socalfunplaces Chapter 25 Establishment of a Security Company
Chapter 25 Establishment of a Security Company
Lin Zhou drove hurriedly to the newspaper office, stepping over the mess on the ground, his face so dark it could drip water.
The signboard of the Zhonghua News Agency was smashed and leaning precariously, ink mixed with shards of glass smeared all over the floor. Lucy and several editors were cleaning up the damaged items, their faces still showing shock and fear. The people who had just stormed in were members of the fraternity, all dressed in floral shirts and tattoos, carrying steel pipes and baseball bats. Without saying a word, they started smashing things, shouting, "If you know what's good for you, close down!" In just ten minutes, the once-prosperous newspaper office was reduced to this mess.
"Mr. Lin, the police just came by, looked at the scene, took a statement, and left." Old Chen adjusted his glasses, his voice trembling as he looked at the smashed typewriter. This machine was the newspaper's lifeline; now the gears were crooked and the casing was dented, and it wouldn't be able to be repaired anytime soon.
Lin Zhou didn't answer immediately. He knew that the Hong Kong police always preferred to "avoid trouble," especially when it came to matters involving triads. They mostly tried to smooth things over. Even if you called the police, they would at most take a statement, arrest a couple of small fry as a formality, and release them in a few days. At that time, the fraternity's retaliation would only be more severe.
"I know calling the police is useless; we're just putting on a show." Lin Zhou stood up, his eyes sharp as knives. "What they want is for our newspaper to go out of business, but I, Lin Zhou, have never been one to stand up for myself when I'm being attacked."
He turned and walked to the door, just in time to see two patrol officers in navy blue uniforms strolling over, batons in hand. Their eyes swept over the mess at the newspaper office, their faces expressionless, clearly unfazed. Lin Zhou's heart skipped a beat. He pulled out a thick stack of Hong Kong dollars from his wallet and quickly went to meet them.
"Officer, thank you for your hard work." Lin Zhou smiled and quietly slipped some money into one of the officers' hands. "You see, our newspaper just suffered a disaster, and the employees are all quite frightened. They probably won't feel at ease going to work from now on. Could you please have two of you stay at the entrance every day for the next two weeks until the police station closes for the rest of the day?"
The policeman glanced at the money in his hand; it was at least several hundred dollars thick, and his eyes lit up. His colleague next to him also came over, and seeing this, Lin Zhou added, "50 Hong Kong dollars per person per day. No matter who is on duty, as long as they finish on time, the money will be settled daily, without delay."
HK$50 was a considerable sum in Hong Kong at the time, equivalent to almost half a month's wages for an average worker, and all it took was standing at the door for a few hours—it was practically a windfall. The two policemen exchanged a glance and immediately nodded in agreement: "No problem, Mr. Lin. We'll arrange for someone to come every day to ensure your safety until you get off work."
"Then I'll have to trouble you, officer." Lin Zhou nodded with a smile, but inwardly he sneered. No matter how ruthless the Brotherhood was, they wouldn't dare to make a move in front of the police. This two-week period was his buffer time.
After dismissing the police, Lin Zhou returned to the newspaper office and clapped his hands to quiet everyone down: "Don't be afraid, everyone. I've already asked the police to guard the area, so it's safe to go to work. Let's tidy up first today, and I'll contact the repairman as soon as possible to fix the damaged equipment. We'll publish the newspaper as usual tomorrow."
Seeing Lin Zhou's calm demeanor, the employees breathed a sigh of relief and began to quietly clean up the mess. Lin Zhou took the manuscripts that the editors hadn't printed out, walked to his office, closed the door, and drew the curtains.
Then I went into the space, turned on the computer, printed out the articles the newspaper needed, and then found several novels about traveling to Hong Kong, especially those depicting triads and business warfare, which I skimmed through. In almost all of these novels, when the protagonist encounters harassment from triads, he will form his own security force, and the most reliable candidate is a veteran from the mainland.
