How A Ride-Hailing Driver Comes To Dominate The World? [EN]: Chapter 427

The Prince Was Stabbed—What’s Wrong With a Ride-Hailing Driver Having Some Money? (Revised)

Just as netizens were celebrating Starlight Investment’s display of power, Yang Chen was already instructing Jin Ming to prepare for their next move.

“What? You want to target Buffett?” Jin Ming asked, clearly taken aback.

Yang Chen was likely the only person who would so casually discuss “harvesting” [taking advantage of] Warren Buffett.

Yang Chen: “That’s right! I want to target Buffett. Your shocked reaction tells me you see him as some kind of untouchable icon. That’s precisely why I want to do it. Only by surpassing him can Starlight Investment truly become a dominant force in the investment world. Besides, the old guy dared to betray me. I have to teach him a lesson.”

Jin Ming remained silent, clearly believing that taking on Buffett was an impossible feat.

After a moment, Jin Ming spoke earnestly, “Mr. Yang, you know I always follow your instructions closely, and even when we disagree, I defer to your judgment. However, this time I must strongly advise you to reconsider. Buffett isn’t just any investor; even presidents seek his counsel. It will be incredibly difficult to profit from his losses, and even if you succeed, the consequences could be unpredictable.”

Yang Chen: “It’s fine, I’m not worried about any retaliatory measures. You should prepare to short [bet against] Bank of America now, just to give him a little taste of what’s to come. Be quick, I have a feeling Bank of America is about to implode. We need to act before Buffett notices and has a chance to reduce his holdings and exit. He’s held 10% of Bank of America’s shares for 32 years. Our goal this time is to trap that money and wipe out his 32 years of gains.”

Jin Ming was shocked again. Yang Chen’s audacity was astonishing.

Bank of America is the fourth-largest bank in the United States, founded in 1852, with a current market value of nearly $300 billion, an annual turnover exceeding $100 billion, and a net profit of $3.2 per share. How could such a massive institution in the US banking sector be shorted?

More importantly, a successful short sale would inevitably lead to a sharp decline in the banking industry, potentially triggering a new global financial crisis.

Jin Ming felt compelled to clearly explain these potential consequences to Yang Chen and urge him to reconsider.

Yang Chen: “It’s not that dire. At worst, there will be a few days of panic, and things will stabilize afterward. Besides, this banking crisis is inevitable. We’re just acting against Bank of America preemptively. Just watch, within a month, the US banking industry will start collapsing. And I’m certain Startup Bank will be the first to go. You should subtly warn our close clients and friends that if they have deposits in that bank, they should withdraw them as soon as possible. Whether they listen or not is their decision. Remember, only close clients and friends, don’t notify everyone. We still need time to prepare the data; we don’t want to cause a bank run prematurely, or we’ll miss our chance to profit.”

Yang Chen’s statements were becoming increasingly outrageous. Was he suggesting that Startup Bank was on the verge of a bank run?

Impossible, right?

How could such a major bank experience a run?

Startup Bank’s clientele is relatively straightforward, primarily consisting of Silicon Valley tech companies and venture capital funds from various countries.

The only scenario for a run on Startup Bank would be if these venture capital tech companies simultaneously experienced a cash crunch and all withdrew their funds at once.

What were the chances of that?

Almost nonexistent.

However, Yang Chen was known for defying expectations. He believed in possibilities that others deemed impossible, and he had a remarkable track record.

Therefore, despite her reservations, Jin Ming remained silent. Following the boss’s instructions was always the safest bet.

Just as Yang Chen concluded his conversation with Jin Ming and was about to head out for a drive, Maya’s call came through.

Maya: “Brother Chen, my brother was stabbed twice and is in critical condition. I’m on my way there now. Can you please arrange for an ambulance from Longmei Hospital?”

Despite their strained relationship, Maya, being a kind-hearted person, was understandably worried about her brother.

Yang Chen: “Stabbed? Where is he now?”

Maya: “Near Shichahai [a scenic area in Beijing]. The attacker ambushed him in the restroom and escaped in the ensuing chaos.”

Yang Chen: “Understood. I’ll call Longmei Hospital to dispatch an ambulance immediately.”

