Chapter 401: A Man Must Know His Place
"I need him to judge me?"
Lin Feng said to George with a laugh,
"Duke Cunningham is too far from Hong Kong and has never paid attention to Hong Kong. His attitude has nothing to do with me."
But, your attitude is very important to me, George thought to himself.
"Mr. Lin, what method do you think the Duke will use to deal with Little Tycoon?"
George quickly asked for advice.
This guy was indeed a senior agent of the Military Intelligence Agency. After Lin Feng's guidance, he fully displayed the flexibility of a senior agent.
The bottom line of Anglo-Saxon senior agents was no bottom line.
To be honest, if Anglo-Saxon claimed to be second in terms of the most double agents in any country, no one would dare to claim first.
Even if Anglo-Saxon's Iron Lady Prime Minister started the Cold War iron curtain, when it came to agents loyal to the Polar Bear, it still had to be Anglo-Saxon.
In such an environment, to expect agents of the Anglo-Saxon Military Intelligence Agency to be loyal to their country... even Mr. M probably wouldn't dare to make such a boast.
After George reported the news to Duke Cunningham, he immediately conveyed the Duke's attitude to Lin Feng.
Lin Feng smiled and said:
"What are you worried about?"
George pondered for a moment, then confessed:
"I'm worried about everything."
"I'm worried that the Duke will have a hard time stopping Little Tycoon."
Lin Feng burst out laughing:
"You're a very interesting fellow. Are you worried about Little Tycoon's matter?"
"You are clearly worried about your four hundred million hong kong dollar remuneration."
How does this guy know everything?
George was truly dumbfounded!
Lin Feng had charged one hundred million hong kong dollars for Little Tycoon's information.
George immediately made an exorbitant demand, asking Duke Cunningham for five hundred million.
One hundred million of that was Lin Feng's information fee, which was the bottom line. The other four hundred million was George's 'hardship fee,' and of course, this was also permitted by Lin Feng.
However, the problem was that this matter was too confidential; there shouldn't have been a third person who knew about it.
George took a deep breath and suddenly felt at ease.
Lin Feng's information sources were truly all-pervasive.
If he could even know such information, what else didn't he know?
In fact, this was also the reason George immediately called Lin Feng.
George could conceal and deceive Duke Cunningham — after all, Anglo-Saxon nobles were full of deception and concealment.
George was also confident he could conceal and deceive Duke Cunningham.
As a senior agent of the Military Intelligence Agency, deceiving enemies and even allies was a basic operation.
But he wasn't confident he could do the same to Lin Feng.
Swearing to God, George still couldn't figure out where Lin Feng's information sources came from.
As the number of times increased, George became numb.
Lin Feng truly possessed all his information; trying to hide from him was almost impossible.
George dared not lie in front of Lin Feng; he didn't know the extent to which Lin Feng understood his situation.
More importantly, even if George was about to become a member of the Cunningham Family, he still couldn't do without Lin Feng's intelligence.
Would the Cunningham Family give him a job worth four hundred million hong kong dollars?
If there really were such a job, would General Cunningham secretly support Johnny Wang in selling arms?
If there really were such a job, wouldn't it be better for the Duke to give it to direct descendants of the family? Why would he give it to him?
George couldn't do without Lin Feng's intelligence.
He dared not lie to Lin Feng.
"Mr. Lin, do you think Little Tycoon's plan will succeed?"
Lin Feng shrugged:
"I know your worries."
"If I didn't know, then he might still succeed."
"If I didn't tell you, then he might still succeed."
"If you hadn't asked Duke Cunningham for five hundred million hong kong dollars in information fees, then he might still succeed."
"Now, he doesn't have even a fifty percent chance."
George opened his mouth, carefully reminding him:
"Mr. Lin, Little Tycoon has the backing of Sir Shen."
Mr. Shen naturally held a peerage conferred by Anglo-Saxon.
Lin Feng suddenly asked:
"HSBC is an international enterprise, and the one in Hong Kong is just a branch."
"Compared to its headquarters in Anglo-Saxon, which one is stronger?"
George blurted out:
"That would naturally be the Hong Kong branch."
