America: Starting with Daily Intelligence

Chapter 160 Security Work

The remaining scratch cards totaled $5440. Federal and personal income taxes still need to be paid. California has a tax-free policy for lottery tickets. Other states may require an 8% or 12% state tax, but in California, only federal and personal income taxes need to be paid.

For lottery winnings exceeding $600, out-of-towners are required to pay a 30% federal tax, while local residents are only required to pay 25%.

In a normal prize redemption process, Jesse or Jennifer, being typical American citizens, would be the ones to claim the prize and sign the papers. However, the value and uses of a lottery ticket are actually quite extensive, and there are plenty of people on the street willing to pay much more for several tickets.

Zhang Ailun simply drove Jesse and Zhang Ailun to Sanji's Bar. The bar was open for business today, and it was already full of drunks. They hadn't recruited any strippers yet, and the steel pole was still unused.

Mary was serving drinks to customers with a tray. The bar had recently hired a white bartender, and he seemed a little surprised by her arrival. "Boss, you're here to inspect again?"

Looking at the two strikingly different white women, one tall and one short, Mary asked with some suspicion, "Are these your friends?"

"That's right, this is Jennifer, and this is Jesse. Just have the bartender give them a couple of drinks. I have a few scratch-off lottery tickets here. Take them and try to sell them to the customers in the bar. As long as they're willing to pay the same price or a little more, you can make a deal. I don't care where the money comes from."

Since it's all about tax exemption anyway, the other party might be trying to launder their money.

Scratch-off lottery tickets are considered a form of hard currency on the black market, since they can be easily laundered by reselling them.

"Okay, just a moment, I'll take care of it right away." Mary took the scratch-off lottery ticket from Zhang Ailun, then beckoned the three of them to a quieter corner of the private room and brought them drinks with ice.

Not long after, Mary dealt with the lottery tickets in the latter part of the transaction, returned with the cash, handed the US dollars to Allen Zhang, and said, "Someone offered $6000 to buy those lottery tickets."

Zhang Ailun counted the money, took out $20 and handed it to her, smiling and saying, "Thank you for your hard work, you can go back to your work now."

"Call me again if you need anything!" Mary blinked, turned around, and wiggled her hips as she left.

Jennifer stared at her retreating figure, then glanced at Zhang Ailun, and said meaningfully, "You bought this bar, not so you could come here to drink, have fun, and play around with women, right?"

"What are you talking about? I don't understand a word!" Zhang Ailun denied it without changing his expression. "Am I that kind of person? I'm just doing this to make money!"

They used money to shut Jennifer up. The $6,000 was split equally among the three of them, with Zhang Ailun willingly taking a loss and keeping $1980.

There's no need to ask the children for dividends, since they had already amassed a lot of scratch-off lottery tickets before the Beggars' Gang was even established, and the streets weren't their territory back then.

The three of them stayed at the bar for a while, tried out the second half of the game machines, and then got a little bored. So Zhang Ailun simply drove the two of them back to the bridge cave camp.

During this time, I also received a page from Olivia.

Olivia: It's all settled. The owner's representative has decided to hire your people as security personnel at $65 per hour. You need to prepare your equipment in advance, meet at the South Los Angeles airport, and board a private business jet to our private island in California waters.

Zhang Ailun: Okay, is there a specific time?

Olivia: We're departing at 10:30 PM. You need to be there to meet up around 10 PM. I'll send you the contact information for the person in charge of the property [account ID], you can contact her yourself.

Zhang Ailun: Understood.

Zhang Ailun added the other person as a friend and greeted them: "Hello, I'm a friend introduced by Olivia."

Judging from the photos, she is a beautiful blonde woman with high looks, dressed in office lady attire and with white-collar makeup. She works in the property department of the Crown District and her name is Lisa.

The other party quickly replied: "Hello, Mr. Jin, I have already checked the details with my colleagues, and I think you are very suitable for this security job. You need to bring your team to the assembly point at xx in the southern part of Luoyang Airport before 21:59, carrying and registering the following legally permitted security equipment: bulletproof vests, helmets, night vision goggles, fully automatic or semi-automatic firearms, walkie-talkies, lasso guns, tasers, etc. I will send you a list of details and procedures. Please fill out the personnel registration form manually. Specific arrangements will need to be coordinated with their security personnel after you log on to the island."

The other party sent a form, along with a signed employment contract and various precautions.

Zhang Ailun glanced at it and then sent it to Sieg.

Sig: ? You've already got an order? Haven't you even had your interview yet?

