Chapter 344: Old John's Decision, Risk Escalates

The mystery of the Galaxy Fund's money was something Niu Bijian could not unravel.

Niu Bijian could never have guessed that the Galaxy Fund's money would be stored in Guang'an Bank, a small bank with total assets of only 200 million. Even if he had guessed, it would have been impossible to investigate, as Guang'an Bank was Xia Yu's bank, and it was unlikely he would allow a full account check.

Understanding the difficulty from Niu Bijian's explanation, Old John was frustrated but acknowledged the challenges and did not blame his capable subordinate.

Old John furrowed his brows, contemplated for a moment, and asked, "Have you attempted to bribe any employees of the Galaxy Fund? Internal personnel would certainly know more!"

Niu Bijian forced a wry smile. As an experienced businessman, he had tried every method, including bribery, but the Galaxy Fund's staff were isolated from the outside world. Besides Xia Yu and Wang Qi, no one could reach these employees, making bribery impossible.

After Niu Bijian explained the obstacles, Old John's expression grew grave.

"Really cautious; indeed, they've been plotting against us for a long time!"

How could it be otherwise? Throughout history, many major failures have stemmed from insufficient secrecy. Xia Yu would not make such a basic error.

The more cautious Old John became, the higher his vigilance grew regarding the Galaxy Fund.

Moreover, Xia Yu controlled Jiuding Securities Company, which had recently raised 600 million. Now, with an additional 400 million earned from Bao Yugang, Xia Yu's funds totaled 1 billion Hong Kong dollars, which was a tremendous threat!

"Continue investigating the Galaxy Fund. I will approach HSBC and Standard Chartered to ensure our funds are secure."

Old John said in a deep voice.

After that, he continued reviewing the documents.

Next were reports on over a hundred companies under or invested by Yi He Group. The focus was on listed companies and investee companies, categorizing them based on current equity ratios with a safety rating.

Unlisted subsidiaries had over 50% equity, many of which were wholly owned, so they were simply noted as unlisted.

The investigation of listed companies was as follows:

- Companies with over 50% equity were rated five stars, only two companies.

- Companies with 40%-50% equity were rated four stars, totaling eight companies.

- Companies with 30%-40% equity were rated three stars, totaling seven companies, with Yi He Machinery Group being the largest among them.

- Companies with 20%-30% equity were rated two stars, totaling fourteen companies, including Kowloon Warehouse.

- Companies with less than 20% equity were rated one star, mostly minority holdings and not core enterprises, totaling twenty-three companies.

Seeing these statistics, Old John's face darkened. He did not expect that after so many years, the rapidly growing consortium would have so many vulnerabilities.

For instance, Yi He Air Cargo Station and Yi He Insurance Consultant Group, which were targeted, originally had equity ratios between 30%-40%, rated as three stars.

However, including three-star and below-listed companies, there were up to forty-four. Even if excluding the twenty-one non-core companies with less than 20% equity, there were still many vulnerable companies.

Given this situation, if Xia Yu continues to target companies, these twenty-one could become potential targets. The safest approach would be to increase the equity in these companies to over 40%, ideally to 50% absolute control.

However, ideal scenarios often clash with harsh realities.

Increasing holdings in these companies would require massive amounts of capital, which was unrealistic! The only solution was to prioritize and address the most crucial companies first.

Or, Xia Yu could target certain companies and block those gaps, but this approach carried significant risk, similar to losing two companies previously.

Another more decisive solution was to eliminate the threat at its source. If Xia Yu stopped targeting them, or if a warning was sent to deter similar actions from others, there would be time to rectify the situation.

By involving HSBC and Standard Chartered banks, they could use the banks' money to acquire stocks and increase their holdings.

But this required one crucial factor—time! Currently, the danger was imminent, making time a precious commodity!

Though they lacked time, Xia Yu also had shortcomings—namely, a shortage of manpower and funds. It was impossible to simultaneously target all companies with equity gaps; even if he aimed to strike, it would be focused on a few.

"Have you thoroughly investigated the stock trading situation of these companies?" Old John inquired seriously.

Niu Bijian showed a hint of embarrassment and shook his head, "Chairman, we only gathered these materials this morning. Based on the list, notifications were sent out this morning for each company to assign personnel to collect their stock trading data. If any issues arise, they will be reported promptly."

"I've also arranged additional personnel to assist in collecting trading data and analyzing recent stock transactions of the Air Cargo Station and Insurance Company. However, this will take several days due to the large amount of data to collect!"

Hearing Niu Bijian's difficulties, Old John felt some frustration. This was a critical issue, and rushing could lead to missed details and undetected problems.

It was a dilemma!

"No, time is of the essence. We must prioritize. First, investigate and secure the core enterprises of the consortium, and then address the other companies!"

A thought flashed through Old John's mind.

He then took out a pen and circled companies on the investigation list that needed priority.

Yi He Machinery Group, with a total market value of 1.1 billion Hong Kong dollars, was a core enterprise of Yi He Group, a leading company in the field, with only 37.1% equity and a three-star safety rating, was circled for priority.

Kowloon Warehouse, along with the Cheung Kong Group, was considered one of the two pillars of Yi He Group's real estate sector, but the safety rating was only two stars, so it was also circled.

Other companies with lower market values but core enterprise characteristics were also marked.

After circling the companies, Old John initially highlighted eleven for further investigation.

Once done, Old John handed the marked list to Niu Bijian. Niu Bijian took it immediately, glanced over it, and had a sudden realization.

At this point, Old John also explained, "Focus your efforts on investigating the stock trading situation of these eleven companies first. Once the danger is removed, then investigate the situation of other companies."

"Understood, Chairman. I will assign people to investigate immediately upon return!"

Niu Bijian nodded solemnly.

At this moment, Xia Yu's plan faced increased risk, and the situation seemed to be turning against him.