Those veterans were disciplined, highly skilled, and had no one to rely on in Hong Kong. As long as they were treated well, they would be absolutely loyal. Lin Zhou flipped through the novel, which detailed everything from company registration and recruitment to training methods and management systems—it was practically a ready-made operation manual.
"I don't know anything after transmigrating, but I can still plagiarize, right? Even if there are unreasonable parts in the novel, I can just ask a lawyer." Lin Zhou smiled, already having a complete plan in mind.
First, there was the company registration. Registering a company in Hong Kong is a complicated process, requiring visits to various departments, and Lin Zhou didn't have the time to waste. He left the office, handed the printed manuscript to an editor, ignoring the editor's questioning look, and drove directly to a well-known law firm in Central. He was received by a lawyer surnamed Zhou, who wore gold-rimmed glasses and appeared professional and capable.
"Attorney Zhou, I want to register a security company. I'd like you to handle all the paperwork as soon as possible." Lin Zhou got straight to the point, placing the prepared documents on the table. "This is my personal information. The company name will be 'Zhonghua Security Co., Ltd.' The registered capital will be HK$100,000. The business scope will include commercial security, private protection, and site patrol. You can add more details as you see fit, as long as it's legal and compliant."
Attorney Zhou adjusted his glasses, glanced at the documents, and looked up to ask, "Mr. Lin, security companies are considered a special industry in Hong Kong and need to apply for a license from the police force. The approval process may take a while, normally about a month."
"A month is too long, I can wait ten days at most." Lin Zhou said firmly, taking out another stack of Hong Kong dollars from his wallet and placing it on the table. "This is the prepayment for the lawyer's fees. I'll also give you an extra two thousand. Please expedite the process. No matter what method you use, you must complete all the procedures within ten days, including the security license. Call me when it's done, and I'll settle the remaining fees in one lump sum."
The expedited fee of two thousand Hong Kong dollars made Attorney Zhou's eyes light up, and he immediately nodded: "No problem, Mr. Lin, we will do our best to give you a reply within ten days."
Having settled the company registration, Lin Zhou rushed to the cargo terminal in Victoria Harbour. This is one of the busiest terminals in Hong Kong, handling a massive amount of cargo daily and attracting countless laborers from the mainland. Most of them have left their homes to come to Hong Kong in search of a livelihood, doing the hardest work for the lowest wages; many of them are veterans.
Upon arriving at the dock, Lin Zhou saw a group of workers dressed in worn-out clothes, bare-armed, carrying heavy cargo and moving between containers, their faces etched with exhaustion. Lin Zhou walked slowly along the dock, his eyes carefully searching through the crowd.
He remembered reading in a novel that veterans possessed a special quality: upright posture, sharp eyes, and even in worn-out clothes, their military competence was undeniable. After walking for about half an hour, Lin Zhou finally noticed someone.
The man was about thirty years old, tall and burly, with dark skin, wearing a faded short-sleeved shirt, and was carrying a heavy wooden crate onto a truck. His movements were steady and powerful, his back always straight, and his forehead was covered in sweat, but unlike the others who were staggering and panting, he completed the loading and unloading in an orderly manner.
Lin Zhou walked over, and after he put down the wooden box, he handed him a bottle of iced soda and said in Mandarin, "Brother, take a break."
The man paused for a moment, took the soda, unscrewed the cap, took a sip, and looked at Lin Zhou warily: "Sir, do you need something from me?"
"My name is Lin Zhou. I'd like to talk to you about something," Lin Zhou introduced himself with a smile. "Judging from your appearance, you must have served in the military, right?"
The man's eyes flickered slightly, but he didn't answer directly. Instead, he asked, "How did you figure that out, sir?"
"Judging from your posture and your work ethic, you're not someone ordinary people possess," Lin Zhou said bluntly. "I'm planning to start a security company and am looking for reliable people. Excellent benefits, starting at HK$200 per month, including meals and accommodation. Good performance will also come with bonuses and promotion opportunities. Are you interested?"
