Chapter 305: Search for Waste Materials on the Island
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In Hong Kong, the Governor acts as the plenipotentiary of the King of England and the commander-in-chief of the armed forces stationed there. He has the authority to appoint members of both the Executive Council and the Legislative Council, effectively making him the highest authority in Hong Kong. Any decision he agrees to is likely to be approved.
Recently, the Hong Kong government issued a new directive allowing 'HD Security'—a company registered in Hong Kong—to use light weapons to protect businesses within the city. This directive also permits HD Security to use light weapons in their security services across Hong Kong.
The Hong Kong police were given the authority to oversee the use of these firearms by security companies. Any misuse or regulatory violations would result in penalties.
This new order meant that HD Security could legally operate with weapons in Hong Kong. Wealthy individuals in the city quickly recognized the significance of this development. HD Security, being a major American security firm, provided a strong guarantee of safety with its legal authorization to use weapons.
However, the cost of hiring HD Security was substantial. Each security officer was priced at $400 a month, which amounts to over 3,000 Hong Kong dollars. In comparison, a Hong Kong police officer's monthly salary is less than 100 Hong Kong dollars. This made HD Security's services roughly 30 times more expensive.
Despite the high cost, demand was overwhelming. Even before the Hong Kong branch officially opened, HD Security was inundated with inquiries. The current need for security personnel far exceeded the available staff. Lanster decided to send additional personnel and initiate local recruitment efforts.
Many of the individuals in Hong Kong today were former soldiers. HD Security's instructors could train them to become qualified security personnel within a few months. With the legal authority to carry weapons, these recruits would be highly desirable.
Looking ahead, if HD Security could assemble a team of 1,000 armed personnel, no triad or gang, including Xinyi'an or 14K, would dare to challenge them.
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Recently, Sha Tongyi had been extremely busy. Although he was skilled in Chinese medicine, he did not consider himself a master. His expertise lay in medicine, but he was well-connected due to his family's background.
Sha Tongyi knew many prominent medical experts through his family and had reached out to several who had recently arrived in Hong Kong from the mainland. After signing contracts with the Hardy Group, he invited them to join the Institute of Chinese Medicine and Chinese Materia Medica.
Among those he invited were Mr. Zhao Weihan, 58, whose father was a respected medical professional, and Mr. Zheng Youqian, 60, a specialist in pediatrics and gynecology with a long family tradition in medicine. Additionally, Sha Tongyi invited his friend Zhu Qingquan, 46, a native of Guangzhou who had also moved to Hong Kong during the Japanese invasion. Zhu Qingquan had experience with various medicines produced by Sha Tongyi's pharmaceutical factory.
The first project for the Institute was to develop the "Immortal Pill," an aphrodisiac mentioned by Hardy. Given its significant market potential, the goal was to create an affordable and effective version of the drug.
After some discussion, the team formulated a patent medicine using Epimedium and other complementary herbs. Sha Tongyi and Zhu Qingquan worked diligently over two days to produce a batch of tablets.
Excited, Sha Tongyi presented the new medicine to Hardy. "Mr. Hardy, the Immortal Pill has been produced. Here is the finished product. Please take a look."
Hardy examined the glass bottle containing about 20 pills and noted that they were green.
"Why are they green?" Hardy asked.
"The color is natural and not due to added pigments. Do you prefer this color?" Sha Tongyi inquired.
"It doesn't matter," Hardy replied.
"The pills are essentially the same," Hardy added.
"How is the effect?" Hardy asked.
"We haven't tested it yet. We're confident in its efficacy based on our formulation, but we still need to test it," Sha Tongyi said.
"You need to find someone to test it," Hardy instructed.
Hardy considered it for a moment and asked Victor to contact the triad to find suitable individuals for testing.
"Boss, how many people do you need?" Victor asked.
"At least 20. Ten should be of good condition and ten should be average," Hardy replied.
The underworld was adept at handling such matters, and Victor soon reported back that the triad had arranged the necessary participants.
"Boss, would you like to observe the testing yourself?" Sha Tongyi asked.
Hardy found the idea intriguing and decided to attend. The team went to a nightclub on Hong Kong Island, a known triad operation.
At the nightclub entrance, Li Chunshan greeted Hardy and his team respectfully, given that he was seeking Hardy's favor.
"Hello, Mr. Hardy," Li Chunshan said.
"No need to be formal. According to Yezhen's suggestion, I should call you 'uncle'," Hardy said with a smile.
"I wouldn't dare," Li Chunshan responded, acknowledging Hardy's elevated status.
