Hong Kong Film Intelligence King

Chapter 369 Legally Attacking Competitors

"Merit?!"

Chen Guozhong looked at Wang Dao with a puzzled expression.

"Going through all this trouble to give credit..."

"You mean, there's something even bigger going on with IBC?"

Wang Dao nodded slightly.

"Correct!"

"Remember HSBC's situation?"

Chen Guozhong looked at Wang Dao in disbelief:

"Collective corruption among senior bank officials?"

Wang Dao nodded:
"Correct."

Chen Guozhong exclaimed in surprise:

"How can this be?"

Wang Dao said calmly:
"When you find one cockroach, it means there's a nest of cockroaches out there that you can't see."

"HSBC is also the hairstylist for Hong Kong dollars, and it also has the shadow of Chongqing Capital."

"But so what?"

"Didn't Shen Daban still manage to turn the place into a one-man show?"

"Wasn't he leading his executives in a collective corruption scheme?"

"If HSBC is in such a sorry state, how can other banks in Hong Kong be any better?"

Chen Guozhong nodded slightly:
"Makes sense!"

"But how did you find out?"

Wang Dao shrugged:

"You've met Smith, haven't you?"

Chen Guozhong nodded.

“The last time Smith came, he was representing the White House in investing in us.”

“The Ugly country provided us with loans through two banks.”

"One of them is Citibank."

"This bank is very fast; the funds arrived on the same day."

"There's also a Citibank."

"They were a full week late."

Wang Dao raised his head and looked at Chen Guozhong with a half-smile.
"Why do you think they took so long?"

Chen Guozhong was puzzled.

Wang Dao said calmly:
"They want to settle the accounts!"

"With this billion dollars coming in and going out, we can settle all the bad debts."

"Of course, it's the kind of flatness that's meant on paper."

"They can't balance the real accounts."

He casually pulled out a wallet, quickly wrote down an address, and handed it to Chen Guozhong.
"Investigate slowly, and only go to this place to search for evidence after putting enough pressure on Citibank."

Chen Guozhong asked, puzzled:

"what is this?"

Wang Dao smiled and said:
"The real ledger of corruption."

Chen Guozhong sighed:
"Ado, is there anything you can't do?"

Wang Dao laughed and said:

"Brother Zhong, you don't think I'm omnipotent like some people do, do you?"

"It's really just a matter of information asymmetry."

"I have enough intelligence and information in my position, so it's easy for me to see through certain things."

Chen Guozhong shook his head:

"You're still as humble as ever."

"There are plenty of people who have intelligence, so why don't they have your keen intuition and comprehensive analytical ability?"

"Without the corresponding knowledge, even if the information is in their minds, they cannot recall it."

Wang Dao simply smiled.

Chen Guozhong suddenly said:

"Since you say the source of counterfeit money is Standard Chartered Bank, why don't we just take action against both?"

Wang Dao sighed:

"Brother Zhong, you really have no self-awareness about our reputation."

"What do we look like in the eyes of foreign capitalists, represented by those in Chongqing?"

"Rude and domineering, ferocious and evil, no description is too harsh."

"With Hutchison Whampoa in our hands, Jardine Matheson has been slashed twice by us, and other foreign firms tremble in fear when they see us."

"Wherever we go, chaos ensues."

"Coincidentally, we own a financial bank and are now competing with Citibank, Citibank, and Standard Chartered."

"And you are a core member of our team."

"You'll lead the team investigating this counterfeit money case, and go to the bank to collect evidence..."

"You don't actually think you're just investigating a case, do you?"

Chen Guozhong immediately had a bad feeling:

"Isn't this normal?"

Wang Dao shook his head:
"Normal?"

"No!"

"Others will just think that I, Wang Dao, have started conquering new territories again."

Chen Guozhong sighed:
"My reputation!"

The Way of Kings despises the Way:
"What kind of reputation do you, the judge of the night, need?"

Chen Guozhong said solemnly:

"I haven't been a Seraph for several months."

The two looked at each other and smiled.

That's true, the Seraphim haven't appeared in a long time.