A monthly salary of two hundred Hong Kong dollars was definitely not low in Hong Kong at the time, especially for dockworkers who couldn't earn two hundred dollars a month even after working themselves to the bone. The man was clearly intrigued, a hint of hesitation flashing in his eyes: "Security company? What does that do? They're not going to send us to fight with gangs, are they?"
"Of course not." Lin Zhou shook his head, but in his heart he was thinking, "Why would I start a security company if I don't fight with gangs?"
"We are a legally registered security company that mainly provides security services to shops and businesses, protecting the personal and property safety of our clients. We absolutely do not do anything illegal. Moreover, we have strict discipline, just like in the military."
The man remained silent for a moment, seemingly weighing the pros and cons. His name was Zhao Jianjun, and he had come to Hong Kong two years ago after being discharged from the military in mainland China. His job in his field of study was taken from him, and in a fit of anger, he quit. However, he regretted it when he returned to his rural hometown. He had no choice but to venture out and try his luck. He had originally thought he could find a good job in Hong Kong, but instead, he could only work as a laborer at the docks, exhausted every day and frequently having his wages deducted by the foreman. Lin Zhou's suggestion was undoubtedly an opportunity for him to change his fate.
"My name is Zhao Jianjun. I served in the army for five years, starting as a reconnaissance soldier." Zhao Jianjun finally spoke, his eyes becoming firm. "If you can really offer such good benefits, and it's a legal business, I'm willing to join."
"Great!" Lin Zhou clapped his hands, overjoyed. "Brother Zhao, we're on the same side now. I need a lot of people. Do you know any veterans at the dock? As long as they're reliable and skilled, you can bring them over. They'll be paid the same as you, and as the referrer, I'll give you an extra 200 yuan bonus. Once the company is established, you'll be the team leader."
Zhao Jianjun's eyes lit up. He did know a few other veterans like himself at the dock, all struggling financially. If he could bring them over, not only could his brothers have a better life, but he could also become a team leader—it was like a windfall. "No problem, Lin Sheng, I'll go find them right now!"
"Okay, I'll wait for your news." Lin Zhou handed Zhao Jianjun a slip of paper. "This is my phone number. Contact me anytime if anything happens."
After seeing Zhao Jianjun off, Lin Zhou breathed a sigh of relief. Every beginning is difficult; the company registration was being expedited, and the core personnel were in place. Now it was just a matter of waiting and preparation. He drove back to the newspaper office, where the employees had already cleaned it up, and the broken typewriter had been repaired by a technician who would be there soon.
Over the next few days, Lin Zhou was busy preparing for the security company. He rented a warehouse near the newspaper office, cleaned it up, partitioned it with wooden boards to make several rooms as dormitories, and bought tables, chairs, benches, and cooking utensils.
Simple training equipment also needed to be purchased, such as sandbags, dumbbells, and rubber batons. Zhao Jianjun did not disappoint; he actually found more than 30 veterans within three days, making a total of 35 people including himself.
Most of these veterans were in their twenties or thirties, all tall and sturdy with sharp eyes. Although they wore worn-out clothes, they naturally formed a unified and disciplined aura when standing together. Lin Zhou had Zhao Jianjun give each of them ten yuan for living expenses, and then took them to buy uniform training clothes and shoes. He let them stay in the warehouse first, and Zhao Jianjun led them in basic training every day.
Lin Zhou retrieved the training plan from the novel from his spatial storage and handed it to Zhao Jianjun: "Brother Zhao, train according to this plan, focusing on practical skills such as combat, grappling, and emergency response. In half a month, I want to see a team that can fight and get things done."
"Don't worry, Lin Sheng!" Zhao Jianjun took the training plan, his eyes resolute. He knew this was not only a test for his brothers, but also an opportunity for himself.
Meanwhile, good news came from Attorney Zhou: all the paperwork for the security company had been completed, including the security license issued by the police department, two days ahead of schedule. The moment Lin Zhou received the business license and security license, a weight was finally lifted from his shoulders.
"Zhonghua Security Co., Ltd. is officially established!" Lin Zhou looked at the license plate in his hand and a confident smile appeared on his lips.