Chapter 407: Chaos! Utter Chaos!
Wong Bing-Yiu hung up the phone and immediately went crazy.
HSBC had a huge problem!
All the money he had saved his entire life was there. If he didn't withdraw it quickly, his entire life's work would be for nothing!
Wong Bing-Yiu was drenched in sweat. Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly remembered what Lin Feng had said — to notify his brothers.
He was, after all, the Chief of the West Kowloon Police Headquarters, so he still had some composure.
Wong Bing-Yiu quickly called Chan Yan-kin:
"A Jian, which bank do the brothers have their money in?"
Chan Yan-kin was startled:
"Chief, that's the brothers' privacy. I can't ask."
Wong Bing-Yiu cursed:
"To hell with their privacy! People are going to die!"
"Quickly go and notify the brothers. Tell them to drop everything they're doing."
"If they have their money in HSBC, tell them to get it back!"
Chan Yan-kin said in astonishment:
"HSBC is very powerful."
"Chief, the Tycoon Group people are still causing trouble. If the brothers drop what they're doing to go withdraw money from HSBC?"
"That's too much..."
"If the Political Department finds out, we won't be able to explain ourselves."
Wong Bing-Yiu angrily said:
"Don't you know what's important?"
"How much do the brothers earn in a month?"
"They risk their lives day and night for these few thousand hong kong dollar."
"Now HSBC has a big problem. If they don't get their money back quickly, do you want the brothers to starve?"
"Are you stupid?!"
Chan Yan-kin's face turned pale with shock:
"What? HSBC has a problem?"
Wong Bing-Yiu was very irritable:
"Mr. Lin gave me the news. Do you think it could be wrong?"
"I'm telling you, Mr. Lin is a recognized big boss in the underworld, with friends everywhere."
"His friends are all people of unusual status."
"Each one is the head of a hall or the leader of a gang."
"If his friends know, how many people do you think will know about this?"
"Tell the brothers to act quickly. If they go late, the brothers will skin you alive!"
Chan Yan-kin was sweating, but he still said:
"But the Political Department..."
Wong Bing-Yiu roared:
"To hell with the Political Department!"
"The Tycoon Group people are working for money, and the Governors Office Political Department hasn't done anything to them."
"If they really cared, they'd send the Political Department to find Little Tycoon!"
"If you dare to babble again, I'll throw you to the Political Department!"
Chan Yan-kin dared not say more and immediately said:
"Chief, I will immediately notify the acting Chief!"
Bang!
Wong Bing-Yiu directly hung up the phone. Immediately after, he picked up the phone again:
"Old Lin, it's me, Old Huang."
"Something big has happened!"
"Do you have your money in HSBC?"
"Notify your subordinates, the brothers, to quickly withdraw their money from HSBC."
"I received intel that HSBC's capital chain has a problem and it might collapse!"
Chief Lin of the Hong Kong Island Police Headquarters was startled:
"Are you sure?"
Wong Bing-Yiu angrily said:
"The fact that I'm notifying you is already because of our twenty-plus years of friendship."
"Don't worry about the Tycoon Group people anymore. With Little Tycoon in trouble, they should disperse."
"The brothers' livelihoods are more important!"
Chief Lin understood:
"Fatty Huang, thank you!"
Wong Bing-Yiu cursed and hung up the phone. What the hell, Old Lin? Thanks is thanks, but why call him fatty? Is fatty eating your family's rice?
Wong Bing-Yiu's phone kept ringing.
He notified the Chiefs of all eighteen districts: East Kowloon, New Territories, Outlying Islands... everyone.
Regardless of whether they were on the same side as him, the Police Station brothers were in the same position as him.
After notifying everyone, Wong Bing-Yiu sped home at a hundred-meter dash pace, grabbed his credentials, and rushed to the nearest HSBC bank. On the way, he suddenly had an idea and made another call.
This call was not to anyone else, but to Officer George of the Political Department, whom he had met once.
"George, this is Wong Bing-Yiu from the West Kowloon Police Headquarters."
"I heard that HSBC is in trouble."
"If you have money deposited in HSBC, go withdraw it quickly."
"Oh, and be sure to notify the brothers in the Political Department."
