Chapter 12: Layout, Acquisition

Everyone returned to the main hall.

Dalao B scanned the dozen or so Majai who had slept in the hall last night with a stern face and asked, "What time did you all go to sleep last night?"

"B Ge, after you left last night, we sparred for a while and then went to sleep."

"B Ge, last night, Si Zai, Xiaoming, and I slept together."

"B Ge, you couldn't possibly suspect us, could you? We've followed you for several years."

The Majai looked aggrieved, explaining to B Ge in a clamor.

Dalao B naturally knew that these people definitely lacked the guts and the opportunity, and that they certainly hadn't done it.

But he had carefully inspected the safe, and there was no sign of forced entry.

This meant there were only two possibilities.

First, the thief was a master of lock-picking.

Second, the thief knew the password.

But he changed the safe's password every week, and every time he changed it, he would dismiss everyone around him; even his trusted aide Chen Haonan did not know the password.

Therefore, this matter could only have been done by a master of lock-picking!

Chen Haonan hurriedly asked, "B Ge, how much money is missing?"

"Over three hundred! That was all the tribute money meant for the company!"

It would have been better if Chen Haonan hadn't spoken; once he did, Dalao B's heart ached even more. If he couldn't catch the thief, he would have to pay for the shortfall out of his own pocket.

This was over three hundred units!

Making him pay over three million in cash out of his own pocket was no different from bankruptcy!

Who on earth was targeting him, Dalao B?

He wished he could grab a Machete and hack that bastard to death!

Watching the fury on Dalao B's face, Chen Jiajun felt that the pent-up resentment of these past few years had been vented quite a bit.

He sat back in his chair, gloating, and played the thief crying "stop thief":

"B Ge, in my opinion, why not do this: Anan, you go and check the brothers' beds and lockers.

Also, Si Zai, Xiaoming, you guys should think carefully and recall if there was any movement last night."

"B Ge, do you know any private investigators? Hire one to come and investigate, or call the Police—report a smaller amount—but in any case, catching the thief is the most important thing."

"This matter should be handled sooner rather than later, B Ge, you must make a decision quickly!"

Call the Police?

Naturally, that was impossible. After all, the stolen money was black money; if he made a big scene by calling the Police, the officers from the Anti-Triad Unit would naturally come knocking.

Dalao B narrowed his eyes and scanned the room: "Anan, you guys go check immediately."

"Dahua, you guys think carefully about whether there was any movement in the boxing gym after I left last night."

"I will hire someone to come and investigate."

About half an hour passed.

Dalao B hired a private investigator and an acquaintance from the Police Station; they brought quite a bit of equipment.

But after a thorough and careful inspection, there was no harvest; they didn't even manage to collect biological traces like footprints or fingerprints.

This case thus became an unsolved mystery.

Dalao B was so angry he smashed several cups, but he had no choice but to swallow this bitter pill.

Returning to the Royal Nightclub, Dumu came back to report:

"These are the documents for the property Dakou Fei bought in Causeway Bay. We went and reclaimed it."

"Also, this is today's harvest."

Three full, large cloth bags were thrown onto the table.

A full nine million!

Chen Jiajun reached out and converted four and a half million directly into Universe Coin, transferring it to Dumu's account.

Dumu received the money and said with a chuckle, "Should we send an invisible bug to finish off that Jinmaohu and then burn the Account Book? That way, no one will come to collect the debt."

"Hiss!"

Dumu was truly ruthless!

Borrowing someone's money and then killing them to boot.

Just listen to that!

Is there any justice left?

Is there any law left?

Chen Jiajun gasped, shook his head with a smile, and said, "One look at you guys and I know you'd dare to do anything except good deeds.

Ahem, let's do that only when absolutely necessary. Let's go, come with me to the gold shop first."

Xieliyuan Gold Shop.

Chen Jiajun jumped out of the car, with Dumu on his left and Lao E on his right, followed by seven or eight burly and imposing young demon slaves who had jumped down from the truck bed.

This posture clearly showed they were here with ill intent.

The gold shop's security guard nervously gripped his self-defense rubber baton while signaling the staff, preparing to die heroically.

