America: Starting with Daily Intelligence

Chapter 243 The Troubles of Happiness

"I can help you solve this problem, but we might need to reconsider the price."

Zhang Ailun said, "Those street thugs harassing you is definitely not just a simple act of revenge. There is some kind of interest chain involved, all for the sake of taking over this land. If you don't sell the land to them, even if you move, you may not be able to escape their harassment."

"What should we do then?" Even Dill, who had been honest his whole life, was somewhat helpless in this situation.

"Don't worry, we'll help you solve the problem. After all, we're professionals!" Zhang Ailun grinned, pulling a short shotgun from his tactical chest pack.

"Since I want to buy this land, I naturally have the ability to defend it! No demons or monsters can withstand a 12-gauge shotgun. If there are any, then two shots will do! Give me a discounted price, and I'll buy this land."

He gave Sieg a wink, and the other man immediately got off the train with his men. They took out rifles and cannons from the carriage, put on bulletproof vests and equipment, and loaded bullets.

The manor owners were stunned when they saw it. "Oh! You're planning to solve this with violence?"

"Ladies and gentlemen, sometimes violence is not just violence, but the most effective way to solve problems! Violence in the hands of civilization does not persecute others, but only makes them civilized and polite, and to sit down and talk to me properly," Zhang Ailun said.

Where do those people usually hang out?

"They've been staying at a nearby motel for six months now, and even the town's police officers are reluctant to clash with them," the Dill couple said. "They're afraid of being cursed with voodoo by a witch."

"I see. The town's police officers have probably been bribed. No problem, I can pay them double what they paid! If they're not happy, maybe the FBI and auditors will come and investigate to help them lift the curse."

Zhang Ailun nodded.

They could also tell from the conversation that the people in the police station were in cahoots with them, a den of snakes and rats. They had been paid.

Afraid of being cursed? No problem.

If they can get the FBI and auditors from the Secret Service to come over, they won't be afraid of anything.

The Grand Master still holds leverage over the Vice President of the Los Angeles Special Agents Association; it's not like there's no one else he can use.

He immediately instructed Sieg to go to the nearest rural bank to get some biscuits, then go and greet the local police officers, pay them a visit, and use the element of metal in the Five Elements to ward off evil.

I sent another message to Blitz, informing the vice president of our intelligence association and asking him to do something, with a reward in return, of course.

While we're at it, let's find out which gang in the underworld is eyeing this land.

Blitz sent a message very quickly.

Blitz: I've already spoken to them. If there's genuine corruption among the local police, FBI agents and auditors will definitely investigate. The person who bought that land is probably an investor in the rap star's backer. He has shares in an entertainment company in West Hollywood and has sent people to scout out various locations in the countryside. He probably thinks there might be oil resources underground, so he wants to buy it at a low price.

Zhang Ailun: Are any of their people in those short videos of the silver parties we have?

Blitz: No. But they're all in the same circle, so their private lives are probably not much better. I can try to investigate.

Zhang Ailun: Once we find some clues, we can warn them not to even think about taking this land. It's mine!

Blitz: OK.

"Boss, leave it to me." Sig also drove over with his men.

This is a trivial matter that doesn't require the Grand Master's personal involvement. He only needs to wait for the town's police officer to come and talk to him.

"Now we can talk about the price of this estate." Zhang Ailun smiled, reassuring the rancher couple, "Don't worry, I'll handle this properly. All you have to do is sell this land to me, and I'll take care of any trouble that arises afterward. It has nothing to do with you."

"Thank you so much."

The rancher couple were extremely grateful and said, "I'd like to sell this land for $190 million. What do you think?"

Zhang Ailun fell into deep thought.

Seeing that the Grand Master was still considering, Deer immediately changed his tone and said, "Considering we're all on the same side, and you're an acquaintance of Old Karl, $180 million is enough! After all, this land isn't as good as you imagine."

"Okay," Zhang Ailun readily agreed.

The Deer couple were delighted and immediately drove the head of the company to visit the estate and ranch.

After more than half an hour, Sieg finished dealing with the matter and arrived with several people and the local town's sheriff.

"Is it you who are harassing the Deer couple and their son every day?"

Zhang Ailun saw several thugs with bruised and swollen faces, clearly having fallen accidentally.

Several people were hesitant and submissive. There was also a girl dressed as a witch and wearing a cross.

Zhang Ailun chuckled: "Don't be so reserved, I'm not going to eat you alive. You guys were paid to do this, right? Don't worry, I've already spoken to your boss, and they definitely won't be hiring you anymore. In other words, you're already unemployed."

The group exchanged helpless glances and confessed, "We're from a neighboring town. We got this job through underground channels. We were just short of money and wanted to make a deal, but we didn't expect the other party to be so generous, offering a long-term job with all food and drink included, so we agreed."

"How much salary does your boss pay you?" Zhang Ailun asked.

"It's a daily wage of $180. Because it's a long-term job, the pay isn't high. You get paid once you do the job, and the work is very easy. All you have to do is dump animal carcasses on the ranch and make noise and harass them at night. At most, you might puncture tires, smash windows, or curse the land with voodoo. We've been doing this for half a year now, and there's never been any accidents." The group honestly confessed.