Wong Bing-Yiu, despite his size, was truly shrewd.
This mass desertion of Police Station officers to withdraw money was bound to attract the attention of the Political Department.
Wong Bing-Yiu decided to go all out and directly informed the Political Department.
Instead of waiting for the Political Department to come and question him, he directly told them the reason.
He didn't believe the Political Department would dare to speak nonsense with their eyes wide open.
I've done you a favor, how can you still trouble me?
Besides, if all the Police Station officers in Hong Kong go to withdraw money from HSBC, he didn't believe they could fine everyone.
George didn't speak for a long time, then after a while, he said:
"Chief Huang, thank you for the information."
"You should be on your way to HSBC, right?"
"I'll give you a suggestion: don't go to the HSBC in the city. Go to a bank in the suburbs to withdraw money."
Wong Bing-Yiu was startled and said in a low voice:
"You knew?"
George said with a bitter smile:
"Yes, I just found out not long ago."
Wong Bing-Yiu's heart stirred, and he probed:
"I also just found out not long ago. Where did you get the news?"
George didn't hide it from him:
"Mr. Lin told me!"
Wong Bing-Yiu gasped.
Wow!
Amazing!
Mr. Lin's capabilities are truly impressive; he even has connections with George.
No wonder his file was completely blank, suspiciously clean.
He had friends everywhere, inside and out. Everything was handled by his friends, so he really didn't need to do anything himself.
George sighed:
"I suppose you also got the news from Mr. Lin, right?"
Wong Bing-Yiu readily admitted:
"Yes, Mr. Lin gave me the news."
"Just now, I've already notified the Chiefs of the other major districts."
"Officer George, you can't cause me trouble today."
George said speechlessly:
"I don't want to die either."
"You need to hurry. Right now, not many people know."
"But in a while, that might not be the case."
Wong Bing-Yiu was stunned:
"What do you mean?"
George couldn't help but say:
"Mr. Lin's third wife is a reporter for TV Television Station."
"This is exclusive news!"
"How long do you think something like this can be kept secret?"
Wong Bing-Yiu suddenly realized, repeatedly thanking him:
"Thank you for telling me, Officer George. I'll go to the suburbs immediately!"
Hanging up the phone, Wong Bing-Yiu was covered in sweat.
It was a good thing he had been extra careful and called George.
Otherwise, it would have been really troublesome!
He absolutely couldn't go to the city; he had to go to the suburbs.
While not many people knew, he might still be able to withdraw the money.
Otherwise, if HSBC imploded and went bankrupt, that would be a problem.
HSBC was an old Anglo-Saxon capital bank, and a massive entity.
Logically speaking, it should be almost impossible for it to collapse.
However, as soon as Wong Bing-Yiu thought that Lin Feng was behind this, he dared not hold any illusions.
Who was Lin Feng?
A powerful figure who could turn the world upside down with a flick of his hand.
If he were to target HSBC... it was really hard to say.
Wong Bing-Yiu immediately turned his car around and headed straight for the suburbs. At this moment, he hadn't forgotten the brothers at the Police Station, so he quickly called Chan Yan-kin again:
"A Jian, where are you?"
Static appeared on the other end of the phone:
"Chief, I'm waiting in line outside HSBC bank. It's truly unbelievable, it's as if everyone in Hong Kong has come out. I've already queued three streets away!"
Wong Bing-Yiu was dumbfounded:
"Isn't that practically queuing outside another bank?"
Chan Yan-kin said with a bitter smile:
"Where? There are queues outside every bank."
"There are long lines of people outside every bank."
"The streets are packed with people."
"I'd like to get to the front, but how can I!"
Wong Bing-Yiu quickly said:
"Notify the brothers to go to the suburbs."
"Now, before the news airs, quickly go to the suburbs to withdraw the money."
"If you go late, it will really be too late!"
Chan Yan-kin's eyes lit up:
"You're still the one with the keen insight, Chief."
After notifying him, Wong Bing-Yiu hung up the phone and focused on driving.
The journey was very smooth.
His heart felt cold.
Something really had happened; Mr. Lin hadn't lied to him!
Normally, the roads wouldn't be this empty.
The Tycoon people would have blocked the roads completely.