Zhang Ailun: I already said it's all done through the back door. The rich only need to worry about getting around; their private butlers will take care of all the little things for them. And I happen to know people in the property management department. They must also be taking kickbacks. It's better to keep the profits within the family and trust our own people to use them!

The hourly wage paid by the homeowner to the security personnel may be more than $65. The property management department will take a portion of that money, setting a reasonable price, and euphemistically calling it a management fee.

Those big bosses don't care about this amount of money. They have to pay expensive property fees every year, including travel, airfare, vehicle maintenance, cleaning, and security.

Aside from spending money outside, most of the time this money is deducted directly from the internal property card. Daily expenses are also listed on a printed slip, but there will always be money exceeding the market standard, otherwise how would they make money?

Zhang Ailun asked Sieg to prepare the equipment in advance, and then drove over to pick up the person.

Evening arrived quickly, and Zhang Ailun drove to the agreed location, parked the Wrangler in the airport parking area, and got out of the car carrying large bags of security equipment. He precisely checked in and contacted Lisa.

"You've arrived."

Lisa glanced at the time; it was exactly 9:59. She smiled and shook hands. "Excellent time management. Truly professional security personnel. I wonder who among you is in charge of leading the work arrangements?"

Zhang Ailun immediately pointed to Sig, "This is Sig Comprey, a retired captain from the Marine Corps, who is in charge of our security operations."

"Hello, Mr. Comprey." Upon hearing this, Lisa immediately shook hands with Sieg to show goodwill.

"Hello, Ms. Lisa, thank you for your trust in hiring our team to carry out this security mission. We will definitely do our best to ensure your personal safety." Sieg started with a set of professional, polite words.

"Don't take it too seriously. This is just a normal mission, there's not much risk involved. The destination is a famous collector's private island, it's very safe. Your job is to ensure the employer's physical and mental health, to prevent him from drinking too much alcohol and having too many relationships with women. He has a heart condition," Lisa said.

"We already know the employer's identity, and we will advise him within our scope of responsibility," Sieg replied. Whether he listens or not is none of our business.

Why would I risk my life for a wage of $65 an hour? Offending the boss wouldn't do me any good.

Zhang Ailun also learned about the employer's identity in the afternoon. He was a white old man over seventy years old who had wet his shoes while riding the wind. He was single and divorced, had no children, and suffered from epilepsy and underlying heart disease.

He is involved in investment and philanthropy, and is also an executive of a private foundation. He also managed the foundation of a star boxer in the 70s, but was later fired. However, this did not prevent him from becoming a multi-millionaire.

As for how he became a multimillionaire in the last century, just look at Mike Tyson's manager, Don King; they especially liked these uneducated black men.

Suck blood! Suck as much blood as you can!

It's no wonder Lisa is so concerned about the homeowner; after all, if she could win over this old man, she could inherit his estate after he died.

While chatting with Olivia, Zhang Ailun learned that the old man had just been discharged from the hospital last month. The doctor had advised him not to engage in strenuous exercise or travel by car or plane for extended periods to prevent epilepsy and heart attacks. However, whether intentionally or unintentionally, Lisa always seemed to arrange some targeted stimulating activities for him. It was she who persuaded the old man to attend this gathering.

Knowing full well that the show was so exciting it could trigger a heart attack, they still insisted on having the old man as the main guest.

Goodness, aren't you being a little too hasty? The map of the West Coast is way too short!

If your old baby is treated properly, he can live for at least another two years. You can't even tolerate that?

However, these matters have nothing to do with the leader; they only need to do their jobs.

Since the employer hadn't arrived yet, and there was still some time to prepare, Lisa led them to board the private jet ahead of time to tour its interior. It was a business jet that cost as much as $200 million, and her words revealed the air of a mistress of the house.

They changed into security gear. Lisa also quietly contacted the group and handed Zhang Allen a small blue pill.

"What's this?" Zhang Ailun looked at Lisa with some confusion.

"These are medications to help manage heart disease and epilepsy. You need to make sure your employer takes them on time," Lisa said without batting an eye. "The personal physician who accompanied us this time is on leave, and he gave these prescription drugs to me. To prevent any unexpected situations from happening to your employer, you need to strictly adhere to the schedule and regulations for him to take them."

"..."

Do you think we can't recognize what this thing is?

Giving an old man pills? Are they tired of living? But it's true that heart disease requires pills; these are medications specifically developed for heart disease, so it seems there's nothing wrong with them.

Sieg felt somewhat embarrassed.

