Hong Kong Film Intelligence King

Chapter 371 Unfounded Rumors
"Since we've already offended them, let's offend them badly."

Smith gritted his teeth.
"I am the Asia Director of the U.S. Military Intelligence Bureau, and I am also carrying out secret orders from above."

"If I don't exercise my power now, am I supposed to wait until I'm gone from this position to exercise it?"

"Who would listen to me back then?"

The phenomenon of "people leaving and tea growing cold" isn't just a thing of the past in my hometown; it happens all over the world.

Smith understood this principle very well.

"Investigate everything!"

"Isn't it just Standard Chartered Bank?"

"check!"

"Investigate Citibank as well!"

"Dig deeper!"

"As for HSBC..."

Chen Guozhong said calmly:

"If you can bring Shen Daban back to us, we will be very grateful to you."

Smith thought about it and agreed:
"No need to check HSBC."

It wasn't to give Wang Dao, Chen Guozhong, and others face; the counterfeit money case was discovered six months ago.

This is completely different from the current HSBC management team.

When Wang Dao took office, he immediately threw the entire senior management team of HSBC into prison.

These guys used to challenge Wang Dao, so how could Wang Dao tolerate them?
They threw them all at Chen Guozhong, one by one.

There are no Chinese executives on HSBC's board of directors, making Chen Guozhong the perfect person to take over.

In other words, none of the current HSBC executives below Chen Taotao have any connection with the previous ones.

The fact that the counterfeit money ring has not disappeared proves that HSBC has absolutely no connection to the counterfeit money case.

Going to investigate HSBC again would only make things difficult for Smith.

"In that case, I'll apply for a search warrant. I think the Governor will grant me that request."

The Dude, of course, gave Smith that face.

As soon as Smith explained the situation, the Dude immediately ordered his frizzy-haired judges to prepare a search warrant.

Mrs. Daydre is now hanging around with the actor-general. The Dude is quite politically astute. The Fog City is now in a state of being a fox borrowing the tiger's power. That so-called British Empire is long gone.

The Dude wouldn't bother arguing with Smith; it would only make him look bad.

This investigation caused a great deal of tension throughout Hong Kong.

"What's going on? Several banks' services have slowed down. Could they have made a mistake too?"

"Wanguobaotong Bank has temporarily ceased operations. Is it going bankrupt?"

"That can't be right. Citibank and Standard Chartered's business has slowed down... Does anyone have any inside information?"

"Everything is normal at HSBC."

"Can HSBC be compared to that? It's backed by Wang Jianlin, the richest man in China. Their cash flow alone is several billion US dollars."

"Now it seems that HSBC is still the most powerful bank. We should deposit our money in HSBC."

As a result, the number of people opening accounts at HSBC increased inexplicably.

Even more than before the Shen Daban incident.

Citibank tycoon Brown was furious. He called Smith:

"Commissioner, are you investigating a case, or are you helping HSBC take down its rivals?"

Smith asked, puzzled:

"How do you say this?"

Citibank is furious:
Why don't you check HSBC?

Smith sneered:

"Don't you know what happened to HSBC before?"

"Shen Daban has disappeared, and all the previous board members are serving time in Stanley."

"What does the counterfeit money case have to do with them?"

"Besides, do you think I haven't investigated them?"

“Mr. Chan was very cooperative and gave us whatever we wanted.”

"On the other hand, you guys take forever to find even a single piece of evidence."

Brown said angrily:
"Commissioner, you are from the United States, you should protect our business operations."

Smith said lazily:
"Yes, yes, of course I must protect the businesses owned by citizens of the United States first."

"The problem is, you've used this 'borrowing a knife to kill' tactic quite cleverly. Shouldn't I also protect Citibank?"

Brown was taken aback:
"What did you say?"

Smith said coldly:

"Can you still find that counterfeit banknote that was so realistic?"

Brown fell silent.

To be honest, the counterfeit money is made in an extremely sophisticated way.

Even if a specialist comes, it's not easy to tell them apart.

