Chapter 49 Selling Scrap Metal (Completed)

The transnational train robbery has caused a huge uproar both at home and abroad.

The crime was extremely cruel and heinous, involving a robbery of over $10,000, resulting in dozens of injuries and the rape of several women, and causing extremely negative international repercussions.

Some Chinese passengers went to the Moscow embassy to report the robbery immediately after disembarking. The ambassador was shocked upon learning of the incident and immediately reported the train robbery to the central government in China via a top-secret letter.

The Central Committee was furious, and the Chairman personally issued instructions on a secret telegram, demanding that the case be solved as soon as possible and the suspects be severely punished.

To solve the case as quickly as possible, the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of Railways jointly established a special task force, drawing on elite personnel from various regions to conduct investigations and gather relevant clues throughout the country, while also dispatching a special investigation team to Oros.

Upon receiving orders from his superiors, Yan Zhengchuan, the captain of the criminal investigation team of a public security bureau in Beijing, led eight police officers to Moscow to apprehend the suspect.

Yan Zhengchuan lives in the military compound. His nanny, Wang Mama, who has taken care of him since he was a child, keeps talking:

"You just got back and you're going on another business trip. The house is always so empty, sigh... Before you leave, go visit your mother at the nursing home. Her health hasn't been good since your sister went missing..."

Yan Zhengchuan gave a brief reply, thought for a moment, and then added a word of advice:

"Aunt Wang, don't tell my mother about my trip to Moscow, so she won't worry unnecessarily."

As Wang's mother stuffed homemade canned braised meat into Yan Zhengchuan's luggage, she asked:

"Should we tell your dad and your older brother?"

Yan Zhengchuan shook his head.

"Never mind, the military region is busy, and they're occupied too. I'll be back in a while, so there's no need to say anything."

Yan Zhengchuan and eight other police officers met at Beijing Railway Station, where they would board this international train that struck fear into the hearts of many.

Because there is no police cooperation mechanism between China and Eros, the investigation team can only go to Eros in their individual capacities and cannot reveal their police identities.

Therefore, the entire reconnaissance team dressed in plain clothes, indistinguishable from ordinary passengers, and carried only a rolling pin and a wire lock as weapons.

If they were robbed on this train, they would have no choice but to use a rolling pin to subdue the vicious robbers.

After Yan Zhengchuan and his entourage boarded the train, they left their compartment door open, chatted with fellow passengers, and even offered to help sell their goods.

One of the officers, Zhou Cheng, was the most skilled at selling goods. He could not only call out prices in a Chinese-accented Ethnic dialect, but also distinguish between real and counterfeit banknotes.

Most importantly, when someone tries to steal the clothes while things are in disarray, he can immediately snatch the items back, instead of just habitually abandoning the goods and rushing to catch the criminal.

After closing the door to the private room, the other officers whispered and joked:

"You little punk, did you work as a middleman before you became a policeman? You seem to know the ropes so well, anyone who didn't know better would think you were the real middleman."

Zhou Cheng also said in a low voice:

"Hey, aren't you envious? If my old man hadn't insisted that I become a policeman, I would have gone into business and made a fortune long ago! But to be honest, this is only my second time in Oros. If it weren't for the trader friend I met last time who taught me a lot, I wouldn't have been able to get started so quickly."

Yan Zhengchuan, who was holding a booklet titled "Learn Emei Language in Thirty Days" and had a headache from reading it, asked Zhou Cheng upon hearing this:

Is your friend still in Mosk?

Zhou Cheng was quick-witted and immediately understood Yan Zhengchuan's meaning. After thinking carefully, he said:

"To be honest, I haven't been able to contact her for a while, and I haven't received a reply to the letters I sent. Remember the incident in Moscow where they bombarded the White House? A lot of traders went back to China, and my friend might have gone back too. But her office is near the Moscow train station, so I'll go and ask around. It would be great if I could find her. Having more friends means having more options, and maybe she can help us."

Yan Zhengchuan nodded in satisfaction and continued to read the booklet diligently.

A young policeman winked at Zhou Cheng.

