Moreover, unlike the French Concession, the International Settlement had sufficient British and American troops stationed there, which had a strong deterrent effect on the security of the area. As a result, the Green Gang was severely suppressed. Conversely, Cha Yutang, the chief Chinese detective of the police station with an official title, had much more executive power than Lei Daming, the chief Chinese detective of the French Concession.
Such a person colluding with Li Zhiqun poses a huge threat to all anti-Japanese forces hiding in the International Settlement, especially the Shanghai Intelligence Bureau, whose headquarters and main forces are hidden in the International Settlement. This made Ning Zhiheng feel an impending crisis, and he would never allow such a thing to happen.
In the interrogation room of the No. 76 Special Agent Headquarters, a middle-aged man was tied to a thick wooden stake. His clothes were tattered, and his skin was torn and bleeding from being whipped. Each lash produced a shrill scream, a truly gruesome sight.
Wu Shicai's face was ashen. He waved for the interrogators to stop, then stepped forward, grabbed Wu Shicai by the collar, and asked viciously, "Tell me, besides you, who else is involved with Sheng Zhiyuan? Where did the money go?"
The man was already terrified and in a daze. If he hadn't been tied to the wooden stake, he probably would have collapsed into a ball. After this interrogation, he would have spilled everything. Hearing Wu Shicai's stern questioning, he struggled to speak in a hoarse voice: "I really don't know. Sheng Zhiyuan only gave me this much money. It's all in the account now. You can check the accounts at the government office. As for whether he hid some secret stash, why would he tell me?"
As Luo Xingchao had predicted, everything was going exactly as he had expected. Seeing the Shanghai stock market soaring over the past six months, with a large influx of funds into the stock market and people around him jumping in and making a fortune, how could Wu Shicai, who was always greedy for money, resist the temptation?
However, Wu Shicai only knew how to make money by speculating in stocks, but he was completely clueless about the specific operations. In addition, as a top agent of the No. 76 secret service, he dared not enter the International Settlement rashly. Even when he secretly entered the Shanghai Business Association on Second Road twice, he did not dare to stay for too long and hurriedly returned to the city.
In this situation, he quickly found Sheng Zhiyuan, the chairman of the Shanghai West District Business Association. Sheng Zhiyuan had been extorted by Wu Shicai when he was a merchant, and had lost a lot of money. He had joined the puppet government after it was established. Because of this relationship, Wu Shicai did not exploit him too much.
However, No. 76 would get involved in any business in western Shanghai, and Sheng Zhiyuan's company was no exception. Because Sheng Zhiyuan was afraid of Wu Shicai, he always flattered him, and that's how the two gradually became acquainted.
Wu Shicai knew that Sheng Zhiyuan had experience in stock speculation and had made a lot of money from it, so he asked Sheng Zhiyuan to manage stocks for him.
Although Wu Shicai managed a lot of money, it was all public funds from the No. 76 Special Agent Headquarters. He was just taking a larger share, so he didn't invest much at first. However, as the stock price rose, he quickly made a large profit. This really excited Wu Shicai!
Is there really such an easy way to make money in the world? Throwing money into the stock market and seeing it go around is like having babies; you can earn back profits many times over. After that, Wu Shicai, like a normal gambler, gradually increased his investment, and finally simply invested all his wealth. He even misappropriated the profits from the gambling and drug industry in western Shanghai.
However, Sheng Zhiyuan lived up to expectations. The stock market continued to rise, and the amount in his account increased every day, making Wu Shicai very happy.
Wu Shicai had a very good plan. Now that Director Li Zhiqun was in Nanjing and wouldn't be back in Shanghai for a while, he wouldn't have to keep submitting accounts. He could simply keep the money in his hands and make a fortune. Once Li Zhiqun returned to Shanghai, he could take out the principal to settle the accounts. In that case, he would make a fortune without anyone knowing.
Everything was proceeding smoothly according to Wu Shicai's plan, but unexpectedly, disaster struck. Sheng Zhiyuan was assassinated by Shanghai Station agents in the International Settlement. This sudden incident ruined everything, and Wu Shicai lost his composure, so he quickly took action to try to salvage his losses.
At that time, large-scale securities transactions in the Shanghai stock market required the hiring of stockbrokers.
These brokers are qualified intermediaries who deposit a certain amount of margin with the Shanghai Securities Association to act as agents for clients in buying and selling stocks and securities, earning a considerable commission in return.
Of course, being a stockbroker is not something just anyone can do. Not only do they need to know people and the market well, and master advanced trading skills, but they also need to be adaptable and adept at using various means to attract clients.
The Shanghai Stock Exchange is currently the only stock exchange in Shanghai. It is a large-scale organization with hundreds of brokers. Because being a broker is a lucrative position, the Shanghai Stock Exchange stipulates that brokers cannot be added without reason. Later, anyone who wants to join can only wait for the existing brokers to transfer their qualifications and pay a large fee. However, brokers earn very high profits, and sometimes they ask for very high prices but no one is willing to pay.
The person being tortured by Wu Shicai is Ji Zhengcheng, Sheng Zhiyuan's stockbroker. According to Sheng Zhiyuan before his death, all the investment money was handled by Ji Zhengcheng.
However, with Sheng Zhiyuan dead, the whereabouts of this money became unclear. Although Wu Shicai quickly approached Ji Zhengcheng to demand the money back, it was still in Sheng Zhiyuan's account, and Wu Shicai couldn't prove its ownership. Naturally, Ji Zhengcheng refused Wu Shicai's request to take back the money.
It wasn't that Ji Zhengcheng actually had the guts to embezzle the money, but according to procedure, only after Sheng Zhiyuan's death was confirmed and his heirs had the relevant documents could they retrieve the money from the account.
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
