Chapter 981: Sangchai’s Suspicions!

Sang Chai’s brow was deeply furrowed; the very thing he feared most had come to pass.

He wasn’t afraid that Star Company and the Chinese Chamber of Commerce would forcibly prop up the market, nor did he care whether they would simply surrender. What he feared most was that these parties would take full advantage of the low prices to aggressively snap up shares on the market.

If that happened, Star Company and the Chinese Chamber of Commerce might find themselves stuck with a massive amount of capital tied up in the short term, yet they would be able to significantly increase their shareholding ratio.

More importantly, this would lead to a significant reduction in the number of shares available for trading on the market.

Once the number of shares in circulation decreased, their room for maneuver would be greatly reduced.

After all, whether it’s seizing control of a company or manipulating stock prices, a large volume of tradable shares is essential as a foundation.

Without sufficient free-floating shares, no matter how capable they are, they would have no room to maneuver.

It could be said that Star Company and the Chinese Chamber of Commerce are essentially trading capital for survival; the inevitable outcome will be a lose-lose situation for both parties, with neither coming out ahead.

Fortunately, he had already anticipated this scenario and prepared a contingency plan…

Just as Sangchai was deep in thought, Monroe couldn’t help but ask, “Mr. Sangchai, what should we do now? Should we keep dumping shares?”

“No, we need to drive the stock price up!”

Sangchai then turned to Sanchez and said, “Pass the word: buy up as many shares of these companies as possible and drive the stock price up!”

“Yes, sir!”

Hearing this order, Monroe and the others sighed, but ultimately decided to launch the buyback plan ahead of schedule.

At the current stock price, while they could make a profit, gaining control of these companies would be a bit difficult.

Just as everyone was lamenting, a piercing bell suddenly rang outside—it was time for the midday trading halt.

Since the midday break lasted only an hour and a half, retail investors typically used this time to grab a bite to eat and take a short break.

Meanwhile, corporate teams and brokerage firms would use this time to review the morning’s performance and adjust their plans for the afternoon.

So, as soon as the bell rang, Sangchai stood up from his seat and was about to leave.

Just then, Dolsen suddenly spoke up: “Mr. Sangchai, shouldn’t we discuss our plan of action for the afternoon?”

“Nothing is more important than eating. We can discuss the plan after lunch!”

With that, Sangchai ignored the others and walked straight out, leaving the crowd below staring at one another in bewilderment…

A dozen minutes later, in a luxury suite at the hotel across from Far East Securities.

Sangchai stared at the several sheets of paper covered in writing in his hands, his face dark with gloom.

After a long moment, he looked up at the middle-aged man standing before him.

“Yuni, are you certain that the traders managing these accounts are all Dolsons’ people, and that these orders were all issued by him personally?”

Hearing Sangchai’s question, Yuni hurriedly replied, “I’m certain. I paid a hefty sum to bribe one of Dolsen’s investment managers to get this intelligence; there shouldn’t be any issues.”

“Yuni, do you know what this means?” Sangchai asked again.

Yuni paused briefly before answering, “I know. It means Dolsen isn’t on the same page as us. He’s not someone we can rely on, but…”

“But what?”

“It just means that aside from these few pieces of paper, we have no other evidence. If we try to press charges against him based on this, the chances of success aren’t very high. At that point, Dolsen could simply deny everything, or just pin it on a scapegoat…”

Before he could finish, Sangchai shook his head and said, “The police need evidence to build a case. All we need to know is that Dolsen is untrustworthy.”

“Besides, I strongly suspect that Dolsen isn’t just unreliable—he’s likely already colluding with those people from the Chinese Chamber of Commerce!”

Upon hearing this, a look of shock flashed across Yuni’s face.

“Sir, are you suggesting that Dolsen might have betrayed the family?”

Sangchai nodded and said, “It’s not a possibility—he has definitely defected!”

“That… that can’t be possible. He’s one of the family’s two heirs. What would he gain by betraying the family?”

Sangchai replied coldly, “You know Dolsen’s position within the family. His status as an heir isn’t secure—otherwise, I wouldn’t be the one in command of this operation.”

“If we crush Li Yi and the Chinese Chamber of Commerce this time, Dolsen will be next in line. He has every reason to team up with Li Yi—it’s his only chance of survival.”

After a moment’s thought, Sangchai continued, “More importantly, Gusta’s downfall in Hong Kong was far too suspicious. Whether it was his business offensives or his plan to assassinate Li Yi, the other side neutralized them completely—as if they’d known his plans all along.”

“Whoa, sir, are you saying that Dolsen had already betrayed his family back then? That he and that Oriental guy teamed up to screw over Young Master Gusta?” Yuni asked in astonishment.

“Barring any surprises, that’s likely the truth!” Sangchai said.

“No wonder you had us secretly investigate Dalson—so you’d already suspected him, sir!”

Then, as if a thought struck him, Yuni’s expression suddenly changed. “Sir, if Dolsen really has betrayed us, does that mean that Oriental man already knows our entire plan?”

“Theoretically, yes!”

Sang then changed the subject and added, “But don’t worry—I’ve already taken precautions!”

“What should we do now?” Yuni asked.

“Keep your men watching Dolsen’s people. If there’s any unusual activity, report it to me immediately. I’ll handle the rest!” Sangchai said.

“Yes!”

After saying that, Yuni hurriedly left the hotel.

After Yuni left, Sangchai’s gaze fell once more on the papers, and a cold smile spread across his face.

At the same time, he muttered under his breath, “Dawson, you think you can sell out the family’s interests and compete with the young master for the inheritance? That’s nothing but a pipe dream. This time, I’ll make sure you suffer heavy losses and end up disgraced…”

……….

At 1:30 p.m., as the opening bell rang, the stock exchange—which had been relatively quiet for the past hour and a half—burst into a frenzy once more!

The trading floor, already crowded, could now only be described as teeming with people, packed to the brim.

Looking down from the upper floors, the view was a sea of heads, packed shoulder to shoulder, filling nearly the entire exchange.

As for the trading counters, they were completely swamped by the crowd.

The traders behind the counters were constantly taking and placing orders, so busy they seemed to have no time even to catch their breath.

Since just before the morning trading session closed, various market forces had suddenly shifted their strategy, switching from short-selling to scrambling to buy up shares of various companies.

Although this situation lasted only about ten minutes before being halted by a temporary market suspension, a significant number of investors had already keenly sensed that the market’s direction had shifted.

Consequently, as soon as the market reopened in the afternoon, a massive crowd of investors surged toward the counters, scrambling to buy shares of companies like Wharf Holdings, Hang Seng Bank, and Ho Group.

Under these circumstances, the stock prices of these companies surged rapidly, showing a clear upward trend.

By 3:00 p.m., the share prices of these companies—which had previously been nearly halved—had returned to their levels at the morning opening and were even continuing to climb rapidly.

During this period, whether it was Starry Company or Li Futao, BB Xi TR He Dongying, and Bao Chuanwang, they all purchased large quantities of shares, causing their shareholdings to surge.

However, just as these tycoons were preparing to continue pouring money into buying up their own stocks, Li Yi suddenly had someone notify them: Immediately dump all the tradable shares in your hands!

Just minutes after Li Yi’s order was issued, Sang Chai made a phone call and issued the exact same command.

In an instant, the market sentiment shifted once again…

VIP Room No. 3!

With just over ten minutes left until the midday trading halt, Sang Chai and the others were closely monitoring the unfolding situation.

However, compared to the tension felt by Li Futiao, He Dongying, and others, the atmosphere in VIP Room No. 3 was noticeably more relaxed.

Sang Chai, Monroe, Michiko, and the others were sipping coffee and chatting as if they were at a tea party, showing no sign that they were in the midst of a battle worth hundreds of billions of Hong Kong dollars.

They certainly had reason to be smug; after all, the market was unfolding exactly as they had anticipated.

Just moments ago, their aggressive moves had shattered the psychological defenses of many investors, prompting them to dump their shares en masse.

For a time, the market was flooded with shares of Wharf Holdings, Hang Seng Bank, Hongniao Real Estate, Longheng Bank, and Cheung Kong Holdings, as if these companies’ stocks had turned into unwanted junk shares.

“Mr. Sangchai, with Wharf Holdings’ share price now hovering just shy of a 50% drop, should we initiate the buyback plan?” Michiko asked.

Sangchai gently stirred the spoon in his coffee cup, then said nonchalantly, “Let’s wait a little longer.”

“Wait… wait for what?” Michiko asked, puzzled.

“For the stocks of other companies to bottom out!”

Sangchai went on to explain, “If we launch the buyback program now, we could indeed repay the shares borrowed from institutions in the shortest possible time, make a huge profit, and even surpass the Bao family to become Wharf’s largest shareholder.”

“But it would expose our intentions to those retail investors and institutions out there. Then they’d stop selling off other companies’ stocks—they might even hold onto their positions with all their might. At that point, we’d be at a disadvantage.”

After hearing Sangchai’s explanation, everyone immediately understood.

According to their plan, they needed to drive the share prices of each company down by at least half before launching the buyback program, so they could reap the market’s rewards while seizing control of each company.

But currently, the rates of decline varied across companies. Wharf Holdings, which was falling the fastest, was already nearing a 50% drop, while Hang Seng Bank, which was falling the slowest, had only dropped by about 20%.

If they moved to buy back shares at this point, it would inevitably disrupt their subsequent operations.

Just then, Dolsen, who had been as quiet as a ghost, suddenly spoke up: “Mr. Sangchai, with stock prices this low, what if the people at Starry Company take advantage of the situation to buy at the bottom? What should we do?”

“Bottom-fishing… Do they even have the firepower for that?”

Sangchai continued, “Ever since we started dumping shares, that Li Yi has been pouring money into propping up the stock. But his moves have been all talk and no action—he hasn’t dared to go all-in. Otherwise, the stock price wouldn’t have fallen this far.”

“So, I believe Star Company’s so-called market support is just a smokescreen—a ploy to appease his allies. In reality, he never intended to go head-to-head with us.”

At this point, a hint of admiration flashed in Sangchai’s eyes.

In his view, Li Yi’s choice was undoubtedly wise.

Knowing full well that their alliance was well-funded and fully prepared, a head-on clash would only hasten Starry Sky’s demise.

By using a small amount of capital to feign a market stabilization effort now, he both reassured his allies and demonstrated his resolve—killing two birds with one stone.

Even if the Chinese Chamber of Commerce were ultimately crushed, Star Company’s losses wouldn’t be too severe—it wouldn’t cripple the company.

It could be said that, under the current circumstances, Li Yi’s approach was the most prudent and optimal choice.

Monroe chimed in, saying, “I agree with Mr. Sangchai’s assessment. Besides, in my view, Wharf Holdings’ stock price still has room to fall, so there’s absolutely no rush to launch a buyback program.”

Achino, the representative of the Felida Consortium and the heir apparent, added, “Judging by the current trend, Wharf’s stock price could easily fall below HK$20. There’s certainly no rush to close the deal!”

“Right, we can definitely wait a little longer…”

Watching the self-assured expressions on the faces of the people before him, Dolsen couldn’t help but let a cold smile flicker across his face.

He truly had no idea where these fools before him got their confidence from—how dare they question Li Yi’s capabilities.