"Is your friend male or female?"

Another police officer immediately retorted:

"Look at the question you're asking! In such a chaotic place as Oros, any successful traders who can make a name for themselves here must be men!"

Zhou Cheng said smugly:

"I bet you wouldn't guess, but my friend isn't a man. She's a real woman, and a very beautiful, stylish, and capable one at that!"

Everyone in the private room gasped in astonishment and began to discuss it animatedly and quietly.

"Women, they are truly amazing!"

"Hey, I was just wondering why this guy looked so lovestruck when he talked about that friend. Turns out, it really is a woman."

"Is she the one who helped crack the international student fraud case last time? Come on, tell us in detail..."

Zhou Cheng sat on the small table in the middle of the lower bunk, surrounded by heads peering at him from all sides.

"Let me tell you from the beginning. My friend's name is He Changyi. She's a well-known female trader in Moscow..."

Yan Zhengchuan stared at the booklet, silently thinking: He Changyi...

As the international train sped across the Siberian plains, He Changyi led Dong Dezhi and two others to a scrap metal yard in Vladimir.

She rented an empty lot at an excavator factory, moved all the scrap steel she had collected there, and since there was still some space, she bought another 15 tons of scrap from the excavator factory with canned goods and down jackets worth $800 each.

When Dong Dezhi and his two companions arrived at the warehouse, what they saw was a huge pile of scrap steel, as high as two stories.

He Changyi, leaning on his cane, said with a beaming smile:

"This is some of the scrap steel I have on hand, about twenty tons, all of which were collected from the Oros factory. The quality is quite good, with very few impurities. Most of it consists of plates, rebar ends, and some scraps from other factories."

Deduction of impurities refers to the process of deducting soil, non-metallic materials, and other impurities that affect the quality of scrap steel from the selling price in scrap steel transactions.

Fewer impurities mean higher quality scrap steel, resulting in lower costs in subsequent sorting and smelting processes.

A representative from a private company picked up a brand-new wrench from the ground and marveled at it.

"That old Russian is so wasteful. He just sold this perfectly good wrench as scrap metal. Even if it has flaws, he could have just melted it down and remade it. What a spendthrift!"

Another private company representative said:

“People from other countries have fewer people and more resources, so they don’t care about wasting a little bit of resources. Unlike our country, which has a lot of iron ore reserves, there’s not much left for each person. We have to be very frugal.”

Dong Dezhi didn't say anything. He took two steps forward and carefully examined the small mountain of scrap steel. He would tap the steel plates from time to time, look at the cross-sections, and estimate the quality of the scrap steel.

Two representatives from private companies subtly inquired with He Changyi about where the scrap steel came from. She smiled but didn't answer, only saying:

"Of course I have connections here. It's all thanks to the help of friends. Otherwise, how could I have gotten so much scrap steel? Ordinary middlemen probably wouldn't even be able to get their hands on it. After all, in this area, officials take a cut and criminals take a cut, leaving very little for ordinary people."

The private sector representatives were skeptical.

They had their own agenda, wanting to use He Changyi as a stepping stone to figure out how to bypass her and collect the scrap steel from Eros.

After all, having an extra person involved means extra cost, so why not buy cheap scrap steel at the original price?

However, although they had high hopes before setting off, the robbery they encountered along the way extinguished more than half of their ambitions; and the rumors they heard about He Changyi at the Ural Hotel extinguished the rest, leaving only a flickering ember.

A representative from a private company, undeterred, pressed on with the question:

“Miss He, you are not very old and do not look like you are of mixed race. If I may be so bold as to ask, how do you have connections in Oros?”

He Changyi's smile remained unchanged despite the doubts.

"Well, I was lucky. I met a big shot in Mosk, and he gave my small business the green light because we were friends."

She winked suggestively at the delegates.

"As you all saw at the train station, if I didn't have connections, why would the Mosk police personally take me to see a doctor for my injuries?"

Her reminder immediately brought to mind how, at the Mosk train station, the highest-ranking police officer present had personally carried He Changyi off the platform.

