Chapter 36 - The Man in Charge of Hong Kong Island, There's Only One!

Chapter 36 The Man in Charge of Hong Kong Island, There’s Only One!

The relocation of the residents from the walled city took half a month. It took another week for the foreign construction companies to arrive. Adding to this, the procurement of demolition equipment and construction machinery delayed the start of the walled city development project by a month.

When the machines started to roar and demolish the buildings, the walled city residents felt both excited and uneasy, their emotions were mixed to the extreme. Journalists, who had heard the news, rushed to capture the historic moment unfolding before them.

As the only piece of land on Hong Kong Island not under British jurisdiction, the walled city was now beginning its transformation. However, when the reporters sought to get a statement from Lei Luo, they found he was absent from the scene.

At nine o’clock, Hong Kong Island’s exchange opened, and the traders started coming in. At that time, the exchange barely saw any stock trading, nothing like the bustling activity of later years. The traders made their tea, preparing for a quiet day, when suddenly one of them exclaimed, “Look, bonds are being released—Walled City Fund?”

“Hiss, a one-month bond with 30% returns? Who is this bold?”

A trader noticed the new bond on the trading board. Instantly, it attracted the attention of almost every trader, and the terrifyingly high returns shocked them.

This bond, the Walled City Fund, was unlike anything they had ever seen before. Past bonds had offered returns of at most 5%, and those were typically for annual periods. When this Walled City Fund was released, it immediately caused a stir at the exchange.

Soon after, someone got the full details about the bond and discovered that it was being issued for the Walled City project, led by the controversial Chief Inspector Lei Luo.

“This Lei Luo is too bold! Where does his confidence come from?”

“Raising two billion, with a 30% return in a month—this is insane!”

“He doesn’t know anything about finance. He’s a laughingstock,” the traders scoffed at Lei Luo’s bold move.

But some sharp traders immediately reported the bond to their bosses. Half an hour later, all the major business owners in Hong Kong Island’s commercial district had heard about the Walled City Fund.

In an office building in Central, He Junwei, the young heir of the He family, and his partners were sitting on the sofa. The full details of the Walled City Fund bonds had just been handed to him.

“It seems like this guy is desperate. He’s even putting up the Walled City as collateral to issue bonds,” He Junwei said dismissively. “Two billion, with 30% returns in a month? This guy must have lost his mind.”

He Junwei threw the document on the coffee table. Others eagerly picked it up to check the details, followed by bursts of laughter. But then, a man with glasses finished reading and suddenly looked up at He Junwei.

“Bro, whether Lei Luo is crazy or not, this bond is worth buying.”

As soon as the man with glasses, named Li Jiacheng, spoke, others started to oppose, arguing that buying the bond would be financing the enemy.

“We’re pressuring them, cutting off all their financing options. Buying the bond would be aiding them,” one said.

“Exactly, Jiacheng, you’d better stick to your position,” another trader added.

But Li Jiacheng kept his gaze fixed on He Junwei, waiting for his response.

“Li Jiacheng, you and I have been classmates since childhood. You’re quick-witted. Do you think we should buy?” He Junwei asked.

“Yes, of course we should buy!” Li Jiacheng replied confidently.

“Two billion is nowhere near enough for Lei Luo to fully revive the Walled City project. It’s just for the early stages,” Li Jiacheng explained. “Such high returns—if we don’t buy it, others will. And if the bond matures properly, it’s six million in profit after a month. If it doesn’t, the Walled City will have to give up 30% of its equity, and we’ll be able to step in early.”

Hearing this, everyone sat up straight, deep in thought. Even He Junwei reconsidered, putting aside his personal distaste for Lei Luo and evaluating the deal purely from a business perspective. They quickly realized that this bond was practically free money.

“Jiacheng, you’re brilliant! We almost missed out on this,” someone exclaimed.

“My father told me to handle this matter, and we want the Walled City project, but we also need to make money,” He Junwei added, with approval for Li Jiacheng’s insight.

Everyone agreed with He Junwei, and they immediately called their traders at the exchange to buy up the bonds. But by the time they acted, the bonds had already sold out.

Two billion worth of subscriptions were gone in under an hour. HSBC, Standard Chartered, and Citibank—the three major foreign banks—had purchased the entire bond issuance.

When He Junwei heard this, he couldn’t help but stomp his foot in frustration. The three foreign banks were quicker to react than he was.

“Well done, Jiacheng, your instincts are just as sharp as those bank CEOs,” He Junwei admitted, ruefully.

Li Jiacheng, however, was not overly concerned.

“If we missed the quick money, we’ll just stick to steady profits,” he said.

“Right, just like you suggested before—buying land?” Another asked.

At that moment, Li Jiacheng became the center of attention, though still a small player in the grand scheme of things. They were all working together to suppress and take down the Walled City, but in the meantime, they couldn’t just sit idly by.

“Yes, it’s the land deal I proposed last time,” Li Jiacheng replied.

His suggestion had been rejected earlier, as most of them felt that there wasn’t much value in it, with property in Hong Kong Island being unaffordable for most. But after the bond incident, He Junwei was now more receptive to Li Jiacheng’s ideas, though still unenthusiastic.

“Let’s think about other opportunities,” He Junwei said, brushing him off.

At the same time, in another building in Central, a new company had just been established. The sign outside read “Walled City Project Development Co. Ltd.” Inside, Lei Luo and his associate, Pig Oil, were busy in their office.

When they heard that the bonds had sold out within an hour, Lei Luo immediately made a phone call to Shirley, who was in Nanyang at the time.

“Four billion in funding, 1 million tons of old grain—can you make it happen?” Lei Luo asked.

“Transport fees will be covered by Huodong, and a prepayment of two billion will be made, with the balance settled upon delivery at the port,” he added firmly.

Shirley, understanding the urgency in his tone, knew that this wasn’t up for negotiation.

“I’ll do my best. If there’s a shortfall, my company will cover it,” Shirley responded.

Lei Luo’s gaze shifted to the glass window, looking out at the distant blue sea. He extended his hand as if grasping the entire Central district before him. A new drama was about to unfold!