America: Starting with Daily Intelligence

Chapter 198 Black-hearted Jimmy

Jimmy drove his Bentley away from the parking lot and the alleyway, still savoring his earlier dashing moment. He said, "In Texas, if you have heavy firepower and a bad temper, believe me, nobody will dare mess with you on the street. After all, nobody wants to be blown to bits by a grenade!"

"That batch of weapons is a pity."

Zhang Ailun felt a little regretful. The leader of the guild was always frugal and had originally wanted to go and retrieve the items, but Jimmy stopped him. "A deal is a deal. They paid for it, so we have to give them the items. Consider the grenade a bonus we got."

It's clear you're very rule-abiding, but you're also a bit crazy.

"Take us to the city center." Zhang Ailun had already completed the transaction, and since they were already here, he felt it would be a waste not to take them to the city center.

He then said to Sadie, "Your shipment will probably take another hour to process. How about we go try some Texas food? What do you think?"

"Of course, I have no objection, but are you always this jumpy when you do arms deals? It's terrifying." Sadie was still in the car, not knowing what was going on, when suddenly gunshots rang out and a grenade was thrown!

This is so exciting! She's even starting to like this activity, which is even more thrilling than racing cars.

"My previous clients were all very law-abiding, and these black people are clearly not high-quality trading partners. If they go any further, I wouldn't mind recycling the items they ordered," Zhang Ailun replied.

Jimmy is just more eccentric in his work, decisive and less concerned with consequences.

There's no other way but to follow their method; they're locals.

Sadie smiled and said, "I love your confident answer; it gives me a sense of security."

"Then can you pay me the balance in advance?" The leader's mind was full of money.

"Of course." Sadie readily agreed, taking out $60,000 in cash. As she handed it to Zhang Ailun, she put her hand on his shoulder, taking advantage of his familiarity. "The remaining $20,000 can be paid after we get back to Los Angeles. Do you have time? Perhaps we can explore further cooperation then?"

"There will be opportunities. But what do you mean by in-depth cooperation?" Zhang Ailun asked knowingly, pretending not to understand.

Sadie said with a lingering look in her eyes, "Of course, it's two people who admire each other doing something very meaningful."

"Hey, you two, there are other people in the car." Jim glanced at the rearview mirror and couldn't help but shout a reminder, "I'm going to rent this car out again, and I don't want the seats to be all sticky."

"Just drive, okay? We're just having a normal conversation." Sadie was a little annoyed that he interrupted her, and said irritably, "No one will think you're mute if you don't talk."

"Okay." Jim shrugged helplessly and sat up straight to drive.

He muttered, "You guys are too impatient."

We soon arrived in the city. Compared to Los Angeles, which is known as the second largest city, Austin was noticeably less impressive, with no particularly famous tourist attractions. The food was standard: steak, sausage, bread, and beer.

After wandering around for half an hour, apart from streetwalkers and shirtless hunks carrying guns shopping in supermarkets, there wasn't much to see. In the end, I returned to the car rental shop owned by Jimmy.

After getting out of the car, Zhang Ailun saw the vehicles parked in the car rental shop.

They are all older Ford, Corolla, Chevrolet, and Citroën models that can be bought for a few thousand dollars. There are about twenty of them, and the area is about the size of a basketball factory, so it's quite a large scale.

The leader could tell at a glance that these cars were not from legitimate sources, the quality of their tires was not guaranteed, and some were even old cars from around 05, which could probably be imported for a couple thousand dollars.

If you have the parts to assemble it, you can get a car for a few hundred dollars. Then, find a scalper to register the license, clean the exterior until it looks shiny and new, and register it under a car rental company. You can easily find someone to rent it out.

"Jimmy, how much money can you make from this?" Zhang Ailun asked curiously.

"Oh, that depends on the number of customers. We usually rent to tourists from out of town. The price for a day's rental within the city is only a few dozen dollars. If they travel outside the city, the price is much higher. A new tire can cost over a hundred dollars. If the engine breaks down, I earn even more."

Jimmy chuckled and revealed some industry insider information: "These old cars aren't very reliable. They'll probably blow out at least two tires in 50 kilometers. I charge them $250 for each tire, that's not expensive, is it? If they don't want to pay that, they'll have to find a tire shop to install new tires. Those travelers hate trouble, so they definitely won't argue with me too much. When they get back, they'll replace the old parts with new ones, sell the new tires, and then put the old ones back on. A short-term rental of one car can bring me at least $200 in revenue."

"The most I've ever earned in compensation for an engine is $1900. That passenger was Korean, and it was all part of the pre-arranged contract, so I have to pay compensation. Even if they hire a lawyer to sue me, it won't do any good."

You're fucking ruthless.

Zhang Ailun clicked his tongue. If someone doesn't have some skill, they'll get shot in the back sooner or later.

But this is indeed a way to make money; however, people without ability or connections can't do it.

"Where do you usually do your sorghum seed business?" Zhang Ailun asked again.