The cases handled by Chen Guozhong are basically ironclad; if they aren't, the person involved would have long since turned to ashes.

Everything was going exactly as Chen Guozhong wanted, and with nothing better to do, he transformed into a seraph.

For a seraph to punish a bad person, there must be a bad person for him to punish!
Without bad guys, Seraphim would have no way to appear.

"One advantage of doing this is that it allows you to eliminate competitors openly and aboveboard."

Wang Dao makes no attempt to conceal his intentions.

"Although HSBC has recovered from this financial crisis, its reputation has been damaged, to say the least."

"This is not what we want to see."

"Once the sword is in hand, the order is given."

"Isn't it only natural to use the investigation as an opportunity to drag other competitors down with us?"

Chen Guozhong sighed:
Aren't you afraid that others will gang up on you and cause you trouble?

Wang Dao laughed and said:
Why are they causing us trouble?

"We didn't take the initiative to handle this; it was the government that did."

"The one who reported the case was an intelligence officer from the United States."

“The International Coin Corporation did commit crimes.”

"Standard Chartered Bank executives were indeed the masterminds behind the counterfeit money crime."

"You investigated the case according to procedure, with reason, evidence, and restraint. No one can find fault with you."

"Not only that, the good reputation of uncovering the collective corruption of bank executives will also fall on your shoulders."

"The head of the International Bank was a foreigner."

"Your reputation in Hong Kong will likely rise even further."

Where can you find such a good thing?

Chen Guozhong couldn't help but give a thumbs up:

"What else is there to say? Everything was within your calculations."

Wang Dao shrugged:

"Business warfare is just something I do as a sideline."

"It's already good enough that I didn't send anyone to pour hot water on their money trees."

Chen Guozhong was speechless.

Real business battles are often different from what you imagine. Pouring hot water on the opponent's money tree to disrupt their feng shui arrangement is a common tactic.

Bribing spies is actually a minority.

Chen Guozhong steadied himself:

"Okay, I'll make arrangements as soon as I get back."

"But what did Smith mean by that?"

Wang Dao then told Chen Guozhong the whole story.

“If James wants to work for us, Smith needs to have a clear understanding of that.”

"We can't expose James' true background, so we can only cover it up with a fabricated story."

“Smith didn’t know that James was one of our men. He gave James an idea to pay a price for his loyalty.”

"Who would have thought that things would get out of James's control, and of course, out of Smith's control as well, so things turned out this way."

Chen Guozhong stroked his chin and said:
"This is a good opportunity, a good opportunity for James to do things for us legitimately."

Wang Dao laughed and said:

“Smith is very keen on this case, so you can legitimately order them around.”

"The blue pill is a hard currency in Okamoto and South Korea, I can guarantee that Smith will also be more willing to get closer to you."

"As for James, putting aside his previous public relationship with you, even if it were Smith's request, James would absolutely be close to you legally and compliantly."

Chen Guozhong sighed:
"If this goes through, all the banks will suffer varying degrees of weakening."

"Ado, you're really amazing."

"You so easily re-established HSBC's position, yet no one seems to think it was you who did it."

Wang Dao chuckled and said:

"Isn't it better to make a fortune quietly?"

Why do you need others to see everything?

"We just need to make sure we actually benefit from it!"

Chen Guozhong was very impressed.

"Alright, you can continue reviewing the documents here. I'm leaving now."

Wang Dao did not rise, and gave the following instructions:

"Zhengyang, see Brother Zhong off."

Chen Guozhong said to Xu Zhengyang:

"In the future, when you're all settling down, remind Adao that work is important, but his health is even more important."

Xu Zhengyang nodded in agreement:
"Brother Dao exercises for half an hour every day."

Chen Guozhong shook his head: "Half an hour is too short."

Xu Zhengyang was troubled:

"If I do any more, I won't have any time left."

Chen Guozhong opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything. He couldn't very well leave the police station to help Wang Dao with his official duties, could he?
This wasn't what we agreed upon back then.

