically wrapped up. We’re just waiting for the settlement now; I estimate it’ll be completed in another week or two!”

The investment operations in London had, in fact, already concluded, though Li Yi had used the funds to acquire Sheffield Steel.

Li Yi was now waiting for the delivery of those 20 million-ton steel contracts in the futures market. Once the delivery date arrived, he would be able to successfully settle nearly 7 billion pounds.

He would use this money to pay dividends to investors, including, of course, the funds invested by the state.

“Alright, a week or two—Old Xu and the others should be able to hold out…”

However, before Zhou Rui could finish, Li Yi spoke again: “Director Zhou, to be honest, if Old Xu and his team don’t need a lot of capital, I suggest we don’t touch the funds in London just yet!”

Zhou Rui looked taken aback for a moment, then turned to Li Yi and said, “You just mentioned that the first round of investment has concluded. Does that mean you have follow-up plans?”

“Yes. An opportunity is coming up soon that has a high probability of doubling the principal and interest on this investment. It would be a shame to pull out now!”

Li Yi then added, “Also, a fund I managed on behalf of higher-ups last year is about to mature. When it does, the principal and interest will total over a billion Hong Kong dollars. Why not use that to tide us over for now?”

Li Yi was referring to the 1.2 billion Hong Kong dollar time deposit he had placed with Citibank last year, which was set to mature in just over two weeks.

When it was originally deposited, they had exchanged Hong Kong dollars for U.S. dollars, totaling over 7 billion Hong Kong dollars. However, the exchange rate had since dropped from 5.06:1 to 9.6:1. Factoring in the 2.6% interest earned on the deposit, the value had nearly doubled.

Zhou Rui replied immediately, “Alright, I’ll let Old Xu know, and I’ll also report this situation to our superiors!”

“Alright!”

“By the way, how long do you plan to stay in Guangzhou before heading back? Do you need me to arrange a car or anything for you?” Zhou Rui asked again.

“No need. Barring any surprises, I plan to head back tomorrow—there are still some loose ends to tie up over there!” Li Yi replied.

“Alright, I’ll come see you off when you leave. After all, you don’t even have a car here, so it’s inconvenient to get around!”

Li Yi didn’t refuse Zhou Rui’s offer and immediately replied, “Then I’ll have Ah Wen contact you before we leave!”

“Alright…”

………..