Wandering America: My kill threshold is far ahead

"Doesn't this look remarkably like a scene of a coup?"

Ma Jie broke the awkward silence first, thinking he was being very humorous.

Max blew on the blue bangs that were covering her eyes and met his gaze: "Stop with the preamble, boy. You spent money and put in the effort, that's obvious to everyone. Just tell me what you want."

"Okay, then I'll get straight to the point." Ma Jie took out a Camel cigarette, and Sandy, with great insight, offered him a light. He took a puff and smiled, saying, "I had Jimmy help me with some calculations, but let him handle the details."

Upon hearing keywords like "help" and "settling accounts," Max shifted her gaze to his face and stared at him coldly, almost uttering the word "traitor."

Jimmy shrank back awkwardly: "Everyone knows that Skid Row has 54 blocks, but few people have counted that there are 69 sets of trash cans in these blocks. Based on my experience, if a trash can is emptyed by the garbage truck at 7 p.m. until 6:30 p.m. the next day, it will accumulate about $20 worth of recyclables."

"During holidays, this number will double, so the average annual output value is about 25 US dollars."

"Of course, this is just a hypothetical perfect scenario. In reality, unless someone is on guard 24 hours a day, there will definitely be some loss. Although I'm not entirely sure, the final recovery rate will definitely be over 80%."

"That means 25 multiplied by 0.8 equals 20 US dollars. 20 US dollars multiplied by 69 can generate 1380 US dollars in profit per day, and 41400 US dollars per month."

Damn! Upon hearing this, Max was dumbfounded. A dumpster in a poor neighborhood was worth so much money?

But she feigned composure, slamming her hand on the table: "So, great mathematician, how much of your new master's hard-earned money does he intend to take from the poor scavenger?"

"Twenty percent." Ma Jieke made no attempt to hide it: "This is the result of my careful consideration."

"Ha, twenty percent." Max paused for a moment. "That's... eight thousand dollars?"

"It's $8280," Jimmy quickly corrected her mistake.

"WHTA?" Max's voice suddenly grew louder. The waiter, who was carrying a tray, was startled and almost spilled his coffee on the table.

After the waiter left, Max tried his best to control his emotions: "Oh Jack, I never would have guessed. Yesterday you were rummaging through the trash for power banks, and today you've transformed into a middle-class person, making eight thousand dollars a month in commission. That's more than what an intern earns. People spend over ten years studying to reach that level, and you did it in just one night, one night! My God, you're the real Wolf of Wall Street."

"Woman, you can't do the math like that." Ma Jie picked up his iced Americano and took a sip. "Part of this money is for Jimmy and Sandy's salaries. I have to find someone to keep an eye on things to prevent anyone from cheating or underreporting their earnings. And as you've seen, the appearance fees for those boxers aren't cheap. I paid for all of that upfront. If anyone causes trouble in the future, I'll have to ask them to clear the way."

"In short, I guarantee that everyone in the camp will have a stable income and personal safety while collecting recyclables."

"So 20% is not much at all, is that what you mean?"

"That's right." Ma Jieke grinned mischievously. "As for how much you quote them, that's your business, I can't interfere. Anyway, what's rightfully mine, I won't take a penny less."

"Wow...you've got something, buddy," Max thought in surprise. "How did you know what I was thinking?"

See? This is human nature, the most vulnerable thing in the world. Just a moment ago, they were calling him a "poor scavenger," but now, with a wave of their hand, they're willing to join forces with Ma Jie.

Even if he only takes 5% each month, he can still get two thousand dollars, enough to send his daughter Fanny to a private elementary school in California.

My goodness! You can't even imagine the happiness of capitalists.

Seeing the fleeting greed in Max's eyes, Ma Jie pressed his advantage, saying, "Have you thought it through? Opportunity waits for no one."

"OK." This time, he stopped pretending: "I agree to your request, but there are many details that need to be perfected. Otherwise, both personnel management and accounts will be very chaotic. Moreover, as a result, many people will definitely volunteer to join the camp, since we have a monopoly on the scrap recycling rights in Poor Street."

"Then that's not my responsibility." Ma Jieke shrugged, wiping his hands as if to say, "You're the boss, so you call the shots. But my suggestion is to stop bringing in just anyone like before. We'll only hire people with talent and a specific skill. Do you understand what I mean?"

Upon hearing this, Max was speechless. From what he said, this small business was just the beginning, and there was a long road ahead.

"That's right, baby, it's exactly what you're thinking." Ma Jieke bluntly laid out his hand: "I've got my eye on a scrap metal recycling station. They're asking for 15 yuan, including the site, qualifications, and a full set of equipment. If we can acquire it, we can achieve integrated production and collection, further expanding our base. If any of you want to invest, prepare your money in advance. I never shortchange my friends."

"Jack, your idea is amazing! I'll definitely be the first to invest." Faced with his development blueprint, Jimmy was so excited that he planned to take out all his savings and go all in.

"Give me some time, I'll figure out how to make money," Sandy said, equally enthusiastic.

"And you, Max?" MaJack looked at her earnestly. "If I remember correctly, we're a team. When I was homeless, you took me in, so I'll always remember your kindness."

"Damn, you suddenly said something so cheesy, it gave me goosebumps."

Max crossed his arms and shrugged. "Let's leave it at that for now. I'll give you an answer once I've thought it through. This business isn't as easy as you think."

"Yes, you're much more mature than Jimmy and Sandy on this issue; at least you can see the risks."

"Tch, two little brats, what right do they have to compare themselves to me?"

Both men gave her the middle finger in response to her arrogance.

"Thanks for the coffee." Jack finished the last sip, casually took the vanilla ice cream that Jimmy hadn't had a chance to eat, licked it with relish, and stood up, saying, "I have some personal matters to attend to. See you later."

According to known information, the highest drop rate for treasure chests is between 5 PM and 6:30 PM, and no later than 7 PM, after which they will be forcibly emptied by municipal garbage trucks.

Then wait for this period to open all the boxes at once. In this way, you can have fixed income plus speculative investments, earning at least ten thousand US dollars a month. Wouldn't that give you a basic foundation?

Next, we need to sell the antique dolls and complete the side quests first; this is the highest priority.

Having made up their minds, they set off for Old William's Pawnshop, located in the business district.

We sped all the way to our destination, and before we even stepped inside, we heard a heated argument coming from inside.

"Is this new? Say it again if you dare. This gun is from the Civil War era. My grandfather passed it down to my father, and my father passed it down to me. It's a treasure passed down through generations, and now you've turned it into a replica?"

"Do you even know anything about collecting, buddy? If you don't, don't pretend you don't. Just close up shop and go home."