Chapter 396: Butcher, You Must First Brandish the Knife

On the top floor of Saint Remo Apartment, after Wang Shanghong hung up, the dizzy feeling from being hit by wealth figures vanished, replaced by a tension like a storm about to break.

After Lu Qingshan gave the order, the whole team became like an activated precision war machine, instantly running at high speed.

"Boss, I need a $20 million authorization for early acquisitions and legal fees," Zhang Qianru said, already opening her laptop, her fingers flying over the keyboard. "I have contacts at all the top‑ten New York law firms. I'll have them bid simultaneously; within an hour I want to see the best proposal."

Ye Ning stood beside her, the screen displaying another sea of data: "I'll filter out fifty shell companies that meet the criteria—registered for over twenty years, no bad litigation records, clean finances. Once Zhang Qianru's legal team confirms, we'll proceed with due diligence in parallel."

The two women—one handling legal penetration, the other financial screening—cooperated flawlessly.

"Twenty million? Easy!" David Cohen brushed away his earlier gloom, pacing excitedly, tugging at his Versace tie as if it were choking him. "Boss, I also need 'ammunition'! Those Wall Street wild dogs don't recognize people, only money. You have to throw out a piece of blood‑stained meat first, and they'll follow the scent."

"How much do you need?" Lu Qingshan asked.

"Five million! No, ten million!" David held up a finger. "I'm heading to the 'Butcher Bar', the holy ground for every Wall Street loser. I'll book the whole place and build a wall of cash! Tell them the God has returned, and this time, God's surname is Lu!"

Lu Qingshan didn't hesitate, turning to Zhang Qianru: "Authorize them. The money must be in place today."

"Got it!"

Lu Qingjun watched the brief exchange as $30 million was allocated, feeling his heartbeat skip a beat. He sidled up to Li Junjie and whispered, "Junjie, $30 million… in our currency that's over two hundred million, right? We just… threw it away? It feels faster than burning cash in London."

Li Junjie adjusted his glasses, his expression unusually focused, rapidly sketching a new diagram on his laptop. "Brother Qingjun, this is different. London is a frontal siege; New York is a flank infiltration. The boss is building a decentralized attack network with 'distributed nodes'! Every lawyer, every shell company, every trader we've bought off is an independent attack node. Even if the enemy tries to counter, they can't locate our core! Brilliant! Truly brilliant!"

Lu Qingjun heard a haze of words, but grasped one thing: his brother was playing a big move again. He nodded firmly, clenching his fist. "Exactly! Brilliant!"

Under the night sky, New York's money flowed faster than anyone could imagine.

In less than three hours, Zhang Qianru's efficiency became evident.

"Boss, we've identified the target," she placed a document before Lu Qingshan. "Prospector Capital, a small family investment firm founded in 1968. After the founder died, the heirs lost interest, leaving only a shell and a clean exchange seat license. They're asking $8.7 million; I got the lawyers to push it down to $7.5 million, and settlement can be completed in an hour."

Ye Ning added, "I've checked all its records; it's as clean as a blank sheet. Using it as the flagship of our overt operation is perfect."

"Good," Lu Qingshan flipped through the papers. "From now on, you two will manage this company."

He turned his gaze to David.

David Cohen had now changed his attire; the Versace suit lay tossed on the sofa, replaced by a crumpled leather jacket, his hair deliberately disheveled, a non‑lit cigar clenched between his teeth, exuding a decadent, dangerous aura.

"Boss, the fish are on the hook," he grinned, flashing two rows of white teeth. "At the 'Butcher Bar' I met the three best 'mad dogs'. One is 'Razor' Mike, who got sued for short‑selling his own boss's company and was disgraced. Another is 'Ghost' Andy, a master of exploiting algorithmic trading loopholes for high‑frequency arbitrage, later blacklisted by Goldman Sachs. The third, Sofia, known as the 'Black Widow', specializes in short‑selling toxic assets with ruthless, cut‑throat tactics."

"Where are they now?"

"They're waiting downstairs, in a narrow alley, like three stray dogs waiting to be fed," David's expression turned complex. "They don't trust bank transfers; they want cash. I followed your orders and prepared $3 million in hard cash, stashed in the car's trunk."