Lin Feng asked with a smile:
"Is the Anglo-Saxon headquarters content with that?"
George naturally replied:
"How could they be content..."
"You mean, the Duke will start with the HSBC headquarters..."
Lin Feng sighed:
"George, George, you are about to become a member of the Cunningham Family. According to your saying, you are soaring to success, becoming a member of the nobility."
"You haven't learned a single quality of a noble."
George frowned and said:
"Loyalty, courage, self-sacrifice?"
Lin Feng was astonished:
"Are those the virtues of Anglo-Saxon nobles?"
"Have you been brainwashed?"
"In my opinion, the characteristics of Anglo-Saxon nobles are clearly greed and arrogance."
George was half-choked.
"The HSBC headquarters is incredibly annoyed by the actions of the Hong Kong branch."
"They won't let this opportunity pass."
George asked, puzzled:
"What opportunity?"
Lin Feng was very disappointed in George:
"At least you're a senior agent of the Military Intelligence Agency, don't you know this is a good move against Mr. Shen?"
"If I were the Chief of the HSBC headquarters, I would definitely send a letter to question Mr. Shen."
"Who gave him the authority to squander the shareholders' money like this?"
George was perplexed:
"Mr. Lin, did you say that wrong?"
"Tycoon Group's valuation is severely underestimated. Even in a bear market, Tycoon's shares are worth more than five billion hong kong dollars."
"Mr. Shen made a good deal."
Lin Feng sighed:
"George, I can foresee that your path to nobility will be truly difficult."
George was startled:
"Mr. Lin, please enlighten me."
Lin Feng rolled his eyes:
"The basic characteristics of a noble are having no bottom line and distorting black and white."
"You haven't even reached the passing line yet."
"For nobles, everything else is illusory; only profit is real and tangible."
"No matter how much the shareholders of the HSBC branch earn, what does it have to do with the Anglo-Saxon headquarters?"
"The better the performance of the Hong Kong branch, the more dazzling it is, and the more the HSBC headquarters loses face."
"The Chiefs of the headquarters would wish Mr. Shen dead..."
"We all know Mr. Shen made a good deal, don't the people at the HSBC headquarters know?"
"They are the elite of the elite, so they naturally know."
"But, don't forget."
"While this is indeed a good deal, as it stands, Mr. Shen's valuation of Tycoon Group is on the high side."
George was utterly confused:
"What does that prove?"
Lin Feng was slightly impatient:
"You're really foolish, it doesn't comply with procedures."
"If you don't even adhere to basic procedural justice, then don't blame us."
Ah?
George's heart skipped a beat, and he blurted out:
"You mean, the HSBC headquarters will use Mr. Shen as a talking point?"
Lin Feng said speechlessly:
"Isn't that obvious?"
George murmured:
"Even though Mr. Shen has always supported Tycoon and blocked my path."
"But I have to say, he truly works for the Empire."
"The people at the HSBC headquarters wouldn't be so short-sighted, would they?"
Lin Feng said with a laugh:
"Short-sighted?"
"What are you thinking?"
"HSBC is a commercial company; what it values has always been its own interests."
"What do Anglo-Saxon's national interests have to do with them?"
"Do you think the Chiefs of Anglo-Saxon are like the Chiefs of state-owned enterprises in our Mainland?"
George was startled and moved:
"You're right!"
Lin Feng said indifferently:
"The people at the HSBC headquarters are suffocated by the Hong Kong branch."
"Especially a few years ago, before Thatcher went north, she still had to consult Mr. Shen."
"If you were replaced by the shareholders of the HSBC headquarters, what would you think?"
The truth was revealed!
George sighed:
"I took it for granted."
Lin Feng said irritably:
"Just you wait and see, even if the people at the HSBC headquarters do nothing, Duke Cunningham will not spare Mr. Shen."
"Is Mr. Shen guaranteeing Little Tycoon?"
"He wants to cut off the Cunningham Family!"
"As the patriarch of the Cunningham Family, if he doesn't step in to stop this matter, what right does he have to be the patriarch of the Cunningham Family?"
"We can prepare now."