These people were truly dedicated when working for money.
Wong Bing-Yiu even knew that their wages were paid daily.
Yet now, where were any of the troublesome Tycoon Group people on the road?
What did this indicate?
Their dog food supply had been cut off!
No one was paying them, so naturally, they wouldn't come out to cause trouble.
It seemed Little Tycoon really had been thrown into prison by the people in London, otherwise, the Tycoon Group people wouldn't have been completely silent today.
Wong Bing-Yiu sneered inwardly.
When these people came out to cause trouble, even the Governors Office didn't dare to say anything, only ordering the Police Stations to maintain traffic.
There wasn't even half a word of criticism.
What kind of damned Governors Office is this?!
Wong Bing-Yiu finally saw through it.
He thought this while driving furiously.
There were no motorcycle police on the road at all; all the police officers had gone to the nearest HSBC bank branches to handle matters, so there was no need to worry about anyone putting up posters.
What should have been a twenty-minute drive, he arrived in five minutes.
At this moment, Wong Bing-Yiu didn't dare to cherish his car. The sound of tires screeching rang out as Wong Bing-Yiu shot out of the car, his movements agile and absolutely unlike what a fatty should possess, as if he had returned to his eighteen-year-old self!
Wong Bing-Yiu breathed a sigh of relief as he rushed into the bank branch.
George was right; there were few people in the suburban bank.
After he entered, he could directly queue up.
Just as he finished withdrawing the money, a group of people suddenly rushed into the bank branch.
Wong Bing-Yiu's heart stirred, and he asked the person closest to him:
"What's going on?"
The person was quite exasperated:
"TV Television Station has already broadcasted that Little Tycoon engaged in insider trading with HSBC, and his 5 billion hong kong dollars funds have been frozen."
"Some time ago, HSBC also withdrew 7 billion hong kong dollars in funds."
"Adding it up, a total of 12 billion hong kong dollars has been lost on the books!"
"That's all our hard-earned money!"
"That damned Mr. Shen is not a human; he actually used our money to curry favor with Little Tycoon!"
"That's our hard-earned money!"
"I want to withdraw money!"
Wong Bing-Yiu was squeezed out!
That's right, he was squeezed out!
There were too many people; there was no room to stand inside the bank.
Wong Bing-Yiu was already fat, taking up the space of two people, and was genuinely disliked, getting forcibly squeezed out.
If it were normal times, Chief Huang would at least argue with people a few times—after all, he was also a Chief of the West Kowloon Police Headquarters; how could he lose face like this?
But now he didn't dare!
There were too many people!
Everyone's eyes were red!
If he dared to say two more words, he might be ganged up on.
He would not do such a thing.
Wong Bing-Yiu stood at the bank entrance, watching people rush towards it from all directions.
Soon, he witnessed how long Chan Yan-kin's mentioned queue actually was.
In less than ten minutes, it stretched from the lobby entrance to a kilometer away!
Wong Bing-Yiu's mouth felt a bit dry, and he thought to himself:
"Something serious has really happened."
"What's it matter if Tycoon's people take to the streets to cause trouble? If this matter cannot be quelled, Hong Kong might be in for a change of power."
Fortunately, he had already withdrawn his money.
Wong Bing-Yiu kept his face taut, trying hard not to show any expression.
This was not the time for him to show joy; if he provoked a short-tempered person, he might be ganged up on.
He had withdrawn his money, but seeing such a long queue, he was sure that more than half of these people would leave disappointed today.
For a bank to make a profit, it uses depositors' savings for loans.
It earns the interest difference between low savings interest and high mortgage rates.
Of course, high-end banks also engage in various investments.
But ultimately, when depositors want to withdraw their money at the same time, the bank will definitely not be able to provide it.
Not to mention that HSBC had already had 12 billion hong kong dollars embezzled by Mr. Shen!
This was not a small amount.
Back in his car, Wong Bing-Yiu felt a sense of dread.
HSBC was probably finished!
Let alone a shortage of 12 billion hong kong dollars; even without a shortage, facing such a run on the bank would severely weaken it.
Not to mention the huge deficit within it.
Currently, the only thing that could save HSBC was their past connections.
Wong Bing-Yiu drove home, encountering a traffic jam again on the way.
