Reborn in 2005, starting with repairing mobile phones

The car drove back to the hotel.

Lin Dong did not return to his room to rest, but went straight to the business center and rented a small meeting room.

"Vivian," he said, sitting down and immediately beginning to make arrangements, "we need to accomplish a few things in the next forty-eight hours."

Chen Wei'an opened her laptop and got into the zone.

"First, the final polishing of the report. Make sure Dr. Hansen's endorsement is placed in the most prominent position, 'Batch classification recommendations based on microstructure fatigue model and long-term service performance'."

The key is the methodology and data. The technical team at Gulf Capital needs to be able to immediately see that this is not just conjecture, but has a scientific basis and is reproducible.

In the report summary, our newly added "route analysis" is highlighted in bold: "Given the complex ground logistics ecosystem of the target's location, for high-value batches..."

We recommend adopting an independent, closed-loop, point-to-point professional logistics solution to isolate uncontrollable risks and ensure absolute control over the condition of materials.

"clear."

Chen Wei'an noted, "I have sent Dr. Hansen's draft consulting contract, and he is very interested."

"very good."

Lin Dong nodded. "Secondly, the channels for sending messages to Wu Ming must be clean, and the timing must be precise."

Don't send it to him right after we meet; that would be too deliberate.

The day after tomorrow afternoon, through a port dispatch intermediary he regularly contacts, the content was as previously agreed: Gulf Capital is consulting on a special offshore channel and has concerns about the "transparency of the overall transaction."

"The third, and most crucial, step."

Lin Dong looked at Chen Wei'an and said, "We need to establish an informal but reliable communication channel with the Rossi family."

They need to find someone they trust, but who has no direct interest in the transaction.

For example… an independent freight forwarder at the port who is deeply trusted by the Rossi family and specializes in handling “difficult cases,” or a lawyer who provides legal advice to the family but doesn’t get involved in the specifics. Can you find someone like that?

Chen Wei'an pondered for a moment, then tapped her fingers lightly on the table: "There's a man called 'Old Jackson.' He's not from the Rossi family, but many dockworkers trust him. It's said that he saved the life of the current Rossi family patriarch when he was young."

Now semi-retired, he runs a small freight consulting company, specializing in handling troublesome matters that others can't manage. His fees are high, but he's tight-lipped and only acts as a middleman. The Rossi family uses him for some "communications" they don't want to handle personally.

"It's him."

Lin Dong decisively said, "Find a way to invite him for a coffee, without mentioning any specific transaction, just express one point."

A Chinese technology company is interested in establishing a long-term, stable supply chain in the United States that requires high levels of confidentiality and security.

We've heard that the Port of San Francisco is facing some "unique logistical challenges," and we'd like to ask what the best approach is for outsiders like us to ensure that some "sensitive" goods can safely enter and leave the port in the future.

Throw the question at him and let him think about it and communicate it.

A look of understanding flashed in Chen Wei'an's eyes.

This move was extremely clever: by using a neutral and credible intermediary, it sent a signal of long-term, constructive cooperation to the Rossi family, rather than begging or threatening for an immediate deal.

This preserved Lin Dong's mystique and initiative while giving the Rossi family an enticing prospect that they needed time to digest and evaluate.

"I'll contact old Jackson first thing tomorrow morning," she wrote down.

"Hmm." Lin Dong leaned back slightly. "Once we've done all this, we can step back and wait for the wind to rise."

At the same time, the wind had already begun to blow.

In a luxury apartment overlooking the bay in San Francisco, Wu Ming had just finished listening to his subordinates' preliminary investigation report on Lin Dong.

The company registered in Shenzhen is called "Dongfang Technology" and has been established for less than half a year.

The legal representative, Lin Dong, is eighteen years old and just graduated from high school this year.

The company's registered capital is not high, but it recently bought a floor in the Futian Central District with cash. Around the same time, it also acquired an old mold factory with precision machining capabilities in Chang'an Town, Dongguan, and renamed it "Dongfang Precision Manufacturing."

Wu Ming paused slightly in the hand holding the red wine.

Buying a property?

Acquiring a factory?

This is no small matter.

The subordinate continued, "We investigated the source of these two sums of money and it seems to be related to several waves of market activity in Huaqiangbei from the beginning to the middle of this year."

First came Motorola V3 repair kits, then Nokia screens, Samsung flash memory… Several short-term trades were executed with remarkable precision, resulting in rapid capital accumulation. However, the methods were clean; they were all market-driven, revealing no hidden tricks.

"Looks like a young man with incredible luck and a lot of courage?" Wu Ming turned around, his face expressionless, but his eyes were deep.

"That's how it seems on the surface. But..."

His subordinate hesitated for a moment. "These two things—buying buildings in the core area and acquiring physical factories—don't seem like things a speculator who only wants to make quick money would do. Once a speculator makes money, he either continues to operate in the market or goes off to enjoy himself."