George asked in astonishment:
"Prepare for what?"
Lin Feng said indifferently:
"Prepare to attend Mr. Shen's funeral."
Hiss!
George broke out in a cold sweat.
Lin Feng's tone made him feel as if he had witnessed Mr. Shen's demise.
After hanging up the phone, George remained restless for a long time.
His heart was in a panic.
He knew very well what kind of person Mr. Shen was.
The strategy Thatcher used when she went to the Mainland for negotiations was proposed by Mr. Shen.
This was a very insightful person.
Deeply respected by the entire Empire.
Yet, it was precisely such a person who, according to Lin Feng, had entered a life countdown.
George truly couldn't believe it.
But then again.
Could this really not happen?
George asked himself with genuine sincerity… it was almost certain to happen.
He had figured out the whole situation.
Mr. Shen was very capable and highly respected by the current government, but he was still just a Chief.
Chief, it sounded good, but he was merely an emperor of wage earners.
Mr. Shen was different from Tycoon.
Neither Cunningham nor George had ever thought of taking Tycoon's life.
This was not out of their benevolence, but because of Tycoon's identity.
Don't misunderstand, Tycoon had long since changed his nationality; he was no longer a Mainland person, he had long become a member of the Anglo-Saxon Federation.
Tycoon was different from Mr. Shen; he was truly a rich man.
And in the Western world, rich people are the cornerstone.
You could use various means to deal with a rich man, but that was all.
If you wanted to take his life, then sorry, you would inevitably face the full retaliation of the rich.
Tycoon was qualified to enjoy such treatment.
Mr. Shen was completely different; you could say he was a successful emperor of wage earners, but not a rich man.
HSBC was certainly rich, but that money wasn't Mr. Shen's.
Backed by HSBC, Mr. Shen could look down on many rich people.
However, once he shed the mantle of HSBC's Chief, he was essentially no more noble than the white-collar workers inside an office building.
At least, in the hearts of the Anglo-Saxon nobility, Mr. Shen and Tycoon were fundamentally different.
Killing Tycoon meant a lot of trouble.
After all, he was a rich man, and this would cause rich people to feel insecure, to grieve for their kind, and provoke their backlash.
What about getting rid of Mr. Shen?
Although a bit troublesome, it was only a minor inconvenience, with no future repercussions.
George felt a chill run down his spine.
He thought of himself.
As a senior agent of the Military Intelligence Agency, once caught on a mission, he was basically dead for sure.
Even if he wasn't caught on a mission, as long as someone targeted him, there would still be no way out.
This was the tragic life of an agent.
"I want to become a noble."
"I want to control my own destiny."
George secretly gritted his teeth.
Normally, he would never think of such a thing.
However, being in Hong Kong and seeing such a vivid example, even George, as a senior agent of the Military Intelligence Agency, was scared!
He was as helpless as a lamb to the slaughter.
No matter what, he had to seize the opportunity; only by becoming a member of the Cunningham Family could he avoid a fate like Mr. Shen's.
According to the current development, becoming a noble seemed to be only a matter of time.
"Thanks to Mr. Lin's reminder, otherwise… I would have made a mistake."
"I must not offend Mr. Lin in the future… he is a big shot who can turn the tide with a flick of his hand."
"I must curry favor with him."
George secretly made up his mind.
However, thinking of a certain legendary matter, George stiffened again.
"I heard that Mr. Lin's biological father is Ngai Kun, and because of him, he detests drug trafficking."
"My drug trafficking, won't it violate his taboo?"
George didn't take drug trafficking seriously at all.
The Anglo-Saxon establishment never took drug trafficking seriously either.
On the contrary, it was an effective means of accumulating wealth.
But Mr. Lin's attitude towards drug trafficking was clear: if you dare to traffic drugs, I will hit you.
The Ni Family was formidable, wasn't it?
It was overturned by Lin Feng alone.
Chung Ching Society was formidable, wasn't it?
It was wiped out overnight by Lin Feng, who contacted surrounding Triads.
Even recently, there was Koon Tsoi-ba, a big drug lord who was inconspicuous in Hong Kong but a major one in his Mainland.