The two exchanged a glance.

Wow, I never expected Ms. He to have such a powerful background...

It seems they can forget about poaching the Eguo supplier and kicking Ms. He aside; they should just stick to doing business honestly.

Having easily fooled these scheming customers, He Changyi breathed a sigh of relief.

Her scrap metal trading model is quite simple; it's just about making money by taking advantage of the information gap between the two countries. Although it requires getting through many intermediaries, it's not a difficult task for Lao Zhong, who is good at building connections from scratch and considers everyone a brother.

Although Russia has abundant scrap steel resources, they are still finite.

At this point, time means money.

He Changyi had to be quick enough to grab the fattest piece of meat before anyone else could react, so he could sit at the best spot on the long table and leisurely eat the rest.

That's why she had to endure Alexei's cold stares (...) and bring her clients to the scrap metal yard in Vladimir for an on-site inspection.

Only by actually selling the scrap steel and establishing stable cooperative relationships can she truly focus on recovering from her injury.

Dong Dezhi was clearly satisfied with the quality of the scrap steel. While the other two representatives were pretending to inspect the quality of the scrap steel, he pulled He Changyi aside and whispered to her about the price of the scrap steel.

He Changyi smiled and called out a high price: "Two hundred and eighty US dollars per ton."

Dong Dezhi gasped.

"Two hundred and eighty US dollars?! Miss He, your price is too high!"

He Changyi patiently argued with him.

"Section Chief Dong, you're used to the scrap steel business. Ask yourself honestly, is my price really that high? The current domestic price for scrap steel is over two thousand yuan per ton, which is three hundred dollars. I'm only selling it for two hundred and eighty, which is twenty dollars cheaper per ton. Ten tons is two hundred dollars, one hundred tons is two thousand dollars, one thousand tons is twenty thousand dollars, and ten thousand tons is two hundred thousand dollars..."

Dong Dezhi said with a headache, "Stop, stop, what you're saying is making my head spin."

He Changyi patiently persuaded, "Section Chief Dong, if you really want to be honest, am I not selling it cheap enough? Where in China can you buy scrap steel this cheaply? Even scrap collectors charge 1.8 yuan per kilogram for scrap iron. To be honest, I originally planned to sell it at the domestic price, since even at the same price, the quality of my scrap steel is the best."

Dong Dezhi hurriedly said, "You can't compare this to China. Scrap steel is so cheap in Russia. Your cost is probably less than a hundred dollars."

Even after the true price was exposed, He Changyi remained unfazed, maintaining an air of loyalty.

“Brother Dong, you’re just fooling laymen. Do you think the cost is just the price of scrap steel? Even in China, it’s easier to deal with the devil than his minions. Without bribing people at all levels, you can’t even open a scrap metal collection station, let alone collect scrap steel on a large scale.”

Dong Dezhi blushed at what he was told; he hadn't expected that a young woman like He Changyi would bring this matter to the forefront.

However, considering that she single-handedly built such a large business in Moscow, it's not surprising that she is so adept at understanding the unspoken rules of society.

Dong Dezhi shamelessly said, "No, no, I'm here on a mission. Your price is too high, it's not sincere. Make it cheaper, make it even cheaper."

He Changyi gave a wry smile.

"Sigh, isn't it enough that I've accompanied you on this on-site inspection with my limp? Fine, considering our friendship forged on the train, you name a price, as long as it's roughly the same, I'll take a small loss to show my sincerity."

The other two private company representatives were eavesdropping, and when they saw Dong Dezhi was about to quote a price, they hurriedly ran over.

"Miss He, you can't be biased. We've been through thick and thin together!"

Dong Dezhi was so angry that he wanted to kick people out.

"I'm having a conversation with Miss He, what are you interrupting for! If you want to talk, go talk to Miss He alone!"

One of the representatives said shamelessly, "Old Dong, that's not fair of you. I even handed you a wrench on the train. How can you turn your back on me now?"

Another representative quickly chimed in: "Dezhi, I was the one who scrubbed your back last night. We've been completely honest with each other, so how can you play tricks on your buddy now?"