Xu Zhengyang whispered:

"Don't worry, Brother Zhong. Brother Dao is very efficient. You just happened to be there today. He spends most of his time communicating with people."

Chen Guozhong nodded slightly.

Back in his office, Chen Guozhong called Smith and James back, making no attempt to conceal his whereabouts.

“After receiving the case, I visited Ado.”

“Ado told me a clue.”

Smith and James both stared wide-eyed:
"Chen, we visited Wang Sheng before, why didn't he tell us any clues?"

Chen Guozhong bluntly stated:

“My relationship with him is closer than yours.”

Smith and James could not refute this.

Chen Guozhong is a key figure in the Wangdao Group and a genuine billionaire.

"There is something that I can only tell you, not through him."

Smith and James were not convinced.

"The three billion US dollars that the United States invested in our group was transferred from Citibank to HSBC's account on the same day."

“It took a full seven days for Citibank to transfer the money to HSBC’s account.”

Smith was taken aback:
"what?"

Chen Guozhong sighed:
"This is a rather private matter, so it's better if I tell you directly."

James frowned and said:

Why did Citibank delay for so long?

"Did the US headquarters give them special instructions?"

Smith's expression turned slightly cold as he said:

"impossible!"

Looking at the two of them, Smith told the truth.
"These two sums of money were allocated by the White House at special request. There was no delay, nor could there be any delay."

"This will affect our future cooperation with Wang Sheng."

"If there really is to be a delay, then Citibank should also be delayed."

“Citibank paid very promptly, but Citibank…”

Smith shook his head:

"I don't know what they're going to do."

James thought for a moment and said:
"Regardless of the circumstances, it is a fact that Citibank delayed that loan."

"However, this has nothing to do with our case, does it?"

Smith sneered:

"On the surface, there seems to be no connection... I understand the king's concerns."

James looked at Smith, who said,

"This amount of money doesn't seem like much; it only caused a seven-day delay."

"However, we all know that Baotong Foreign Exchange must have used this money for something."

Why would they use this money?

"It should be noted that the Ugly Kingdom used these two banks to lend money to the King because it saw the good performance of these two banks."

"Now it seems, these results..."

"has a problem!"

Chen Guozhong smiled and nodded:
"That's right, that's what I think too."

"But this is only the motive, and it cannot connect the International Coin Corporation with the counterfeit money case. Forcing a connection is too far-fetched."

"This is why Ado didn't tell you."

"However, we police officers should be skeptical of everything."

“There must be something wrong with Citibank, and they urgently need this money to keep things running.”

"This is a huge sum of cash; it's enough to solve a lot of problems."

Smith nodded vigorously:
"That's right!"

Chen Guozhong clapped his hands gently:
"Therefore, a bank with internal problems is likely to have problems in many other aspects."

"so……"

"It is very likely a den of counterfeiters."

Is there any merit to this guess?

Before James could speak, Smith said:
"That makes so much sense!"

"Both HSBC and Citibank remind me that the counterfeiters are seasoned veterans, experts among experts."

"Even the counterfeit banknotes produced can only be identified by certain experts at Citibank."

"Citibank is unlikely, so the problem lies with Citibank."

James frowned and said:

"If the bank can't detect the counterfeit money, then it must be genuine... Could it be that someone prints counterfeit money not for transactions, but to cover up a deficit?"

Smith's face darkened.

Chen Guozhong stroked his chin and said:
"It's possible."

"After all, if we could print our own money, we could print as much as we wanted without worrying about disrupting the financial system."

"This is all real money!"

Smith gritted his teeth and said:

"Chen, please make sure to thoroughly inspect the Citibank."

Chen Guozhong nodded slowly:
"I need to apply for a search warrant, and these warrants are not easy to obtain."

"That's a bank with US background after all."

Smith snorted coldly:

"I must find out what happened at Universal Book Company. Don't worry, I will contact the Governor through my superiors."

"Just focus on investigating the case; those procedures and such are not obstacles."

Chen Guozhong smiled and said:

"As long as the commissioner can obtain the search warrant, I will not miss any corner of Citibank."

Smith nodded fiercely.