He was still directly exterminated by Lin Feng, along with his entire family.
The current sensational dismemberment case of the big drug lord Boss Ma has many people suspecting whether Lin Feng did it.
After all, this person had a record.
George's face was covered in cold sweat, and his clothes were soaked.
"I can't do this anymore."
"This stuff is too dangerous."
"Once Lin Feng sets his sights on me, dealing with me would be easier than killing a chicken."
George was not underestimating himself; on the contrary, as a senior agent of the Military Intelligence Agency, he had an objective evaluation of his abilities.
It was precisely because he had such a high opinion of himself that George worried Lin Feng would act against him.
Honestly, given Lin Feng's status, it seemed only those with extraordinary abilities and extremely high positions were worthy of his personal intervention.
Were those drug traffickers worthy of Lin Feng's attention?
Even Lin Feng's subordinates would consider it demeaning to act; perhaps the subordinates of his subordinates would be more appropriate.
Then again, using drugs to control Triads and recoup funds was a task assigned to him by the Military Intelligence Agency.
What if he couldn't complete it?
George was in a dilemma, but after thinking for a long time, he suddenly slapped himself hard:
"You're out of your mind!"
"You're about to have five hundred million hong kong dollars in hand, and you're about to become a member of the Cunningham Family."
"You're about to become a noble."
"Who cares about the Military Intelligence Agency's mission!"
"Is the Military Intelligence Agency's mission more important, or is your life more important?"
George naturally got the answer, and a new problem arose:
"Chung Yee Shun is a troublesome matter."
"I must disengage from them as quickly as possible."
"But everyone in the underworld knows that Chung Yee Shun's people are a bunch of lunatics."
"What should I do?"
George frowned deeply for a moment.
He somewhat regretted provoking this group of madmen.
But what could he do?
At that time, besides Chung Yee Shun, he had no other choice.
"How about… eliminating Chung Yee Shun?"
George's heart skipped a beat, startled by his own thought.
Chung Yee Shun was not to be trifled with.
Once they noticed, it would lead to a twelve-thousand-fold retaliation.
Those people wouldn't care if you were from the Police Station or a Foreigner.
They were standard desperadoes.
"No, if I don't disengage from Chung Yee Shun and stop dealing with drugs soon, Mr. Lin will definitely make an example of me."
One must always recognize one's place.
A senior agent of the Military Intelligence Agency, what a high-ranking official!
A member of the Cunningham Family, what a high status!
These things, which were unattainable in the eyes of ordinary people, were nothing before Lin Feng.
George was in a dilemma and fell asleep in a daze.
When he woke up, it was already noon, and the dazzling sunlight had woken him.
George, preoccupied with his thoughts, finished washing up and was about to find something to eat when Cunningham excitedly walked in:
"George, good news!"
George perked up:
"General, what good news?"
Cunningham patted his shoulder affectionately:
"Your information has rendered great service."
"After the Patriarch learned of your information, he didn't delay for a moment and immediately confirmed it through channels."
"Mr. Shen indeed accepted Little Tycoon's share mortgage."
"Little Tycoon mortgaged one-third of his family's shares for five billion hong kong dollars, and Mr. Shen has already informed the Anglo-Saxon headquarters and authorized the use of headquarters funds."
George said, speechless:
"What kind of good news is that?"
"Isn't that already confirmed information?"
Cunningham smiled:
"For us, what we fear most are hidden attacks from the opponent."
"If we didn't know, this matter would have a hundred percent chance of succeeding."
"At that time, the Cunningham Family would fall into an absolutely passive position."
"But now we know…"
"This situation is completely different."
George's heart stirred.
"You mean?"
Cunningham smiled:
"Little Tycoon has been imprisoned!"
George looked up in astonishment:
"Little Tycoon imprisoned?"
"Why?"
Cunningham shrugged:
"He engaged in insider trading; one-third of those shares, according to the current market price, were worth at most four billion, yet they were traded at a price of five billion."
"Anyone would know there's something wrong there."
"Of course, that's not the main point."
George was even more surprised,
"Then what is the main point?"
