The Money Printer, Money Laundering, and an Intelligence Rotation

The night, like thick ink, soaked into the winding tree-lined path of the Medina. The deep, steady sound of the Bentley Flying Spur's engine contrasted sharply with the almost frozen silence inside the car.

Outside the car window, the shadows of trees swayed on both sides, and occasionally the iron gates and walls of a luxury estate flashed by under the headlights before being swallowed by the deeper darkness. The ambient lighting inside the car emitted a soft glow, illuminating Lin Feng's calm profile in the back seat and K's upright Back View in the passenger seat.

The car drove out of Medina and merged into the relatively empty intercity highway. Lü Yi, who had been suppressing his emotions for a long time, finally couldn't help but turn his head sharply, his hands gripping the back of the seat, his face filled with astonishment and anxiety, as if to say, "How the hell is this possible?"

"Boss!" Lü Yi's voice sounded abrupt in the well-insulated carriage. He lowered his voice, but the disbelief in his tone remained undiminished. "We... we really gave that bastard a hundred million? US dollars?! That's a hundred million! Not a million, but ten million! Even if we're rich, we can't just throw money into a fire like that, can we? That Mike Anderson is a liar from head to toe, every single hair on his head! All that stuff he said— the Qatar sovereign wealth fund, Goldman Sachs SPAC, 300% returns—what a load of rubbish! He can only fool newbies who've just arrived in the city!"

He got more and more agitated as he spoke, almost spitting out words. "His company looks respectable, but I took a closer look, and many of his 'employees' have their eyes darting around; they don't look like they're actually doing any work! Those paintings on the walls are probably wholesale from Yiwu! And his mansion—it smells like a nouveau riche renting a place to show off! Boss, don't be fooled by his pretentious act!"

Lü Yi frantic with worry; he was truly anxious. One hundred million US dollars—in his simple worldview, that was a mountain of cash, enough to buy countless pieces of equipment, support countless brothers, and accomplish countless great deeds! To just casually agree to give it to a guy who was clearly a fraud? This seemed even more absurd to him than asking him to take on an entire reinforced company single-handedly.

K, in the driver's seat, remained silent, gripping the steering wheel and focused on the road, but his taut jawline and slightly furrowed brows revealed that he, too, harbored doubts. He was simply better at restraint and waiting than Lü Yi.

Lin Feng leaned back in the soft leather seat, his eyes closed, seemingly taking a nap. Hearing Lü Yi's machine-gun-like questioning, he slowly opened his eyes. The dim light in the car fell on his face, outlining his clear features. In his deep black eyes, there was no impulsiveness or regret after a mistake that Lü Yi had expected, only a bottomless calmness, and... a faint, almost mocking smile quietly appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"One hundred million?" Lin Feng repeated the number, his voice steady, even somewhat nonchalant. "Is that a lot?"

Lü Yi was speechless for a moment, opening her mouth but unable to utter a word. A hundred million US dollars isn't much? Then what would be considered a lot?

Lin Feng tilted his head slightly, his gaze seemingly piercing through the car roof to the empty night sky. His tone was as calm as stating a physical law. "To Golden Sun, it's just a series of adjustable parameters, numbers that can be 'produced' by consuming a little electricity, paper, and special ink. The cost is almost negligible."

Lü Yi and K were both stunned. Lü Yi's eyes widened as if she were hearing this for the first time. K's breathing paused almost imperceptibly for half a second.

"The money we used to handle NLG, including money from other channels," Lin Feng continued, his tone still flat, as if he were giving a dry finance lecture, "Was mostly 'clean,' going through legitimate financial channels, and is traceable. But there's always a portion with a more 'special' source, a larger amount, or that needs to be 'settled' quickly and can't be exposed directly. This part of the money is like gold covered in mud; it has value, but using it is tricky and leaves traces."

He looked out the window at the blurry light and shadow rushing past.

"Using traditional money laundering channels—underground banks, casinos, art auctions, and cryptocurrencies—is not impossible, but it's costly, with 20-30% of the transaction fees being taken by each layer. It's also time-consuming and risky. Professional money laundering groups are under the scrutiny of regulatory agencies in various countries, and double-crossing is commonplace. More importantly, it leaves obvious traces of fund transfers, which can always be found by careful investigation."

He paused, as if he had thought of something, and the mocking smile on his lips deepened.

"But Mike Anderson's 'plate' is different." Lin Feng's voice carried a peculiar interest. "It looks 'high-end' and 'legitimate,' with a complete shell—top-tier office buildings, a seemingly professional team, luxurious packaging, a carefully crafted story, and it might even involve some respectable locals (referring to those vested interests who tacitly approve and are ready to share the spoils). Most importantly, it is itself a 'pool' designed to accommodate and circulate huge sums of money."

Lü Yi seemed to understand a little, but not completely, and asked anxiously, "Boss, you mean... we throw money into this scam and let him launder it for us?"

"It's not about having him help us launder the money," Lin Feng corrected, his eyes sharpening. "It's about using his scam to our advantage. We'll legitimately deposit the 'muddy gold'—the funds that need to be processed—under the guise of 'investment funds.' This money will then mix and circulate within his system with the 'clean' money he's swindled from other 'investors,' going through a complex network meticulously designed by his 'partners'."

