Chapter 122: The Looting Begins

That evening, a newspaper in Shenzhen called the *Huaxia Work Time News* published an article titled "Millions of Investors Speculate in Shenzhen."

The moment it was published, the article caused a sensation not only throughout Shenzhen but across the entire Guangdong Province. It was later estimated that this night saw the most active telephone network usage in the history of Shenzhen. People could be seen crouching in restrooms, shouting into their brick-sized mobile phones: "The tractor! Doesn't your family have a tractor? Get it over here and haul people in!"

"ID cards! Keep getting me ID cards! Send them over by bus tomorrow!"

"It’s madness! The whole city has gone mad!"

The authorities, realizing that the situation surrounding the subscription application forms was even more severe than the previous queue of 600,000 people, mobilized the entire police force of Shenzhen that night to maintain order at the various sales outlets.

Forces from all sides of the city were surging like a rising tide. Yet, Chai Jin, who had orchestrated the moves from the front, sat quietly in his courtyard, watching the storm outside with a calm detachment, moving with ease as he controlled the situation from behind the scenes.

After the events of the night fermented, Chai Jin rose shortly after six in the morning. He first called Liu Yiqian. The people "helped" by the Zhonghai Cultural Plaza were waiting at the clubhouse with trucks full of cash. These speculators who had come from Zhonghai to strike it rich were also extremely anxious; like Liu Yiqian, they had been unable to make any progress during this time, and their only hope rested on Chai Jin.

In the morning, clear, bright sunlight filtered into the courtyard, and a gentle breeze rustled the old mulberry leaves. It made this extraordinary day, destined to be recorded in history, feel somewhat less scorching.

Chai Jin went out to buy breakfast, but the streets were empty. The small vendors who usually scrambled for spots at four or five in the morning were nowhere to be found. The doors of the breakfast shops were also tightly shut. This was because several Dongfeng trucks had arrived the night before and hauled everyone away—they had all gone to join the queues.

With no other choice, he returned to the courtyard. Wang Xiaoli was already awake and was washing her face under the old mulberry tree with a basin of water. The morning sun, dappled through the branches above, illuminated her beautiful face, which possessed an ethereal, breathtaking quality that made his heart skip a beat.

Seeing Chai Jin enter, she looked up, puzzled. "Why are you up so early? I'll go buy you some breakfast."

Chai Jin walked over and took a deep breath of the unique, warm fragrance emanating from her, feeling inexplicably happy. "There’s no breakfast for sale outside today. Is Shanshan still sleeping?"

"Yes, I can't wake her. She’ll probably sleep a while longer."

"Then I'll cook some noodles for you."

"Okay."

Chai Jin found himself growing increasingly fond of the days when Wang Xiaoli was by his side. She was a gentle, virtuous wife who always arranged everything for him perfectly.

Not long after, Liu Qingwen and the others emerged from the house. There were four vans in total, which would serve as vehicles to transport the subscription certificates they were purchasing today. They were also going to perform a task that felt incredibly bold: transporting cash.

After breakfast, the group split up. Chai Jin knew that things would be chaotic outside today, and that the "8-10 incident" would likely erupt by tomorrow. He knew he would be extremely busy over the next two days and was worried that something might happen to Wang Xiaoli and the others if they were out. He repeatedly instructed them to finish their necessary errands today and to avoid going out as much as possible.

After making these arrangements, he returned to the sales outlet from the day before. He bought a pair of binoculars and climbed to the roof of a building opposite the outlet to observe the situation below.

At 8:30 AM, a commotion broke out among the crowd queuing outside the sales point. A vehicle had entered the rear of the facility, carrying the very subscription application forms that everyone had been frenziedly chasing for days.

The atmosphere in the crowd became even more agitated. The relentless sun scorched those below; everyone was drenched in sweat, and their mental states were on the verge of collapse. Men, women, and children alike were holding onto the waist of the person in front of them, a method used to prevent others from cutting in line. They counted the seconds, which felt like years.

*Clang!*

The metal shutter doors opened promptly at nine o'clock. The crowd surged into the hall.

Chai Jin stared coldly at the people wearing red armbands. As expected, many tried to cut in line, but the "leaders" of the group proved effective. They slapped and kicked those attempting to jump the queue, forcing them to the back. The fifty-plus people with red armbands worked in perfect unison; the moment someone tried to cut in, they were immediately dragged to the rear.

Watching through his binoculars, Chai Jin felt a wave of relief as he saw the red-armband group successfully occupy the counters.

After putting away his binoculars, he walked out of the building and boarded a van parked nearby. He handed a cigarette to Old Huang. "Thank you for your hard work today. You must be careful; these things are worth more than money."

The hair gel on Old Huang's head glinted harshly under the sun. He chuckled and said, "Don't worry, there won't be any problems. Chai Jin, I've lived my whole life and never seen a scene like this. Tell me, how can people get so crazy?"

Chai Jin turned his head to exhale smoke out the window, noticing the bearded Tang Wanxin standing on the other side, holding a brick-sized phone while watching the sales outlet with his hands behind his back.

He thought for a moment and replied, "Money can make the devil turn a millstone, let alone people. I'm going down there for a moment."

"Alright, you go ahead. Don't worry about the back; we have a meticulous plan."

Chai Jin pushed open the door and walked toward Tang Wanxin. Tang was a powerhouse of his era, always carrying the aura of an influential figure from beyond the Great Wall. He didn't speak much, and he was always followed by bodyguards.

As soon as Chai Jin approached, a bodyguard blocked his path with a hand to his chest. Chai Jin didn't get angry; he smiled and said, "Mr. Tang, we've met before."

Tang Wanxin turned around, looking surprised as he sized Chai Jin up. "It’s you?"

"Let him come over."

The bodyguard who had blocked Chai Jin nodded respectfully and gestured for him to proceed. Chai Jin smiled warmly, thanked him, and walked over.

Tang Wanxin’s sharp, experienced eyes fixed on him. "You’ve been appearing here quite often these past few days. Do you have people here in line, too?" He wasn't familiar with Chai Jin, knowing only that he had a good relationship with Liu Yiqian—and that was all.

Chai Jin smiled. "When there's a gold mine, who wouldn't want to open their mouth and take a bite? Mr. Tang, when do you plan to return to Xinjiang Province?"

Tang Wanxin stared at him, but quickly shifted his gaze back to the crowded entrance of the sales outlet. "No travel plans yet. Why? Do you need something?" His tone was cold; he didn't consider the young man worth wasting his breath on in such a setting.

Chai Jin remained calm and said with a smile, "After this is over, shall we have a meal together?"

Upon hearing this, Tang Wanxin lost what little patience he had left. He waved his hand dismissively. "We'll see."

"Apologies, my people are coming out. Goodbye."