That monster had, in less than two years, successively plundered the Hong Kong stock market, the New York futures market, and the London futures market. Legends like the Sassoon family and “Thief Eagle” William had all suffered massive losses at the hands of this guy.

Even if Li Yi hadn’t known about their plans, Dolsen didn’t believe Sang Chai and his crew had the ability to defeat him—let alone now that Li Yi was fully aware of their entire scheme.

Therefore, these fools were bound to fail.

With that thought, Dolsen felt the time was right; he needed to cut his losses while he was ahead.

Suddenly, his hand trembled, and the coffee cup in his hand fell straight to the floor.

“Crash!”

The coffee cup made intimate contact with the marble floor, shattering instantly into a thousand pieces.

Seeing this, Dolsen quickly said with an apologetic expression, “Sorry, the coffee was a bit hot!”

Naturally, Sangchai and the others didn’t think much of such a minor incident; they simply had someone come in to clean up the mess and, while they were at it, brought Dolsen a fresh cup of coffee.

What the group failed to notice, however, was that just as the coffee cup shattered, an unassuming middle-aged man standing in the corner quietly slipped out of the VIP lounge.

Just as that middle-aged man left, Sanchez, who was in charge of directing operations in the trading hall, hurried in.

Seeing Sanchez enter, Sang Chai and the others in the room all stopped talking, and everyone’s eyes turned to him.

Ignoring their stares, Sanchez approached Sang Chai and said quickly, “People from Starry Sky are heavily investing in Wharf Holdings stock—it’s clearly a bottom-fishing move!”

At those words, the crowd in the room immediately grew uneasy.

After all, Michiko was a woman, and she was the first to lose her composure, asking, “Mr. Sangchai, what should we do now? Should we also…”

“No!”

Sangchai then turned to Sanchez and asked, “How many shares of Wharf Holdings do we still have?”

“Less than ten million shares!”

“Sell them all!” Sangchai said in a deep voice.

Sanchez immediately replied, “Star Company has ample funds. If they want to buy Wharf Holdings at the bottom, dumping these ten million shares won’t make much of a difference!”

Sangchai replied coldly, “Even if they manage to buy low in Wharf Holdings, so what? We’re not just shorting Wharf Holdings.”

“Sanchez, dump all our shares in the other companies. I’d like to see if that upstart dares to take us on in a showdown while protecting all his companies at the same time!”

“Yes!”

After speaking, Sanchez immediately hurried out the door.

However, less than five minutes later, he rushed back in.

And this time, his expression was beyond anxious—it was downright grim.

“A large number of accounts have suddenly appeared on the market, frantically buying up shares in various companies. Based on the intelligence we’ve gathered, it appears the major shareholders behind those companies have stepped in—they’re helping Starry Sky’s people prop up the market!”

Sanchez continued, “Right now, they’re rapidly absorbing all the shares on the market, and stock prices are soaring. The shares we dumped haven’t had any effect at all—they’ve launched a full-scale counterattack…”

The atmosphere in the VIP lounge froze instantly, and the relaxed expressions on everyone’s faces vanished.

To suppress the stock prices of various companies—with the aim of buying them up at rock-bottom prices and gaining control—they had borrowed massive quantities of shares from various institutions.

Now, share prices had indeed plummeted significantly, just as they had anticipated. If they were to enter the market and snap up these shares at this moment, they would undoubtedly reap substantial gains.

However, doing so would prevent them from achieving their strategic objectives.

But if they let things slide, once the stock prices were driven back up, or if the free-floating shares were completely snapped up by Star Company and the Chinese Chamber of Commerce, they would suffer losses—potentially massive ones…

In an instant, everyone’s attention turned once again to Sangchai…

………..

When Li Fu and the others pushed open the door and walked in, Li Yi immediately stood up from his seat.

Then, he smiled and said, “You’re a bit early!”

Li Futao and the others were completely baffled by his inexplicable remark!

“What do you mean, ‘a bit early’?” Li Futiao asked, looking puzzled.

“You arrived a bit earlier than I expected!” Li Yi replied.

He had expected Li Futiao and the others to come see him at the very least after the morning market bell rang, but he hadn’t expected them to show up as early as 11:30.

Li Futiao and the others immediately understood—Li Yi was implying they were being a bit too hasty.

Immediately, Li Futiao hurried to explain, “Brother Li Yi, please don’t misunderstand. We didn’t come here to pressure you; we just wanted to ask what your next steps are!”

As he spoke, Li Futiao’s face flushed slightly. He thought to himself that coming over now was indeed a bit inappropriate and could easily be misinterpreted.

However, they truly had no ulterior motives. After all, Li Yi had already promised to cover their losses. The only reason they’d rushed over so hastily was that they’d been frightened by the perilous situation outside.

That’s right—they were simply scared!

For the past two and a half hours, they had been watching the battle unfold from upstairs and downstairs.

Yet the way events were unfolding left them feeling a chill run down their spines.

The market had been open for less than two and a half hours, yet the stock prices of the short-sold companies had already taken a severe hit.

For those with smaller losses, their market capitalization had evaporated by a fifth or two; for those with heavier losses, it had plummeted by as much as a third.

At this rate, the stock prices could be cut in half before the market even closes.

After all, right now it’s only those people selling off their shares, but if the prices are allowed to keep falling—breaking through investors’ psychological tolerance threshold—ordinary investors will also start dumping their holdings.

At that point, the situation would spiral completely out of control, escalating into a full-blown disaster and potentially triggering a new stock market crash.

Although they had already received Li Yi’s promise that their losses would be fully covered,

But with the stock price plummeting so rapidly, it was still proving difficult for them to bear.

It was under these circumstances that Li Futao and the others, unable to withstand the pressure, came to seek out Li Yi…

At this point, He Dongying also realized that coming to see Li Yi at this moment seemed somewhat inappropriate, as it made them appear distrustful of him.

She immediately echoed Li Futao’s words, explaining, “Brother Li Yi, we truly mean no offense; we were simply startled by the situation just now.”

Li Chaoren immediately added, “That’s right. The situation out there is truly perilous. In just a short time, the combined market capitalization of our companies has evaporated by over 50 billion Hong Kong dollars—it’s terrifying!”

“I’ve been in the business world for decades and have weathered many storms, but this is the first time I’ve seen a situation like today’s. For a company’s market value to lose half its value in just a few hours—most people simply couldn’t handle that!”

The speaker was the renowned “King of Chartering.” As of now, the Bao family’s Wharf Holdings had suffered the most severe blow and incurred the greatest losses.

What was once a market capitalization of over 20 billion Hong Kong dollars had now dwindled to just 12 billion, with the stock price nearly halved.

After listening to everyone’s comments, Li Yi replied calmly, “Gentlemen, please remain calm. It’s just market capitalization—it’s not as if we’ve actually lost that much money.”

At this remark, Li Futao and the others were instantly at a loss for words.

Li Yi wasn’t wrong. While a listed company’s market capitalization is certainly important, it’s not as crucial as people might imagine.

Think of it this way: a company’s market capitalization is like the price of a house—whether it goes up or down really only matters when you’re selling the house.

If you have no intention of selling your house, whether the price is high or low doesn’t affect your life.

That’s precisely why many listed companies don’t really care much about their stock prices; as long as they stay within a certain range, that’s considered stable.

But in today’s volatile market, with prices swinging wildly, a single misstep could send the stock price plummeting below investors’ psychological expectations—it’s truly nerve-wracking and makes it hard to feel at ease.

Just as the room fell silent, Li Yi made another startling remark: “I might as well tell you now—it’s not just those bastards across the room shorting these companies; we’re doing it too!”

At these words, everyone was once again left speechless—except for Li Futao, who looked deep in thought.

“This… Mr. Li, what on earth is going on? How could you be helping those people short our company…”

Before he could finish, Li Yi cut him off: “I’m not helping them—I’m just going with the flow to recoup some capital.”

“Based on the current stock prices of these companies, we’ve made at least 20 billion Hong Kong dollars in the past two hours. Next…”

Just as everyone was focusing their attention, ready to hear Li Yi’s next instructions, the door to the VIP lounge swung open again. Yang Qian, in charge of intelligence gathering, hurried in.

After quickly approaching Li Yi, Yang Qian glanced at Li Futi and the others before saying, “Boss, Wharf Holdings’ stock price has already dropped to the target line of 25 Hong Kong dollars!”

At those words, Li Futao, He Dongying, Bao Chuanwang, and the others felt their hearts sink once more.

For Wharf Holdings, which had opened at HK$46.60 per share, a price of HK$25 represented a near-50% drop.

In an instant, everyone’s gaze turned to Li Yi, eager to see how he would react.

“Got it!”

Li Yi then turned to Li Futao and the others, a faint smile playing at the corners of his mouth, leaving everyone utterly baffled.

The stock price has dropped again—how can you still be smiling?

But just as everyone was filled with confusion, Li Yi spoke up: “Old Bao, the economic situation hasn’t been great these past few years. The Wharf Holdings shares held by your Bao family have been steadily flowing out, and your stake is now less than 30%!”

“Now that the stock price is about to hit rock bottom, this is your chance to regain control of the company. Whether you want to step in and buy back Wharf Holdings shares is up to you!”

Bao Chuanwang immediately replied with a smile, “That is indeed an opportunity. I know exactly what to do!”

With that, he turned and walked away.

Li Yi then turned his attention to Li Futiao and the others, saying once more, “Old Li, Old He, and Old Huo, the Bao family’s opportunity is also an opportunity for all of you. Whether you want to get involved is up to you.”

“By the way, my people are currently working full steam ahead to buy up shares in our various companies. Barring any surprises, the stock prices should rebound soon…”

Before he had even finished speaking, Li Futiao turned to Zhou Xinghua beside him and said, “Issue the order immediately: buy back shares in all our companies with everything we’ve got.”

“Yes…”

Li Chaoren, however, said nothing. He turned and walked toward the exit, breaking into a light jog after just a few steps.

Seeing this, the others didn’t want to be left behind and hurriedly left VIP Room No. 9.

Although they had come today merely as spectators, they had all brought their own teams with them, ready to jump into the fray at any moment.

Now… the opportunity had finally arrived!

And with the Li and Bao families—these business titans—entering the fray, the already chaotic situation instantly became even more chaotic…

………..

“Sanchez, are you certain it’s Li Yi’s people who’ve stepped in to prop up the market?” Sang Chai asked, his voice tinged with excitement.

Just moments ago, his most trusted younger brother, Sanchez, had come in to report that Starry Sky’s traders had already stepped in and were buying up Wharf Holdings shares, seemingly intent on propping up the price.

“I’m certain. Thanks to their intervention, the price of Wharf Holdings shares has stopped falling and is slowly recovering!” Sanchez said firmly.

“Hahaha, they really couldn’t hold out after all. How is the market reacting now?” Sang Chai asked again.

Sanchez replied immediately, “It’s going even smoother than we expected. We’ve only sold 5 million of the 42 million shares we borrowed, and Wharf Holdings’ stock price has already dropped by a quarter.”

“If the other side doesn’t step in to prop up the stock, at this rate, we’ll have the price of Wharf Holdings slashed by half in two hours at most!”

“That effective?” Sangchai asked, sounding somewhat excited.

“Yes. It’s mainly because the other short-selling group targeting Wharf Holdings is attacking so fiercely. Within less than half an hour of the market opening, they’ve already dumped at least 500,000 lots of stock. It’s precisely because of their intervention that the people at Star Company were forced to step in and prop up the stock price!”

