I was forced to start the second round because I was raised in poverty

Chapter 345 New Order

The precursor to a storm is not a weather warning from the observatory, but a near-physical sense of oppression.

The air in Australia is usually filled with the salty smell of money mixed with seawater, but at this moment it seems as if the oxygen has been sucked out, leaving only heavy water vapor and a heart-pounding buzzing sound.

The once-arrogant hotel complex belonging to the Ma family, like a glass model placed on a sand table, lost its "looking down on all living beings" brilliance for the first time under the leaden gray sky.

tension.

panic.

oppression.

These three emotions are like colorless and odorless poison gas, permeating almost every corner of the island of Australia.

The Ma family's power was once the invisible law of Australia; their phone could open any door.

But now, when those calls are made, they either go unanswered or are met with vague excuses from former friends.

What's even more frightening is that the attack didn't come from any dimension they were familiar with.

This is not a street fight, nor a hostile takeover, but a devastating attack from the cloud.

The email from the international bank freezing credit was politely worded but coldly insincere.

The new CFT regulations for strengthening anti-money laundering due diligence by financial regulators are complex yet watertight.

Rumors of an "indefinite review" of profit remittances have circulated, and although they cannot be confirmed, they are enough to make any shareholder's heart stop beating.

On Wall Street trading terminals, the share prices of several entertainment giants with large operations in Australia are plummeting without warning.

Analysts in the City of London are urgently reassessing the risk level of this "gambling city".

What was once considered the world's most stable cash cow investment hotspot has overnight become a high-risk "restricted asset".

Capital has the keenest sense of smell; it has caught the scent of rules being completely rewritten and has begun to flee regardless of cost.

The Ma family was trapped inside the glass box, watching helplessly as the oxygen inside was slowly drained away.

at the same time.

Other local families on the island of Australia, however, caught a whiff of a sweet scent tinged with blood.

At first, it was an unspoken schadenfreude.

For decades, the Ma family has devoured too much profit and occupied too much territory.

Seeing the Ma family driven to the brink of despair by unseen hunters, a morbid sense of pleasure spread through their hearts.

Some established families have already begun secretly pooling funds, preparing to pounce on the Ma family the moment it falls and grab the most lucrative piece of the pie.

But before that, they need to figure out one thing.

Who is this hunter?

Why launch an attack on the Ma family on the very night Ma Yingyao passed away?

Was it premeditated, or a coincidence?

All the established families on the island of Australia are trying to find the hunter who suddenly launched the attack.

The grand banquets of the past, filled with clinking glasses and lively conversation, have disappeared, replaced by secret, small-scale meetings.

The phone calls were deliberately avoided, the conversations were kept to a minimum, and every exchange of glances was filled with probing and suspicion.

The crackdown on the Ma family was not a gang war or a glamorous business battle, but rather an almost divine rewriting of the rules.

Based on some fragmented clues, the group connected the dots to the Emperor Group.

If it was that man who launched the siege, then everything would be easy to explain.

But soon, their fear became even deeper and more piercing.

If even the Ma family, with its deep roots and intricate ties to international capital, could be so easily strangled, what about them?
Is the Ma family just the beginning?

Who will be next?
Many established families pulled out their own account books, trying to determine if they had offended that man or if they had recently had any conflicts of interest with the Emperor Group in any business area.

Their businesses, which are also built in the gray area and rely on personal relationships, can withstand several rounds of scrutiny under this new, absolutely transparent "audit" standard.

Some people tried to curry favor with the Emperor Group through various channels, even if it was just to find out the contents of the "new rules." They were both terrified of the arrival of the new order and eager to be among the first beneficiaries of it.

……

……

early morning.

A 45-year-old man carrying a backpack squeezed through the crowd at the border crossing with practiced ease.

As a small business owner who has been doing business in the Pearl River Delta for thirty years, he comes to Macau Island every month for a short trip and to try the high-quality Japanese cuisine.

This has become a way of life for him.

The first step a man takes when leaving the port is always towards that bustling square, looking for those colorful freight trucks.

He remembered that Diamond's bus was the most grand dark red, Wanli's was a noble gold, and Little Sea Man's was a striking blue.

Boarding that swaying bus felt like stepping onto a war chariot bound for battle; the men on board were filled with a primal desire to "get rich."

But today is different.

Instead of free shuttle buses, the square is filled with rows of brand-new, minimalist white new energy buses.

There were no signs for an entertainment center on the vehicle, only a line of standard Song typeface that read: "Macau Island Pass".

The front and rear of the train displayed different routes on a loop.

Line 1: Heading to the ecological reserve and the Australian University of Science and Technology.

Line 2: Heads to the Historic Centre of Macau and the Art Museum.

Line 3: Heading towards...

The middle-aged man was a little confused.

What's going on this week?

Such a big change?
He approached the staff member guiding the crowd and asked, "Hello, beautiful lady, where is the shuttle bus to the diamonds?"

The staff member spoke fluent Mandarin and treated tourists with gentleness and patience: "Hello sir, all bus services to the entertainment halls have been suspended since midnight yesterday."

“You can take our Macau Island Line 7 and get off at ‘Shizimen East’ station, then walk for about fifteen minutes to reach Diamond Entertainment.”

"Our Macau Pass is also free!"

Fifteen minutes' walk?

Little sister, are you playing around with your brother?

They used to drive right up to the entrance of the entertainment hall!
The man was starting to feel dizzy.

The man followed the crowd blankly and boarded the so-called "Macau Pass".

The car was quiet, without the usual noise and smell of smoke.

Instead, soft music was played.

Even the electronic screens are not working properly.

Instead of enticing slot machine animations, the screen now showcases cultural events, including the latest art exhibitions in Australia and special offers at Michelin-starred restaurants.

It instantly elevates the overall style.

Most of the passengers were young people, looking down at their phones and using apps to plan their trips and routes.

Some tourists traveling in groups were discussing what new photo poses they had learned, rather than which entertainment hall had better feng shui.

Feeling a bit bored, the man also took out his phone and started scrolling.

But not long after, he came across a news article.

The title is: [Redefining Australia: An Arts and Culture Capital You've Never Seen Before]

……

(End of this chapter)