Dong Dezhi was both annoyed and amused.

After the train robbery, the three became sworn brothers and could no longer treat each other with the indifference one would show to a rival, so they had no choice but to let the other cheat them.

He Changyi remained silent, watching the three men pull at their belts with a smile.

With two representatives against one, Dong Dezhi had no choice but to agree to let two other representatives join him. The three formed a price alliance and together they tried to negotiate a lower price with He Changyi.

Outnumbered, He Changyi was forced to retreat under the relentless pressure of the three men, and was eventually compelled to agree to sell the scrap steel for $250 per ton.

Dong Dezhi and the other two were very satisfied, and on the spot, they each took out a purchase order for 1,000 tons and asked He Changyi to sign it.

He Changyi sighed and signed his name, almost bursting out laughing as he turned around.

Keep in mind that her target price was $200 per ton, while the cost per ton of the scrap steel she acquired was less than $60.

From $60 to $250, even including shipping, customs duties, and various bureaucratic hurdles, the final cost will not exceed $140.

He Changyi made a net profit of US$330,000 from this single scrap steel transaction, equivalent to more than RMB 2 million.

It was worth it.

Even if you encounter four groups of robbers on the train, it would be worth it.

Dong Dezhi, seeing He Changyi silent and seemingly depressed, felt uneasy and offered words of comfort:

“Ms. He, well, everything is difficult at the beginning, but it will get better afterward… If this cooperation goes smoothly, I will apply to the factory to increase the purchase amount next time. Let’s take it one step at a time…”

He felt a little embarrassed. After all, Miss He had saved everyone's lives on the train, yet they still haggled so fiercely over the price, and each of them only purchased one thousand tons of scrap steel. It was simply cold-blooded and heartless.

Sigh, there's nothing we can do about it. Their steel mill is too small, so they have to be very careful with their purchases. Even with cheap and high-quality Oros scrap steel, they can only allocate a maximum of 1,000 tons for purchases. They don't have that much money in their accounts for more.

All he could do was urge the factory to transfer the money as soon as possible, and not drag things out with Ms. He over the money.

It's important to know that many suppliers have had their cash flow disrupted because they haven't received payments for their goods.

He Changyi sighed.

"I never expected it would take so much effort to sell only 3,000 tons of scrap steel. I still have tens of thousands of tons in stock... This has really presented me with a difficult problem."

The other two delegates, though silent, had been listening intently. After hearing He Changyi's words, one of them said:

"Tens of thousands of tons of scrap steel—only large state-owned steel mills can handle that; it's beyond the reach of small factories like ours. But they have long-term suppliers with very strong connections, so outsiders can't easily get involved."

Another representative, his eyes darting around, urged:

"How will you know if it will work if you don't try? I think Miss He's scrap steel is of good quality and cheap, no worse than those suppliers. I heard that Yan Steel will be re-tendering to select suppliers in six months. Miss He can give it a try. Even if you don't get selected, at least you can get familiar with the process and maybe you'll have a chance in the future."

Before He Changyi could speak, Dong Dezhi disagreed, saying:

"Everyone knows that these state-owned enterprises' bidding process is just a formality, and the results have already been predetermined. Don't mislead Ms. He."

He then turned to He Changyi and said:

“Ms. He, I know purchasing agents from other steel mills. I’ll introduce them to you after I return to China. Although they can only purchase a few hundred or a few thousand tons at a time, it adds up and they can eventually clear out your inventory.”

He Changyi thanked Dong Dezhi. Although her so-called tens of thousands of tons of inventory was pure deception, having new customers was a good thing. With a little more effort, she could visit a few more factories to collect enough scrap steel.

As for the Yan Steel bidding, He Changyi did not forget about it, but kept it in mind.

Although her business is not yet large enough to compete with those large suppliers, who can say for sure what will happen in six months?

He Changyi escorted the three of them back to Moscow.

She recruited two international students, Xiao Zhao and Yuan Yuanyuan, whom she knew before, and hired them as translators and tour guides for ten dollars a day to take Dong Dezhi and others on a tour of Moscow.

