America: Starting with Daily Intelligence

Chapter 228 Plan Execution

Having resolved the breakfast issue, Zhang Ailun began gathering manpower and arranging formal tasks.

Yesterday, we got two vans from human traffickers. One was left for the kidnapped victims, and the other two were left at the mountain camp as spoils. After the tires were repaired, they can be used as vehicles for this mission.

After all, they were robbing a bank, so they couldn't very well use a Los Angeles-plated armored truck or a private car, could they? That would immediately give them away.

Anyway, these two cars aren't worth much, so they can be destroyed or discarded after use.

The characters involved in the bank's operations include the notorious gangster Old Jack, his second-in-command and pilot Bailey, and the hacker Blitz.

This time, the leader will not be a professional driver, but will directly participate in the official mission on the front line, responsible for helping Old Jack to deal with the bank vault and the five million US dollars inside. After all, with so much money, it is impossible to take it away in a short time with too few people.

Too many people won't work either. Five million dollars may seem like a lot, but the actual profit and dividends won't be that much.

Therefore, after careful consideration, the Grand Master chose the same team configuration as last time and assigned Sieg the task, since he already had experience.

He sent a message to Sieg, asking him to drive to Palm Valley to meet him, informing him that there was an important mission to be carried out, and explaining the details of the mission.

Sig: Am I the last one to know about something this big?

Zhang Ailun: You didn't have time to help us deal with the Heaven Gate yesterday, so of course you wouldn't know the news. I've already assigned you a task, haven't I?

Sig: I'm leaving now!

After assigning personnel and tasks, Zhang Ailun left the Beggars' Sect disciples at the mountain camp to oversee operations, while he took Blitz, Old Jack, and Bailey in the same car and drove away from the mountain camp towards Palm Valley.

During the session, Old Jack also contacted some of his distant cousins ​​and their daughters. Blitz added the contact information in the background and connected with them via live stream.

"Hey! Abby, what's the situation over there? Remember to report to us immediately if anything happens. It won't be of much help, but at least it will let us know the movements of the police chief and the officers." Old Jack said through his headset while driving behind the taillights of the main car.

"The banquet hasn't started yet; we're getting ready to go to the event. My daughter is still choosing an exquisite dress, but I bet most people don't know anything about the inside story of this banquet. Even if someone does know some inside information, they wouldn't possibly leak it out."

Zhang Ailun put on the headset and heard a mature and calm woman's voice coming from it.

Without a doubt, this woman, with her subtle languid charm, possesses both the allure of a mature woman and the worldly experience of having frequented nightclubs and brothels, clearly belongs to Old Jack's distant cousin!

"Those rich people don't care about all that. Those who get invited to these parties are either rich, powerful, or influential. Ordinary people aren't qualified to participate. Almost everyone in them has something to hide, so even if they wanted to gossip, they'd have to consider whether they'd offend anyone in the circle. They'd be hesitant to act," Old Jack said disdainfully. He scoffed at the so-called upper class.

Of course, there's also some sour grapes mentality and emotional bias at play here.

"You're not going to give me a cut, are you? My dear cousin." Mrs. Abby Washington smiled. "To help you with this, I specially arranged to meet Mr. Boot, the wine tycoon of Palm Valley, and that's how I got two tickets as your dance partner."

"I'll make it up to you," old Jack said, rubbing his nose.

"All you can do is talk. Do you think you can satisfy me with that? Your wife must be suffering! No wonder your marriage is so strained." Mrs. Abby questioned with dissatisfaction.

Zhang Ailun was shocked; she hadn't expected her to be so bold. Blitz, sitting next to her, was also a little embarrassed.

It can only be said that like daughter, like mother.

Old Jack, however, remained nonchalant and said as if it were commonplace, "Save it. I have a family now. We're both getting on in years. You're my distant cousin."

"If we hadn't met by chance in that bar through your drunken accomplices, who would know whose cousin you are? But thanks to your help, I was able to marry my husband."

"Treat me to a meal after it's all done."

Mrs. Abby is outgoing and very talkative. She doesn't hold back at all and directly reveals past secrets and snippets of information.

One can imagine that their relationship was full of passion and stories back then! It wasn't as simple as one might imagine.

Zhang Ailun was also somewhat surprised; Old Jack had been hiding his true intentions quite well.

"I don't have that much money. Maybe you could ask my boss. See how much of a commission he's willing to give me this time? I bet he's being generous, it won't be less than 30%, right, Boss?"

