Chapter 278: The Best Defense Is Attack!

At 10 a. m. the next morning, on the top floor of the Far East Exchange, the exclusive conference room of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce.

This conference room, symbolizing the highest authority of Chinese merchants in Hong Kong Island's financial world, now exuded an atmosphere completely different from before. Heavy rosewood long table, rustic carved‑window lattice, the air mingled with the rich aroma of premium pu‑er tea and the tobacco scent of top‑grade cigars; everything was as usual, yet each person seated at the table bore an unmistakable excitement and restlessness, their eyes burning with greed and ambition.

Last night's feast, the fifteen‑billion boast, completely ignited the most primal desire in the hearts of these business tycoons.

"Damn it, I didn't get a wink of sleep after I got back last night!" Guo Dongying slapped the table, causing the gilded tea‑cup lid in front of him to jump with a clang. He stared with blood‑shot eyes, his voice booming like a bell, "I keep turning it over in my mind—those fifteen billion! Fifteen billion! Back when I built my first building, I begged grandpa and grandma to get a loan from the bank, and we only borrowed around ten million! Now look, brother Qing Shan just talks, and in a week he's spun up a business empire!"

"Lower your voice, this is an exchange." Li Fuying glared at him; though his words were reproachful, the smile at the corner of his mouth could not be hidden. He lifted his tea cup, trying to emulate the usual composure with a gentle puff, but his slightly trembling hand betrayed his inner unease. Last night he, too, had spent a sleepless night, repeatedly rehearsing in his mind what a bank wielding a fifteen‑billion cash flow would look like—a terrifying entity.

Everyone present had been veteran sharks in the business sea for decades, yet Lu Qingshan's "a thousand‑gold purchase of a horse's bone" last night turned money into a weapon that rallies hearts; such a move, such boldness, completely surpassed their understanding of commerce.

The crowd was deep in discussion when the conference room door was pushed open.

Lu Qingshan walked in.

He was still dressed in simple casual wear, a calm smile on his face, followed by Ye Ning clutching a stack of documents and Lu Qingjun with a solemn expression.

The moment he appeared, the once‑noisy conference room fell silent; dozens of scorching gazes mixed with awe and anticipation swept toward him, as if believers awaiting a divine decree.

"Good morning, uncles and elders," Lu Qingshan greeted with a smile, then walked straight to the head seat and sat down.

"Qing Shan, stop beating around the bush!" Guo Dongying, impatient, leaned forward and shouted, "Spill it—what juicy piece are we eyeing this time? Yi He or Tai Gu? Point to it, and we'll throw our money at it! Fifteen billion in cash is right here; I'll see who can handle it!"

"Yi He and Tai Gu have fat meat but hard bones; now isn't the time to gnaw on them," Lu Qingshan smiled, not answering directly, but gave Lu Qingjun a meaningful glance.

Lu Qingjun understood, stepped forward, and unfurled a massive, brand‑new World Map on the wall before everyone. The "whoosh" of the map spreading sounded like an order, silencing all conversation, each person's heartbeat skipping a beat.

Everyone froze, exchanging puzzled looks, unable to grasp what Lu Qingshan was selling. What does the Yingzi targeting Hong Kong Island have to do with a World Map?

Lu Qingshan rose, walked slowly to the map, took a red marker pen from Lu Qingjun's hand, and removed its cap.

"Uncles, we drove Wilson out and humiliated Li Jiasheng, appearing gloriously triumphant. But have you considered who stands behind Wilson? It's the Sashun Family. We didn't just beat a dog; we slaughtered the watchdog right in front of its master. Do you think that pampered Lion will wag its tail to welcome us?"

His words, like a bucket of ice water, cooled the excitement on everyone's faces; they fell into contemplation, a chill creeping up their backs.

Lu Qingshan's voice suddenly turned cold, edged with icy sharpness: "Waiting to be hit is the act of a coward. The best defense is offense! Rather than waiting for the sleeping Lion to be fully enraged and claw out of its lair to retaliate, we should strike first, while it still basks in past glory, before it can react—rush into its old den, bite it hard, make it feel pain, make it know fear!"

Having finished, the pen in his hand moved.

The tip sliced the air with a faint whoosh, landing on neither Hong Kong Island nor any place in Southeast Asia.

He crossed countless mountains and seas, traversed the vast ocean, and finally, with a heavy thud, landed on the opposite side of the map, drawing a vivid red, glaring, blood‑like circle over the city marked "London"!

"Our next target is here."

His voice was soft, yet like a flash of thunder it boomed through the sealed conference room!

The entire conference room fell into absolute dead silence.

You could hear a pin drop.

A billionaire's cigar hit the carpet with a "Pat!" creating a charred little hole, yet he didn't notice. Guo Dongying's mouth gaped wide enough to hold a tea cup, his facial color draining instantly.

Everyone seemed frozen by a spell, eyes wide, mouths agape, staring blankly at the red circle on the map, then at Lu Qingshan's overly calm face, their gazes spelling the same word: madness!

Go to London?

To the heart of world finance, London Financial City?

To the Sashun Family's centuries‑old, deeply‑rooted stronghold, to proactively attack that newly‑irritated financial behemoth?

This is no longer daring—it's like hurling an egg at the Earth! It's suicide!

"Qing… Qing Shan…" Li Fuying's voice trembled; he rubbed his eyes hard, thinking his old sight had deceived him, "You… you're not joking, are you? Going to London? That… that's their territory! We're unfamiliar with the land, blind as bats, not even knowing their trading rules—how can we fight them?"

"Indeed, Lu!" another seasoned real‑estate magnate, Character, also grew pale and stood up, "On Hong Kong Island we have the home‑court, with favorable weather, terrain, and people. But in London we'd be a bunch of river‑crossing dragons, while they're the local snakes, even a giant python that has ruled the seas for centuries! I've heard the British have a financial emergency law that can freeze our assets at any time! That's not a commercial risk, it's a political risk! One wrong step and we're doomed forever!"

Opposing and questioning voices rose and fell; the previously excited, high‑spirited atmosphere was instantly replaced by cold Fear and Rationality.

Guo Dongying opened his mouth, intending to utter a heroic line, but as he stared at the distant, other‑worldly name on the map, the words were forced down, his expression turning gravely solemn.

Lu Qingshan listened quietly, offering no rebuttal, his face even bearing a hint of a confident smile. He waited until everyone had spoken, then slowly raised his hand, and gently yet resolutely pressed the red marker at the center of the blood‑red circle.

"Thud."

The light sound cut through all the clamor.

He turned, his gaze sweeping the crowd like a hawk, and said deliberately, "Who said we have to fight with our own money?"