"My people are in the storage warehouse of the car rental shop, where they take orders, pick up and deliver goods."

Jimmy then took the two to visit the rented warehouse. Upon opening the door, they saw large and small bags of adulterated sorghum seeds piled together, with staff packing and shipping them on an assembly line.

"Although doing this in Austin is profitable, we mostly ship out of town to avoid trouble. After all, if locals receive our goods, they'll definitely come after me, and that would be terrible."

Jimmy said helplessly, "A while ago, I accidentally got the shipping address wrong and offended a group of street thugs. They came over late at night and smashed my car. Luckily, I asked Jason's friend for help, hacked into their database, found evidence of their crimes, met with them to discuss and demand compensation, and finally settled the matter. Otherwise, I don't even want to imagine how much I would have lost!"

"You mean Blitzcrank?" Zhang Ailun asked.

"That's right, he's really capable, isn't he? He investigated everything those guys had done! Because of that, I've become quite well-known around here, and nobody dares to deliberately cause trouble for me." Jimmy smiled smugly.

"Blitz is indeed very capable; he's a professional in this field, and we're also good friends," Zhang Ailun said with a smile.

"I've already heard about it! After all, you're a big boss with a lot of assets under your name—bars, gun shops, car repair shops, recycling centers—you can make a lot of money just by lying down every day! I can't compare to you," Jimmy said with a hint of envy.

To put it bluntly, the Grand Master could easily earn $7-$8000 a day without doing anything, just by relying on his assets and businesses. If he were to get a gold coin bonus, he could earn at least tens of thousands of dollars.

They have already escaped the ranks of the grassroots and transformed into thriving individual entrepreneurs.

But in order to earn more money, one must continue to work hard. Only when one can earn millions a day, without paying taxes, and have the power to protect oneself, and make power serve one's interests, can one truly possess qualified capital.

The next few hours, Jimmy led the leader and Johnson on a tour of the auto repair shop and then strolled around a nearby shopping mall. Half an hour later, Sadie and Jimmy also received the notification.

"The deal is done, and I think it's time for us to leave." Sadie shook hands with Jimmy. "Anyway, thank you for your help."

"I'm only doing this because of my friend. A friend of a friend is a friend. Get in the car, I'll take you to the airport in the suburbs," Jimmy replied readily. I guess that's how old Texans are.

After getting the group into the car, Jimmy started the vehicle and drove away from downtown Austin, escorting them all the way back to the airport.

They soon arrived at the suburban airport. After getting out of the car, Jimmy didn't forget to remind the leader, "Buddy, don't forget what you promised me. I really need a few sets of bulletproof vests."

I can tell. You're pretty reckless around here. You've offended those black guys again today. You might get retaliated against sometime soon.

To prevent his partner from losing out, Zhang Ailun took out his phone and edited a link to the website page, sending it to him. "You can contact my staff here. Remember to have someone package your personal information; the procedures still need to be followed. I recommend you ask Blitz for help with this. I can only get you three sets of security equipment at most right now, because I don't have any extra stock. But since we're friends, I'll give you a discount: $3000 per set!"

The price of a bulletproof vest is only a few hundred dollars. The expensive part is the ceramic plate that can stop bullets. The main problem is that it is difficult for ordinary people to buy it. Wearing it and wandering around the streets without a CCW (Civil Code) is illegal. Local police will come looking for it.

If you're Black, wearing a turtle shell, and can't produce any identification, you're in big trouble. You'll be immediately labeled a robber and riddled with bullets.

Zhang Ailun thought about it for a moment and decided to smuggle the equipment out under the guise of a legitimate transaction, selling it to people here. Once it arrived at the destination, he would remove all the labels and serial numbers, making it impossible to find the equipment, thus expanding his business.

It would be even better if we could open a side store here, but unfortunately we don't have the conditions right now. We can only transport goods, not open a base.

Soon Jimmy's henchmen returned in a car with the Razer biker gang. After exchanging a few words, seeing that the matter was over, Jimmy didn't want to waste their time, so he said goodbye and left with his men.

After boarding the private jet, it will still take at least two hours to reach Los Angeles Town Airport.

Zhang Ailun took out his phone and contacted Sieg to ask how things were going.

Sig: I've recruited a few people who are willing to work for Juankin. I had Bailey take them to the Green Letter Containment Center to take a shower and get some newbie gear.

Sig: Guess what? I ran into a ground crew captain on the street, who was also a devilish instructor at the California Military Academy! He had a very famous name, the Mad Captain! The kind of guy who worked like a madman in the army! I heard that he was forced to leave the army to become an instructor because he offended someone, and then he had an inappropriate relationship with a student, which was exposed and he was fired! He lost his job, his wife left him, he lost face, and was forced to live on the streets.

Zhang Ailun was already aware of this and replied: "As long as they have the skills, are trustworthy, and have good character, that's fine. Their other hobbies are their personal life, and I won't interfere, as long as they don't affect their work."

