Chapter 84: Obstruction from above

'Hurry! Immediately notify the economic management office, and have them call the securities company. From now on, all currency transactions must be stopped at the securities company, especially those involving old rubles!'

In the presidential office in the Mlyn, after Nikolic hung up on Mr Maita, he stood there for a moment, stunned, and then immediately gave his orders to his chief of staff, Kasia, in a shout, as if he had been provoked. 

Kasia didn't understand the situation at all. He looked confused and advised, 'Mr President, the capital economic activities of the securities company are now the most important economic activities in Krisco, and you, Mr President, have signed a decree that does not allow interference in the economic activities here. How come today...'

Before Kasia could finish his sentence, Nikolic interrupted him fiercely, 'This is an extraordinary situation. Director Kasia, I need you to get this done right away, not listen to you talking useless nonsense here!'

Facing Nikolaevich's order, as the director of the president's office, Kasia could only obey, saying, 'I understand. Please rest assured, Mr. President, I will immediately notify the Economic Management Office!'

After Kasia finished speaking, he left the office. After he left, Nikolaevich painfully covered his face and sat down in frustration, saying, 'That Chinese Zhou Ming is really something. I didn't expect him to have such a method. I just hope it's not too late!'

Nikolaevich said, changing the subject abruptly, and gritting his teeth, 'But compared to that Chinese Zhou Ming, there are some domestic guys who are even more detestable. They are clearly selling out the country and helping foreign speculators seize national assets, going against the country and the nation! These damned guys, I will definitely not let you go some day!'

After a while, Kasia returned to the office and said to Nikolajevic, 'Mr. President, I just notified the Economic Management Office, and they have already called the securities company. They have promised to close the market within an hour and stop all currency transactions.'

If it were usual, Nikolajevic would feel very ordinary when hearing such news, but today, this answer made him feel uneasy. So he stood up again and said, 'No, old friend, I want you to make arrangements right away. I want to go to the securities company.'

'Mr. President, what are you doing?'

Kasia asked in shock. If it had been an order from Zhou Ming before, it could have been guessed that he had done something again, but now Nikolaevich's actions were obviously a bit of an overreaction.

But Nikolaevich didn't have time to explain anything to him at this time, and simply ordered, 'Old friend, execute my order!'

...

Meanwhile, at the Cherf Market, standing on the high platform, Zhou Ming watched as thousands of North Russians below rushed into the Cherf Market. The dense heads of people were like ants, and even the future Chenghuang Temple Fair was probably not as densely populated as the Cherf Market at the moment.

'If the Chelf Market can have such a large flow of people every day, I would like to focus on operating here.'

Li Cheng sighed and said, and Zhou Ming also laughed when he heard his words: 'If Chairman Li really has the intention, I wonder if I can also invest in it? I am very interested in Chairman Li's business strategy. I know that Sir Zheng also has high hopes for you, Chairman Li. Maybe Chairman Li is the richest Chinese in the world in the future. I have to take advantage of this opportunity to get more projects in my hands.'

Li Cheng said to Zhou Ming, 'Little brother Zhou Ming, you really know how to talk. I can't say anything about the future, but right now, whenever you make a move, it's worth hundreds of millions or even billions of dollars. We should definitely follow you.'

On the high platform, Zhou Ming and Li Cheng exchanged a few polite words with each other. However, their politeness was not an unfounded mutual flattery. Every word they said was based on facts. Right now, Li Cheng was highly valued by the world's shipping magnate Zheng Haolong, and he would indeed become the richest Chinese in the world in the future. This was a fact that Zhou Ming knew in his previous life. On the other hand, Zhou Ming was now in Northern Russia, leading Li Cheng and the others to follow the Dota Project, and it was true that they would casually earn a few hundred million.

At this time, Tong Hua's secretary suddenly rushed up. He first bowed deeply to Tong Hua, and then reported to Zhou Ming with Tong Hua's approval: 'Mr. Zhou Ming, a Northern Russian named Mr. Irbedov has already arrived. He is now waiting for you in the reception room of the management office.'

Zhou Ming smiled slightly and said, 'The person we've been waiting for has finally arrived. Then Chairman Tong and President Li, let's go to the reception room first, so that our guest doesn't get impatient.'

Hearing Zhou Ming say this, the expressions of Tong Hua and Li Cheng suddenly became serious. Tong Hua thought for a moment and said to Zhou Ming, 'We are now in Krisko, and this Mr. Irbedov is also said to have been an official of the North Russian authorities in the past. Will he really help us? If he has done something inside, then we could suffer heavy losses. We must think carefully about this.'

