Chapter 391: London

Lu Qingshan's line "Target, New York" was like a boulder striking a still lake, sending layer upon layer of ripples through the office.

The afterglow of euphoria had not yet faded when the new campaign was already announced. The cheers from the Trading Hall downstairs seemed muffled, becoming distant.

Lu Qingjun had just digested that "one‑week vacation" when he heard it and was stunned again, counting on his fingers: "Brother, it went from a month to a week? This… this shrank way too fast, right?"

Li Junjie had already closed his prized notebook, adjusted his glasses, and a never‑before‑seen brightness shone from the lenses: "Qingjun brother, you don't get it. The boss is executing a Saturation Attack followed by Rhythm Pressure. While the after‑effects of the London battle are still lingering and morale is high, we launch a continuous strike on the next target, giving the opponent no breathing room or chance to study us. This is warfare! The Art of War's 'Swift as the Wind'!"

Lu Qingshan ignored the two lively jokers; he had just set down his teacup when the red dedicated line phone, relentless, rang again.

This time, without waiting for Ye Ning to act, Lu Qingshan walked over himself and lifted the handset.

"Lu brother? It's me, Li Fuying."

On the other end, Li Fuying's voice came out steady yet tinged with barely concealed excitement and urgency. She was clearly also sleepless through the night, constantly monitoring London's developments.

"Li brother, still not resting this late?" Lu Qingshan smiled, his voice showing no hint of fatigue.

"Rest? I've drunk every batch of Pu'er in the whole mansion; how could I sleep!" Li Fuying's tone shot up sharply, clearly unable to hold back emotion, "I just spoke with Guo brother on the phone; he's about to set off fireworks in celebration! You… you this time, what kind of commotion have you caused? The newspapers went crazy, saying you pierced the sky over London Financial City! Quick, give me the details; brother, my heart can't take it!"

In the office, everyone instinctively held their breath and perked up their ears.

They knew Li Fuying was the leader of the Hong Kong Business Community, a person truly accustomed to great storms. For her to lose composure like this showed how astonishing Lu Qingshan's achievements appeared to the outside world.

"It's nothing," Lu Qingshan said lightly, as if mentioning a trivial matter, "I just took advantage of their big discount and bought a few things casually."

"Just bought a few casually?" Li Fuying on the other end almost lost her breath, "You call that 'casual'? I even framed the front page of The Times! 'London Fall Day'! Goodness, the last time a British newspaper used that headline was when the Roman legions withdrew from Britannia! What exactly did you buy?"

Lu Qingshan glanced at the report Ye Ning had just handed over and nonchalantly recited a few names.

"Not many. British Aerospace, eighteen percent stake, now the largest shareholder."

On the other end, there was a dead silence lasting five seconds, only the 'zzzz' of electricity.

"Also Rolls‑Royce, fifteen percent, also the largest shareholder."

"Barclays Bank, eleven percent."

"British Steel, twenty‑two percent…"

Each time Lu Qingshan announced a name, Lu Qingjun and Li Junjie's eyes widened a notch. Though they already knew the outcome, hearing Lu Qingshan speak in this breezy tone to the titan of the Hong Kong business world added a striking, brand‑new, hair‑raising impact.

On the other end, Li Fuying's breathing grew extremely heavy, like a battered bellows being pulled to the limit.

"Wait… wait!" she finally regained her voice, which trembled with extreme, incredulous shaking, "Say that again? Rolls… Rolls‑Royce? The queen's carriage?"

"Hmm, it should be that one."

"Barclays? The one with three hundred years of history, the Barclays that once sent us opium on a gunboat?"

"I've heard it's that one."

Bang—

A huge crash came through the phone, like a heavy object hitting the floor, followed by a scramble of footsteps and startled shouts.

"Chairman! Are you okay?"

"Quick! Quick, hold the Chairman!"

After a long while, Li Fuying's voice returned, weak yet exhilarated as if surviving a disaster, "I'm fine… I'm fine, I just… my leg feels a bit wobbly. Lu brother, you… you've literally dug up someone's ancestral tomb! You weren't buying stocks; you're using pounds to nail nails onto the once‑imperial coffin board!"