Old Jack quipped humorously, "Once I get this money, I'll definitely treat you to a big meal. Remember to dress up nicely then."

"You've been waiting for me here?"

The Grand Master immediately saw through his charade. "You old scheming boy, did you think you could get a raise from the Grand Master like this?"

He said calmly, "Whether you can get 30% of the profits depends on your abilities."

"Hello, Mr. Jin. I've wanted to get to know you through my daughter for a long time. She says you're a really great young man."

Upon hearing the Grand Master's voice, Lady Abby immediately shifted her focus, smiling and saying, "I hope I can invite you to my home sometime."

"There will be that opportunity, madam."

For a moment, the leader was also unsure how to deal with this single, divorced noblewoman.

You can't exactly reply, "Your daughter is pretty good too, can you?"

The journey was smooth and unobstructed. They chatted and laughed, creating a relaxed atmosphere. The atmosphere didn't resemble a bank robbery in Palm Valley at all; it was more like a trip for leisure and relaxation.

It took some time to get to the city center.

Mrs. Abby was also ready and headed out. "We're going to the party now. We should be able to get to the Ocean Hotel, which is located on the outer ring road, in about ten minutes."

"The timing is perfect." Old Jack followed the car into the city of Palm Valley.

Zhang Ailun drove the vehicle, following Blitz's planned route, driving methodically through the streets and alleys, skillfully avoiding traffic lights and cameras, and finally stopping in the alley behind the bank.

"Okay, now we just need to wait patiently for the prey to take the bait! How much longer until your men arrive, that big guy from last time?"

Old Jack was completely relaxed. He rolled down the car window and looked at the green iron gate of the bank across the street. The closer he got to this crucial moment, the more relaxed and at ease he became.

It can only be said that he is a ruthless bandit; his mental state is beyond that of a normal person.

"You mean Sieg? He should be here soon." Zhang Ailun took out his phone and checked the location sharing. Sieg had already driven to the outskirts of Palm Valley, passing by the black tire shop from last time.

The speed is not slow either; it will arrive in another ten minutes or so.

While waiting, the leader of the sect also began to reiterate the plan to the group again.

The bank's back door was a crucial element, as the vault manager had arranged to be kidnapped during an inspection of the power facilities.

In the architectural design drawings of banks, the back doors are marked as emergency escape routes for employees in case of emergencies such as fires, earthquakes, and robberies. These back doors also house critical infrastructure such as computer rooms and the bank's power supply.

But this time they're going to resort to violence and "backdoor deals"!

They went in and out of the bank vault, entering through the back door and exiting through the back door. According to the plan, the front door needed to be supervised, and it would be locked from the inside when necessary, so that even if there was a commotion inside the bank, it wouldn't affect passersby.

Aside from a very few unlucky individuals who are making deposits or withdrawals at the bank, there are 'NPC' customers.

After all, the real VIP clients have already withdrawn their deposits. Those who were unable to conduct business or whose business was blocked are mostly middle-class families and retail investors, so the impact is insignificant. If Wells Fargo wants to get through this crisis smoothly, it is obviously targeting these retail investors!

However, their deposits are only temporarily unavailable; they haven't actually been closed and wiped out. After all, Wells Fargo is only at risk of default, not actually bankrupt, and they wouldn't dare to make things too ugly.

Unless a bank truly doesn't want to continue operating, it certainly wouldn't dare use all of its customers' money to balance its accounts. Otherwise, it wouldn't be the Securities and Exchange Commission that would come, but the Federal Bureau of Investigation!

Wells Fargo is currently facing some difficulties and needs some time to raise funds and attract customers.

Once the risks have passed and the major shareholders have returned with their money, the bank will naturally have funds to allow customers to continue depositing and withdrawing. It will gradually open up some pre-booked withdrawal services, while also offering customers interest rate benefits and engaging in media PR to hype the bank up. This will attract wealthy celebrities and stars to deposit their money in the bank. Many people will see that so-and-so has deposited their money here and think that it should be fine for them to deposit their money here too, since the interest rate is so high!

In this way, customers, hoping to earn high interest and get a small profit, are reluctant to withdraw their money.

Then bank employees will try to sell them risky financial products, calling it a benefit for long-term customers. If even one out of ten people is greedy, they will be beaten up by heartless capitalism!

From aggressively harvesting leeks to being slowly boiled like a frog in warm water, the poor remain poor because they have never escaped the traps set by the rich.

