Chapter 26: I still have one hundred million lent to Zhang Youqian!

In the northern reaches of the Golden Triangle, four warlords vie for power, with the Jin family standing as the most formidable. Within a luxurious manor deep in Jin territory, Jin Feihu, the current head of the family, seethed with a mix of shock and fury.

"How dare they! To challenge me for the Chinese market—they clearly have no respect for Jin Feihu!" He gestured toward a pile of illicit goods displayed before him.

"General, our men discovered these in China today. After investigation, it is highly likely that they originated from that group in the States we spoke with a few days ago."

Recently, Li Batian had approached the Jin family to propose a partnership for entering the Chinese market, a request Jin Feihu had flatly rejected.

"This Li Batian," Jin Feihu growled, slamming his fist against the table, "not content with dealing in the States, he now dares to reach into China and snatch business from my family."

"General, what should we do?" his subordinate asked.

"If he is to be unrighteous, he cannot blame me for being ruthless," Jin Feihu said, his eyes glinting with cold malice. "Pass the word: wherever our men find these 'goods' from the States being sold in China, they are to strike immediately!"

A staff officer standing by looked worried. "Doing this will burn our bridges with Li Batian completely. I have heard of him; he is a treacherous man. Everyone in the States who has tried to compete with him for market share has met a miserable end."

"Hmph!" Jin Feihu scoffed. "I have thousands of men under my command. Why should I fear this Li Batian, who is across the ocean?" He then shifted his focus. "By the way, how is the matter of procuring arms coming along?"

"Well... we have contacted many arms dealers, but as soon as they hear the name Jin, they refuse to trade with us."

"Damn it! Just because we fell behind on a few payments! Now no one will sell us weapons?" Jin Feihu’s face darkened. "I have enough ammunition to last three months at most. In that time, find me a new supplier, no matter the cost! Here, if you lose your guns, you lose everything."

The Jin family’s operations spanned across southern China, the Korean Peninsula, Japan, and India. The annual profits were astronomical, making them a constant target for rival warlords. Without weapons, the other three factions would have long ago carved up the Jin family's territory.

***

Ten days later, in Florida, USA.

"Damn it! This is absolutely insufferable!" Li Batian smashed his glass to the floor, shattering it into pieces.

Beside him stood a stout man with Asian features and narrow, cunning eyes—Yamagami Ryujin, Li’s most trusted lieutenant.

"The Jin family is courting death," Li muttered, his teeth grinding audibly.

For days, bad news had poured in. Every shipment they sent to China was either intercepted by customs or seized by the Jin family. The Jin family’s deep-rooted influence in China made them a superior force on the ground. The repeated losses of these shipments were massive. Under normal circumstances, Li might have swallowed the loss, but things were different now.

"What about those other shipments?" Li asked, lowering his voice. He was referring to the goods they had sent across various locations in the States.

Yamagami’s face clouded over. He shook his head slowly. "There has been no word for days. I’m afraid our 'goods' have been compromised."

Li Batian felt a jolt, as if struck by a lightning bolt. "Compromised?"

"Those goods are worth three hundred million! If they are all gone, my entire year's investment has gone down the drain!" Li roared.

Yamagami kept his head bowed, waiting for the outburst to subside before speaking. "We have lost contact with every single shipment. This means we were targeted long ago. If it were just one, it could be an accident, but for all of them to go silent at once..."

"Who do you think it is?" Li asked, forcing himself to stay calm.

"To strike in multiple regions simultaneously and keep it so airtight that no word has leaked... there is only one organization in the States with such reach."

"The FBI?" Li whispered.

"Exactly," Yamagami nodded.

"Then it's over." Li staggered, nearly collapsing. If their goods were in the hands of the FBI, there was no chance of recovery.

"We must worry about whether the FBI knows about us," Yamagami added grimly.

"Unlikely. We have always operated from the shadows, using proxies for everything," Li replied, clinging to that sliver of hope.

Regardless, their shipments across the States had been seized, resulting in a three-hundred-million-dollar loss, compounded by their failures in China. The thought made Li’s heart ache.

"No!" His eyes suddenly brightened. "I lent one hundred million to Zhang Youqian. With the interest promised, that capital should be enough to restart production and cover these losses!"