Xiao Zhao and Yuan Yuanyuan refused to accept the money, so He Changyi threatened to exchange the ten dollars for an equivalent amount of black bread and deliver it to their dormitory. The two good children, who cherished their food, were terrified and were forced to choose money over eating the black bread.

—At least the US dollar won't break your teeth.

Although I don't know what US dollars taste like, they must taste better than black bread.

As He Changyi, leaning on his crutches, traveled to various factories in Vladimir to collect scrap steel, a group of Chinese passengers had just disembarked at the Mosk train station.

"I'm puzzled. This journey has been too peaceful. Nothing has happened. What's going on? Did the robbers go and lay low after making a big score?"

Zhou Cheng was filled with doubt.

You should know that the last time he took the train to Moscow, there was a robbery on the train. His compartment was near the front of the train, and by the time he arrived at the scene of the robbery at the back of the train, the robbers had already run away with a large sum of money.

But this time, not a single robbery occurred on the train.

Zhou Cheng said, "It can't be that they knew there were police officers hiding in the car, can it? Their noses are too sharp."

Yan Zhengchuan and his group stayed in two adjacent private rooms. In order to lure the robbers who were scouting the place, they deliberately left the room doors open, gathered all the money together, and had a police officer openly perform counting the money.

Unexpectedly, instead of robbers, they were greeted by well-meaning fellow passengers who reminded them to close the door and hide their money, lest they attract the robbers, as there were no police officers on board.

Plainclothes police officers: ...

The robbers were remarkably composed, and the reconnaissance team ultimately failed to ambush them. The train arrived at its final destination peacefully.

Yan Zhengchuan quickly scanned the train station, his gaze lingering a few seconds longer on the Huns, Gypsies, and bald Slavs.

"Come on, this isn't the place to talk. Let's go to the embassy first."

He picked two taxis from those soliciting passengers by the roadside and told the drivers his destination in his broken Emei language.

Nine men, along with their luggage, squeezed together to barely sit down. The back seat was crammed like a tin can, while the theoretically most spacious front passenger seat was crammed with luggage, piled up so high that the windshield was completely obscured.

Yan Zhengchuan's move was not only to save money, but more importantly, to ensure the safety of the team members.

After all, the bad reputation of Oros's security had already spread back home. If he took a team of capable young men abroad, he might end up losing his own men before even catching the suspects, which would be a huge loss of face.

After boarding the vehicle, the plainclothes police officers from Zhongguo were very nervous, with their hands in their pockets and holding small razor blades; the driver was also very nervous, sweating profusely, and glancing at the rearview mirror from time to time.

When the taxi stopped at the Chinese Embassy, ​​both the passenger and the driver breathed a sigh of relief.

Thank goodness, they weren't there to rob us.

Yan Zhengchuan led a team to meet the ambassador, and afterwards they were arranged to stay at the embassy's guesthouse.

Although there is no official police cooperation mechanism between China and Emirates, given the heinous nature of this train robbery and the fact that most of the perpetrators and victims were Chinese, Emirates tacitly permitted Chinese police to enter the country to investigate and arrest the suspects after informal communication at higher levels, and provided a certain degree of assistance.

At this time, based on the confessions of the robbers arrested on the train, the Oros police followed the clues and captured some of the robbers hiding in Oros.

Yan Zhengchuan led his men to interrogate the arrested robbers and uncovered the specific details of the four robbery gangs involved in the train robbery.

The leaders and key members of the three smaller gangs have been arrested by police both domestically and internationally, while only a few henchmen of the largest criminal gang have been apprehended, with most members still at large.

This largest criminal gang has two leaders, a man and a woman, nicknamed Ma San and Hua Jie.

It is said that Ma San and Hua Jie had a long criminal record in China and were wanted by the whole country. They smuggled themselves out of the country like stray dogs.

Upon arriving in Oros, a country plagued by political turmoil and rampant crime, the two thrived, finding even greater freedom and success than in China. They quickly recruited over twenty followers, becoming one of the most prominent Chinese gangs in Moscow.