He hadn’t seen Lansheed in a couple of days, and now this had happened.

Yang Chen contacted Longmei Hospital and urgently requested an ambulance to be sent to the scene.

At that moment, Zhang Lijun called Yang Chen.

Zhang Lijun: “Brother Chen, bad news. Our people stabbed that Lansheed guy. I’ve already sent people to apprehend him, but we haven’t caught him yet.”

Yang Chen: “Our people did it? Who? Why did he do that?”

Zhang Lijun: “Huang Shou did it. We don’t know his motive. We’ll question him once we catch him. Brother Chen, please ask Longmei Hospital to send someone over to ensure Lansheed is saved. If he dies, and the authorities trace it back to Huang Shou, we’ll be in a difficult position, and there could be serious repercussions.”

Yang Chen: “I know. Listen carefully, even if you have to turn the entire city upside down, you must find Huang Shou and find out why he did it! Understand?”

Zhang Lijun: “Understood!”

Initially, Yang Chen was indifferent to Lansheed’s fate, but now he had to intervene.

Zhang Lijun led a force secretly cultivated by Yang Chen. If their involvement was exposed due to Huang Shou’s actions, it would create significant problems.

Yang Chen quickly dressed, rushed out, and drove to Shichahai.

Upon arrival, the ambulance from Longmei Hospital had already arrived.

Yang Chen saw Lansheed lying on the ground. He noticed a countdown timer above Lansheed’s head.

“00:01:32, 00:01:31…”

Clearly, Lansheed had only a minute and a half to live.

Medical personnel quickly began to control the bleeding, administer oxygen, and provide basic first aid.

Yang Chen approached and carefully examined Lansheed. He had been stabbed twice in the chest. The wound on the right was not critical, but the one on the left was directly over the heart, a fatal blow.

In this situation, Lansheed required immediate open-heart surgery to survive, but with only one minute remaining, it was clearly too late.

At that moment, Maya arrived.

Seeing her brother lying in a pool of blood, she covered her eyes and embraced Yang Chen.

Yang Chen gently patted her shoulder and reassured her, “Don’t worry, he’ll be alright.”

Maya nodded silently.

She resented her brother for nearly killing her, but seeing him in such a dire state, she couldn’t help but feel sorrow.

Yang Chen swiftly issued instructions to the system.

“System, transfer all stored life value to Lansheed.”

System: “Received master’s instructions, operation successful. Lansheed gains 4 hours and 54 minutes of life. The current system storage life value balance is 0.”

Lansheed should be able to survive until the surgery was completed with the additional five hours of life.

It was unfortunate that all the accumulated life value was depleted at once, and given to Lansheed, that jerk.

But Yang Chen had no choice but to save him, as the assassination of a prince would undoubtedly trigger a thorough investigation, potentially implicating Zhang Lijun.

Yang Chen couldn’t allow a force he had painstakingly developed to be jeopardized because of this incident.

Life value could be replenished over time. The potential loss of Zhang Lijun’s organization, or being barred from returning to China, would be far greater.

Most importantly, Yang Chen himself couldn’t be implicated.

Therefore, Lansheed couldn’t die this time. If he had to die, it could wait until next year.

Yang Chen took Maya and followed the ambulance to Longmei Hospital.

The hospital assigned its best attending physician to treat Lansheed.

Maya called her mother and informed her of the situation.

Her mother cried hysterically, urging Maya to implore the doctors to do everything possible to save Lansheed.

Soon, police officers arrived, along with staff from the UAE embassy.

Ambassador: “Princess Maya, how is His Royal Highness the Prince?”

Maya: “He’s undergoing surgery, and we don’t know his condition yet.”

Ambassador: “Princess, rest assured, His Royal Highness the Prince will be fine. I’ve already requested the Dragon Kingdom [China] to apprehend the murderer as soon as possible in the name of the embassy. Prince Lansheed will not be harmed without consequence!”

Maya nodded.

Damn, that was fast.

Fortunately, Yang Chen had extended Lansheed’s life; otherwise, it would have already escalated into a diplomatic crisis.

The entire floor was now under lockdown, with no unauthorized personnel allowed access.