"Alright, I understand your situation. But now that I've taken over this estate, these 400 hectares of land are, according to the law, the private property of our foundation. You can no longer harass the residents of the town, nor can you easily set foot on private property. Otherwise, I don't mind burying you alive on this land as fertilizer."

Upon hearing the leader's words, the young men instantly panicked.

"However, I'm short a few people to help me with odd jobs. If you're willing to work for me, manage this 400-hectare land, and look after the gardens, I can pay you $240 a day, or $30 an hour. The work is easy, you won't miss work during your shifts, and you can even drink alcohol. It's a legitimate job!" Zhang Ailun said.

"Sir, we are willing!" The young men exchanged glances and quickly pledged their allegiance.

Where can you find a job that pays $30 an hour in a small town? You might not even find that opportunity in a big city.

Naturally, he was recruited to guard the gate.

"Officer, may I ask your name?" Zhang Ailun then looked at the officer next to him.

"Hello, sir, you can call me Morgan. I'm here on behalf of the chief of the Greenfield Town Police Department." Chief Morgan sounded a little guilty.

Morgan? Why don't you call yourself Arthur?

Zhang Ailun smiled slightly: "We will be doing some investment business here in the future, and we hope you will take good care of us. My people should have already taken care of the formalities. I also know a bit about what your police department has done through my friends in the FBI Agents Association. I hope you won't make things difficult for us."

"Of course not! We must consider the residents of the town! We must serve the citizens and strive to maintain the image and security of Greenfield Town." Sheriff Morgan gave a wry smile, feeling bitter inside.

Damn it, he wasn't involved in collecting debts, but now that something's happened, he's suddenly been promoted to sheriff and is here to take the blame for the chief.

An auditor called, saying he would be investigating their law enforcement practices soon, including interviewing town residents about their satisfaction with the police department's enforcement.

Is this still available?

Does that mean everyone should give police officers a star?

The entire police station is about to be replaced.

"Excellent! That's what a good police officer who serves the citizens should be like!"

Zhang Ailun chuckled: "I wonder if you're still hiring? I have a few friends who are veterans, and they might consider working for your police station in the future."

Sheriff Morgan felt a chill run down his spine. "Wait, why are they planting people in here? This is going too far!"

Are you blatantly trying to usurp my place?

Is there no justice left? Is there no law left?

He forced a smile and said, "You're all big business people, and the benefits at our small-town police station aren't good enough. We only have a basic salary of $2000 a month, plus a full attendance bonus. I doubt your people would even consider it." "Hey, Sheriff Morgan, you're being too polite. My friends are all professional veterans, outstanding individuals who have always wanted to contribute to society and serve the citizens of our town," Zhang Ailun smiled.

"It just so happens that our Hamburger Foundation is currently short of a chairman for a ranch and several advisors. We are prepared to offer the chairman and advisors a monthly salary of $2 to $3, plus bonuses and profit sharing. I wonder if the officers of the Greenfield Police Department would be willing to sacrifice their off-duty time to work at the foundation's ranch?"

"Without hesitation!!"

Upon hearing this, Sergeant Morgan immediately perked up and said seriously, "When I get back, I'll suggest to the chief that all the outstanding officers make a sacrifice! There are 16 officers in the department, including myself, and two police dogs, all willing to make a sacrifice."

$2 a month, and I'll be yours!

$3 a month, plus bonuses and profit sharing... Sorry, you'd better not treat me like a human being!

If you do not reject me, I am willing to become your godfather.

Shaking the leader's hand, he exclaimed, "With Mr. Jin's arrival, the construction of Green Field Town is now possible! We're sure to do even better in the future! Economic take-off is just around the corner!"

"That's right." The Grand Master nodded in satisfaction. He had resolved this small matter with great ease.

After the Deer couple prepared the transfer documents and handed them over to the leader, Zhang Ailun took a picture and sent it to Dave for inspection. After confirming that everything was correct, Dave also signed the document.

They paid $180 million to purchase the 400-hectare estate ranch, which was then registered under the investment portfolio of the Hamburger Foundation.

This doesn't exactly count as the Grand Master's personal assets. After all, he's not a white man from Onsa.

The industry belongs to everyone. The head of the company only has the right to use it 24 hours a day and the subsequent right to extract oil from the wells.

There will be profit sharing too. As long as you pay to join, the head of the organization can't possibly eat up this huge pie all by himself.

By following the leader's lead, even a dog in the small town police station gets meat every meal and won't be mistreated!

The estate and ranch were purchased by the foundation, and will need to pay $3000 in property taxes annually. That's one dollar per acre. The land tax itself isn't expensive; what's expensive are the buildings constructed on the land.

Land taxes are levied according to different uses. The tax rates for commercial land taxes, residential land taxes, agricultural land taxes, and livestock land taxes are all different. If 6,000 acres of land are simply left uncultivated, only a minimum fee of $1 to $0.1 will be charged. Even for agricultural planting and livestock breeding, the tax rate is not high.

