Xie Kaixiao came over by eleven o’clock. Primarily because Lu Jiaxin’s words made him feel that this event was significant; he couldn’t stop thinking about it after hanging up the phone, so he came over right after the meeting.
Lu Jiaxin saw him and realized he looked much younger than the last few meetings. Indeed, power is the best cosmetic treatment.
Xie Kaixiao asked, "Jiaxin, what on earth happened that even you couldn’t get past the checkpoint?"
"Let’s talk in the study!"
Once in the study, Lu Jiaxin poured him a cup of tea first and then said leisurely, "Uncle Xie, have some tea first, and later, Li Qing will explain to you."
Yan Yijun and Li Qing were both recommended by him, and they had undertaken various missions before, making his words more credible.
Xie Kaixiao was a bit confused but didn’t rush him.
Before he finished his cup of tea, Li Qing came in: "Boss, Chief."
Lu Jiaxin nodded and said, "Tell Uncle Xie about what you’ve seen and heard in the Soviet Union these past two years, and how you gathered intelligence."
Lu Qing wasn’t surprised at all upon hearing this; he calmly narrated from the beginning of his time in the Soviet Union to when the intermediary exposed him, and he was tracked back to the Mainland.
Lu Jiaxin knew that gathering intelligence was dangerous, but he didn’t expect that he was in life-threatening situations twice in the past two years. Standing safely here now is due to his prudence and agility; secondly, thanks to the plentiful funding from Lu Jiaxin, which made everything easier.
Xie Kaixiao was puzzled and asked, "Jiaxin, why are you investigating this?"
Lu Jiaxin replied, "I know someone named Lao Hei, who helped us find my Fifth Brother when he went missing. He told me a lot about the Soviet Union that didn’t sit well with me, so I sent Li Qing over there to gather intelligence."
After saying this, Lu Jiaxin took out the materials Li Qing brought back and placed them on the table: "I went through them overnight yesterday and found that the political, economic, cultural, educational, technological, and military aspects of the Soviet Union were all infiltrated."
These methods will also be used by the deceitful Americans on this land in the future, leading to many worth $500,000 walking around.
Xie Kaixiao, without changing his expression, said, "Jiaxin, if you have something to say, just say it."
Lu Jiaxin stated, "Last year, the Soviet Union implemented a dual exchange rate system. As long as the authorities continue to rely on so-called Western economists, they will keep implementing such absurd policies. Uncle Xie, I think we should be prepared in advance."
"Prepared for what in advance?"
Lu Jiaxin could directly tell Nie Zhan that the Soviet Union would disintegrate in three years, but wouldn’t say that to Xie Kaixiao: "Uncle Xie, the stock market and real estate market of Little Days collapsed, causing many enterprises and banks to go bankrupt. You know why."
"Yes, they were manipulated by America."
Lu Jiaxin said, "Little Days dared not defy America’s demands. Now the rulers of the Soviet Union obey Western economists, and they will end up like Little Days."
"No, even worse than Little Days. Little Days is an independent sovereign country, while the Soviet Union is a federal state composed of multiple socialist countries, including Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, and 15 other republics. Once its economy collapses, guess the outcome?"
Xie Kaixiao said in a serious tone, "Once the Soviet Union’s economy collapses, it will definitely disintegrate. But Jiaxin, the Soviet Union isn’t as weak as you think. America and European countries have been trying every possible way to take down the Soviet Union for years but have failed."
Lu Jiaxin didn’t argue but said, "The Soviet Union has fifteen allied countries, and America also has many vassal states. The difference is, the Soviet Union treats itself as a blood donor, sending its blood to backward and poor allies; whereas America treats its vassal states as blood bags, draining them to strengthen itself - Little Days is a prime example."
"There are numerous internal conflicts within the Soviet Union, with decision-makers treating Western economists as honored guests, hoping they would offer solutions to resolve these internal conflicts. Little do they know that these people are wolves and tigers intending to destroy their alliance."
Xie Kaixiao didn’t deny her statement: "America has always wanted to topple the Soviet Union, but hasn’t succeeded, and won’t succeed in the future either."
Lu Jiaxin smiled and said, "I don’t know if Brother Yuan mentioned it to you, but I opened a bank in the Soviet Union. The investment was huge, so I didn’t invite him to take shares."
Xie Kaixiao wasn’t foolish and asked, "Are you so certain that the Soviet Union will disintegrate?"
Lu Jiaxin chuckled and said, "I can’t say with 100% certainty, but I’m at least 80% sure."
After a pause, she said, "Uncle Xie, opportunities are for the prepared. I’m preparing early now; when opportunities come, the returns will be tremendous. Doing nothing and waiting will leave us with nothing, not even a taste of soup."
The speculator used canned beef and other goods from hundreds of trucks to exchange for four planes, making a profit of hundreds of millions. She established a bank there, and in finance alone there’s a fortune to be made. By flipping some machinery and equipment, she could earn another big fortune, and then she could consider retiring.
Xie Kaixiao had mixed emotions and remained silent for a while before calming down: "Jiaxin, do you presume that America will topple the Soviet Union?"
Lu Jiaxin smiled and said, "Uncle Xie, what I think is not important; what matters is what you think, and what they think. I still say, if you prepare early, you can have meat; without preparation, you won’t even taste the soup."
She reckoned that America probably didn’t expect to topple the Soviet Union so quickly. Starting to lay out the groundwork now, if nothing else, we can certainly get hold of many top-secret research materials, saving us a lot of detours.
Xie Kaixiao pointed to the information on the table and asked, "Jiaxin, can I borrow these materials for reading first? I’ll return them once I’ve finished."
Lu Jiaxin waved her hand and said, "No need to return them; I’ve already read them, so I won’t need them anymore."
Li Qing interjected, "Chief, I’ve spent over $690,000 in greenbacks these past two years in the Soviet Union. These materials were bought with real money, genuine and reliable."
He discovered not long after arriving in the Soviet Union that even the Longhairs greatly valued greenbacks, which is why he used them for bribery.
Xie Kaixiao was astonished: "Spent that much money?"
Li Qing couldn’t help adding, "The budget was high, but there were no casualties. I also spent a lot to buy a pass, otherwise, I wouldn’t have come back."
Xie Kaixiao was momentarily silent, then finally stood up and shook hands with Lu Jiaxin to express his gratitude. However, such a significant issue isn’t something he could decide; they’ll have to see how the higher-ups decide. Nonetheless, Jiaxin’s sincere heart was truly commendable.
With the materials placed in his briefcase, Xie Kaixiao was about to leave.
Lu Jiaxin checked her watch: "Uncle Xie, it’s already two o’clock, and you’ll probably find no food at your workplace. Why don’t you have lunch here before heading back?"
Xie Kaixiao was indeed hungry, and since there was food prepared, he decided to stay. However, he wasn’t very hungry due to the matters on his mind, so he just scooped down a bowl of rice and left.