Sanchez continued, “What’s more, it seems they’re not just shorting Wharf Holdings—they’re also dumping shares of Hang Seng Bank, Longheng Bank, and other companies in massive volumes. Right now, the folks at Star Company are scrambling to keep up!”

“Hahaha, it seems there are plenty of people on Hong Kong Island who can’t stand that Li Yi. I just wonder who they really are—to have such immense influence and be able to borrow so many shares!” Sang Chai said with a loud laugh.

“Mr. Sangcai, should we investigate the identity of this unknown force?” suggested Dolsen.

“No need. First, we don’t have the time, and second, they’re clearly helping us. We just need to maintain a tacit understanding with them and avoid any extreme actions, so as not to provoke them!” Sang Chai said.

“Mr. Sangchai, what should we do now?” Monroe asked, sounding somewhat agitated.

Without hesitation, Sangchai immediately shouted, “They want to drive up the stock price—how can we let them have their way?”

“Sanchez, have our people speed up the sell-off of Wharf Holdings shares. Also, sell off the borrowed shares of Hang Seng Bank, Longheng Bank, and other companies—let’s give our friends a hand!”

“Yes!”

Watching Sanchez hurry out, the others in the room were also extremely excited.

When formulating their attack plan, they had specifically analyzed the possible actions Li Yi and the members of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce might take.

According to their analysis, Li Yi and his group might react in three ways to their frenzied selling.

The first would be to quickly raise funds to prop up the market. As long as they could buy back shares fast enough and had sufficient capital, they could stabilize the stock prices of the targeted companies.

The second possibility was that Li Yi and the people from Star Company would back down in the face of difficulty, choosing to sit on the sidelines while each company organized its own personnel and funds to resist, ultimately being defeated one by one.

The third response would be for Li Yi and everyone in the Chinese Chamber of Commerce to remain inactive, biding their time. Once the short sellers have driven the stock price below a certain threshold, they would then pool their funds to compete with the short sellers for the floating shares and vie for control of the companies.

Of these three possible scenarios, Sangchai, Monroe, Michiko, and the others would most prefer the first.

Because if Li Yi chooses to prop up the stock price, he will burn through a massive amount of capital.

In that case, the outcome of this battle would no longer depend on tactics or skill, but purely on who has more money.

Once one side’s funds are completely depleted, they would become like fish on a cutting board, at the mercy of the other.

When it comes to financial resources, they certainly hold the advantage.

Not only are these major conglomerates financially powerful and well-prepared, but they also have ample funds.

More importantly, they have the backing of London, and those banks on Hong Kong Island with Western ties can provide them with massive financial support at any time.

This alone puts the advantage squarely on their side; one could even say they are already in an unbeatable position.

So, in the eyes of Sangchai and his group, it would be foolish for Li Yi and the Chinese Chamber of Commerce to try to match them in a battle of financial resources.

And the situation unfolded exactly as Sang Chai and his group had predicted. As the trading team went all out, massive amounts of Wharf Holdings stock were dumped onto the market, causing the stock price to plummet once again. It quickly fell to HK$35 per share—a drop of a full 11.6% from the opening price.

Based on the current share price, Wharf Holdings’ market capitalization had already evaporated by a quarter.

But even so, the stock price continued to fall.

At the same time, in addition to the shorted Wharf Holdings, a large volume of Hang Seng Bank shares appeared on the market, with their listing prices significantly lower than yesterday’s closing price.

And this was just the beginning. Soon after, shares of the Li family’s Hongniao Real Estate, Ho Group, Cheung Kong Holdings, Shengshi Group, and Longheng Bank were also targeted by short sellers, with massive volumes of shares dumped onto the market.

Faced with so many stocks, investors who had been sitting on the sidelines were immediately spooked.

Driven by the psychology of chasing rallies and cutting losses, no one dared to jump in recklessly.

After all, no one could guarantee that an even larger batch of shares wouldn’t be dumped the next moment—and if that happened, they’d suffer massive losses.

In the blink of an eye, the stock prices of several flagship companies in the Chinese Chamber of Commerce were plummeting at breakneck speed—a freefall that left onlookers trembling with fear…

………

However, just as everyone was holding their breath for Starry Sky and the Chinese Chamber of Commerce, Li Yi, the company’s head, was listening to Pang Feiyan’s report with a smile on his face.

“Boss, we’ve sold off all the floating shares we managed to acquire. Although the selling price was significantly lower than the borrowing rate, based on current stock prices, we’ve still made a huge profit…”

Before she could finish, Li Yi immediately asked, “How much profit do you estimate?”

“Based on the current stock prices of each company, we’ve made at least 20 billion Hong Kong dollars in the past two hours. However…”

“But what?” Li Yi asked with interest.

“But now that the stock prices of several companies have plummeted, their market capitalization has evaporated by at least 50 billion. You promised to cover their losses…”

Pang Feiyan didn’t finish her sentence, but Li Yi understood exactly what she meant.

She was telling him that after deducting those profits, he’d actually have to cover a loss of 30 billion Hong Kong dollars!

“What about the people in VIP Room 3? Are they still dumping their shares?” Li Yi asked with a smile.

“Yes, but the investors are all scared. Aside from us, no one dares to enter the market. The shares they’re dumping—no one wants them except us!”

Pang Feiyan continued, “On the other hand, some who bought shares at high prices earlier couldn’t withstand the pressure of the plummeting stock prices and are now cutting their losses along with them. The entire market is now flooded with shares from companies like Wharf Holdings, Hang Seng Bank, Longheng Bank, and Ho Group—they’re practically everywhere.”

“What about the stock prices?”

“As a result, stock prices are still falling, though the pace has slowed down!” Pang Feiyan said.

“Which company’s stock has fallen the most?”

“The Bao family’s Wharf Holdings has already fallen below HK$30, with nearly HK$7 billion in market capitalization evaporated!”

Li Yi first glanced at his watch. With less than twenty minutes left before the midday temporary market close, it was time to prepare for a counterattack.

He then turned to Liang He beside him and said, “Kowloon Wharf’s stock price is nearing its limit. You guys get ready. Once the price drops below HK$25, end the ‘fishing strategy’ and start buying back Kowloon Wharf shares on a large scale to drive the price back up!”

“Yes…”

Just as he spoke, the door to the VIP lounge suddenly swung open. Li Yi immediately saw Li Fuzhao, He Dongying, and Bao Chuanwang, among others, walk in with grave expressions…

……….

“Ring, ring, ring…”

As the opening bell rang, the once bustling trading floor gradually fell silent.

Whether they were securities firms or retail investors, everyone’s gaze was fixed on those VIP rooms.

Everyone knew that today’s protagonists weren’t them, but the bigwigs inside those rooms.

Regarding today’s showdown, many believed it was the Old King’s final counterattack against the New King—a battle that would inevitably reshape Hong Kong Island’s future economic landscape.

The “Old King” was an alliance comprising the British Hong Kong government, British-owned conglomerates, and Southeast Asian financial groups—after all, for decades, it had been these very figures who had dominated Hong Kong’s economic development.

The “New King,” on the other hand, was an alliance led by Li Yi’s Starry Sky Company and the Chinese Chamber of Commerce. Over the past year and a half, they had used lightning-fast tactics to topple one British-funded conglomerate after another.

Not only have they inflicted heavy losses on the British-funded groups, but they have also reclaimed a significant portion of financial power from the British-funded conglomerates for Chinese merchants, demonstrating the bearing of a true ruler.

Today, if Li Yi, Starry Sky Corporation, and the Chinese Chamber of Commerce behind him emerge victorious, the “Eastern Red” they represent will dominate Hong Kong Island’s economic development for the coming years—perhaps even decades—while British capital and other financial forces will be crushed beneath their weight.

But if those Southeast Asian conglomerates were to prevail, the position of Chinese merchants on Hong Kong Island would be in grave danger.

Although they would not be expelled, their future would inevitably be fraught with difficulties, leaving little room for growth.

Whether it’s a case of “a mighty dragon cannot overpower a local serpent” or “a mighty dragon does not cross the river,” everyone is filled with anticipation.

However, just as everyone was holding their breath, waiting for the first move from either side, the first trade of the day suddenly appeared on the stock market.

The order was for 100 lots of the Bao family’s Wharf Holdings stock, priced at HK$45 per share.

No one knew who had placed the order, but it’s worth noting that it was snapped up in less than half a minute after it appeared.

It was inevitable—the price was simply too tempting.

Although Wharf Holdings’ share price had plummeted significantly over the past two years—falling from a peak of HK$82 per share to a level roughly one-third lower—

Even so, at yesterday’s close, the share price was still at HK$46.60. Unexpectedly, it dropped by HK$1.60 per share right at the opening bell today, making this price particularly attractive.

However, what no one expected was that less than two minutes later, another 500 lots of Wharf Holdings shares were dumped onto the market.

Seeing that the volume wasn’t large and the price was enticing, the shares were quickly snapped up.

Upon confirming that it was indeed those overseas consortiums driving down the price, Li Yi immediately ordered Pang Feiyan’s team to follow suit and coordinate with the overseas consortiums to drive the price down further.

And so, the selling of Wharf Holdings shares continued unabated in the market. Although each transaction involved only a few hundred lots at a time, the sheer frequency was overwhelming.

In less than half an hour, at least 500,000 lots—a full 50 million shares—of Wharf Holdings stock were dumped.

Under such intense selling pressure, the price of Wharf Holdings shares naturally plummeted, dropping from HK$46.6 at the opening to HK$42 at that moment—a decline of HK$4.6 per share…

………

VIP Lounge 3!

Sangchai, Monroe, Michiko, and Dolsen, among others, were also closely monitoring the activity in the trading floor at that moment.

Upon learning that someone was selling Wharf Holdings shares just like them, the group began to discuss the matter.

“Is this a coincidence, or is someone secretly working with us? What are their motives?”

“Who cares what their motives are? As long as their goals align with ours, they’re our friends!”

“The market’s only been open for a short while, and Wharf’s stock price has already plummeted by 10%. It really seems like heaven is punishing those Chinese merchants…”

Listening to the group’s lively discussion, Sangchai, seated at the head of the table, tapped the coffee table in front of him and said, “Everyone, please be quiet!”

The chaotic chatter in the VIP lounge quickly died down, and everyone’s gaze turned to Sangchai.

“Judging by the trading volume on the open market, it’s likely just retail investors and institutions making moves right now. The Chinese Chamber of Commerce hasn’t made their move yet, so don’t celebrate too soon!”

Sangchai continued, “Furthermore, the faction secretly collaborating with us to drive down the market may not necessarily be our friends…”

Before he could finish, someone shouted, “If they aren’t our friends, why would they be cooperating with us?”

Sangchai replied calmly, “There are two possible explanations for this. One is that they’ve sensed our intentions and want to take this opportunity to short Wharf Holdings, making a small profit before pulling out.”

“The other possibility is that they hold a large number of Wharf Holdings shares and are worried about suffering heavy losses after we drive the price down. They want to sell as quickly as possible while the price is still decent.”

“Will this affect our plan?” Michiko asked.

Sangchai immediately said, “As things stand, this works in our favor—it allows us to drive down Wharf Holdings’ stock price at a lower cost!”

