Chapter 969: The Enemy Strikes!
Downtown. Far East Stock Exchange!
It was 10 a.m., and the exchange was in the midst of a busy morning.
Even though the shockwaves from the Hong Kong stock market crash had yet to subside and the market was in a bear phase, there were still a large number of investors on the lookout for opportunities.
After all, the biggest difference between a bear market and a bull market isn’t whether you can make money, but whether you can make it without lifting a finger.
During a bull market, the entire market is on the rise, so anyone who isn’t a fool can make money—it’s simply a matter of how much.
It’s not that you can’t make money in a bear market—it’s just not as easy as in a bull market. For many experienced investors, a bear market can still be profitable.
Just as investors were scouting for opportunities, a group of people suddenly appeared at the exchange’s entrance, instantly drawing the attention of everyone inside.
The group was simply too extravagant: four heavily armed security guards led the way, followed by several bodyguards in suits, with another four security guards bringing up the rear.
And all these heavily armed guards were there solely to serve the person in the very center.
Such a grand display was rare even on Hong Kong Island, a place teeming with the wealthy and powerful.
Suddenly, an observant bystander gasped, “It’s Mr. Li from Starry Sky!”
Hearing the exclamation, everyone around stopped what they were doing. Like startled giraffes, they all craned their necks to look toward the entrance.
Soon, more people recognized Li Yi and began waving at him, greeting him as if they’d spotted a superstar.
In fact, in the eyes of Hong Kong investors, Li Yi was indeed a star—no, more accurately, an idol!
Over the past two years, Li Yi and his Star Investment Company had achieved outstanding results, becoming a legend in Hong Kong’s investment world—his status akin to that of Warren Buffett decades from now.
All investors in Hong Kong viewed Li Yi as their role model and hoped that one day they too could become overnight millionaires like him.
Seeing this, Li Yi didn’t put on airs; he immediately waved to the crowd in the lobby, triggering another wave of screams and cheers.
This massive outburst of cheering also caught the attention of the big investors in the surrounding VIP lounges, who quickly sent people out to investigate.
Upon learning that Li Yi had appeared at the Far East Stock Exchange, those major investors grew increasingly nervous.
Many of them had come specifically for Li Yi and the Chinese Chamber of Commerce, but at the same time, they had analyzed his past track record and were filled with apprehension toward him.
Otherwise, they wouldn’t have allowed those triad organizations to resort to underhanded tactics behind the scenes, all with the aim of keeping Li Yi too busy to focus on anything else.
But what they never could have imagined was that, despite the combined efforts of so many organizations, they still failed to stop Li Yi. This formidable man had reappeared at the stock exchange once again.
Upstairs, Li Futao was frowning as he studied the documents in his hands. Hearing the loud cheers coming from downstairs, he immediately called out toward the door, “Xinghua…”
The office door swung open, and Zhou Xinghua stepped inside. “Boss, you called for me?”
“What’s happening downstairs? Why is it so noisy?” Li Futiao asked.
“I’ve already sent someone down to check. We should have an update soon…”
Just then, a sharply dressed woman hurried up the stairs and approached Zhou Xinghua, whispering a few words in his ear.
“Boss, Mr. Li from Xingchen Company has arrived with his team. They’re the ones causing all the commotion downstairs!” Zhou Xinghua reported.
Upon hearing this, Li Futiao immediately asked, “Brother Li Yi is here. Is he looking for me, or…”
“Mr. Li is likely here to discuss an investment. He’s already arrived at VIP Room 9 with his team!” the female secretary replied.
“Xinghua, hurry up and bring them up here. I have something I need to discuss with Brother Li Yi…”
Before Zhou Xinghua could speak, Li Futiao added, “I’ll go down myself!”
With that, amid the stunned and bewildered expressions of those present, he strode down the stairs.
Seeing this, Zhou Xinghua and the others immediately followed him…
As for Li Yi, upon arriving at VIP Room 9, he pushed open the door and saw Pang Feiyan, Yang Qian, Liang He, and the others in the middle of a meeting.
Judging by the furrowed brows on their faces, it seemed they were facing some kind of trouble.
When Pang Feiyan and the others saw that it was none other than the big boss, Li Yi, who had entered, they immediately stopped, stood up, and came over to greet him.