The experiment began, and Hardy was not directly involved in the process. Li Chunshan invited Hardy, Victor, and others to the manager's room for tea and conversation.
Hardy sipped his tea and asked casually, "What is the main business of the triad?"
Li Chunshan responded, "We engage in various illicit activities—running nightclubs, gambling halls, restaurants, and occasionally helping people evade the law."
Hardy understood that this included illegal activities like gambling, drugs, and smuggling.
"Have you considered entering legitimate businesses?" Hardy asked.
Li Chunshan looked puzzled.
"Legitimate businesses, Mr. Hardy?" he asked.
"Yes, legal ventures," Hardy clarified.
Although Hardy had connections with the Hong Kong government and was involved with HD Security, he saw potential in leveraging the triad's influence for legitimate business opportunities. With many of Hong Kong's triads having been altered by the national army, Hardy preferred to work with those aligned with Hongmen, with whom he had existing business relationships.
"There are various opportunities—taxi companies, bus companies, movie studios, and theaters. I'm also planning to open a casino in Macau and will need reliable partners for these ventures," Hardy suggested.
Li Chunshan was excited by the possibilities. These ventures were lucrative, and while the triad had a significant number of members, funding was a challenge.
"Mr. Hardy, we're eager to collaborate, but our financial resources are limited," Li Chunshan admitted.
"That's fine. We can start small and scale up. You and Victor can work out the details later. As long as the business is viable, we can cooperate," Hardy reassured him.
"Understood, Mr. Hardy. I'll discuss this further with my team," Li Chunshan said.
Meanwhile, the experiments in the nightclub were progressing.
Twenty selected participants took the pills, each accompanied by a woman. The Immortal Pill, developed by Sha Tongyi, showed promising results.
The effects were documented meticulously, noting reaction times, effectiveness, and duration.
After an hour, the results were compiled. Sha Tongyi approached Hardy with enthusiasm.
"Mr. Hardy, the results are in. The effectiveness rate is 95%. Only one person did not respond, likely due to smoking and being underweight. Of the remaining 19, two reached the highest level, eleven reached the next level, and six were at the third level," Sha Tongyi reported.
"The duration varied from 21 to 55 minutes. Overall, the drug performed well and achieved the desired effects," Sha Tongyi concluded.
Hardy was pleased with the outcome. "Great. Let's proceed with mass production," he said. "Victor, you can arrange for the necessary Chinese medicine supplies."
"I understand, boss," Victor replied.
After concluding the testing, Hardy left, with Li Chunshan seeing him off. Li Chunshan returned to the meeting room and pondered the new business opportunities.
"What businesses are profitable?" he wondered aloud.
Li Chunshan was pleased with the potential collaboration but faced challenges with initial investments. He decided to discuss this further with his team.
In the meeting, Li Chunshan addressed his subordinates.
"Today, I had the honor of meeting Mr. Hardy from the Hardy Group. He proposed various business opportunities for us."
"Mr. Hardy mentioned taxi companies, bus services, movie studios, theaters, and even a casino in Macau."
"These are all promising ventures, but we lack the capital. We need to find business opportunities with lower investments but high profitability. I've been thinking about this, and I'd like your input."
Excitement buzzed among the subordinates as they brainstormed potential ideas.
"Boss, we should consider opening high-end nightclubs, bars, and sauna rooms," one suggested.
"I've already thought of that, but even high-end establishments require significant investment," Li Chunshan replied.
"Boss, I read that Mr. Hardy has a shipping company. Maybe we could rent some of his boats," another suggested.
"What would we use the boats for?" Li Chunshan asked.
"There's a shortage of boat tickets due to inland route closures. We could use the boats to transport people, which could be quite profitable," the steward explained.
Li Chunshan frowned. This suggestion sounded like smuggling, though it could be lucrative.
"Mr. Hardy wants to collaborate on legitimate businesses. We need to focus on lawful opportunities," Li Chunshan said.
With no immediate solution in sight, the team continued to brainstorm ideas.
A young man in the back spoke up, "Boss, I have an idea."
"Go ahead," Li Chunshan encouraged.
"I used to sail to Dongsha to collect seaweed. Along the way, I saw many islands with abandoned military equipment—guns, ships, aircraft, and more. There are also arsenals and warehouses. With the U.S. controlling
the area, perhaps Mr. Hardy's company could lend us a freighter to retrieve and sell these materials. It could be a profitable venture with minimal investment."
Li Chunshan considered the proposal. It seemed like a promising opportunity, and he was eager to explore it further.