Chapter 25: Dare not to pay it back? My hundred-plus brothers won't stand for it!

Although Lin Wendong had made it clear that the annual interest rates on these online loans exceeded forty percent and were not legally recognized, he still had to consider the reality of the situation. After all, they had borrowed nearly a hundred million; would the lenders really just let such a massive sum of cash slide?

Would they send gangsters to intimidate them?

The people of Mang Village were not afraid of that. If anyone dared to come to Mang Village for violent debt collection, they would soon learn exactly where the "Mang" in Mang Village came from.

What Li Youtian worried about were the "forces" behind those online lending companies. Lin Wendong had mentioned that they were backed by warlords from the Golden Triangle. If they were to be targeted by such people...

Li Youtian voiced his concerns. Lin Wendong inwardly sneered. "What warlords or organized crime syndicates could possibly be behind those online lending companies? I only said that last time to scare Li Youtian, and he actually believed it? Could it be that there really are warlords or foreign criminal syndicates behind them? How is that even possible?"

Lin Wendong waved his hand dismissively. "Don't worry. As long as we are in China, those warlords can't just cross the border to rob us, can they?"

Li Youtian thought about it and decided that made sense. If those warlords actually dared to cross the border to rob Mang Village, that would be a problem far beyond their own concerns.

After Li Youtian left, Lin Wendong headed home. Along the way, many villagers sat in the shade, chatting with sincere smiles on their faces. Over the past two days, every eligible person in Taizhai had participated in taking out these loans. Each household had secured at least several hundred thousand yuan—a staggering sum for residents of such a poor village. Many families had not been able to save that much in years, and many of the elderly had perhaps never even seen so much money in their entire lives.

Every villager knew that it was Lin Wendong, the head of the Third Branch, who had led them to these loans. In an instant, Lin Wendong’s status in the hearts of all the villagers soared.

Meanwhile, at the "Cash-in-Hand Financial Co., Ltd." in Dongshan:

"Manager, we've issued over two hundred million in loans over the past two days. Part of it went to Taizhai in Dongshan, and the other part to Mang Village."

Manager Wang leaned back in his chair, feet propped up on the desk, listening to the report from his tall, professional-looking secretary.

"Two hundred million..." For a moment, Manager Wang felt a bit dazed. "Two hundred million in cash—I really don't know where the boss got it from."

But then, he shook his head, his expression shifting as he lewdly licked his lips. "Two hundred million out, and this time, we stand to make a cool hundred million in profit!"

According to their contracts, the interest rates for every piece of software ranged from forty to sixty percent. This meant that for every hundred million loaned out, they would collect anywhere from 140 to 160 million through compound interest. The sheer greed was staggering.

The secretary looked conflicted, still unsure, and asked, "Manager, both villages have thousands of people, and their locations are close. What if they don't pay back..."

They could see the borrowers' information in the backend. They had discovered from the map that their two largest client bases—Mang Village and Taizhai—were neighboring villages. Together, the population of the two villages likely exceeded ten thousand. If ten thousand people stood united, it would be extremely difficult to collect on the loans. Furthermore, their interest rates were completely illegal; even if the villagers called the police, the authorities wouldn't take the case.

"Not pay back?" Manager Wang frowned and gave a disdainful snort. "You underestimate our boss's methods. Not to mention the people backing him, just look at Wang Dalong and his crew—who among them is someone to be trifled with?"

"When the time comes, I'll send Wang Dalong and his men over. They won't even need to use force; just a little intimidation, and those dirt-farming peasants will obediently pay up!" Manager Wang said this with total confidence. He had been in this business for five or six years, from traditional usury to modern online lending, having issued loans thousands of times. Yet, he had never failed. No matter who he lent to, he always got the money back; if they didn't pay, he used various forms of intimidation—or even direct violence. Therefore, Manager Wang was absolutely confident. They were just peasants from a village, weren't they? Surely his illustrious career wouldn't end here?

*The advantage is mine!*

Seeing him so confident, the secretary swallowed the words of caution she had been about to speak. After a moment of thought, she decided Manager Wang was probably right. "Surely this money can't be lost, right?"

In Dongshan City, in the most luxurious villa district, Zhang Youqian looked at the transaction records from the past few days, unable to stop grinning, revealing a mouthful of gold-capped teeth.

"This year really is my turning point! Hahahaha!"

"I've issued over two hundred million. If I get it all back, I'll be making a hundred million while I sleep!"

"However..." Suddenly, he suppressed his smile. "Although these borrowers are simple, honest farmers, I should still make some preparations."

Thinking of this, he immediately dialed a number. An hour later, a burly, bald man arrived at his villa.

"Brother Zhang, what did you call me for?" asked Wang Dalong.

He stood about 1.9 meters tall, his muscles straining against his black short-sleeved shirt. He looked fierce, especially with a one-inch-long scar over his left eye. He possessed the distinct aura of a character in a novel who wouldn't survive three chapters.

"I'll give you a month to call all your brothers together," Zhang Youqian said slowly.

"Oh? A big job?" Wang Dalong raised an eyebrow and asked.

"You don't need to worry about that. Just hurry up and get your men together. We'll need them for a rainy day!"

Wang Dalong laughed and patted his chest, confidently declaring, "Brother Zhang, don't you worry. As long as the money is there, I can summon over a hundred brothers. If anyone dares not to pay you back, my hundred brothers will be the first to object!"

Wang Dalong was very confident in himself. They were professional debt collectors. Their fighting prowess might not be anything special, but when it came to intimidation, scaring people, and bullying the old, weak, and disabled, they were experts.