Just now, he took over 27.5% of the controlling stake in Hong Kong Land Group! The lifeblood of Jardine Matheson, a company that has operated for a century, has been pried open by our comrades!
The other end of the line suddenly fell silent. For ten seconds, only the faint hiss of electricity could be heard. Mr. Liao could even imagine the old man, cigarette between his teeth, lost in thought.
"Twenty-seven and a half?" the voice finally came, each word weighing heavily on the air. "That Landlord that controls half a street in Central? Holy crap, did Comrade Lin Huowang actually live up to his boasts?"
"It's absolutely true! Newspapers all over Hong Kong are screaming about it on their front pages! British capital has been completely humiliated!" Mr. Liao spoke rapidly, "But Lin Huowang's methods... truly exceeded everyone's expectations. Logically speaking, we wouldn't have been able to pull off such a scheme without his help, yet he managed to conjure up nearly 2 billion Hong Kong dollars! I had Weilin investigate all night, but he still couldn't figure out where the funds came from..."
The crisp tap of a teacup on the table came from the other end of the line. The old man spoke slowly, each word as clear as a knife: "Let's put aside how the money came from for now. What matters is that he got it done! Five years ago, when I was negotiating with Kissinger, he arrogantly said, 'Hong Kong Island is the Queen's crown, and those British central banks are the pearls on the crown.' Now the biggest and brightest of those pearls has been plucked by our child soldiers!"
Mr. Liao's eyes warmed when he heard this. He remembered that when he first met Lin Huowang, the young man's boast of "devouring British capital" had made him shake his head secretly.
At this moment, all doubts turned into burning pride: "Yes! Lin Huowang's actions have given all Chinese in Hong Kong a shot in the arm! The myth of the invincibility of British capital..."
"Yes! It's time to break it!" the old man continued firmly, "Xinhua News Agency must immediately launch a publicity plan. The change of ownership of Hong Kong Land is an economic battle, but even more so a political one! We must let the people of Hong Kong Island see clearly—"
The call ended abruptly. Mr. Liao held the receiver in shock, but the next second, he heard a louder voice on the line, evidently the receiver had been taken away: "Mr. Liao, please give a message to Comrade Lin Huowang."
Mr. Liao stood up straight suddenly: "You go ahead!"
"Three months ago, he was talking to me on the phone about trying his luck in Hong Kong. I said to him, 'Why don't men hang up a Wu hook?'" The voice on the receiver was resonant. "Today, he has won the jewel in the British crown. Tell him—"
"This Wu Gou has been tempered!"
The busy tone of the phone hung up echoed in his ears. Mr. Liao slowly put down the scalding receiver. The red paint on the phone shone like blood in the morning light.
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