Sig: Boss, didn't you want to modify your Wrangler? His modification skills are quite good, and he can also tune and modify firearms. He can do it all by himself, with two assistants. As long as there are enough parts and mechanical equipment, he can fix a car and add bulletproof devices in 24 hours.

Zhang Ailun: Is it really that exaggerated?

Sieg: He works without taking breaks; if something can be done in one go, there's no need to leave it for tomorrow. That's why everyone calls him crazy.

Do they work like their lives depend on it?

I want to see just how reckless he is!

The Beggars' Sect under the Grand Master needs talents like this!

Zhang Ailun praised Sieg's efficiency and told him that he would be back in Los Angeles in two hours and would contact him then.

Just as Zhang Ailun put away his phone and was about to close his eyes to rest, Sadie, sitting in the front seat, handed a beautifully wrapped gift box to the Grand Master. Zhang Ailun looked at it questioningly, "What's this?"

"The gift I promised you for our first meeting: a lifelike cast of Monica Bellucci."

Sadie blinked. "You don't like her? Then which actress do you like? Christina Yerry? Catherine Zeta-Jones? Brooke Shields? Anne Hathaway? Don't worry, whatever you want, I can find a way to get it for you!"

"..." Zhang Ailun was a little embarrassed.

Damn, this is the first time I've ever seen someone give a Fiji cup as a gift.

That's pointless.

You haven't considered other people's feelings at all. Do you think the leader is that kind of person?

How exactly did you manage to make a deal with female celebrities to get them to endorse human body molds?

"I might be more interested if you brought yourself to me in person."

Zhang Ailun politely declined.

Sadie admired him even more. "Those popular stars aren't short of money, but they'll have opportunities in the future; they'll all have times when they're short of money. I hope you won't refuse the gift I'm giving you!"

"Okay," Zhang Ailun said reluctantly.

"So? How about a tense and exciting game of Teamfight Tactics?" After giving the gift, Sadie invited the Grand Master to play a game to relax.

Zhang Ailun felt it would be impolite to refuse the other party again, so he immediately pulled Qiao Sen next to him to connect to the Wi-Fi and participate in this game of Genting.

But the leader's luck was clearly terrible. He couldn't even get a two-star four-cost unit, let alone a three-star five-cost unit. He ran out of money and still couldn't collect them all. Finally, Sadie wiped out his last drop of health, and Old Eight was eliminated.

This game isn't fun!

While playing games and chatting, the plane flew smoothly in the air, and time passed quickly. In about two hours, we returned to the airport in the suburban town and glided to the tarmac.

After getting off the plane, Sadie paid the remaining $20,000 to the Grand Master as promised, and invited him with a smile, "Consider this extra money as an allowance for your expenses, but aren't you going to treat me to a drink?"

"I have other things to take care of, maybe another day?" Zhang Ailun declined.

Don't assume the Grand Master doesn't know what you're thinking.

"Okay! You said it yourself, don't even think about breaking the contract! Otherwise, I'll definitely have someone block your door!" Sadie said and then happily left with her people.

Zhang Ailun watched them leave, took out $500 and gave it to Johnson, got into the passenger seat of the Wrangler, put the box on the back seat, and told him to drive back to the city.

"Boss, you called me over but I didn't do anything. Free plane tickets, free food, free travel, and you're even paying me a salary." Johnson felt embarrassed taking the money.

"Just take it. I'm not a stingy person," Zhang Ailun replied casually.

Seeing this, Qiao Sen stopped making excuses and happily drove the leader to Los Angeles.

Soon, they drove back to the city. Zhang Ailun asked Johnson to help out at Sanji's bar, while he turned the car around and drove to Armed Nation, where he had already arranged a meeting place with Sig.

When he arrived, there wasn't a single car in front of the store, not even the armored truck; it must have been out running errands. Zhang Ailun parked his Wrangler by the roadside and went inside.

I also saw Jennifer sitting quietly behind the counter, engrossed in a book, occasionally taking notes. The book was still: "From Beginner to Dead: The Arms Dealer".

It's clear that the store is quite relaxed and casual at this time of day, and Jennifer is working very hard.

Noticing Zhang Ailun's return, Jennifer closed her book and greeted him warmly, "Honey, you're back? How's business?"

"Not bad." Zhang Ailun smiled and nodded, then took out $2000 and handed it to Jennifer. "You took this job, right? This is your bonus, take it."

After some calculation, the Grand Master's available funds have reached $665,890.

Jennifer accepted the money with a pleasant surprise, overjoyed, and immediately gave him a passionate kiss. "Thank you, darling! This is the biggest encouragement for me!"

"Is Sig in the store? Where's Bailey? Are you the only one in the store?" Zhang Ailun asked.

"Sig brought back a few people; they're in the office upstairs. Bailey went to deliver goods."

Jennifer replied, pulling out another bill. "This is the list of firearms sold today: one Akm automatic rifle, five Beretta pistols, matching ammunition, gun oil for maintenance, and fixed targets. That's about $6000 in revenue."

(End of this chapter)