The Mole in Hong Kong

This man was usually quite composed, but now he was covered in sweat, his tie was askew, and he was clutching a document in his hand, his knuckles turning white from the force.

"Executive, something's happened."

Tanaka's voice was a little hoarse, and before he could catch his breath, he shoved the document into Takuya's arms.

"Come in." Takuya stepped aside to let him in, closing the door behind him. He pointed to the sofa. "If the sky falls, there are tall people to hold it up. What's the rush for someone as short as you?"

Tanaka had no interest in listening to his boss's lame jokes. The moment his butt touched the edge of the sofa, he bounced up. "The MD assembly line in Hong Kong has run into a huge mess. There have been rumors that there are super low-priced unlocked units circulating in the market. We thought they were grey market imports, but after investigating, we found that the source is actually our own factory."

Takuya paused for a moment as he opened the document, then resumed his steady hand movement.

He walked behind his desk and sat down, quickly skimming through the few thin pages of the report.

The report was very detailed.

A contract manufacturer in Kowloon, Hong Kong, has recently experienced an unusually high scrap rate.

"Scrapped under the guise of 'defective products,' then resold?" Takuya closed the file, his tone as calm as if discussing lunch. "This kind of tactic has been around for decades. Have you found out who did it?"

"We found it." Tanaka swallowed hard. "It's a warehouse supervisor who colluded with two quality inspectors on the assembly line. They labeled qualified machines as 'defective,' filled out scrap forms, and then used the night shift to haul the goods away in a truck."

"Now that we've found out, call the police and have them arrested. Compensate them if they deserve it, and let them go to jail if they need to." Takuya tossed the documents back onto the table. "Does this kind of procedure really need to be reported to me?"

Tanaka's expression turned grim. He rubbed his hands together, looking quite uneasy. "Executive Director, the problem lies in this man's background. We originally wanted to take action directly, but this kid's older brother is from that local gang..."

Upon hearing Takuya leaned back in his chair, his fingers tapping lightly on the armrest.

Hong Kong in the 1990s was in a special period before the handover, and so-called "triads" were indeed numerous and varied.

Which prefix?

"They operate in the Kwun Tong area, their specific names are too varied, but they definitely control the transportation lines around the factory." Tanaka lowered his voice. "That warehouse manager is fearless; even when we threatened to call the police, he sent a message saying that if we dared to touch him, it wouldn't be certain whether the factory's trucks would be able to leave the industrial zone in the future."

"Threatening me?" Takuya laughed angrily, shaking a cigarette out of his pack. He didn't light it, just twirled it between his fingers. "We went over there to build a factory, didn't we pay the necessary visits to the relevant authorities? Didn't we give them the proper 'tea money'?"

"They gave it to us! Not a penny less!" Tanaka slapped his thigh in frustration. "The bribes during holidays are even 10% higher than the local custom. That's why I feel so aggrieved. These people take the money and don't do anything; instead, they try to poach our employees."

Takuya threw the cigarette into the wastebasket and snorted coldly.

This isn't some kind of code of honor; it's just a bunch of greedy scoundrels.

The warehouse manager's brother is probably just a nobody in the gang.

The real big bosses who accept "protection fees" from multinational corporations like Sega usually keep a tight rein on their territory, because a steady, long-term business is what matters.

In this situation, it's clear that those below are trying to profit from both sides without informing their superiors.

He received a salary from the company, collected "tea money" from the gang, and secretly stole company goods to sell.

That's a rather unsightly way of eating.

"Looks like these guys who worship Guan Gong have forgotten what Lord Guan even looks like." Takuya stood up, walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, looked at the bustling street scene of Tokyo, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes.

"Executive Director, how about we add some more money and talk to their superiors?" Tanaka asked tentatively.

"More money? Tanaka, remember, don't overfeed a dog, or it'll think you're its prey." Takuya turned around and straightened his cuffs. "Since they don't care about 'professional ethics,' let's not be polite to them either."

So you mean----

"Find a United Kingdom lawyer." Takuya stubbed out the unlit cigarette and tossed it into the trash can. "Preferably one of those blond, blue-eyed, Oxford-accented lawyers who charge by the minute."

Tanaka paused for a moment, then said, "A lawyer? To sue those gangsters?"

"Sue? That's a waste of time." Takuya interlaced his fingers, resting them on his chin. "Hong Kong is still under the United Kingdom rule. No matter how fierce those thugs are on the streets, they'll cower before United Kingdom in a robe and wig. Have the lawyer take the documents directly to the head of their triad," not the underlings. Just ask that boss one question, "Did Sega's tea money go to waste, or is your triad planning to go toe-to-toe with the legal counsel of the British Empire?"

This is a classic example of a "dimensional reduction attack".

In Hong Kong during that era, foreign lawyers represented not only the law, but also the oppressive power of a colonial government that was on the verge of collapse.

Tanaka's eyes lit up, and he straightened up instantly. "Brilliant! That's a brilliant move. Those people are most afraid of dealing with foreigners, especially foreigners who talk about law. I'll go contact the best law firm in Hong Kong right now."

"Don't rush to flatter me." Takuya and took a sip; the bitter taste eased some of his irritation. "Have the loss statistics been released? How much stock actually leaked out?"

"We've confirmed it; there are 32 units in total." Tanaka flipped through his notebook. "The number isn't large, but the distribution is quite interesting."

How so?

"Twenty-eight of them never even appeared on the Hong Kong market; they were simply packed up and shipped across the Lo Wu Bridge to Mainland China," Tanaka said with a hint of surprise. "The remaining four, it seems, were dumped by those idiots who were in a hurry to cash out, and they just sold them to a secondhand shop in Mong Kok. Our authorized dealer there happened to see them and that's how they got to us."

Takuya raised an eyebrow. "Reported by a distributor? I thought it was some citizen bursting with a sense of justice."

"Those dealers are shrewd," Tanaka laughed. "Someone is waving around unlocked phones right under their noses for less than the purchase price. That's taking away their livelihood. Cutting off someone's source of income is like killing their parents; they're more anxious than the police."

"That's true." Takuya nodded, then unconsciously drew circles on the table with his finger. "However, most of the goods flowed to the inland areas—it seems that the big market in the north is even more thirsty than we imagined."

In those days, the demand for game consoles in mainland China was like a dried-up sponge. As long as there was water, even a few drops flowing in from the black market, it would be absorbed instantly, but people were very resistant to it and even labeled it "electronic heroin".