Her voice held shock, exhilaration, and, as an old Hong Kong merchant, a heartfelt sense of triumph at seeing the once‑lofty motherland humiliated so.

"Li brother, you're exaggerating; I'm just a businessman," Lu Qingshan said calmly.

"What a damn businessman!" Li Fuying exclaimed. "I'm just a businessman," Lu Qingshan said calmly.

"Nonsensical businessman! Hahaha!" Li Fuying cursed directly over the phone, completely losing control. "Which businessman can have the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom publicly welcome him as a Strategic Investor? Which businessman can get the Queen to endorse his acquisition? I've done business with the British for forty years, and I've never seen them bow like this! You've done what generations of us have wanted but could not achieve! Fantastic! Brilliant!"

After a long venting, Li Fuying's tone finally settled, becoming much more serious.

"I heard Guo brother say your next step… is to go to New York?"

"Yes, after a few days of rest in London to handle follow‑up, then I'll go."

"Qing Shan, heed the older brother's advice," Li Fuying's voice became unprecedentedly serious. "You must be careful. New York is not like London."

The atmosphere in the office instantly grew heavy. Everyone knew the main point had arrived.

"The London families, whether Sashun or Rothschild, are Old Money, aristocrats. They've been dealing for centuries, still adhering to a set of decorum and rules, even if hypocritical," Li Fuying's voice was hushed, as if fearing the people across the ocean might hear.

"They're like an old, dilapidated mansion inhabited by self‑important old ghosts. If you kick the door open, they're startled and angry, but first they think about protecting the house and saving face."

"But New York is different."

"There it isn't an old house, but a primal, blood‑soaked jungle. Those living there aren't aristocrats, but a pack of beasts that have just feasted on flesh and are still licking their claws and fangs."

Li Fuying's description sent a chill through everyone in the office.

"Think about it, how did those American great families arise? They didn't inherit estates; they forged their fortunes with real guns and swords! Speculators of the Revolutionary War, railroad tycoons of the western frontier, arms dealers of the Civil War, bankers and arms merchants who made war fortunes in both World Wars! Their ancestors were either pirates, gamblers, or thugs!"

"Every penny of their wealth is stained with blood! They don't believe in God, only in power. They don't follow rules; they are the rules! In their eyes, there are no allies, only prey and temporary partners."

"If you fight the old gentlemen of London, you might win, they may concede and negotiate because they care about face. But battling the hungry wolves of Wall Street, once you show a flaw, they'll pounce, strip you to the bone, eat you down to the last scrap! They're even more blood‑thirsty, with no limits!"

Li Fuying's words were like a bucket of ice water poured over the still‑fervent crowd.

Lu Qingjun's goofy grin vanished; he instinctively rubbed his arms, feeling a bit chilly.

Li Junjie's pen tip hovered over the paper; for the first time he realized his theoretical model might not fully encompass the world he was about to face. It was a realm built purely of desire and violence, an even more chaotic domain.

Ye Ning and Li Zhi'an exchanged a glance, each seeing gravity in the other's eyes. As professionals, they knew better than anyone that the London Stock Exchange and the New York Stock Exchange were battles of entirely different scales.

He hung up, and Lu Qingshan remained silent for a long while.

He walked to the massive World Map, his finger lingering a moment on the red pentagram marking London, then slowly moved to the dot labeled "New York".

"Boss," Ye Ning's voice broke the silence, "Chairman Li's point makes sense. Wall Street's capital structure is more complex, its regulatory system entirely different, and their protection of domestic assets is far stronger than the British."

Lu Qingshan turned, looking at the team before him with varied expressions, and a smile suddenly appeared on his face.

"He's right about everything."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over each person.

"But he forgot one thing."

"Even the fiercest pack of wolves fears the hunter."

"And we," his voice calm and powerful, bearing a strong Confidence that puts one at ease, "are the finest hunters."

He looked out the window, London's dawn was about to break, and a hint of fish‑belly white had already tinged the horizon.

"The celebration banquet stays the same, and the holiday stays the same."

"But it's not a week."

He extended three fingers.

"Three days."

"Three days later, a few of us will head to New York first, to teach those hungry wolves of Wall Street what true 'Jungle Law' is."