Just then, Dolsen, who was standing nearby, suddenly spoke up: “Li Yi hasn’t made his move yet. What’s your take on this, Mr. Sangchai?”

“They’re probably still sitting on the sidelines. After all, we’ve changed our tactics, and they haven’t figured out our intentions yet!”

A smug smile then spread across Sangchai’s lips as he continued, “But whether they choose to pour massive funds into propping up the stock or stand idly by, I have a plan for both scenarios—each one will inflict heavy losses on them. They’re bound to lose this battle!”

“Is that so? Then I’ll have to learn a thing or two from you today!” Dolsen said with a smile.

“No problem… no problem…”

Watching Sangchai’s smug expression, Dolsen couldn’t help but feel a hint of pity in his gaze.

Although this guy in front of him had some skills, the gap between him and that enigmatic figure was simply too vast.

More importantly, Sangchai was far too arrogant. Anyone who had ever underestimated Li Yi had paid a terribly heavy price, and this guy would certainly be no exception.

There was another reason why Dolsen was so certain of his judgment: before coming here, he had already informed Li Yi of Sangchai and his men’s plan.

That guy already knew Sangchai and his crew’s trump card. Given his personality, he’d likely already dug a pit, just waiting for these fools to fall right in.

However, just then, a thin, dark-skinned middle-aged man hurriedly pushed open the door and walked in.

He walked straight up to Sangchai and whispered a few words in his ear that the others couldn’t understand.

Immediately afterward, everyone saw Sangchai’s expression change in an instant.

This change in Sangchai’s expression caught everyone’s attention, and Monroe was the first to ask, “Mr. Sangchai, has something happened?”

Hearing this, everyone else’s gaze also turned to Sangchai.

After a brief silence, Sangchai spoke in a low voice: “We’ve just received word that Li Yi’s men launched a surprise attack last night on the Yamaguchi-gumi, the Tiger Hall, the Southern Monkey Gang, and other syndicates, wiping them out completely. The men who were supposed to assist us are all gone!”

At these words, the room fell into a stunned silence—so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

This silence lasted only a few seconds before being instantly replaced by a deafening buzz; the vast VIP lounge instantly turned into a chaotic marketplace.

Seeing this, Sang Chai immediately tapped the coffee table in front of him, signaling everyone to quiet down.

Once the room had quieted down, Sangchai said in a somber tone, “Everyone, don’t panic. Although the sudden takedown of those gangs is certainly surprising, it may not necessarily be a bad thing!”

“Mr. Sangchai, how can this possibly be a good thing?” Monroe asked, puzzled.

“They lost over a billion yuan just yesterday afternoon, and those syndicates were raided that very night. This clearly shows that Li Yi is getting desperate—they can’t sit idly by anymore.”

Sang Chai continued, “That’s why the Governor’s Office has ordered us to step up our operations. We must deal a crushing blow to Li Yi and his companies, and dismantle the Chinese Chamber of Commerce…”

“Yes…”

But just then, news suddenly came in from outside: Star Company had made its move…

Inside the stock exchange hall, the onlookers grew excited as they witnessed the tense standoff between the two sides.

Just as everyone expected the two sides to exchange harsh words—or even come to blows—they instead locked eyes briefly before each group went their separate ways.

In truth, both Li Yi and Sang Chai knew that trading barbs or making threats served no purpose at this moment.

In this situation, what mattered was whose tactics were more sophisticated, not whose tongue was sharper.

Since there was still some time before the market opened, upon arriving at the VIP lounge, Li Yi immediately gathered the company’s trading team to hold a brief meeting.

The spacious VIP lounge was packed with people. Although Li Fuzhao, He Dongying, Bao Chuanwang, and others had been invited to the adjacent VIP Room No. 8, the Star Investment team alone numbered over a hundred.

Li Yi, seated at the head of the table, surveyed the room, then cleared his throat and said, “Ladies and gentlemen, I’m sure you’re all aware of the current situation. In that room diagonally across from us, a pack of jackals is sharpening their claws, preparing to launch an all-out assault on Star Investment and the entire Chinese Chamber of Commerce.”

“Their goal is not merely to bring down Star Investment, but also to tear the entire Chinese Chamber of Commerce apart. They aim to achieve both objectives in one fell swoop and wipe us out completely. Are we going to let them have their way?”

“No… no…”

Everyone roared in unison, their voices shaking the heavens. The overwhelming momentum left Li Futao, He Dongying, and the others in the next room deeply shaken!

“Well said! We won’t let them have their way!”

Li Yi continued, “Our ancestors once said, ‘Those who dare to offend the mighty Han shall be punished, no matter how far they may be.’ Since these wolves have bared their fangs at us, we must make them pay a heavy price.”

“Today’s battle will be a fight to the death. I have only one demand of all of you: you must unconditionally carry out all my orders. Can you do that?”

“Yes… yes… yes!”

“Good!”

Li Yi then added, “All team leaders stay behind. Everyone else proceed as planned and wait in the main hall!”

“Yes…”

At Li Yi’s command, everyone except the team leaders stood up and headed for the hall to secure advantageous positions.

The reason so many people were needed and why they had to scramble for positions was directly related to the current trading method.

After all, stock trading at that time was still conducted manually, unlike the computer-driven systems of decades later.

This method of trading was not only inconvenient but also placed high demands on the team members’ physical stamina and reaction speed.

After all, whenever a stock was to be traded, dozens or even hundreds of people would crowd around a single window. If one didn’t secure a favorable position in advance, by the time their turn in the queue came, the opportunity would have long since passed.

Precisely for this reason, nearly all teams at the time were large in number, with some responsible for decision-making, others for intelligence gathering and analysis, and still others stationed like nails in front of the trading window, ready to pounce at any moment.

But back to the matter at hand: after the ordinary traders had left, the VIP room was left with only Li Yi, Pang Feiyan, Yang Qian, Liang He, and a dozen or so team leaders.

This time, Li Yi didn’t offer any rousing speeches. Instead, he addressed Zhao Xinlan, the finance manager, directly: “Manager Zhao, has our funding been secured?”

“It’s all in place!”

“How much total capital do we have available to use right now?” Li Yi asked again.

“135.5 billion Hong Kong dollars. That includes 22.5 billion from the company’s own funds, 50 billion raised by the Chamber of Commerce, and 63 billion from you personally!” Zhao Xinlan replied.

Hearing this figure, Li Yi furrowed his brow slightly.

Although 135.5 billion sounded somewhat extravagant, it was in Hong Kong dollars—converted to US dollars, it amounted to just over 14 billion.

As far as he knew, the opposing side’s six major conglomerates alone had pooled funds amounting to as much as 18 billion US dollars—and that didn’t even include the funds held by Dolsan and the British-owned group under his control.

If it came down to a do-or-die situation, the other side could mobilize at least 23 billion US dollars—far exceeding their 14 billion.

Fortunately, he still had several billion US dollars of his own—money he’d earned in New York a few months ago.

However, he did not want to touch that money unless absolutely necessary.

After a moment’s thought, Li Yi changed the subject and continued, “Ladies and gentlemen, according to our intelligence, those bastards will target the Bao family’s Wharf Holdings, the Li family’s Hongniao Real Estate, the Ho family’s Ho Group, Li Ka-shing’s Cheung Kong Holdings, the Lo family’s Shengshi Group, as well as Hang Seng and Long Hang banks once the market opens.”

At these words, everyone in the VIP lounge couldn’t help but gasp in shock.

After all, these seven companies were the top-tier enterprises with the highest market capitalization in the entire Chinese Chamber of Commerce, with a combined market value exceeding 120 billion Hong Kong dollars.

The remaining companies, while not exactly small fry, certainly paled in comparison to these giants.

If these seven companies were to collapse, the Chinese Chamber of Commerce would, even if it didn’t collapse itself, be reduced to a sickly, weakened entity.

“Boss, these seven companies are, after all, different from Hengye Real Estate. Their combined market capitalization of over 120 billion Hong Kong dollars is nearly 100 times that of Hengye Real Estate, and their stock prices are relatively high. It’s unlikely the other side will be able to pull off the same trick they used yesterday!” said Pang Feiyan.

Li Yi nodded and said, “Feiyan’s analysis makes perfect sense. From what I’ve gathered, those guys will dump a massive amount of shares early on to drive the market down, then secretly buy up the dip at low prices once the stock price falls!”

No sooner had he finished speaking than Yang Qian, the intelligence chief, immediately stood up and said, “Boss, according to the intelligence we’ve gathered, those people have already privately borrowed shares of several Chinese companies from multiple institutions, but the exact quantities are unknown!”

Pang Feiyan immediately responded, “So it seems they’re indeed planning to crash the market and buy the dip? If that’s the case, shouldn’t we allocate funds to prop up the market?”

No sooner had she spoken than Li Yi shot down her suggestion.

“No, we cannot prop up the market!”

“Boss, if we don’t prop up the market, are we just going to let them crash it so they can buy up those companies’ shares at rock-bottom prices?” Pang Feiyan frowned.

“Exactly. Not only should we not prop up the market, but we should actually cooperate with them in crashing it!” Li Yi said, his words startling everyone.

“But…”

Pang Feiyan, Yang Qian, and the others were all taken aback by Li Yi’s words. Everyone looked at him in confusion, waiting for an explanation.

Time was of the essence, so Li Yi didn’t beat around the bush. He explained directly, “Those bastards want us to prop up the market so they can quickly drain our funds. Once our funds are completely depleted, we’ll be at their mercy!”

“So, my plan is to short these companies’ stocks first, and then go head-to-head with those bastards!”

“Plus, I’ve already worked it out with Mr. Li and Mr. He—they’re going to lend us their shares to trade!”

After hearing Li Yi’s explanation, Pang Feiyan and the others were stunned by his plan.

What kind of crazy move is this? Their goal in crashing the market is to snap up these companies’ publicly traded shares at rock-bottom prices and take control of the entire company.

The standard response would be to pool funds to prop up the stock price, maintain stability, prevent the other side from buying at rock-bottom prices, and simultaneously reassure shareholders and other investors.

Who would do something like this—not only failing to prop up the market but actually collaborating with the other side to drive the price down?

After the initial shock, Pang Feiyan immediately said, “Boss, this is way too risky. If the stock prices of these companies get crushed, causing panic among investors and triggering a massive sell-off, it could be a disaster for us!”

However, Li Yi just smiled and said, “It won’t happen. The stock prices of these companies aren’t very high right now, so there isn’t much room for them to fall. We’ll just make one move, and then we’ll quickly drive the prices back up—we won’t give them a chance to create panic!”

“What if we mess this up…”

Before Pang Feiyan could finish, Li Yi cut in again: “There are no ‘what ifs.’ Follow my plan now. Feiyan, you’ll coordinate with the other side to drive down the market. If they really do start dumping shares, we’ll follow right behind them and sell off our holdings in those companies.”

“Yes!”

“Liang He, you lead your team and stand by to repurchase those shares. As soon as I give the order, you act immediately—don’t give them time to adjust!”

“Yes…”

Just then, the opening bell rang outside…

…….

Seeing the look of eager curiosity on McSri’s face, Lin Luolan knew that her boss hadn’t yet grasped the gravity of the situation.

