America: Starting with Daily Intelligence

Chapter 176 Jewelry Deal

Having resolved the issue with Reco and obtained the qualification for the Sixth District Wally Recycling Station for free, Zhang Ailun said goodbye to him and then drove away.

There wasn't time to go over and take over the recycling center right now, so Zhang Ailun planned to have Dominic go over to tidy it up and open for business. Just then, the other party also sent him a message informing him that the rocket thruster had been sold.

Zhang Ailun simply drove to the recycling station on Aitou Street. After getting out of the car, he saw Dominic and the two little ones working there.

He walked over and handed the keys and documents for the recycling bin to Dominic.

"What's this?" Dominic asked, puzzled. He opened the file and discovered it was from a recycle bin in District 6. Somewhat surprised, he said, "You opened another recycle bin?"

"I did the southern manager of Parker Recycling Company a favor, and he generously gave me this recycling station. If you have time, remember to send someone over to tidy up the recycling station, open it for business, and let a reliable person manage it." Zhang Ailun entrusted all these matters to Dominic.

"What about Leo?" Dominic suggested after thinking for a moment.

"Okay." Zhang Ailun nodded, thinking that Leo was indeed a good person. He had been in charge of the can business on Leo Street and the surrounding streets for a long time, and he had also managed the Beggar Clan disciples and order very well. Now that there was a new recycling station, it was time to promote him and give him a raise.

"What about the money from the sale of the rocket thruster?" Zhang Ailun asked again.

"Here it is. It's $5000 in total. I originally wanted to sell it to him for $6,000, but he refused to raise the price any further." Dominic took out the money, still somewhat regretful, as he hadn't yet learned the essence of the Grand Master's bargaining skills.

"That's good enough!" Zhang Ailun praised, took $3000, and the rest was Dominic's share. Gate and David couldn't have made a wasted trip.

"Remember to take care of the recycling bins on Sixth Street. I have to go now."

Zhang Ailun said hello and drove away from the recycling station on Aitou Street.

As they passed the traffic light intersection, Zhang Ailun contacted Qiao Sen again to ask how his butt was doing and whether it had healed properly.

Johnson: Boss, you're underestimating me! I can run, jump, and fight all the time! Do you have some mission for me?

Zhang Ailun: Come with me to the countryside to deliver a batch of goods.

Johnson: The countryside? For transporting that batch of jewelry?

Zhang Ailun: You know what you're doing, so don't go around talking nonsense. Where are you?

Johnson: I'm at Sanji's Bar.

Zhang Ailun: Okay, I'll come pick you up.

After putting away his phone, Zhang Ailun waited for the red light to turn green, then turned the car around and stepped on the gas, heading towards the street where Sanji's bar was located.

They arrived at the bar quickly. The leader parked the car on a nearby street, pushed open the door, and found that business was good today, with quite a few people.

Inside, neon lights flickered, the atmosphere was cheerful, and DJ music played, creating a completely different world from the outside – a dazzling and decadent haven.

Zhang Ailun found Johnson drinking, and Melvin was there too. He patted them on the shoulder and said, "You're not drunk, are you? What are you doing hanging around here all the time?"

"Boss. Didn't you tell us to come here to stand guard and patrol whenever we have time to maintain order?" Johnson and Melvin were a little puzzled.

"So, what did you find?" Zhang Ailun smiled. Indeed, he had sent them over to save on security costs. Since they were all on his side, why not use them?

"There's an old man here, he doesn't seem like a good person." Qiao Sen leaned over mysteriously and pointed towards the private room to the leader.

Zhang Ailun looked in the direction the finger was pointing and saw an elderly white man with a hooked nose, wearing a baseball cap, gray hair, a gray hoodie, and Puma sneakers. He was shuffling cards in his hand, with several stacks of chips next to him, drinking one glass of alcohol after another, playing a game with several regular customers, surrounded by a crowd of people.

"He's incredibly generous, ordering one $80 brandy after another like it's free. He's also had terrible luck playing cards, losing $1000 so far! But he hasn't even flinched. Everyone treats him like a sucker and an ATM," Johnson said earnestly.

"I also noticed calluses on the webs of his hands, marks only people who frequently handle guns would have. He could be a veteran, or someone who works in a special industry. In any case, he's not an ordinary person; he's definitely killed someone!" Melvin concluded after careful observation.

Zhang Ailun gave him a deep look. He knew the old man was the notorious gangster Jack, but he didn't want to cause any more trouble. The man would be drinking in his bar all day and couldn't escape.