This time, it wasn't Tycoon's people causing trouble on the streets; this time, almost everyone in Hong Kong had come out.
The scale was immeasurably larger than before.
Wong Bing-Yiu was stunned!
This was too outrageous!
The car was moving at a snail's pace.
Someone, too anxious from waiting, couldn't help but honk loudly, which resulted in public outrage.
Wong Bing-Yiu watched as the person was dragged out of their car by more than a dozen other car owners and beaten.
He couldn't be bothered to get out of his car to intervene.
Wong Bing-Yiu understood that these people who were acting were genuinely desperate, on the verge of exploding, and very irritable.
The beaten car owner was just a target for them to vent their anger.
Anyone who tried to mediate at this time would also get beaten.
He wouldn't suffer such a hardship.
It wasn't that Wong Bing-Yiu couldn't beat those car owners; those people were, to put it plainly, just ordinary people.
No matter how strong, could they compare to Wong Bing-Yiu?
That was impossible.
But he had no reason to beat them up, right?
Putting himself in their shoes, if he encountered such a situation, would his temper be any better than theirs?
Just in the office, he had already furiously scolded his capable assistant, Chan Yan-kin, once.
Suddenly, Wong Bing-Yiu sneered,
The Governors Office didn't care when Tycoon's people took to the streets to cause trouble, so now, in this situation, would the Governors Office care?
Wong Bing-Yiu didn't know that the Governors Office was already frantic.
"Hong Kong is one of the most important financial sources for the Anglo-Saxon mainland; it absolutely cannot fall into chaos!"
"Chief Secretary, Secretary for Justice, Financial Secretary, you are the three giants of the Governors Office."
"I usually held you in high regard, and this is how you repay me?"
"Who the hell can tell me what the hell is going on?"
"Why are the people of Hong Kong abandoning their studies and work to rush to HSBC for a bank run?"
"Who is behind this?"
"Can any of you answer me!"
The Governor's face was flushed, and he wielded his cane wildly.
A once-in-a-century bank run, and he had to encounter it.
And it happened when the Anglo-Saxon homeland was at its weakest, when it most needed financial resources.
It was simply adding insult to injury.
The Chief Secretary and the Secretary for Justice exchanged glances and both looked at the Financial Secretary. The latter secretly rolled his eyes but still braced himself and said:
"Mr. Shen went too far with this matter."
The Governor said angrily:
"What's going on?"
The Financial Secretary thought, isn't it the result of your indulgence?
If you had taken a stance earlier, would Little Tycoon have dared to be so reckless?
But such words could not be spoken.
Once spoken, a scolding was unavoidable for him.
He couldn't suffer such a loss!
The Financial Secretary said with a bitter smile:
"The cause of the incident is that Little Tycoon wanted to rescue Tycoon..."
The Governor interrupted him, raising his voice:
"We, the Governors Office, made no mistake in this matter."
"Tycoon dared to lay hands on an Imperial Grand Duke; detaining him is justified."
"We also acted according to the rules and absolutely did not violate them!"
"Didn't we also not do anything to Little Tycoon?"
The Financial Secretary nodded repeatedly:
"The Governor is right!"
He knew that the Governor was trying to be a non-stick pan, to shirk responsibility.
He was happy to see this.
No one in the Governors Office wanted to be associated with this responsibility.
Originally, Tycoon committed a crime, and the Governors Office did not pursue Little Tycoon's collective responsibility, even turning a blind eye to his covert instigation of people to take to the streets to cause trouble. This was already magnanimous and lenient.
If it were someone else who dared to do such a thing, would the Governors Office not strike hard?!
It was purely Little Tycoon's fault for not knowing what was good for him!
Since the Governor had set the tone, the Financial Secretary naturally had something to say:
"The responsibility for this matter lies with Little Tycoon, and then also with Mr. Shen."
The Financial Secretary and Mr. Shen were good friends; he even secretly tipped off Mr. Shen when he heard that the Governor was going to send the ICAC after him.
But given the current situation, who could afford to care?
The Financial Secretary had already done his utmost by risking a call to Mr. Shen.
Now, of course, he had to look out for himself first!