Four hours passed, and the surgery was still in progress.

Unable to wait any longer, Yang Chen decided to go inside and assess the situation.

As long as there was no countdown timer above Lansheed’s head, he would be fine.

If the countdown reappeared, Yang Chen would have to intervene again.

“Dean Zhang, please arrange for disinfection and sterile clothing for me; I want to go in and take a look,” Yang Chen requested.

Zhang Wanliu nodded, “You want to go in?”

Yang Chen: “Yes! I want to go in and see what’s happening. It’s been four hours; I need to know what’s going on.”

The ambassador, noticing Maya’s closeness to Yang Chen, recognized their special relationship.

However, he inquired politely, “May I ask this gentleman’s name? What is his profession? And what is the purpose of his visit?”

Maya: “He’s my boyfriend; he has medical knowledge. Let him go in and see how to save my brother.”

Boyfriend?

The ambassador was stunned.

In the UAE, especially Jinbai [likely a fictional city/state], everyone knew that Princess Maya was betrothed to the elderly Prince Hillman.

What did Maya mean by having another boyfriend?

This might be dismissed as a trivial matter in the Dragon Kingdom, but in Jinbai, such behavior would be severely punished, even with death.

However, now was not the time to dwell on this; Lansheed’s life was paramount.

The ambassador didn’t object to Yang Chen’s entry after he disinfected and changed into sterile clothing.

Yang Chen quietly entered the operating room, signaling the medical staff to maintain silence.

He carefully approached the operating table and discovered that the life countdown had reappeared above Lansheed’s head.

“00:35:45, 00:35:44, 00:35:43…”

Lansheed had 35 minutes of life remaining. Clearly, the doctors’ efforts had been unsuccessful in saving him.

The attending physician was meticulously suturing the heart. Yang Chen hesitated to speak abruptly, fearing it might startle him and cause a mistake.

But allowing him to continue wasting time would only worsen Lansheed’s condition.

Yang Chen was anxious but forced himself to wait.

After about a minute, the attending physician paused and turned to allow the nurse to wipe his sweat.

Yang Chen seized the opportunity to speak, “Dr. Huang, I believe his vital signs are deteriorating; allow me to assist you.”

The attending physician recognized Yang Chen’s identity, but this was an operating room, not a place for a shareholder to simply walk in.

“Mr. Yang, how did you get in here? Please leave immediately! This is not a place for you,” Dr. Huang insisted.

Yang Chen produced the needle box and said, “He’s my girlfriend’s brother; I must save him. The embassy and police are outside; if he dies, the consequences will be severe. You continue with the surgery; I only need to administer three acupuncture points.”

Dr. Huang: “Mr. Yang, this is not a joke; this is a life at stake. You mentioned the embassy and police are here; if something goes wrong, no one can bear the responsibility…”

Yang Chen interrupted, “I’ll take responsibility; I’ll pay with my life, I’ll pay money, I’ll go to jail. Just continue with the surgery and don’t be distracted, okay?”

Dr. Huang reluctantly resumed suturing the heart.

Yang Chen retrieved the gold needles, disinfected them, and inserted them into the adrenal glands and other specific points.

The effect was immediate. The instruments indicated a significant improvement in Lansheed’s vital signs.

The assisting medical staff were astonished. They knew Yang Chen was wealthy, the third-largest shareholder of the group, but they never expected him to possess such skills—three needles bringing someone back from the brink of death.

Dr. Huang, while performing the heart suturing, also observed the vital signs displayed on the monitors and shared the same shock as the others.

Fortunately, he was an experienced surgeon. Despite his surprise, his hands remained steady, and he continued the surgery methodically.

As Lansheed’s vital signs gradually improved, the countdown timer above his head vanished.

System: “Detected that the host successfully prevented Lansheed’s death, and obtained 28 minutes and 35 seconds of life value. The current system storage life value is 28 minutes and 35 seconds.”

Yang Chen sighed in relief, finally stabilizing the situation.

However, according to the system’s previous explanation, successfully preventing the target’s death only extended their life by one year, after which they would still die in the same manner.

This meant that Lansheed would still be assassinated on this day next year, and he would still be stabbed in the heart.