Cunningham smiled:
"An Anglo-Saxon Earl released news to the media, saying that Little Tycoon attempted to bribe him with three million pounds to secure Tycoon's release."
"What kind of place is London, how could he run wild there?"
"So, he was imprisoned."
George was speechless for a long time, thinking to himself, you guys are truly shameless.
+++
Chapter 402: George Becomes the Information Source
"This is truly wonderful!"
George said against his will.
Even though they were rivals, Duke Cunningham's actions still caught him off guard.
Don't think he didn't know that Little Tycoon was being played for a fool by the nobles in London, spending two billion hong kong dollar on counts alone, and naturally getting absolutely nothing in return.
It could be said that Little Tycoon alone had gorged the counts.
Note, this wasn't just 'eating until full'.
It was 'gorged'!
It must be said, Little Tycoon was definitely a great benefactor to the counts.
If it weren't for him, where would the Anglo-Saxon counts find such a generous patsy willing to pay them tribute?
It could be said that Little Tycoon was their financial backer.
But such a financial backer was then completely sold out by them.
Bribed for a few million?
Who are they trying to fool!
Just from Little Tycoon's trip to London, which count didn't pocket tens of millions?
And Little Tycoon was guided by someone, so he definitely avoided the word "bribe"!
They happily accepted the gifts, but in the end, they just sold out Little Tycoon completely!
No!
This is no longer just selling, this is slander!
One must know, anyone Little Tycoon could deal with was basically a noble who frequently appeared on television.
He had truly experienced the character of the Empire's nobles.
Shameless, truly damn shameless.
As soon as he thought that he would soon become one of them... Oh, I can do that too, then it's fine!
"This isn't even the best news."
Cunningham said smugly.
George was startled:
"This isn't even the best news?!"
Cunningham said in surprise:
"How is this the best news?"
"Don't forget, because of this news, you have to give that incredibly resourceful intelligence merchant five hundred million hong kong dollar."
"If we can't earn back this information fee, we'll lose five hundred million hong kong dollar!"
George said speechlessly:
"Little Tycoon didn't pay tribute to Mr. Cunningham, did he?"
Cunningham said seriously:
"How can you say such a thing?"
"That is our family's property, not tribute from Little Tycoon."
George realized his mistake and quickly said:
"I spoke incorrectly, please forgive me, General."
Cunningham smiled:
"You are a newcomer to the nobility; there is much you need to learn."
"However, you are very clever, and you should learn quickly."
George secretly shook his head.
Isn't it just being shameless?
Does that really need to be learned?
But as he imagined it, it seemed this really did need to be learned.
Having no moral bottom line, that's not something an ordinary person can achieve.
"If Little Tycoon dares to stab us in the back, he must pay a sufficient price."
"Didn't he mortgage one-third of Tycoon Group's shares?"
"It doesn't matter, if he can mortgage them, we can acquire them."
George was very confused:
"General, Little Tycoon mortgaged that portion of shares to Mr. Shen."
"We want to acquire them?"
"That's five billion hong kong dollar!"
"Can we really come up with that much money?"
Cunningham looked at him strangely:
"What exactly are you talking about?"
George felt inexplicably guilty:
"Am I wrong?!"
Cunningham said earnestly:
"We are nobles!"
George asked, puzzled:
"What difference does being a noble make?"
Cunningham said earnestly:
"We are nobles; we must walk the righteous path."
"We do not engage in crooked ways or evil schemes."
"Little Tycoon is clearly a criminal, how could we possibly collude with him?"
"The shares Little Tycoon mortgaged are clearly illegal."
"We naturally must confiscate them!"
"It's absolutely impossible for us to redeem them."
Ah?!
George's mouth hung wide open, unable to close for a long time.
Good heavens, you're planning to get something for nothing.
Cunningham found his expression particularly amusing.
"George, we are nobles."
"The entire Empire must support us."
"When we are in our Homeland, we must maintain basic noble etiquette and not go too far."
George thought to himself, 'This isn't too far?!'
"Fortunately, the Empire has enough federated nations."
"We can appropriately enjoy some privileges."
"Just like this time..."