He then beckoned Mary over to inquire about the situation with the notorious bandit Jack, asking, "What's the deal with that guest? Why weren't you invited to the VIP area in the back?"

"Boss, that customer came in when the shift changed at 6 a.m., and he's been sitting there playing cards the whole time. He doesn't talk much, and he refused our offer to go to the VIP room in the back, but he's been giving plenty of tips," Mary explained. "He's already drunk two bottles of brandy since this morning! That's several thousand dollars!"

Zhang Ailun was secretly astonished. What kind of alcoholic was this? He could drink so much. Was this the kind of indulgent life he led before robbing the casino?

He didn't try to attract the other party's attention too much, after all, this guy was a ruthless bandit. He simply instructed Mary, "Just tell the people in the shop to do their jobs properly. If he wants to drink, bring him some; satisfy his appetite!"

He then instructed Melvin to watch the shop there, took Johnson with him, and drove back to the Bridge Cave Camp, where they obtained $100,000 worth of goods from Blitz.

Zhang Ailun also proactively inquired, "Have you found any new information about the Little Rock casinos that I asked you to investigate?"

Blitz seemed uncertain and hesitated, saying, "I heard that a CIA agent went missing during the casino robbery, but it's been so long that nobody cares anymore. What does that have to do with our current assignment? Did the person who committed that crime return to his old ways after retiring? I suspect that the robbery was likely just a way to settle accounts."

"That's right. There are so many security cameras these days. Who would be foolish enough to commit an armed robbery? It's all pre-arranged scripts. Right now, that ruthless criminal is drinking and getting drunk in our bar. If we can get evidence against him, we might be able to get a share of the spoils," Zhang Ailun said.

"..." Blitz fell into deep thought. "Isn't cooperating with such a ruthless thug too risky? Haven't you considered taking care of him, intercepting the operation, and replacing them to settle the accounts?"

"Let's see how he reacts. If they choose to cooperate, then they are the ones who committed this crime! If they don't cooperate, then they are still the ones who did it. What does it have to do with us?"

The leader vehemently denied it, "How could I, the ruthless bandit Jack, be taken down by a bunch of homeless people? You underestimate me. I have to take the blame for this!!"

After listening to the plan, Blitz felt that the Grand Master's scheme was too ruthless. After considering it for a moment, he readily agreed.

On the contrary, Johnson was completely confused. What was going on? A double-cross? But it was clearly a big deal!

Carrying jewelry worth $100,000, they got into their vehicle and left the Bridge Cave camp.

Following the map's location, the two drove to a small town in the suburbs. After driving for dozens of kilometers, they finally arrived in the town and accurately found the jewelry store.

It looks somewhat dilapidated from the outside, and the house design is reminiscent of the last century, so it must have been in business for quite some time.

Zhang Ailun parked the Wrangler on the side of the road and called the other party.

Soon the jewelry store owner arrived. He was a slightly overweight middle-aged man who looked very friendly and invited the two of them inside to talk.

Zhang Ailun didn't refuse. He had Qiao Sen carry the bag and followed the owner of the jewelry store upstairs.

The jewelry store owner invited the two to sit down and brought out two bottles of drinks for them to quench their thirst.

"Let's get straight to the point and start talking business. You want to buy this batch of jewelry from us? You should know its value, right?" Zhang Ailun asked.

"I know your market. I've already talked to your people about it beforehand and negotiated the price. I often buy jewelry of dubious origin on the black market to make enough profit." The boss was a seasoned veteran.

"Buddy, this isn't some dubious stuff; it's been passed down from my family! The price you mentioned was negotiated with our middleman, but it's still reasonable," Zhang Ailun immediately retorted.

"I understand! It's a total of $100,000 worth of goods, but I think it's okay if I take a look at the goods first?" the boss asked.

"Of course, no problem." Zhang Ailun waved his hand, and Qiao Sen placed the briefcase on the desk. He unzipped it, revealing neatly arranged gold and silver jewelry wrapped in transparent plastic film.

"The package you chose includes a gold necklace, a gold ring, a pearl necklace, and a diamond brooch..." Johnson checked them off one by one and gave him the purchase price of each item.

The boss took out his equipment to test the purity, which showed that everything was legitimate. He nodded in satisfaction. "Would you like to pay in cash, via online banking, or perhaps cryptocurrency?"

"Cash is best. If you don't have enough money, you can also choose online banking transfer or cryptocurrency," Zhang Ailun said.

"I can pay you $10 in cash directly." The boss took out $10 that he had prepared in advance from the safe, put it into his briefcase, and then took out a money detector and handed it to the two men for verification.