Seeing this, Li Yi said, “Everyone, please sit down. No need to stand!”
At Li Yi’s command, they all returned to their seats, but left the head seat for him.
“What’s the current situation? Have those bastards made their move yet?”
The main reason Li Yi had come to the Far East Stock Exchange was that most of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce’s listed companies were traded here, including Li Ka-shing’s Cheung Kong Holdings, “Ship King” Bao’s Global Shipping, and the Li family’s Henderson Land Development, among others.
The reason so many Chinese companies chose the Far East Stock Exchange over the other three exchanges was entirely due to Li Futao’s support for Chinese businesses; many companies were only able to go public and raise capital with his help.
Now that those overseas financial conglomerates wanted to attack the Chinese Chamber of Commerce, they naturally started with the Far East Stock Exchange.
No sooner had he finished speaking than Pang Feiyan immediately replied, “They’ve already made their move, though the scale isn’t very large—it’s likely just a probing attack.”
“How do you plan to respond?” Li Yi asked again.
Pang Feiyan immediately said, “Half an hour ago, an account suddenly started snapping up Wharf Holdings shares, but the Bao family acted quickly to drive the stock price up significantly. Within a very short time, Wharf Holdings’ price had risen by 20%.”
“Under these circumstances, those people decisively abandoned their plan to snap up Wharf Holdings shares and cashed out all the shares they had previously acquired at the peak, making a small profit!”
Li Yi’s lips curled slightly upward, and he immediately said, “Such petty tricks—how dare they show off their skills in front of a master!”
“Do you know which companies those people are from…?”
Before he could finish, there was a loud “whoosh” as the VIP room door swung open.
Immediately afterward, Li Yi saw Li Futiao stride in, accompanied by Zhou Xinghua and others.
Standing before Li Yi, Li Futiao immediately said with a smile, “I thought you weren’t going out these days. What brings you here?”
Li Yi smiled and replied, “We have an old saying up north: ‘If you hear the cicadas chirping, it’s time to start farming.’ They’re just a few small fry—just deal with them. Do you really think I’d be too scared to step outside because of them?”
Hearing this, Li Futiao was secretly startled.
The top ten most wanted killers in Southeast Asia had all arrived—were they really just a few small fry?
“Brother Li Yi, what exactly did you mean by ‘take care of them’ just now?” Li Futao asked in a low voice.
“Exactly what I said!”
“All… all of them?”
Li Yi nodded and said, “Anyone who dared to show their face has indeed been taken care of, but we can’t rule out the possibility of some who are well-hidden, or others who might show up later!”
No sooner had he finished speaking than Zhang Ziqiang suddenly interjected from the side, “There won’t be any more. The bounty on Brother Yi’s head has already been withdrawn!”
Whoa!
At those words, Li Futao couldn’t help but suck in a sharp breath.
To have a bounty removed from the list—that would require immense influence. At the very least, it was something the Li family, with all their resources, could never have pulled off.
But when he thought about the forces backing Li Yi, Li Futiao felt reassured.
After all, this was a man who had defeated the world’s five major gangsters—someone who could even defeat the U.S. in battle. Let alone some shadowy organization lurking in the shadows; it might have already been infiltrated by those Red agents long ago.
With that in mind, Li Futiao immediately said, “So, the threat from those assassins has been neutralized!”
“It should be neutralized. Even if there are a few stragglers left, it doesn’t matter—with Qiangzi and the others here, my personal safety should be fine!” Li Yi said.
“That’s good. Now we can focus on dealing with those business tycoons!” Li Futiao said.
“Oh, Old Li, who exactly are you referring to as ‘business tycoons’? Those overseas conglomerates?” Li Yi asked with interest.
“Hmm, according to intelligence from our sources, nearly three billion US dollars poured into certain linked accounts just yesterday alone.”
Li Futiao continued, “Although they’ve been very discreet—spreading the funds across hundreds of accounts and using local companies’ accounts—they still can’t completely evade our surveillance. The only thing we don’t know right now is which company they’re targeting…”
Just then, a young man rushed in and whispered a few words to Pang Feiyan.
Pang Feiyan then quickly walked over to Li Yi and said solemnly, “Boss, they’ve made their move. The target is Li’s Hengye Real Estate…”
………