He took a moment to gather his thoughts and organize his words before saying, “Maysri, Yamada and the others have become a ticking time bomb for us. If we let them go, the threat they pose is simply too great—far exceeding even that of Li Yi and the Chinese Chamber of Commerce!”

“Lin… what do you mean by that?” Maxri asked, puzzled.

Lin Luolan immediately explained, “Mr. Maxri, have you ever considered what Yamada and his men would think—or do—if they went out and saw the organization they’d worked so hard to build wiped out overnight?”

“Well… of course they’ll rally their men and seek revenge against Li Yi and his forces!” Maxri said matter-of-factly.

Lin Luolan desperately wanted to slap this idiot in front of him to death. How did such a moron ever become the Commissioner of Police?

Forcing down her inner rage, Lin Luolan said in a low voice, “Maysri, do you think there’s a possibility that Yamada and the others might believe this was a trap set by us and Li Yi to round them all up…”

Before she could finish, Maxri interrupted urgently, “How could that be possible? Is their brains full of shit? Why would we set a trap with that yellow-skinned monkey to take them down?”

Lin Luolan really wanted to retort, “It’s your head that’s full of shit.”

But he held back and said instead, “The fact is, right after we ‘tricked’ them into coming to the police station, their gang was wiped out. We’d be as good as dead if we tried to clear our names.”

“Not to mention that yesterday you promised the public you’d investigate those cases and punish the criminals severely. Do you really think Yamada and the others will buy our explanation?”

Upon hearing this, Masri fell silent.

At that moment, Lin Luolan spoke again: “Maysri, the destruction of those gangs is a done deal. Even if Yamada and the others are released, it won’t change the situation. If they misunderstand and think we deliberately set them up, both you and I will face their retaliation!”

Maxri shuddered. The gang members were all desperate criminals; if they were determined to seek revenge, they were capable of anything.

In that case, it wouldn’t just ruin his career—it could even threaten his life.

After a brief silence, Maxley looked at Lin Luolan again and asked, “So what do you suggest we do now?”

“The best course of action for us right now is to go with the flow, turn this charade into a real arrest, and thoroughly pin the charges on Yamada and the others. Then we’ll bow our heads and apologize to Li Yi and the others!” Lin Luolan said, her words startling.

“You’re crazy… Do you know the consequences of this? There are powerful people backing those gangs. Do you think they’ll let us off the hook if we do this?” Maxley shouted.

“Of course I know the consequences, but do we have any other choice?”

“What do you mean by that?” Maxri asked, narrowing his eyes, his gaze filled with an obscure, enigmatic expression.

Lin Luolan walked slowly to the office window and pointed at the crowd below chanting slogans. “Max, do you see those people down there? Though you may dismiss them as insignificant commoners, once they’re provoked, they can unleash immense power that no ruler would dare to underestimate.”

“Right now, these people are once again surrounding the police station, and public opinion is heavily against us. Everyone—from the Governor’s Office and the business elite to foreign investors in Hong Kong and ordinary citizens—is demanding answers from us. If we release Yamada and the others at this moment, it would mean we’re standing in opposition to public sentiment. One misstep, and either our police force or you, Commissioner, could become the scapegoat!”

After hearing Lin Luolan’s analysis, Maxley immediately panicked.

Compared to the Governor’s Office and those business tycoons, he, as the Commissioner of Police, was truly no match for them.

Especially the Governor’s Office—if the situation truly reached a point of no return, driven by public opinion, they would inevitably seek a scapegoat, and he, as Commissioner of Police, would be the first to bear the brunt of it.

“Are we really going to do this?” Maxley said despondently.

“We have no way out. More importantly, without the cooperation of these triads, we simply cannot investigate Shield Security. Our plans to deal with Li Yi and the Chinese Chamber of Commerce will inevitably fail. We can’t just keep going down this path blindly.”

Lin Luolan continued, “Judging by last night’s events, their firepower far exceeds our expectations. If we really provoke them, we might not even have a chance to fight back.”

“But if we really push Yamada and the others out there, what if the people behind them retaliate against us?” Maxley said with a worried look on his face.

Seeing that Maxley’s expression had softened slightly, Lin Luolan pressed her advantage: “Setting aside the fact that Yamada and his men have become useless figureheads, the people behind them might not go to great lengths to fight us over this.”

“Besides, as long as we remain in our positions and retain control of the police force, we have nothing to fear from their retaliation. But if we fail to overcome the current crisis and are forced out of office, we’ll truly be like fish on a cutting board!”

Although Maxley didn’t possess much political acumen, he wasn’t actually stupid. Since Lin Luolan had laid it out so clearly, he naturally understood the stakes involved.

After a brief silence, Maxley clenched his teeth and said, “Then let’s do as you say. We’ll turn this charade into reality—use those gang leaders to quell the public’s anger!”

Lin Luolan immediately replied, “Since we’re going to do this, we have to go all the way. Not only must Yamada and the others receive harsh sentences, but their key lieutenants and the henchmen who fled to the police station last night must all be sent to prison as well!”

“Is that really necessary?”

“Mercy toward the enemy is cruelty toward ourselves. We can’t leave any potential threats behind!” Lin Luolan said.

“All right, then. I’ll leave this matter to you. I’ll go calm the crowd outside!” said Maxri.

“Maysri, it’s best if you don’t get personally involved in this. After all, we’re just following orders. If they don’t step in now, there’s a high chance we’ll be held accountable later,” Lin Luolan said.

“I understand. I’ll contact the Governor’s Office right away!”

“Alright…”

………

Far East Stock Exchange!

Just as McSri, Lin Luolan, and the others at the police station were plotting how to protect themselves, the atmosphere at the stock exchange was also growing tense.

Although there was still more than an hour before the market opened, a large number of business elites were already flocking to the venue, including the heads of major conglomerates.

Before 8:30 a.m., all the exchange’s dozens of VIP lounges were already occupied. Many latecomers had to squeeze in with friends who had reserved a lounge, while others simply went upstairs to find Li Futao.

After all, they were mainly there to watch the spectacle today; a viewing area would suffice, and there was no need to insist on a VIP room downstairs.

Thanks to the efforts of certain individuals, news of yesterday’s joint attack by overseas conglomerates on Hengye Real Estate—which resulted in a massive loss of 1.2 billion Hong Kong dollars for Star Investment—had already spread throughout high society.

Added to this was Li Yi’s statement yesterday that he would underwrite all listed companies owned by the Chinese Chamber of Commerce.

Consequently, every executive of a Chinese enterprise listed on the Far East Stock Exchange was present today, accompanied by their company’s financial staff.

At 8:30 a.m., amid a commotion, the key figures of the overseas consortium, flanked by a large contingent of bodyguards, entered the exchange hall, instantly causing a sensation.

Eagle-eyed observers also noticed that among them were quite a few local Hong Kong business owners, and even Dolsen, the head of the British-owned conglomerate who had not been seen in public for a long time, was present.

Less than two minutes after they entered the hall, a massive procession appeared behind them.

Leading this group was none other than Li Yi. At his side were not only over a hundred elite securities professionals from Starry Sky Company and a large contingent of heavily armed bodyguards, but also numerous prominent tycoons from Hong Kong’s elite circles, including Ho Dongying of the Ho family, “Ship King” Bao of the Bao family, and “Superman” Li of the Li family.

The fact that these tycoons were flanking Li Yi clearly demonstrated their determination to stand shoulder to shoulder with him and Starry Sky Corporation through thick and thin.

The two groups entered the exchange hall one after the other, creating an atmosphere reminiscent of a showdown between two masters at the pinnacle of their powers—the scene was tense and grim…

……….

On the outskirts of the city, in a luxury villa district!

Early in the morning, Police Commissioner Maxley was fast asleep, his arm wrapped around a voluptuous woman.

Just then, the phone in the room suddenly rang urgently.

However, after a long night of exertion, Maxley was still snoring loudly, showing no sign of waking up.

After the phone had rung for a full thirty seconds, the half-naked woman beside him finally crawled out of bed and picked up the receiver.

“Hello… who is this?”

There was a moment of silence on the other end…

The woman asked again, “Who is this? Who are you looking for?”

There was still no sound on the other end—a silence so thick it was eerie—but the woman could faintly hear heavy, labored breathing.

“You’re crazy! If you don’t say anything, I’m hanging up!”

Just then, the person on the other end finally spoke up: “Qiu Xiang, don’t hang up—it’s me!”

Hearing her husband’s familiar voice, Wang Qiuxiang suddenly felt a bit awkward.

Although she’d been seeing Maxley for several years now—and her husband had tacitly approved of it—this was the first time something like this had happened.

“Did… did he go see you again yesterday?”

“Yeah!”

Wang Qiuxiang clearly didn’t want to dwell on the issue, so she quickly changed the subject: “Did… did you need something from him? Is he still asleep?”

“Wake him up right now and tell him to get to the police station as fast as he can. Something major has happened!” Lin Luolan said in a low, anxious voice.

“What happened? Is it serious?”

“It’s very serious. The police station is being surrounded again. The Governor’s Office just called us, demanding we resolve this as soon as possible. And then… never mind. Just have Mai Sri come to the station right away!”

Lin Luolan’s voice on the phone was frantic, as if she were on the verge of losing her temper. It was unclear whether it was due to work-related issues or because her wife had shown up at her boss’s house.

Or perhaps both…

“Okay… I’ll let him know right away!”

With that, Wang Qiuxiang hung up the phone…

After quite a bit of effort, Wang Qiuxiang finally managed to wake up Mai Sili.

After hearing her account of the situation, Maxley’s brow furrowed involuntarily.

Yesterday evening, they had “brought in” the leader of the last gang to the police station, and he, as Chief of Police, had personally addressed the public, announcing a thorough investigation into the gang-related crimes exposed in the newspapers and promising severe punishment for those responsible.

After receiving the police station’s promise, the crowd that had surrounded the station for an entire day finally began to disperse.

How could it be that after just one night, those riffraff were back again?

Could it be that they left yesterday not because of his promise as Commissioner of Police, but simply to… go home for dinner?

At this thought, Maxley’s mood instantly soured.

After all, he had just reported the situation to the Governor’s Office last night and confirmed repeatedly that the matter had been resolved.

Upon learning that the matter had been resolved, the Governor’s Office was very pleased and did not bring up his professional misstep.

Overjoyed, Maxley had left his lackey, Lin Luolan, on duty at the police station while he went to the Lin residence to bring Lin Luolan’s wife back to his own home to relax a bit…

But he never imagined that, after such a short time, those lowlifes would strike again.

Wasn’t this a slap in the face? How was he supposed to explain this to the Governor’s Office?

Furious, Maxley quickly dressed, tossed a curt “Go home on your own” at the woman, and hurried back toward the police station.

Wang Qiuxiang was already used to Maxley’s cold, “no-nonsense” attitude.

After watching Maxley leave, she quickly gathered her belongings and left his residence.

She had no choice but to leave. If his fierce wife suddenly returned, she would undoubtedly be subjected to a beating.

That’s right, Maxley was married; Wang Qiuxiang was just one of his many mistresses.

It was simply because she happened to be the wife of his right-hand man and was exceptionally beautiful, which gave him a peculiar thrill—that was the only reason he treated her with special attention.

But as for genuine feelings… there really weren’t many…

As Maxley drove up near the police station, he saw that the main street in front of it was already completely blocked by a massive crowd.