The heart, being such a vital organ, couldn’t withstand such severe damage for two consecutive years; even a strong person couldn’t endure it, let alone an ordinary individual.

However, that was no longer Yang Chen’s concern.

If the assassin, Huang Shou, hadn’t been Zhang Lijun’s subordinate, Yang Chen wouldn’t have wasted his hard-earned life value on Lansheed.

Damn it, when he caught Huang Shou, he would make him pay.

Yang Chen remained in the operating room, waiting patiently.

After another hour, Dr. Huang finally completed the surgery.

Seeing that Lansheed’s vital signs were within acceptable limits, Dr. Huang breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed.

Yang Chen stepped forward, removed the gold needles, disinfected them, and returned them to the needle box.

Dr. Huang: “Mr. Yang, where did you learn this acupuncture technique? It’s truly eye-opening. I always believed that Dragon Kingdom’s traditional medicine was only suitable for regulating the body, not for treating diseases and saving lives. Now I realize I was wrong. Just a few needles have such a magical effect; I truly admire you.”

Yang Chen smiled, “Don’t admire me; you’ve been performing surgery for hours. Go and replenish your strength and get some rest.”

Dr. Huang: “Haha… Thank you for your concern, Mr. Yang. If you have time, you should consider opening a Dragon Kingdom traditional medicine department in our hospital, expand our business, and help more people.”

Yang Chen: “I’m not interested in that. I’ll save people if I encounter them, but I won’t force it. You guys are busy; I’m leaving.”

The medical staff began to discuss as they packed up their equipment.

“I always thought he was just a rich second-generation, the super-rich kind, but I didn’t expect him to have this ability.”

“Suddenly, I feel that God is so unfair. He made him so good-looking, so rich, and so skilled in medicine.”

“Just now, the prince’s vital signs were clearly failing, and he brought him back with three needles; it’s amazing.”

“He mentioned that the prince is his girlfriend’s brother; doesn’t that mean he found a Jinbai princess as his girlfriend? He’s definitely a winner in life, flawless in every aspect. If I were him, I would die now without any regrets.”

…

Yang Chen walked out of the operating room, and Maya and others rushed over.

“Chen, how is my brother?” Maya asked.

Yang Chen nodded, “He’s fine; the surgery was successful.”

Maya nodded, “Then let’s go.”

Yang Chen: “Aren’t you going to see him?”

Maya: “No. When I heard he was assassinated, I was really nervous and scared. But you said he’s fine, so I don’t need to see him. I can care about him in my conscience, but I can’t forgive him.”

Yang Chen nodded and left with Maya in his arms.

The ambassador was shocked by Maya’s actions.

Her own brother’s life or death was uncertain, and she simply left?

The ambassador quickly stopped Maya, “Princess Maya, you can’t just leave like this. It’s not yet known if His Royal Highness the Prince is out of danger; you must stay and take care of him. And you are already engaged to Prince Hillman; how can you be in love with a Dragon Kingdom man? Do you realize the consequences your behavior will have for you and your family?”

Maya: “Chen will bear any consequences for me. Get out of the way!”

The ambassador threatened Yang Chen, “Sir, I don’t mean to offend you, but your behavior will have serious consequences for yourself, and you and your family cannot bear such consequences.”

Yang Chen: “Get out of the way! Maya said that I will bear any consequences; why are you still talking so much?”

The ambassador was both shocked and angry. He represented the UAE, and this guy was telling him to get out; it was outrageous.

“You will definitely pay for what you just said!” the ambassador threatened.

Yang Chen glanced at him disdainfully and left with Maya in his arms.

Outside the hospital, Maya called her mother to reassure her that the surgery on her brother was successful, Longmei Hospital was the best in the world, and he would be fine after a period of recuperation.

Her mother remained worried and planned to buy a plane ticket and come over with her father to see him.

Yang Chen sent Maya back to work at the bank and then went to the Beijing branch of Starlight Defense Group to find Qiu Hongqiang.

Yang Chen explained the situation and asked him to mobilize everyone to find Huang Shou immediately.

Zhang Lijun had also flown to Beijing and met Yang Chen at Starlight Defense.