"Tycoon has emigrated, but no matter how much he emigrates, he is still a member of a federated nation."
"Since he is a member of a federated nation, he should naturally support us."
Cunningham smiled slightly, and George felt a chill.
Immediately followed by great joy, good heavens, are the Empire's nobles really that powerful?
He was about to become a member of the nobility!
However, George still raised a pertinent question:
"General, I must remind you, Tycoon is from the Mainland."
Cunningham said earnestly:
"No, he is not!"
"Not every person with yellow skin is from the Mainland."
"Didn't he emigrate?"
"The Empire allows dual nationality, but unfortunately, the Mainland does not."
"If Tycoon were from the Mainland, it would be difficult to deal with, but who told him to emigrate?"
"As far as I know, Tycoon's relationship with the Mainland is not very good."
"You are an agent of the Military Intelligence Agency, don't you know that?"
George shrugged:
"General, you are right."
"If Tycoon really had a good relationship with the Mainland, when he had problems, Little Tycoon wouldn't have eagerly gone to London to make arrangements."
"The correct approach would be to seek out the Mainland."
"That's five billion hong kong dollar."
"I think if he had put up half of that, Tycoon wouldn't have fallen into such a predicament."
Cunningham burst out laughing:
"They are foolish."
"But then again, I like opponents like that, the more the better."
George laughed heartily:
"Exactly, I like opponents like that too."
Who likes an opponent like a god?
If an opponent is like Lin Feng, every move you make falls into his eyes; unless you use an unsolvable overt scheme, otherwise, it's an easy matter for him to scheme against you.
George certainly didn't want such an opponent.
Not even in his dreams.
George originally thought that was the end of the matter.
Who knew, Cunningham then said:
"There's also good news, our old friend is about to bid farewell."
George wondered, did he and Cunningham have a mutual friend?
"Don't guess wildly, I'm not talking about anyone else, but Mr. Shen."
George was stunned:
"Mr. Shen is leaving?"
"He's not at retirement age, is he?"
Cunningham shrugged:
"In this world, success or failure has always been the measure of a hero."
"If this matter with Little Tycoon had truly succeeded, then Mr. Shen would undoubtedly have completed a change in status."
"Unfortunately, Little Tycoon's plan was detected by us in advance."
"So, he is a failure."
"Leaving on his own terms is the dignity we offer him."
George pondered for a moment, then shook his head:
"Mr. Shen will not leave."
"He is a smart man; he knows where he can wield true influence."
"Clearly, his influence is not in London, it can only be in Hong Kong."
"General, I'm afraid you've miscalculated."
Cunningham gave a sneering smile.
"I said, Mr. Shen leaving on his own is the dignity we offer him."
"If he doesn't want to leave on his own, it doesn't matter, at worst, we'll just have to put in a little more effort."
George suddenly looked up and saw Cunningham's chilling smile.
Even though George was accustomed to life and death in the Military Intelligence Agency, he couldn't help but feel a chill in his heart.
He could disregard previous matters completely, after all, ordinary people facing the Military Intelligence Agency simply couldn't resist.
However, now it was completely different.
Neither Tycoon nor Mr. Shen were ordinary people.
To ordinary people, they were superior beings.
And in the Western world, these people were the foundation.
George often used the Military Intelligence Agency to do certain things.
But that was only against ordinary people; he wouldn't even dare to think about doing it to people like them.
He never expected that the life he yearned for could also be seized by cunning and force.
"Isn't this very normal?"
Lin Feng asked in surprise,
"Isn't the law of the Western world the law of the jungle?"
"The weak are prey to the strong, and the winner takes all."
"Your society may not have explicit classes, but in reality, the class system is much more rigid."
George ended his conversation with Cunningham, and the more he thought about it back in his room, the more he felt something was wrong, so he simply called Lin Feng again.
"Do you like India?"
George said without hesitation:
"I like their wealth; India is the jewel in the Empire's crown."
Lin Feng teased:
"Is this jewel made of gold?"
George did not deny it.
India was docile and would not resist; at most, when their temper flared, they would resort to non-violent non-cooperation.
What obedient subjects they were.
They were simply a colony that no empire could refuse.