"It is precisely because of their under-the-table operations that HSBC experienced a shortage."
"Coupled with Little Tycoon's misdeeds coming to light and TV Television Station reporting the news, the citizens of Hong Kong are not fools; they will naturally worry that their money will become part of that 12 billion hong kong dollars."
"Panic is inevitable."
The Governor said with a gloomy face:
"What should we do now?"
The Financial Secretary immediately said:
"The best approach now is to have Mr. Shen come forward to quell public anger."
"Whether he steals, robs, cheats, or borrows, he must quell this matter."
+++
Chapter 408: Where is Mr. Shen, such a prominent figure?
"Sir, Sir, you have caused an immense disaster."
"My brother, I can't protect you anymore."
The Financial Secretary sighed inwardly.
All the problems were Mr. Shen's, so the Governors Office, from top to bottom, bore no responsibility, and everyone was satisfied.
The Financial Secretary could not possibly go against himself; even if he was on good terms with Mr. Shen, at this moment, he could only sacrifice a pawn to save the rook.
Ultimately, people are always for themselves.
The Governor quickly made a decision:
"Let the Commissioner of the ICAC fully supervise this case. When your cooperation is needed, you must cooperate well."
The Chief Secretary, the Secretary for Justice, and the Financial Secretary naturally had no objections.
The Commissioner of the ICAC was a high-ranking official, but it was just talk.
All three knew that ICAC was a knife in the Governor's hand, and where the knife swung depended purely on the Governor's wishes.
In any case, it would definitely not fall on their heads.
The three excused themselves, and the Chief Secretary asked:
"Which bank do we keep our money in?"
The Financial Secretary's face instantly changed dramatically.
Seeing the change in his expression, the Chief Secretary and the Secretary for Justice also changed their expressions, and both blurted out:
"It wouldn't be in HSBC, would it?"
The Financial Secretary said with a bitter smile:
"HSBC offers high interest rates."
"The annual expenses of our Governors Office are not a small sum, so putting it there naturally brings more income."
"In fact, most of the Mandatory Provident Fund is also invested in HSBC..."
The Chief Secretary's face was ashen:
"Who knows about this?"
The Financial Secretary said with a bitter smile:
"This is not a secret; everyone knows about it."
The Secretary for Justice immediately asked:
"Can it be withdrawn?"
Before the Financial Secretary could answer, the Chief Secretary directly shook his head:
"Now is not the time to withdraw it."
"Hong Kong is already deserted, with everyone in front of HSBC's various branches."
"We simply cannot enter the banking hall."
The Secretary for Justice frowned and said:
"We are the Governors Office; we have a special channel."
The Chief Secretary glanced at him:
"Things are not what they used to be. Thirty or forty years ago, even twenty years ago, we could formulate special laws for a single ethnic group."
"However, this approach doesn't work now."
"Thanks to our daily false propaganda, if we do something like that, the citizens of Hong Kong will directly storm the Governors Office."
"We cannot bear the consequences of that."
The Secretary for Justice immediately fell silent.
The principal officials in the Governors Office were Foreigners, and to govern these six million people, some special means were naturally required.
One of the simplest things was to formulate laws.
To highlight class distinctions through legislation.
However, after so many years of propaganda, Foreigners desperately claimed that the Western world—especially the Anglo-Saxon—was paradise, where anything could be done, and there were no class distinctions... if they truly did something out of line, they would suffer a backlash.
This was especially true now that Hong Kong was only a few years away from its return.
The Secretary for Justice's approach was unworkable.
"This is not appropriate."
The Financial Secretary also opposed doing this.
"Hong Kong has no shortage of anything but rich people. Everyone is a VIP. At this time, those rich people will definitely not make way for us."
"The Governors Office indeed has a lot of deposits."
"But the Old Four Families also have a considerable amount of deposits."
"Even if they haven't invested all their money in HSBC, a significant portion will definitely be invested there."
"We cannot act rashly; otherwise, it will cause a backlash from them."
"The citizens of Hong Kong are particularly irritable right now, and we cannot do such a thing."
The Chief Secretary praised:
"The Financial Secretary's words are truly the wisdom of an experienced statesman."
"I have already received news that several brawls have occurred today."
"Hong Kong is already in chaos."
