Zongman: Beginning and Snow under the Rain Escape from Raccoon City

"I was wrong……"

Little Mary lowered her head in frustration.

……

"A total of 11.77 ounces, please check."

Inside a London bank, a middle-aged man wearing a monocle kindly pushed a piece of cut gold on the table in front of Ye Hai.

11.77 ounces, which is roughly 366 grams.

Ye Hai picked up the gold and tossed it around; it was quite heavy.

"I have a certain level of trust in the credit of London banks, so there's no need to verify the gold."

Ye Hai also wore a gentle smile.

He's here today to test the waters and see how the exchange rate between the British pound and gold works during this period.

Surprisingly, it was that simple. I just handed him the money, and after verifying that it was genuine, I gave him the gold.

There were none of the troubles I had imagined.

Of course, this could also be because Ye Hai exchanged very little this time, only fifty pounds.

"Thank you for your trust. Is there anything else I can help you with?"

"If needed, I can help you with that anytime."

Upon hearing Ye Hai's reply, the bespectacled man couldn't help but curl the corners of his mouth upwards.

"of course."

"There's actually another thing I wanted to discuss with you today."

Ye Hai straightened up and then asked, "Is there a limit to how much gold one person can exchange per day at your bank?"

"Sir, I must explain something."

The bespectacled man said with a serious expression, "We in Britain are not like your Asian countries. We are a very free country, in every respect."

"So please don't think about us based on habit."

"In the UK, there is no limit to the amount of gold that can be exchanged for pounds sterling."

Ye Hai smiled, then continued, "Are you sure?"

The bespectacled man nodded: "I'm sure."

Ye Hai then asked, "Would you refuse to exchange money simply because the customer's money is of dubious origin?"

"No, sir! You are insulting us."

"Our bank absolutely respects the privacy of its customers and will never investigate the source of their assets, much less refuse to provide services to them for such reasons."

The bespectacled man adjusted his monocle and answered Ye Hai's question with righteous indignation.

Ye Hai's smile grew even brighter, even carrying a hint of amusement.

“Very good.”

Ye Hai’s voice was clear and calm: “Your bank’s service philosophy and spirit of freedom are truly impressive. This gives me full confidence in doing business with your bank.”

The bespectacled man nodded slightly, with a professional pride: "It is our honor, sir. Providing the highest quality and most flexible financial services to clients throughout the British Empire and the world is our mission."

"Then let's use it."

Ye Hai reached into his coat pocket: "Since your bank so respects customer privacy, doesn't investigate the source of funds, has no upper limit on exchange amounts, and promises free gold exchange..."

He paused for a moment.

"...I think it's time for a deeper business collaboration."

As soon as he finished speaking, Ye Hai pulled out a neatly folded banknote from his inner pocket. The banknote was exceptionally durable.

Very big.

It's not just the size of the paper.

The face value is also quite large.

How much is Chapter 75? One million!?

The sheer size and texture of it made the air seem to freeze for a moment the moment it appeared.

The professional smile on the bespectacled man's face froze instantly, and his pupils contracted sharply behind his lenses.

As a senior teller at a London bank, his familiarity with the national currency far exceeded that of the average person.

Even if the banknote is only folded and only one corner is visible, its unique paper texture, anti-counterfeiting embossing on the edge, and most importantly—its astonishing size!

This could never be a fifty-pound note, or even a five-hundred-pound or five-thousand-pound note!

This size, this style... a term that almost only existed in legends and internal bank training manuals exploded in his mind like a thunderbolt!

Ye Hai didn't give the bespectacled man any more time to react.

He smoothly unfolded the huge banknote completely on the counter and pushed it flat in front of the other person.

Sunlight streamed through the bank's tall glass windows, falling on the elegant and dignified banknote.

On the denomination, the clearly visible number "1,000,000" was like a blinding light, almost piercing the bespectacled man's eyes.

"Now."

Ye Hai's voice remained calm: "Please, in accordance with your bank's proud principle of free exchange and the policy of no upper limit and no censorship that you just promised, please exchange this one million pound note for gold."

"Just as you just said, 1 pound is equivalent to 7.32238 grams of pure gold."

"That is, in your imperial system, one ounce of gold is equal to 3 pounds 17 shillings and 10.5 pence."

Although Ye Hai didn't know why the exchange rate for British gold was so absurd, he was fine as long as he could exchange it.

He leaned forward slightly, his tone carrying a barely perceptible hint of mockery: "I believe that with the strength and reputation of the Bank of London, and your country's proud gold standard, this small request should... not be a problem, right?"

Ye Hai had already prepared for the exchange process to not go smoothly; now he just wanted to see how this guy in front of him would smooth things over.

The enormous banknote, bearing an astronomical sum, lay quietly on the mahogany counter, yet it was like a depth charge, stirring up a tidal wave in the bespectacled man's heart.

The color drained from his face instantly, his lips trembled slightly, and his eyes behind his glasses were fixed on the numbers on the banknotes and the Bank of England (ACEJ) logo. His mind went blank, with only one thought screaming wildly:

One million pounds! He wants to exchange it for one million pounds of gold!

That's how much gold...

7.3 tons!!!

What percentage of the bank's reserves would this require? How much of a shock would it cause? What would the governor think? How would the Bank of England headquarters react? This... this is simply impossible to do according to normal procedures!