But this has nothing to do with the leader. He doesn't put his savings in the bank to earn interest; he takes people's money to solve their problems, and his main job is to be dutiful and responsible.

Not long after, Sig called the Grand Master and joined the channel.

"I've arrived at Palm Valley and am currently at Garden Plaza. I found a parking lot nearby and parked my car here. WTF, the economic development here is clearly worse than in Los Angeles, and parking costs $6 an hour! Bullshit!" Sieg grumbled, complaining about the environment.

"Six dollars is enough to make you this angry? We're dealing with millions of dollars worth of business! Hurry up and remember to take a detour into the alley and avoid the roadside cameras," Zhang Ailun said.

Blitz had also thoughtfully planned out the route for him.

"Okay, I'll be right there!"

Sig glanced at the location-sharing route plan, then immediately grabbed his bag and left the parking lot.

After walking and running for a few minutes, I circled around a free park and finally climbed over the wall to reach the alley behind Wells Fargo Bank.

"Time's almost up. Our friends should be making their appearance soon! Guys, get ready to finish this quickly! We only have less than fifteen minutes, maybe even less!" Old Jack glanced at the time; it was already 9:05. The bank had officially opened for business, and the employees had all clocked in.

Many people lined up at the front gate and entered the bank one after another, still wanting to withdraw money!

But the bank doesn't have any surplus funds either.

The damn major shareholder embezzled all the money; how could we possibly give them any more?

Zhang Ailun also got out of the car, had Bailey disguise himself and act as a passerby (NOC) to enter the bank through the front door, then took a handbag from the trunk, tossed it to Sieg, and put on a mask similar to those worn by ruthless criminals. He gave Blitz an OK sign.

Blitz immediately began deciphering the bank's security camera mainframes. Bailey, also wearing a mask, a baseball cap, and a thick trench coat, swaggered straight into Wells Fargo Bank through the front door.

Blitz quickly and easily compromised the bank's network, using a Trojan virus to disable all the bank's computers and webcams. The staff were dumbfounded; the screens were all filled with static. How many years had it been since they'd seen anything like this?

He hurriedly contacted the bank manager.

Pele sat by the door, looking down at his phone, seemingly indifferent.

Soon, the bank's vault manager came downstairs, inquired about the situation, checked the malfunctioning computer, and confidently said, "It's alright, it's just a problem with the signal box. I'll call someone to fix it. Bring me the toolbox, I'll go take a look at the back first."

The bank staff didn't question their supervisor's words at all, quickly fetched a toolbox, and asked with concern, "Supervisor, do you need our help?"

"No need. Just continue to reassure the guests. Trust me, everything will be back to normal soon!"

The supervisor, like an old general on a stage, covered in flags, carried his toolbox and walked towards the back door corridor. He took out a key, unlocked the security door from the inside, and pushed open the green door.

As soon as I stepped outside, I saw several masked thugs, carrying briefcases, blocking the doorway.

The dark muzzle of the gun was pressed directly against his forehead.

Oh my god!!

The vault manager was startled. Even though he was mentally prepared, he didn't expect them to be so aggressive, pointing a loaded gun directly at his head. What if it went off accidentally?

"Hey!! Search like crazy!!" Old Jack, wearing the mask of the green-faced freak, went over and grabbed the vault manager by the collar, shoving him against the door with a bang.

They dragged him out with great force, causing him to fall face-first into the dirt.

He laughed and said, "If I never see you again, then good morning, good afternoon, and good night!!"

He pressed the gun against his face. "That's a line Jim Carrey said in The Truman Show. Like it, sir?"

"I probably won't like this..." The vault manager grimaced, his hands blistered, and said in a low voice, "Hey! I'm someone of status, and we're all on the same side. There aren't any security cameras here, so you don't have to treat me like this, do you?"

"What did you say? I didn't hear you!" Old Jack sneered.

He kicked him, then fired two shots at the nearby electrical box with the steam hammer, sending steel pellets flying and gravel flying. "Get up!! Buddy, the party's started!! Wuhu!!!"

The bullet grazed his scalp, and the vault manager was so terrified he wet himself.

Unable to contain himself, he burst out cursing: "You're insane!! Fxxk!! You're a complete madman!! Are you trying to kill me?"

Zhang Ailun and Sieg exchanged a glance. Damn, this old man truly lives up to his reputation as a master of acting; look at his professionalism! He's making it seem so real!!

Even a passing dog would slap Old Jack twice if it saw him now. Who could tell the difference?

(End of this chapter)