The Secretary for Justice frowned and asked:
"What is the Police Station doing?"
The Chief Secretary said expressionlessly:
"They are withdrawing money!"
The Secretary for Justice was furious:
"They are law enforcement, a disciplined force. What money are they withdrawing at this time?"
"Maintaining order is the top priority."
The Chief Secretary looked at him in surprise:
"Are you serious?"
The Financial Secretary instinctively took a big step away from the Secretary for Justice.
Are you kidding me?
We crossed half a planet to come to Hong Kong, not to serve them, but to earn money.
money is the most important thing.
The Secretary for Justice's remarks gave him a very bad feeling.
Not to mention the grandstanding, there was actually a hint of 'tea' in it.
Even the Financial Secretary frowned upon hearing it.
The Secretary for Justice immediately realized that his performance was overdone and quickly tried to salvage it:
"What about George from the Police Political Department?"
"Now is the time for him to act."
The Chief Secretary quickly interrupted the Secretary for Justice:
"Don't think about George."
"Have you forgotten the previous orders from London?"
"George is currently interrogating the Tycoon with Brigadier General Cunningham. Although he is the head of the Political Department, it's not good for him to shift his work at this time."
"London's order is for us to cooperate with him."
The Secretary for Justice said speechlessly:
"Are we helpless against them?"
The Chief Secretary said seriously:
"We Anglo-Saxons are always the minority in Hong Kong."
"To govern six million Hong Kong citizens, we must adopt appropriate methods."
"Otherwise, once the government's reputation is damaged, no one will listen to us."
"You should understand the reasoning behind this."
"I know your determination for the Anglo-Saxon is unmatched."
"But you also have to remember that you are not the only one loyal to the Anglo-Saxon."
"Otherwise, the ones who will suffer in the end are not me and the Financial Secretary, but you... Secretary for Justice!"
"You are a law student."
"There is a fundamental thing you need to understand."
"Only when each department performs its duties can the Governors Office function well."
"If you do too much."
"Then you will cross the line."
"And the consequence of crossing the line is either to kill your teammates, or to kill your teammates faster!"
The Secretary for Justice stopped talking.
The Chief Secretary said indifferently:
"The Governor has already handed this matter over to ICAC, and we are all essentially serving the Governor."
"The Governor has already ordered ICAC to act; this is the final decision."
"We should all cooperate."
"If you want to interfere again, I will absolutely not agree."
"That's your own decision."
The Financial Secretary shrugged:
"The Chief Secretary is right; I will not agree to such a thing either."
"I will also write it in the memo."
The Secretary for Justice frowned, looking at the two in confusion:
"Are you two being too conservative?"
The Chief Secretary shrugged:
"The Three Secretaries and Thirteen Bureaus are headed by the three of us."
"The other bureau chiefs are not just for show."
"If you forcibly take on this task, I don't know about others, but the Security Bureau would be the first to object."
"Let's drop this matter here."
"If you dare to act, you must bear the consequences!"
The Financial Secretary immediately said:
"I completely agree with the Chief Secretary's statement."
"Secretary for Justice, our Financial Secretary will not go along with your nonsense!"
The Secretary for Justice was silent for a long time before finally saying helplessly,
"I am truly dedicated to public service."
"Since you both oppose my decision, then I won't do this."
"I am a team player."
The Chief Secretary and the Financial Secretary exchanged glances, both secretly disdainful.
This wasn't their first time working together today; did he really think they didn't know what kind of person he was?
His 'tea-like' remarks were more nauseating than the top-billed courtesans at a nightclub.
Coupled with the Secretary for Justice's ugly countenance, it was even more sickening.
This guy... is beyond saving!
Seeing that he had dispelled the Secretary for Justice's terrible idea, the Chief Secretary said,
"The Governor's orders are always paramount. If the Commissioner of the ICAC needs our assistance for anything, everyone must cooperate."
Both nodded simultaneously.
The Governor's words must always be obeyed.
And so, the matter ended there.
The Financial Secretary returned to his office, still uneasy.
He frantically dialed Mr. Shen's number, but it was impossible to get through.
The phone was always busy.
The Financial Secretary was furious!
