Chapter 6: My Paradise

After hastily consuming the leftovers from the previous night, Chen Moran activated the intaglio printing machine, embarking on his first act of forgery since arriving in this era. The noise produced by the intaglio printing machine during operation was significantly louder than that of a laser engraving machine. However, as he watched the large denominations of banknotes materialize before him, Chen Moran surprisingly felt not the fear he had experienced in the past, but rather a sense of anticipation, a longing for a life of abundance.

This fifty-yuan silver note from the Huaro Daosheng Bank is carefully selected from the silver notes issued by several banks, including HSBC, Macquarie, Youli, Oriental Bank, Huabi, and Citibank. It does not have a watermark, unlike the banknotes from other banks, which employ either simple or complex watermarks. The watermark has always been the greatest challenge faced by counterfeiters.

Chen Moran lightly uttered a few words. Although over the past few days, he had already spent more than 5,000 yuan in counterfeit bills at more than a dozen foreign shops, the fact that those bills had deceived the stores was not the main concern. The most important question was whether he could deceive the bank. After all, he was not merely seeking to earn a little pocket money; those shops could not provide him with enough money to squander. Only the bank could.

The Hell of the Poor

The carriage driver's assistant humbly inquired before closing the door, fearing that he might offend this gentleman with a handlebar mustache, who was dressed in fine attire. Such a distinguished person could easily ruin him with just a flick of his little finger. However, he could never have imagined that this outfit had actually been purchased by Chen Moran just yesterday.

The laser engraving plate-making machine emits a slight sound during operation. As the laser engraving tool moves, subtle patterns gradually appear on the copper cylinder. In this era, relying on manual engraving for banknote intaglio and books takes at least six months, whereas the laser engraving plate-making machine requires only a few dozen minutes, and it does not merely produce a single printing intaglio.

Converted from a container to a studio, the sounds of mouse clicks and keyboard strokes occasionally echoed. Chen Moran, hunched over the computer, sometimes leaned beside it, using a magnifying glass to examine the silver dollar notes on the desk, and at other times made modifications on the computer. Although a high-precision laser scanner can accurately reproduce the layout of the silver dollar notes, if the original image is used directly for plate making, the resulting intaglio and printed products may appear somewhat blurred. It is essential to modify the original image on the computer, ensuring that no line or pattern is overlooked. Although a high-precision laser scanner can accurately reproduce the layout of the silver dollar notes, if the original image is used directly for plate making, the resulting intaglio and printed products may appear somewhat blurred. It is essential to modify the original image on the computer, ensuring that no line or pattern is overlooked.

"Da, da"

Sir, the bank has arrived

Looking out from the carriage, the road on the 20th day of the twelfth lunar month is likely deserted due to the heavy snow. The streets are empty, and especially on such a snowy day, even the patrolling officers on the street would be huddled in the police station to keep warm or reunite with their families. Occasionally, one might see a few beggars shivering by the roadside in the wind and snow. Although they are far away, Chen Moran can still sense that most of those beggars' eyes are filled with a deadened despair, as if many of them may never see the sunrise of tomorrow. Shanghai has never been a paradise for the poor, whether now or even 110 years later.

Perhaps for Chen Mo, this era is his paradise. At least in this paradise, he does not need to worry about being taken to the shooting range, nor will he appear on television legal programs, becoming a disgrace to his family. This is truly his paradise.

Chen Moran smiled coldly, and since the day two weeks ago when the ship docked at the Sixteen Piers wharf, he had set his sights on m.hetushu.com.com.

I did not expect that the background pattern of this banknote would be even more complex than that of the one from 100 years later

Ka ... ...

Whether in the 27th year of Guangxu or in 2011, the principle remains the same: without money, one cannot achieve anything. If the issue of money is not resolved promptly, it is likely that this place will not only fail to be a paradise, but may instead become one's own hell

The bank clerk in the lobby quickly stood up to greet the gentleman with a leg disability as he approached.

At the moment he locked the wooden door, Chen Moran, dressed in a woolen overcoat and wearing a top hat, let out a soft sigh and walked out of the courtyard, leaning on his black walking stick. Outside the gate, a Western-style carriage was parked, and as soon as the young attendant saw the gentleman who had rented the carriage come out, he hurriedly got down, opened the door, and lowered the folding step.

As he bent down and nodded, Chen Moran noticed the pig-tail-like braid behind his head. She frowned; although she had been in this time and space for two and a half months, and should have adapted to the braid at the back of a man's head, she still could not accept it.

It is merely a display, saving over 1,000 taels of silver

Almost there

Perhaps I can ... ... help them

Thinking of the word "heaven," Chen Moran murmured to himself about the most important factors in heaven

Three days ago, after signing the lease in the study of the Sun residence, it was rented by Chen Moran. The rent was not the initially quoted high price of 5,000 taels, but rather a lower price of 3,600 taels

Chen Moran shook his head with a light sigh, then leaned on his cane and entered this old factory building made of wood and brick, a structure that was not only aged but also somewhat drafty

Should we have that foreigner break his own leg and the books again?

