activa-t Chapter 442 The gangster eats the gangster!
Chapter 442 The gangster eats the gangster!
As Robertson's confidant, Wang Tian had long understood his thoughts and style of doing things. He knew exactly what was on Robertson's mind, and immediately followed his superior's lead, stepping forward and lowering his voice even further.
“Sir, I understand your concerns, but… perhaps we can find a more ‘economical’ way to deal with these water rats who have smuggled themselves over from the other side.”
As he spoke, he observed Robertson's expression and continued.
“The goods they have are all smuggled in by sea. We can have Li Dequan pass on a message that the buyer is interested in all the remaining goods, but must inspect them in person before paying in full. We can get them to Hong Kong Island.”
He paused, a smug, cold smile appearing on his face:
"Once their goods arrive at the port, at the handover point, I can lead a team to seize them under the pretext of cracking down on smuggled cultural relics... legally and legitimately, with all the necessary paperwork. As for what to do with these seized smuggled goods in the end..."
He drew out the words meaningfully.
"Isn't that what we call the shots? Those tomb raiders from the mainland are like rats in the shadows. Who dares to make a sound? They're unfamiliar with Hong Kong Island. Even if they suffer a loss, what can they do? Call the police? Would they just walk right into a trap? In the end, they can only accept their bad luck!"
"Won't they trace it back to us?"
"Don't worry, absolutely not!"
Wang Tian added a crucial point at the end to allay Robertson's concerns:
"From beginning to end, it was that scoundrel Li Dequan who ran errands and relayed messages. We never had direct contact with them. Even if they wanted to implicate us, they couldn't. As for Li Dequan, he doesn't know your identity and wouldn't dare to make baseless accusations unless he didn't want to stay in Hong Kong anymore. This matter is absolutely foolproof."
Wang Tian knew perfectly well that many of the treasures in his foreign boss's collection were acquired years ago through such underhanded means, at minimal or even zero cost.
He had helped deal with it quite a bit, and now he was just repeating the same old tricks, pretending to lament his limited financial resources while secretly looking down on it. It was nothing more than the same old trick of wanting to have your cake and eat it too. If he weren't his boss, he wouldn't bother with such a lousy business. After all that work, he didn't get any benefit at all.
Sure enough, after listening, Robertson's eyes lit up noticeably, his previous "difficulty" vanished, and he slowly exhaled a puff of cigar smoke, a satisfied smile appearing on his face as he nodded slightly.
"Hmm...that's a good idea, Wang. You've thought it through very thoroughly."
Pretending to be righteous and speaking with stern words,
"Combating the smuggling of cultural relics and protecting cultural heritage is our duty. Let's do it the way you said, and do it cleanly and beautifully."
"Yes, sir! Don't worry!"
Wang Tian straightened his back and respectfully replied.
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Soon, Li Dequan, acting as an intermediary once again, reached out to Zhong Yuemin. This time, with instructions from above, his attitude was much more forthright.
"Gentlemen, our boss was very satisfied with that vase last time."
Li Dequan adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses, his tone no longer as stingy as before, but rather carrying the air of a wealthy, important client.
"The boss has spoken. He wants all the good stuff you have left, as long as it's of good quality. The price is negotiable, and he guarantees you'll be satisfied."
Then, changing the subject, he proposed conditions:
"However, our boss has a rule that for such a large transaction, all the goods must be inspected in person and confirmed to be correct before the full payment can be made in one lump sum. This is a deposit of HK$50,000 to show our sincerity."
As he spoke, he pushed a bulging envelope over.
"You should make arrangements as soon as possible to get the goods over here. We can decide on the inspection location and time after the goods arrive, okay?"
Zhong Yuemin took the envelope, weighed it in his hand, and a "greedy" yet "delighted" smile appeared on his face. He readily agreed.
"Sure, boss, you're so generous. We'll arrange it right away and get the goods delivered as soon as possible. We'll check the goods upon delivery and then pay you!"
The transaction between the two parties went smoothly and directly, without any delays.
After Li Dequan left, he returned to his hotel room, gathered everyone together, and explained the situation. Zhang Haiyang immediately approached Zhong Yuemin, his face filled with doubt and wariness.
"Yuemin, something feels off about this. It's going too smoothly. They left us hanging for a week, dragging their feet like they were constipated. Now look what happened, they've had diarrhea, a complete and utter blistering out!"
Several people nearby rolled their eyes, thinking to themselves, "What kind of analogy is that? It's disgusting."
Yang Qing said,
"That foreigner was so stingy before, how come he's suddenly become so generous? He wants everything? And he even gave us a 50,000 yuan deposit first? Aren't they afraid we'll take the deposit and run away, or that the goods won't be as described? Could it be that our celadon vase caught his eye, and he's afraid that other items we have will be snapped up by other buyers?"
"Run away?"
Zhong Yuemin tossed the envelope onto the bedside table and chuckled softly.
"Li Dequan just stopped talking, but they want all the cultural relics we have. They gave us such a big bait, plus HK$5, precisely because they're after what we have."
Remember, there's no such thing as a free lunch, especially when dealing with these kinds of people. The more 'generous' they seem, the darker their intentions are.
I think this 50,000 yuan isn't a deposit, it's bait, it's a death warrant. If I'm not mistaken, this foreign devil wants to take everything without paying anything in return.
The group was surprised. Yang Qing asked if they had received some information. She knew that Yuemin had his own channels and sources of information outside.
Zhong Yuemin shook his head. "Analysis: In this line of work, you're dealing with all sorts of decent people. How can you expect them to abide by the contract and uphold its spirit?"
"Furthermore, think about this foreign devil. He's just a senior police superintendent. Even if he has some under-the-table income, his salary is definitely limited."
But he had already collected quite a few valuable cultural relics, and had just spent 50,000 yuan to buy that vase. Now, without even blinking, he's putting out another 50,000 yuan as a deposit, saying he wants to buy the whole thing… Where is this money coming from? Where does he get such a large cash flow?
"Most importantly, what is the identity of Wang Tian, the person who actually handles things for him? He is also in uniform, and he is an undercover agent. If I'm not mistaken, many of the cultural relics that this foreign devil collected in the past were obtained through this kind of 'black pool black'."
Zhang Haiyang slammed his hand on the table, cursing.
"That foreign devil, dressed in a dog skin, has a heart blacker than ink! He's cunning enough, Yuemin. So what do we do now? Should we take the bait or not?"
Zhong Yuemin's tone was playful.
"Don't be angry. Strictly speaking, we've made a profit. This HK$50,000 is real money. If you want to play games, we'll turn the tables on you."