Chapter 106 The Price Is Steadily Rising...
Liu Yong stepped onto the yacht, feeling a sense of relief wash over him. He quickly peeled off the tight rubber diving suit clinging to his skin and went to the bathroom.
As the warm water cascaded down his body, he couldn't help but relive the excitement of what had just transpired.
The thought of having more than ten tons of gold in his possession was beyond anything Liu Yong had ever imagined.
He had never dared to dream of such a thing, let alone achieve it. Even now, the rush of adrenaline from the heist was still coursing through his veins, making it impossible for him to calm down.
Just then, he heard someone approaching and turned to see Chen Hu, his trusted ally and partner in crime.
"Boss," Chen Hu said, breaking the silence.
Liu Yong looked up, concern etched on his face. "I only slept for two or three hours, and I woke up now," he said.
Chen Hu shrugged. "That's enough," he replied, a grin spreading. I'm full of energy now and don't feel sleepy anymore, as if I've been revived with whole blood."
Liu Yong couldn't help but smile at his partner's enthusiasm.
"In that case, let's set sail and aim to arrive back in Huahai City early tomorrow morning," he said.
Chen Hu set sail on the boat, and a few minutes later, the yacht elegantly made a wide turn before sailing towards Huahai City.
Having just savored a cup of hot tea, Liu Yong took out the gold bars he had recovered from the sunken ship and examined them with great satisfaction.
Amongst the gold bars were two kinds - the larger ones weighing ten to twenty taels each. The gold bars gleamed brightly and felt heavy in his hand, pleasing him immensely.
After admiring the gold bars, Liu Yong took out the Guanyin jade plaque and inspected it repeatedly, his fondness for it growing with each glance.
As he continued to examine the items, Chen Hu approached him. With the yacht on automatic mode, Chen Hu was relatively relaxed. "Boss," he called out.
Liu Yong beckoned him over and said, "Come, take a look. You deserve a share too. Here, take this gold bar." He then picked out a twenty-two tael gold bar and tossed it into Chen Hu's hand.
Chen Hu's excitement was palpable as he held the gold bar, weighing approximately a thousand grams. "Thank you, boss! Thank you!" he exclaimed gratefully.
Liu Yong chuckled and replied, "No worries, my friend. Stick with me, and you'll get to eat meat too. At the very least, you'll get a sip of soup."
Chen Hu received a generous reward in the form of a giant gold bar for two main reasons.
Firstly, he consistently performed well in his duties, and secondly, he stayed up all night driving the yacht, displaying tremendous hard work and dedication.
Liu Yong, his superior, was delighted with his performance and felt he deserved the reward.
After a brief chat with Chen Hu, Liu Yong retreated to the pet panel and monitored the yacht's surroundings through a third-party perspective.
He spotted Bawang advancing towards them at a remarkable speed and couldn't help but feel envious of their agility.
The following day, the yacht finally docked in Huahai City. Liu Yong acknowledged Chen Hu's tireless efforts and granted him a day off to rest.
"Chen Hu, you are tired too, I will give you a day off today," Liu Yong said, waving his hand.
Chen Hu was ecstatic and pledged to be available 24/7 should Liu Yong require his assistance.
"Boss, my phone is on 24 hours a day. As long as you need it, I will try my best to come over," Chen Hu said gratefully.
"Well, I'm fine today, you should have a good rest," Liu Yong responded.
Chen Hu didn't sleep all night last night. He needed to rest. Liu Yong was different. He had a good rest last night and is now full of energy.
After bidding farewell to Chen Hu, Liu Yong headed towards the warehouse by the sea.
Liu Yong approached the warehouse wall and cautiously opened the door, peering around to ensure he was alone. Once satisfied, he stepped inside and quickly closed the door behind him.
He made his way toward the central warehouse and repeated the process, opening the door and quickly shutting it behind him.
The concrete floor was barren save for a towering stack of gold bricks, transported there by Bawang only the day before.
Liu Yong's eyes widened with joy as he approached the pile. He carefully and meticulously stacked the bricks neatly on the ground, taking satisfaction in Bawang's impeccable cleaning job.
As he arranged the bricks, Liu Yong's mind raced with thoughts of selling them all. The current international price of gold was high, and he could make a fortune by selling each brick.
He couldn't wait to reap the benefits of his risky business endeavors.
After stacking the bricks for almost half an hour, Liu Yong finished with 1,250 pieces weighing 12 tons and 500 kilograms of pure gold. He couldn't help but exclaim,
"Well, yes, yes, this is a fortune."
The price of gold was at a premium, with the current international price of US$1,900 per ounce, which translated to about 435 grams of Yan Guo currency.
Liu Yong knew he could profit significantly by selling all the gold bricks. He didn't plan on keeping a single brick for himself.
After all, with the Overlord's backing, Liu Yong was confident he could obtain more gold.
Perhaps he'd discover another shipwreck or stumble upon multiple wrecks filled with gold.
He was already thinking about the endless possibilities of wealth he could accumulate with the Overlord's help.
Liu Yong neatly stacked the gold bricks and took one to put in his off-road vehicle. He then found a tarp to cover the pile of gold.
After locking the two central doors of the warehouse, Liu Yong drove to Huahai, a famous gold jewelry company, Qian Dasheng Jewelry Company, as he wanted to sell the batch of gold.
A high-level meeting was held in a conference room at the Qian Dasheng Company headquarters, with all the high-level and some vital middle-level people participating.
Qian Haifei, the Chairman of Qian Dasheng Company, was personally chairing the meeting, and Tang Libing, the general manager of the procurement department, was present, looking under pressure with his head down.
Qian Haifei addressed the group, saying, "Everyone, the international gold price is rising steadily. It has broken through 1,980 US dollars per ounce in less than a month. It is estimated to break through 2,000 US dollars sooner or later."
The price of gold has risen, and the cost of gold jewelry has also increased, which has put them under a lot of pressure.
Vice President Qiu stood up and said, "Chairman, our inventory is less than two tons. To be precise, it is only 1752 kilograms. It can last for 20 days at most. If we don't buy gold, our factory will be destroyed."
Another executive added,
"A series of chain reactions will also occur one after another. Our hundreds of stores may fall into a situation where there is no supply of goods and no gold jewelry to sell."
An executive retorted, "Old Qiu, you are a bit alarmist. We have reached this level. Aren't we having a meeting to solve the problems we are facing now and hoping to purchase some gold?"
The other vice presidents also spoke one after another, expressing unprecedented pressure.
As the boss, Qian Haifei looked severe and unsmiling, utterly different from his usual easy-going style. After the vice presidents finished their speeches, Qian Haifei's eyes swept over everyone's faces and finally stopped on Tang Libing, the manager of the procurement department.
"Manager Tang, as the person in charge of the purchasing department, do you really have no channels or means to buy a large amount of gold in a short time?" Qian Haifei asked.
Tang Libing, being asked by the big boss in front of many people, was under much pressure. He stood helplessly, lowered his head, and replied bravely,
"There is no other way, for now, only sporadic purchases."
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