If you want to build a villa or log cabin, you will have to pay property tax based on the residential area.

However, Zhang Ailun does not currently plan to build too many houses on this land, nor does he intend to settle here permanently. At most, he will hire someone to mend and repair the land, and put up a fence and barbed wire on the estate. This is a big project and will take a long time.

We will also explore and develop underground oil resources based on the intelligence reports, purchase specialized equipment, drill wells, extract oil, and sell it.

Drilling an oil well can cost anywhere from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars! It's a significant investment, and it also requires a considerable number of people.

Without the local police station's manpower, it's definitely not safe; there will definitely be rats stealing oil.

Oh, and voodoo too.

After seeing the Deere couple and Sheriff Morgan off, old Carl drove over and greeted Zhang Ailun warmly, "Buddy, you really bought this land? How much did it cost?"

"180 million US dollars." Zhang Ailun held up a map of the estate and ranch, dividing it into three areas.

One is a pastoral plain area with abundant water and grass, suitable for planting and breeding. The other is a building and resort area near a lake and air-raid shelters, as well as a suspected oil extraction area, which could also be used for private shooting ranges.

One is a mountainous area with hillsides and woods, where there seem to be animals like coyotes and rabbits. Not many people go there on weekdays, so perhaps we could release some elk and other animal species for hunting and picnics.

No matter what, we're landlords now.

Who can stop a landlord from hunting and shooting in his own home?

I could drink deer blood and eat bear paws every meal.

It encompasses airspace rights, ground rights, and the right to exploit underground resources—basically everything within its boundaries is considered private territory. If you fly your plane over my head and I'm unhappy, I have the right to shoot you down because you've violated my private territory.

Of course, it's not advisable to do this without sufficient skills. It's easy to run into trouble.

The only regret is that we can no longer keep black slaves.

"Carl, how have you been lately? You look like you've gained a little weight?" Zhang Ailun looked at old Carl with a smile. He had obviously put on some weight, but his spirits were still high.

Old Karl chuckled: "Of course, I'm carefree now. I spend my days going to bars and pubs and strolling around the town park. The hot young women in town are incredibly welcoming to me."

"Buddy, let me tell you another secret: I'm about to strike it rich! Returning to my rural hometown from Los Angeles was absolutely the best decision I've ever made!" Old Carl said smugly.

"Get rich? What business have you started this time? Didn't you just buy a few dozen cattle and sheep?" Zhang Ailun asked, somewhat puzzled.

Old Karl glanced around, then leaned closer and whispered, "There's oil in my field!!"

"...!?"

Zhang Ailun stared at him, completely bewildered.

What's going on? Is there so much oil in my field that it's overflowing onto your land?

Old Carl chuckled, "Didn't expect that, did you? Hahaha, I didn't expect it either! I only spent a few hundred thousand dollars to buy a piece of land, and I actually found this kind of good stuff underground! I just wanted to test it out, but I didn't expect the earthquake vehicle to actually react! I'm planning to find a professional mining company to rent equipment to drill a well, the location is in the hills behind my ranch."

"I really didn't expect that."

Zhang Ailun sighed, "Maybe there will be oil in my field too."

"impossible!"

Old Karl waved his hand and said, "Absolutely impossible!"

He immediately began to criticize, "Look at your land. Although it covers a large area of ​​more than 6,000 mu, it is too desolate. It's mostly wasteland and woodland. It hasn't been well maintained for more than 20 years. The places with abundant water and grass have all been sold off. You can't even raise a cow on one mu. You can't even grow corn or grapes. At most, you can grow cassava. You can't make much money even if you work yourself to death."

"My land is different! After careful selection, it's all top-quality pasture with abundant groundwater resources; half an acre is enough to raise a cow!"

"You really overpaid for this land!"

"..."

Seeing Old Karl's triumphant demeanor, Zhang Ailun couldn't bear to discourage him.

He nodded seriously. "Perhaps."

When the time comes that you actually find the oil and drill to extract the black gold, you'd better still be smiling like this.

After chatting with old Carl for a while, Zhang Ailun led Sieg and the others on a walking tour of the manor.

First, we entered an old wooden villa, built in the style of the last century. It was so dilapidated that it was no longer habitable and needed renovation.

Next are forests and lakes. The lake water is of good quality, a bright green, and there are fish and shrimp living in it. The water is tens of meters deep, about the size of a reservoir. When it doesn't rain, it can be used to pump water to irrigate farmland.

Several plump rabbits were spotted in the forest. They watched the group of people for a moment, then turned and ran into the mountains.

There was no way around it; 6,000 acres was just too big! The tour alone nearly exhausted old Karl.

The old man's face flushed red, and he said breathlessly, hands on his hips, "That's why I don't buy so much land."

"That's just because you've gained weight and gotten older; you need to exercise more. I'm not talking about group sex. You're too weak!" Zhang Ailun added.

This is probably what happiness is all about.

(End of this chapter)