NOVPUBWang Ling and Qin Feng left Zhang Menglong's place, and then Mr. Zhou called Zhang Menglong again.
"Damn, is this issue really getting so much attention?" Without asking, Zhang Menglong knew Mr. Zhou must be calling about the funding issue.
"Mr. Zhou, it's been a long time!"
"Yes, indeed, it has been a while," Mr. Zhou's tone was clearly not as upbeat, "You've done quite a job this time!"
"Thank you for the compliment, Mr. Zhou. It's all thanks to your excellent guidance!" Zhang Menglong said with a cheeky grin.
"Guidance my foot! Do you really think I'm praising you?" Mr. Zhou huffed and glared, "What did I tell you? Stop causing trouble everywhere. But this time, you've gone and crashed the economy of half the world in one fell swoop!"
"I can't take all the blame for that," Zhang Menglong argued with a hint of grievance, "From the perspective of criminal law, what I did was purely self-defense, right? They wanted to plunder my wealth, so I couldn't just stand there and let them, could I?"
"And who knew their traders would be so easy to defeat? My people accidentally turned their money into my money. I wanted to keep a low profile, but it was my ability that didn't allow it!"
"Please, I know you too well. Took advantage and still playing innocent? Stop being so sarcastic with me!" Mr. Zhou couldn't help but laugh at Zhang Menglong's antics, "And then what? That so-called international floating capital – I bet there's nobody else but you, Zhang Menglong, who could produce such a massive amount of US dollars in cash all at once?"
"I'm even less to blame for that!" Zhang Menglong explained, "I went to South Africa for some fun with a friend, and who would have guessed they'd kidnap me? You know how us rich folks are—scared to death. I calculated before leaving that there was bound to be a disaster this time, so I told my guys, if they can't reach me, go to town on 'em!"
Zhang Menglong then pretended to cry and sniffle, "If I hadn't prepared in advance, they surely would have offed me, and I'd never see you again in this lifetime!"
"Enough already, who are you trying to fool? Don't I know you? Even without those precautions, those people wouldn't have been able to lay a finger on you!" Mr. Zhou asserted, "That secret base in the Americas was blown up recently, that was your handiwork, wasn't it?"
"Blown up?" Zhang Menglong was stunned for a moment, but then he recalled releasing a psychic with supernatural abilities beyond those of a divine level before he left. Such a person could easily destroy an island.
"You, you!" Mr. Zhou stressed his words, "What am I to do with you? Well done!"
"What?" Zhang Menglong didn't expect Mr. Zhou to suddenly throw such a curveball, "You're not mad at me?"
"Why would I be mad at you?" Mr. Zhou responded, "Those robbers, I've been wanting to teach them a lesson for a long time. Although their last target was you, our currency market and banks took the hit first. Even though you stepped in on time, there was still an impact." 𝔫𝖔𝔳𝖕𝖚𝔟.𝔠𝔬𝖒
Mr. Zhou spoke seriously, "89 countries, they really think we're easy to push around? This time, you certainly let them have it good and proper. Even if they're brave enough to cause trouble again in the future, they no longer have the capacity or the funds."
"So if you didn't call to scold me, what did you want?"
"Hehe, to borrow some money!"
"What?"
"What what!" Mr. Zhou snorted, "Don't you know, with the US dollar depreciating like it has, the global economy is so unstable, we also need a substantial amount of foreign currency to stabilize the market."
"Didn't I have someone transfer the money back last time?"
"This is an opportunity to make a big move!" Mr. Zhou said, "Now, to stabilize their domestic markets, they need a lot of US dollars, so they're frantically engaging in foreign trade. Things they were reluctant to export before are all up for sale now, and the prices are negotiable too!"
"Seriously, which country has the money to import goods now? Isn't this the time to stockpile some resources?" Mr. Zhou explained, "Gold, rare earths, high-precision instruments, etc. It's all becoming cheaper than stuff in discount stores."
"Good grief, you're trying to loot a burning house!"
"Hahaha, an opportunity for the cunning merchant, right? If we wait until they recover, when will we get another chance like this?" Mr. Zhou was frank, "But don't worry. The country borrows money from you, and it will pay the interest due, not missing a cent. Let's go with the previous US Treasury bond rate, 4.2%. How's that sound?"
"How much money do you want to borrow?"
"Of course, the more the better," Zhou Lao said. "All those materials being sold around the world are almost worth seventy or eighty trillion US Dollars; if you can lend us thirty to fifty trillion, we could swallow it all!"
"I can lend you fifty trillion, even without interest if you like."
"Oh? You must want something, right? You've always been one to never let a profit slip by."
"Hahaha, you know me well," Zhang Menglong laughed. "But it's just a small matter for you; I'd like to ask for a favor!"
"Spit it out; as long as I can do it, I'll definitely help you."
"I need you to organize an international summit for me. I'll give you a list; these are all the countries that participated in that operation. You help me invite the heads of their finance departments to Huaxia."
"That's not difficult," Zhou Lao said. "This year's World Economic Summit is being held in our country. I can find a way to push it forward, but what are you planning to do?"
"Do good things!" Zhang Menglong said with a laugh.
"What good things could you possibly pull off?"
"Just think about it, the world economic environment is so poor right now. As a member of Earth, shouldn't I make some effort?"
"I know everyone is short on cash right now, so I've selflessly taken out my own savings to help various countries stabilize their currency exchange rates, and incidentally make a little money."
"Speak human language!" Zhou Lao directly interrupted Zhang Menglong's speech.
"Hehe, isn't everyone short on cash right now? And I just happen to have some spare cash. It's just sitting there otherwise, so why not turn money into more money," Zhang Menglong revealed a sly merchant's grin. "I've recently opened an international bank, looking to develop some foreign exchange loan services."
"Good lad," Zhou Lao couldn't help but let out a laugh, "So you want this old timer to be your salesman! Then I'll need a commission."
It was clear that Zhang Menglong had blown up their economic market and plundered their money, and now he was lending their own money back to them. This move was utterly shameless.
And he had the nerve to call it a rescue mission. He had never seen such a brazen scoundrel.
"I'm giving you an interest-free loan and you're still not satisfied?"
"Hahaha, just kidding," Zhou Lao laughed, "The new year's right around the corner. Let's arrange things for the day after tomorrow, I'll help you out with this."
"Then I owe you one, Zhou Lao."
"It's nothing," Zhou Lao dismissed the magnitude of the favor, considering that he had just waived a fifty trillion debt, which was a significant savings for the nation. By comparison, this small favor really seemed trivial.
"But aren't you afraid they won't pay you back?" Zhou Lao asked. "What if they take the money and run, turning their backs on you?"
"Is there such a good thing?" Zhang Menglong slapped his thigh excitedly.
Zhou Lao: "??? Is that supposed to be a good thing?"
"If they don't pay back their debts, then don't I have a reason to take action?" Zhang Menglong said. "I would just be retrieving my own money from their capital markets, which isn't excessive, right? When they're out of money, won't they have to come back to borrow more from me? In the end, wouldn't my money be multiplied by a massive amount?"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Lao was stunned. Who could possibly think of such a money-making scheme? This was truly shameless!