Ma San and Hua Jie had extensive counter-surveillance experience. When they discovered that the Emei police were arresting robbers in a train robbery case, they immediately used their familiarity with Moscow to hide, causing the police who came to arrest them to miss their target. Their whereabouts remain unknown to this day.

In order to solve the case as soon as possible, Yan Zhengchuan divided Zhou Cheng and other team members into two groups. One group was responsible for further interrogating the arrested suspects and uncovering clues that the Emirates police might have overlooked, while the other group conducted interviews among the Chinese community in Moscow.

But on the third day after arriving in Mosk, Yan Zhengchuan noticed something was wrong.

"Does this car belong to the embassy?"

He stood sideways by the blinds. Across the street not far from the embassy, ​​an old yellow van was parked, its windows rolled up, obscuring the view inside.

Zhou Cheng went out and asked around, then said uneasily:

"The embassy staff said that the car didn't belong to them, Captain Yan, there's something wrong with that car."

Those sent to Moscow were all key personnel from the bureau. Yan Zhengchuan gave them a slight hint, and they immediately realized something was wrong.

"They're here to spy on us! No wonder they escaped the moment I got the news and went to arrest them; they've got spies planted at the embassy entrance!"

"Do they have informants on the train? Otherwise, how come there weren't any robberies when we were traveling here?"

"These guys are really bold, daring to even spy on the police!"

"Captain, should we arrest him or not?"

Zhou Cheng said impatiently, "We definitely have to catch them! Otherwise, how can we carry out our work? It's like a cat being targeted by a mouse, is that acceptable?!"

But Yan Zhengchuan said, "I won't arrest them."

Zhou Cheng: "Huh?"

The crowd was puzzled, but Yan Zhengchuan only asked, "Do you have evidence to arrest people?"

Immediately, everyone felt a little discouraged.

Sigh, it's all because of foreign countries. If this were in China, the police would have arrested him long ago if he dared to stalk someone!

"Let them keep an eye on it."

Yan Zhengchuan lowered the shutters on the window.

"You few come with me to stay here. The rest of you stay at the guesthouse and do whatever you need to do."

He selected several people who rarely appeared in Moscow and had not visited the Chinese community, making them relatively unfamiliar faces. Zhou Cheng was one of them.

Yan Zhengchuan led his men out of the guesthouse through the back window, took a detour, and took the subway to the famous Zhongguo Hotel and Ural Hotel in Moscow.

He paid out of his own pocket to ask the front desk for a double room next to each other; he shared one room with Zhou Cheng, and the other two police officers shared another.

Upon arriving at the room on the top floor, the door to the next room suddenly opened, and a strong, bear-like Ego man was pushed out.

When he noticed several Chinese men standing at the door, he looked over with a gloomy expression, his eyes filled with calculation and wariness.

Yan Zhengchuan inexplicably felt that this person was particularly displeasing to the eye, and concluded in his heart that the other person did not look like a good person and was most likely involved in organized crime.

He looked back without any politeness, and their eyes clashed. In an instant, the corridor turned into a confined space filled with flammable and explosive gas, ready to explode at the slightest spark.

“Alexei, I won’t go back with you. You find your own reason to tell Grandma Vitalie. In short, I will absolutely not go to see her on crutches until my leg is healed!”

Suddenly, a clear female voice rang out. She spoke the E language with perfect fluency, and if you didn't see her face, you would think she was a woman from the E Kingdom.

Zhou Cheng was initially wary, but upon seeing the person, he immediately exclaimed with delight:

"Miss He, what are you doing here? What are you doing here?"

Miss He?

Yan Zhengchuan looked over as if he sensed something, and met a pair of bright and lively eyes.

"Why can't it be me?"

She stepped out of the room, leaning on her cane.

Sunlight streamed in through the window at the end of the corridor, falling squarely on her like a flowing golden veil.

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Author's Note: I haven't decided who the male lead will be yet. After all, when I was conceiving the outline, the female lead was the only core element, and money was the second most important thing (cough...).