This is fatal!
When an expert has counterfeit money in hand, he knows it's fake. It's easy to tell the difference; you know where the flaws are.

However, the counterfeit money had already been handed over to Smith, and it was not easy for an expert to distinguish a realistic counterfeit bill from a pile of genuine bills.

Even the experts from Citibank who discovered it found it by chance.

Brown argued illogically:
"However, your investigation has seriously affected our work."

Smith snorted coldly:

"It concerns the right to mint coins, so it's best to be cautious."

"Besides, not a single one of the many banks in Hong Kong has raised any objections."

"But the U.S. Bank, which is associated with the right to mint currency, lodged a protest."

"Don't you think it's ridiculous?"

Brown was speechless.

Smith said calmly:

“You’ve done so much to Citibank, and they haven’t said anything, but you insist on saying things like this.”

"Don't you think it's strange?"

Citibank also wanted to protest, but unfortunately, their protest was ineffective.

Jimmy betrayed his own boss, who was taken away by the police, and every single member of the board of directors and management.

There's nothing that can be done about it. If Jimmy, the patriarch of CMB, doesn't actively sell to others, it's easy for others to sell to him.

Since I'm going to sell anyway, I might as well sell myself.

At least the initiative is in our own hands.

Brown concluded by saying:

"How can Citibank compare to us?"

"Their management team was collectively corrupt."

"It's rotten to the core!"

Smith became stern:
“This is not your concern. If you want to report the other party, then go to the Kowloon Police Headquarters and find Chief Superintendent Chan Kwok-chung.”

"Should I publicize the good things you've done in the Ugly Country?"

Brown, having run out of options, could only say dejectedly:
"Can you speed up your investigation?"

Smith said coldly:

"This is what we need to do, it's confidential, and I can't disclose it to you."

Brown had no choice but to hang up the phone.

Smith covered his face and groaned.

James asked:
"What's wrong with you?"

Smith gritted his teeth and said:

"I'm so angry my teeth hurt."

James shrugs:

There's a famous saying in Hong Kong: "The most important thing in life is to be happy."

"Don't punish yourself for your mistakes; that's called being unable to let go!"

"Let's just do our jobs honestly."

Smith sighed:
"How could I not know this principle?"

"But Brown's behavior is infuriating!"

"If Citibank was indeed behind the counterfeit money case, then Citibank's actions are perfectly justifiable. It can be considered a model of corporate balancing."

"The problem now is that Citibank did not produce counterfeit banknotes at all; in fact, they discovered it very early on."

"Citibank actually stabbed the other party in the back, exposing the ugly face of the United States to everyone."

"It really pisses me off!"

James looked at Smith with a strange expression:
"You're talking about honor with a bunch of profit-driven big capitalists? Are you crazy or am I crazy?"

Smith slapped his forehead:

"It was my mistake!"

People pursue profit; honor is only honor when it's useful, and a burden when it's not.

I must have been crazy to talk about morality with these people.

James thought for a moment and said:
"No matter what, anyone with a bit of inside information knows that we are investigating the counterfeit money case."

"Hopefully, this tactic of stirring up trouble will work."

Smith asked:
"How's the investigation going with Standard Chartered Bank?"

James's expression was subtly complex:
"Brother Zhong was right, Standard Chartered Bank really does have a ten-year-old original."

"It can even be used a few more times."

Smith frowned and said:

"So, that counterfeit bill came from that original?"

James shook his head:

"Not really."

"They must be the original templates for the new site, otherwise they wouldn't be so clear."

"But one thing is certain: the other party must have manufactured a new master copy strictly according to the scale of that original copy."

Smith stroked his chin and said:
Can you identify the suspect?

James hesitated for a moment before saying:

"It's hard!"

"According to our investigation, several members of the Standard Chartered board have studied the master template."

Smith gritted his teeth and said:

"No matter who has studied it, we must investigate!"

James smiled wryly:

"Is that master copy really that important to the United States?"

"Or we can just stop here."

