It must be said that Avell was truly an old fox in the business world.
Who could resist such a casual test?
Fortunately, Chen Feng was an old hand in the political arena and had already anticipated Avell's subtle probing.
Wang Hong replied without thinking.
"Mr. Avell, we understand your feelings. However, the Hong Kong Land Resources In-depth Research and Development Institute is a formal political institution, and everything we do must follow procedures. You paying two-thirds of the funds upfront is not in accordance with procedures, and we cannot accept it."
"I know these are the procedures of your political institution, but as you know, I am very optimistic about the Hong Kong Wetland Project of the Hong Kong Land Resources In-depth Research and Development Institute. I don't want to be outbid by others, so I want to pay the funds in advance. This way, no one will compete with me."
Avell continued to test.
"Mr. Avell, we truly understand your feelings. However, rules are rules. Furthermore, to be honest, with the contract in place, you don't need to worry about anyone outbidding you. Hong Kong is a global financial center. Whether it's the political circles or the business circles of Hong Kong, they all attach great importance to the spirit of contract. If the basic spirit of contract is gone, how can Hong Kong maintain its status as a global financial center?"
Wang Hong explained earnestly.
He was filled with admiration for Chen Feng.
Chen Feng was truly prescient, calculating Avell's petty schemes to the letter.
"Director Wang, you truly live up to your title as the director of the Hong Kong Land Resources In-depth Research and Development Institute; your words are so professional. Alright, since you've explained the policy so clearly, I won't insist any further. I'll pay one-third of the funds first."
Avell's heart finally settled.
"Oh, and one last confirmation, is the money to be paid to the Walton Financial Company of the UK?"
Avell asked for final confirmation.
"Yes, all funds for this Hong Kong Wetland Land Project will go through a third-party financial institution to ensure the investors' interests."
Wang Hong replied with a feigned professional expression.
Avell wasted no time and immediately sent people to investigate the reality of Walton Financial Company of the UK.
Chen Feng had also anticipated this move by Avell long ago.
After all, Avell's ability to make so much money was not due to luck; he had some skills.
It was never too careful when dealing with such shrewd individuals.
To make the shell company appear more legitimate, Chen Feng deliberately injected a large sum of money into the account of Walton Financial Company of the UK.
Moreover, a large amount of funds entered daily!
In the business world, most people's first reaction when investigating the authenticity of a company is to look at its accounts.
If a company's account has no money, then it is highly likely to be fake.
Even if it's not fake, it indicates that the company is not strong.
If a company's account has a lot of money, then the company is definitely real.
"Has Walton Financial Company of the UK been thoroughly investigated?"
Three days later, Avell asked his subordinate with a serious and excited expression.
"Boss, I have been investigating the account situation of Walton Financial Company of the UK for three consecutive days. The investigation results show that there are large amounts of funds flowing in and out of Walton Financial Company of the UK every day."
The subordinate replied truthfully.
"Alright, I understand. By the way, you cannot tell anyone about your investigation of Walton Financial Company of the UK, understand?"
Avell said sternly.
"Boss, keeping secrets is not a big problem. The problem is, I think this is a normal business investigation, there's no need to be so secretive, right?"
The subordinate asked curiously.
"What do you know! This Hong Kong Wetland Project of the Hong Kong Land Resources In-depth Research and Development Institute is a very large land project and a very profitable project. The fewer people know, the better."
Avell reprimanded his subordinate severely.
The subordinate stopped talking.
Forget it, he was just an employee, and there was no need for him to be so nosy.
However, deep down, he felt that his boss, Avell, was being swindled.
The reason was simple: everything had happened too suddenly and too smoothly.
Based on his business experience, no major project could be easily secured.
Some major projects even required half a year of effort to finalize.
This Hong Kong Wetland Project of the Hong Kong Land Resources In-depth Research and Development Institute was completed in just a few days, which was too abnormally fast.
He really wanted to remind his boss, Avell, but then he thought better of it.
At this moment, his boss, Avell, was full of confidence and felt in control. How could he possibly listen to any well-intentioned advice?
To be safe, it was better to leave Avell quickly, otherwise, if Avell went bankrupt, he would also go bankrupt.
With that thought, Avell's subordinate resigned overnight.
Every move of Avell was within Chen Feng's grasp.
When Avell transferred all his liquid funds to the account of Walton Financial Company of the UK, Chen Feng immediately began to reel in the net.
Overnight, Walton Financial Company of the UK and the Hong Kong Land Resources In-depth Research and Development Institute vanished without a trace.
"Boss, something's wrong, it's a disaster."
In the morning, as Avell was sleeping comfortably, another subordinate ran into his bedroom in a panic.
"What are you howling about so early in the morning?"
Avell roared angrily.
"Boss, we've been cheated."
The subordinate said with a crying voice.
"Cheated? What do you mean?"
Avell looked bewildered.
"Walton Financial Company of the UK and the Hong Kong Land Resources In-depth Research and Development Institute are both fake. They were just designed to cheat us out of our money. This morning, I was going to discuss the specific details of the Hong Kong Wetland Project development with them, but both places were empty."
The subordinate explained truthfully.
"Shut up, you're making such a joke so early in the morning, are you looking for a beating?"
Avell berated his subordinate.
"Boss, it's true."
After saying that, the subordinate opened a video on his phone.
In the video, the locations of Walton Financial Company of the UK and the Hong Kong Land Resources In-depth Research and Development Institute were indeed deserted, as if no one had ever been there.
Avell instantly collapsed to the ground.
Damn it, he had been scammed by a fraud syndicate.
Yes, it must have been a fraud syndicate. Petty fraudsters couldn't possibly have tricked him.
"Call the police quickly."
Avell roared in exasperation.
"Boss, there is something more urgent than calling the police."
The subordinate advised Avell.
"Nonsense, all my money has been swindled by that damned fraud syndicate, shouldn't I call the police?"
Avell roared with bloodshot eyes.
"Boss, such a big incident has happened, and of course, we will call the police. However, we should deal with the important matters first before calling the police."
The subordinate continued to advise Avell.
"Damn it, what is more urgent than calling the police?"
Avell asked indignantly.
"Several loan shark companies in Hong Kong have come to collect debts. It won't be too late to call the police after we've dealt with them."
The subordinate explained.
"What? Loan sharks? Did I borrow from loan sharks?"
Avell asked in confusion.
"Boss, you forgot, the Hong Kong Wetland Project of the Hong Kong Land Resources In-depth Research and Development Institute is a large land project, and it requires a lot of funds, so we had to borrow from loan sharks for turnover. We originally thought that after signing the contract, we could borrow from the bank to repay the loan sharks. Who knew that Walton Financial Company of the UK and the Hong Kong Land Resources In-depth Research and Development were all a scam..."
The subordinate explained in panic.
"No need to panic, it's just loan sharks..."
Avell tried to comfort himself.