He's so purposeful. And the timing is so close, it's like... like he planned it all along, wanting to get the money in hand and immediately start expanding.

Wu Ming walked to the liquor cabinet and poured himself a little more wine. He remembered what Lin Dong had said that afternoon: "Our company is called Dongfang Technology, and we mainly do early-stage research and development of consumer electronics products."

"It is quite sensitive to the performance and application of high-end materials."

Buying a property might be for the sake of appearances.

But what about acquiring a factory with precision machining capabilities?

This is clearly building a real manufacturing chassis.

An 18-year-old high school graduate accumulated his first pot of gold in the cutthroat world of Huaqiangbei through lightning-fast short-term trading, and then unhesitatingly invested almost all of his funds in fixed assets and physical manufacturing.

At the same time, he could even travel to San Francisco and talk eloquently about the distinction between "strategic" and "commercial" in front of Wu Ming...

luck?

Perhaps a little.

But what's more striking is their chilling composure, precise sense of purpose, and forward-thinking strategic planning.

"Have you found any special connections he has with the banking system or the government in Shenzhen?"

Wu Ming asked the most crucial question.

Without strong backing, it's hard to imagine a young person with such a huge cash flow and cross-border operations.

"No obvious backing has been found yet. There is a large mortgage loan with the Shenzhen branch of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, but it is a normal commercial loan made with the property and factory he just bought, and the procedures are complete."

The subordinate replied, "It seems... like he got to this point purely through his own ability and foresight."

"Purely through my own abilities..." Wu Ming repeated in a low voice, then downed the wine in his glass in one gulp.

Sometimes, having no connections is more intimidating than having them.

Because people with connections can act in a predictable manner and exchange benefits.

Young people who start from scratch, whose every step is perfectly timed, and whose next move is completely unpredictable, are often more dangerous, and also more... valuable.

"Keep investigating, don't stop."

Wu Ming put down his wine glass. "Especially the people he contacted in Shenzhen, Harbin Institute of Technology, and those institutions doing materials research, let's see if there are any leads we don't know about."

Also, find me the people in Huaqiangbei who were the first to bring him into the industry or who worked closely with him.

"Yes."

After his men left, Wu Ming stood alone by the window, the night view of San Francisco Bay both dazzling and cold.

An eighteen-year-old, with the keen insight and capital honed in Huaqiangbei in his left hand, has already begun to lay out plans for physical manufacturing and international raw materials in his right hand.

Now, he's back in San Francisco, standing before this batch of aluminum that even he finds troublesome, casually pointing out the key to breaking the deadlock...

This is no longer just "a little hard to understand".

It's like a chess piece that suddenly appeared on the board, completely defying any known rules.

Wu Ming suddenly felt that his previous plan to "swallow everything" might really need to be seriously re-evaluated.

At the very least, he had to give the young man named Lin Dong, and the ambitious but fledgling "Dongfang Technology" behind him, the highest level of attention and... cautious respect.

In another highly confidential office building in San Francisco, Jamal, the project manager at Gulf Capital, was frowning as he reviewed the newly delivered document, "Recommendations for Batch Analysis and Grading Application of 7050 Aerospace Aluminum Alloy".

The report's professionalism is beyond question; the UCLA lab's seal and Dr. Hansen's signature are guarantees of its credibility.

But what alarmed him most was the final part of the report, the "path analysis."

The article mentions "ground logistics ecosystem risks," "independent closed solutions," and "isolation of uncontrollable factors"... These phrases are precisely the biggest concerns their team has been facing recently.

How to ensure that this shipment leaves the port safely, quietly, and unnoticed, and is delivered to its intended destination.

"Who commissioned this report?" Jamal asked his assistant.

"It's a routine business consulting project for Dr. Hansen's lab. The client is a newly established technology company, 'Dongfang Technology,' based in Shenzhen, China. They're reportedly planning a high-end materials research program," the assistant replied.

"Eastern Technology..." Jamal remembered the name. Was it a purely technical business report? Or a deliberate attempt to convey information?

If it's the latter, then this "Eastern Technology's" understanding of their predicament is frighteningly profound.

He needs to assess whether this is a potential solution provider or another adversary to be wary of.

In the backyard of an unassuming Italian restaurant near the port, Michael Rossi, the de facto head of the Rossi family, is listening to his subordinates report on the port's "daily routine" for the day.

"There are more and more people watching that batch of aluminum in Zone C-7. Today, there were two unfamiliar Asian faces loitering outside, a man and a woman," the subordinate said.

Michael Rossi slowly cut his steak without looking up: "Let them look as long as they don't break our rules. Tell the men below to keep their eyes peeled."

"The muddier the water in this pond, the more valuable the fish become." He paused, "But... check the backgrounds of those two Asians. Being here at a time like this, they can't just be tourists."

The tentacles of all parties have quietly been extended.