Zhou Ming replied, 'Chairman Tong, I have already thought it over, and as I have explained to you before, our relationship with Irbedov is one of cooperation. He is not simply helping us, because I also feel that whether because of his status or whatever, he is under no obligation to help us. But cooperation is different. He is also helping himself make money.'

Finally, Zhou Ming added, 'Because this Mr. Irbedov is the largest shareholder of the United North Bank of Russia.'

Facing Zhou Ming's answer, Tong Hua and Li Cheng looked at each other. It wasn't that the answer was so unexpected, in fact, Zhou Ming had already told them this answer long ago, but they still found it difficult to understand.

'Chairman Tong, Chairman Li, in this world, as long as there is something that can make a huge profit, no matter how great the risk, there will always be someone willing to do it,' said Zhou Ming. 'As for our current cooperation with Irbeldov, if you knew the secret to his and other wealthy Northern Russian businessmen's success, I don't think you would be surprised, because what is happening now is nothing compared to what they did in the beginning.'

Li Cheng and Tong Hua stopped talking. On the one hand, they tacitly agreed with Zhou Ming's explanation, and on the other hand, since things had come to this, they could only continue along this path.

Zhou Ming took Li Chenghe and Tong Hua to the management office building. When they arrived in front of the building, they stopped for a while. However, due to the popularity of the Cherv Market, people had started setting up scattered stalls here at the market management office. Instead, there were ten armoured trucks parked in the parking lot in front of the building. Next to these armoured trucks stood the escort troops specially used to guard the bank's transport of cash and various valuables.

'Chairman Tong, Chairman Li, it seems that this Mr. Irbedov is much more impatient than we are,' Zhou Ming said.

Li Cheng and Tong Hua looked at each other speechlessly. Apart from admiring Zhou Ming's supernatural powers in their hearts, they had no other thoughts.

They didn't linger downstairs, and soon followed Zhou Ming upstairs. In the reception room of the building, a Jew with a Mediterranean hairstyle was already waiting. Everyone knew this person, and he was the Irbedov they had just been talking about.

'Welcome, Mr. Irbedov, to the Chelf Market!' Zhou Ming greeted him as soon as he walked in.

Il'Bergev was also busy. When he saw Zhou Ming enter, he immediately stood up and greeted him: 'Mr. Zhou Ming is truly Mr. Zhou Ming. I remember that half a month ago, this Chelf Market was just a completely unknown small market in Krisco, but now, after being managed by you, Mr. Zhou Ming, it has become the most influential market here. According to my estimate, the number of people in the market now is probably tens of thousands. This is really remarkable!'

At the end of his speech, Il'yichov gave Zhou Ming a thumbs-up, to which Zhou Ming simply waved his hand to indicate that it was nothing.

Then Zhou Ming went over to pat Il'yichov on the shoulder and pointed out the window, saying to him, 'But Mr. Il'yichov, you are also a very impatient person, bringing so many armoured cars at once today.'

Irbeldov did not deny this, and he laughed, 'Of course it is necessary to pay as much attention as possible. If it were not for the fact that my joint bank is also a designated exchange point for the new ruble, most of the armoured cars would need to be used to transport the new rubles. I would like to arrange for more armoured cars to be sent here. After all, as long as you, Mr. Zhou Ming, are here, there will be no shortage of money anyway.'

Zhou Ming acknowledged this remark: 'Money is indispensable. After all, it's been so many days since the Cherv Market, and in the future, the old rubles will no longer be in circulation. Many people will try desperately to spend their money.'

'In this regard, I have never had any worries,' Zhou Ming said to Il'yadov, 'What I'm worried about is just the securities market. Are you and your bank ready?'

'Of course there is no problem. You can rest assured, Mr. Zhou Ming. Not only am I now the majority shareholder of the United Bank, I also manage the securities market. Mr. Zhou Ming, it is very simple for you to spend the old rubles through the securities market. And since you are such a big customer, we will of course give you special treatment and lift some of the restrictions,' Irbedov said to Zhou Ming.

Zhou Ming, however, shook his head and said, 'Mr. Il'bedov, you may have misunderstood. I don't mean that. I mean the trouble that may come from your highest authorities.'

Hearing this answer from Zhou Ming, Il'bedov froze for a moment, and he asked with some uncertainty, 'Mr. Zhou Ming, do you mean that some law enforcement agencies will obstruct this?'

Zhou Ming shook his head with a smile and said, 'If the resistance only came from the law enforcement department, that would be great. I believe that Mr. Il'bedov, with such deep-rooted strength on the northern Russian side, would definitely be able to find a way to solve it. But this time, I'm afraid the resistance will come from the President of your republic.'

Il'bedov was stunned at the time: 'Mr. President, he will give us resistance? Why is that? Doesn't he support the privatization of the economic reform and the mandatory issuance of the new ruble?'