635: Chapter 63 is about distributing money.

Chen Guangke's brow furrowed tightly.

Any one of these troubles would be enough to kill a normal real estate project in its cradle.

Ning Ke took a deep breath and pulled out the last document. It only contained a name and a photograph.

The man in the photo was bald, with a ferocious, over-the-shoulder dragon tattoo coiled around his neck, and his eyes were fierce.

"Third, and most deadly: Qin Wuwei."

"The local tyrant of T City. He made his fortune by using violent means to handle bad debt claims for unfinished buildings. In Jingluo Bay, the debts owed to over twenty engineering teams were 'bought' by him at bargain-basement prices."

"Now, that piece of land is practically his private warehouse and a temporary transit station for smuggled goods. He is the emperor there. If we want to touch Jingluo Bay, we must get past him first."

After Ning Ke finished speaking, the entire office fell into a dead silence.

He looked at Shen Yan, trying to see even the slightest hint of retreat or hesitation on his face.

However, Shen Yan's expression was as calm as a deep pool of water.

He just listened quietly, tapping his fingers rhythmically on the desk.

"Bank, retail investors, local tyrant."

Shen Yan repeated softly, as if classifying these troubles.

"It certainly sounds thorny."

Ning Ke gave a wry smile. "More than thorny, this is practically a dead end. Mr. Shen, I advise you to think twice. T City has more land than just Jingluo Bay. We..."

"We want this one."

Shen Yan interrupted him.

Those four simple words carried an unquestionable decisiveness.

Ning Ke was stunned.

Chen Guangke was also stunned.

They had anticipated all sorts of reactions from Shen Yan, but never such straightforwardness.

"Shen Yan, this..." Chen Guangke couldn't help but speak up.

Shen Yan raised his hand, stopping him.

He looked at Ning Ke and asked, "How much money would it take to resolve these troubles?"

Ning Ke subconsciously calculated an account in his head, then shook his head.

"This isn't just about money. The Bank's procedures, the suppliers' emotions, Qin Wuwei's brutality... none of these can be settled by simply throwing money at them."

Shen Yan smiled.

"In this world, the vast majority of problems, in the final analysis, are money problems."

"If money can't solve it, it only means there isn't enough money yet."

In that instant, Ning Ke suddenly felt that the aura emanating from the young man before him was even more terrifying than that of the long-established magnates he had met.

It wasn't arrogance, but an absolute self-confidence born from seeing through and controlling everything.

Shen Yan's gaze drifted slightly into the distance for a moment.

In his mind, a light blue virtual interface quietly appeared.

[Daily Intelligence Updated]

[Intelligence One: Ma Dong, Vice Director of the Non-Performing Asset Management Department at Shengtong Bank Headquarters, is in urgent need of a 500,000 cash flow due to his son's study abroad expenses and personal investment losses. His year-end KPI assessment requires him to reduce the department's non-performing asset ratio by three percentage points. The Jingluo Bay project is his biggest burden.]

[Intelligence Two: Among the 117 debt suppliers in Jingluo Bay, three (Hongfa Building Materials, Sihai Engineering, and Shunda Logistics) have very close personal ties with their leaders and hold the most influence among all creditors.]

[Intelligence Three: The 'Old Captain' Teahouse in the West District of T City is the fixed location where Qin Wuwei meets people every Wednesday afternoon.]

He used the wealth intelligence he accumulated from completing missions recently to exchange for three pieces of intelligence he could use.

This was the first time Shen Yan had used this function since the system upgrade, and it seemed pretty good.

A barely perceptible arc curved at the corner of Shen Yan's mouth.

"Ning Ke, Guang Ke."

He stood up and walked to the huge floor-to-ceiling window, looking down at the myriad lights of T City.

"Get ready."

"We are going to cross these troubles off the list, one by one."

The first step in solving problems was to start with the most rule-bound, yet least sentimental, entity: the Bank.

Ning Ke's judgment was correct; under normal procedures, taking over the Jingluo Bay debt from the three Banks would indeed be a protracted tug-of-war.

But Shen Yan never fought conventional battles.

The next morning, Shen Yan's call went directly to Ma Dong's private cell phone, the Vice Director of Shengtong Bank Headquarters.

Ma Dong on the other end of the line sounded guarded and impatient.

"Who are you? How did you get this number?"

Shen Yan cut straight to the chase.

"Director Ma, I am Shen Yan from Xinghe Technology. I am very interested in the Jingluo Bay project and want to acquire all the debt held by your three Banks in a package deal."

"Jingluo Bay?" Ma Dong's tone carried a hint of mockery. "Young man, do you know what a huge mess that is? Acquisition? The Board of Directors..."

"I offer three hundred million."

Shen Yan quoted the price directly.

This price was the psychological bottom line for the Banks estimated by Ning Ke, enough to let them offload the hot potato without loss or profit.

Ma Dong fell silent.

Three hundred million wasn't high, but it wasn't low either.

"This matter needs to be discussed at a meeting; the process is very long..."

"I don't have time for procedures."

Shen Yan's voice remained calm.

"Three hundred million in cash, paid in full within this week."

"I have only one requirement: you must lead the effort to persuade the other two Banks to sell all their debt to me collectively. Upon completion, I will pay an additional sum of five million under the guise of a technical consulting fee to an overseas account you designate."

The other end of the line fell into a deathly silence.

Ma Dong's breathing was clearly audible.

Five million.

This number was like a precise key, instantly unlocking the deepest desires in his heart.

His son's tuition, his investment losses—all his pressure vanished.

And the requirement Shen Yan proposed was, for him, merely using his authority to speed up the process and selling his colleagues at the other two Banks a vision of "quickly recovering funds and optimizing the year-end financial report."

The risk was almost zero.

The reward was easily obtainable.

"How can I trust you?" Ma Dong's voice was already trembling.

"You have no other choice,"

Shen Yan said lightly.

"Alternatively, we could discuss the money you lost recently in Macau. I imagine your Bank's disciplinary department would be very interested."

This was information not in the system's intelligence, but something Shen Yan had Ning Ke casually investigate.

When dealing with people like this, the carrot paired with the stick was always the most effective weapon.

"Beep—"

Ma Dong hung up the phone directly.

Ning Ke, listening nearby, felt his heart pound. "Mr. Shen, won't this push him too far?"

"It won't."

Shen Yan tossed his phone onto the desk.

"He will call back."

"Because greed will conquer fear."

Half an hour later, the phone rang exactly on time.

Ma Dong's voice was humble, as if he were a different person.

"Mr. Shen, happy cooperation."

With the Bank handled, the next target was the more than one hundred retail debt holders.

Shen Yan handed this task to Chen Guangke.

"Guang Ke, your task isn't to negotiate; it's to hand out money."