Lu Qingshan stood, grabbed his coat, and opened the door. The bodyguards outside, fully armed, followed.

"Let's go meet these 'friends'."

Behind the apartment building, a dim alley reeked of garbage and urine.

Three silhouettes leaned against the graffiti‑covered wall, silently smoking.

One was a broad‑faced brute with a fierce gaze. Another was skinny as a bamboo pole, constantly checking his watch, his fingers nervously drumming his arm. The third was a woman in a tight leather outfit, blonde hair, red lips, strikingly beautiful, yet her smoking style was more seasoned than the men's.

When Lu Qingshan's party entered the alley, the three stared back in unison, eyes full of scrutiny and distrust.

Lu Qingshan said nothing, merely tilting his head toward the bodyguards behind him.

Two bodyguards walked to the trunk of a Cadillac and opened it.

"Bang."

Three black suitcases packed with dollars were hurled onto the slick, wet ground in the alley's center. One suitcase's latch was loose, opening a gap that spilled stacks of brand‑new, banded hundred‑dollar bills, which under the dim alley light exuded a deadly allure.

The burly man known as 'Razor' Mike rolled his Adam's apple and flicked away his cigarette butt.

"The money's here," Lu Qingshan finally spoke, his voice unusually clear in the alley. "One million each, this is the deposit. I don't care how you do it; I want you to be my eyes, ears and hands on the exchange."

"What do you want us to do?" the woman named Sofia asked, her hoarse voice carrying a post‑smoking, post‑drinking magnetism.

"Simple," Lu Qingshan walked to the suitcases and lightly tapped one with his toe. "I want you to spend the money for me."

He lifted his head, scanning the three.

"Buy things for me, and sell things for me. Ye Ning will give you the specific orders. You just execute, then take your ten percent commission."

"Ten percent!"

The three's breathing grew heavy instantly. On Wall Street, a one‑percent commission is already premium; ten percent is outright robbery!

"That's all?" Razor Mike's voice was a bit hoarse.

"That's all."

"What if we lose?" Ghost Andy asked the crucial question.

Lu Qingshan smiled.

"You won't lose," he said calmly, his tone carrying an undeniable authority. "Because you only need to follow the orders and press the button. Wins or losses, I'll take responsibility."

He was recruiting assassins, not partners. All he wanted were three pairs of hands that could execute his orders at the fastest speed.

Sofia took a deep drag, then flicked the butt into a nearby puddle, producing a faint 'sizzle'.

"I'm in," she declared first.

Mike and Andy exchanged glances and immediately nodded.

"Deal."

Watching the three haul the heavy boxes and sprint away down the alley, David finally let out a breath.

"Boss, these people are outlaws; can you really trust them?"

"I don't need to trust them; I only need them to trust the money," Lu Qingshan turned back. "Besides, Ye Ning will monitor their accounts twenty‑four hours a day. Any anomalous trade will trigger an alarm instantly. They're mad dogs, but as long as the chain is in our hands, they can only bite for us."

Back to the brightly lit top‑floor apartment.

Ye Ning and Zhang Qianru had finished all the preparatory work.

"Boss, the Prospector Capital account is active, the first $500 million has been injected. Additionally, via trust accounts at ten law firms, we've prepared another $2 billion, split into two hundred independent accounts ready to enter the market at any time."

"Razor's three accounts are also linked to our system; we can take over at any moment."

All preparations are complete.

Lu Qingshan walked to the massive floor‑to‑ceiling window, where a red‑marked bullseye still stood out prominently.

He picked up the phone and dialed Wilson's number.

"Wilson, it's me."

"Mr. Lu!" on the other end, Wilson's voice sounded a bit urgent, "Na Sa Ni Er has already met with Jamie of the Morgan family; they have reached a preliminary consensus and are preparing to push the Emergency Review Bill through Congress!"

"I know." Lu Qingshan's voice was as calm as an ancient well, "I need you to do something for me. Release a piece of news to all the media on Wall Street."

"What news?"

Lu Qingshan looked out the window toward the New York Stock Exchange, a slight curve lifting the corner of his mouth.

"Just say that a mysterious fund from the East has just acquired Prospector Capital, and their first target is Short Selling…"

He paused, then clearly uttered a name.

"Morgan Stanley."