The Tyrant Billionaire

Huo Qingtong was stunned.

He hadn’t expected his life to change so dramatically. He took a deep breath, stood up, and bowed deeply at a 90 degree angle toward Bruce Lee.

"I follow your lead, Bruce Lee. Thank you for your years of support. I will never forget your kindness."

Bruce Lee waved his hand dismissively.

Huo Qingtong had pledged allegiance to Bruce Lee, and now that Bruce Lee was voluntarily sending him off, it wasn’t considered a betrayal. Therefore, Huo Qingtong wouldn’t be left with a bad reputation.

Straightening up, Huo Qingtong turned to Hardy and said, "Mr. Hardy, I am grateful for your trust. From now on, I will work with all my heart and soul."

Hardy smiled, "Sit down and eat. Tomorrow, go and see Victor. From now on, you’ll be the manager of the Macau trade company. Oh, and the scrap metal business from the islands will also be entirely your responsibility."

"Understood, Mr. Hardy."

After dinner, Huo Qingtong and Bruce Lee left the house together.

On the way back, Bruce Lee patted Huo Qingtong on the shoulder, "Qingtong, your luck has arrived. From now on, follow Mr. Hardy. You’ll surely achieve great things. Don’t forget to look after the Triad in future business dealings."

"I will never forget your kindness, Mr. Lee," Huo Qingtong replied.

Bruce Lee nodded and said no more.

The next day.

Huo Qingtong found Victor, who had already received a call from Hardy and knew that Huo Qingtong had become the manager of the Macau trade company. Smiling, he shook his hand.

"From now on, we’re colleagues." n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Huo Qingtong quickly grasped his hand with both of his, saying, "I wouldn’t dare, Mr. Victor. I hope you’ll look after me in the future."

"I’ve transferred two freighters from Global Shipping. These two freighters will now be your responsibility. As for recruiting workers and organizing the work on the islands, you’ll handle that yourself," Victor explained.

Huo Qingtong thought for a moment, "Mr. Victor, did the boss give any instructions on how to sell the goods?"

Victor shook his head, "That’s up to you. You can sell the goods wherever you think is best. These two ships have dual registrations—one with American documents and one with British documents. Both are fully legal. You have both the British and American flags onboard. Use whichever one suits your needs."

"And here’s this."

As he spoke, Victor pulled out a certificate written in English. "This is a document from the U.S. Department of Defense, certifying that we’re involved in military logistics. Carry this with you. If the U.S. Navy stops you, just show them this."

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Huo Qingtong quickly accepted the document.

This was a lifeline. With this, they could operate as part of an official logistics operation, making everything perfectly legal.

He was even more impressed with Hardy’s power and influence.

Doing business with the U.S. military logistics department—making money would be no more than a matter of time.

Victoria Harbor, Hong Kong.

Two liberty ships were docked at the port.

Members of the Triad had set up tents along the dock. Around two or three thousand young men stood in the open area of the port.

The night before, Huo Qingtong had placed an ad in the newspaper.

They were recruiting workers to dismantle equipment on the islands. The job involved going out to sea, and the pay was 3 HK dollars per day, with three meals provided.

At 3 dollars a day, that would be 90 dollars a month. Even Hong Kong police officers didn’t earn that much, and office clerks couldn’t make that much either.

Typically, dock workers had to work hard for a month just to earn around 180 HK dollars, and this job included meals.

Over the past year or two, Hong Kong had seen an influx of tens of thousands of young men, many of whom were unemployed. With such a good job opportunity, many had flocked to the dock early in the morning.

Despite the large crowd, the Triad members maintained order. The Triad controlled the docks, and no one dared cause trouble. The process of registering and boarding the ships proceeded in an orderly fashion.

There were far more people than they needed. Each ship required only 500 workers, so they selected the strongest and most capable. It didn’t take long to fill the crews.

Those who weren’t selected were visibly disappointed.

It was the first day, and Bruce Lee, taking this very seriously, came in person. After ensuring the crews were complete, Huo Qingtong bowed to him, "Mr. Lee, the crew is ready, and we’re about to set sail."

"Good. Whether or not this is profitable is entirely up to you now," Bruce Lee said, patting Huo Qingtong on the shoulder.

The large ships set sail from Victoria Harbor, with their first stop being Iwo Jima, the place where Hardy had once fought. Iwo Jima was about 1,400 nautical miles from Hong Kong, and after two days of sailing, the ships finally arrived.

Before they even reached the island, they could see the remains of several battleships in the bay, along with shattered landing crafts, tanks, small armored vehicles, tractors, and various other pieces of debris scattered on the beach.

Huo Qingtong swallowed hard.

All of this was money.

Iwo Jima had a rudimentary port, just large enough for the ships to dock. The workers began disembarking, each carrying their tools: hammers, iron mallets, crowbars, poles, and ropes—everything needed for dismantling. Once they were off the ship, Huo Qingtong called out loudly,

"As promised, everyone will get their full wages, but you have to work hard. If anyone slacks off, there won’t be a next time. Now, let’s get to work! Anything made of copper or iron, anything valuable, take it all to the ship."

"Yes, sir!"

A thousand men set off, swarming toward the piles of rusted scrap.

Everyone knew how hard it was to find a good job. They had rested and eaten for two days, and now it was time to put in the effort. Everyone worked with great energy.