Johnson used a money detector to count the cash; the amount was correct, and it wasn't counterfeit.

Zhang Ailun immediately gave a meaningful smile, shook hands with him, and said, "Okay, it's a pleasure to work with you."

"But are you sure you didn't give us counterfeit money?" Zhang Ailun suddenly gripped the boss's hand tightly, and the boss's expression instantly became a little unnatural.

He couldn't help but cry out in pain, bending over like a fat lobster. "Ouch! Stop! What are you doing! Why are you doing this?"

Zhang Ailun looked at the puzzled Qiao Sen and told him to check it manually, "There seems to be something wrong with the money counter here."

Upon hearing this, Johnson immediately opened his briefcase, took out a wad of US dollars, and carefully examined it. His expression immediately changed, and he angrily said, "Fxxkyou! You actually tried to fool us with counterfeit money?!"

How wicked people can be!

Johnson slammed the money in his hand into the boss's face. "Are you fucking crazy? You dare mess with us? What are you after?!"

Seeing that his trick had been exposed, the boss panicked a little. "Don't do this, it's my fault, I might have made a mistake with the money!"

"You're really stubborn, aren't you? Caught red-handed and still trying to deny it? Fine, but what I'm curious about is, which's tougher, your mouth or a bullet!"

Zhang Ailun pulled a pistol from his tactical chest pouch and said with a forced smile, "Luckily I was careful, otherwise you old bastard would have fooled me. Why did you do that? Aren't you afraid we'll shoot you in the back?"

The boss was terrified, his face turned pale, and he was sweating profusely. He never expected that his usual method would be discovered and exposed.

He honestly replied, "One hundred thousand US dollars is more than enough to buy my shop. You're all out-of-towners; these things are of dubious origin, and you'll only be making a quick buck. You won't even bother reporting it to the police. I'll just take the jewelry and exchange it for cash elsewhere at a low price, then go live it up for a couple of years. What's there to worry about?"

"Aren't you afraid of being killed?" Johnson found it unbelievable.

"The bolder the man, the greater the harvest! I've done it before. Those people either didn't realize it was counterfeit money and spent it normally, or they found out they'd been scammed and wanted revenge. But in the end, they were either arrested by the police or shot dead in retaliation!" the boss replied.

It's obvious this guy has a nerve; he dared to take money from robbers. He's lucky to be alive. You deserve to make money like that!

Zhang Ailun didn't want to argue with him anymore. "One hundred thousand dollars, half of which is counterfeit. You need to pay me an extra one hundred thousand dollars, or I'll blow your head off. I want to pay in cryptocurrency!"

"But I don't have that much USDT." The boss was so anxious that he squeezed out two drops of urine.

"Then go buy it! If you don't have money, borrow from someone! There are so many cryptocurrency shops online, if you have the money, you can't buy it, right?" Zhang Ailun said viciously, shoving the gun into his mouth. "This time it's your mouth, next time it might be some hole in your body!"

"Okay, okay..." The boss, sweating profusely, hurriedly nodded in agreement. He took out his phone and started operating it with trembling hands. He borrowed tens of thousands of US dollars to buy USTD, then connected to the data chain provided by Zhang Ailun, and successfully transferred 100000 USDT.

"What were you doing earlier! This should have only cost $100,000, but now you're spending $150,000 to buy these goods! Consider this a lesson learned, a chance for you to remember. You'd better not make a fuss about this, just keep it to yourself. It's better for everyone this way, or I guarantee your whole family will suffer a terrible fate!" Zhang Ailun said harshly, then turned and left with Qiao Sen.

He went downstairs, left the shop, started the car, stepped on the gas, and drove away from the town. Johnson, clutching his submachine gun, stared intently at the second floor, gesturing with two fingers in front of his eyes, then pointing at the other person.

The jewelry store owner, on the second floor, looked at his phone, hesitated for a long time, and finally decided to swallow his anger. The other party seemed to be heavily armed, like a professional thug, not someone to be trifled with.

Zhang Ailun drove towards the city, stopping midway to search the cabin in the suburbs where the body was hidden, before turning back to his destination and soon arriving at a remote wilderness location.

After getting off the car, looking at the desolate scenery and barren wasteland with only a dilapidated wooden cabin, Johnson was puzzled. "Boss, what are we doing here? Why don't we go back to the city? Is there something good here?"

"There's a dead body," Zhang Ailun replied, taking out the shovel he carried in the car and tossing it to Qiao Sen, pointing out the location.

"Go! Dig up this entire area!"

(End of this chapter)