Three hundred thousand US dollars is an astonishing sum, even for Wei Hongde, a man of immense wealth and fortune, enough to cripple the Wei family.

And here's the problem: the Wei family is willing to pay the $300,000, but the financial market in Shanghai is currently volatile, and major banks are experiencing a shortage of foreign exchange. It would be extremely difficult to exchange and raise such a large amount of US dollars in a short period of time.

The Wei family spent a lot of effort raising more than $100,000. The rest could only be paid in Japanese yen or Chinese currency, but the other party firmly disagreed and threatened that if they continued to cause trouble, they would cut off Wei Hongde's hand and send it back.

This put the Wei family in a difficult position. They dared not publicize their fundraising efforts, and in the end, Madam Wei had no choice but to personally visit Gu Xuan, the leader of the Jiangbei gang.

It turns out that Wei Hongde and Gu Xuan had some connection. Years ago, when Wei Hongde was kidnapped, the Wei family paid the ransom, but the kidnappers delayed in releasing him. Fearing that they would kill him, they quickly went to Gu Xuan for help. Gu Xuan then spread the word throughout the martial arts world, declaring that if the kidnappers did not release him, the Subei Gang would pursue the matter to the end, no matter what.

At that time, the Green Gang's power in Shanghai was unmatched, and the Northern Jiangsu Gang was also at its peak. As a senior leader, Gu Xuan's words naturally carried great weight.

The next day, Wei Hongde was released unharmed, which shows that the kidnappers were afraid of being pursued by the Green Gang and ultimately did not dare to harm Wei Hongde, so they released him to settle the matter.

This time, unable to resolve the thorny issue, Madam Wei came to Gu Xuan again, asking him to intervene and see if he could talk to the kidnappers and negotiate a settlement in another currency instead of the US dollar, while guaranteeing that they would keep their word and release Wei Hongde as soon as possible.

But times have changed. The Northern Jiangsu Gang has lost its former glory. It has lost its territory north of the Suzhou River, and many of its members have scattered. The remaining members are barely managing to stay in the French Concession's McLaren district with Gu Xuan.

Based on the details of Wei Hongde's kidnapping, Gu Xuan quickly deduced that the kidnapper was no ordinary person. In Shanghai, possessing such weapons and daring to kidnap Wei Hongde so openly was most likely a member of the Green Gang. Other forces, even those from outside the region, would not target someone like Wei Hongde. However, given the current situation of the Northern Jiangsu Gang, powerful branches would probably not give in. Therefore, seeing Madam Wei come to their door truly put Gu Xuan in a difficult position.

After the explanation, Madam Wei learned about the predicament of the Subei Gang. However, Gu Xuan was a man of honor and loyalty. Since he knew that Wei Hongde was in trouble, he could not stand idly by. He finally agreed to exchange the remaining US dollars for Madam Wei and then secretly search for the kidnappers to ensure that Wei Hongde would return home safely.

The matter quickly fell to Ji Hongyi. The reason was simple: at that time, the only person in the Subei Gang who could maintain appearances and resolve the issue was Ji Hongyi, the young leader.

Over the years, although the Northern Jiangsu Gang has gradually declined, Gu Xuan's disciple Ji Hongyi has emerged as a dark horse, surprising everyone.

Since Ji Hongyi returned to Shanghai to go undercover, his identity has undergone a tremendous transformation. At the beginning of his undercover work, in order to solve the problems of funding and his undercover identity, the intelligence department used its vast financial resources and background to establish many industrial companies and various enterprises. Later, due to the rapid development of the concession economy, its strength has expanded rapidly in recent years.

Aside from the action team members and those with special identities, almost every other member of the intelligence team owns their own businesses and companies, spanning various industries in the concession society. Among them, Ji Hongyi, being a former leader of the local Green Gang, has the safest and most verifiable identity, so he owns the most physical businesses. He has established a total of six companies, involved in the liquor and department store industries, and is now a prominent and powerful figure in the business world.

Although Ji Hongyi was not Gu Xuan's successor disciple, with money came corresponding power. Gradually, more and more gang members joined Ji Hongyi's ranks, and now he has become the most influential figure in the Subei Gang besides Gu Xuan.

Therefore, Gu Xuan naturally handed the matter over to Ji Hongyi, asking him to find a way to exchange enough US dollars for Madam Wei as ransom.

On the other hand, Gu Xuan also knew that Ji Hongyi had enough strength and connections. If anyone under him could find these kidnappers, it would be Ji Hongyi.

Putting aside these obvious strengths, Gu Xuan also knew that Ji Hongyi's identity was by no means ordinary.

He had initially assigned this disciple to work for the Military Intelligence Bureau (MIB) to eliminate the traitor Yu Li. After successfully completing the mission, the disciple simply followed the action team leader, Ning Zhiheng, to Nanjing, joined the MIB, and became an intelligence officer.

Later, after the Battle of Shanghai, this disciple suddenly reappeared, saying that the troops had been scattered and he was afraid that the guns and cannons on the battlefield would not be able to see in the way. He didn't want to be in the army anymore and wanted to come back to his master. However, Gu Xuan knew Ji Hongyi's character very well, so he didn't believe him at all, but still took Ji Hongyi in again.

He had witnessed Ji Hongyi's performance over the past few years and had guessed that his disciple was probably the Chongqing element that had been rumored in the concession for a long time and that made traitors tremble at the mere mention of his name. Gu Xuan himself was a patriotic nationalist who deeply hated the Japanese and traitors, and he greatly approved of his disciple working for the Chongqing government.

Ji Hongyi naturally couldn't refuse the task assigned by his master. So he started investigating and trying to find the kidnappers' whereabouts while actively raising US dollars from his company's accounts. However, there weren't many US dollars circulating in the market, and the amount needed this time was too large. He had no choice but to go to the Tan Mansion for help. He knew that the intelligence department had good funding channels and always had enough US dollar reserves, so raising these US dollars wouldn't be a problem.

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