Just like yesterday, these riffraff were waving banners covered in slogans, shouting slogans, and looking highly agitated.

Seeing that the road ahead was completely blocked, Maxley immediately turned the car around to take a detour to the back entrance of the police station.

After a Herculean effort—even going so far as to abandon his car in a parking lot far from the station—Maxley finally arrived at work, looking a complete mess.

As soon as he arrived at the police station, Maxley impatiently kicked open the door to Lin Luolan’s office.

“Lin, what the hell is going on? Why are those lowlifes here again?”

Seeing this, Lin Luolan hurriedly explained, “Max, I’ve already sent someone to look into it. Their demand is that we immediately investigate the illegal activities of those gangs and severely punish their leaders.”

“Shit, don’t they know that investigations take time? Besides, do you think those gangs are easy to mess with…?”

Before he could finish, Lin Luolan’s eyes darkened as she said, “Maesri, those gangs have been wiped out!”

McSri froze for a moment, then asked, “What do you mean, what happened to those gangs?”

“Wiped out!”

“Wiped… wiped out?”

“Yes, wiped out completely. Not a single one of the five gangs survived!” Lin Luolan said in a low, grim tone.

“Whoa!”

Maxley sucked in a sharp breath. Even the smallest of those gangs had over a thousand members, and groups like the Yamaguchi-gumi had no fewer than three thousand.

Combined, the five syndicates numbered at least ten thousand. Even if the police had deployed the SWAT team, it would have been impossible to wipe them all out in one fell swoop. Who on earth had wiped them out overnight?

“Was… was it that yellow-skinned monkey… Li Yi’s men who did this?” Maxley asked, his voice trembling.

“I’m not sure!”

Lin Luolan continued, “But on Hong Kong Island, the only ones with that kind of power and a grudge against these syndicates are Li Yi and the Chinese Chamber of Commerce.”

“How do you know this?” Maxley asked again.

Lin Luolan hurriedly replied, “Last night while I was on duty, quite a few gang members came to the police station one after another to pass on messages to Yamada and the others, saying their gangs had been attacked by an unknown force.”

“So I sent people to secretly check out the headquarters of those syndicates. We found that the people there had all been replaced—even the venues and stalls they controlled had been taken over. Those syndicates are finished!”

As she spoke, Lin Luolan’s heart was breaking.

It’s important to note that he has good relationships with these gangs, and he receives a substantial monthly cut from them.

In particular, Meng Lin’s Tiger Hall was practically built from the ground up by him; from that syndicate alone, he could pocket several million Hong Kong dollars every month.

Now that these gangs have been rounded up, aside from the few leaders, the one suffering the greatest loss is none other than him, Chief Inspector Hua.

“What about Yamada and the others? How did they react when they heard the news?” Maxley asked in a low voice.

“They don’t know what’s going on outside yet. I didn’t let the gang’s foot soldiers see them!” Lin Luolan said, making a startling revelation.

“Why?”

Maxley glared at Lin Luolan and said in a dark tone, “Shouldn’t we have notified Yamada and the others immediately and let them go out to clean up the mess?”

“If we wait too long, that yellow-skinned monkey won’t just easily swallow up the gang’s territory—he might even turn on us. Then we’ll be in real trouble!”

However, Lin Luolan shook her head urgently and said, “Max, we can’t let them go. If we release those people, we’re completely finished!”

At those words, a look of confusion flashed across McSri’s face. He then turned to Lin Luolan with a skeptical expression, his eyes betraying a hint of transparent stupidity…

………..

The night passed without incident!

Early the next morning, Li Yi had just gotten out of bed and was about to go downstairs for breakfast when he saw Huang Lixing, Yang Wenguang, and Yan Guangming sitting in the living room on the first floor.

There were some leftovers on the table in front of them—clearly, they had finished eating some time ago. He had no idea when they had arrived.

“When did you guys get here? Why didn’t you wake me up?”

As he spoke, Li Yi instinctively glanced at Zhang Ziqiang beside him.

Yang Wenguang immediately replied, “We got here a little after six. I told Captain Zhang not to disturb you—after all, you’ve got to deal with those people today, so you need to get some rest.”

Li Yi nodded, then looked at the three men, their eyes bloodshot, and asked, “Didn’t sleep all night?”

“Yeah, we didn’t sleep!”

“How did it go?” Li Yi asked again.

“Mission accomplished!”

Yang Wenguang then explained in detail, “We launched our operation right on schedule at nine o’clock last night. We sent out a vanguard team to lead the way, carrying out infiltration strikes against the headquarters and main branches of those gangs. Aside from the Yamaguchi-gumi operation, where the enemy detected us and we had to resort to a full-scale assault, the operations against the other four gangs went very smoothly.”

“After securing those gang strongholds, we used our prior intelligence to launch raids on the casinos, brothels, and nightclubs controlled by these gangs, and successfully took control of those locations.”

“Finally, we raided the residences of the gang leaders and key members. As of now, we have fully taken control of all five gangs.”

Li Yi nodded in satisfaction, then asked, “What about casualties? Did this attract the attention of the police department?”

“In this operation, we had two seriously injured and seven lightly injured on our side, while we killed 567 enemies and captured 8,688!”

Yang Wenguang continued, “Apart from the die-hard members of various gangs, most of those killed were from the Yamaguchi-gumi. Those little bastards put up fierce resistance—they even had an arsenal set up at their headquarters.”

“Luckily we acted quickly. If those little bastards had gotten their hands on the weapons, it would have been a real battle!”

“Really? What about all that weaponry?” Li Yi asked in surprise.

“It’s all become our spoils of war. There are over five hundred handguns alone, plus assault rifles and sniper rifles—even RPGs. All those weapons combined could arm an entire regiment!” Yang Wenguang said.

“A whole regiment… What on earth were those little bastards up to? Why would they stockpile so much weaponry on Hong Kong Island?” Li Yi frowned.

“According to their confessions during our interrogation, those little bastards were originally planning to fight the 14K for territory. They never expected to be wiped out by us before they even had a chance to act!” Yang Wenguang said.

“Excellent. After this battle, those bastards no longer have anyone to do their dirty work. From now on, they’ll have to compete with us in the business world!” Li Yi said with satisfaction.

Yan Guangming, who had remained silent until then, suddenly spoke up: “Boss, we came here primarily to ask for your instructions on how to handle the prisoners, and also to discuss our next steps.”

Huang Lixing chimed in, “We’ve captured over eight thousand gang members this time. Now that the ringleaders and die-hard elements have been eliminated, most of the remaining ones are just ordinary foot soldiers. They’re only trying to make a living; we can’t just dispose of them carelessly.”

Upon hearing this, Li Yi immediately replied, “I’ve given this some thought as well. My approach is to analyze each gang on a case-by-case basis. For those we can control, we’ll take control ourselves or install trustworthy proxies to manage them—for example, the Tiger Hall and the Green Alliance. After all, their members are our compatriots.”

“If we can’t control them, or if the risks are too high, then we’ll simply seize their territory and deal with the gang members separately…”

“Brother Li Yi, what exactly do you mean by ‘deal with them separately’?”

Li Yi replied immediately, “Take the Yamaguchi-gumi, for instance. Aren’t they stockpiling weapons and gear to fight the 14K for territory? Well, we’ll just hand all those little Japs over to the 14K. I’m sure Old Master Ge will be quite pleased with our gift. As for how they deal with those little Japs, that’s none of our business.”

“What a clever move—using someone else’s knife to do the killing!” Huang Lixing remarked.

“No, this is called ‘offering flowers to Buddha.’ If we wanted to deal with those little bastards ourselves, we wouldn’t need to use someone else’s knife.”

Li Yi continued, “The reason I’m doing this isn’t just to spare our men from too much bloodshed; more importantly, I want to use those little punks’ heads to send a conciliatory message to the established triads, including the 14K, letting them know we have no intention of meddling in Hong Kong’s underworld.”

Hearing this, Huang Lixing and the others immediately understood Li Yi’s meaning.

These two operations had cleanly and decisively taken down these second-rate gangs, which was bound to put the top-tier local triads in Hong Kong on high alert.

After all, two tigers cannot coexist on the same mountain, and one cannot allow others to sleep soundly beside one’s own bed.

Once those top-tier syndicates felt that the Blue Dragon Society and Shield Security were threatening their interests, they would inevitably find ways to target them—and this could even affect Star Investment and the Chinese Chamber of Commerce.

Although Li Yi isn’t afraid, he doesn’t want to invite trouble.

It’s important to realize that the power of those top-tier triad organizations should not be underestimated; some have membership exceeding hundreds of thousands, and even the British colonial government dared not provoke them lightly.

Li Yi was running a legitimate business and had no intention of getting involved in Hong Kong’s underworld, so there was absolutely no need to make enemies.

After grasping Li Yi’s reasoning, the others were deeply impressed; his strategic vision was truly on a different level from their own.

Just as they were marveling at this, Li Yi’s voice rang out again: “As for the next steps, while you’re dealing with these triads, keep having your men surround the police station…”

Before he could finish, Huang Lixing spoke up in confusion: “Brother Li Yi, we’ve already taken control of those triads. Why do we still need to keep surrounding the police station?”

“Let someone else do the dirty work!”

Huang Lixing was taken aback for a moment, then asked in confusion, “Whose knife are we borrowing, and who are we killing?”

Li Yi smiled and said, “Old Huang, what do you think the police station’s reaction will be once they find out we’ve wiped out those gangs in one fell swoop?”

“They’d probably release those bastards immediately to clean up the mess and see if they can rally some new henchmen!” Huang Lixing said.

“Under normal circumstances, that’s perfectly reasonable. But if the police station is now surrounded by the public, demanding that the government severely punish those despicable gang leaders, do you think the police would still release those bastards?” Li Yi said with a half-smile.

Whoa!

Huang Lixing couldn’t help but suck in a sharp breath!

Knowing those ruthless bastards at the police station as he did, if they were truly faced with such a situation, they would abandon Meng Lin, Yamada, and the others without a second thought.

After all, once those triad gangs were wiped out, Meng Lin and the others would be left completely powerless and utterly worthless.

If their heads could be used to quell the public’s anger, both the police headquarters and the Governor’s Office would likely welcome it.

“Brother Li Yi, are you asking for the police department’s permission to kill those triad bosses?”

Li Yi nodded and said, “In this line of work, what goes around comes around. The moment they used underhanded tactics to harm our brothers, their fate was already sealed!”

However, there were some things Li Yi didn’t say. His actions weren’t merely to avenge the crew members of the Blue Dragon Society who had died so tragically; they were also meant to strike a blow against—and even serve as a warning to—the Police Department and the Governor’s Office.

Although the current situation prevented him from actually leveling the police headquarters and the Governor’s Office, he had no intention of letting them off easy.

It was easy to imagine that once the British colonial government, unable to withstand the pressure, dealt with the leaders of those triads, their prestige would suffer a severe blow.

After all, everyone in high society knew that those triads were working for the Governor’s Office. Now that they were facing trouble, they were pushing their own underlings out to take the fall—who would dare to work for them or risk their lives for them in the future?

In the long run, whether it’s the Governor’s Office or the police headquarters, they’ll both become toothless tigers, no longer posing any threat to Starry Sky Corporation or the Chinese Chamber of Commerce.