At this critical moment, he couldn't get through on the phone. Wasn't this ridiculous?
The Financial Secretary didn't give up and dialed Mr. Shen's mobile phone instead. This time, the message was "the other party has switched off."
"That's it!"
The Financial Secretary sighed inwardly; he had tried his best.
The fact that he couldn't reach Mr. Shen at this crucial moment meant it was fate.
Now, it was time to think carefully about why he had called Mr. Shen these past two days.
Otherwise, he would have a hard time explaining when ICAC asked.
The Financial Secretary couldn't figure out where this guy had gone.
"Where did that scoundrel Mr. Shen run off to?"
Cunningham asked with a ferocious expression, his features distorted and exceptionally ugly.
He was furious!
After George received Lin Feng's message, he immediately informed Cunningham, who dismissed it.
In fact, he had received the news much earlier than George.
When Little Tycoon was imprisoned in London, Duke Cunningham had already notified him of the good news.
Ultimately, compared to George, a future member of the family, Brigadier General Cunningham was the current backbone of the Cunningham Family.
When George told him that there might be a run on HSBC in Hong Kong, General Cunningham didn't believe him.
HSBC was an old Anglo-Saxon capital institution and also held the right to issue hong kong dollars.
Its reputation was top-notch.
A run on HSBC? That was impossible.
If it were an ordinary person, they would definitely have believed it.
Cunningham was different; he was a true Anglo-Saxon aristocrat, and naturally possessed the arrogance and prejudice that all Anglo-Saxon aristocrats had — Anglo-Saxon capital was synonymous with nobility in Hong Kong; whether it was the Old Four Families or the New Four Families, who didn't develop by relying on Anglo-Saxon capital?
Why would the citizens of Hong Kong have a run on the bank?
Impossible!
Absolutely not!
Then, when Lok Wai-Jan appeared on TV Television Station's breaking news today, Cunningham finally realized that something bad was happening.
He had tens of millions of hong kong dollars in HSBC!
Cunningham frantically watched as the military vehicle went to the nearest bank to withdraw money, only to discover that the situation was serious.
He couldn't get in!
Even if you were a Garrison Brigadier General, you couldn't get in!
There were simply too many people.
Cunningham possessed the damned arrogance and prejudice of an Anglo-Saxon aristocrat, but he wasn't brainless.
At this moment, he absolutely dared not disperse the crowd to withdraw money himself.
It was still that saying: times have changed!
Forty years ago, no, thirty years ago, what if there was a massacre?
Now it was completely different.
If he dared to do such a thing, his Mainland would dare to take him back to face the firing squad!
Cunningham patiently lined up, but he didn't expect that when he was still three blocks away, the bank ran out of cash!
In other words, he had wasted a whole day for nothing.
At that moment, the crowd erupted.
Cunningham wished he could pull out his gun and shoot the bank manager.
However, no cash meant no cash, so what could he do?
What bad luck!
Cunningham returned dejectedly and happened to meet George's concerned greeting. He, in turn, asked George, who replied that he was glad he went early and got his money back.
At this, Cunningham exploded:
"Damn it, you damned Foreigner, how did he become an aristocrat?"
"He's simply a disgrace to the Empire!"
"How dare he embezzle my money... He absolutely cannot be forgiven!"
Cunningham yelled and vented his anger for a while, then suddenly asked:
"George, do you know where Mr. Shen went?"
George shook his head:
"General, I've been by your side. I don't know Mr. Shen's movements."
Cunningham frowned and said:
"Aren't you a Military Intelligence Agency agent?"
George innocently replied:
"Military Intelligence Agency agents work externally, not internally."
"Mr. Shen is a respectable figure after all, and he hasn't done anything against the Empire, so I have no reason to monitor him."
Cunningham loudly retorted:
"Who says he hasn't done anything against the Empire?"
"This fellow indulged Little Tycoon in corrupting the Empire's aristocrats; that's undermining the Empire's foundation."
"You should have dealt with him early on."
George secretly curled his lip. Did the Empire's aristocrats still need to be corrupted?
They would accept any money.
George honestly said:
"I wouldn't dare!"
Cunningham sighed:
"I was impulsive just now. I shouldn't have lost my temper with you."