This nickname of Shanghai is familiar to the vast majority of Chinese people, yet they are completely unaware that there is a second part to this statement. Shanghai is a paradise for adventurers, but a hell for the poor

At that moment, the carriage door was opened, and the attendant of the carriage swiftly lowered the folding ladder, respectfully holding the door open.

The sound of the iron tip of the cane striking the floor resonated in the newly constructed hall of the Huaro Daosheng Bank. The bank employees, hearing the noise, occasionally glanced up at the gentleman who had just entered. They were unaware that Chen Moran, who appeared calm on the surface, was already drenched in sweat.

Adventurer's Paradise

The iron tip of the cane in his left hand struck the ice and snow, producing a crisp sound. For Chen Mo at this moment, every step in such weather was a challenge. The fracture in his left leg had not yet healed, and even if it did heal, he would still be reliant on the cane due to the deformity of the bone.

Picking up another banknote from the table, Chen Moran carefully compared the texture of the two. The most challenging aspect of counterfeiting banknotes is replicating the paper's tactile feel. In pursuit of this feel, he had even resorted to applying a thin layer of hairspray on the surface to create a sensation similar to that of genuine banknotes. The tactile difference between the two was minimal. The banknotes from the Hua-E-Daosheng Bank were printed on thin paper, and their texture was not significantly different from the newsprint he used.

Then what about oneself

For an entire night, Chen Moran had been working diligently. A task that previously required the collaboration of at least four people now had to be completed by him alone, taking on every step by himself. After inspecting six intaglio plates, it was already nine o'clock the next morning, and his stomach was growling with hunger.

Hello! Sir, is there anything I can assist you with

As Chen Moran pushed open the bank door, he distracted himself with a flurry of thoughts, carrying counterfeit banknotes worth one hundred thousand yuan, entering the bank that issued these banknotes to exchange for foreign currency. Anyone, as an individual, would be aware of the risks involved.

On the snow-laden streets, no one pays attention to the beggars shivering in the wind and snow by the roadside. However, Chen Moran, sitting in the carriage, feels a chill in his heart. Beijing is still occupied by the Eight-Nation Alliance, and the governors of the southeastern provinces have formed a mutual protection pact. The Emperor and the Empress Dowager have fled to Xi'an. In this chaotic era, who cares about these beggars suffering from hunger and cold.

Recalling the day he had shown off in front of Sun Jingnan, Chen Moran couldn't help but chuckle softly. Looking at his factory, his face was filled with pride, and his eyes sparkled with the ambition to achieve great things. Although he leaned on a cane, his steps were much quicker.

In the lead-gray sky, heavy snow is falling, making it extremely difficult for the carriage to travel through the snow. Even inside the carriage, Chen Moran can clearly feel the carriage slipping multiple times, forcing him to hold onto the handrail beside him

Tsk! Tsk...

Beside the plate-making machine is a color offset printing press, a color gravure printing machine, and a paper cutter, along with three laptops and a laser scanner; these constitute all of my current possessions. These machines were once regarded by me as a shortcut to wealth, but here, they serve as my means of survival

Money

Sir, may I ask where you are going

Chen Moran, leaning over the desk, had a cigarette dangling from the corner of his mouth, allowing the ash to fall onto his knees. A 60-centimeter-long brass cylinder was mounted on the rolling frame, and with each inspection, he aimed to conduct the most meticulous examination possible. Although the laser engraving machine could perfectly reproduce the computer drawings, careful checks were still necessary to prevent any "missed cuts".

On the dilapidated red brick foundation of the factory, there stands a German Hell Cellaxy laser engraving machine, which is worth tens of millions. This machine was actually "stolen" by my partner, to be precise, it was taken by force from a plate-making company in Shanghai. Without this machine, it would be impossible to produce the intaglio used for printing banknotes.

Scattered snowflakes fall upon the shoulders, Chen Moran repeated this sentence

Even heaven has its difficulties

After carefully inspecting the finished product under the magnifying glass and confirming that there were no errors, Chen Moran finally breathed a sigh of relief. With this sum of money as a foundation, he could truly establish a foothold in this time and space.

While inspecting the finished product, Chen Moran involuntarily let out an exclamation of admiration. The patterns under the magnifying glass were exceptionally clear. Even when using a tenfold magnifying glass, no common dot patterns from electronic engraving were found. The greatest advantage of the Hel laser engraving machine lies in its adoption of ultra-fine engraving technology, achieving a level of clarity in contours and text that was previously unattainable. Even handcrafted plates could not match this quality, yet handcrafted plates are inherently non-reproducible. Even the same person could not carve out an identical intaglio. However, electronic engraving can perfectly replicate the master plate without any deviation. This was precisely the reason for the initial decision to acquire this machine at the cost of lives.

Huaerdaosheng Bank

Dah, dah ... ...

Buzz ... ...

But ... ... is my paradise

Chen Moran adjusted the background pattern on the computer, millimeter by millimeter, murmuring softly to himself

Ah...