Zhang Ailun accepted the pills, saying, "Please rest assured, we will remind the employer to take the medication on time. There should also be emergency equipment on the plane. If any abnormal situation occurs, we will provide immediate treatment to the employer to prevent any life-threatening situations."

"That's good. If the trip goes smoothly, I will definitely ask the employer for an extra generous payment!" Lisa smiled. "But you'd better not go around telling everyone, after all, the employer doesn't really want outsiders to know that he has epilepsy and heart disease. He's a normal person."

"I think our employer can live for at least another twenty years," Zhang Ailun replied fluently.

After chatting for a few more minutes, Lisa turned and left, satisfied.

Sieg sensed something was amiss and leaned closer to whisper, "I have a feeling this private butler is deliberately trying to kill his employer?"

"Nonsense! How could that be! That's not true." Zhang Ailun immediately retorted, "Which eye of yours saw her persecuting the employer? It was clearly a dutiful housekeeper explaining to us in detail how to serve the employer well. We were only responsible for security work; everything else had nothing to do with us."

"Okay." Sig nodded helplessly, not taking it to heart, since it really had nothing to do with them.

Soon, the employer arrived at the airport in a black Cadillac. He got out of the car, spoke with the airport staff for a while, and was then helped onto the plane by Lisa. The old man looked to be in good spirits, with a ruddy complexion, and was wearing a flashy red suit.

He doesn't look sickly at all.

"Hello, Mr. Wink, we are the security personnel responsible for this operation. You can call me Sieg. On behalf of our entire security team, I salute you." Only after the employer was seated in the luxurious cabin did Sieg take the initiative to start the conversation.

"I remember the security work was done by a different group of people last time, and they did a great job. Why were they changed? Was it because the price we offered wasn't right?" the white old man Winco asked Lisa, turning his head.

"They are on another security mission, maintaining order at the female star's concert. They don't have time to accompany you on your trip. Mr. Comprey is also a professional security officer. He used to serve in the Marine Corps and was a captain in the military."

Lisa placed her hand on the old man's thigh and said with a smile, "You can tell them what you need during the next 24 hours of the journey."

"Alright." The old white man gently stroked her hand, choosing to trust her after all, and smiled slightly at Sieg. "I hope your journey continues smoothly."

"We will do our best to fulfill our duties and ensure your satisfaction," Sieg nodded in reply, then turned and left the private room, considerately closing the door behind him.

Zhang Ailun sat to the side wiping and maintaining his pistol. Bailey pointed out his unprofessional technique, so the leader simply handed the gun over to him for maintenance.

Those who are capable should do more!

It was time for departure. Lisa disembarked, and the flight attendants reminded everyone to fasten their seatbelts and not to move around. The business jet began to take off and climb. After a brief feeling of descent, the body adjusted to the change, and the plane was now steadily in the air.

Zhang Ailun looked out the window at the white clouds drifting by, the airport and Los Angeles below gradually shrinking, neon lights flashing. It was the first time he had ever traveled this far.

About half an hour later, the cabin crew issued a landing warning, and the outline of the island and airport construction could be seen in the distance.

Zhang Ailun took out his phone, connected to the in-flight internet, and searched the map. It was a few hundred kilometers from California, but not actually that far; the private island was still within Californian waters. He learned online that Madison was a famous antique collector, incredibly wealthy, and had once spent $3860 million at an auction in Los Angeles to buy a relatively complete Stegosaurus fossil.

He also privately breeds cougars, tigers, cheetahs, hyenas and other animals as pets on his island, and owns villa assets in luxury estates in Beverly Hills and other places. He is simply outrageously wealthy.

The plane landed smoothly on the private island's airport, where people were already waiting to meet them. Sieg invited the group off the plane, and the people responsible for security on the island came over to coordinate matters with them.

Zhang Ailun took out the flowchart and glanced at it.

The duties included picking up and dropping off guests, a 2-hour guided tour of the antique and animal collections, a 2-hour security stand-up duty at the banquet, and the remaining time was free time in unrestricted areas. The schedule was reasonably well-organized, and the tasks were relatively easy.

Soon, a man wearing gold-rimmed glasses came over and greeted them warmly, "Is Mr. Winko here?"

When the old man Wenko got off the plane, he greeted everyone warmly and laughed heartily, "Long time no see!"

P.S.: Thank you to "Reading is so enjoyable" for the 2900 coin reward, and thank you to reader 20210301106480723122 for the 1500 coin reward.

(End of this chapter)