After hearing Li Yi’s words, Huang Lixing and the others immediately stood up and said, “We know what to do!”

They then discussed a few minor details before finally leaving Cloud Peak No. 1…

………

While the party was in full swing in VIP Room 3, the atmosphere in nearby VIP Room 9 was somewhat oppressive, with everyone wearing somber expressions.

However, Li Yi was not among them.

After listening to Pang Feiyan’s report, Li Yi not only failed to get angry or furious over the massive loss, but his expression was actually unusually relaxed, as if he’d made a killing today.

His unusual behavior left Pang Feiyan, Yang Qian, Liang He, and the others in the room somewhat puzzled.

After much hesitation, Pang Feiyan finally voiced her question: “Boss, we lost nearly 1.2 billion Hong Kong dollars today. Why do you look… so happy?”

Upon hearing this, everyone else in the room turned their gaze toward Li Yi.

Li Yi smiled and said, “Did we really lose money?”

“No… we didn’t?”

“Of course not!”

Li Yi then added, “The stock market is like a game of mahjong. As long as you haven’t left the table, you can never be certain who the ultimate winner will be.”

“Although it looks like we lost 1.2 billion today, as long as the other side shows no signs of backing down, that money isn’t really a loss.”

Upon hearing this, Pang Feiyan and the others all instinctively nodded.

As veterans of the investment world, they naturally understood the rules of the game and knew there was no flaw in his logic.

However, the thought that 1.2 billion Hong Kong dollars had indeed flowed into the pockets of those overseas conglomerates and retail investors left them feeling far from cheerful.

“Boss, those people got a taste of success today. They’ll definitely try the same trick again tomorrow. What should we do?” Pang Feiyan asked in a subdued voice.

Li Yi smiled and said, “Don’t worry. I already have a plan to fend them off. You don’t need to worry.”

“All you need to do now is go back and rest immediately, recharge your batteries, and get ready for tomorrow’s big battle!”

“Yes…”

After that, the group gathered their belongings and strode out of the VIP lounge.

However, as soon as Li Yi and the others stepped out of the VIP lounge, they saw the door to VIP Lounge No. 3 open suddenly not far away, and immediately afterward, a dozen or so men and women of varying ages and skin tones emerged from inside.

Since the two VIP rooms were quite close, and Li Yi and his group had already stepped out, the two groups encountered each other unexpectedly. The atmosphere instantly turned tense and then awkward.

Although the other group far outnumbered them, Li Yi showed no sign of fear. Instead, he stopped in his tracks and looked at the people across from him with composure.

Sang Chai didn’t back down either; he immediately led his group toward Li Yi’s side.

Seeing this, Zhang Ziqiang and the others were about to step forward to shield Li Yi, but he stopped them.

Although Li Yi didn’t recognize the people across from him, the fact that they were in the VIP lounge of the stock exchange clearly meant they were in a league of their own—far above the run-of-the-mill gangs and criminal organizations that merely talked tough.

Even if these people were seething with a desire to kill him, they wouldn’t act here—and certainly wouldn’t do it themselves.

Standing several meters apart, both sides stopped in unspoken agreement.

Before Li Yi could speak, Sang Chai said with a smug expression, “You must be Li from Star Investment. Allow me to introduce myself: I am Sang Chai, Vice President of the Xini Group.”

“Furthermore, I am the overall commander of today’s battle for control of the shares. I wonder what your thoughts are on today’s showdown?”

Li Yi gave a faint smile and replied, “Just a trivial trick—not worth mentioning.”

“Haha, a few billion is indeed nothing to you, but I wonder how you’d handle it if dozens of companies were attacked simultaneously?” Sang Chai said with a cold laugh.

Li Yi’s expression flickered slightly, but he quickly concealed it, then replied with undiminished confidence, “We have an old saying in China: ‘When friends come, we offer fine wine; when wolves come, we have hunting rifles.’ It’s simply a matter of meeting force with force!”

“Hahahaha! You Chinese are best at comforting yourselves with ideas from ancient times thousands of years ago. But times have changed. Your ancestors can’t stop our attack backed by hundreds of billions in capital, nor can they save you!” Sang Chai said arrogantly.

“That’s not necessarily true. The outcome is still undecided; anything is possible!”

Li Yi then shifted his tone and added, “I’d like to remind Mr. Sang Chai and everyone here: don’t get too excited before your opponent has played their trump card. Otherwise, you’ll end up eating your words!”

With that, Li Yi paid no further attention to them and led Pang Feiyan, Yang Qian, and the others straight toward the exchange’s exit.

Watching Li Yi and the others walk away, Sang Chai, Monroe, and the others couldn’t help but furrow their brows…

………

Cloud Peak No. 1!

Li Yi had barely returned to the villa and hadn’t even had time to settle in when Huang Lixing and his older sister’s husband, Yang Wenguang, arrived.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Li Yi led the two of them to the reception room upstairs.

No sooner had they settled in than Huang Lixing blurted out, “Brother Li Yi, your intel was spot-on. The cops have indeed announced an investigation into last night’s incident and decided to summon the leaders of those triad groups.”

“Have they been arrested yet?” Li Yi asked immediately.

Huang Lixing replied immediately, “The leaders of the Tiger Hall, the Yamaguchi-gumi, and the Brothers Party have already been summoned to the police station and were seen arriving at the entrance.”

“The leaders of the Southern Monkey Gang and the Green Alliance Gang haven’t arrived yet, but before we came over here, we received a report from our men on the ground that the police convoy has already reached the headquarters of those two gangs. They should be here soon, so I wanted to ask if we can pull back our men stationed outside the police station?”

“Once the leaders of those other two gangs make an appearance at the police station, have our men withdraw!” Li Yi said.

“Alright, I’ll handle that!” Huang Lixing said.

Li Yi nodded, then turned to Yang Wenguang beside him and asked, “Brother-in-law, how are things coming along on your end?”

“Eight elite platoons have already assembled, and weapons and equipment have been distributed. We’re just waiting for nightfall to move out!” Yang Wenguang said.

“Have the operational plans been finalized?”

“It’s all set. We plan to first send our elite forces to infiltrate the target and take control of those gangs without triggering a large-scale brawl.”

Yang Wenguang continued, “Of course, if we’re discovered during the infiltration, the main force will immediately follow up with a full-scale assault. In short, we must win today’s battle.”

“Good. I have faith in your combat capabilities!” Li Yi said.

At that moment, Huang Lixing spoke with a hint of concern: “Brother Li Yi, I attended the Chamber of Commerce meeting this morning as well. Are you really going to guarantee the losses for all the companies?”

“Yes. If I want everyone to support me, I have to show them I’m serious!” Li Yi replied.

“But the risk here is simply too great. We’re talking about companies with a market capitalization of hundreds of billions. If a stock price crash like the one two years ago were to happen, the fortune you’ve worked so hard to build could be destroyed in an instant…”

Before he could finish, Li Yi chuckled and said, “Don’t worry. That scenario is virtually impossible.”

“But… but I heard you’ve already lost 1.2 billion Hong Kong dollars today. A single company cost you that much—what about dozens, even hundreds of companies…”

Before Huang Lixing could finish, Li Yi smiled and said, “Old Huang, don’t worry. You can’t catch a wolf without sacrificing the lamb. Even when fishing, you have to use bait—let alone when fishing for these man-eating crocodiles!”

Fishing… bait?

Huang Lixing suddenly seemed to grasp something, and his eyes lit up instantly.

“Brother Li Yi, are you saying…”

“Old Huang, just keep this in mind. I never fight a battle I’m not sure I can win.”

Li Yi then added, “Once you get back, proceed according to the original plan. I’m waiting for your good news!”

“Yes…”

Watching Huang Lixing and Yang Wenguang walk away, Li Yi let out a deep sigh. Tonight was bound to be a sleepless night…

……..

Seeing Pang Feiyan enter, Li Yi, Yang Qian, and the others all turned their attention to her.

Upon reaching Li Yi, Pang Feiyan immediately said, “Boss, those guys have already driven the stock price up to 4.5 Hong Kong dollars. Should we keep following?”

“Yes!”

Li Yi then asked again, “How many shares of Hengye Real Estate have they acquired so far?”

“At least 50,000 lots, give or take 5,000!” Pang Feiyan replied.

Li Yi paused to think for a moment, then said, “That’s not enough. They’ll keep driving the price up, but I’ll say it again: no matter what price they offer, we have to outbid them!”

Hengye Real Estate has a total issued share capital of 444 million shares, with 30% in free float, or 133.3 million shares.

Fifty thousand lots represent just over 1% of the total shares, which clearly won’t achieve the other party’s desired effect. Driving up the stock price is essential.

“Yes…”

At the very moment Pang Feiyan was briefing Li Yi, in VIP Room No. 3 not far away, a dozen or so people of various ethnicities and ages—but all with considerable presence—were also discussing the situation at Hengye Real Estate.

“Mr. Sang Chai, the stock price has now risen to HK$4.7 per share. It’s about to double. Should we continue to follow through?”

The imposing middle-aged man seated at the head of the table paused briefly before saying, “Raise the offer price to HK$5 per share!”

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a plump woman in her thirties sitting below him spoke up: “Mr. Sangchai, I must remind you that the one competing with us for Hengye Real Estate shares is likely that Li fellow, and his specialty is driving the stock price to a high before quietly cashing out!”

Sangchai replied calmly, “Thank you for the warning, Ms. Meizhi, but that scenario won’t happen for the time being!”

“Why?”

“Because both sides hold only a limited number of shares. Cashing out at a high price right now wouldn’t yield much profit—it’s not worth it!”

Sangcai continued, “Besides, only by applying maximum pressure can we gauge the other side’s true intentions, so we need to step up our efforts!”

“But what if they really do cash out at the peak? Won’t we end up losing money then?”

This time, the speaker was a dark-skinned elderly man named Monroe, a core member of the Nanfei Consortium.

“If that Li really does that, we’ve won this battle for sure!” Sangchai said calmly.

“Sangchai, don’t be too confident. That young man is extremely cunning, and he often plays by his own rules.”

Monroe continued, “Once he decides to abandon his allies, it’ll be hard for us to hurt him—we might even end up getting ambushed or ambushed by him!”

Many agreed with Monroe’s assessment and chimed in to support him.

Li Yi’s track record spoke for itself; no one dared to underestimate him.

If he chose to go it alone, it would be them who found themselves at a disadvantage.

Although in that scenario, the Chinese Chamber of Commerce—regarded by their masters as a thorn in their side—would likely fall apart.

But they, too, would inevitably become targets of Li Yi’s retaliation, and under his sniper fire, their losses would certainly be devastating.

Sang Chai nodded and said, “That’s precisely why we need to get a clear picture of that guy’s true intentions.”

“After all, Hengye Real Estate isn’t worth much. Even if we let him cash out at a high price, our losses won’t be significant—and when spread across each consortium, they’ll be negligible.”

“But if we can’t gauge his true intentions, the rest of the plan won’t move forward. I think you all understand what choice we have to make!”

Upon hearing Sangchai’s words, the dozen or so people in the room fell silent.

After a long pause, Monroe—who looked like a dark-skinned monkey—finally spoke up: “Mr. Sangchai, you’re the commander-in-chief we’ve all unanimously chosen, and your Sini Consortium is the strongest among us. Whatever you say, we’ll follow!”