"With Standard Chartered Bank causing such a commotion, it probably won't be quiet for several months."

To his surprise, Smith bluntly stated:
“We don’t care at all how many counterfeit bills were made from this master plate.”

"Even counterfeit money is still US dollars." "The wider the US dollar is promoted around the world, the better."

"Of course, in theory, eliminating counterfeit money is the best approach."

"To be honest, when we promote the US dollar, we are actually promoting the influence of our ugly country."

"Otherwise, why don't many countries actually use the Annamese Shield?"

James nodded slowly, agreeing.

"But such a master copy should not be in the hands of our allies."

"This is what the Ugly country will not allow."

"You understand this, right?"

James could only manage a wry smile.

"It looks like we'll have to spend a lot of time on this."

"This case won't be resolved in less than a few months."

Smith said calmly:

"A few months is fine, but no matter what, this case must be thoroughly investigated."

"As for the outcome, that's a matter for those higher up to argue about."

"For us, this case must be thoroughly investigated and understood."

Changing the subject, he complained,

"Do you think I wanted to be involved in this case?"

"I can't wait to go to Okamoto right now and enjoy the treatment of an emperor."

James looked at him suspiciously:
"To be treated like royalty in Okamoto?"

Smith chuckled:
"You don't know this, right?"

"Okamoto girls are the gentlest in the world."

"Even if she makes a mistake while doing that, she will respectfully kowtow and apologize to you."

"Absolutely perfect teamwork!"

"The ultimate enjoyment for emperors."

James was incredibly envious:
"Oh my, just hearing you say that makes me curious...when are you going to take me out for some fun?"

Smith patted his chest and assured him:
"Don't worry, once this case is solved, we'll go to Okamoto to relax."

"Let me tell you, the heads of the Okamoto conglomerates, Mitsui, Mitsubishi, Sumitomo, and others have been calling me a lot these past few days."

James directly refuted Smith's statement:
"She's not thinking about you at all; she's clearly thinking about the little blue pill, isn't she?"

Smith said smugly:

"There's nothing I can do about it. I'm the general agent for Okamoto South Korean baseball, appointed by Wang Sheng."

"I say how much Okamoto is, and that's how much."

"If they want more pills, who else would they fawn over if not me?"

James retorted:

"They can go and curry favor with Brother Dao."

Smith chuckled:
“It’s not that I look down on them, but in Wang Sheng’s eyes, even Okamoto’s top conglomerate has no status whatsoever.”

"Isn't the matter obvious?"

"Wang Sheng hates Okamoto to the core."

James countered:

"Don't you hate it?"

Smith scratched his head:

"After all, we've already gotten our revenge, so having a dog like this is pretty good."

James ignored Smith.

"To be honest, if we investigate the case this way, we might really be accused of being instigated by Brother Dao."

James reminded Smith,

"The situation is now very clear: among the major banks in Hong Kong, only HSBC is completely innocent."

“Other banks, including Standard Chartered, Citibank, and Citibank, are also suspects.”

"Standard Chartered Bank is undoubtedly the most suspicious at present, but Citibank and Citibank may also be suspects."

Have you figured out how to quell this public opinion?

Smith disagreed:
Why should things be calmed down?

James looked at him speechlessly:
"This is not good for you."

"To those who are unaware of the situation, even you, as a specialist, would appear to be doing things under Brother Dao's orders."

"It's not good for either you or Dao Ge's reputation."

Smith chuckled:
"I think it's great!"

James exclaimed:

"You are joking?"

Smith said seriously:

"Everyone knows how this case came about."

"Anyway, the banks all know it."

"The headache isn't with HSBC, it's with Citibank!"

The case stemmed from a counterfeit banknote submitted by Citibank that was so realistic it was almost indistinguishable from the real thing.

Citibank, Standard Chartered, and even HSBC were all implicated by Citibank.

Brown was at his wit's end!
The anger of Standard Chartered, Citibank, and HSBC will not be easy to quell.

If Brown doesn't provide compensation, these banks won't let him off the hook.