"You didn't do anything wrong."
"If it were me, I wouldn't dare take action against Mr. Shen either."
Ultimately, Mr. Shen's methods of secretly supporting Little Tycoon were something the Empire's aristocrats tacitly allowed.
Everyone played the game that way, so why should it be different for Mr. Shen?
Cunningham looked at George with a very complex gaze.
George felt particularly uncomfortable under his gaze, so he cautiously asked:
"General, is there something wrong with me?"
Cunningham sighed:
"Nothing else, but there's one thing I originally wanted to tell you later, hoping to give you a surprise."
"But now..."
George quickly said:
"General, your help to me has already been immense. A surprise or not, it's not important."
Cunningham said expressionlessly:
"No, this is very important."
George looked at him, puzzled.
Cunningham took a deep breath. George's heart stirred, and a bad premonition suddenly arose.
"Thanks to your intelligence, the Family Head successfully thwarted a conspiracy against our family."
"Therefore, the Family Head transferred a sum of money."
"As a reward!"
George said in astonishment:
"A reward?"
Cunningham suddenly became irritable again.
"Your intelligence fee is 500 million hong kong dollars. This is the intelligence fee for that intelligence merchant."
"But besides this money, there's another ten million hong kong dollars."
"Five million of it is yours, and five million is mine."
"This is a bonus for contributing to the family."
George exclaimed:
"It couldn't be... the Duke transferred the money through HSBC, could he?"
Cunningham was extremely pained:
"Exactly, that's right!"
George sprang up:
"My money!"
"My intelligence fee!"
George's face also twisted.
His money!
Lin Feng had promised him that the intelligence fee would only be 100 million hong kong dollars, and the rest George could name any amount.
Whatever he could get, it would be his.
George was quite excited.
He asked Duke Cunningham for 500 million, and to his surprise, he agreed.
In other words, out of this 510 million hong kong dollars, 405 million was his!
How could George not be excited?!
He looked at Cunningham with a particularly resentful gaze:
"General, why didn't you say so earlier?"
"If you had told me earlier, I would definitely have brought it up."
"What do we do now?"
"That intelligence merchant is extremely resourceful."
"If we don't pay him the intelligence fee, he will definitely come after us."
Cunningham dismissed it:
"Just an intelligence merchant..."
However, George's expression was unusually serious.
Cunningham's heart skipped a beat, and he exclaimed:
"That intelligence merchant wouldn't really dare to do something against us, would he?"
George nodded seriously:
"If I had to use one word to describe him, it would be 'resourceful'!"
Cunningham unconsciously straightened his body:
"Are we not safe even in the Garrison?"
George smiled bitterly:
"He can even obtain such top-secret information; you can imagine how incredible his methods are."
"I wouldn't dare not pay him the intelligence fee."
Cunningham gritted his teeth and said:
"Then we must find Mr. Shen first!"
"Now, you have a reason to deploy the Military Intelligence Agency."
George sighed:
"This kind of thing is fleeting. I'm afraid by the time I get the machinery running, Mr. Shen will already be long gone."
Cunningham frowned and said:
"How can that be?"
George couldn't help but explain:
"The Police Political Department... no, the entire Police Station, almost all the police officers have gone to HSBC to withdraw money."
"No one is on duty today at all!"
Cunningham's eyes widened:
"What?"
George sighed:
"There's nothing that can be done. Police officers' salaries are already low, and their work is very dangerous."
"When they hear that there might be a run on HSBC, and their subordinates want to withdraw money, do you dare to stop them?"
Cunningham shook his head repeatedly:
"Naturally, I wouldn't dare. That would make it easy for people to ambush you in the dark."
However, his face had turned dark.
Thus, it was already impossible for them to find Mr. Shen.
George went out and made a few calls, returning with a ashen face:
"I've already asked my friends at ICAC, and they told me they haven't seen Mr. Shen at HSBC."
"This guy seems to have vanished into thin air!"
Cunningham jumped up:
"George, quickly mobilize all your connections, use every method you can think of, and by all means, find Mr. Shen."
Cunningham clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, saying,
"No one can embezzle my money!"
"Absolutely no one!"
George frowned and thought for a moment:
"There is one more way, but it requires money!"