“That’s right, Mr. Sangchai. Do as you see fit!”

“Please give your orders, Mr. Sangcai…”

Sangcai nodded, then immediately ordered the trader waiting nearby to continue raising the bid!

As soon as Sangchai’s order was given, Hengye Real Estate’s stock price once again experienced violent fluctuations.

As both sides engaged in a fierce bidding war, by 3:00 p.m., Hengye Real Estate’s stock price had soared to 11.2 Hong Kong dollars, yet neither side showed any signs of backing down.

However, as both sides continued to drive up the stock price, retail investors rushed to sell off their holdings to cash out.

At this point, aside from a small portion of shares still held by some institutions waiting for the right price, the rest had all fallen into the hands of those overseas consortiums and Starry Sky Company.

At 3:30 p.m., with less than half an hour left before the market closed, Sangchai’s side made another push, instantly driving the share price up to HK$12.

Starry Company, unwilling to be outdone, immediately raised the price to HK$12.20. Spurred by the high prices, the turnover rate for Hengye Real Estate’s shares surged.

Seizing this opportunity, Sangchai issued the order to cash out!

After half an hour of BB Xi TR’s charade of buying a little and selling a lot, Sangchai and his team finally sold off all their shares just before the closing bell rang…

………

VIP Room No. 3!

“Boss, all shares have been successfully liquidated. The proceeds will be settled by noon tomorrow!”

Upon hearing the trader’s report, the dozen or so men and women in the room all cheered.

Sangchai nodded in satisfaction, then said, “Tell me about today’s situation!”

The trader replied immediately, “In this trade, we invested 400 million Hong Kong dollars to acquire 80 million shares of Hengye Real Estate. The average purchase price was 5 Hong Kong dollars per share, and the average selling price was 11.5 Hong Kong dollars per share, resulting in a profit of 520 million Hong Kong dollars…”

Hearing this, the VIP room erupted once again in enthusiastic applause and cheers.

520 million Hong Kong dollars—divided among the six consortiums, each stood to gain nearly 100 million Hong Kong dollars.

Sangchai glanced at the others in the room and said, “Although the profit today isn’t huge, it’s still a successful start—a good omen!”

“More importantly, the other side never gave up during today’s battle. This shows their resolve is unwavering—they’re determined to protect those Chinese-owned companies. Since that’s the case, we’ll proceed with Plan B.”

Sangchai then shifted his tone and continued, “Once you return, report today’s developments to your respective leaders. I expect all remaining funds to be in place before the market opens tomorrow!”

No sooner had he finished speaking than Monroe chimed in loudly, “Rest assured, Mr. Sangchai. The Nanfei Consortium’s 1.5 billion US dollars has already been transferred to Hong Kong and is ready to be deposited into the stock trading account at any time!”

“Our Bayang Group’s funds are also ready and will be transferred to the trading account on time tomorrow!”

“Our Felida Group’s funds are already in place…”

………

Hearing everyone’s responses, Sangchai’s mood grew even more cheerful.

Not only had they made 500 million Hong Kong dollars today, but more importantly, he believed he had found Li Yi’s Achilles’ heel.

And Plan B had been devised specifically to exploit this weakness of Li Yi’s; once he fell into the trap, they would inevitably bleed him dry.

By then, not only would Star Investment be finished, but the Chinese Chamber of Commerce would be dissolved as well.

Thinking of the promises made to him by the London side, Sang Chai suddenly felt that the position of consortium president was beckoning to him, and that his life was about to reach its peak.

However, they had no idea that Li Yi had already dug a massive pit, just waiting for them to fall in.

It is well known that the most skilled hunters often appear as prey themselves, and Li Yi was clearly a hunter of the highest caliber.

Those hundreds of millions of Hong Kong dollars were nothing more than bait he had cast out…

……..

Hong Kong. Far East Stock Exchange!

Upon hearing that the conglomerates had already made their move, the expressions in the VIP lounge turned serious.

Especially upon hearing the target of their move, Li Yi glanced at Li Futiao beside him and said, “Li’s Hengye Real Estate… Old Li, isn’t that your family’s business?”

Li Futao nodded immediately and said, “It is our Li family’s business, but it’s not wholly owned. Although our family is the major shareholder, we only hold 27% of the shares.”

“Do you know the company’s market capitalization, share price, and free float, Old Li?”

Li Fuzhao sighed and replied, “Hengye Real Estate used to have a market capitalization of 3 billion Hong Kong dollars, but since last year’s stock market crash, it’s dropped to 1.2 billion. The free-floating shares account for 30% of the total shares, and the previous share price was 2.7 Hong Kong dollars per share.”

Li Yi nodded, then turned to Pang Feiyan, who was monitoring the market, and asked, “What’s the situation out there?”

“Just now, someone suddenly started buying up Hengye Real Estate shares at a high price. Upon investigation, we found that all of them were from VIP Room No. 3—the very group we’ve been closely monitoring. Our people immediately came over to report it!” Pang Feiyan said.

Li Futao immediately said, “They’re trying to take the Li family down first. I’ll organize funds right now to counter their move!”

Li Yi paused to think for a moment, then said, “Old Li, don’t act rashly. Let me handle this matter, all right?”

“Alright, Brother Li Yi, go ahead with confidence. It doesn’t matter if we wipe this little company off the map!” Li Futiao said with a determined expression.

Li Futiao spoke from the bottom of his heart. Setting aside the fact that Li Yi had previously saved his only son, in the past two years alone, he had profited over 20 billion Hong Kong dollars by following Li Yi.

A small company in which he held only a 27% stake—even if he were to pour everything into it, it truly meant nothing to him.

However, Li Yi just smiled and said, “Don’t worry, Old Li. Not only will you not lose money this time, but you’ll actually make a huge profit.”

“Oh, brother, what’s your plan?” Li Futiao asked with interest.

Li Yi didn’t answer his question. Instead, he turned to Pang Feiyan and said, “Organize a team immediately and go all out to counter them. No matter what price they quote, we have to outbid them by 0.2 Hong Kong dollars!”

“Yes!”

Pang Feiyan knew her boss’s temperament well. After acknowledging the order, she quickly set things in motion.

After Pang Feiyan left, Li Futiao said with some concern, “Brother Li Yi, while this might stop them from acquiring Hengye Real Estate’s shares, it also puts you in a risky position. If they sell at the peak and run, you’ll likely be stuck holding the bag…”

Li Yi smiled and said, “That’s exactly what I want them to do—sell at the peak!”

Li Futiao: !@#￥%……&

Seeing Old Li’s utterly baffled expression, Li Yi immediately explained, “If I’m not mistaken, this attack on your Li family’s real estate company is nothing more than a test on their part!”

“A test?”

“Exactly. Those bastards just want to see how we’ll react—especially me and Star Investment!”

Li Yi continued, “If, when they attack the companies under your name, Star Investment and I choose to sit idly by, then these people will swarm like mad dogs, tearing into every single business under the Chinese Chamber of Commerce.”

“At the same time, they’d launch a media campaign to sow discord within our ranks and drive us to self-destruction!”

Li Futao immediately replied, “But if we choose to defend Hengye Real Estate, won’t that give them a weakness to exploit? Then we might end up in an even more passive position!”

“A weakness? Weaknesses only exist when one is afraid to act. But if we have no reservations, there is no weakness!”

Li Yi then added, “If we go all out to defend Hengye Real Estate this time, it will inevitably lead the other side to believe we’ve reached a tacit agreement to stand united with all Chinese businesses.”

“At that point, given those bastards’ greed, they’ll inevitably launch simultaneous attacks on all eligible listed companies, hoping to completely bleed us dry.”

Li Futao sucked in a sharp breath and said in a low voice, “So, no matter what we do, those scumbags will launch a full-scale attack against us?”

“Exactly. After all, their ultimate goal is to destroy our Chinese Chamber of Commerce!” Li Yi said.

“Then how should we respond?” asked Li Futiao.

Li Yi smiled and said, “Old Li, I already have a plan to repel them, but it requires the full support of every member of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce!”

“Brother Li Yi, just tell us what you need us to do, and I guarantee everyone will stand with you through thick and thin!” Li Futiao said.

“Great!”

Li Yi continued, “Old Li, call an emergency meeting of all members right now. Tell them that if they’re willing to stand with me, Li Yi, and Starry Sky Company through thick and thin, they must follow my orders from this moment on.”

“Of course, I’ll also ensure no one’s interests are harmed. We’ll use today’s stock prices as a benchmark to calculate the market value of each member’s holdings. If anyone suffers a loss because of this, I, Li Yi, will compensate them in full.”

Upon hearing this, Li Futiao, Zhou Xinghua, and the others were stunned. This was a massive undertaking.

The Chinese Chamber of Commerce had 32 full members alone, with over a hundred listed companies under their names, and a combined market capitalization exceeding 200 billion Hong Kong dollars.

Even a 10% loss in market value would amount to 20 billion Hong Kong dollars!

“Brother Li Yi, there’s really no need for this. Even if you didn’t offer to cover the losses, everyone would stand by you through thick and thin!” Li Futiao tried to dissuade him.

Li Yi replied solemnly, “Old Li, these companies represent the life’s work of every chamber member—some may even be the accumulated assets of their families spanning generations. If I don’t demonstrate sufficient sincerity, how can I expect them to entrust such vital businesses to my management?”

“Well…”

“Old Li, no need to say more. It’s settled. You handle communicating with the members; I’ll handle fending off the enemy!” Li Yi said.

“Alright, then!”

With that, Li Futiao turned to leave.

However, after taking just two steps, he turned back and said, “Brother Li Yi, I don’t care what others do, but every company under the Li family will cooperate with you fully. Even if we suffer losses, you won’t have to cover them!”

With that, Li Futao left the VIP room without looking back!

After Li Futiao and the others had left, Yang Qian, who was standing nearby, immediately said, “Boss, the combined market value of all the companies owned by the Chamber of Commerce members is a whopping 247.6 billion Hong Kong dollars. What you’re doing is far too risky!”

“Risky? I don’t think so!” Li Yi said calmly.

Although his promise did sound a bit unbelievable, as if he were putting himself in a dangerous position.

But only Li Yi himself knew that he was certain to win this battle.

Every member of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce had been carefully selected by him and Old Li before being admitted into the chamber. These members shared one common trait: the companies under their names were primarily engaged in real industries and were in sound financial condition.

But right now, Hong Kong was in the final stages of a stock market crash, with both the real estate and stock markets in freefall. The market capitalization of every company was at its lowest point—and that alone put him in an unbeatable position.

After all, stock prices had already hit rock bottom—how much lower could they possibly go?

Yang Qian frowned and said, “But if the market value of these companies plummets, you’ll have to pay full compensation. That’s…”

Li Yi smiled and then asked in return, “As for the companies under our members’ names, is there really any room left for their stock prices to fall?”

At those words, Yang Qian was completely taken aback!

It took her a while to realize what was going on, and then she looked at Li Yi and said, “Boss, that was a brilliant move. With a promise that you’ll hardly ever have to keep, you’ve completely won over all the members. With the combined strength of so many companies, we really have nothing to fear from our enemies!”

“Got it?”

“Yeah… I get it!” Yang Qian nodded.

“Good to hear…”

Just as they were speaking, the door to the VIP room swung open again, and Pang Feiyan hurried in…

……….