Were there no resistors in India?
Yes!
But that was a long time ago; all those who dared to resist were killed.
The rest, naturally, worked diligently under the doctrines of a certain great religion.
A nice way to put it is that people are "cultivating their present life and seeking their next life." A less nice way to put it is… "Why did you bring up India?"
George was utterly bewildered.
"I'm speaking in analogies."
"India has a strict hierarchy, but it still has its advantages."
George's eyes widened:
"What advantages does India have?"
Lin Feng said faintly:
"India's caste system is far more advanced than yours."
"Their caste system actually allows for upward mobility, though the difficulty is quite high."
George's eyes widened even more:
"What?"
"Aren't they born into a life that's already decided for them?"
Lin Feng shook his head:
"In fact, that is true, but, it's still possible to move up."
"This system of upward mobility is actually a manifestation of a person's improved social status."
"Such things are commonplace in real life."
"For example, you, you are about to marry a young lady from the Cunningham Family, and Duke Cunningham will most likely secure a noble title for you."
"Thus, you will become an Anglo-Saxon noble."
"This is an elevation of social status."
"As long as one person achieves this promotion, that's all it takes."
George frowned:
"Isn't it like this all over the world?"
Lin Feng laughed heartily:
"There are over a hundred countries on this planet. Anglo-Saxon is a tiny place, how dare you say 'all over the world'?"
"In the Western world, if one person gets promoted, their social status improves."
"India is completely different; if they want to move up in caste, it's not just one person's status improving, but an entire surname's people who must improve."
"One or two outstanding individuals improving is not enough."
"They must improve quickly."
"Do you understand?"
George was puzzled:
"Does that have anything to do with what we're talking about?"
Lin Feng smiled:
"India seems to be a member of the Anglo-Saxon Federation, and within the Anglo-Saxon Federation, people can move relatively freely."
"I bet you that the outstanding individuals who rise through India's caste system will, at some point, occupy all the major leadership positions within your Anglo-Saxon Federation."
George was greatly shocked:
"Just India?"
Lin Feng laughed:
"Exactly, just them."
"Don't you believe it?"
"Your Western world openly claims to have no hierarchy, but in reality, it's strictly hierarchical."
"Just like Little Tycoon and Mr. Shen, if they transgress a taboo, they should be suppressed and eliminated."
"Ordinary people don't know the depths of it."
"They think they live in a free world."
"But in reality?"
"Your hierarchy is very crude, far inferior to India's strictness and intricacy."
"Their rule is truly thorough."
"The elites who ascend from that caste system, once they arrive in your world, can be said to unleash a completely dimension-reducing attack."
"You cannot compare to them."
George felt a chill in his heart.
Cunningham made him feel the domineering nature of old aristocracy.
Lin Feng made him feel the dread of the future.
Does the empire have no future?
George absolutely could not imagine what an Imperial Prime Minister of Indian origin would be like!
It was simply too terrifying.
George had originally called to ask Lin Feng for help.
He never expected to suffer another blow.
"Didn't I tell you?"
"Mr. Shen can no longer recognize his own class. Are some things really for him to meddle with?"
"It's ridiculous!"
"If he had been content with his lot."
"Then, there would still be a glimmer of hope for the future."
George asked hoarsely:
"What kind of hope is this?"
Lin Feng replied indifferently:
"He could still keep his life."
George fell into deep silence.
He should have thought of it!
"Don't listen to propaganda; look at the substance."
"Your world even retains its monarchy, yet you still talk about freedom?"
"What are you thinking?"
"Mr. Shen crossed the line. He is an adult who can be responsible for himself, so he should accept this situation of failure."
"This is also a common rule in the Western world — winner takes all."
"Mr. Shen will not rise again."
"Many people don't want him in that position anymore."
George sighed:
"At least the Cunningham Family won't let Mr. Shen continue in a position where he can still speak out."
HSBC's position was too important.
Even if Mr. Shen was just a manager, the platform he was on was too large; any casual remark from him could attract attention from all sides.
Lin Feng merely smiled without speaking.
The Cunningham Family didn't want Mr. Shen to have an easy time, and neither did he.