Zhang Lijun immediately knelt down, “Brother Chen, I’m sorry; I didn’t manage things well, and this happened. Please punish me, Brother Chen!”

Yang Chen lightly kicked him, “Okay, I’ve punished you; get up.”

Zhang Lijun quickly stood up, greeted Qiu Hongqiang, and said to Yang Chen, “Brother Chen, I’ve mobilized all the brothers to find Huang Shou. His family members are also under our surveillance, and we will definitely catch him.”

Yang Chen nodded, “Starlight Defense is accessing the traffic monitoring system, hoping to find Huang Shou’s whereabouts. Sit down; let’s wait.”

In the evening, Starlight Defense’s people apprehended Huang Shou in a dilapidated courtyard, along with a man with a Middle Eastern appearance.

Soon, the two were brought to the Beijing branch of Starlight Defense Group.

Zhang Lijun interrogated Huang Shou, and Qiu Hongqiang interrogated the man with the Middle Eastern appearance.

After more than half an hour, Zhang Lijun finished the interrogation and reported the situation to Yang Chen.

In short, Huang Shou’s wife and son were captured while traveling in Jinbai, and he was instructed to assassinate Lansheed.

If Lansheed died, his wife and son would be released.

If Lansheed didn’t die, his wife and son would be killed.

The man with the Middle Eastern appearance was the contact.

Huang Shou knew his actions would have serious consequences. He was willing to surrender to end the case and only hoped that Zhang Lijun could save his wife and son.

After a while, Qiu Hongqiang also finished the interrogation and reported the situation to Yang Chen.

The man with the Middle Eastern appearance, named Halaman Mohammed, was Hillman’s man.

He was simply following orders and didn’t know any further details.

Hillman?

The old man who was going to marry Maya?

Why did he want to kill Lansheed?

Did he know about Maya and Yang Chen?

Even if he did, shouldn’t he target Yang Chen?

Why would he assassinate Lansheed?

Something was wrong!

Hillman’s target wasn’t just Lansheed; Maya’s parents might also be in danger.

Yang Chen: “Keep an eye on them; don’t let the news leak!”

Qiu Hongqiang and Zhang Lijun nodded.

Yang Chen quickly called Maya.

Maya: “Hello, Chen, are you back?”

Yang Chen: “No. Are your parents coming here to see your brother?”

Maya: “Yes! They’ll arrive tomorrow afternoon!”

Yang Chen: “Are they taking a commercial flight or a private jet?”

Maya: “Commercial flight. Our family’s plane was flown over by my brother and is still parked at the Beijing airport. Chen, what’s wrong?”

Yang Chen: “Give me the flight number.”

Maya: “CA942. Chen, what’s going on?”

Yang Chen: “I’ll have someone guard the door; I’ll open it myself when I get back. Don’t open the door to anyone who knocks. Did you hear that?”

Maya: “Okay. Chen, what happened?”

Yang Chen: “It’s not certain yet; I hope I’m overthinking it. I’m hanging up; I’m busy here.”

Yang Chen hung up and quickly checked the details of flight CA942 online.

Eastern Airlines flight, taking off at 6 am tomorrow and arriving at Beijing International Airport at 1 pm.

There was still time. Yang Chen sent a message to Qiu Yuhong.

“Chairman Qiu, have the Jinbai branch immediately purchase tickets for flight CA942 from Jinbai to Beijing at 6 am tomorrow. Prince Hassanqi and his wife from Jinbai will be taking this flight to Beijing. If I’m not mistaken, someone may try to harm them; have our people protect them.”

Soon, Qiu Yuhong replied.

“Received! Will do it immediately!”

If Yang Chen was overthinking it, it would only cost some money for plane tickets.

If he wasn’t, he might have saved Maya’s parents.

By saving Maya’s parents, Yang Chen could persuade them to deal with Hillman, the old bastard, together.

The Hillman family held 5% of the shares in Jinbai Oil and Gas Company, and removing him would help consolidate Yang Chen’s control over the company.

Besides Jinbai Oil and Gas Company, there were many other oil companies in the UAE.

Yang Chen wanted to help Hassanqi control other oil companies and thus control the entire UAE oil industry.

Since he was already involved, he might as well go all in.