The bespectacled man's previous confidence and sense of superiority about "free exchange, unlimited amount, and no questioning of origin" were shattered in the face of this small but incredibly heavy piece of paper.

The bespectacled man suddenly felt a chill down his back.

I touched it, oh, it was just soaked with sweat.

He thought an angel had come to pick him up.

"Sir..."

The bespectacled man's voice was dry, like sandpaper scraping. He subconsciously adjusted his nearly slipping monocle, trying to regain some composure, but his trembling fingers betrayed his inner turmoil: "This...this amount...is just...just too...huge! I...I need to...I need to consult our manager immediately! No! Consult the bank manager!!"

"Please...please wait just a moment! Please!"

He didn't even dare to look at the banknote again, and disregarding all etiquette, he almost staggered to his feet from behind the counter and rushed towards the senior staff's office.

That million-pound banknote, which originally symbolized supreme credit and wealth, now appeared to him as a terrifying entity capable of igniting the entire bank and even the entire City of London.

Ye Hai watched as the bespectacled man's flustered figure disappeared behind the heavy oak door.

He leaned back comfortably in his chair, his fingers tapping lightly on the mahogany counter, his gaze sweeping over the million-pound note lying quietly, his eyes calm and undisturbed.

There is nothing in this world that can threaten him, which is why Ye Hai dares to come here alone to exchange for gold.

What was the most powerful thing in the 19th century?

It's nothing more than the battleship's cannons.

But that thing can't be driven onto the shore.

Other ordinary firearms and bullets no longer pose a threat to Ye Hai.

His telekinetic power is now enough to cause bullets fired at him to lose momentum in mid-air and fall to the ground.

The extraordinary versus the ordinary, the advantage lies with me.

A slight smile appeared on Ye Hai's lips.

The heavy oak door was pushed open abruptly, and a middle-aged man with a stout build, wearing an elegant striped suit and covered in fine beads of sweat practically rushed out.

Behind him followed a bespectacled man with a deathly pale face, and another deputy with a similarly solemn expression, carrying an account book.

The bank manager strode over to Ye Hai's counter. When his shrewd eyes saw the million-pound banknote spread out on the mahogany counter, his pupils contracted sharply, and his breathing quickened.

But as someone who controls a branch, he forcibly suppressed the turmoil in his heart and forced a professional smile onto his face.

"Your Excellency, I am John Haddcastle, the head of this bank. I apologize for keeping you waiting."

His gaze swept quickly across Ye Hai's calm face before returning to the banknote.

“Charles has already briefed me on your… um… special business needs.”

The governor of Haddcastle took a deep breath and tried to make his voice sound calm: "Such a huge exchange involves the bank's core reserves, so we must conduct the most rigorous and prudent verification process."

"Please understand that this is not a sign of distrust towards you or this legendary note, but rather a procedure that we must follow to be accountable to the Imperial financial system."

Ye Hai nodded slightly and made a "please go ahead" gesture, his posture still relaxed, as if he was just waiting for a cup of afternoon tea.

Over the next few minutes, the governor of Haddasse personally took to the stage, donning a specially made magnifying glass, while the vice governor retrieved a highly detailed, internal anti-counterfeiting comparison manual from the safe.

They carefully examined the banknotes for their paper quality, watermark, the fineness of the intaglio printing, the reflective properties of the ink, the unique serial number location, and the micro-security features that were almost imperceptible to the naked eye.

The two huddled together, whispering to each other, their fingers moving rapidly between the banknotes and the handbook for comparison.

Charles, the bespectacled man, stood frozen to the side, not daring to utter a sound.

Chapter 76 Bank President and Vice President

Time passed by minute by minute.

The governor of Haddasse slowly took off his magnifying glass and exchanged a glance with the vice president.

Both of them saw confirmation in each other's eyes: the million-pound note was real!

The bank manager took out a handkerchief and vigorously wiped the sweat from his forehead.

When he turned to Ye Hai again, his tone became even more respectful: "Your Excellency, after our most rigorous verification, we have confirmed that the note you hold is genuine and valid, issued by the Bank of England, with a face value of... one million pounds sterling."

"According to British law, we are not allowed to refuse your request, but..."

The bank manager sounded somewhat embarrassed: "The amount you requested for exchange... is simply too astonishing."

"At the standard exchange rate, that's a full 7,322.38 kilograms of pure gold!"

The vice president added in a low voice, his tone dry: "Sir, this is equivalent to more than 590 standard gold bars."

During this period, the standard reserve gold bars in Britain were generally 12.4 kilograms each.

The bank manager sighed heavily, leaned forward slightly, and clasped his hands nervously in front of him: "Sir, please forgive my bluntness, but such a huge amount of physical gold is not only priceless, but its volume and weight itself pose a huge challenge to its storage and transportation."

"More importantly, the branch's current vault reserves are insufficient to pay such a large sum at once!"

He glanced quickly at the vice president, who immediately opened the ledger and whispered a number.

The bank president then continued, "To express our utmost sincerity and to fulfill our commitment to our clients and the gold standard, we propose a compromise solution. Would you be willing to consider it?"

"You said."

Ye Hai nodded slightly.

With 7.3 tons of gold, Ye Hai knew even with a grain of salt that the bank couldn't possibly produce it all at once, so he had long been mentally prepared for all sorts of scenarios.