He believed Chen Guozhong's words, and the opponent's past record proved it.

If the ICAC dared to break in, then a mere Citibank would be even more formidable.

Smith immediately contacted the United States through the consulate, and the other side was shocked to hear the news.

Did Citibank have some nerve to tamper with the right to mint coins?
Isn't this courting death? !
No question, investigate him!

Soon, the U.S. side contacted the Governor, who naturally dared not delay and quickly had the men with ramen-noodle hair agree to the search warrant.

By the way, some people always think that the West has a separation of powers and a fair judicial system.

The saying goes, "Where you sit determines where you look," and since they serve the wealthy, they are inherently unfair.

The fate of those with "instant noodle hair" is determined by the wealthy or their bosses, but they have little independence.

Chen Guozhong led the Major Crimes Unit straight to Citibank.

The entire senior management team at Citibank was stunned.

What's going on?
How did they get searched?
Why haven't we received even the slightest hint of news?
Who has done something outrageous again?
The head of Citibank remained defiant when he saw the search warrant:
“We are merchants from the United States, and we want to see the consul.”

Chen Guozhong smiled and said:

"Do you want me to give you Commissioner Smith's phone number so you can call him?"

The headmaster of Citibank was taken aback:
"That's impossible. Why would Commissioner Smith send you to investigate us?"

Chen Guozhong said calmly:

"I'll give you a hint."

"The loan that the Ugly Country gave to Mr. Wang Dao was transferred by Citibank on the same day."

“Your Universal Coin Corporation delayed things by seven days.”

"Commissioner Smith demands an explanation!"

The head of Citibank seemed to be both laughing and crying when he heard this reason.

What kind of bullshit reason is that?

Just because it was delayed by seven days, you're going to investigate me?

They're making a mountain out of a molehill!

The tycoon at Citibank really wanted to throw out a tough line: "Investigate all you want, but if you don't find anything, you'll be sorry!"

Of course, this is just imagination.

He genuinely didn't dare let the other party investigate.

Only the senior classmate knew that although ISBN looked glamorous on the outside, it was full of holes on the inside.

He wanted to stop him, but he absolutely couldn't stop Chen Guozhong.

Wan Guo Bao Tong's senior classmate gritted his teeth, thinking how good the other party was at choosing people, as they had chosen Chen Guozhong.

Only he wouldn't care about his own threats.

He's already a billionaire, so the methods for dealing with the rich don't work on him at all.

Wan Guobao was furious for a moment, then said shamelessly:

"Mr. Chen, this is a normal business transaction; we are simply using your company's funds for short-term operations."

"We haven't shortchanged you on your loan."

"Please put in a good word for me."

Chen Guozhong said solemnly:

"Preschooler, please be mindful of your identity."

"I am Chief Superintendent Chan Kwok Chung."

He said this in a low voice, head bowed.
"There's more to this than meets the eye. On the surface, they're investigating your Universal Records, but in reality, they're investigating something else entirely."

"Your bank is suspected of being involved in another case, but I cannot disclose the specifics here."

The Grand Master of Wan Guo Bao Tong was increasingly apprehensive.

Another case?
What case could be so high-profile that it even brought Chen Guozhong into the picture?

The more I think about it, the worse it seems!

Chen Guozhong smiled and said:

"As the saying goes, if you have a clear conscience, you have nothing to fear. Wan Guobao is honest and upright, so he has nothing to fear from anyone investigating him."

What else could the Grand Master of Wan Guo Bao Tong say but hum and haw in agreement?

Chen Guozhong waved his hand and instructed his subordinates:

"Take all of the International Bank's ledgers with you."

Led by Yuan Haoyun, the group conducted a ferocious search for evidence.

The head of the Citibank was feeling utterly disheartened.

Chen Guozhong kindly advised:
"Rest assured, Your Excellency, we are very fast."

"However, I must remind you that it is best not to leave Hong Kong during this period, as you may be asked to go to the police station to cooperate with the investigation."

Then that very evening, the head of Citibank was caught by Smith at the airport!
(End of this chapter)