"Even the most important victims, the banks in Hong Kong, haven't refuted this point, so why are we in such a hurry?"

Smith chuckled.
"Besides, I originally wanted to deepen my connection with Brother Dao through various means, so I'll consider this reputation as my pledge of allegiance to Brother Dao."

"We already had a collaboration through the blue pill, so what's wrong with giving Wang Sheng more of that reputation?"

James said speechlessly:

"You have a really dirty heart."

Smith countered:

"How can you say that's about my heart? I was just going with the flow."

James nodded repeatedly:
"Yes, yes, you should go with the flow!"

"However, this case has really messed things up for Hong Kong."

Smith sneered:

"so what?"

"The U.S. doesn't care about that little bit of paper money, but it absolutely will not allow its allies to use the U.S.'s right to mint currency."

James sighed:
"The governor must be terrified!"

Smith shrugged:

"That's exactly what I wanted—for him to be afraid."

"If he weren't afraid, why would he cooperate so closely with our investigation?"

"Am I really going to have to stay here for months?"

"I can't stand it!"

The Ducey, as Smith described him, asked the Attorney General with a grave expression:
"Was that counterfeit money case really handled by Standard Chartered?"

The Department of Justice is also having a headache:
"They are the most likely candidates."

The governor said nervously:
"Not an error?"

The Department of Justice smiled wryly:

"I also hope there was a mistake, but unfortunately, Chen's investigation was very rigorous and reasonable."

"The counterfeit money case is very likely a scheme orchestrated by one or more senior executives of Standard Chartered Bank."

The governor murmured:
"This is terrible."

The Department of Justice whispered:

"Actually, it wouldn't be a problem if the counterfeit money case was done poorly, but that counterfeit money was too exquisite, it looked just like the real thing."

"I had absolutely no idea that it was fake."

"I heard from several bankers that even professional banking experts, unless they are experts in U.S. currency, would find it difficult to identify."

"Even the experts from Citibank who filed the report couldn't identify it."

The governor said in astonishment:
"This was reported to the police by Citibank?"

The Department of Justice said inexplicably:

"Who else could it be but Citibank?"

The governor frowned and said:
"But I heard that Wang Dao was behind this."

"So that HSBC can attract more business."

The Department of Justice was speechless for a moment:

"My lord, those are just rumors."

"Don't you know the real case file?"

"Commissioner Smith requested Chief Superintendent Chan Kwok-chung to investigate this case, and it was you who helped to approve the search warrant for the Chief Justice."

"It's only been a few days, how could you forget?"

The governor frowned and said:
"Here's what happened, but I've heard the rumors spreading widely that Wang Dao used Commissioner Smith, as well as you and me, to push for an investigation into the bank."

"This is good news for HSBC."

The Department of Justice was speechless.

"I already said it's just a rumor."

“Wang Sheng is now the richest man in Hong Kong. He has secured a loan of 3 billion US dollars from HSBC. Everyone knows that HSBC is a very powerful company.”

"It's absolutely impossible for something like what happened to Shen Daban to happen."

"It's one thing for busybodies who don't understand these things to spread such rumors, but why are you spreading them, Governor?"

The governor smiled wryly:
"Yes, I have experienced these things, but it sounds so real."

"Could it be that Wang Dao is the one spreading this information behind the scenes?"

The Department of Justice quickly said:

"Your Excellency, please be careful what you say!"

"Wang Sheng would have no reason to spread such rumors?"

"To this day, is there anyone else in Hong Kong who can match his prestige?"

"Even you or Jardine Matheson's CEO Simon couldn't achieve that, could you?"

"Was it really necessary for Wang Sheng to embellish the story?"

The governor nodded repeatedly:

"You're right!"

The Department of Justice further stated:
"We need to hurry up and urge Chen to solidify this case."

"Only by releasing the background and details of this case as soon as possible can we reassure the public."

The governor hesitated and said:
"Even if this case is eventually solved, is it appropriate to announce it to the public?"

The two looked at each other in silence.

(End of this chapter)