Wandering America: My kill threshold is far ahead

After Rama left, muttering to himself, Majac pointed to the old Ford pickup truck behind him: "Hey buddy, take a look at this truck and give me an estimate."

"This model is pretty old." Xiao Fu walked up to it, jumped into the cockpit first, checked the odometer and interior, then jumped down and circled the car several times. Finally, he opened the hood, looked at it for a while, closed it, and patted the muscular front of the car: "A 08 Ford F-150, the condition is still passable. Replace a few worn parts, fix the exterior, and it can be worth several thousand US dollars."

At this point, he rubbed a scratch on the car door with his finger, deliberately lowering his voice: "Jack, where did you get this car?"

Just as Ma Jie was about to say he found it at a used car market, Xiao Fu cut him off immediately: "Don't make things up, buddy. You can't fool me. This is a stolen car. It's most likely abandoned on the roadside by a criminal gang after committing a crime, and then you happened to see it, so you drove it here trying to clean up the mess, right?"

"Alright." Facing the experienced Xiao Fu, Ma Jie didn't intend to hide anything: "Isn't this pretty much what you said? Just tell me directly, how much money do I need to spend to completely disguise it so that the cops won't recognize it? I know you guys offer this service, so don't try to fool me."

"Haha, you've come to the right person. Let me drive your car to the repair area first, and let the experienced mechanics there give it a thorough check."

As Xiao Fu spoke, he took out a remote control from his pocket, pressed the switch, and the barrier leading to the backyard parking lot automatically lifted up.

As soon as he started the engine, he heard a loud "putt-putt-putt" noise from the sky.

The two looked up and saw a police helicopter flying over the industrial area, and a convoy of police cars whizzing by on the road.

"Dude, this looks like a big job. Did you rob the Federal Reserve?"

Xiao Fu joked as he drove the pickup truck into the backyard and then turned into the repair area.

Ximen Auto Service is renowned for its open-mindedness; they accept all comers, from stolen cars to supercars recently robbed from upscale neighborhoods. As long as the price is right, they can handle it for you.

Rumors, and just rumors at that, suggest that the owner, Simeon, has a partnership with the FBI and could even tamper with vehicle registration forms to make them legally yours.

Of course, this service is expensive; it's not needed unless it's a supercar worth millions of dollars.

Sitting on the sofa in the lounge area, drinking beer, the TV was showing the recently popular "Wilderness: The Ice Age".

The show is quite exciting, dropping challengers into the Siberian wilderness and having them survive for 100 days with only 10 basic pieces of equipment.

Among them are hardcore ruthless hunters who hunt bears with axes, and anglers who fish until their hands cramp. Those who persevere to the end can receive a reward of $50.

To be honest, Ma Jieke was a little itchy. Now that he had a legal identity, he could find an opportunity to try it out as long as he could develop a set of relevant skills.

For example, skills such as "drawing a picture of a cake to satisfy hunger," "having a physique that can withstand hunger," and "having a healthy physique" that I've seen before are quite compatible with this program.

Just as he was lost in thought, Xiao Fu walked over with a used car appraisal report issued by a mechanic.

Ma Jie took it and looked at it. It listed many issues, some of which were optional, such as replacing tires and rims, batteries and transmissions, and each had a specific price quote.

Some are mandatory, such as filling scratches, repainting, altering the appearance and license plate, and replacing the oil filter.

"Dude, don't play these word games with me." Ma Jie impatiently put the assessment report on the coffee table, put his hands behind his head: "Pass on all the options, just exterior repair and simple maintenance. Give me a specific number, accurate to the decimal point."

Seeing his assertive attitude, Xiao Fu hesitated for a long time before saying, "Brother, $1800 is the absolute limit."

"It's just some paintwork, smashing a fake license plate, replacing a few small parts—it wouldn't cost more than $100 in total. Why do I have to pay so much?"

Hearing this offer, Ma Jieke was somewhat annoyed. It was like killing half the strangers and getting the grand slam of acquaintances.

The old saying is true: in business, there are no fathers and sons; even brothers must keep clear accounts.

Xiao Fu probably also felt that the price was indeed a bit outrageous, but as a junior employee, he had no right to set prices. He was stuck in the spot, not knowing what to say.

Just as the air was about to freeze, a well-dressed middle-aged white man pushed open the door and entered. He was none other than the owner of Ximen Auto Shop, the King of Human Connections, Simeon.

"Franklin! Look at the filth on the floor! What grudge do you hold against the mop?"

Well, the moment he walked in, he was greeted with the classic dog-training mode. Xiao Fu was scolded so badly that he didn't dare to look up, and he tried to explain, "Boss, I just finished mopping this morning, and two customers came in with their dogs..."

"Shut up!" Simien rudely interrupted him. "Only sissies like to emphasize objective reasons. Real men just bury themselves in their work without complaint. Now go to the toilet and get the mop and bucket. Don't make me repeat myself!"

Xiao Fu shook his head helplessly, turned and walked towards the bathroom. He was just a lowly beast of burden. What could he do if he was angry? Could he just quit?

This guy will probably have to live like this for a long time before he meets his criminal mentor.

"Who are you?" After yelling at Xiao Fu to go mop the floor, Simien looked at Ma Jieke and slapped his forehead: "Oh, I remember now, you came here before, and you brought a little girlfriend. That girl was really wild, she almost knocked the roof off my house."

"That's not important." Ma Jieke chose to get straight to the point: "I came here today to ask you to handle a pickup truck, but if I may be so bold, your dealership's fees are really not commendable."

"Oh, is it the one parked in the repair area?" Simeon turned to the side, and the mechanic inside was gesturing to him.

"Okay, just a moment, buddy. I'll go check the information with my staff. Don't worry, we'll definitely find a balance between pricing and service quality."

Simeon walked over, chatted briefly with the repairman for two minutes, then returned the way he came and sat down opposite Ma Jack.

"Just give me the numbers, I don't want to owe you a favor."

Ma Jieke likes to be straightforward in his work, and this applies to everyone. The evasive communication style used at the University of Tokyo doesn't work here.

Simeon smiled slyly, took out a pen, wrote 1800 on the evaluation form, and then deliberately added an extra zero at the end.

"Eighteen thousand US dollars, is that right?" Ma Jie said expressionlessly, "OK, you have your reasons, and I have my choices. I think you're not the only car dealership in this city. If you insist on kicking me out, you'll lose more than just this one deal. Goodbye."

After saying that, he got up and left, already deciding on his next destination: Los Santos, the car modification king.

"Hey, wait a minute, Mr. Jack," Simeon called from behind. "I think you've misunderstood. What I meant was, I'm giving you this much money."

Huh? Ma Jieke didn't understand. Are you planning to become a Buddha on the spot?