An employee immediately picked up the phone, pressed the emergency call button, and stared fixedly at Chen Jiajun, ready to dial at any moment.

A dozen customers picking out gold jewelry in the shop had their expressions change drastically; they put down the jewelry they were holding, stuffed it into their handbags and wallets, and walked quickly toward the door with their heads down.

There was no help for it.

Maybe it was because I'm too handsome?

Chen Jiajun walked to the counter and glared at the manager, who was in a suit and tie with trembling legs: "Hey! Are you blind or dumb? A customer is here, and you're not serving them—what are you standing there for?"

"Our Xieliyuan Gold Shop belongs to the Macau Xie Family."

"We have a very good relationship with the Hong Kong Number Gang."

"Inspector Niu Xiong of the Wanchai Police Station's Anti-Triad Unit is also our friend."

"You... you want to collect protection money..."

"How about this, take these five thousand dollars to make friends, and treat yourselves to some tea, Big Brothers."

The manager wearing glasses rattled off various names as if counting his family heirlooms, but the more he spoke, the less confident he became, and in the end, he even took out 5,000 Hong Kong Dollars...

"Which eye of yours saw us collecting protection money? We are here to buy gold."

Chen Jiajun chuckled, signaling Dumu to place a large bag of banknotes on the table.

"What? Buying gold? You've come to the right place at Xieliyuan Gold Shop!

Please, distinguished guests, have a seat inside! Someone! Would the Bosses like coffee or tea?"

Upon hearing this, the manager's expression changed instantly; he put away the Hong Kong Dollars and put on an incomparably enthusiastic face.

Good grief, in less than a minute, he had changed his expression countless times, just like the face-changing in Sichuan opera.

Two minutes later, Chen Jiajun was sitting in the VIP room; the manager was fawning all over him, and the beautiful female staff of the gold shop were looking at him with affectionate eyes.

After all, for as long as Xieliyuan Gold Shop had been around, they had encountered people robbing them with sacks, but they had never encountered someone bringing a large sack of Hong Kong banknotes to buy gold.

"Jun Shao, you really chose the right people!"

"Our Xieliyuan Gold Shop has deep financial resources, and we have a Paper Gold business; as you know, the price of gold has been rising continuously for over a decade..."

The manager enthusiastically introduced the various businesses of their gold shop to Chen Jiajun.

Regarding this time-honored gold shop, Chen Jiajun naturally knew its history.

Xieliyuan Gold Shop was founded in the sixth year of the Tongzhi reign. In the 1970s, as gold prices rose sharply, Xieliyuan Gold Shop launched the "Thousand-Foot Gold Accumulation Plan," allowing citizens to open gold accounts and trade gold at the daily market price, which was very popular among Hong Kong citizens after its launch.

But the problem was that Xieliyuan Gold Shop launched Paper Gold without buying or selling gold on the market according to customer demand, nor did it have large gold reserves; it was actually somewhat similar to futures and stocks.

Later, international gold prices rose sharply, with gold increasing by nearly 1,500 yuan per tael. Xieliyuan Gold Shop was forced to cover its positions in the market, leading to a liquidity crisis, and it had to close down on September 6th.

After Xieliyuan Gold Shop closed, it also involved a bank, eventually leading to the collapse of that bank as well.

Chen Jiajun specifically came to Xieliyuan Gold Shop to buy gold with the goal of eventually acquiring this gold shop and this bank as their largest creditor.

"There is a total of seven million Hong Kong Dollars here; buy Paper Gold with all of it."

Chen Jiajun exhaled a ring of smoke and pushed all the Hong Kong banknotes in front of him forward.

Showhand!

His tone was understated, highlighting the word "arrogance."

"I understand, Jun Shao! Don't worry, from now on you are our shop's VVVIP client! I will process the paperwork for you immediately!"

The manager's smile became even more enthusiastic; with such a large order, he could earn quite a bit of commission.

Half an hour later, Chen Jiajun walked out the door heroically with a large stack of documents, and when he reached a deserted place, he directly put the Paper Gold into his Personal Space.

Then Chen Jiajun waved his hand: "Dumu, Lao E, take a few brothers, bring your gear, and drive out with me; the rest of you stay here and watch the place!"

(End of chapter)