"In this process," Lin Feng tapped his fingers lightly on his knee, as if rehearsing the procedure, "The nature of the money will change. It will transform from ' Lin Feng's funds with sensitive origins' into 'investment funds from the Anderson Global Capital Ponzi scheme.' When this scam develops according to its inherent trajectory and ultimately 'incurs losses' or 'is settled,' a portion of this money will flow out again through certain 'legal' loss write-offs or 'modified' profit distribution channels, entering our designated, clean overseas accounts. Although nominally we 'loss', the money that flows out has already donned a legal cloak of 'investment failure,' and in the eyes of United States financial regulators, its 'criminal record' is largely washed away. What we lose is only that negligible 'printing cost' and the 'investment loss' on paper; what we gain is a large sum of funds that have been initially 'cleaned,' are harder to trace, and can be used more freely."

He looked at Lü Yi, his eyes calm. "This is safer, more 'elegant,' and more discreet than finding any money laundering group. Because the whole process, from the outside, perfectly fits the tragic story of a 'high-net-worth investor falling victim to financial fraud.' The investigation will focus on Mike and his scam, rather than delving into where the 'victim's' funds originally came from."

Lü Yi was stunned. After a long while, he murmured, "Holy crap... they can do that? What if that bastard Mike, or the person behind him, turns black-hearted and swallows our 100 million, running away with the money? Or what if they simply don't have the ability to handle such a large amount of funds and their scheme is exposed?"

"Swallowed it?" Lin Feng chuckled lightly, his laughter devoid of any warmth. "That depends on whether he has such a good appetite and such a tough life. Once the money goes in, how it flows, where it goes, and who ultimately controls it, that's probably not entirely up to Mike Anderson. The Golden Sun's men will be like shadows, watching every penny's destination, figuring out the details of every account and every 'partner' behind him. If he, or those vultures waiting for their slice, want to play double-cross..."

Lin Feng didn't finish speaking, but the icy killing intent that flashed in his eyes seemed to drop the temperature in the car several degrees. Lü Yi shivered and immediately understood. This wasn't a handout; it was a trap, a scheme to turn the tables! The boss not only wanted to use this scheme to launder money, but also to uncover the complete profit chain behind this scam, and might even turn around and control or blackmail key links in it! One hundred million US dollars was not only bait, but also a stepping stone, and a noose around Mike's neck that could be tightened at any moment!

"So that's how it is..." Lü Yi let out a long sigh of relief, scratched his head, and a look of sudden understanding and admiration appeared on his face. "Boss, your brain... it's really damn clever, no, it's got eighty-one twists and turns! I thought you really got fooled by that bastard!"

K, who had been listening silently, glanced at Lin Feng through the rearview mirror with a knowing and admiring look. The boss's calculations always seemed to go deeper and further than theirs.

Lin Feng ignored Lü Yi's flattery and changed the subject, saying to K, "Also, inform Mr. Jin to have the intelligence support team currently operating in Washington State, especially the Seattle area, except for those few deepest-level, never-activated 'silent agents,' all other personnel, including all peripheral and core intelligence agents who were recently active in the Walton and NLG incidents, evacuate in batches and in an orderly manner. Give them forty-eight hours to clean up all traces, change identities, and leave the United States."

K's gaze sharpened. "Boss, have you noticed something?"

"Just a precaution." Lin Feng's gaze drifted to the deep night outside the window, his tone calm. "Recently, Golden Sun has been quite active here, trying to appease Walton and deal with NLG. Although each activity has been clean, the excessive frequency is itself a signal. As for the IRS..." He frowned slightly, seemingly with a vague premonition, "... there seems to be some unusual activity. Safety first. Send in a new batch of unfamiliar faces. Have the evacuees thoroughly review all the mission leads they've handled and all the intermediaries they've contacted. Cut off what needs to be cut off, and deal with what needs to be dealt with."

"Understood." K replied immediately, his mind racing, planning the evacuation route, rendezvous point, and infiltration strategy for the new personnel. "The replenishment and handover of new personnel will take time, which may temporarily affect the monitoring of Mike Anderson's financial flows and the early warning of potential IRS movements."

"It won't affect anything." Lin Feng shook his head. "Keep an eye on Mike's funds. Use NLG's outsourced business investigation team, or register a few clean consulting firms to do it through legitimate business channels. That will actually attract less attention. As for the IRS..." A cold glint flashed in his eyes as he thought of Daniel Crawford, who had been doused with alcohol, and the power that might exist behind him.

"Have Mr. Jin arrange the evacuation team," Lin Feng's voice became low and resolute. "Before leaving completely, do one last thing for me. I'll inform them of the specifics once I confirm the IRS's movements. Have them maintain the highest level of readiness. Now, clean up the current tasks, especially the rotation. I don't want any unnecessary loose ends left behind."

"Yes." K replied solemnly, firmly memorizing the key words "evacuation," "rotation," and "standby."

Silence returned to the car. The Bentley drove smoothly on the mountain road back to Eagle Creek Ranch, its headlights like sharp swords cleaving through the thick darkness. Lin Feng closed his eyes again, leaned back in his seat, as if the conversation he had just had about the $100 million money laundering plan and the adjustment of the entire intelligence network were nothing more than dealing with a few trivial daily matters.

The night outside the window remained deep, but beneath this tranquility, the Undercurrent of capital, the game of intelligence, and the impending threat from the state's violent machinery were silently gathering and surging. Lin Feng, however, had already laid out his chessboard, calmly awaiting his next move.