George sighed and hung up the phone.
Lin Feng's lips curled upwards; he was in a good mood.
Chiang Tin-Yeung asked curiously:
"Ah Feng, you're in a very good mood."
Lin Feng smiled:
"Someone gave me some inside information. How could I not be in a good mood?"
Chiang Tin-Yeung was startled:
"Inside information?"
"It won't attract the ICAC, will it?"
Triad members originally didn't care about the ICAC; the ICAC investigated the Police Station, so what did it have to do with Triads?
Times were different now.
Hung Hing wanted to transform, to go legitimate, so naturally, they had to face these giants of the legitimate world.
The ICAC was one of them.
Lin Feng smiled and took out a cigar. Li Fu naturally took it, quickly trimming the cap and toasting the cigar.
"The ICAC, how grand!"
"Unfortunately, the person I just spoke with was a senior operative from the Anglo-Saxon Military Intelligence Agency."
Chiang Tin-Yeung's jaw nearly dropped.
He knew Lin Feng had extensive connections, but he never imagined they were this extensive.
He knew Lin Feng's connections in his Mainland were immense—Binny Hu could even smuggle goods to Red Bear through his Mainland, so other things went without saying.
But he never, ever thought that Lin Feng actually had connections within the Anglo-Saxon Military Intelligence Agency!
No wonder his information was so well-informed.
Chiang Tin-Yeung exclaimed:
"People say that Mr. Lin of Causeway Bay has friends all over the world and can get any kind of intelligence."
"Before, I thought it was an exaggeration, a jest."
"Now it seems I was shallow."
"To actually doubt you, that's not right."
"Even the Military Intelligence Agency has connections… incredible."
Chiang Tin-Yeung greatly marveled. He was a successful businessman with high emotional intelligence, completely different from his elder brother.
Lin Feng having connections with the Military Intelligence Agency was his capability.
He had no intention of trying to test him.
Lin Feng laughed:
"That phone call just brought me two pieces of good news."
Of course, if Lin Feng was willing to speak himself, Chiang Tin-Yeung was especially interested.
"What news?"
Li Fu handed the toasted cigars to the two of them, and Lin Feng gestured for him to light one as well.
Gently exhaling a puff of smoke, Lin Feng then said to Chiang Tin-Yeung,
"It's the good news I've been looking forward to for a long time."
Chiang Tin-Yeung's interest grew stronger:
"What kind of news could make you look forward to it?"
Lin Feng smiled:
"An Anglo-Saxon Earl held a press conference, saying that Little Tycoon bribed him with twenty million hong kong dollar to help reduce Tycoon's sentence."
"Little Tycoon was consequently taken into custody."
Chiang Tin-Yeung's eyes almost popped out:
"This is an Anglo-Saxon Earl?"
"When did their moral standards get so high?"
Lin Feng laughed heartily:
"Don't be so impatient!"
"Mr. Shen of HSBC Hong Kong is suspected of insider trading with Little Tycoon, and I hear London is about to dismiss him."
Chiang Tin-Yeung's heart stirred, and he mused,
"I seem to smell something rotten."
"Exactly, the stench of conspiracy!"
Lin Feng smiled:
"This is precisely the good news I've been anticipating, and the opportune moment I've been waiting for."
"But, this isn't foolproof."
"Something more needs to be done."
Chiang Tin-Yeung suddenly said:
"Ah Feng, I'm very interested in your training room. Do you mind if I have a look?"
Lin Feng knew that Chiang Tin-Yeung wanted to give him some quiet space, so he smiled and said:
"Mr. Chiang, please make yourself at home."
Li Fu naturally took Chiang Tin-Yeung to Lin Feng's training room. When he returned, Lin Feng instructed:
"Call Jian Jun, and the two of you go do something."
Li Fu listened carefully.
"London wants Mr. Shen to resign gracefully. He is a smart man and knows that after he leaves HSBC, he will be nothing."
"He won't resign."
"You and Jian Jun, tonight, after Mr. Shen returns home, make sure he leaves gracefully."
Li Fu asked:
"Where should we send him? To the mountains or to the sea?"